2008 Travel

[kyshel]

Disneygal--why not ski the Ukraine? One of the recent travel issues--I can't rememeber which--CNT, I believe--had a fun story regarding same. Just watch your wrists; we don't need another Contributor injury!! Just think what 08 might bring us for LL packages ?[I'm wishing as hard as I can!!]

[Mountie]

Well, I'm certainly going to do my best to get to Costa Rica in 2008. Those of you that have visited and posted your experiences have really motivated me to pick a place here in luxurylink and go for it!

[curtiejoe]

Hi omegaet



You pose an interesting question in your on 2008 Travel. As a Canadian who has been an avid world traveler over the past 30 years or so, and who has experienced quite a roller-coaster ride in the value of the Canadian dollar vis a vis the U.S. greenback, my general answer is NO. Travel most anywhere is relatively expensive as opposed to staying home. i think everybody knows that and that for a fact, living in your own home (house/apartment, etc.) whether owned or rented costs a lot less than paying for a stay in a hotel or resort for any given time almost everywhere in the world, especially when you add in the cost of meals, transportation, and all the other sundry and incidental costs that one is likely to run into when travelling. As I see things, from an overall perspective, if you're going to travel to foreign destinations, it's going to cost a bundle anyway, so why quibble about an extra 10% or 20% because of currency exchange! if a place is worth going to or you've always dreamed about some exotic destination, then go (even if you have to borrow money to do so), especially if it's a trip with family members (which are priceless in that they provide life-long cherished memories of travelling together)!



Our travel plans for 2008, so far, consist of:
a week's lounging on the white sand beaches of Clearwater, Florida with friends of ours (to escape the cold and snow of Toronto)three weeks of exploring Europe in May and June, including brief stays in Paris and Barcelona; a week-long cruise of the Western Mediterranean with short stop-overs in Malta, Sorrento/Capri, Rome, Florence, and Nice/Monte Carlo; and a 10-day sojourn in Helsinki, Finland to visit relatives and enjoy celebrating the traditional Scandinavian Mid-Summer festivities there.
I wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your wife. And, many wonderful trips for the two of you in 2008 to South America and elsewhere.

Curt

[omegaet]

cruisinred....you have a very special treat coming in February, when you stay at the Riad Kniza in Marrekech. You should open an email dialogue with the Mr.Bouskri as soon as possible. The more information you share, the better the service. Included in your package is a walking tour and you want to be able to take the tour with Mohammed Bouskri (he is the father). Try to develop some ideas in advanceof what you would like to see during your three or four hours (you can't see everything). Are you interested in cooking.....do you want to bring home some of the best spices available.....have Mohammed take you to the shop they use for spicesfor their family meals.



Of course, you will want to have dinner one evening on their roof garden deck....very exotic looking at the stars and listening to the sounds of the city. Maybe go to Le Pavillon one evening for dinner....great French and Continenal dishes.



Find time to leave the city and attend one of the Berber markets, if possible....the peddlers will drive you nuts trying to sell you eveything, but the experience is "very real" and not soon forgotten.

[travel2fun]

Good question! I'll be back in Florence, Italy in late Spring '08 on business for sure. Talking with friends right now regarding something interesting in South America. We don't know where for certain, but we would like to get a bit off the beaten path. The recent LL Amazon river cruise looked interesting (maybe not a bargain though) and it could be combined with other destinations.



You can bet I will not be taking vacation in Europe any time soon. No interest in spending devalued dollars at this time for my personal vacations.



I'll keep everyone informed.


Message Edited by travel2fun on 12-19-2007 05:40 AM

[jsattapr2]

I think South and Central America offer some of the best possibilites for my leisure travel in 2008. The currency exchanges seem very favorable, especially compared to mostEuropen destinations using the Euro. I have been surfing the Internet and have located a number of fine properties incountires such asEcuador and Peru, which would certainly meet my tastes. I wonder if LL is planning to pick up some new destinations in either of the countries or other countries in South America. For some reason, LL seems to focus on Costa Rica and seems to miss out on several other equally nice countires in Central America. El Salvador is very tourist friendly and actually uses the US Dollar as their official currency. It is a bit of a mystery to me how the various properties are selected. Can anyone offer some information on the property selection process?


Message Edited by jsattapr2 on 12-28-2007 04:08 PM

[no-backpacker]

My travel plans so far is:

4th. -6th. of January: London. I will stay at the Radisson Mayfair and it's totally pleasure (and shopping). The Januray sale in London is a "must"!

1th.- 4th. of March: London. Business. I haven't decided the hotel yet, but think it will be Flemings Mayfair.

7th. to 9th. of March: Dussedorf. More business at Radisson SAS.

A week in May: Portugal - Estoril/Cascais. My husband is going for a conference and I will join him. We will stay at the Cascais Miragem.

Two weeks in August: Hamburg. My husband is going for a job there and me and our son will join. We haven't decided where to stay. Any recommendations?

September 3-4 days: London. Business

October 3-4 days: Manchester. Business.


I am sure there will be more traveling, but I haven't planned anything else yet. Fortunately I am selfemployed, that will say I can travel as much as I want to, as long as I work the *** off myself before and after the trip.. Because I am selfepmlyed my business trips CAN be both business and pleasure too (I have no boss who tells me what to do and when to do it... :-D).

C.

[curtiejoe]

Hi C



You certainly have a full slate of travel ahead of you, especiallyin the first half of 2008! Seems a lot of your trips are business-related but I trust you'll find the time to also enjoy some leisure time in the places you're visiting. Perhaps it's because I'm male that I strongly disagree with your motto about places to visit being "high-heel worthy"! In fact, if I had a travel motto it'd likely be something like "If you can't go barefoot, it's not worth visiting." But, that's my opinion and everyone's entitled to their own. Have fun travelling in 2008!



Curt

[slimzone]

What a great question - travel plans for 2008. To start the year off right, I'll be heading back to Los Cabos, Mexico on January 2nd. This is our perennial favourite spot over the past 20 years. We've seen it grow from a quiet little spot in the Baja to its current fame as a destination resort on the West Coast of Mexico.



We make a distinction between travelling and vacationing, and we do both. When we visitnew destinations we call that travelling. The world is our classroom andwe are hyper-living (on adrenaline) 24/7. Those trips are exciting and we remember them as such - new life experiences.



Andbetween travelling, we vacation at our familiar haunt - Los Cabos. That's where we re-energize ourselves, catch up on our reading,and do absolutely nothing. We love walking through familiar streets, eat in restaurants where the staff know who we are and watch the funny people from the cruise ships come into townevery day. It's also a great experiencethat I look forward to and I will be there doing nothingon January 2nd!



Happy trail to all in 2008 !!!

[no-backpacker]

Curt:

I have been thinking of how to approach your question about my motto, without sounding like an idiot...

There are lots of different high-heeled shoes, you have walking-shoes, evening shoes, day-shoes, shopping-shoes and even... SITTING-shoes (those are the once that are very nice, but not nice to your feet :-D). Don't think that all high-heeled shoes has to bee "stilletto's"! :-D

You would be surprised of how far I've come wtih my high-heels! I've even been in the mountains in India with high-heels!

I have to admitt I am not the most "adventurous" tourist. I love the big cities with the shopping, cafes, restaurants etc... and love places where I can relax at the beach with a book. It may sounds boring, but that's me.... However I always try to do some sight-seeing and very often I end up with a day-ticket to the tram/tube and takes it to the end, goes on and off etc... In Hakodate (in Japan) I did this and ended up at the countryside with the farmers etc... It was absolutly a very nice experience.

C.