Hehehe... Carrboro to Richmond just to go to a 7 Eleven and buy a Slurpee.

We've almost taken a trip to Knoxville for a Krystal Burger, but decided that was going too far.

regarding the quotes about about not wanting to travel for safety/political reasons. . .

I travel for work. sometimes a LOT and right now I'm in a hotel in one of the places mentioned above jetlagged from being in an Arab country last week. In the past two months I've had a very pleasant conversation with an Iranian couple at a cafe next to me about Trump and Hillary. Ate with my hand in India while talking about their fears of China and Pakistan and a Filipino couple on a plane talking about US election and the Obama spat with their nutty leader.

I don't know who made you believe that so many people want to kill you but I bet there are as many people in the US who want to kill you as in any foreign country you are likely to want to visit. Imagine what someone could do with a population in fear if they controlled the military.

You will have much in common with the people in whatever country you go to. You meet the same personalities you would find at any family gathering just with different color skin and language. People are all the same, we all smile, 99.9% of us are not politicians and we all suffer under them.

You have been given a narrow view of this interesting and fantastic world. Please go somewhere and when you get back you will be much more amazed by connections you have with people than with any building. . but that stuff is cool too.

Africa, India, Egypt, Peru, Easter Island, greece.......

When I get the urge I look at them with google & streetview.

Did Greece a few years ago: before the immigration onslaught but during the financial crisis.
Santorini, Naxos, Athens.
All were very good experiences. No, sorry, great experiences! People and food were exquisite. I fell in love with Naxos.
Never felt so relaxed coming home. A real vacation. There were a million friends I didn't meet over there.

One rude waiter on Santorini wanted to clear the table early and bumped into me while rolling down a shade.
That was about the worst other than a poor roma pickpocket child on the subway.
But today there are now foreigner influences in public areas.
Always remember to travel safely and have two wallets.
One is expendable for robbers, and not worth a fight.


Air Canada out of Toronto was about $1600 round trip from Detroit during off season.
I wish I was able to buy more gifts for the return.

Great comments reach me,
Travels are an opportunity to have people to people contact that often transcends the supposed divisions between between nationalities, religions, races, etc.
Open minded people can often find much more in common that not, regardless of the supposed differences.

Interesting how our media is oriented toward cristylizing the divides in our society
And how many buy into it. It's a shame it's such an effective barrage.

Thanks for sharing some of you resent experiences.

Cheers Richard

Not just media...education system, almost everywhere. We've all been inundated with celebrate/respect diversity. This diversity mantra is about the differences among people. The focus should be on how every human is fundamentally similar, rather than how we are different.

Best/coolest vacation I've ever taken was in Turkey.

Pyramids are high on my list of cool places that I'll probably never go see. I just got back from Angkor Wat, so maybe I'm just burnt out. But I guess the highlight of that trip for me wasn't seeing the sights so much as meeting interesting people. If I was going to bother to fly all the way to Egypt, I'd be more likely to end up diving in the Red Sea than going to see the Pyramids, though I'd probably hit the Pyramids "while I was in there." I'd like to see the whole Valley of the Kings complex too, but that's really in the middle of nowhere.

In Italy, there's that silly tower at Pisa. It's supposed to be pretty neat, but doesn't really make my list of "neat enough to fly there to see it." Ditto Stonehenge and the giant statue of Jesus in Brazil. Well, ok, Brazil might be worth the trip for the diving, and see the Giant Jesus while I'm there.

I'm actually kind of thinking about doing a dedicated dive trip for my next international travel. I'm looking for someplace that balances affordability with awesomeness. That's probably a separate thread.

My wanna one day list is extensive... but on the probably not going to happen on account of politics:
Egypt, Jordan, Iran (my wife's been to both of those), Northern Africa incl Morocco, Tunisia, etc, North Korea, Russia is way up the list, Cuba is looking more and more possible. THere's more but those are just off of the top.

Our trip to Turkey was fabulous. The people were the friendliest we have ever experienced anywhere. But I wouldn't return for a vacation at this point. Erdogan is setting himself up as a dictator as he takes the country further & further away from secularism. A shame. I really did want to visit Göbekli Tepe.

I have been everywhere in the world that I felt I HAD to visit.

Europe? Enough cobblestones, you mean? Check. The Mediterranean countries? Check. But I am sure that we will go back anyway but only for some slow traveling – staying in cottages for a week in the Scottish highlands or the Perigord etc.

North America? All 10 provinces. Every contiguous state except Arkansas (although a couple in the western north were when I was a kid so they don’t really count. Every major city in NA except for one or two. Been there. Done that. And I have seen enough of Mexico as well.

Central America & the Caribbean? Enough already but we will probably go for winter sun again to some island.

South America? I have been to Guyana on biz & we are flying through Sao Paulo with a long layover next April so I am wondering if it is worth the $120+ pp for a visa to go in for lunch at the Templo da Carne. A $500 lunch? As for the rest? Hmm. No real interest at this point.

China? Check. But we might return to see the south.

SE Asia? Nothing about the culture, history or food is enticing enough. Ditto India.

OZ & NZ? Too far with not enough to make me want to endure the trip.

The cold areas? A solid no. I get enough cold staying at home in a Canadian winter.

Africa? Two trips – one to Morocco & our trip this year to Namibia & South Africa. We didn’t get enough & we are on our way back to SA next April for 2 weeks of comfortable camping in Kruger (self-driving & self-catering in various public camp bungalows).

Ian

There are several places in Rome I'd like to visit, but people talk funny there.

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I think you need to visit at least once to give it a fair shake. I am absolutely in love with SE Asia. I can't think of any other place in the world with that combination of warm nights, great food, smiling people, and over-the-top sensory experience. SE Asia is a sledgehammer to your senses. The polar opposite of the UK.

I have a long list of places that I definitely will make it to eventually.

We'll be hanging out in Russia for at least 6 weeks next year. I plan on making quick round trips to several of the -stan countries.

I would also like to visit Kabul and Baghdad. They would both be fascinating.

I plan on visiting several central and western African countries via motorcycle in the not too distant future.

Not worth the trek? LOL, I can't think of anything.

I've got to second Motion's thoughts on this one. "Sledgehammer to the senses" is perhaps impolite, but reasonably accurate. I just got back from two weeks whirlwinding around Thailand and Cambodia, and it was amazing. I could have stayed on Koh Tao, and two days in Chiang Mai was not enough. Before this trip, I wasn't at all sure I wanted to bother, but it was definitely worth it.

I agree with Rick. All of my preconceived ideas about China vanished once I visited. The only strange thing was that a good number of Chinese people have never met or seen a person of African descent in person. I had many folks wanting to take pictures with me. I was like WTF? This was particularly true at the Great Wall. I had to remember that not all societies and people are as diverse as the U.S. I'm probably on a dozen Chinese Facebook pages. On my next trip to China I need to figure out how to take advantage of that.

JDL

I've traveled a little, but not as much as some of you here. I've lived in Japan. I've spent a few months in Spain, and visited Portugal, Morocco and Gibraltar while there. I've also spent a couple of weeks in Brazil. I'd love to travel like Motion.

But, at any one time, there will also be places that I wouldn't visit. I wouldn't have a problem going to China, but I would probably avoid some of the middle eastern and or primarily Muslim countries that are not terribly US friendly right now. Could you visit many/most of those places with no problem, probably. If you did have a problem, though, it might be a very big problem. Hell, even India has had folks raped and beaten and killed. If going to India, it would probably be more on the beaten path, because I don't know that I'd necessarily know what places to stay away from. I think North Korea, Syria, Iraq and Iran would probably be fine!

I would like to visit Spain. Have not been there for fifty five years. Likely won't go as we tend to stay in North America. Plus Spain is close to many European countries.

Motion/Richard have you been to Spain yet?

Yes, many times. Heading there in a week :)

Richard & DJ

I hear what you are saying but it is still down the list. And I do understand the allure because different is always good when you travel. I guess it’s WHY we travel.

But travel is changing. More people are in motion. My last visit to Rome will BE my last because it was insufferably clogged with people & tour groups. Any place on the Med within an hour of a cruise port is now officially zoo’d. 10 -15 years ago they were just really, really busy but now they are lunched anytime in season. We got friendly with a young woman from Japan who was solo traveling with a personal guide in the depths of the Namibia desert. She said that she had always wanted to visit a desert. She flew into Nambia & was flying straight out again after a 4 night desert trip. I asked her why she didn’t just go to the Gobi at Dunhuang rather than come ½ way around the world & she said “Because there are too many Chinese tourists there.” While that might not have been the whole reason, she was right: There are too many tourists there. Where? Everywhere. Pick a spot. Any spot.

And more & more I find that the cities – it doesn’t matter what city – are all the same. Loud, busy, chaotic. And annoying. I am on edge guiding my often direction-challenged wife around the perils of any city. As soon as I hit the countryside, I calm down, relax & enjoy. The best of my travels has usually been getting away from all of that & truly chilling by driving out into the hinterlands. (But not at Richard’s pace ;)) I guess that’s why we are going to camp in Kruger. Cooking a springbok fillet on a wood fired braai in a small remote bushveld camp while sipping a fine SA Shiraz out of plastic cups is my next big holiday ambition. Fending off the vervets or watching the hyenas at the fence will give me my excitement boost.

Ian

Sadly for me the list is a longer one than tge ones I would go to. Mainly due to stupid costs of travel these days.