Barely over jet lag - already thinking about next trip!!

I usually have my next trip planned before I even leave on my current one! I'm obsessed! And I plan a lot of little weekend getaways to help me pass the time between our oversees trip, which helps. I don't know where you went on your previous tours, but if you haven't been to Ireland and Scotland yet, I would recommend considering those, as they are much different than what you did on your prior trip. But I'll admit that I'm biased, because I have a natural love of the British Isles. You could always still include Normandy and Paris into that kind of trip, or even fly to Rome after exploring the north if you wanted. I'm sure wherever you pick, you'll have a wonderful time!

I hear you. I had 2016's trip booked before I knew if I could even do something this year, which we did (recently back from two weeks in Ireland).

Of your list, France outside Paris or Scotland would get my vote, but I haven't been to all the areas you mention so its a biased vote.

We did three weeks in the south of France bypassing Paris entirely. Arrived in Lyon and went home from Toulouse. Barely scratched the surface.

Been to Scotland twice. Like (as in don't love) Edinburgh but adore the islands, particularly Orkney. Consider including it. We flew to Kirkwall from Edinburgh and then Kirkwall to Aberdeen. It wasn't expensive but if I did it again I'd just drive and take the ferry.

I'm having difficulty placing my Ireland trip in the hierarchy - everyone asks what was better, England,Scotland, Wales or Ireland. They are all very different from each other but I definitely prefer Dublin to both Edinburgh and Glasgow.

If you've got the opportunity, spend indeed some good time in Scotland, combining it with northern England. Scotland is so intensily beautiful, especially on the western, Atlantic side, and inland. In comparison the eastern coast is dull. Edinburgh is a most elegant beautiful city, and Glasgow still shows its nineteenth-century commercial grandeur.
Northern England also won't disappoint you. Cities like York speak for itself, but I also have good memories of less self-evident places like Bradford. It is also an region to explore industrial heritage sites. Maybe not the first thing on the list of overseas visitors, but it's part of the history of the place and, if not having its own beauty, at least interesting.
And the people in this part of the British Isles are fantastic. The opposite of arrogant and blessed with a good dose of humor.

We're no better. We hadn't been home last month but 3 days from a Baltic cruise, and my wife spotted an unusually great deal on a cruise from Italy through the Grecian islands to Turkey and back to Venice. Here we go again.
That'll be our 3rd trip to Europe in 2 years with a winter side trip to Vegas/Hawaii/San Francisco and two 1 week Caribbean cruises.
I've got to stop this perpetual travel.

A month, wow! I wish I could travel for a month, I feel guilty when away for 20-22 days. We, husband and I have two dogs. They are kenneled while we are traveling. They are well taken care of and look perfectly happy (pictures posted). However, I admit, it is me that has separation anxiety. We have been to many of the listed places and admit I love the Cotswolds. We have an England trip planned for 2016. We have a 3 day self guided walk in Cotswolds planned. It will start in Cheltenham and end in Moreton-in-Marsh. Two years ago, we stayed in Blockley for a week. We rented a car and drove to different villages and did circular walks. You might want to consider doing this, it is a fantastic way to see the countryside.

OK, what do you people do??!!!!!!! I want your life! I am a retired teacher, my husband still works and there is no way we could travel this much. I'd LOVE to and I understand you set your priorities but I do like to eat!!! I guess I will just have to save my pennies. I feel like I'm stalking this web site. I'm on it at least 3 times a day reading other peoples ideas. I AM NOT ALONE with my wunderlust!!

My suggestion for a month long trip would be England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. While a large area, it is still reasonably compact and that will cut down travel time between places. The RS guide books lay out itineraries for these place for various lengths of time. Take a look at those and see what you think.

»...my wunderlust«
A mistake? A pun? »Wunderlust« could mean something like: longing for miracles. But it comes close to what »wanderlust« is about!

»My suggestion [...] would be England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.«
It can be my perspective as someone living in Europe, but I wouldn't advise to add a whole list of destinations which each in themselves are worth the available time. What's wrong with quietly enjoying an environment instead of what I would experience as running around from one highlight to another? I've once spent a whole four weeks in Scotland alone, starting somewhere in Northern England, and I can't remember it was boring.

Yep! I'm longing for the miracle of taking a 3 WEEK TRIP every YEAR!!

Correction to previous post. I meant to say "...England, Scotland, Wales, OR Ireland, and Northern Ireland. Spent 3 weeks in England, Scotland and Wales and really did not have as much time as wanted. Spent 15 days in Ireland and Northern Ireland and, again, really did not have as much time as wanted. Sorry for the typo that might lead one on a marathon rather than an enjoyable journey.

»... a marathon rather an enjoyable journey«
That was my worry. I've seen enough itineraries which looked like an endurance test.

I know what you mean Sue...... This past July we were based in Amsterdam for 9 days and still didn't see all we wanted to, but did get to Haarlem, Delft, and Edam. It was fabulous. We then took a 12 night cruise around the British Isles. I am now planning to go back to Ireland and Scotland in the spring. We (me) are obsessed with returning. Also planning a summer trip to Poland, another place I am obsessed with seeing. Luckily my husband lets me decide where we are going, he hasn't been disappointed yet! Let us know what you decide. Barbara

Chriss,
My response to "how do I do this"?
I am single, and retired early (at 57) after 30 years as a RN. I have a pension and retirement savings and work part time because I want to. I have no dependents. My early retirement allowed me to pay off a mortgage and have about 300% equity in my home. I live very simply. Seldom go out for dinner but do treat myself to local theater on occasion. I get my books from the library, don't have cable TV (can't get it anyway), and have a emergency, disposable pay as you go cell phone (can't get cell service here either) , and brown-bag my lunch. I use part of my retirement savings to finance my trips. Some people may say this is a bad idea, but I figure why not use the $$ to do things I want to do when I can enjoy doing them? My social security has not been touched. I am not going to be foolish enough to wipe out these accounts but for now, I am comfortable using them to finance my trips.
It's all about choices. And luck. I am lucky.

How do I choose my next destination? Sometimes it's just by reading this forum (somewhat obsessively, I admit). That's how Krakow got on my list. Sometimes it's by hearing about my friends' trips. Portugal was never on my radar, but since several friends have raved about it, it's on my list.

Once I focus on a place, the rest of the trip grows around it. I learned about Semana Santa here on the forum, so I started with a 3-4 day stay in Seville. Within hours I had a rough plan for 2 weeks in Spain which is now 3 weeks and could easily have expanded to 4 if I'd wanted. I find that 3 weeks is about the optimum length of a trip for me personally.

If you are willing to drive "in reverse" a month split between Ireland and England would be great, with or without Scotland and Wales. Loved Devon and Cornwall (on a tour - wouldn't dare drive it myself). I was lucky to have excellent (for Ireland) weather for a 1.5 week guided tour in this beautiful country. I had so much fun in Dublin I know I'll return. For me, one of the great pleasures of Ireland was conversations with the locals, everywhere. Chats in shops, long conversations in pubs . . . people were friendly and outgoing everywhere and sharing a language makes a huge difference.

With just Würzburg, Rothenburg, and Munich, you've barely touched Germany, the largest country, population wise, in Europe.

How about starting in Berlin, then going to the Harz area (Quedlinburg, Wernigerode, Brocken), then Köln, then to the Rhein-Mosel area, then through the Black Forest to Bodensee.

Lee - thanks for the suggestion. Just this morning we were talking about Germany and all the places yet to see there. We will definitely get our Rick Steves' book out and start looking.

Chriss...
My husband and I are also teachers so we have extended times during the summer to travel which we feel very fortunate to have!
We are not wealthy by any means but we have found a way to travel that is very cost effective and comfortable.
Have you heard of home exchange? We have done 11 exchanges over the years and are completely hooked! We have another one coming up in December to one of our favorite ski destinations. 8 days right after Christmas! We could never afford to rent a place during that time period so swapping houses makes it possible!
We use the website HomeExchange.com and have had nothing but excellent experiences with our family. We trade houses and cars with our exchange partners which really controls our expenses. After airfare it's about the same as staying at home except for the touristy things that are part of being there. Some countries are cheaper than others, of course, but we always are surprised at how little we really end up spending from what we have budgeted.
PM me if you want more info!

We have been home exactly one week and I'm obsessed trying to decide what trip to take next year! In fact, I'm driving my husband crazy! We just returned from 5 weeks in England and Scotland. What an amazing trip! Scotland is so beautiful! We drove the highlands for 3 weeks. Driving the one track roads was an absolute blast! We like to spend 2, 3, or more days at each location so that we can soak it all in. My vote is for Scotland. Now... Where should we go next year???

In 2004 I had the good fortune (or made the foolish error) of travelling with my parents for 6 weeks in the UK. I learnt my lesson because the next trip I only spent 6 days with them in Paris. However I would think that an in depth trip through the UK would appeal to you, perhaps book ended with some time in Amsterdam and Rome.
We started in Edinburgh, hiring a car and spending 10 days in Scotland.
South into England for a few days in the Lake District.
Then we hired 'cottages' for a week each in Chester, Cotswolds, Cornwall.
Driving is easy, at least for us Australians.
There are no language difficulties, except perhaps in parts of Scotland!

Cbrochu30 and Anita
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about how to travel! Anita, I had thought about the house exchange but my better half is not for it! We live out in the woods and I'm not sure PA. is as much of an attraction as CA. is!! You never know!

Cbrochu30. Once you know where your priorities are I guess you can make trips happen. What I am amazed at is that I am NOT the only one who feels like this when you get home!! How wonderful!!

I have some emergency $$ tucked away for just that but ,as I get older, a trip with my husband looks much better than a new roof or paving our mile lane!!

This might be a sickness but I'm glad I'm not the only one infected!!!! =]

I have the agenda for my 2016 finalized and have a rough plan for 2017. Starting to think about 2018.

Joel, me too!

Chriss, I work fulltime but have summers off, my car is 11 years old, I am very budget-conscious when I travel and when I am working. I travel solo almost all the time, which turns out to be less expensive in the long run and preserves my mental health.

Zoe & Joel - we're with you. Our car is 15 yrs old, we live a modest life, and are true budget travelers. Our issue is age as we're in our early 70s so we started trying to make 2 or more trips each year. We're trying to do the trips that will take the most energy or coordination (a trip to Ireland and driving on the other side of the road) while we still have all of our capabilities. We know we're slowing down but it just doesn't feel like it. Planning for future trips is exciting, mind enhancing, and keeps us young!

Traveling solo certainly has advantages, one of which is the budget, if that is of paramount consideration. That is more easily controlled since it's your own individual responsibility and your call. If you are low maintenance, don't have expectations of luxury, don't require amenities in a hotel, Pension, B&B, such as an elevator, (that's non-existent in a B&B in London), A/C, 24 hr registration, etc, etc, you can reduce your expenses. If you're paying more than 50 Euro for a single in Germany, that's way too much. Going there in the summer, if you're relatively immune to heat waves without resorting to AC, has its financial advantages in that particular consideration in Austria and Germany since if a hotel charges different rates, instead of one consistent throughout the year, that hotel's cheapest rate will be at peak season, ie at the height of summer July and August. Until recent years I traveled always in the summer, which you get used to, some time from mid-June to ca. the end of August, most of it solo. Now, it's early summer between mid-May to ca. early June.

One more thing....it "preserves your mental health."....Bravo ! Well put!

I think we decided after our trip to Scotland a year ago, that we'd skip 2015 for Europe and instead take a Ski Vacation and trip to NYC and DC. But we also decided that there would be a trip in 2016, and the question was where. By Christmas last year, I'd already purchased RS Spain and France to some up with ideas on our trip. By April, we had a rough ideas of where we wanted to go, and knew that our flights using miles would be the determining factor. So in June we book flights to Barcelona for mid May 2016, and two week later book our return flights out of Paris. Since I've been planning everything in between.

Still 7 months away, trying to learn a bit of French but can't wait for our week in Provence.

We are always at least a year a head with vacation ideas. Granted the destinations may change quite a bit, but we think, dream, research, and then land on something to look forward to.

When I got back from my Italy and Paris trip October 2014, I was already planning my return to Paris for May 2016. Was able to squeeze in a Germany, Austria and Czech Republic May this year. After Paris next spring looking at Venice/Switzerland, England, England/Ireland/Scotland, or Provence. Destination will be determined on timeframe I can take, 8 or 14 days. Have broken down each location by area to stay in, sites to see, & modes of transportation.