Travel
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
2011 Travel Poll
This board is getting boring. Tell me about your 2011 travel.
1) Where did you go in 2011?
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
"We tend to be patronizing about the poor in a very specific sense, which is that we tend to think,
Re: 2011 Travel Poll
1) Where did you go in 2011? weekend at nearby wineries in virginia, MA/RI/NH (to visit family), barcelona
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why? all of them in some way - VA: it was nice to feel so far away when we were really an hour from where we live, NH: i hadn't been to the white mountains in 20+ years and was better able to appreciate how beautiful it is there (that was hard to enjoy as an 11 year old with my cousin getting carsick), barcelona: how affordable it was to stay in a great hotel and eat incredibly well. we had high expectations and still gaudi's architecture blew us away.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing? no travel disappointment for us this year
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year. JFK terminal 8/american airlines. we had to transfer there on our way home from barcelona. never. again. customs was fine but exiting customs was a clusterf*ck. two TSA staff for 2-3 planes full of people. really?!?!?! bathrooms that were appallingly gross. i've seen gas stations with more sanitary bathrooms than these. over an hour in the security line for no apparent reason. i will avoid flying AA in the future and will do my best to never fly through JFK again.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year? without question, jamon iberico. ah-mazing!
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
hoping to take DH somewhere great for his birthday in february though not sure where. just keeping an eye on deals out now.
our main plan is our 5th anniversary trip in september - original plan was greece but that is obviously a no-go. back to explore more of spain is on the table (inspired by barcelona, of course), or perhaps if we can take more than two weeks thailand . . .
1) Where did you go in 2011?
New Orleans, Orlando, Sarasota, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Las Vegas
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
Sarasota. I've been to New Orleans before and love it. Playa was nice. But I didn't expect to like Sarasota.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
I'm not sure I expected to enjoy it - but I figured it would be alright. I was wrong. Las Vegas. I do not need to go there ever, ever again. One day was plenty. And it was a free trip. Vegas is not for me.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
Not much of a disaster but I went through the rapiscan - which I didn't want to do but did to save time - and I still got freedom groped afterwards. I thought the rapiscan was supposed to prevent the grope? Not so much. I was furious. In the scheme of all things travel related - that's pretty minor.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
This was the year of food for us. God, I don't even know where to begin. So much good food. A good majority of our vacations we just ate and ate and ate. I'd say the Turtle Soup at Commander's Palace in New Orleans or the Alsatian Onion Tart at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon or the Green Juice and Chocolate Croissants at the Paradisus Playa del Carmen. Ok, gun to my head - Green Juice and Chocolate Croissants are the winner (wow...over Robuchon...)
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
We might do a London-Paris trip. Vancouver, BC. And we might go back to Hawaii for our 5 year reunion or back to Riviera Maya. This all depends on what deals I can swing and how high airline prices go.
Pantry Raid Blog | Travel blog | My Goodread shelf
I'm new to the board and have just been lurking, but I'm bored so I'm playing.
1) Where did you go in 2011?
NYC/NJ (twice), Newport RI (twice), Peter Island ( in the British Virgin Islands), Galveston TX, Austin TX.
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
We absolutely loved Peter Island. It was our honeymoon trip. We were upgraded to a beachfront suite and it was the coolest room we've ever stayed in (as in ocean views from the bath/shower). There is only one hotel on a pretty large island so we felt like we were alone on the island pretty often.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
Galveston was a little disappointing. We did a long weekend there for the 4th of July. It was sad to see that they still haven't recovered from the hurricane. I was expecting more of a beach destination, but we still enjoyed it for being a relatively close/ cheap trip.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
I don't think we had any. The only time I got upset was when we had to gate check our carry on coming back from our wedding in RI. It had my expensive dress, jewelry, and wedding cash in it. I really didn't want to let it out of my sight, but it was fine in the end.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
The food in Peter Island was excellent. I can't think of one dish on its own but we really enjoyed everything.
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
I have a trip to London/ Madrid/ Barcelona planned for February. I'm currently looking into a trip to Cancun in April. We will also go back to RI, and probably a trip to MD/PA. Our 2012 travel is mostly influenced by not having a wedding to pay for this year
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why? Appalachian mountains in VA - beautiful and stunning.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing? Shangri-La in China. It may have been due to the fact that it was nearing the end of our trip and we were exhausted, cold, and I was having problems with the altitude. But we were not really that wow-ed by the place that so many tourist books have raved about - the other parts of China we've already been to were more visually stunning.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year. My Delta flight from Minneapolis to Richmond, VA was canceled due to a storm. There was an a$$ working that night for my company, and he refused to put me up in a hotel. So instead of sleeping overnight at the airport, I settled to take the later flight into Norfolk, VA (2 hours from Richmond). My lovely DH picked me up and waited patiently while I had to deal with Delta for my luggage that obviously did not get there. We got home close to 4am and he had to work the next day
My company apologized later and gave a small compensation since I should have been put up in a hotel.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year? Probably EVERYTHING in China.
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011? We have a ski trip scheduled for Taos, NM in Jan 2012. We are deciding between 2 week-long domestic trips or a 2-week long international trip. We recently moved to MD so we will backpack the MD portion of the Appalachian Mountains.
1) Where did you go in 2011?
Uganda, Ethiopia, Turkey (3x), Georgia (the country), Nigeria, South Dakota (Black Hills), Litchfield, CT, Las Cruces, NM and next week Chicago.
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed South Dakota. And Nigeria was actually pleasant!
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
I wasn't disappointed by anything really. Though I didn't have a chance to eat adjaruli khatchapuri during my trip to Georgia this year, that was kind of sad. I guess I need to learn to make it at home since there aren't any Georgians here!
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
Flying to Rapid City I had to connect in ORD. On the way there my flight was delayed out of DCA by about 40 minutes, and by the time we landed at ORD my next flight was boarding. In a different terminal. My brother who lives in Chicago was on the flight so I kept calling him as my husband, other brother and I sprinted through OHare at full speed. I nearly took out a TSA person who stopped to tie her shoe. We managed to transfer terminals and make it to the gate just before the gate closed. I never thought it was possible to transfer terminals at ORD in less than 5 minutes!
On the way home, weather in Chicago resulted in a delayed arrival and a missed connection. Thankfully our high Star Alliance status got us off of standby and onto the last flight of the day to DCA. Except that flight took off late too and by the time we were preparing to land in DC it was past DCA's curfew. So they landed us at Dulles where we stood in line for 30 minutes for a taxi. At 3 am.
International air travel is always easy for me...it's domestic that is a constant disaster.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
I shouldn't have asked this question because I don't know. In Ethiopia we have a cook in our office who makes amazing lunches. I ate Ethiopian food 3x a day for three weeks and still didn't get tired of it. That was pretty awesome.
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
For work, probably Egypt, Ethiopia and possibly Yemen if things calm down a touch. For pleasure hopefully a quick trip to Spain and Portugal and possibly China if we can swing the time away from work late in the year.1) Where did you go in 2011?
Nicaragua and Costa Rica (cruise), Portland and Vancouver (work), Traverse City, MI and Tampa, FL (family and weddings), and Portugal, Switzerland, Germany (Hamburg and Berlin), Monterey, CA, and Kansas City
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
Berlin. It's not that I didn't think I would like it, I just didn't count on how much I would fall totally in love with it.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
No big disappointments. I would not do a cruise again. It was a small ship with only like 170 people, but it still just wasn't my style.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
Coming back from Portugal, I was nearly not allowed on the plane. While boarding, the person at the gate took my boarding pass. When I go ON the plane, the FA asked for it again. I explained the gate person took it, and she replied "no, they don't do that." So after a few minutes of arguing that she did actually do that, the FA told me I was NOT getting back on the plane without it. So I went back to the gate and asked for my pass and they said no they could not give it to me. I explained that the FA wouldn't let me on without it but she wouldn't give me mine back or explain how i could get a new one or a reprint. Exasperated, I ask, "well how am I supposed to get on the plane?" She replied: TRY WALKING.
So I took off back down the jetway, but rather than wait in line, I headed down the first class side. Just as I was approaching, the FA in first turned his back to get something out of the galley and I just ducked on board and ran to my seat, sweating and freaking out that at any second I would be kicked off the plane, despite being a legitimate passenger.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
The Belem tarts in Portugal were amazing. I had a great doner kebap in Berlin. And of course the Swiss fondue was fantastic.
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
Well, I'm moving to San Francisco Jan 2.....otherwise I have no set plans yet. We're going somewhere for our 5 year anniversary in June. We had planned on France but now that we'll be living on the west coast, we're thinking Australia.
1) Where did you go in 2011?
Nicaragua & Costa Rica, Key West, Savannah, D.C., Michigan, Santa Barbara
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
Santa Barbara. I am not sure what I expected, but it was much more beautiful than I thought it would be.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
I still enjoyed it, but I didn't love Costa Rica.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
Thankfully, nothing too bad. I had a flight cancelled due to weather, but they booked me on the first one out the next morning, so it wasn't a big deal.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
Mine was a drink--fresh ginger and pineapple juice in Costa Rica. So good!
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
Possible trips include a girl's trip to Nashville, skiing trip for DH's 40th bday, Thailand & Cambodia. Not influenced by anything that happened in 2011. Trips will depend on how the real estate market does this year. (We are both real estate agents).
That is crazy!
1) Where did you go in 2011?
Lots of domestic travel, sadly no international travel. Nashville and San Diego for school, weddings in Boston and Connecticut...and Cape May, NJ for my wedding!
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
I hadn't been to San Diego and Nashville before...Nashville was more sophisticated than I expected. We went to a few restaurants and bars that reminded me a lot of places I like in Brooklyn.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
I thought I would like San Diego more. Although my experience was probably colored by missing a day due to terrible food poisoning.
(from a random sushi place).
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
Luckily, no disasters. Although landing in San Diego was really strange. I've never experienced an airport so close to the city before...it felt a bit freaky being so close to the city high rises.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
My wedding cake? I also discovered an awesome salad place in Boston that I went to both times I was in Boston this year (a local chain apparently...something like B good's?)
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
Yes..Honeymoon in Oahu and Kauai in January.
Also Turkey in August to celebrate graduating from law school.
1) Where did you go in 2011? Italy (Milan, Belgirate/surrounding towns, Stresa); Interlaken, Switzerland; Finger Lakes (NY), Lake George, NY.
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why? Belgirate, Italy. It's beautiful and the view from the houses of Lake Maggiore and the Italian Alps is absolutely breathtaking. I wouldn't mind waking up to it daily.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing? Interlaken. It was beautiful and the chocolate was delicious, but that's about it. Not much to do, see.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year. None, really. (knock on wood that this trend continues!)
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year? My cousin's cooking (she lives in Belgirate), gelato, Swiss chocolate. Yum!
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
Barcelona, Spain - I love Europe and told DH he could pick where we went, as long as it was Europe. He wants to see BFC play, so that's where we're going;
back to the Finger Lakes - for a friend's wedding;
Pittsburgh, PA - another friend's wedding,
possibly:
Barbados - a third friend's wedding;
Washington D.C. - for fun. DH and I both love it there. My only trip there was short, so there's still a lot more I'd like to see.)
GP buddy to blenderdance
Ditto! This story is hilarious (though I'm sure it was anything but at the time!).
I'm so jealous of all of the trips that everyone took! No way would my husband ever agree to be away from the office long enough to go to most of those places (really any international trip).
1) Where did you go in 2011?
Destin, FL, Oklahoma City/Stillwater/Norman, OK, Starkville, MS, Nashville, Atlanta (a few times), Athens, GA, Biloxi, MS, New Orleans, Las Vegas and we are going to Minneapolis next week and will be in Atlanta on NYE.
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
I really love Nashville. Not sure that it surprised me but it is one of my favorite places.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
I didn't love New Orleans as much as I thought I would. It is just so dirty and kind of too much...and I didn't really expect to enjoy Oklahoma but I hope I never go back (I went to watch DH's team play so it wasn't somewhere I really chose to go).
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
Not really a disaster but flying AirTran to Las Vegas a few weeks ago was painful. I HATE AirTran and swore years ago that I'd never fly with them again. Unfortunately DH's department's travel agent booked our flights for us and they were booked on AirTran. This time I really mean NEVER AGAIN.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
The seafood cheesecake we had at Jacques-Imos in New Orleans.
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
Not too much planned just yet. I know I'll be going back to Athens, GA when DH's team plays there. And we are going to Orlando in the spring. I'm sure we will make a couple of trips down to the Gulf Shores. And I think we also might go to Denver and NYC during the summer. I also have some work conferences that I'll be attending but I'm not sure where yet.
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
First off, welcome to SFO! I love it here, and you'll probably enjoy it, too. Feel free to PM me if you need advice on neighborhoods, restaurants, etc.
Second - are you thinking Australia over France because you're closer now and you've always preferred it? FYI, there's non-stop SFO-CDG flights daily that take about 9 hours; there's no longer a Quantas presence in SFO so you'd be connecting through LAX and you're still looking at an 18 hour flight. France is probably easier AND cheaper (plane ticket wise) than Australia, so I wouldn't rule it out just because you're moving to SFO. I head to Europe at least once a year and with the non-stops to Amsterdam (KLM), Paris (Air France), and Frankfurt (Lufthansa) it's only about 2-3 more hours time than from the East Coast.
1) Where did you go in 2011?
Tahoe, Orlando, Indianapolis, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Vegas
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
Definitely Zimbabwe. I wasn't sure what to expect after reading stories on TA and other places of how impoverished and dirty and unsafe Zimbabwe was. But I'm so happy we decided to stay there instead of Zambia. The people were so amazing and nice and so hospitable and grateful for anything we bought from them or gave to them.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
The Venetian (in Vegas.) For the price we paid and the reputation of the Venetian, I felt like it was kind of a dump. The rooms are kind of run down and the service everywhere kind of sucked.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
Almost getting stuck in Zanzibar and/or Kenya. We showed up at the airport in Zanzibar to find that our flight from Zanzibar to Nairobi had been canceled and there were no other options for flights out this day. We had to make it to Nairobi for a connection to Jo'burg to make our flight back to the US by that night. So we spent HOURS arguing and begging and pleading with the airline to get us back. We ended up having to eat the cost of those tickets and buy tickets through another airline (thank God we had cash on us to bargain with them).
After spending a small fortune for tickets on the other airline, that flight was delayed. They told us we were going straight from Zanzibar to Nairobi, but then when we got on the plane they told us we would stop in Mombosa. In Mombosa, they made us get off the plane, clear customs and pay for a transit visa, even though we never left the airport in Kenya at all. Then put us back on the plane to Nairobi. We made it to Nairobi with 10 minutes until our next flight. Luckily an airline agent met us at the plane, personally took our bags off of the plane and RAN us to the international terminal, checked us in and got us to our gate. We made it on the plane as they were shutting the doors.
I almost had a heart attack from the stress. No way in hell was I missing that flight from Jo'burg home and paying for another one!
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
Guacamole at Dos Caminos in the Palazzo in Vegas. God, I want to go back to Vegas just for that guac.
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
My baby brother graduates from high school this year and we plan to take him on a trip for graduation. Not sure where. We've been tossing around Australia, Costa Rica, Nepal, Ireland, Germany, Thailand, etc., etc.
Also planning a family trip (parents, siblings, nieces/nephew) to Disney World.
1) Where did you go in 2011?
NYC (3x); Boston; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Seattle (about a dozen times - I'm from there and that's where the wedding was); Baltimore (H's family is from there); Sonoma (my bachelorette party); Napa (get away weekend); Kauai; Costa Rica; Iceland; France; Tahiti/Bora Bora/Moorea
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
Costa Rica - I had never had a longing to go there and booked it randomly one day, without doing any research, because I found good airfare. H and I both ended up loving it, especially Manuel Antonio and the beaches. We also loved the nature diversity there, and just found the people to be friendly and the country offered a perfect mix of nice weather, outdoor activities, and relaxation.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
NYC at Christmastime - too many people, too much crankiness and too much commercialism. I was sick of being hocked something every time I turned around.
Also, Tahiti surprised me in how expensive it was - I was glad that H and I weren't constricted or worried about a budget. Food there was such a rip-off in terms of quality (there is no breakfast worth $100 a day, which is what we averaged for the two of us), and I kept thinking that if I was working on a budget, I'd have been so stressed out I couldn't have enjoyed it. Even without a budget, I get annoyed when I'm getting blatantly ripped off which is how I felt any time I sat down to eat anywhere in those islands.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
In January we were slated to fly out of Boston back to SFO through Chicago (O'Hare). I know better but I booked the tickets anyway, and then Chicago got hit with that huge storm (which eventually moved into the NE). Thankfully I read the news a lot and saw news about Chicago getting pummeled, so I called American (ugh) and got them to rebook our tickets through Miami, figuring it was safe. However, when we got to the airport in Boston we were delayed taking off because it was snowing (we were the last plane to take off before they shut down Boston Logan, which was in and of itself a miracle given the weather). However, because we were delayed out of Boston we missed our flight in Miami so we had an *8* hour layover before we could get another one. It took us 18 hours to get from Boston to SFO. It was so exhausting and I kept thinking, "I could have flown home from Europe in this time it's taking me to get home from Boston, and Europe is much better!"
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
I THINK it will be a toss-up between the 11-course tasting menu we did at Guy Savoy in Paris for my 30th birthday in June, and the dinner we are having tonight at The French Laundry in Yountville (near Napa), CA. I have long wanted to go to The French Laundry so I am really excited! At Guy Savoy, my favorite dish was the artichoke black truffle soup, so we'll see what my favorite dish from The French Laundry is and then I will decide my most favorite dish of the year.
Only 3-ish hours!!!
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
2012 - we have booked trips to the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, and New Orleans. We will be going to Seattle and Philadelphia for weddings. I plan to go to Charleston before flying up to Philadelphia because I have always wanted to go. We anticipate some positive changes in our financial situation in 2012, so we are considering taking six weeks to trek through Europe (starting in Portugal, going through Spain, the through the French Riviera, the northern part of Italy, and into Croatia), or we are considering doing a 3-week trip to Spain and Portugal and then going to Bali for our 1-year anniversary. Also being considered is the Galapagos Islands and Tanzania. I can't really book much right now because H's job situation is a little up in the air... he's going to take a 6-8 month sabbatical but we don't know when. Once I know, I'm going to be trying to cash in all our FF points to go-go-go-go-go!
1) Where did you go in 2011?
Turkey (Istanbul, Cappadocia, Selcuk), Quebec City, Florida to visit family, NYC several times to visit family, Pennsylvania for a wedding, Montreal, San Francisco, Seattle, Victoria, Iceland.
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
Turkey, absolutely. We fell in love with the place- the food, the people, the culture, loved everything about it. Iceland was really interesting too- you feel like you're at the edge of the earth.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
Seattle, probably. I'm glad we went and, in general, it was a nice city but the people were really creepy. Really surprising proportion of crazy druggies to normal people. Still glad we experienced it though.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
On our way to Turkey we missed our connection in Amsterdam and got put on a later flight- unfortunately our bags didn't and were left in Amsterdam. It took them 4 days to get our stuff to Turkey and all I had for extra clothes were a bunch of head scarves (which you can find in abundance in Istanbul, unlike a change of pants or shirt). We also had our connecting flight cancelled on our way back from FL and had to spend the night on the floor of Reagan airport, and then go straight to work the next morning once we got back to Boston.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
In Selcuk Turkey we ate at this awesome restaurant that had a huge plate of different mezes for like $4. Yogurt sauce, tomatoes w/ chilies and onions, homemade hummus, eggplant, and delicious bread. For dinner I had this amazing really fresh Mediterranean seabass cooked in parchment w/ onions, tomatoes, herbs and lemon butter. It was an amazing little family-owned place that was relatively new- one of the best meals I've had.
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
First on the list is Montevideo and Buenos Aires in January for our anniversary. After that things will all depend on if and when I'm pregnant.
Adoption Blog
1) Where did you go in 2011?
Ireland (Galway, Connemara, Doolin, Dingle, Kenmare, Kinsale)
Italy (Cinque Terre, Florence, Venice, Siena & hill towns, Rome)
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
Siena, Italy. It wasn't the big-name sights that we saw in Florence, Venice, Rome, etc., but it was delightful. And Ireland was wonderful, it just wasn't a surprise.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
Rome
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
If I never see FCO again it'll be too soon. The bathrooms had human feces on the floor, I do not jest. Flight was late, gate was changed, gate change wasn't announced, check in was a shitshow... it was bad enough that our flight attendants were encouraging us to complain. They said every time they go to FCO it's a disaster.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
Tough call. Cinghiale in Siena, I think.
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
Puerto Rice in Feb. for a combined 30th birthday celebration with my college bffs. Totally different kind of trip! And lots more backpacking in the Adirondacks, which we had less time for this year. It'll be a less expensive travel year in 2012. Which is fine.
Maui, November 2011
1) Where did you go in 2011?
Cape May, NJ and Miami Beach, FL (Surfside actually)
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
Both places were better than I expected. Cape May was quaint, close to home, and just had a nice feel. The beach in Miami was much nicer than I expected. Warm, clear, perfect amount of ocean activity - we didn't really venture to touristy spots.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
nothing this year ... thank goodness
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
ugh! we were delayed for nearly 10 hours in miami due to the early snowstorm in nyc. we had a 3.5 year old with us and i was 7 months pg ... not.fun.at.all.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
almost everything i eat is away from home! probably the tuna tartar at blue fin
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
am currently planning a trip to turks and caicos in april. we usually hit the caribbean in early december, but our 2nd child is due to arrive any moment, so the trip will be delayed. T&C is a quick-direct flight, and seems very low key.
1) Where did you go in 2011?
Brazil
Chicago
Dallas/Fort Worth
Denver
Las Vegas
Napa/Sonoma/Yountville
New Orleans
New York City
Pittsburgh
Puerto Rico
Sacramento
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Solvang
St. Lucia
St. Martin
Toronto
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
Dallas/Fort Worth. Fun and tasty.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
N/A.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
TSA accused my husband of having bombs on him because there was glycerin on his hands. Two TSA agents extensively felt his genitals. Lesson learned: don't use hand lotion right before you go through security.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
Every single French meal (St. Martin)
Feijoada, moqueca, pasteis in general (Brazil)
Alcapurrias, bacalaitos, Bebo's BBQ (Puerto Rico)
Marea, Fatty Crab (New York City)
Root 246 (Solvang)
Jacques-Imo's, Cochon (New Orleans)
Ad Hoc (Yountville)
How to Cook a Wolf, Lola, Mistral Kitchen (Seattle)
Sage (Las Vegas)
NOPA, Wayfare Tavern, Sons and Daughters (San Francisco)
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
Amsterdam
London
Paris
Rome
Somewhere else in Italy TBD for our friends' wedding
We bought an awesome house in 2011, so we haven't planned any domestic travel.
Yet.
1) Where did you go in 2011? -- Moving to Australia ate up most of my 2011 travel budget, with the rest sacrificed to being unemployed for 9 months. But we did manage a quick swing through the US to visit family in January (San Francisco, Kansas City, Little Rock, New Orleans), and a long weekend in Brisbane for a wedding in May. I also had a couple of day trips to Melbourne. This week we are doing a road trip to visit some family before the holidays, with a base in Ballarat and day trips from there.
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why? -- Brisbane, I was really expecting it to be all surf and SCUBA, but I was surprised at how much it wasn't.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing? -- Really, I didn't have disappointments. It was not a big travel year, and other than Brisbane, I had been everywhere before.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year. -- Southwest outright cancelled a flight from SF to LA, so we had to be rerouted through St. Louis to get to Kansas City, but it all worked out fine, though it was dicey wondering if we were going to make it out of SF.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year? -- a toss up between the barbeque in Kansas City and the fries in Melbourne.
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011? -- So far, we have planned a long weekend in Melbourne in January, two weddings that will require overnight trips in February, a trip to Canberra before June (to visit a friend), and a trip back home to NOLA in December 2012/January 2013 for my Dad's retirement party and a family reunion cruise. It we can swing it, we may do a couple of long weekends in and around Victoria too. I'm really looking forward to going to The Royal Mail Hotel at some point. Yes and no as to being influenced. The timing for the trip to Canberra was influenced by my friend and the USAF, and then trip home to NOLA by my Dad's decision to retire, but no, no world events that happened in 2011 influenced our travel plans for 2012.
1) Where did you go in 2011? We just returned from Jamaica. (1st time there.)
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why? We LOVED Tensing Pen (I'm pretty sure my introduction was from lurking here - THANK YOU!). We have previously always chosen all inclusive resorts. We even split up this vacation (1/2 at Tensing Pen, 1/2 at Couples Swept Away because we weren't sure if we'd like a not AI). We loved the entire experience at Tensing Pen, no sand, snorkeling whenever we wanted, relaxing/private atmosphere, and going off of the resort for dinner a couple of nights.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing? We thought we'd love CSA but found the crowds and entertainment disappointing. That might have been different if we'd gone there before Tensing Pen.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year. DH's - he was randomly selected by TSA for extra security measures on our way home from Jamaica for all flights back home. He had a good sense of humor about it but after a long day, the third 'pat down' was getting a little old (and 4 hr flight time taking 14 hrs because of no direct flights was a pain). I have a lot of patience with kids but flying home out of Orlando (aka Disney), late after a long day with a lot of tired kids (one kicking my seat the entire flight home) on the way home has us definitely rethinking our flight connections in the future.
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year? N/A...everything was decent.
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011? We're planning another trip to the cliffs in Negril for spring 2012. Yes. And then probably Mexico (We love Playa del Carmen) or St. Martin's fall 2012.
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Travel Adventures.
1) Where did you go in 2011?: We went on a cruise to the Western Caribbean. Also went to the theme parks in Orlando, FL.
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?: Hmm...not sure.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?: I wasn't a huge fan of Cozumel. I didn't find anything terribly special about it.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.: Didn't do any flying
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?: Lamb chops on Carnival. They were delicious!
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?: We're going on a cruise to the Western Caribbean (different ports this time). No other plans as of right now.
Barcelona; Luxembourg; Trier, Germany; Bonn (x2); London (x2); Prague; Monaco; Zermatt; Chamonix; Kuala Lumpur for a look-see before we moved; Florida; Ohio; Singapore; Melaka, Malaysia; Cambodia, Vietnam; and we're heading to South Africa this week for Christmas and New Year's.
2) What place pleasantly surprised you, and why?
Vietnam. It wasn't at all as I had pictured it and I can't wait to go back.
3) What did you expect to enjoy, but found disappointing?
I can't think of anything at the moment. I'm not an easily dissapointing person because I tend to not go into things with massive expectations.
4) Tell me your biggest airport/airline disaster of the year.
Honestly, I haven't had one. Knock on wood that it continues next year
5) What is the best thing you ate away from home this year?
Some amazing Chinese food at a plastic chair on the side of the road place down in Melaka.
6) Where do you plan to go in 2012. Is this influenced by anything that happened in 2011?
New Zealand, Laos, Thailand, US, Japan, Salzburg and Prague for weddings. I'd also like to do a long weekend in Vietnam in an area we didn't get to visit on the 2011 trip.