artnbarb
1000+ Posts
I've had trouble going to sleep lately - just can't get my brain to turn off, what with the house still half done, no pictures hung, vacation -to a country where I don't speak the language! - etc etc etc. So last night, just to add to the mix, I started thinking about where we should go in 2017! Right now we have 2 vacations set for this year: a 2 week transatlantic cruise from Tampa to Barcelona, followed by 2 weeks in the Dordogne region of France, and in mid-October a flight to Italy , mostly visiting Umbria, but with a few days in Rome and/or Le Marche, followed by a 2 week cruise from Rome to Tampa in early November.
I really wanted to go to Alaska this summer, but with the house still so disorganized I just can't manage it. Art, the one who wanted to move to Florida because it's warm all the time, wants to take a vacation during July/August because it's just too hot then, so that would be the perfect time to visit Alaska, right? I'm thinking a cruise/land package, about 2 weeks, assuming I could find a good deal. The cruise prices aren't bad, but the land portions really jack up the costs. I really want to see Alaska, and when we do I really want include some time based on land, rather than seeing everything from the deck of a ship.
Additionally I think we really need to visit Ireland. We both want to go, but somehow it keeps getting pushed aside. In a perfect world I'd fly to Ireland in late September or early October, then fly to Italy for a few weeks before returning home - and if we could find a cheap cruise that would be even better. I'm not sure this plan is practical, or affordable, since it would involve a one way flight to Ireland, then a one way flight to Italy. Yes, there are budget airlines, but the thought of figuring out all their rules and regulations, and of being severely limited in our luggage seems daunting. I'm sure major airlines fly from Ireland to Italy, but then again we'd face the one-way price increase - why is it that only budget airlines will let you fly one way at a reasonable price???
Part of this is me panicking about our ages! Art will be 70 in July, and I will be 65 in December, so I want to see and do as much as we can while we're still mobile! Part of the appeal of a transatlantic cruise is arriving at your destination without jet-lag. If I could afford it I would cruise TO Europe every time we go, just for that advantage. I never sleep much, if at all, on a transatlantic flight, then having to gather our luggage, pick up the rental car and drive 2 hours to our destination is something that I DREAD. This is one of the reasons I'm considering staying in Rome for our first few days this fall. Art - the one who does the driving - really doesn't mind, but I feel bad for him, and guilty.
So, anyone else thinking 2017? Or perhaps you're all sleeping just fine!
I really wanted to go to Alaska this summer, but with the house still so disorganized I just can't manage it. Art, the one who wanted to move to Florida because it's warm all the time, wants to take a vacation during July/August because it's just too hot then, so that would be the perfect time to visit Alaska, right? I'm thinking a cruise/land package, about 2 weeks, assuming I could find a good deal. The cruise prices aren't bad, but the land portions really jack up the costs. I really want to see Alaska, and when we do I really want include some time based on land, rather than seeing everything from the deck of a ship.
Additionally I think we really need to visit Ireland. We both want to go, but somehow it keeps getting pushed aside. In a perfect world I'd fly to Ireland in late September or early October, then fly to Italy for a few weeks before returning home - and if we could find a cheap cruise that would be even better. I'm not sure this plan is practical, or affordable, since it would involve a one way flight to Ireland, then a one way flight to Italy. Yes, there are budget airlines, but the thought of figuring out all their rules and regulations, and of being severely limited in our luggage seems daunting. I'm sure major airlines fly from Ireland to Italy, but then again we'd face the one-way price increase - why is it that only budget airlines will let you fly one way at a reasonable price???
Part of this is me panicking about our ages! Art will be 70 in July, and I will be 65 in December, so I want to see and do as much as we can while we're still mobile! Part of the appeal of a transatlantic cruise is arriving at your destination without jet-lag. If I could afford it I would cruise TO Europe every time we go, just for that advantage. I never sleep much, if at all, on a transatlantic flight, then having to gather our luggage, pick up the rental car and drive 2 hours to our destination is something that I DREAD. This is one of the reasons I'm considering staying in Rome for our first few days this fall. Art - the one who does the driving - really doesn't mind, but I feel bad for him, and guilty.
So, anyone else thinking 2017? Or perhaps you're all sleeping just fine!