Where should the wife and I go on our vacation?

[CFH]

May I suggest Cambodia? Angkor Wat is amazing to visit and look at.

If we decide to do Vietnam, we will absolutely take a trip into Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. It looks and sounds spectacular.

[CFH]

Memphis just doesn't sleep apparently.

He waits.

LOL

I really wanna do South Asia at some point. Before deciding to go Jamaica back in 2008 I was giving Sri Lanka a hard look. I think I wa actually looking at one of those 'twin centre' package deals, a week in Touring round Sri Lanka then a week in I think Mauritius or something like that... Sri Lanka looks beautiful and the whole Budhist thing appeals to me.

I watched a documentary on Buddhism a couple of days ago and I was blown away by it all... Some of the temples, statues etc are just awesome.

Sri Lanka would be really cool. I was reading about Bangladesh today too and it sounds awesome as well.

[Gandalf]

India? Peculiar choice. Sounds like a Master kind of thing. In terms of natural beauty, I would suggest Thailand. But watch out for jungles, cars and leeches. I've heard the beaches are great, but I was too busy venturing north.

How so? It's renowned as a wonderful place and it's one of the most popular backpacking countries in the world.

Backpacking is not something that I particularly like. I hate students and I hate tourists and furthermore I hate young hippies looking for mystical enlightenment. Not my cup of tea at all. It seems like a place that would irritate me quite quickly.

I would also suggest somewhere like Hong Kong, but India just sounds like a place to induce severe bowel strain.

Hong KOng would be cool, but I suspect it would be very expensive.

I'm not really fond of people either, but I love seeing new places and India seems like a very unique environment.

Doesn't hating students make being a teacher difficult?

Haha, your final sentence made me laugh.

No, in fact I love most of my students. It's just western hippy dippy types looking for 'cultural enlightenment' tend to irritate me. They are usually students or gap year types, but can also be adults. I am extremely cynical and like to poke fun at everything, I hate anything wide eyed and nonsensical. I can't take it seriously.

I know I am generalising, but India just sounds like a place a lot of these people would gravitate to. A cheap place to smoke pot and babble about inane spirituality. Sounds like hell on earth to me.

If anyone wants to go there that is cool. I guess I have preconceptions about the place and have no desire to ever venture there.

I've seen some of the later posts in this thread and I agree that Cambodia or Vietnam sound interesting. My thing is obviously trees and wildlife, a lot of that in those countries.

[CFH]

India? Peculiar choice. Sounds like a Master kind of thing. In terms of natural beauty, I would suggest Thailand. But watch out for jungles, cars and leeches. I've heard the beaches are great, but I was too busy venturing north.

How so? It's renowned as a wonderful place and it's one of the most popular backpacking countries in the world.

Backpacking is not something that I particularly like. I hate students and I hate tourists and furthermore I hate young hippies looking for mystical enlightenment. Not my cup of tea at all. It seems like a place that would irritate me quite quickly.

I would also suggest somewhere like Hong Kong, but India just sounds like a place to induce severe bowel strain.

Hong KOng would be cool, but I suspect it would be very expensive.

I'm not really fond of people either, but I love seeing new places and India seems like a very unique environment.

Doesn't hating students make being a teacher difficult?

Haha, your final sentence made me laugh.

No, in fact I love most of my students. It's just western hippy dippy types looking for 'cultural enlightenment' tend to irritate me. They are usually students or gap year types, but can also be adults. I am extremely cynical and like to poke fun at everything, I hate anything wide eyed and nonsensical. I can't take it seriously.

I know I am generalising, but India just sounds like a place a lot of these people would gravitate to. A cheap place to smoke pot and babble about inane spirituality. Sounds like hell on earth to me.

If anyone wants to go there that is cool. I guess I have preconceptions about the place and have no desire to ever venture there.

I've seen some of the later posts in this thread and I agree that Cambodia or Vietnam sound interesting. My thing is obviously trees and wildlife, a lot of that in those countries.

I know what you mean. At my old job, I was in charge of a bunch of young, idealistic hippies and, while I respected their views and was - in some ways - even somewhat envious of them, I often found myself inwardly rolling my old, cynical eyes at them.

I think India would be great, but you're right - there are only so many dreadlocked white people a man can tolerate and the thought of being lumped in with them makes my skin crawl.

[Ghost]

Tasmania.

Plenty of backpacker hostels. Great sites, friendly people. Not too far from King Island.

[Mark TKO]

i did the vietnam / cambodia thing last year. One of those tours where you join a tour group.

Strongly recommend it - do it

[Master]

A tour through China, I have heard is good.

There are too many hippies in India.

[Mattyhitman]

I would suggest west coast of Scotland, including Loch Lomond National Park, and Ben Nevis, then travel South down the west coast and visit the Lake District National Park in North West England, fantastic scenery, great weather , and friendly people

[Dark Lord Al]

If you want travel tips I can give you some good advice , if you want to backpack and stay in hostels , then i have only this advice , stay in a luxury hotel.

[0james0]

Maldives.

One of the best holidays I've ever had

[CFH]

If you want travel tips I can give you some good advice , if you want to backpack and stay in hostels , then i have only this advice , stay in a luxury hotel.

In the places we're looking at going, $15-20 will probably get us close to whatever passes for a decent hotel. I have no desire to sleep in a dorm full of idiots. However, I also have no desire to spend over $100/night on accommodations.

[CFH]

I would suggest west coast of Scotland, including Loch Lomond National Park, and Ben Nevis, then travel South down the west coast and visit the Lake District National Park in North West England, fantastic scenery, great weather , and friendly people

I would love to see the UK, but I suspect it would cost more than we're willing to spend at this point.

We're looking at spending a maximum of $4,000 between us over three weeks.

[Gandalf]

I would suggest west coast of Scotland, including Loch Lomond National Park, and Ben Nevis, then travel South down the west coast and visit the Lake District National Park in North West England, fantastic scenery, great weather , and friendly people

I would love to see the UK, but I suspect it would cost more than we're willing to spend at this point.

We're looking at spending a maximum of $4,000 between us over three weeks.

UK sucks, you lose all your money on public transportation. Plus any decent hotel is going to break you and that aren't all that.

[Saddo]

Has anyone been to Turkey?

been there twice I think being from the USA dosn't go down that well mate and you can't leave your wife alone in turkey.... if you go for a piss when you came back there is some passport craving greasy turk proposing marrage to her.

It's all down to what your after mate, i have kids who are fussy eaters so always go all inclusive with tons of stuff to do around the hotel as they never wanna leave the hotel so i just leave them there and me and the missus go out and about.

Just got back from cyprus and that was OK and i'm off to Kos next week

[Andre]

Maldives like James said mate ,thats if you can afford it. Its not a backpackers place though unless you are a bum surfer and spend the whole time on a surf charter.

Be 10 g plus for 3 weeks easy in a resort there, absolute luxury though.

Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu. In order from the most touristy to the least.
Safe in regards to terrorism, kidnap or disease, but like anywhere you can be had in tourist shops and come out with what you didnt buy. Goods not as cheap as Asia though.There is an island Where only couple go on Fiji no kids allowed! Its a paradise and its very affordable. You can walk off the little island resort and go around other places from there each day or stay put.

Vietnam Cambodia Bali would be the go for shopping and cheap travel but you have to watch your asses if you go off the beaten track in Cambodia. Bali's monkeys and some dogs have rabies, imagine you'd need malaria tabs for some areas too.

Southern Thailand is much more open and more friendly/country style than the bustling Center, then you can cross the boarder into Malasyia to Penang and one night in a boat gets you to Medan the capital of Sumatra.

Papua New Guinea is cheap and less geared to tourism but amazing if you want a more raw adventure in untouched paradise, guided would be the go here. Malaria tabs again.

Careful in the trains and public transport in India, do your research,borrow A travelers guide to India from the library. Note which buses to avoid (as some get worked by pros) and dont except lollies off old ladies on them either or you'll be off to sleep and robbed in no time.