Destinations in November?

How about South Africa? Good weather then, lots of wine, animals, good food............
I know many people who say Cape Town is their favourite city.

Have you been anywhere in South America?

Japan was lovely when I was there this November, much less crowded, mild-ish weather, beautiful Autumn colours.

If you are getting burned out on more long distance travel and want to stay closer to home you could check out some national parks. Since you are in California you might have done this already, but we went to Bryce and Zion National Parks at the end of October and it was a fantastic trip. The weather was perfect with fewer crowds than they get at other times. You could do a Utah trip and visit the 5 National Parks.

Central or southern Mexico.

You are so well traveled ... Where have you not been?

How about exploring Texas and or the southwest and or the south.?

You could spend a full week driving around Texas and not be able to see it all. I have not been but I hear that Big Bend is wonderful.

Austin is a wonderful and interesting city. I have heard the same of San Antonio. In over 50 years of living in Austin, I have never been to S.A.

In Austin, the city is rehabilitating Waller Creek and the greenbelt. Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) is finishing up its addition. These projects should be done by next November. It is looking beautiful.

Have you been to New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada?

November weather might be nice but you never know. Could be beautiful and could be not so beautiful.

The only place that I know of that has usually pleasant weather is Hawaii. And maybe San Diego?

Rapa Nui. Just got back from there 2 weeks ago. November is perfect. You can do it in 2 weeks.

I’m out driving, will follow up later.

This would be a good time for north Africa- e.g. Morocco/Tunisia/Egypt- or somewhere like Jordan. You could also think about east Africa, like Kenya/Tanzania.

San Antonio was the very first city I visited in Texas, went there in the summer of 1976, stayed a week in August.

bostonphil7, has a glorious idea with Texas ... and Austin is a beautiful stop. Heck, so many California expats are in Austin now, there are no problems for you with the language. San Antonio (Spanish), Bandera (Texan), Castroville (Alsacian), Fredericksburg (German), Snook (Czech), Houston (Vietnamese), Marshall (deep South) Much of the world awaits.

That sounds like a wonderful opportunity for a joint birthday celebration! And it's perfectly normal to be burnt out after so much travel, you deserve a trip that is less about logistics and more about enjoyment.

While New Zealand in November is beautiful, it is the beginning of their summer, and you are right, it demands a lot of time.

I highly recommend you look at Morocco for the first half of November. I actually traveled to Morocco with my family and it was a lot of fun! We used a local travel company to arrange everything, which made the trip stress-free and smooth. Morocco hits all your key requirements: great weather, completely avoids European seasonal closures, and offers a fantastic, memorable trip that can easily be done in 10-14 days

I don’t travel in November very often, but in the last five years I went to Spain and then Italy then. In both cases, the weather was delightful — warmish (55-70 degrees) but not hot, although in Northern Spain we ran into snow in the mountains. I’m guessing you’ve been to both countries, but perhaps there are regions or cities still to explore.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Lin C, I’ve heard great things about South Africa, but it is just too far away and it would require more time in transit than I would like for this trip.

valedelphia, we have not been to Central or South America. It would be a consideration, but I would have to do some research to decide where to go. Nothing so far calls out to me, but I don’t t know what I don’t know.

Carlos, I would be very interested in Japan. My husband, not so much. Maybe I can convince him.

saf, the National Parks in Utah are high on our list and we have talked about going there with friends in our RV’s. The husband of the couple is 3 days younger than I am and we usually do a joint birthday camping trip. This is the first year in a long time we didn’t because we were in Europe at that time. Is November too late to make a trip like that?

Slate, Mexico concerns me a bit. Do you have anywhere specific to recommend?

bostonphil7, Texas is a big no for us. We are actually traveling there in 3 weeks for my mother-in-law’s birthday. My husbands’s family all live there and we have been to San Antonio and Austin. We’ve also been to Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Nevada. We only live about 2 hours from Reno. We’ve never been to Vegas and it will take more than celebrating a birthday to convince me to go there. I’m considering Maui. We’ve been to all the islands but would like to go back there. I’ve been to San Diego a lot, my sister lived there twice when her husband was in the Navy.

David, I don’t know anything about Rapa Nui. I would be interested to hear more.

I have to go to an appointment so I’ll follow up later.

I can recommend Brazil. It was a lot to take in, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. You have a year so plenty of time to determine if it is right for you (you may need some vax even just for Rio). Don't think about it while you are tired though--it requires some stamina, lol!
I know if I was able to travel more in November versus my usual May, I would be looking more at SA.
For Europe, I echo the Spain recommendations.

Andrea I don’t think it would be too cold in Utah in November. Plug Bryce, Springdale, and Moab into your weather app and it still looks pretty decent to me even now. I’m not a big fan of the heat though. We wore layers, and with the sun, which was always shining, it was plenty warm as the day went on. At night and in the morning it’s colder. Especially in Bryce because of the elevation. We stayed right at the lodge in Bryce and got up and walked to the rim in the mornings layered up and wrapped in blankets to watch the sunrise. It was stunningly beautiful. Bryce and Zion are both international dark sky parks and we had the most amazingly clear night skies for stargazing as well. There were also great hikes for all levels. On that kind of trip I feel like I can just “be” and experience the beauty of the earth.

Andrea,
Re Rapa Nui....It is wonderful and unique, but way too small an island for two weeks. We did a 2 week trip to Chile in March 2015. Four nights (3 1/2 days) in Santiago, 5 1/2 hour flight to Rapa Nui (I said 3-4 hours on another thread. My bad.) and four nights there (3 1/2 days, plenty of time there). Then back to Santiago and overnight there. Next day flight to Punta Arenas (3 1/2 hours), explore a bit and stay overnight. Next day walk from out hotel to embark on a four day, 3 night cruise in the Straits of Magellan. (Australis Cruises, highly recommend!) Small ship (about 150 people) visiting islands, seeing glaciers and Isla de Los Penguinos (penguin breeding island). On return overnight in Punta Arenas again with a bit more sightseeing there, then fly to Santiago for one more overnight and home the next day. The cruise was a bit of a splurge but we still talk about it ten years later, as well as the moai on Rapa Nuie. We did an upscale all-day wine tour from Santiago to the Colchagua Valley. That entailed a deluxe meal at one of the wineries and was worth every penny!

We really liked Chile. We have been to quite a few countries and this trip is high on our list of favorites trips. (Not # 1, but a good ways up there.)

Have fun in choosing your special trip.

KnightRd, I’m not sure about Morocco, but it’s worth looking into.

Carroll, I am giving serious consideration to Spain. I went to Barcelona for a few days in 2011 and my husband hasn’t been to Spain at all. I’ve been to Italy twice, both 3 week trips, but never south of Rome and I would be interested in that as well.

Judy, your trip sounds fabulous. Unfortunately I’m prone to sea sickness and I don’t think a small boat would work for me.

Hi Andrea,
I don’t agree with another poster to travel to some of the Utah National Parks in November. Weather is really iffy, and average temperatures tell me nothing.

The last time I was in Maui, I couldn’t wait to get out of the traffic jam that never ended.
I vote for Costs Rica. The parks and preserves are beautiful and offer many trails to explore.
Driving is slow there and a car would give you the opportunity to visit several areas in that beautiful country. I’ve been three times and trying to go again in February’ 27 instead of my usual yearly Mexico trip. I can answer some questions if you decide to go there.

Oh, edit to add: Machu Picchu is a great place too. Peru was a great trip for us.

Hawaii is a terrific idea, plus each island has some places for celebratory meals with beautiful views.

Japan is such a beautiful country and culture. And flying from California is shorter than a flight to Europe.
You could spend two weeks between Tokyo and Kyoto. Osaka is popular but is more for younger people as it is a serious good city.
We loved our trip there this past March, but I will admit we didn’t like the food too much. Too many strange taste combinations. We definitely did not starve though.
My other suggestion would be Spain. Barcelona was my least favorite city and the food is fantastic, for us better than the food in Italy.

@Andrea - If your criteria are as stated...

• reasonable weather wise
• won’t require the minimum of four weeks I would like in NZ
• pleasant weather the first half of November
• won’t be affected by things closing for the season

Rapa Nui certainly checks all of those boxes, and more.

I was there in early November (a few weeks ago). The weather was lovely. Yes, very much like Hawaii. Rapa Nui seems mysterious, little known, except for the iconic heads (which are plenty mysterious and very enigmatic themselves). We loved the place, but it's definitely quirky, at times surreal, other-worldly, certainly unique, and probably not everyone's cup of tea. Hard to describe, but, after spending some time there, and struggling to get my head around it, here's how I would describe the place: imagine Hawaii, specifically one of the smaller Hawaiian islands (say, Maui or Kauai), as it was 60-70 years ago. Some tourism and some tourist infrastructure, but none of the trappings of mass tourism that has grown pretty much everywhere (including Maui and Kauai). Definitely very much Polynesian. No chain resorts, actually, not really any "resorts" as we would recognize them. There are a few (literally, just a few) high-end accommodations. No condos. Mostly modest little mom-and-pop hotels and inns, some cabanas. A handful of restaurants, none of them fancy (shorts, flipflops, Hawaiian shirts is the vibe, not Michelin-stars). Feral chickens wandering through the airport.

It was hotter there than I had expected. Looking at a map, it's pretty far south (further south = cooler). We left our SCUBA and snorkeling gear at home, as I figured the water would be too cool for comfortable swimming. I brought warm pullovers and hoodies, assuming I would need to keep the chill off. I ALMOST left my swimming trunks at home, but brought them "just in case". Nope, nope and nope, I was wrong about all that. It definitely got hot (and humid) during the afternoons. The weather reminded me of Kauai. Not so hot we needed aircon in our cabana at night, but we definitely needed it in the car during the day; I got sunburned, and wished we had brought the snorkel gear. We went swimming one day, the water was a bit cool initially, but was perfectly swimmable and we didn't want to come out of the water after playing for an hour.

Rapa Nui is NOT a serious beach destination. There is one perfect sandy beach - one. And it's lovely. Not a condo or gleaming hotel in sight, the one nice beach is mostly undeveloped, and will stay that way by choice (there are a couple of low-key restaurants and some people selling souvenirs, some bathrooms, a parking lot, and that's about it). We were told that international hotels keep trying to buy it up and move in but they are rebuffed every time. They are determined to maintain control over the level of tourism and seem to be doing so effectively. In many ways, tourism is pretty laid back and relaxed there. OTOH, you are required to be accompanied by a licensed guide when in the national park, which irks some visitors (this is complicated and deserves some thought).

The island is small - about 63 square miles (roughly the size of Aruba). You'll only need a few days to see the signature sights. With a whole week, you could see pretty much everything and at a quite relaxed pace. We had 4-5 days on the island and it seemed about right (we also spent about 4-5 days on the mainland and enjoyed that very much). It's easy to get there (from Santiago).

Geographically, they are incredibly isolated. Culturally and psychologically, Rapa Nui is tightly connected to Tahiti. Politically (and commercially) they're tied to Chile. It's slightly weird. We loved being there.

I don’t know anything about Rapa Nui. I would be interested to hear more.

I'm currently spooling up a detailed trip report, with photos. I hope to post that sometime in the next week or so, depending on my task load. Stay tuned.

I love the US Southwest and have road-tripped through several times in mid to late November. Utah could be cold and/or snowy, but Arizona has beautiful scenery and history, New Mexico is even better with more diversified sights and larger interesting cities.

In Mexico, there is sprawling Mexico City with its museums, Aztec ruins and other attractions, and the old colonial cities from Oaxaca in the south to Zacatecas in the north, including Puebla, Guanajuato, and San Miguel de Allende. Or alternatively, Yucatán, especially inland Yucatán (Valladolid, Chichen Itza, Merida) away from the over touristed coast, although a few days there is fine if you want some beach time and Cancun is the best arrival airport for that area. These parts of Mexico are as safe for the tourist as traveling anywhere else, an excellent network of first class buses makes it easy to get around, hotels and food are good, prices are reasonable, climate in November is nice.

I second the idea of Costa Rica or Spain, especially Andalusia.

Andalusia is very hot during the summer months but the weather is so much more pleasant in the fall. Plan to visit the jewels of Andalusia: Seville, Cordoba and Granada. Depending on how much time you have, you could add some time in Madrid, a world class city with outstanding art museums. And a night or two in Toledo.

Costa Rica is gorgeous! You have lush rainforests, waterfalls, volcanoes, beautiful beaches and very friendly people. And delicious food.

Thanks for the additional responses. My goal would be to go somewhere new to me. An exception would be Maui, where we have wanted to have a do over for the last 20 years. Mexico is certainly close to us. I have thought for a while about Guanajuato and that general area. When I was a child growing up in Southern California, Guanajuato was our sister city. I went there the summer after 6th grade when I was 11 years old with a group of other kids and a couple of chaperones and stayed with a host family. It was interesting, but also difficult for me. No one in the household spoke any English and I was quite shy. My best friend was on the trip but staying with a different host. I don’t remember much and would be interested is seeing it again. Of course I’m sure it has changed over the years. Mexico City would be too big for my desires.

Costa Rica is a thought. I’ll do some research.

I’ve traveled through the Southwestern part of the U.S. and want to see new places. I have some U.S. and Canada destinations I would like to go to, but not that time of year.

November is a great time for Thailand- it's not the height of the tourist season yet, and the weather is cooler.

David in Seattle, I for one, look forward to that TR on Easter Island (Rapa Nui). It sounds very unique. I might also suggest Molokai ( off Maui). Similar to Rapa Nui, like stepping back in time!

Thanks to all for the advice. After much discussion we decided we will go to New Zealand. Maui would be easy, but as we are not getting any younger we decided to go where the flights and activities will be a bit more challenging as we get older. I’ll start a new thread for planning help when I begin to figure out our itinerary.

Good choice.

Jim, gidday mate.

Regards Ron

Ron, if we can swing it I’m hoping to tack Tasmania on to the trip. I know a rubbish tour guide there. ;-)

Portugal is easy from the Eastern US and the weather is fantastic. Or Victoria BC.

Yes, he will probably be hanging around. Will not be working as a guide. No one in their right mind would want to follow him

A nice time for NZ.

Regards Ron

Ron, no one has ever accused me of being in my right mind. 😆

NZ is an excellent choice. We were on the South Island this November and it was fabulous. The weather was perfect.

Just to update this, I have purchased our airline tickets and we will be flying into Auckland and returning home from Sidney. Our trip will be 5.5 weeks and we will mostly focus on NZ. We will spend approximately a week in Australia at the end, dividing our time between Tasmania and Sydney. I know that’s not much time for Australia but I spent 4 weeks in Australia last Spring and my husband just wants to see a taste of it.