Visitor from Baltimore.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/28/coronavirus-argentina-bans-all-commercial-flights-until-september-1.html

Argentina banning all flights until the fall.  Other countries may follow suit.  

Very sad.  I don't think I would feel comfortable making any travel plans right now for any time frame in the future.  If late summer travel is not an option, that could extend right back into flu season, and there is no telling what that will bring.  

When this is over, I'll be on my laptop booking a trip ASAP.  But I'm not sure it's safe anymore to guess a point in the future and book something.

I'm booking 2 trips as soon as it's safe to do so.  1. Ireland 2. The Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana - this one because it's a newer resort, we can get an oceanfront suite upgrade, and I just want to sit on a beach and have an unlimited amount of drinks served to me. 

54 minutes ago, binkybink77 said:

I'm booking 2 trips as soon as it's safe to do so.  1. Ireland 2. The Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana - this one because it's a newer resort, we can get an oceanfront suite upgrade, and I just want to sit on a beach and have an unlimited amount of drinks served to me. 

Ireland is beautiful.  I recommend doing a loop around the country.  Some of the castle hotels there are incredible.  Really underrated food.

I have never stayed at an all inclusive before.  Would love to try it.

1 hour ago, eagle45 said:

Ireland is beautiful.  I recommend doing a loop around the country.  Some of the castle hotels there are incredible.  Really underrated food.

I have never stayed at an all inclusive before.  Would love to try it.

My parents have been about 5 times so luckily we have lots of blueprints on how to plan it based on their experiences. We plan to fly into Dublin or Shannon, rent a car and do the drive and B&B thing - Rock of Cashel, cliffs of Mohr, Blarney Stone , etc.. and a day or two in Dublin for the bars and Guinness. 
 

All inclusives are ok. paco enjoys it more than me because you can eat and drink your face off for relatively inexpensive - you do get what you pay for in that the quality of alcohol isn’t always the best and sometimes the restaurants are inconsistent but it’s definitely the way to go if you just want to lounge, not think and not spend a ton. 

23 minutes ago, binkybink77 said:

My parents have been about 5 times so luckily we have lots of blueprints on how to plan it based on their experiences. We plan to fly into Dublin or Shannon, rent a car and do the drive and B&B thing - Rock of Cashel, cliffs of Mohr, Blarney Stone , etc.. and a day or two in Dublin for the bars and Guinness. 
 

All inclusives are ok. paco enjoys it more than me because you can eat and drink your face off for relatively inexpensive - you do get what you pay for in that the quality of alcohol isn’t always the best and sometimes the restaurants are inconsistent but it’s definitely the way to go if you just want to lounge, not think and not spend a ton. 

Dingle peninsula is worth the side trip, really beautiful.  Southwestern coast, could potentially hit it as you loop from cliff of Mohr around towards Blarney stone.  

Guinness factory is fun, although I'm not a beer guy.  The cocktail making class at the Jameson factory was amazing...I feared that may be touristy, but it was a blast.  

 

5 hours ago, eagle45 said:

Ireland is beautiful.  I recommend doing a loop around the country.  Some of the castle hotels there are incredible.  Really underrated food.

I have never stayed at an all inclusive before.  Would love to try it.

Seafood down in Kerry was absolutely fantastic.  Lamb pretty much everywhere was also really good. Not what I was expecting.

Southwest Airlines launches first summer fare sale. Wait. What?

Shots for today

26 minutes ago, eagle45 said:

Shots for today

If you to choose between this area and Amalfi which would you pick? Both are high on my italy wish list

8 minutes ago, DEagle7 said:

If you to choose between this area and Amalfi which would you pick? Both are high on my italy wish list

Absolutely love both...both are bucket list destinations.  If you were to google it, you'd find a split of what people prefer.

For me, it would be Amalfi coast, hands down.  The visuals and cliffs are more spectacular.  It's a bit more crowded, but I suspect crowds may not be an issue now.  The food in the Amalfi coast is a little better, IMO.  Either way, it's Italy and the food is stupid good.  Amalfi coast has more pasta diversity and the best red sauces on the planet.  Cinque Terre is known for their pesto sauces.  The seafood is incredible at either spot, but maybe a little more repetitive in Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre is adored for hikes...nothing resembling the difficulty of the Kalalau trail, but lots of great hikes between the 5 towns.  The Amalfi coast is better for boating, coves, and swimming.  

Cinque Terre has a couple smaller, boutique nice hotels, but is mostly B&B, VRBO type places.  Amalfi coast has that, plus some of the swankiest resorts on the planet.  

If you end up seeing the Cinque Terre, be sure to also check out Portofino, which is one of the most romantic spots on Earth.  Easy day trip from any of the Cinque Terre.  

Amalfi coast is usually best combined with a day or 2 to enjoy Rome, whereas Cinque Terre can be combined with some time in Florence or Tuscany.  

37 minutes ago, eagle45 said:

Absolutely love both...both are bucket list destinations.  If you were to google it, you'd find a split of what people prefer.

For me, it would be Amalfi coast, hands down.  The visuals and cliffs are more spectacular.  It's a bit more crowded, but I suspect crowds may not be an issue now.  The food in the Amalfi coast is a little better, IMO.  Either way, it's Italy and the food is stupid good.  Amalfi coast has more pasta diversity and the best red sauces on the planet.  Cinque Terre is known for their pesto sauces.  The seafood is incredible at either spot, but maybe a little more repetitive in Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre is adored for hikes...nothing resembling the difficulty of the Kalalau trail, but lots of great hikes between the 5 towns.  The Amalfi coast is better for boating, coves, and swimming.  

Cinque Terre has a couple smaller, boutique nice hotels, but is mostly B&B, VRBO type places.  Amalfi coast has that, plus some of the swankiest resorts on the planet.  

If you end up seeing the Cinque Terre, be sure to also check out Portofino, which is one of the most romantic spots on Earth.  Easy day trip from any of the Cinque Terre.  

Amalfi coast is usually best combined with a day or 2 to enjoy Rome, whereas Cinque Terre can be combined with some time in Florence or Tuscany.  

Thanks for the tips! We're big on hiking, usually more a small hotel/B&B feel and I have family along the southern French coast so might tip things in that direction.  I feel like the pictures from the Amalfi coast are always just insane though.  Definitely going to do both at some point though.

Cinque Terre

 

 

You guys have smoked everything I've put out there.  But I bet no one gets this...

On 5/5/2020 at 10:51 AM, eagle45 said:

The time to travel will come again.  You'll get it in.  When you do go, let me know if you have any questions.  I savor every corner of that place, restaurants, bars, hotels, etc.  

If he needs you to answer questions while he's 'getting it in' on his honeymoon he's going to be single again very soon...

2 hours ago, eagle45 said:

You guys have smoked everything I've put out there.  But I bet no one gets this...

Stumped.  The water/mountain says scandinavian fjord to me but the rocks/vegetation looks kinda volcanic.

51 minutes ago, Imp81318 said:

If he needs you to answer questions while he's 'getting it in' on his honeymoon he's going to be single again very soon...

2 hours ago, eagle45 said:

You guys have smoked everything I've put out there.  But I bet no one gets this...

Not even sure why, but the first country that popped into my head was Peru.  Total guess

spent a couple hours over the weekend looking at homes for sale in ireland.  i'd love to retire there some day...but we have some family stuff that will make it impossible, so......i can still dream. 

1 hour ago, mikemack8 said:

Not even sure why, but the first country that popped into my head was Peru.  Total guess

 

2 hours ago, DEagle7 said:

Stumped.  The water/mountain says scandinavian fjord to me but the rocks/vegetation looks kinda volcanic.

Saba, island in the Caribbean.  If you are a US East Coaster who has tired of the Caribbean and prefers other far flung reaches of the world, Saba is the Caribbean island for you.  

Tiny, tiny island.  The original King Kong was filmed here.  The entire island is basically a volcanic peak that pierces the water.  It has world class scuba diving, a couple outstanding restaurants, a few really nice hotels perched on the cliffs, and scenery that looks anything but Caribbean.  

The flight over might be the coolest part; you can get there by ferry, but the more interesting option is a low-altitude 5-10 minute cheap WinAir flight on a 10 seater twin-engine prop that leaves St. Maarten every hour or so.  The approach is pretty incredible.  

One big caveat...no beaches.  The whole island is a rocky peak.  Combine the trip with some time on neighboring Anguilla so you can get in some of the best beaches in the Caribbean.  Saba also has your hikes.

4 hours ago, eagle45 said:

 

Saba, island in the Caribbean.  If you are a US East Coaster who has tired of the Caribbean and prefers other far flung reaches of the world, Saba is the Caribbean island for you.  

Tiny, tiny island.  The original King Kong was filmed here.  The entire island is basically a volcanic peak that pierces the water.  It has world class scuba diving, a couple outstanding restaurants, a few really nice hotels perched on the cliffs, and scenery that looks anything but Caribbean.  

The flight over might be the coolest part; you can get there by ferry, but the more interesting option is a low-altitude 5-10 minute cheap WinAir flight on a 10 seater twin-engine prop that leaves St. Maarten every hour or so.  The approach is pretty incredible.  

One big caveat...no beaches.  The whole island is a rocky peak.  Combine the trip with some time on neighboring Anguilla so you can get in some of the best beaches in the Caribbean.  Saba also has your hikes.

Damn. I didn't have any actual guesses on location, but my initial reaction when I saw this picture below...

...is that it reminded me an awful lot of the island tour I took in Saint Lucia. Same vegetation, same mountainous landscape. 

I actually know someone that did their med school in Saba a few years ago.

As travel falls further apart and the thread nearly falls off the first page, here's something domestic:

Looks like somewhere on Lake Superior.  Minnesota?

When is everyone expecting to be able to use a hotel next?  When was the last time you have used a hotel for non-essential travel?  Who has stayed overnight somewhere else for any reason during the pandemic?

9 hours ago, xzmattzx said:

When is everyone expecting to be able to use a hotel next?  When was the last time you have used a hotel for non-essential travel?  Who has stayed overnight somewhere else for any reason during the pandemic?

I'm hoping to use on in late July after our tiny wedding ceremony. Would be local.

I stayed in Toronto for a long weekend over Valentines Day, that was my last trip pre pandemic. Coincidentally I definitely had some sort of multiple week viral infection over that time, probably not corona though.

9 hours ago, xzmattzx said:

When is everyone expecting to be able to use a hotel next?  When was the last time you have used a hotel for non-essential travel?  Who has stayed overnight somewhere else for any reason during the pandemic?

We rent out our beach condo and were forced to cancel all april and may reservations.  Fingers crossed that we can start renting in June since we are dependent on the rental income