Where are you going.. (Travel Thread)

[UK]

3 hours ago, cwericb said:

 

Spent quite a bit if time in the Piniche area. My sister and her husband have a house with a cottage on the same property(free rent for me!) in the Areia Branca/Lourinhã area, just south of Piniche. Great area to visit and is called the Silver Coast, They spend most of the year there and only spend about three months in the summer in Canada now.

Right now it is pretty cool and damp there in that area of Portugal.

It was also quite windy just recently, up to 200 kmh I have read somewhere. I think this was quite unusuall though. Portugal is very beutiful place!

[UK]

1 hour ago, Whensthepaintdry? said:

We briefly went to the Asturias a couple years ago and really enjoyed it. We biked/hiked around Somiedo national park and Picos. We are going back in May and plan to visit different areas in/around Asturias hopefully making it to the coast this time. We are currently in the planning phase. It will be for about 3 weeks and it is our first out of the country trip with our son. 

We are planning to visit it too:), only a bit later, when the school summer holidays starts. After some traveling here I think northern Spain is perhaps quite less known and maybe even somewhat underrated vs south. But less crowdy, more green, with the Pyrenees mountains and ocean coastline.

[Lazarus]

I've been in Antigua the past two weeks, one more to go. I'm working part-time (remote), taking in the sights, and learning kitesurfing.  

[SharperDingaan]

2 weeks in Madeira inclusive of a few days in Lisbon on the way in/out of Toronto. Based a little east of Funchal, hiking all over the island, swimming the gulf stream everyday, and visiting church! (Ronaldo museum in Funchal). As it's world cup this year, and I'm a volunteer at the Toronto events .... it seems an obvious 'must do' 

 

This will be the first leg of a multi-leg bucket trip across Africa, with the next leg in Morocco come winter next year. I have been informed that we will be hiking/doing the Greek Islands comes Fall 

 

SD

Edited February 1 by SharperDingaan

[gary17]

family trip to spain in march ! 

will start in london, then fly to barcelona, then make our way down by train to madrid then seville , and finally faro where we will catch a flight to london and spend a few nights there before heading home ! 

the biggest uncertainty is of course the high speed rail situation in spain; we may have to improvise and look at alternative cities 

[Cod Liver Oil]

hey @Lazarus any good places in Antigua to stay for a week with the family in March? The boys will probably like watersports.

[John Hjorth]

... And all while the rest of us are screaming 'Pics, pics, pics, please!'

[benchmark]

Going to New Zealand next week. We land in Auckland, was going to Trinitiri Matangi, but it seems ferry doesn't run on Mon/Tuesday. So we'll go directly to ChristChurch first, spend most of the time in the south island. This is our first time to the country, anything that we shouldn't miss? 

 

[UK]

1 hour ago, John Hjorth said:

... And all while the rest of us are screaming 'Pics, pics, pics, please!'

This one is my favourite, from Peniche, some nice catch (some kind of an eel, two of them actualy, spearfished), probably for a new year evening:)

 

Edited February 1 by UK

[Whensthepaintdry?]

The picture with my wife is Picos and the other is Somiedo. I definitely agree that northern Spain seems less traveled for Americans. We were the only ones we noticed around Somiedo. We have been to Spain 3 times and the Asturias were our favorite even though the weather wasn’t as sunny. We have loved every trip to Spain though. We have done a van trip from Barcelona up the east coast to the Pyrenees and San Sebastián, biked from Garnada to some smaller mountain towns, Malaga, and Rhonda. With our son we plan to pick some nicer small homes and stay in some areas where hiking is easily accessible. 

[Gamecock-YT]

7 hours ago, benchmark said:

Going to New Zealand next week. We land in Auckland, was going to Trinitiri Matangi, but it seems ferry doesn't run on Mon/Tuesday. So we'll go directly to ChristChurch first, spend most of the time in the south island. This is our first time to the country, anything that we shouldn't miss? 

 

 

I was there in October/November for a month. Get out of Christchurch as soon as you can, compared to the rest of the island it isn't anything special, the park and that's about it. I think the new stadium is supposed to open soon. Rest of the island, obviously the tourist places of Queenstown, Wanaka, Mount Cook, and Milford Sound. West Coast to see the Glaciers. Nelson and Picton to the north are underrated, some great hiking spots. Have some cheese and a glass of pinot for me. 

Edited February 2 by Gamecock-YT

[benchmark]

4 hours ago, Gamecock-YT said:

 

I was there in October/November for a month. Get out of Christchurch as soon as you can, compared to the rest of the island it isn't anything special, the park and that's about it. I think the new stadium is supposed to open soon. Rest of the island, obviously the tourist places of Queenstown, Wanaka, Mount Cook, and Milford Sound. West Coast to see the Glaciers. Nelson and Picton to the north are underrated, some great hiking spots. Have some cheese and a glass of pinot for me. 

Is the Glaciers worth the drive? (We've seen glaciers in Alaska and Canada and Switzland). 

 

For Milfrod sound, is the helicopter tour worth it? 

 

We are also thinking about changing our flight to go directly to Nelson. Any particular areas/hikes that you'd recommend? 

 

thanks.

[Gamecock-YT]

6 hours ago, benchmark said:

Is the Glaciers worth the drive? (We've seen glaciers in Alaska and Canada and Switzland). 

 

For Milfrod sound, is the helicopter tour worth it? 

 

We are also thinking about changing our flight to go directly to Nelson. Any particular areas/hikes that you'd recommend? 

 

thanks.

 

I wouldn't go out of my way to see the glaciers. But if you are including it with going through Arthur's and Haast Pass and driving to Wanaka/Queenstown I would rather go that way than driving direct, not to mention less traffic. I stayed in Hokitika and Haast to break up the trip. 

 

I did the boat tour of the sound. And a lot of your experience will be based on the weather. It rains a ton. So helos might even be grounded. But if you've been to all those places, you've seemingly also seen fjords before too? So YMMV.

 

I stayed near downtown in Nelson, so I did the Grampians hike quite a few times. There is also a nice trail that goes past the Centre of New Zealand Monument that eventually puts you out near the Founders Heritage Park. You can either trek back or hop on the bus back to town. But if you have car access, the entire east/southeast side of Nelson is mountains with all the trails you can handle. 

 

Then if you make it to Picton you have the Queen Charlotte track available to you. The water taxi operators will pick up/drop off at different segments of the track if you just want to do day hikes, I did the Ship Cove to Endeavour Inlet leg. Also, the snout is another great hike that puts you out in the middle of the sound, you can access the trailhead for it from the center of town.  

Edited February 2 by Gamecock-YT

[backtothebeach]

You just brought back a memory ... in 1994 I hitchhiked from Christchurch to St Joseph Glacier. The second car that gave me a lift was the owner of a helicopter company in St Joseph, and he said if you can find three more people for a helicopter ride you can go for free. Next morning in the backpackers (hostel) some people were talking about seeing the glaciers with a different helicopter company, so I chimed in and somehow managed to steer them towards the one where I got the free ride (without telling them that...), and the company even took me for a second ride touching down on a different glacier because there was an unoccupied space.

 

I was a real value traveler, lol.

[Lazarus]

On 2/1/2026 at 11:18 AM, Cod Liver Oil said:

hey @Lazarus any good places in Antigua to stay for a week with the family in March? The boys will probably like watersports.

Hi Cod. Antigua is safe, but it's surprisingly 3rd world. The roads are a nightmare, the main town of St. Johns looks like Haiti, and the average house is a cardboard shack. I'm staying at a dumpy airbnb on the NE side of the island, but I chose it because it's close to the kitesurfing at Jabberwock beach. 

 

If you're coming with your family, the only area I would recommend is English Harbour on the south end of the island. English Harbour is by far the nicest part of the island (I've been all over by this point). The only watersport I've seen there is sailing, but I've seen some windfoil on some of the other beaches. You'll need to rent a car, needless to say. What do your kids do?

 

 

[Gamecock-YT]

9 hours ago, backtothebeach said:

You just brought back a memory ... in 1994 I hitchhiked from Christchurch to St Joseph Glacier. The second car that gave me a lift was the owner of a helicopter company in St Joseph, and he said if you can find three more people for a helicopter ride you can go for free. Next morning in the backpackers (hostel) some people were talking about seeing the glaciers with a different helicopter company, so I chimed in and somehow managed to steer them towards the one where I got the free ride (without telling them that...), and the company even took me for a second ride touching down on a different glacier because there was an unoccupied space.

 

I was a real value traveler, lol.

 

lol, that's a cool story. 

[Jaygo]

On 1/8/2026 at 11:25 PM, UK said:

During the winter holidays we went with the car from Barcelona to Peniche (Portugal) via Madrid and after spending some time in PT, went back via Salamanca, Burgos, Zaragosa. Despite being colder (and wetter) vs south, especially if you are in elevated places:), my general conclusion is the more north I see, the more I like it:). Less crowdy, more authentic, interesting food etc.

 

I have never been there, but my number one destination for the next time will be this https://ingreenspain.es/en/.

 

"A place exists in the North of Spain where the intense green blends into the deep blue that writhes between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea; a landscape of unique beauty that is a meeting point of ancestral traditions and avant-garde trends. Few are those who know that another Spain exists, far removed from the stereotypes, an Atlantic Spain, a “Green Spain, The spirit of the North”

 

Several GoT filming locations (Dragonstone) is also in this region:)

 

 

Did you visit Rioja? its on my list as I love the wine. You would have driven very close assuming you took the direct road from Burgos to Zargoza.

 

Also my dad's business partner was from NW of Pamplona and has claimed many times that Northern Spain is the the best kept secret, tough people too. Proper Asturtian stew is my favorite cold weather food but hard to find the key ingredients in Canada.

 

My wife and I drove through the Pyrenees in a summer of love ridging back and forth from France and Spain exploring little towns. That was 15 years ago, now we tend to go south as the kids love the beach and I prefer dry weather. Andalucia is pretty special in its own colourful way.

 

My family is west of Valencia in the Albaracin and its full of abandoned stone towns and very much off the international radar but also incredible. Unfortunately its cold in the winter so my wife is not a fan. 

 

 

[UK]

1 hour ago, Jaygo said:

 

Did you visit Rioja? its on my list as I love the wine. You would have driven very close assuming you took the direct road from Burgos to Zargoza.

 

Also my dad's business partner was from NW of Pamplona and has claimed many times that Northern Spain is the the best kept secret, tough people too. Proper Asturtian stew is my favorite cold weather food but hard to find the key ingredients in Canada.

 

My wife and I drove through the Pyrenees in a summer of love ridging back and forth from France and Spain exploring little towns. That was 15 years ago, now we tend to go south as the kids love the beach and I prefer dry weather. Andalucia is pretty special in its own colourful way.

 

My family is west of Valencia in the Albaracin and its full of abandoned stone towns and very much off the international radar but also incredible. Unfortunately its cold in the winter so my wife is not a fan. 

 

 

Nice to read! Rioja no, I mean not yet:), but definetely will visit in the future. North  South, I really like Spain everywhere, maybe except for Barcelona downtown during peak season (not now), as it gets really crowdy, perhaps suits beter for younger people:). The climate is wonferful, sun is plenty (but if you like cold or snow, just go to mountains), people are very nice and I do not even want to start talking what I think of its healthcare or other public services, which in my opinion is on par with private, but at the price of public (gratis). Great country!

[UK]

The black one: 600 f***ing M beauty in Tarragona:)

 

"The 135.61 m (444.9 ft) superyacht Crescent was launched by Lürssen at their yard near Rendsburg. The yacht's exterior design is from Espen Øino (Oeino) and Zuretti Design was responsible for the interior design.[1][2] She is owned by Caymanese company Black Dragon Minerals LLS. In March 2022, she was detained by Spain as property of Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, who is sanctioned in connection with 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine"

 

[investmd]

Planning a 1-2 week family trip to Morocco in April with wife, 21yo & 18 yo kids. Never been to Morocco or the continent of Africa. 

Anyone have insights as to good experiences in Morocco area? Want to experience the food, the culture, a different lifestyle than us in Canada. 

 

Wife wants to go to Marrakesh - so we'll be there but rest is quite open. I like to stay physically active on holidays and came across some biking holidays in Morocco but wife doesn't think biking in Morocco is a good idea. Does anyone have experience biking in Morocco? 

[Xerxes]

8 hours ago, investmd said:

Planning a 1-2 week family trip to Morocco in April with wife, 21yo & 18 yo kids. Never been to Morocco or the continent of Africa. 

Anyone have insights as to good experiences in Morocco area? Want to experience the food, the culture, a different lifestyle than us in Canada. 

 

Wife wants to go to Marrakesh - so we'll be there but rest is quite open. I like to stay physically active on holidays and came across some biking holidays in Morocco but wife doesn't think biking in Morocco is a good idea. Does anyone have experience biking in Morocco? 

I have been there. Hiking the Atlas Mountains. From Imlil. That was 2011 though. pretty easy to get around then. Now it is pretty popular so must be even easier. 
 

I was in Marrkesh in October (it was hot). We took the train from Casablanca to Marrkesh, it felt like it was going through deep dunes of Arrakis. A sight to behold. 
 

I did not do any cycling. 
 

In the north I remember I did the ferry ride from Tangier to Spain (and Gibraltar) and back for the hell of it. 
 

Fez (in the east) is really nice. But I disnt go. Ran out of time. there a spice trading town in the south that is popular as well. I didn’t go. 

Edited February 10 by Xerxes

[investmd]

1 hour ago, Xerxes said:

I have been there. Hiking the Atlas Mountains. From Imlil. That was 2011 though. pretty easy to get around then. Now it is pretty popular so must be even easier. 
 

I was in Marrkesh in October (it was hot). We took the train from Casablanca to Marrkesh, it felt like it was going through deep dunes of Arrakis. A sight to behold. 
 

I did not do any cycling. 
 

In the north I remember I did the ferry ride from Tangier to Spain (and Gibraltar) and back for the hell of it. 
 

Fez (in the east) is really nice. But I disnt go. Ran out of time. there a spice trading town in the south that is popular as well. I didn’t go. 

Thank you! 

Hiking Atlas Mountains seems like fun. Will look into it. Train ride also neat. 

[SharperDingaan]

10 hours ago, investmd said:

Hiking Atlas Mountains seems like fun. Will look into it. Train ride also neat. 

 

Been to Morocco before, and will be going again winter 2027 

 

Try to book road travel down the N8 from around Azrou through to Marrakech. You will start off in the snow of the High Atlas, and coast downhill all the way into the dry desert around Marrakech; alongside the classic ancient Citroen's doing it with no brakes!

 

Take the train to Essaouira, and try to book road travel up the N1 through Cassablanca and Rabat. You will be travelling the west coast, the swimming and snorkelling is great, and also avoiding the migrants on the north coast. 

 

Base in Marrakech, do a tour through to Erfoud on the southern side of the High Atlas, and include a night camping in a Bedouin camp on the northern Sahara. Along the way you will pass through the High Atlas again, as well as both the Dades Gorge, and the Todra Gorge; each of which is often hiked on the various tours.

 

The people are very friendly, but if you're in the lower half of a hilltop restaurant ... it's usually because someone from the French Foreign Legion is there ...... the actual hard asses, not the movie versions. Typically means that the mezza comes with great service!

 

Enjoy.

 

SD 

 

Edited February 10 by SharperDingaan

[Xerxes]

4 hours ago, SharperDingaan said:

The people are very friendly, but if you're in the lower half of a hilltop restaurant ... it's usually because someone from the French Foreign Legion is there ...... the actual hard asses, not the movie versions. Typically means that the mezza comes with great service!

 

Enjoy.

 

SD 

 

 

Shit .., they got Jean Claude Van Damme on speed dial. 

[investmd]

23 hours ago, SharperDingaan said:

 

Been to Morocco before, and will be going again winter 2027 

 

Try to book road travel down the N8 from around Azrou through to Marrakech. You will start off in the snow of the High Atlas, and coast downhill all the way into the dry desert around Marrakech; alongside the classic ancient Citroen's doing it with no brakes!

 

Take the train to Essaouira, and try to book road travel up the N1 through Cassablanca and Rabat. You will be travelling the west coast, the swimming and snorkelling is great, and also avoiding the migrants on the north coast. 

 

Base in Marrakech, do a tour through to Erfoud on the southern side of the High Atlas, and include a night camping in a Bedouin camp on the northern Sahara. Along the way you will pass through the High Atlas again, as well as both the Dades Gorge, and the Todra Gorge; each of which is often hiked on the various tours.

 

The people are very friendly, but if you're in the lower half of a hilltop restaurant ... it's usually because someone from the French Foreign Legion is there ...... the actual hard asses, not the movie versions. Typically means that the mezza comes with great service!

 

Enjoy.

 

SD 

 

thank you so much @SharperDingaan