WHERE SHOULD I TRAVEL NEXT SUMMER?!

Because I have to save, I am dreaming about where I want to try to travel next summer.

Italy (Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Rome, etc)?  Scotland (Iona, St. Andrews, etc.)?

So...your job. I've never been to Europe before, and want to make the most of it.  Two or three weeks.  As cheap as possible.  Where would you recommend that this novus traveler travel?  What are your thoughts?

Comments

[Meredith]

Go Eastern Europe if you want as cheap as possible....Poland (it really is nice), Prague, Hungary, Transylvania....

[Dan Morehead]

Between the two: Italy.

[Dan Morehead]

Between the two: Italy.

[JennySmith]

I have heard that Prague is great. However, if you want to travel cheaply, Europe is not the place to go during the summer.

[Mom/Geema]

I've heard that Serenity Point is lovely at that time of year ...

[mrsfinekelly]

without a doubt, South Cove.
It's paradise, baby, pure paradise.

[Michelle Sanders]

I travelled to Iona a few years back and stayed in Oban in a bed and breakfast run by a guy named jeremy ingliss. cheap, fantastic and he spends the non tourist season travelling the world doing photography so there are great things to flip thru while you're there. at the time, he also owned the town's dinner theatre and would give out free tickets. I would ride the ferry out to iona and spend the day... I also got to the outer hebberdes from there... beautiful.

[nicole reibe]

I traveled a lot throughout Europe this summer and my favorite places were Budapest, Spain and Greece.
Good luck saving!

[Michael]

We indeed criss crossed each other. I'll give you some advice on Europe if you give me advice as to places around here we must visit (concert venues, outdoors, cafes, etc.). I know we are a little far from your former stomping grounds, but I always love options.

My one piece of advice... experience Taize, France. If you don't know of it I can fill you in. I think you'd love it there.

[Tiffany Chapman]

Check out Barcelona, Spain. Cheap if you stay at a youth hostile. Absolutely beautiful and lots of stuff to do and see. Scuba diving, shopping, a little hiking etc.. good times. Wish I could go again someday.

[jaime stoess]

dude. cinque terre all the way. by far one of my favorite places. the best places to stay are the places owned by people who just rent out rooms. we stayed in vernazza right above the main square. awesome. and it's worth it to pay a little bit more to stay in the town and not have to hike in.

[Amy]

why not India?

[FWR]

Come to Scotland!! You could have a free place to stay in Edinburgh. The lack of lodging would offset how expensive the British pound is. Seriously, bro, Scotland is BEAUtiful. They say it is the last wilderness in Europe. Maybe I'm biased...

[FWR]

Come to Scotland!! You could have a free place to stay in Edinburgh. The lack of lodging would offset how expensive the British pound is. Seriously, bro, Scotland is BEAUtiful. They say it is the last wilderness in Europe. Maybe I'm biased...

[Dave]

Go to Cinque Terre. A few years ago I set aside 2 nights for Cinque Terre. It turned into 4-5 nights because of all the great locals we met who closed down there bar at the end of the night only to take you to their friends bar down the street to meet more locals. The next morning I found myself walking down the small streets to be greeted by locals I met the night before. Beautiful, friendly, and relaxing

[visco]

Your soul will feel alive in Assisi, Italy. If that is the only advice you take from me, that is fine.

I say: Fly into Rome, stay for three nights and do those "you've gotta see" things (St. Peters, Vatican Museums, catacombs, colloseum, blah blah...whatever you do just make sure you sit in Piazza Navona for like 3 hours and people watch. It's fantastic and you might get some good pics out of it.)

Then: Train north to Assisi- it's a sleepy town and an absolute must-visit for Joshua C. Stay for at least two nights- you will feel so peaceful that you won't want to leave.

Then: On to Florence, where you will stay at least four nights and take at least one day trip to Siena- which you will LOVE I can assure you- DO NOT forget your camera. Or your journal. Buy tickets in advance for the Uffizi while in Florence and get the earliest ones possible- I think dawn in the best time to see great art. Plan to spend a day getting lost in the windy streets- you'll find the best food that way. Only drink chianti.

Decision time: you can train up to Milan, Verona, or over to Venice- all of which I personally would skip. OR you could do something super adventurous and train to Lausanne, Switzerland, which is arguably the most beautiful place on earth, and have free lodging with one of my many fantastic friends there- some even live smack in the middle of Swiss vineyards along the shores of Lac Leman with great views of the alps. Just let me know. Stay for like two nights- then it's south-bound so you can catch your flight out of Roma.

IF YOU HAVE EXTRA TIME- this is when you would train south of Rome for a quick swing by any one of the following- you choose: Naples (dirty and watch your wallet- but I know several super fantastic things to do here- and I have friends who could be your tour guide- and there's a slim chance that I could be your tour guide), Sorrento, Positano (expensive), Ravello, boat from Naples to Capri (touristy), boat from Naples to Ischia (fantastic).

Whew- longest comment ever. Anyway, you asked an Italian where you should travel- so that is what I think.

[Katie Carlson]

Hi Josh,

April said I should check out your post, as I'm facing the same question. See, she's supposed to be my travel partner on a photo-safari somewhere, but she can't get the time off. With grad school, the one thing I have is vacation time (in the summer, at least). That and a frequent flyer ticket anywhere in the world due to all the trips from Chapel Hill NC back to SEA-TAC. It's just a little trickier to plan a trip abroad alone, you know?

But anyway, I highly recommend Iona. Went there on Whitworth's British Isles Study Tour, and it was one of the best three days of my life.

Me? I'm leaning more toward Iceland. I have this obsession with the frozen tundra. I'm kind of tempted by the Trans-Siberian railway too. How many people can say they've done that?

Katie