World Travelers

It doesn't look real.

Went to the Loire region this weekend, where we stayed at a friend's house in the middle of nowhere. Lots of fun and drinks, not too rushed or with the 'need' to visit something. Done a few trips as well (some castles and a few wineries), combined with a good time with my closest friends. It was a long time ago! Cheap again as well!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 … f6be53e647

This is what he always does! He knows his stuff, this man His photos are always a pleasure to watch

Wales has FANTASTIC landscapes Bregt, it certainly doesn't go unappreciated by me but then again I'm very close by, I've hiked the Brecons many, many times, be warned though that the weather will be appalling in the early part of the new year.

Where exactly is the Vosges Mountains?

I just googled it and Vosges looks quite spectacular, personally I would take this over any city break every single time.

The UK national parks are spectacular ( Scotland, IMO, is UNBEATABLE! ) but the weather very unpredictable and in Scotland you'd need to be kitted out in arctic gear.

My trips are cheaper.

Safari trip I suppose. It's next to Kenya, there's the Serengeti National Park (in which they're planning to build a highway right trhough!!), the Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria I think too, and Zanzibar island. A very interesting destination which you'll have need lots of time for! I'm sure James can assist a bit more?

I hope it's not just a hotel-only beach holiday?

You don't need vaccinations and malaria stuff for that destination?

Yeah, we do. I already have some vaccinations that I've taken for Brazil and Thailand. But I probably need more for this.

Nope, it's definitely not a beach holiday only. We will be dividing it up between Zanzibar (which has beaches) and the national park stuff. From what I've been told, safaris can be very expensive - $5-700 for a three-day trip or something. But it's something you need to do while you're there, of course.

Was James in Tanzania? I thought he was in Kenya?

Why are you going there again? Srsly.

I was indeed! I missed this before. I hope you have a wonderful time.

I thought the safari (we did a seven-day one) was just incredible. Probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing because of the expense (it was our honeymoon after all). I think it cost about £3,500 between us (US$5,000 ish) but was worth it. It seemed that our experience was lightyears beyond that of the people we met who had gone for cheaper ones (though they still had a good time).

The only downside was the extreme poverty you see, completely unlike anything I've seen before (and Kenya is comfortably one of the better-off countries in Africa). Sitting sipping champagne for breakfast when you know that a couple of miles away there's a whole family living in a hut made out of cardboard, with a few vegetables all they have to eat for the week, does bring up some moral questions (well, it did for me) because you wonder where your £500 per day is actually going (certainly not to the Kenyans, I'd suggest).

Oddly, despite being easily the poorest people I've ever met, they also seemed to be easily the happiest. I'm aware an element of that may be because they want your tips, but it absolutely wasn't all down to that. We stopped off in one town to get petrol and a little boy ran up to me and asked if I had a pen he could have for his schoolwork. In fact I'd stolen a handful from the hotel that morning and so I gave them to him and I can honestly say I've never seen a happier person in my life. It was a life-enriching moment.

Who?

Thanks for the report from Kenya. I'm preparing mentally for the poverty, but hope it won't detract from the nature experience or otherwise from the trip. We're probably going on a safari, but nowhere near the price range you had, nor the length.

We won't have too many flights today. I've never seen the fog so bad. I hear no planes and I'm 5 minutes from the airport.
Tom

Now the sun is out go figure

Awaiting Bregt's pics from the Vosges trip.

Meanwhile, it would be interesting to hear what travel plans you peeps have for 2011, if any.

Permitting that health and finances allow it, this is what I have planned:

February 5-22: Tanzania and Zanzibar (booked)
April: Vienna??
Summer: Our summer house in Denmark?
August: Roundtrip from Rome up to Venice, through Slovenia, into Croatia, ferry to Ancona and back to Rome across the mountains. Probably by train, although we're looking into rental car possibilites.
Autumn: Don't know. Maybe Ubeda? Or something less expensive, like a long weekend city trip.