Thanksgiving in a warm climate outside the US

Hmmmm, fly fishing and warm weather ... maybe not ideal. I have suggestions, but you will have to check the weather and decide if it's warm enough for you: Bosnia & Herzegivina and Montenegro.

I would do Montenegro because the coast will be warmer (45F to 60F) and then the mountains where the fishing is (a fairly short drive), maybe 10 degrees cooler.

Or 4 nights in Budapest for the Christmas Msrkets and festivities (30F to 45F), then Wizz Air to Montenegro for a little warmer and fishing for another 4 nights.

When you check the flight prices, you may find Europe is cheaper than South America and the same as Central America.

Look on the globe. You will notice that most of Europe is about on a line with the Canadian border. Hard to find a good warm climate in Europe at that time of years. And the daylight hours are short. I would shift to the Caribbean or someplace like Costa Rica.

I'm thinking we'll delete the fly fishing. He's already gone bone fishing in the Bahamas and will be fishing in either Alaska or Montana this year, so looking at Fes, Rabat and that area of Africa after maybe a few days in Lisbon. Costa Rica is still on the table.

What thoughts does anyone have about that area of Morocco?

I loved Morocco (ages ago) but was there in June. It was hot, and that trip was before climate change really kicked in. I'd recommend taking a look at the most recent five years' worth of November weather in the cities you're considering on timeanddate.com. That website has actual, historical, day-by-day weather statistics going back about ten years.

Fes weather November 2022

Rabat weather November 2022

Use the pull-down box above the graph at the right to change the month/year displayed.

For precipitation data I usually take the lazy way out and look at the climate-summary chart in a city's Wikipedia listing. Contents of the chart vary, but you'll usually find total monthly rainfall and number of rainy days per month. You have to watch the date span on which the averages are based, however; sometimes the time period cuts of at the year 2000!

I'm thinking we'll delete the fly fishing.

The guy never wins!! I was going to lend him my fly rod so he wouldnt have to bring one on the trip (I keep one in Europe)

Come in October instead of November and you girls can go off to Morocco and I will take him fishing with me.

Frank, it blows people's minds when I point out that ROME (fairly southern Europe) is at 42 degrees North and New York City (fairly northern US) is at 41 degrees North.

Marrakesh is at about the same latitude as Austin, Texas. London lines up nicely with Calgary, Canada. But there is a lot more to weather than latitude, but you still cant overcome being so far north.

We love South America.

Peru is amazing, spend a few days in Lima, then to Cusco, the sacred valley and Machu Picchu. November is not the rainy season.
We did a great tour with a company called PeruAgency.

Argentina and Chile are great, more like Europe with lots of scenic places as well as history.

For something a little closer to home, and much cheaper than the other possible destinations mentioned, consider the town of San Miguel de Allende in the highlands of central Mexico. We discovered it back when we lived in the Pacific Northwest when we were looking for an escape from the winter gloom. What began as a 2 week trial morphed into an annual pilgrimage over the course of several years - some of our stays ultimately lasting for several months at a time.

The town itself is a delight - daytime temps in the low 80's and overnight lows in the low 40's with no humidity... and virtually no rain. It's located in the center of the old Spanish Colonial silver mining area with plenty of day trips and excursions to keep you busy for weeks. Cheap too - we found that it cost about the same to eat out most meals as it did to find a self catering place and eat in. The people are friendly and the town is quite safe for foreign visitors. There's a large contingent of American and Canadian expats that live there year round.

Argentina. The weather is great in Buenos Aires in November (I've been there then). Long days (as Nov there is the calendrical equivalent of May for us), jacaranda flowers, and the ambiance and architecture are somewhat reminiscent of Spain or Italy (although the history is of course, not nearly as old). There is another city called Bariloche, in the foothills of the Andes (domestic flight from Buenos Aires) -- I have not been there, but it is a place where I think there may be good fishing, as well as beautiful scenery. Combining those two might suit you all.

Nice amount of great responses!
Acraven, several months ago on someone else's post you commented on timeanddate.com which I have since used frequently--also recommended to my family and friends. We all thank you for that.
Mister E, you would be the envy of my husband--a fly rod kept in Europe? An invitation to fish with you! No, I'm never telling him about you. Your comment and Frank's about latitude is so true--we found out the hard way while in Andalusia in April 2019--might as well have been in NJ. But it still is one of my favorite destinations.
geovagriffith Peru is now a contender as are Chile and Argentina--looks like the fly rod would be going with. I'm adding them to my web and flight searches. I'm wondering about Machu Picchu. I've read that it is a shadow of its former self having been "over visited." What was your experience?
Robert, we had considered Mexico a few months ago but were (naively?) scared off by the past and recent violence toward Americans. It's reassuring that you have been there many times and feel it is safe. San Miguel de Allende is on my search list. I like the idea of low humidity, little rain and cheap prices. Does it also have beautiful tiles? I have planned some trips around tiles, especially Andalusia and Turkey.

Argentina and Chile both have good fly fishing.

Tell him Orvis makes a nice little 6 piece rod that fits in most carry on luggage (4 and 5wt). The action is a bit stiff for me, but I adjusted. That with a cheap pair of hip wadders and the world is his. Served me well in Slovakia, Scotland, England, (tell him I fished the Tyne .... not too impressive but the birth place of fly fishing so had to do it once), Montenegro, Bosnia and Albania. I think Romania this fall. Maybe I should go ahead and book that. I will send him the dates..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0IPNkWk0nA

I'm pulling for you man!

Have you considered South Africa? Such varied terrain and scenery and lots of animals to view.

Mister E, truly impressive. I will show him your post but will block any identifying information so that he can never contact you.

Slate, I've been looking at Buenos Aires and Argentina, in general, as per your comment. Am I just missing good flights? (direct flights that don't leave at 6 a.m., etc.) The same goes for Chile and Morocco. There's more to international travel than Europe, United and American!

Am I just missing good flights? (direct flights that don't leave at 6 a.m., etc.)

Originating from where?

On the trips to Rio or Buenos Aires we were flying out of Miami in the evening. ( pre covid, so perhaps schedules have changed?)

We would be flying out of Newark or Philadelphia, preferably, or LaGuardia, JFK.

Regarding your question about purchasing tiles and other Mexican pottery in and around San Miguel de Allende (SMA): I recall several mercados in the city where you could purchase them - including the well known and highly prized Talavera tiles. A much larger selection can be found in the nearby towns of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, and Queretero - all of which are interesting in their own right and each of which is a relatively short and comfortable day trip from SMA by bus (long distance motor coaches). I think there's a large factory in either Dolores or Guanajuato - I forget which - but I do recall scores of shops selling the things during our own day trips there.
We too were initially hesitant to visit the area because safety and security concerns but found out pretty quickly that our worries were groundless.
Might add that the long distance buses are terrific - a cheap and comfortable way to travel around the region.
Because of our own concerns about safety and security we booked a private car service on our first visit to get us from the airport at Guanajuato to SMA, but I discovered pretty quickly that was massive overkill and instead we always took the bus on subsequent trips ... for about 1/6th the cost of the private driver.

Om going to Ukraine where it's safer: https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-tmus-us-rvc3&source=android-browser&q=tourists+kilked+in+mexico#bsht=Cgdic2h3Y2hwEgQIAzAC&ip=1

One option is Mexico City. I love it and try and try and go every year. If that is an option, I know an outstanding, and not too expensive, guide/translator/escort.

Brilliant kid, I send her architectural production work from time to time as well.

When I read "fly fishing" and "South America" I thought about southern Chile. Not a fisher myself, but I've read about fishing lodges etc. It is also just stunning. However, Thanksgiving break is relatively short and Chile is far away, so I would only consider it for a 2-week trip starting from the US.

The responses have given me much to explore. Thank you!

I'm looking at flights from Newark/Newark area from the usual carriers: United, American, Delta which are not as user friendly as are those to Europe. Am I missing carriers that are much easier in terms of direct flights, flight times, etc.? I've looked at flights for all your suggestions.
I need to get my husband's ideas/perspectives, but currently, he's away---fishing. . .
Once, again thank you. I'm realizing how much I've narrowed my experiences by just traveling to Europe.

I do my transatlantic flight research on https://www.google.com/travel/flights (Google Flights) rather than trying to guess which airlines might be useful on any particular trip. I'd do the same if I were traveling south or across the Pacific. Every now and then you hear about an airline that doesn't make its flight schedules available through platforms like Google Flights; I think that has been true in the past for Icelandair, Condor and Norwegian, but the major foreign flag carriers will be there.

One destination that I highly recommend is Japan. In November, the rain season will be over and it's going to be cool (not cold). Fall foliage in Japan is a scene that we in the western US only dream of.

I just returned from this beautiful country in March (cherry blossom season) and did not want to return home.

Having had a college roommate who studied art in San Miguel de Allende in the mid 20th century and having visited there as well as other cities and states in central Mexico in the early 1970's and having American friends who currently live in Puerto Vallarta as well as Canadian ones who live in San Carlos, Sonora, I was a bit shaken by the link posted above.

This detailed article specifically about San Miguel de Allende describes how different it is from the rest of the state of Guanajuato and why, pulling no punches in the process:
https://mexicodailypost.com/2022/05/03/san-miguel-de-allende-the-world-tourist-jewel-in-the-state-with-the-most-murders-in-mexico/?amp

Argentina and Chile came up. Along with the fact that NYC and Rome are on about the same latitude is an understanding that NYC to Paris is about 3000 miles and NYC to Buenos Aries is about 5000 miles. Translated to flight time can be a lot longer.

Here is a good one. Sharm El Sheikh on the Red Sea. Temps from 65F to 75F with possibility of 5F warmer. One stop flights out of JFK 13 (14 to 17 hours depending on the flight) for $1100 to $1300 over the turkey day holiday. https://youtu.be/L7LLqeuJZ_w

Thanks everyone. There are more areas to explore than I had originally thought. I'll report back after we've had discussions about where we'll end up on Thanksgiving.

@Barkinpark-would love to hear/read about your recent trip to Japan. It’s at the top of our travel list.

Currently, we are having a strong look at Buenos Aires and then on to the Tierra del Fuego area. BA would be for touring and TdF would be as well, but my husband would also be fly fishing.

There are actually some decent direct flights out of JFK on Delta to BA. From BA to TdF is a bit fuzzier. I'm assuming we'd fly but will check into travel by train, knowing nothing about this area of the world.
My son and I might return earlier letting my husband have a few days on his own to commune with the fish.
Anyone have any experiences with fishing lodges/guides in Patagonia?

Any thoughts/suggestions/experiences about Argentina would be very welcome.

From Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego (Ushuaia), you have to fly. It is a 3.5-hour flight! I never made it that far south, alas (El Calafate is the southernmost point I reached).

Thanks, Balso. That's what I'd thought. I'm awaiting my Fodor's Essential Argentina: with the Wine Country, Uruguay & Chilean Patagonia which should arrive tomorrow. Fodor's has always been helpful. I'm hoping it has pertinent information about how to get from Point A to Point B.

Consider taking a cruise around the Horn of South America from BA to Chile. Although that is best done in December or January.

@diveloonie aka Tammy--I am thinking of writing a trip report about my life-changing Japan trip. Thanks for the interest!

I've added an addendum to my original post. Thanks everyone!