Vacation Ideas for Jan 2017

[prichard]

Lots of cruise options from Lauderdale. Watch 90 day ticker on vacations to go in the fall. Great prices of you don't mind booking closer to departure date

 

[Ed of all trades]

Would not work for winter but my sister has been on two river cruses, one in Europe and the other in China. She loved them and hopes to go on more. Something to keep in mind. Ed

 

[jerrybob]

Lots of people think a cruise ship would be too confining and too crowded. In fact, they are neither, there are a lot of people on the big ships, but they are never all in the same place at once, . I have been to most of the Caribbean ind Hawaiin islands, and they are much more crowded walking the streets and resort areas than a cruise ship. There is always something going on day and night, but if you want to relax and find a quiet spot to read a book, that is easy to do too.
My favorite cruise is the Panama Canal, it started in Mexico, visited Costa Rica, and through the canal out to the caribbeanislands. It felt like 2 cruises for one price, and if you like history, as I do, it was loaded with interesting speakers and visuals. If you decide on a cruise I recommend at least a 10 day trip as anything shorter feels like it's too darn short.
Also like the all inclusive so in the Caribbean and Mexico, especially if you just want to enjoy adult beverages and decompress poolside. If you just want to rent a house and explore the island, the Virgin Islands are fantastic, and if you do that, take a ferry to St John, it is our favorite place on this whole planet, just don't tell anyone about it, it's starting to get too popular the past decade.

I respect people doing whatever makes them happy. As you say.....there are lots of people on a cruise. Personally.....lots of people is not my idea of a good time. I'd rather be hiking a trail with my wife and dogs in the woods.......much more relaxing by my standards.:2cents:

 

[Wagtail]

I've been pricing airfare to different areas. Seems like Asia is pretty cheap to get to in January, but Australia is twice as much.

Well, it is peak tourist season & the school holidays. The ferry to/from Tassie is pretty much booked out too, even with double the sailings. Same with car/caravan rentals.

However, even with these 'negatives', it's well worth it.

 

[EddieWalker]

Would not work for winter but my sister has been on two river cruses, one in Europe and the other in China. She loved them and hopes to go on more. Something to keep in mind. Ed

I looked into Europe for a winter cruise, but didn't see any. There are a few in the Greek Islands that are interesting, and a few from Spain that go South that look good to, along with one down the Nile that I've always wanted to do. Not sure how I feel about Egypt right now, it seems like that part of the world is better avoided for awhile.

I priced flights to Singapore and Thailand because there are some cruises there that hit a few ports that I want to see, but there are too many sea days to deal with.

The farther away we go for the cruise, the more it takes to get there and come back. While we have plenty of time with my wife's schedule, I find that sitting around airports is one of the worse things to do.

Hawaii is still an option. We've never been there.

I'm also leaning towards Cancun and an all inclusive resort there. Or Costa Rica.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Lots of people think a cruise ship would be too confining and too crowded. In fact, they are neither, there are a lot of people on the big ships, but they are never all in the same place at once, . I have been to most of the Caribbean ind Hawaiin islands, and they are much more crowded walking the streets and resort areas than a cruise ship. There is always something going on day and night, but if you want to relax and find a quiet spot to read a book, that is easy to do too.
My favorite cruise is the Panama Canal, it started in Mexico, visited Costa Rica, and through the canal out to the caribbeanislands. It felt like 2 cruises for one price, and if you like history, as I do, it was loaded with interesting speakers and visuals. If you decide on a cruise I recommend at least a 10 day trip as anything shorter feels like it's too darn short.
Also like the all inclusive so in the Caribbean and Mexico, especially if you just want to enjoy adult beverages and decompress poolside.

If you just want to rent a house and explore the island, the Virgin Islands are fantastic, and if you do that, take a ferry to St John, it is our favorite place on this whole planet, just don't tell anyone about it, it's starting to get too popular the past decade.

Hah. We did that...rented a car and took the Ferry to St. Johns. When on the ferry, noticed a low tire. It had a big nail in it, and I about panicked. Turns out that there is only one service station on the island, and it was close enough to the ferry that we made it in time to get the tire fixed.

The car we got was a Kia; a little POS that was wholly inadequate for the kind of driving you have to do on St. Thomas. The Island roads are narrow and very hilly, and at times wet and slick. The little Kia would hit high center and spin going up the hills such that we barely made it a time or two. If you chose to do this, GET A JEEP 4X4! FWIW, they drive on the left side there, so be prepared for a whole new experience if you have never done this before.