My initial impulse was to focus on Australia (and perhaps New Zealand) as a way to take a break from the common attractions of Europe. I have noticed that the typical visits to castles, cathedrals, and museums full of millenia-old artifacts has gotten somewhat less interesting over the last four trips. With the prospect of visiting Italy on the horizon, I don't want sites like that to get glossed over as merely "same-old, same-old..."
But the more I read about Australia and the Queensland/Great Barrier Reef area (where we would be likely to spend most of our time keeping warm during their "winter") the more I wonder about what we would do and how we would do it. We have developed a set of expectations for trips like these and Australia does not fit into those expectations. There are rain forests there, but how do you visit a rain forest effectively? There are some great beaches there, but how much time can you spend sitting on a beach? There are amazing islands to visit and dives at the reef, but those activities are terribly expensive to say nothing of the risks involved taking a family of non to barely adequate swimmers diving in a sea full of strange creatures.
Visiting Australia would be logistically awkward as well. We would be required to fly into Sydney. Then, once we have seen the city, we would have to drive some 1,400 miles to get to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. Worse, that drive is along a route that would take us past almost every tourist trap in Australia. I am envisioning 1,400 miles worth of strip malls and traffic moving infuriatingly slow. Then, of course, we would have to backtrack at least as far as Brisbane (900 miles) to fly home.
I have done some preliminary looking into lodgings and have discovered that, aside from youth hostels, the other options are not particularly economical for a family of five. After our hostel-filled trip this past year, it would be really nice to not focus on hostel stays next year. Also, the hostel web sites there have a distinctly college-age-party vibe that you don't find so much in Europe and I would rather avoid.
All other things being equal, New Zealand actually seems more appealing to me, if for no other reason than because it is more off the beaten track and it's sights are distributed all around the two large islands and not focused along one long beachfront. Unfortunately, their winter is really winter, with temps in the south approaching freezing. I don't think we could enjoy that, nor do I think that's the best time for a once-in-a-lifetime visit.
On top of it all, even with cutting every possible corner it would still costs at least $2,000 more than any of our previous trips. For a guaranteed fantastic time, that would be worth it. The problem is, at this point, I don't feel that it would be a guaranteed fantastic time.
Then there is Italy. We will go there sometime in the next three years. I have read the guide books. I pretty much know exactly how I would like to do it and I am confident we would find good and affordable lodgings. I am certain I could keep costs in line with past trips while doing everything we would want to see and do. I just don't know how wise it is to either see this great area while Joshua is so young (he would be 8) that he might not remember it well, or as trip number five in a row of European castles, cathedrals, museums and Roman ruins. I fear some of the magic could be dulled.
I have read up on Ireland & Scotland as well. That seems like a pleasant trip. But that holds many of the same pitfalls already mentioned about Italy. How much mystical magic can we feel looking at Ireland's piles of 1000-year-old rocks when that's what we have done the last four trips in a row? As pleasant as the trip might be, I don't think it has as much of an upside as the trip to Italy would. So if we were going to take the 5-consecutive-years-seeing-Europe plunge, I would rather it be to Italy.
This all begs the question "Is there somewhere else in the world we could go and see something amazing while staying safe and comfortable and not breaking the bank?" I don't know. Any ideas?...
We really enjoyed Puerto Rico a couple of years ago. It is smaller than your normal destinations, but there is a lot going on there. We stayed in an "eco-lodge" in El Yunque Rain Forest for half a week and in San Juan for half a week. We didn't even go to the west end of the island. The nice thing about it is that it has a rain forest, beaches, coffee plantations, TONS of ocean activities (snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, etc.) and a real variety of culture and land-scape. I wouldn't need a month, I don't think, but it is great for a shorter trip. Plus they use the dollar and the airfares are priced like domestic flights.
ReplyDeleteEmily and I are talking about going to New England next summer, including New York, Boston, and some of Maine and New Hampshire.
You could combine Italy with Greece and a Mediterranean tour; see Greek ruins (have them read Percy Jackson and the Olympians series first), plus there are lots of fabulous outdoor concerts scheduled in the summer months... just my two cents! Randy, did Michelle tell you I was waiting impatiently for your next blog???
ReplyDeleteHey Cary, sorry it took so long to reply. Thanks for the tip about Puerto Rico. I looked up airfare and wow, what a bargain. We could buy a decent used car for the price difference between that and Australia. We may save that for a few years from now when we will have to start paying for college - or when our car breaks down. We have done the New England loop three times. You will love it. I especially like Bar Harbor, Maine and the drive south from there along the coast toward Boston. If you can, try to walk a few miles along the Appalachian Trail. My wife and I got engaged along the trail at the border between Maine and New Hampshire, in 1992...
ReplyDeleteTram, I read your comment here about three minutes after my message to you on Facebook - no kidding. A lot of people connect Italy and Greece in their minds. But actually, Athens is only slightly closer to Rome than Paris is. I would like to see Greece, but I think the best way would be to spend only a few days near Athens and then several days on each of 3-5 islands. So overall, it would take a good 3-4 weeks to really soak it in - too long to combine with such a culturally rich area as Italy. A short stop in Istambul would combine well with Greece. The only place that I would combine with Italy would be a week or so in Croatia - a relatively short hop across the Adriatic Sea and very similar to Italy. Annie has read the Percy Jackson books already :-)
ReplyDelete