Travel: Places you're going, places you've been.
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Well it's a shame this thread didn't take off, but I will put our recent trip to Croatia here. We flew into Dubrovnik, stayed at an AirBnb there, then went to Hvar Town and stayed at a resort, then to Split in another AirBnB in old town, then to Cavtat in a hotel.
Our itinerary was Denver > Newark > Dubrovnik. Newark had horrible weather and United kept us on the tarmac (with a 20 month old, mind you) for 3.5 hours for the second trip in a row. Here I am after the baby finally fell asleep.
Despite running full tilt all the way across the concourse, I got to our connecting gate just in time to watch the plane sit there for 20 minutes with the jetway retracted begging an intransigent United to let us on the plane. The next flight to Dubrovnik was a couple of days later. The rebooking line was miles long. The United app told us that our luggage was at baggage claim in Newark.
So we left the secure area to get our bags and determine our next move. They were not available, contrary to what United indicated. So now we're stuck outside the secure area with no way to get back in and find an alternative to get to Croatia.
The upside of this mishap was that the rebooking line was shorter outside of security, and we found an itinerary the next day through Frankfurt. The staff was pretty terrible throughout the whole process. They placed our toddler by herself in an exit row, for example, where we had carefully planned 3 middle seats in Economy Plus for us so that we could use this inflatable thing that creates a bed by filling up the area between our middle seat and the one in front of for our toddler on the trans-Atlantic flight. At any rate, we managed to get my wife and child together in Economy Plus and myself towards the back.
All of the local hotels were booked up. So, we got on a train to Penn Station and checked into a hotel around midnight. Made the most of it the next morning.
Then back to Newark
United again screwed us. We sat on the tarmac another 1.5 hours, which caused us to miss our connection in Frankfurt. We ended up having to sleep in the lounge there. Thank God a Lufthansa gate attendant took mercy on us and helped us find a flight to get us there soon using a code share.
So our planned 11.5 hour itinerary gets us to Dubrovnik 52 hours later. Of course, our luggage didn't make it. It took 7 days for the first and 8 days for the second bag to arrive, so we had to get creative.
Bought a bunch of clothes too.
But Croatia! Once we decided to stop worrying about the bags and spending hours on the phone with United and Lufthansa, we saved a ruined vacation that had been years in the making. The view from our first flat in beautiful Dubrovnik:
Hvar Town was incredible
Split too!
And also Cavtat, after a beautiful drive through the countryside
We did eventually get first one, then the other bag back. And learned a few new risk mitigation techniques for next time along the way.
Can't say enough good things about Croatia and her lovely people. We look forward to a return!
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What a horrible trip… took me 14.5 hours yesterday to get from my Airbnb in Gosport back home and thought this was awful but that’s nothing compared to the crazy journey you had… glad you finally have been able to enjoy Croatia. Love that country. It’s just a 2.5 hour drive to Istria from where I live so we are there quite often
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We headed to Glastonbury after Gosport. Still here now seeing the sites. drover over to Wells a little outside of town to see the sites, learned it's where they filmed the movie Hot Fuzz.
Heading to Stonehenge tomorrow, and then London Weds-Sunday. Heading back to Nashville just in time to miss all the crowds for the the queen's funeral on Monday.
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Nice dude! Literally boarding a plane for your town right meow
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Thanks, @Chap ! Lots of Europeans in Dalmatia. The Brits there were so kind and I think their patronage of the areas we went made it easier for an English language speaking family like ours.
Istria is most certainly on the list! Watched a Bourdain program where they fished and sampled the fare there. I loved the food and wine in Dalmatia and it looks like more of the same up there. We did try a few wines and dishes from the region too.
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Nice dude! Literally boarding a plane for your town right meow
how long are you there? for business or for fun?
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Stopped by some big ass stones today. Got to break in my new IHSW-11
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I am in the early stages of considering planning a trip to Nepal and Thailand this coming winter (December/January). I’m thinking the month of December in Nepal and a couple of weeks in Thailand in January. It’s been 31 years since visiting Nepal and was wondering if anyone had some more up to date Nepal info ~ specifically hiking/trekking in December?
As for Thailand, I’m thinking Chang Mai/Pai area and maybe getting a sakyant tattoo while there … any recommendations?
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Nice thread, I am from Zadar, Croatia, used to have an appartment on the main street in Dubrovnik (Stradun), my grandparents, but that was long ago... haven t been in Dubrovnik in years... my favourite county for holidays has to be Thailand, I tend to go back there over and over again... its just so relaxed, and Dalmatia itself is quite relaxed. Any Croats here on forums, I dont think I ever saw Croat in the wild wearing IR, though I have a couple of friends into denim and boots.
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@Denman-John said in Travel: Places you're going, places you've been.:
As for Thailand, I’m thinking Chang Mai/Pai area and maybe getting a sakyant tattoo while there … any recommendations?
Northern Thailand is my favourite place in the world. I'll also be there in early January, primarily in Pai, so if you do find yourself in the area, get in touch! Been there 6/7 times so it's like a second home to me.
I see myself retiring in Chiang Mai one day if life allows it. It has the perfect balance of feeling authentically Thai, and the home comforts of a thriving expat community. The city is very easy to navigate by Moto, and you'll never be more than fifteen minutes away from beautiful mountain roads and remote hikes/temples.
Pai is a love/hate kinda vibe for a lot of people. It was a hidden gem hippie Mecca many decades ago, but the center has become very commercialised since I first visited ten years ago, and has only become moreso since.
Personally, I don't have an issue with its current state though. Barring young folks getting too fucked up and disrespecting local customs, it's the kinda of place that seems to bring out the best in people. The new age 'spiritual crowd' have their own spots, and the party hostel people have theirs too. Generally speaking, both extremes coexist beautifully.
You'll get the most diverse array of food in Pai than most anywhere else, mostly within an easily traversible walking street.
Some argue it's not 'authentic' enough, as the whole center of the town seems like a perfectly curated vacation village for traveller types, but for me there's no where else in the world I'd rather spend a few weeks.
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@T4920 Thank you so much for the detailed response ~ much appreciated!!!
I just booked my flights last night: 4 weeks in Nepal and 2 weeks in Thailand (Jan 6 - 20). We should definitely meet up and get some food and drinks as I’m planning on spending my time in the North. Although this will be my 5th time to Thailand, it will be the first time in the North - in the past, the islands and beaches had a powerful lure. The last time I was in Thailand was 2004, so I am expecting that a lot has changed since then.
Pai sounds like a cool place from what I’ve seen on YouTube. The only plan I have now is to rent a bike in Chang Mai then go explore with some time to chill in Pai.
What is the weather like in northern Thailand in January? Iron Heart friendly?
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@Denman-John Amazing. I'll be spending a week up North, flying down to meet a friend in Phuket to spend a couple of days diving, then we'll be be heading back to Chiang Mai together and biking to Pai.
Hope we can cross paths, whether in CM on Pai!
At that time of the year, you should expect 80-90°F during the daytime with low-ish humidy, dropping down significantly in the evenings (especially in Pai!)
Quite comfortable in 18oz jeans and a heavyweight hoodie in the evenings there..
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Very cool idea for a thread. Traveling with my wife is quite possibly one of my favorite things we get to do together. We’ve had some killer trips, and we’ve got a couple big ones planned for my 40th and my wife’s next year.
First up is Japan next month for 16 full days. As this is our first trip, we want to see the big cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. We are also going to making day trips to Koyasan, Kamakura, and Tokyo Disney.
I’ve had an absolute blast planning, and I’m patiently waiting to book a couple things that I can’t book until exactly a month out like Shibuya Sky. I’ve got a huge detailed list of denim shops, that I was graciously given to by my pal Champ at Guilty Party in Atlanta. I’ll definitely be looking for this thread again to share my trip once we get back and I get all my film developed and other photos edited. And hopefully a nice haul from IH Osaka.
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@alexxedge Look forward to the update. You’ll have a blast!
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Took the family to Paris for a few days back in March for my son’s 18th birthday, and will be taking them to NYC in December for my daughter’s 21st - well, their birthdays were just excuses for the trips!
Very enjoyable letting the ‘kids’ plan what they wanted to see in these cities, as my wife and myself have been before.On Friday, my wife and I are getting away (from them, and the dog) for a week in Tuscany - Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre, La Spezia.
Should be able to avoid some of the tourist traps, as my colleague is local to the area, but we’ll no doubt have to put up with the crowds at the hot spots.
Hopefully the house will still be standing by the time we get back!Aiming for a trip to British Colombia next year, but we might have missed the boat by not planning anything yet!! D’uh!
#JustStopCrocs
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@Nocturama sounds great. It’s ages since I visited Tuscany and maybe they’re too far south for your trip, but Montalcino and Montepulciano are both worth a visit. It doesn’t hurt that both are associated with great wines!
“Every day that you survive you get a free sunset“
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@Nocturama all those trips sound awesome. Bdays are perfect excuse, even if they aren’t yours.
