In our house we are saving hard towards the goal of buying our own home in 2013 (we rent now). At the moment we are on track to have our target deposit by Christmas, which will be fantastic. We are tied into our rental contract until April 2013, which would give us four months to get approved for a mortgage, house hunt and exchange contracts. We already own all of our own furniture, so it's all theoretically possible.
Except that I've been bitten by the travel bug, hard! Almost a year ago we went on an amazing honeymoon to America (we're Brits) and travelled around ourselves, completely free of any itinerary. Before that, I had only been on European city breaks and I loved the freedom of being in charge of what we would do and when, acting on a whim. For the past year, I've been daydreaming of spending the current savings on another holiday of a lifetime.
What I would absolutely love to do this summer is travel around Eastern Europe, especially Bucharest/ Romania. I'd love to visit one of those small Transylvanian towns and see the Borgo Pass in the Carpathian mountains, as well as Dracula's castle of course. Some of our friends actually did this a few years back and had an incredible time. It's completely out of budget, so will remain a nice daydream.
So that's my first choice but I do have some more affordable ideas. All of the following would be possible if not the strict saving we are trying to do this year:
1. Reykjavik, Iceland - A city break plus whale watching and the Northern lights. Sign me up!
2. Istanbul, Turkey - We have wanted to go here for years. We had planned to go in summer 2011, but then we got engaged and married and Istanbul faded into the background.
3. Prague, Czech Republic - It's supposed to be gorgeous.
4. Krakow, Poland - This is really my husband's choice, although I am by no means opposed to it. He studied Jewish history whilst at university and wants to see Auschwitz, even though it won't be a pleasant trip. We saw Sachsenhausen when we visited Berlin and it was very affecting.
So that's the short list of destinations we would both like to visit. I've kept off Rome, because only my husband wanted to go there and Marrakech and Fez, which are my choices but he vetoed due to being paranoid about safety. I've also kept off European destinations we have already visited (Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Brussels, Bruges, Amsterdam).
If you were me and money were no issue, where would you go?
Do you know of a cure for the travel bug, besides copius reading of travel books and memoirs?
I do feel for you. As someone who has now been in her own place for 3 years, I have yet to have a holiday and certainly not one abroad. Savings do not tend to hand around long.
ReplyDeleteI would love to go to all the places you have mentioned and more.I am sure it is the history student in me! A rather odd choice for me is the Falkland Islands. Something about the isolation appeals as well as the scenery and wildlife.
Not sure of any book that will cure this travel bug?
Jo, when I win the lottery I will buy you a holiday as well as getting one for myself! :P
DeleteCongrats on getting your own place though, it feels like something we have been trying to do for ages so I will feel happy once it is finally achieved. My brother in law's dad went to the Falklands last year, he came back full of wonderful stories, said it was a real experience to remember.
I think I would like to go to Ireland. I also have a hankering to visit Japan, especially Kyoto.
ReplyDeleteJapan would be a great place to visit. I've been to Ireland a few times as my husband's family comes from there (his Dad moved to the UK as an adult). The countryside is beautiful but Dublin itself is a bit of a disappointment.
DeleteI bet I could travel more if I were any good at saving. Iceland is at the top of my list too, including a side trip to the Faroe Islands.
ReplyDeleteI am good at saving but can't spend the money! I want to go to Iceland as I've always wanted to see the Northern Lights - although knowing my luck I would go and they would not be there....
DeleteYour trip to Eastern Europe and Dracula's castle sounds incredible to me! Did you read The Historian??
ReplyDeleteOh, I loved The Historian and it's the sole reason why Istanbul is on my list! I've wanted to go to Dracula's castle since discovering the original Dracula at about 15, one day I will get there....
DeletePrague is on my list too. We thought of going when we were in Germany and Austria a few years ago, but the rental car company wouldn't let us drive the vehicle across the border.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm reading a novel set in Istanbul (Barbara Taylor Bradford's Letter from a Stranger) that city is very appealing at the moment!
Ah, that's a shame you couldn't get to Prague. Did you stop in Vienna? I just loved it there, would like to go back one day. I also loved the Black Forest in Germany, what a magical place.
DeleteIstanbul sounds so good, doesn't it? I read about it in The Historian and have wanted to go ever since!
We didn't go to Vienna (not enough time, unfortunately) but made it to Salzburg in time for me to spend my birthday there. It was fabulous! I'd gladly spend more time there. There was an ancient church (St. Blasius) that appeared to have grown right out of the nearby mountain. Amazing. My husband used to live in Germany so has been to Nuremberg many times and highly recommends their Christkindlmarkt! One of these years we'll visit during the holidays, and bring warm clothes. The Black Forest is another place we'll have to visit.
DeleteGood novels always spur interest in travel, don't they? Ever since I finished Samantha Sotto's Before Ever After I've had the desire to see Slovenia... not a place I ever thought about beforehand. I haven't read The Historian yet, but now you've gotten me interested.
I have wanted to go to Prague forever!! It's supposed to be soooo wonderful!
ReplyDeleteMe too! If I ever actually went I would probably only be disappointed due to high expectations.
DeleteVienna is lovely, apparently it's similar to Prague but much more underrated. We had a great time there the summer before I started teacher training.
I think each person's own personality has a huge impact on where they would love to visit so I'm not going to recommend my preference out of those however I thought I might lend a little advice. Prague and Krakow can be done in one trip. My boyfriend and I did one Christmas a couple of years back. We flew into Prague stayed over Christmas enjoying the markets and the snow (Prague is stunning at Christmas time) and then hired a car and drove to Krakow to stay a couple more days and to visit Auschwitz which really is an experience everyone should do. It's an easy drive - about 5-6 hours each way if I remember correctly. Luckily the snow had stopped by then or it may have been more difficult. Also highly recommend doing a side trip to Cesky Krumlov if you can, it's a gorgeous medieval town and you can stop off there for a night or two. Can highly recommend.
ReplyDeletep.s. 'cure' the travel bug? Why?! Travelling is one of the best things in the world! ;)
What were the Christmas Markets like? I've always wanted to experience one, all of our Germany trips so far have been in the Spring or Summer. I'll keep your advice in mind if we ever get to Prague, I managed to drive in America so I'm sure I can try it in Europe.
DeleteTravelling is the best thing in the world, but unfortunately it costs a lot of money. If I won the lottery, there's so many places I would go....
Stunning. Prague and Nuremburg have been the best places for Christmas markets so far with Munich coming close behind. Prague's center square was all lit up and the selection of yummy food on offer was amazing. We were really lucky as it was snowing when we arrived and Prague in the snow is so beautiful. Of course it's freezing cold but you get to see a bit more of the local cultures, e.g. people out on the street buying their live carp for Christmas eve dinner.
DeleteYes you're right money can be a big barrier sometimes but travel can be done on the cheap. My boyfriend and I spent 3 months travelling through Europe on £5000. We drove through about 10 countries and camped most of the way or slept in the van. It was an incredible experience.
This is a great list! I'm hoping to go to Reykjavik for my own honeymoon next year. Haven't confirmed whether it'll be in the budget though.
ReplyDeleteI would love to go back to Greece. It may not be the safest place at the moment, but it's so beautiful!
Reykjavik on honeymoon? That sounds great, I'm already looking forward to seeing the pictures :)
DeleteI had a friend from Greece at university, we were always planning for me to stay with her in Athens (her Dad was quite rich) in one of the holidays, but for one reason or another it never happened.
I am afraid there is not much we can do to defeat the travel bug, except giving in to it.
ReplyDeleteI have been planning to go to Prague for 2 years now, but there is always something intervening. I'm starting to suspect my family of not really wanting to go...
But if money were absolutely no problem I would go to England, the promised land :)
What I wouldn't give for a week in London! And watching Sherlock doesn't really help that...
I can't imagine why your family wouldn't want to go to Prague, hopefully you will get to go soon.
DeleteI'm almost immune to the charms of London now as I was born in the centre of it and have lived in or around it my whole life. I should appreciate my own city more, there's still things there that I have yet to see...
Istanbul is probably my favorite city in Europe (and maybe the world). The boyfriend and I visited it about 4 years ago and we've been twice since then, in different times of the year. It's an absolutely fabulous place and not very expensive.
ReplyDeleteBe careful about Poland this summer because of the Euro Cup!
Travel provided many interesting experiences, but perhaps the most useful lesson I learned was that I really had no proficiency for learning the thousands of characters of the written Chinese language
ReplyDeleteFlights to Gaborone
Cheap Flights to Gaborone