Happy New Year! What travel will 2016 bring you?

Cheers to you Lola! Where are you going to travel this year along with your UK visit?

I'm having a difficult time narrowing down what I want to do. I may do a Road Trip back East in April to deliver some family heirloom-ish china to a cousin's child then do a swing thru NC and VA documenting some genealogy stuff. I'm also looking at the Rick Steves Belgium and Holland, Southern England and GAS tours. Want to work probably 2 of them in to a trip with some extra time in Paris and London. I'll do at least one and possibly 2 trips to Yellowstone which is my favorite comfort destination.

Hi Pam---we are doing road trips---Arizona in February and California in March, each with a mix of staying with friends, camping, and dog-friendly hotels (we travel with our Labrador). The Arizona trip will take us through Idaho and Utah on the way. My son lives in Boise and we will stop there.

I hope the March trip will be good timing for amazing wildflowers in Death Valley---this looks like it could be a good year.

The UK trip is 5 weeks, late April to June 1. Then Alaska in mid-June, after our friends the Brits leave. For the rest of the summer we stay close to home and enjoy the beautiful PNW until September, when we head down to the Sierras for various reunions and events.
Retirement has worked out pretty well, so far. . .

When is your favorite time for Yellowstone? We haven't been yet. . . Thinking of a winter visit, but not in 2016. We love Glacier but haven't been since 2011.

RS Scotland. I can't wait!

Hi Lola: I just got back from Christmas is Paris. I have a trip planned to Arizona in January and a trip to Switzerland in May. If I did not have to work there would be several more planned :-)

Well, if you are anywhere Moscow ID/Pullman WA the 3rd Sat of any month (except Dec) come to our Rick Steves meet-up in Moscow!

Yellowstone is best 2nd or 3rd week of June to about 3rd week of Sept, about the same time as Glacier is good, lol. You can push the visit a few weeks either way if you are comfortable with the possibility of driving in wintry weather. This year looks to be good for winter visits. Last year was the pits...no snow.

Ummm, Scotland! That's on the list too, lol!

Lola,
I am booked on the RS Best of Italy in 17 days tour in Oct, my first time in Italy! Can't wait. This will be my 3rd RS tour so I know it will be amazing.

Just returned from dinner with friends and waiting for the official NYC ball drop to ring in 2016.

Happy travels,
Judy B

I'm doing a semi-solo trip to Italy next summer. Some close friends decided we should do a women-only "villa in Italy" trip, now that our kids are all grown. But they only wanted to go for a week or ten days. I couldn't bear to part with airfare for just a week. So I booked myself into two language-immersion weeks, padded the trip with 3-night stays in a few small towns that I've been drooling over, and all of a sudden I have a plan to abandon my family and my job for a full month! My husband insists he doesn't mind being left home this time, so I'm shutting out the guilt and am deep into the planning fun. That includes spending way too much time back on this website!

Cruising 'round the Horn at the end of January, probably a May family graduation in southern California combined with some kind of Southwest road trip, spending the summer with Lola et al. here in PNW, and hopefully England in September. Putting off planning that one till we get back from South America.

I hope all your 2016 travels will be happy, fun, and safe.

Happy New Year all! We are just back from our usual pub. They ring in British New Year at 7pm which suits us - home in time to watch the ball drop.

This year we are booked on a Transatlantic cruise - Florida to Barcelona, with stops in Ponta Delgada, Lisbon, Cadiz, Malaga, Alicante. From there we hope to do about ten nights more - increasingly looking to be more of Spain (must commit soon).

Also we are hoping for a short road trip to the east coast of USA. We follow Liverpool FC and have done the last two US tours. Unfortunately this year they may do LA and the west and we simply cannot fly again after our big trip.

We are excited to be going to Italy and London in September and October. We are also taking a long weekend in May to see the Grand Canyon for the first time. We got invited on a sailing trip to the Florida Keys in April, so if we can make it work we will do that too. Hopefully it will be a great year! Happy new year everyone!

I've been bouncing a few ideas around for my 2016 travels, but nothing definite yet. I had thought of taking either the RS Scotland or Portugal tours along with some time on my own. However with the current status of the Canadian dollar that's not looking hopeful as the currency exchange alone would be about $1100! The tour may have to wait for a few years until the situation improves.

One possibility is a visit to Scotland or Portugal on my own and then some time in Italy (I always get to Italy, regardless of where else I'm travelling).

The Norway in April trip got squelched, because my husband couldn't get the time off from work - drat. But in June & July, it's France, starting in Lyon for a decent length of time. From there, the Alsace-or-Brittany decision was made in favor of Brittany, so it's cidre and gallettes for 3 weeks!

May 2016 be a good year for everyone, traveling and at home!!

I'm seriously considering signing up for the RS 11-day Spain My Way tour in October 2016 and adding on return visits of a few days each in London and my most favorite travel destination, Paris, at the end of the RS tour.

I've never been to Spain before, so this RS tour is particularly appealing to me.

Seriously thinking about walking the Camino again in Sept., but beginning in St. Jean Pied de Port, which would have me walking over the Pyrenees. My Camino this year was cut short due to some odd medical issues, so there is a drive to walk it again and walk the whole 800 some km instead of just 400 km. Skipped too much of it taking buses, taxis and trains. Looking for a friend to walk with me this time.

May get to California this year too. The Panera Bread meet-up is pulling me into its' clutches.

Hope to meet more forum members as they travel through Frankfurt. James? Nigel? Terry Kathryn? Those Sacramento people? anyone else?

Happy New Year.

I would so love to return to Europe this year, but our poor Canadian dollar will have us sticking closer to home (Ken, I totally feel your pain!). I have two things in mind and have to get hubby to decide. We will either drive to Toronto thru upstate NY or (my choice) drive to Boston, fly Boston-Chicago-Toronto-Boston then drive home (after visiting our friends in Maine). Haven't been to Chicago and would love to see it. Hopefully in May. I'll plan for Europe in 2017, I guess...

Edited Jan 14 to add - well, our dollar is now worth under .70...looks like we are going to skip the Chicago thing and just spend a few days in the US driving to Toronto!

Happy New Year everyone! My travel plans for 2016 include Sicily in March and Southern England in September. Those are in place but who knows what other opportunities may come along? Northern CA to see my only family not living here in CO and I'd love to visit NYC to see the 9/11 Memorial. Maybe visit Boston while back East? And a lot of local mountain time this summer. I love the flexibility of retirement!

I'm currently debating between northern Italy and northern England in the fall. Leaning towards Italy. Happy New Year to all!

Going to Italy in February for Carnavale
So Jo .... Not Germany this trip, but might meet you in California when you come here:)
Or you can meet me in Venice complete with your costume and mask:)
Will have to mull over meeting you for part of your walk in Spain!

Probably Guatemala in March & April for Easter

Happy New Year to you all too! We are getting ready to watch the Rose Bowl Parade here (on television this chilly year).

For 2016 we have a 5 week European trip planned mostly for the Bodensee area but with a few days in Toulouse for a wedding and a week somewhere else. Finding that week's other location and mulling over transportation options keeps us dreaming about travel.

We have begun hosting short term academic conference participants and that has been fun. Another way to travel vicariously... The first guest was from Germany via Harvard and the second guest will be from Moscow.

Happy New Year🎉! I love reading about everyone's travel plans for 2016! It will be an adventurous year! We will travel to France in May with my brother and sister in law. We plan a 4-5 week trip. Our itinerary includes Rouen, Bayeux including the D Day beaches, Loire Valley, 10 days in Paris, Beaune, and then a week in Provence. We are so excited! We also plan travels at home. We will travel to Toronto in February, RV in Montana this summer, then hopefully another short trip in late fall. Retirement is the best! Happy travels!

Italy all summer. Will work for travel.

One of our daughters decided we need to do a girls' trip so we will go with her MIL in February for the RS Best of Sicily! (I can't believe I get to do another RS tour in less than a year after our fantastic Greece tour.) Then in May my husband and I are taking one of our sons (his first trip was when he was 13) and his girl friend (who has never been) on a whirlwind trip through Italy and France. That only adds up to 30 nights in Europe so I'm trying to figure out how to extend it!
Happy New Year to all of you!

Lots of great trips coming up!

Thank you to the Canadians for reminding me about the dollar---we may head up to BC for a camping trip to take advantage. But I am sorry it causes more travel expense for you.

Nelly----can you tell me about the language immersion program in Italy? My husband would love something like that.

Happy New Year! I love all the travel plans and such a variety of destinations.

My husband and I will start 2016 off right with a road trip to my home state of Texas. We'll be celebrating my 70th birthday and visiting family and friends in San Antonio, Galveston and the Hill Country.

He's begging off the European trip this year in favor of racing in the Seattle area. So my 6-week trip to England and Scotland will be solo. I'm having lots of fun organizing and planning for that.

As is usual, we'll drive to and from Tucson to WA, hauling the race trailer with our big pickup and seeing friends and family along the way. He'll do a short-term rental and stay there for 5-6 months.

I, the adult in this 28-year relationship, will fly back and forth between Tucson and Seattle for short visits while he is there. Someone has to make sure the woodpeckers and bats don't totally destroy the house.

This summer pattern has become so common for us that the Sonora Desert -- Puget Sound back and forth seems like a normal way to live, and not really travel. In some ways I'd love for the overseas travel to be so frequent that it is a lifestyle. In others I'm glad that there are limits of time, money and health that make each trip very special.

340 days until flight leaves for Barcelona on May 14. 3 nights there, than southern France for 9 nights, then finish our trip with 3 nights in Paris. Can't wait. Right now there are no other big trips planned, but just booked a long weekend in Carmel for next weekend. After all, have to give the dogs their vacation too!

There is a trip being planned for going to Europe, the second half of May/early June, aiming for 21 days, solo, focusing on Berlin and Vienna with a definite day trip to Brno, a historical place I should have seen earlier. I've not booked yet, still checking, but it'll be from SFO to FRA, round trip and direct. This time some places are definitely on the "to see " list as day trips from Berlin. Other places are still undecided on. In Nov. a projected trip for about a week to Wash DC. I'll have to decide on that by July/early August.

It's January 2, but I hope not too late to chime in... I'm looking forward to a weeklong walking trip in Newfoundland and Labrador, to explore the geology and some of the historical sights, followed by 3 days in St. John's. That trip is organized by my college alumni association, and my sister and BIL are going as well. In September, my husband and I will spend two weeks in Germany visiting his ancestral villages around Heilbronn, Saarbruecken, Mainz, and other parts of Alsace and the Rhineland; I'm planning this trip and later this month will definitely post our draft itinerary for comments and advice.

Also doing a bit of domestic travel - a trip to Minneapolis with my 88yo mother for my niece's graduation, but we'll sneak over to Moorhead for a few days to see the Viking longship and other exhibits at the historical society. In October, my sisters and I are planning a sistertrip getaway; location still TBD but we may go back to Minneapolis. And there's the annual family beach week, which hardly seems like traveling any more since it's so familiar. But that's fun too.

Thanks for posting this great topic! I enjoyed reading the responses, and now that I'm retired I can start making notes on more places to add to my travel wishlist. Best wishes to all for a safe, happy, and healthy 2016 full of great travel and great memories!

In April we're doing Paris, Barcelona, Venice and Amalfi coast, which will be awesome. But in September, we're branching out and doing China, which I am extremely excited about!!!!

Wow, everybody has some really great plans laid out for 2016!!

We don't have any plans as such, but my parents' 50th wedding anniversary is in June, and my brother and his wife and I have been discussing with them what to do. They're not the type (and they've concurred) for a party in our small Oklahoma hometown down in the church fellowship hall, and my brother and sister-in-law suggested two places that have meaning for them and our family and are fun destinations: San Francisco and Scotland. San Francisco, where they went on their honeymoon in 1966 and then revisited several times in the early 2000s when my brother and sister-in-law lived there (and easier for everyone except us Paris residents to get to), and Scotland, where we lived for a little more than a year when I was a child (my dad is a petroleum engineer and was working on a project in the Orkneys).

I have a feeling my parents are going to go for San Francisco. They are getting older and the really long travel (sorry Australian friends!) may be just too much for them. That's fine, I'd love to spend some more time in San Francisco with them too (including my adorable 7- and 10-year-old nieces and my husband).

Otherwise, probably headed to Turin in late January for my husband's birthday to see friends and family since we're not able to travel at Christmas/New Year's because of his job.

I wish more opportunities would come up, but our finances don't really allow for them. Oh well, will just have to enjoy Paris. haha

We are presently in Hawaii celebrating our 25th anniversary. Later this month we'll return to our RV, which is in Orlando, for a few months. Spring will have us on the road again. As plans in RVs are necessarily fluid, the present plan is to go back out west and spend more time exploring the Colorado Plateau and the national parks there, arriving in Grand Teton National Park in early June. Then we'll head for the Denver area, where we'll spend the summer planning a lengthy trip to Europe in 2017. The library system there is great, so we won't have to buy as many books for research purposes. Then we'll go back to Florida for the winter.

Pam, if you're in Yellowstone the first two weeks of June, we can offer you some home cooked vegan food.

Donna&Denis, laughing, I might come knocking on the door of your RV!! It will be better than more food out of my cooler! Thanks for the offer!

Lola: What a great topic. I'm feeling warm and fuzzy reading about everyone's great travel year coming up. We're booked for Villages of South England in May, and will extend our trip a few days to soak up a bit more of London. We'll hope to take a camping trip in the US sometime, probably in August. We got into the habit of travelling in August as grad students; it was the only time we could get away. And camping was the only way we could afford to travel!

All the talk of Yellowstone makes me nostalgic; one of the first camping trips we took (1970??? 1969??? Surely not!) was to Yellowstone. I was gobsmacked. And although we've been back several times, I don't think we've been there in about 15 years! It's time to go back. We camp with a tent and sleeping bags still. As long a we can get up off the ground in the morning...

The Southwest is another favorite area. Any place in New Mexico is a treat. Arizona maybe - my sister lives there, and we haven't seen her in a few years.

Thanks for the topic, and Happy New Year and Happy Travels to all!

I'm so envious of all you posters who get to go to Europe once and even twice a year! I can only afford to go every other year.

For my 35th birthday, which I'm a little freaked out about, my sister and I are planning a trip to Puerto Rico in April. We've never been and I've wanted to go for years now.

We are looking forward to our first trip to Spain in March. We will be in Seville during Semana Santa!

I am heading to Paris for a week in May, then on to Budapest for another week. Budapest will be my first return to a city, but I became so completely enraptured by it in August of 2014 that it merits a return, this time with a trip to the town my grandparents came from, so I'm quite excited about that.

We are spreading our wings for New Zealand next month where we will travel around for one month. Then in April and May it will be Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia and maybe Romania and in Sept/Oct. Italy, Austria, Czech Republic. In the meantime some trip in the western US or Canada (hopefully). On my trips I always meet with some old friends and sometimes even new ones.

Loved reading everyones plans !!

and yes.. belated Happy New Year.

Leaving mid May for 4 weeks , London, Mykonos/Naxos, Cala D'Or Mallorca, Dublin, Paris , Amsterdam. Looks like a lot. hopefully not too hectic. London and Amsterdam only get 3 nights each( we have been to both multiple times and are just flying in and out of them because of airfare deal)

Fun part is hubby and I are meeting my 19 yr old and her friend in Spain( they will have been travelling Europe for almost 2 months before on their own) .. and sharing trip with them still paris. We are bringing stepdaughter, whos bf is meeting us for 2 weeks.. and my dd bf will also meet us for 2 weeks.. and we have a friend meeting us for one week in Greece.. so at some points there will be only 3 of us.. but in other parts there will be 8 of us.. ( rented a cool Georgian townhouse in Dublin,, three floors, grand piano etc)

We are happy our kids like us enough to meet us and travel with us.. lol

I'm doing a solo trip to Paris in late April---can't wait -- and will probably do another trip later this year.

I've enjoyed reading everyone's responses and tucking away ideas for future travels.

After ridiculously long flights to Africa last year and Europe the year before, hubby and I vowed to stay on the ground this summer. We've planned our own multi sport adventure through the Rockies to Vancouver Island and some of the gulf islands we haven't explored yet. Three weeks of hiking, kayaking, tandem cycling, and white-water rafting fuelled by yummy Westcoast cuisine and fancy coffees!

Well, I was in a little slump in Oct-Nov after coming back from wonderful Spain and Portugal. Really thought I would be stuck without going anywhere in 2016. But, I said to myself and close friends that I wanted a sunny destination. Here are my plans for 2016 and early 2017: Hawaii to visit friends and family (Oahu and Big Island) early February; Whistler, Canada on a firm sponsored get-a-way in late February; camping on the coast of Oregon, near Manzanita in July. I will probably also enjoy extended weekend trips around the Northwest.

For 2017, I want to introduce my artful granddaughter to Europe. Plan on Paris for a week by way of Iceland. I learned a little bit today at the Iceland talk at the Rick Steve's Travel Center in Edmonds. Iceland looks like a beautiful place.

It has been great reading all of the travel ideas on this forum topic. Thanks Lola for starting the conversation.

Happy travels to all in 2016, wherever you go.

Linda

I'm spending 3 weeks in Italy in May, including the Village Italy tour from May 9 - 22. Is anyone else going on that tour? I'm excited that it looks like Darcy from Idaho and her family will be in Venice at the same time I'll be there. We will definitely meet up! After the tour I'm flying to Prague to meet up with my hubby. After two weeks in the CR and Austria we will head to northern Germany to visit family I have there. He has only a few days there until he has to leave to return to work. I'll stay an additional week.

Ms. Jo, I hope you make it here. Please don't come in May. I'll be in Italy. I will be changing planes in Frankfurt on 6/14, but I only have a 2:50 layover. My friend who is going to Italy with me is flying home on 5/22 after our tour. She has a 5 hour layover in Frankfurt, but I doubt she will leave the airport.

Happy and safe travels to everyone this year!

My Way France June 28 through July 10. We're going early and spending time in Normandy before the tour starts. Very excited to see more of France!

Paris and Colmar, May 2016. Counting the days down.

Hey Lola, Happy New Year to you. Seattle is so cool.

Wife and I are seniors trying to make up for lost (i.e., non-traveling) time. We are scheduled for a conference in Athens in mid-May so that our college will pay the airfare :-); then Vienna, Cesky Krumlov (1 night there, 3-4 everywhere else), Prague, Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen. Reading up on the Vikings. What an immense privilege it is to be able to travel.

best, Joel

That sounds like a great trip, Joel. Make sure you visit the Viking ships museum at Roskilde (30- minute train ride from Copenhagen) and the 3 museums devoted to ancient and modern Norwegian seafaring explorers ( aka Vikings) near Oslo--- they are all right together.

Last time I was at the Roskilde museum they had a replica Viking ship you could row in with others. Look into reservations if you are interested.

I am afraid I have neglected this thread for awhile and cannot respond to everyone individually---but I will wish Ilja a great time in New Zealand ( we were there a year ago and loved it). And Kim, if the anniversary celebration ends up in SF, you will love it. It may not be Scotland ( or Paris!) but it is a beautiful place with much to offer. You might gift the lovebirds a couple of nights at the Inn at Cavallo Point for a special treat.

http://www.cavallopoint.com/

My husband and I are spreading our wings as well this year. We just booked a trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar in August.

Lola, thanks for the tips, we will definitely follow up.

Everything is in the planning stages and subject to change, but we are currently talking about going to Alaska this summer and possibly spending some time in Seattle along the way. Keeping with the west coast theme, we're also thinking about Oregon and northern California (Crater Lake, Redwood, Lassen, etc). As always, we have too little time for all of our plans. Hopefully, we'll be back to international travel in 2017.