Where are you going.. (Travel Thread)

[Xerxes]

6 hours ago, Munger_Disciple said:

My wife & are planning to fly to Vancouver from San Diego to visit family in Bellingham WA and visit the city. IIRC @Parsad and others on this board live in Vancouver. I have two questions:

 

1. Can I rent a car in Vancouver & drive across the border to WA & return back to the Vancouver airport? I am assuming yes but wanted to be sure. Are the lines to enter /exit the border between US & Canada long?

 

2. What are some fun things to do in Vancouver/ nearby areas if we are planning to stay for 2-3 days? 

 

Thanks  very  much for your help! Please feel free to DM me.

 

was there last august. I personally enjoyed Garibaldi hike couple of hours drive from the city. If you are into hiking, highly recommend.

 
 

[Munger_Disciple]

Thanks @Spekulatius and @Xerxes! Vitoria Island & the trail look & sound amazing.

[Gamecock-YT]

Headed to Doha and Bali, with maybe a stop in Kuala Lumpur. Apparently nobody wants to go to Doha in the middle of summer, lol.

[Viking]

7 hours ago, Munger_Disciple said:

My wife & are planning to fly to Vancouver from San Diego to visit family in Bellingham WA and visit the city. IIRC @Parsad and others on this board live in Vancouver. I have two questions:

 

1. Can I rent a car in Vancouver & drive across the border to WA & return back to the Vancouver airport? I am assuming yes but wanted to be sure. Are the lines to enter /exit the border between US & Canada long?

 

2. What are some fun things to do in Vancouver/ nearby areas if we are planning to stay for 2-3 days? 

 

Thanks  very  much for your help! Please feel free to DM me.

 

@Munger_Disciple here are some thoughts:

 

1.) car rental: i can’t really help you here. I would contact the car rental company and ask them. Insurance coverage would be important (especially if something happened while the car was in the US). 
2.) what do you in Vancouver. So many good options if you are here only a couple of days. 
- what kind of a vacation are you after? Busy or more relaxed?

- how active are you and your wife? Very or not at all?

 

In terms of Vancouver here are some thoughts that quickly come to mind:

1.) one of my favourite activities is biking/walking the seawall around Stanley Park. Lots of nice beaches/places along the way to stop and simply hang out at. Nothing like it on a beautiful day.

2.) another nice activity is taking the tram up Grouse Mountain (one of the local ski hills). You get a beautiful birds eye view of Vancouver. There is a restaurant up top and some fun activities for visitors (lumber jack show, captive black bears). If you are fitness nuts you can actually do the Grouse Grind hike to get to the top of Grouse Mountain (and take the tram to get back down).
3.) Granville Island Public Market is a nice place to visit for lunch

4.) if you want to shop most high end shops are on Robson street

5.) lots of great hiking options (too many to list, all rated by ability)

6.) if you have time for a coffee during your trip i would be happy to meet up somewhere (schedule permitting)

 

If you are looking for a day trip you might want to go to Whistler. The drive is pretty scenic (sea to sky highway) and Whistler is an all season resort (lots to do). 
 

I love the ferry ride to Victoria, Vancouver Island - very scenic. And Victoria is a beautiful city (British charm… tea time etc). The ferries can be a mess (if you are taking a vehicle) especially during peak periods/long weekends but there are solutions (assured loading pass). Another option is to walk on the ferry and use transit to get to Victoria (my son did this recently so i could ask him for details). 

Anyways, there are a few ideas… let me know if you have any other questions  

—————

@Xerxes you must be quite the hiker. My wife and i did the Garibaldi lake hike when we were much younger. A friend was a park ranger so he let us stay overnight in one of the ranger cabins on the lake (not sure if they are still there). If memory serves me right it was 11km hike to the lake, 13km hike up to the ridge - with view of the lake below and view of Black Tusk in the distance - and 11km out. Pretty busy couple of days! Great trip. 

Edited August 27, 2022 by Viking

[Munger_Disciple]

14 hours ago, Viking said:

@Munger_Disciple here are some thoughts:

 

1.) car rental: i can’t really help you here. I would contact the car rental company and ask them. Insurance coverage would be important (especially if something happened while the car was in the US). 
2.) what do you in Vancouver. So many good options if you are here only a couple of days. 
- what kind of a vacation are you after? Busy or more relaxed?

- how active are you and your wife? Very or not at all?

 

In terms of Vancouver here are some thoughts that quickly come to mind:

1.) one of my favourite activities is biking/walking the seawall around Stanley Park. Lots of nice beaches/places along the way to stop and simply hang out at. Nothing like it on a beautiful day.

2.) another nice activity is taking the tram up Grouse Mountain (one of the local ski hills). You get a beautiful birds eye view of Vancouver. There is a restaurant up top and some fun activities for visitors (lumber jack show, captive black bears). If you are fitness nuts you can actually do the Grouse Grind hike to get to the top of Grouse Mountain (and take the tram to get back down).
3.) Granville Island Public Market is a nice place to visit for lunch

4.) if you want to shop most high end shops are on Robson street

5.) lots of great hiking options (too many to list, all rated by ability)

6.) if you have time for a coffee during your trip i would be happy to meet up somewhere (schedule permitting)

 

If you are looking for a day trip you might want to go to Whistler. The drive is pretty scenic (sea to sky highway) and Whistler is an all season resort (lots to do). 
 

I love the ferry ride to Victoria, Vancouver Island - very scenic. And Victoria is a beautiful city (British charm… tea time etc). The ferries can be a mess (if you are taking a vehicle) especially during peak periods/long weekends but there are solutions (assured loading pass). Another option is to walk on the ferry and use transit to get to Victoria (my son did this recently so i could ask him for details). 

Anyways, there are a few ideas… let me know if you have any other questions  

—————

@Xerxes you must be quite the hiker. My wife and i did the Garibaldi lake hike when we were much younger. A friend was a park ranger so he let us stay overnight in one of the ranger cabins on the lake (not sure if they are still there). If memory serves me right it was 11km hike to the lake, 13km hike up to the ridge - with view of the lake below and view of Black Tusk in the distance - and 11km out. Pretty busy couple of days! Great trip. 

 

Thank you @Viking! That's a wealth of useful information. I appreciate your thoughts very much. Depending on our schedule, I would love to get a coffee with you. Will DM you once our plans are finalized.

 

We will be in the city for 3 days/4 nights and head to WA for a few more days and return to the airport. Perhaps do a day trip away from the city one of these days and see the attractions in the city/nearby during the other two days. Your suggestions for spending the time in the city are terrific. Trip to Victoria sounds very nice too. 

[Gregmal]

Curious if anyone knows anywhere good in West Virginia to buy land for camping/outdoors activity? Preferably by a river or water. For a number of reasons it’s a convenient location for family and friends. Taxes and carry are not bad either. Been looking sporadically and $200-300k seems to get you some real space out there.

[cwericb]

Staying right here. P.E.I. 

[Spekulatius]

Went on a 4 country trip to Germany (family), Paris, Belgium and Netherlands, Belgium cities like Brussel and Ghent in particular have been awesome and better than I expected.

 

[maxthetrade]

Belgium and France, agree with Spek, Belgium is really nice!

 

Omaha Beach

 

My niece really likes Crepes ;-)

 

 

[cubsfan]

On 8/27/2022 at 2:38 PM, Gregmal said:

Curious if anyone knows anywhere good in West Virginia to buy land for camping/outdoors activity? Preferably by a river or water. For a number of reasons it’s a convenient location for family and friends. Taxes and carry are not bad either. Been looking sporadically and $200-300k seems to get you some real space out there. 

Might try near Lewisburg, WV - lovely little historic town - close to Greenbrier River where there are tons of campsites. Also - New River Gorge around Pipestem State Park is beautiful. Bluestone Lake is pretty awesome. Not exactly heavily populated - so I think you're right on the land costs. Perhaps a realtor in the Hinton or Bellepointe area could help you?

[Parsad]

On 8/27/2022 at 1:46 PM, cwericb said:

Staying right here. P.E.I. 

 

Haven't been to PEI, but planning a trip to see the East Coast.  Heard nothing but beautiful things about PEI and that is one spectacular photograph!  Cheers!

[cwericb]

Well you can't go to the East Coast and not check out PEI  Some of the worlds best beaches and the warmest water north of the Carolinas. But there is much more than beaches to see.  But there is much more than beaches to see.  

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by cwericb

[JAK]

La Baule on the west coast of France. Direct TGV from Paris. Amazing beach, lovely Belle Époque architecture. Nice clifftop walks / cycle trails and small hidden coves too. 

[Xerxes]

@Viking

i think I have done my fifth day trip down to the Adirondacks (for hiking) this summer since border re-opened. 
 

will probably go to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand for Christmas but not for hiking or biking. Just normal tourist stuff. 

[Spekulatius]

On 8/30/2022 at 5:16 AM, JAK said:

La Baule on the west coast of France. Direct TGV from Paris. Amazing beach, lovely Belle Époque architecture. Nice clifftop walks / cycle trails and small hidden coves too. 

Been there a long time ago. Love the Normandie and the Bretagne, but my favorite is the northern part. The southern part  / La Baule is way better for beach holidays though.

Edited September 1, 2022 by Spekulatius

[Spekulatius]

On 8/27/2022 at 4:46 PM, cwericb said:

Staying right here. P.E.I. 

I had no idea about Prince Edward isles, but now they are in my bucket list.

[cwericb]

22 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

I had no idea about Prince Edward isles, but now they are in my bucket list.

Hi Spec. If you have a minute and a half to spare, check out this video for a quick glimpse of Prince Edward Island:

https://www.tourismpei.com/about-pei/video-photo-gallery/come-find-your-island

For more info:
https://www.tourismpei.com/

[Xerxes]

@maxthetrade

 

i enjoyed also the “D-Day” beaches but like more than 15 years ago. There this one place I ll never forget, it was cliff overlooking some of the “beaches” on one side and “Utah beach” I think on the other side. It was packed with German battery installations. 
 

when I went to see it there were no howitzers, but their placement were there and massive cavities caused by the Allied bombardment. The massive bunkers are still there. For some reason, I remember the name Pointe du Chut but looks like it is called Pointe du Hoc. 

 

Even Call of Duty back in the day had a level where you had to climb those cliffs and disable those howitzers, only to discover that the Germans moved them more inland. 

 

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointe_du_Hoc

 

Edited September 2, 2022 by Xerxes

[Spekulatius]

58 minutes ago, Xerxes said:

@maxthetrade

 

i enjoyed also the “D-Day” beaches but like more than 15 years ago. There this one place I ll never forget, it was cliff overlooking some of the “beaches” on one side and “Utah beach” I think on the other side. It was packed with German battery installations. 
 

when I went to see it there were no howitzers, but their placement were there and massive cavities caused by the Allied bombardment. The massive bunkers are still there. For some reason, I remember the name Pointe du Chut but looks like it is called Pointe du Hoc. 

 

Even Call of Duty back in the day had a level where you had to climb those cliffs and disable those howitzers, only to discover that the Germans moved them more inland. 

 

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointe_du_Hoc

 

it has been a long time since I visited Normandie (early 90's). We also checked out the Bayeux museum (famous carpet) as well as the D-Day landing beaches. After checking out 2 or three I came to the conclusion that the brits screwed over the Americans by choosing the easier to land beaches for themselves.

 

The Normandy is a beatiful area - friendly people, and  wonderful windswept beaches. Some of the beaches have enormous tides - more than 10m which leads to wide sand beaches sometimes with steep cliffs. We say people with Land yachts racing them and it looked awesome.

 

Then there is great local food (cheese!) and Calvados. I plan to go full circle back there one day.

Edited September 2, 2022 by Spekulatius

[Xerxes]

4 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

it has been a long time since I visited Normandie (early 90's). We also checked out the Bayeux museum (famous carpet) as well as the D-Day landing beaches. After checking out 2 or three I came to the conclusion that the brits screwed over the Americans by choosing the easier to land beaches for themselves.

 

To the Allies, Americans were like the rich uncle.

So they let the uncle to pay the tab. A recurring event post-1945, that was perhaps offset by the U.S. dollar hegemony over others.

 

I think either the Fourth or the Fifth Republics (i.e pre- or post-centralization of presidental power in France), DeGaulle and his minister of coins had major qualms about that hegemony that allowed the American to just print U.S. dlollar and buy fine french wine and other luxuary, while the French laoured. He did not hesitate to let the American know. 

 

 

[Red Lion]

We just got back from a 15 day trip to Hawaii and Kauai, and had a great time. Like some previous posters had mentioned, it's getting a LOT more expensive than it was before. There are a lot of travel hack opportunities to Hawaii which I think are becoming more important than ever as the prices are going up. 

 

Examples are to:

 

1) get a condo with a kitchen and full size refrigerator 

2) travel with other people 

3) shop at Costco and cook at home except for nice meals out

4) use airline mileage points 

5) Use timeshare presentations for discounted stays, or buy a resale timeshare

 

Big huge pains in the ass:

1) rental cars, expect to wait in line 2-4 hours, not have enough cars available. I have booked on Turo in the past. This time I booked on Turo 4 months in advance, and then the Turo host cancelled this 3 weeks before the trip leaving me back in line at the rental car agency. My takeaway, if you have to do this, consider spending longer stays on one individual island. Between airport/rental cars, an inter island travel day kills the whole day, whereas pre-covid this was a really nice way to see multiple different islands for a relatively low cost. 

2) Getting gouged on everything, almost everything has gone WAY up. This makes it even more important than before to shop at Costco/Walmart and prepare more meals at home. 

 

 

Timeshares

 

I did the timeshare presentation again which was part of the deal to get a discounted 5 nights on Kauai. I declined the timeshare. Said I was interested though, and might get one in the future. And then booked a followup trip at a discounted price where we do the same thing again in the next 1-2 years. 

 

Then I put an offer on a resale timeshare unit at a property we have stayed at other times that was accepted right after I got back. I'm paying about $3,800 after closing costs to get 1 week per year in a 2/2 condo in Kauai with annual maintenance fees of $1,450. This is actually one of our favorite properties, and if you rent a second hand timeshare week they go for around $400 a night. Everyone talks shit about timeshares, but the RESALE timeshares can be a really good deal especially if you like to go to the same location every year or every other year. 

 

I've always wanted to buy a vacation condo in Hawaii and vacation rent it out and then use it about a month a year for myself. This same condo would be $1.2 million with $1,000 a month HOA fees, and STR property managers/the condo vacation pool is going to take 25-35%. Alternatively, if I could just accumulate 4 resale timeshare units for about $15k purchase price with annual maintenance fee of about $6,000, and if condo prices tank maybe I'll buy one of those, and if they stay crazy then I'll just enjoy my 4 weeks a year at a huge discount to the market. 

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by RedLion

[ICUMD]

46 minutes ago, RedLion said:

We just got back from a 15 day trip to Hawaii and Kauai, and had a great time. Like some previous posters had mentioned, it's getting a LOT more expensive than it was before. There are a lot of travel hack opportunities to Hawaii which I think are becoming more important than ever as the prices are going up. 

 

Examples are to:

 

1) get a condo with a kitchen and full size refrigerator 

2) travel with other people 

3) shop at Costco and cook at home except for nice meals out

4) use airline mileage points 

5) Use timeshare presentations for discounted stays, or buy a resale timeshare

 

Big huge pains in the ass:

1) rental cars, expect to wait in line 2-4 hours, not have enough cars available. I have booked on Turo in the past. This time I booked on Turo 4 months in advance, and then the Turo host cancelled this 3 weeks before the trip leaving me back in line at the rental car agency. My takeaway, if you have to do this, consider spending longer stays on one individual island. Between airport/rental cars, an inter island travel day kills the whole day, whereas pre-covid this was a really nice way to see multiple different islands for a relatively low cost. 

2) Getting gouged on everything, almost everything has gone WAY up. This makes it even more important than before to shop at Costco/Walmart and prepare more meals at home. 

 

 

Timeshares

 

I did the timeshare presentation again which was part of the deal to get a discounted 5 nights on Kauai. I declined the timeshare. Said I was interested though, and might get one in the future. And then booked a followup trip at a discounted price where we do the same thing again in the next 1-2 years. 

 

Then I put an offer on a resale timeshare unit at a property we have stayed at other times that was accepted right after I got back. I'm paying about $3,800 after closing costs to get 1 week per year in a 2/2 condo in Kauai with annual maintenance fees of $1,450. This is actually one of our favorite properties, and if you rent a second hand timeshare week they go for around $400 a night. Everyone talks shit about timeshares, but the RESALE timeshares can be a really good deal especially if you like to go to the same location every year or every other year. 

 

I've always wanted to buy a vacation condo in Hawaii and vacation rent it out and then use it about a month a year for myself. This same condo would be $1.2 million with $1,000 a month HOA fees, and STR property managers/the condo vacation pool is going to take 25-35%. Alternatively, if I could just accumulate 4 resale timeshare units for about $15k purchase price with annual maintenance fee of about $6,000, and if condo prices tank maybe I'll buy one of those, and if they stay crazy then I'll just enjoy my 4 weeks a year at a huge discount to the market. 

 

Great idea Red lion.  

I enjoyed my trip to Kaui years ago and love Hawaii climate.

 

Where did you go to shop resale timeshares?  Any recommendations for specific timeshare condos in Kaui and Maui?

[Red Lion]

1 hour ago, ICUMD said:

Great idea Red lion.  

I enjoyed my trip to Kaui years ago and love Hawaii climate.

 

Where did you go to shop resale timeshares?  Any recommendations for specific timeshare condos in Kaui and Maui?

You can find them on a few websites including redweek.com but I actually talked to a real estate agent in Kauai who had access to a lot more listings. I recommend the Cliffs or Bali Hai in princeville. The cliffs is the one I just got. Send me a direct message and I’ll give you the phone number. 

[maxthetrade]

I spent the last two weeks with a couple of friends in Tuscany, certainly one of the most beautiful places on earth and great food & wine of course

 

 

 

Livorno

 

 

InCarne in Livorno, highly recommended!

 

 

 

Shop in San Gimignano

 

Pizza from the Mercato Central in Florence. Almost as good as in Napoli.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Siena

 

San Gimignano

 

 

Ristoro di Lamole, one of the best Restaurant experiences I've ever had! Fantastic view, truly excellent food, wine and service.

 

Paccheri filled with porcini and truffle. 

 

Bistecca Fiorentina of course...

 

 

 

Edited April 13, 2023 by maxthetrade

[maxthetrade]

A couple more pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ayrton Senna Memorial in Imola

 

 

 

Edited April 13, 2023 by maxthetrade