Vacation outside the country

[Lumps]

I am 29 years old and for the first time and starting to save for a vacation outside this country and will have about $5,000, give or take, to travel where I want by the end of summer.

 

I have been all over the U.S. and have always been able to research easily the best areas to go, best spots to visit, etc.

 

However, in reasearching a place to visi outside the U.S. I am completeley lost. I need help. Obviously Euroupe is probably my best bet due to not having to have a guide/interpreter, even though I'd love to go to a place like Tokyo or Austrailia but can't spend over 5k.

 

My interest are quite simple, I lover history, scenery and pure adult relaxation. I don't care much for 'party scenes', and don't require a 'family enviroment'.

 

So I ask, where should I go? Should I use cash or credit? According to my research I am coming up with England, France, Spain and my top spots are Italy, Scottland and Ireland. I've also considered Hawaii. I would like to just spend a week somewhere in a nice area and enjoy history and scenery.

 

Please help me and any tips for traveling otside the country, no matter where you have been. I jsut need to narrow down a starting point to continue researching.

 

Thanks.

[Chimera]

$5,000 isn't a whole lot for traveling to Europe (airfare, lodging, food, and let's be honest, legal prostitution). I'm not saying it can't be done, but depending where you are, Europe can be a little on the pricey side (especially London and Rome). However, you could always take the PhillyB route and stay in hostels and bartend your way to extra money.

 

Also with very low cost airlines in Europe, you could feasibly hit several spots on your trip.

https://www.bookryanair.com

https://www.tuifly.com/en/index.html

http://www.easyjet.com/en/

http://www.skyscanner.com/

 

Since your top choices included England, Ireland and Scotland, you should by just going into London and branching out from there. Travel is somewhat easy by rail and bus.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

I've only been to London and Dover. As I said earlier, London is crazy expensive. Dover wasn't nearly as bad, but I'm not sure how the rest of the UK / Ireland would be. I've only changed planes in Shannon, Ireland so I have no idea what Ireland is like outside that airport.

 

The other places you mentioned:

Italy - For the most part, I hate it. I mean, there are great areas (the Vatican is a unique experience) and everyone should see Venice before it's gone. But everything seems so inauthentic. You go to a restaurant thinking you're going to get real Italian food. Instead, you get Chef Boyardee. You pay extra to enter the Colosseum because you aren't an EU citizen.

 

France - The Eiffel Tower is breathtaking. I don't care how many pictures you've seen, they don't compare to the real thing.

 

Spain - I love the Mediterranean Coast. If you go, start with Barcelona then work your way south. You won't regret it.

[Mother Grabber]

http://www.edelweissbike.com/

 

tour the world on a harley

[cookinwithgas]

If you go to France you gotta see Paris but really I liked the Normandy coast a lot better. Lots of WWII history to see as well. If you want to travel in Europe, see if a Eurorail pass works for you. I loved the scenery in Switzerland and the people in Germany. Lots of people have loved going to Spain though I've never been.

 

Language in Europe is no big deal - Eastern Europe maybe a bigger deal.

 

Spent more vacation time in England than anywhere else over there. London is a blast, only other places I've been to are air museums and airshows...

[Doc Holiday]

As someone who has traveled extensively on a shoe string budget let me ask a few things.

 

ideally where would you like to go? and for how long?

 

Right now is a excellent time to visit Europe the the american dollar is very strong making travel to Europe the cheapest its been in a long time.  Dont make the mistake that there is a ton of people that speak english in none english speaking countries, so study up if you are going somewhere that doesnt speak english.  I'd say $5k is plenty for a month right now if you did it right, travel expenses included. my aunt did a month in Spain last year for 30 euro's a day.

 

If you have the time say 6 months I'd do Australia I can tell you how to do that and actually make money, because I have done just that myself. 

[Davidson Deac II]

I agree with CWG, france/normandy is an excellent choice.  I went last year, and the cost wasn't to bad.  Airfare for one person was around $1050, with direct flight from Charlotte to Paris.  You can take a train from Paris to Normandy relatively cheap.  If you decide to go that route, let me know and I can recomment a Normandy tour guide. Ours was excellent.  The Metro/train system in France is easy to use, once you get use to it. Hotels in Paris are expensive though.  If memory serves, we paid about $250-300 a night, and our hotel was nice but not extravagant.  And it was not in a tourist area.  You can also take a day trip from Paris to London on the train if you want to spend a little extra. 

 

Italy is an excellent choice as well.  I went there a lot when I was in the Navy, and I loved it.   Lots of history (Rome, Pompeii, Venice) all relatively close together. You will see some beautiful scenery. The amalfi coastal road is one of the most incredible drives in the world.  The train system functions, albeit not as well as france.   I will say that people tend to be disappointed when they eat authentic Italian food though.  Especially in southern Italy. Its a relatively poor area, and most pasta just has tomato sauce and olive oil (lots of olive oil).  The richer thicker stuff is mostly US in origin, although you can get it in the northern areas of Italy such as Venice.  The bread and wines are decent and cheap though. 

 

I would say $5000 is plenty, if its just you, or you and one other, and you are only staying for a week or so. My wife, my son and myself went for a week last spring, and I think overall it was about $6500 including airfare for three.Just learn to do things relatively cheap. In Paris we tended to eat cheaply for breakfast and lunch, and spend a little more for dinner/supper.  For example, found a little stand on the sidewalk that sold crepes and pastries that usually sufficed for breakfast.  They were as good as the expensive places, for much less money.

 

Personally, I would use cash as much as possible. But then I do that in the US as well.  And most banks charge a fee for using your credit card outside the US.  If you use it a lot, the fee's will pile up.  Get a little cash before you go, then use the ATM's to get the best exchange rate.  And remember that most American Credit Cards won't always work in Europe due to the chip and pin technology they use.  The cards will work in hotels and most restaurants, but they will not work for things like buying metro tickets at a French railroad station from the machine. 

 

You can usually get around the language barrier.  Most of the tourist sites have English translations.  We went to Versailles, and they had English speaking tour guides as well as a device that would provide information in English.  We hired an English speaking tour guide in Normandy.  And most menu's have an English version.  You can download a language translation app if you have a phone or tablet.  Its rough, but might help with a few basic words and phrases.   

 

Btw, the Eurorail pass is only good if you plan to move around a lot while you are there.  If you are only there for a week or so, and you are staying mostly in one country, then just by individual tickets.

[Chimera]

I never made it to the French coast. I've only made it to the Strasbourg region and Paris. Strasbourg is very interesting if you're into the inter-war period. I would stop there if I were already passing by. I wouldn't make a trip out there just for the area itself.

 

As far as the language barrier, obviously the UK will be relatively easy. The Netherlands and Germany both have a large number of people who speak English. Some dialects in the UK are almost impossible to understand, so be weary of that.

 

eta: go to Belgium just for the food.

[sharkkiller]

Come down to the Dominican Republic. You could live like a king for $5,000 if you are staying for a week.

[Hawk]

if you wanna go to Europe...just go to Amsterdam for a week or two....you'll love it

 

 

or...go to Montreal, get a hotel at the Sheraton Bell Plaza and spend your days and nights cruising the strip bars on St. Catherines Street. 

[thefuzz]

Come down to the Dominican Republic. You could live like a king for $5,000 if you are staying for a week.

 

You could grab a small joint at Casa de Campo for 2 weeks and just get weird down there.

[Hotsauce]

Save your money

[PanthersBigD]

Been to Italy and Scotland. Loved both. Plenty of history in both countries, and great people. Food is better in Italy, naturally, but Scotland's food has it's charms. I'd say Italy if you're an ancient history buff, and the UK/France if you're more into WWII history. 

[London Loves Luke]

Go to Venice, if you have a girlfriend then take her with you. If you don't go and spend two days there anyway. One of the most beautiful man made places in the world. and the food is amazing too.  

Then you can hi-tail it down to Florence or South Italy around the Mediterranean. 4k should easily get you two weeks of good living around there. 

P.s. I mean Venice in Italy, not the cheap LA version. 

 

[Bronn]

You can get to and from Ireland for $350 round-trip starting in October... As an added bonus, you'll have a 2 hour layover in Iceland (I suppose you could make it more of a layover in your ticketing process)... Maybe that can be your start and end point... I know it is a little later than "end of the summer" but not too far gone...

 

http://www.irishcentral.com/culture/travel/WOW-350-round-trip-flights-from-US-to-Ireland-announced.html

 

I've never been out of the country aside from parts of Central America and the Carribbean... so my experience is limited... but...

I'd carry as little cash as possible... I'd also carry a fake wallet with old credit cards and a couple bucks that you're not afraid to lose if you have to... Make sure your passport stuff is in order... I'd look into hostels for cheaper stay, but I would research the heck out of them...

PhillyB would probably be your best source here...