lambada

I want to take a 25-35 day vacation either in June or some time between August and December. My interests are hiking, scenery, exploring cities, cuisine, beaches (up to 5 days), wildlife (e.g safari - up to 5 days). I'm male in my 40s. I have a budget of 5,000 euros including air fare from Europe. Am happy with basic accommodation but not camping or dorm rooms. Happy to drive for part or all of the trip if necessary. Don't mind a combination of 2 or 3 countries. For various reasons, I'm not interested in these regions/countries: Europe, Southeast Asia, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Mexico, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Korea, Morocco, South Africa.

So far I've thought of Guatemala + El Salvador + Nicaragua and Jamaica + Cuba although I'm not overly keen on either option. I've heard that Central America is more dangerous and less interesting than South America and I've already been to the above South American countries. As for Jamaica + Cuba, there are no direct flights between the two so I'd end up spending quite a bit of time and money on an indirect one. Also did some research on Brazil last year and prices for Pantanal tours were too high and I doubt it's any better this year. The Pantanal is one of the places that interest me most in Brazil.

Would appreciate any other suggestions you guys might have. Thanks!

Gardyloo

I missed this thread last week but had a thought that might or might not appeal.

How about going around the world, stopping in a few places that might satisfy all or most of your priorities?

For example, buy a 3-continent Oneworld Explorer RTW ticket good for up to 16 flights over a 12-month period. These require that you cross both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in the same direction (east to west or v.v.) and that you end back in the same country from which you started. There are lots of rules, none of which are especially onerous.

The tickets are priced very differently depending on the country in which the travel begins and ends, with price variations as much as double (or half.) For example, an economy-class 3-continent ticket sold by Oneworld members has a base price of €1486 if travel begins and ends in Norway, but a price of €2110 if travel begins and ends in the Euro zone. Obviously you could get to Oslo from wherever home is for less than 650 euros. Note there would be some taxes and fees added to that base price, depending on local taxes at stopover points, and maybe some fees and surcharges added by the airlines themselves. But still, it can be excellent value. With three continents (Europe, Asia, North America) you could visit places both on and off your list - Sri Lanka or India, maybe the Maldives, or just change planes in Hong Kong or Tokyo en route to North America, which for the airlines' purposes includes Central America and the Caribbean.

Or with a 4-continent ticket (base price ex-Norway €1760) include Australia or even Fiji. For example, take this imaginary route map.



In this imaginary trip, in August you'd fly from Oslo to Helsinki, change planes and fly to Seattle. From Seattle you'd head up to Anchorage on Alaska Airlines, change again and find yourself in Nome, the historic goldrush community on the Bering Sea. So you want a safari or wildlife experience? Hire a car or truck locally (several local vendors) and spend a few days exploring the surprisingly extensive road system that radiates from Nome into the Seward Peninsula bush.

Wildlife Viewing on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska Department of Fish and Game


Then fly back to Anchorage and down to Los Angeles, then across the Pacific to Sydney. Want beach time? Fly up to Cairns for the Great Barrier Reef, and/or out to Fiji and back. Doing this in August/September would let you miss the high humidity and dangerous jellyfish conditions in the Cairns area, and it will still be in the dry season in Fiji.

Return to Europe via someplace with good food, maybe Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, or maybe via Sri Lanka. The ticket is good for a year, and you're allowed four flights (two stopovers 24h or more) in Europe (which includes the Middle East and Mediterranean Africa) so maybe you fly home (wherever that is) and before the 12 months is up, conclude the ticket with a separate trip to... wherever, before ending back in Norway.

Pretty ambitious, and maybe a non-starter, but entirely doable. Feedback welcome.

lambada

Thanks for the (unconventional) suggestion! This would suit someone who can work remotely or is retired. Unfortunately, I only have 30ish days at my disposal so I can't travel to so many places.

mlgb

Bolivia?
Kenya?

Gardyloo

Well, it depends on how long you stay in them. With your budget, you probably can't stay in some high-cost place for ten days, but you could use an RTW as a "sampler" - try out some places for a short time and decide which ones to return to for more in-depth stays later. Just a possibility, of course. Remember, my imaginary trip is just that - you could substitute someplace in Central America for Alaska, or someplace in Asia for Australia.