Suggestions For November Travel

The first thing I thought of is Madeira or the Azores. I've only been to either in the November to January period on Transatlantic and to China sea passages (three return passages and 2 one way trips, I think) . I may be wrong but I'm not aware that there is anything much on either destination which is seasonal, and I've always found the weather very pleasant indeed, just right in terms of temperature. Coming home at that time of year it's the last taste of warmth before winter back home, and outbound the first taste of some warmth.
Irrespective of if there are possible seasonal closures there is plenty to do.
Rather than being just long single days in port I could easily go back to either for a longer stay (and my birthday is November as well).

The Azores I think you can fly into from NY and Boston I believe (neither daily AFAIK) .

Andalucía, Spain!

I spent the first 3 weeks of November in Japan and the weather was terrific. Temperatures were in the 60s in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Kanazawa. The mountain regions were colder. From the west coast, the flight wouldn’t be any longer than a flight to Europe. I took the Classic Japan tour offered by Inside Japan (Tokyo, Hakone, Osaka, Kyoto, Takayama, Hirayuku Onsen) and spent an additional week on my own visiting Kanazawa and adding additional time in Tokyo.

Agree with Christine. We had an absolutely fantastic time in Andalusia--Sevilla, Granada and Cordoba. Also did some of the pueblos blancos.

You have some great suggestions already, southern Spain or Japan.
I have been to both and love them.

Japan Is my favorite East Asian country, it is very safe, clean and the people are friendly and helpful.
It is not as expensive as you might think. We did 8 days in Japan prior to taking a cruise from Tokyo Bay to Hong Kong. It visited five ports in Japan, one in China and two in Taiwan, ending in Hong Kong.
You might not be interested in a cruise, that's fine, take the trains in Japan, they are fast and clean and great.
Consider a tour, we use Gate 1 Travel and love them. Consider at least the 9 or 12 day tour. If you don't want to do a group tour for the country, I recommend taking day tours from a local tour company. TripAdvisor.com can assist. We took a 3 day tour from Tokyo to Kyoto and Nara and it was great. Do not miss Kyoto, you need at least 2-3 days there.
https://www.gate1travel.com/asia-pacific/china-japan

Spain is nice Seville is special, also Cordoba, Granada and other places in the south. You might wish to do Madrid as well as day trips from Madrid to Toledo and Segovia. Both are wonderful.

Another vote for the Azores! Since you're on the West Coast, as we are, you could spend a day or two in Boston, then fly to the Azores for a week or so. Off season, the rates are amazing but the weather is still mild (70's in October when we were there.) Food is excellent, hotel rates are under 100E off season, and people are warm and most speak English. You can have a fun and relaxing time on just the main island, Sao Miguel, or hop to one or more of the other 8. We booked through Azores Getaways, whom I highly recommend for their personal and thoughtful service. We stayed in downtown Ponta Delgada at Neat Hotel Avenida, and also at the Doubletree in Lagoa, about a 10 minute drive from PD. We toured a pineapple plantation and ceramics factory, and spent time in one of the great hot pool facilities. No signs of seasonal closures.

And then go back to the Americas on a transatlantic repositioning cruise. In November ship that have been cruising in the Mediterranean cross over to the Caribbean for winter cruises. Transatlantics sail to NY, FL, Texas, Caribbean Islands, and South America.

Check Vacations to go for dates, lines, and an idea about prices.
https://www.vacationstogo.com

Andalucia and/or Barcelona If you haven't been, you're missing amazing experiences. I've been to both multiple times and would go back in a heartbeat.

You only need a car if you want to spend a few days tootling around the white hill towns. Otherwise, trains are the best way, with the possible exception of Granada.

My vote is for Andalucia, Spain! It is very, very hot there during the summer months, and even in early autumn. November would be a perfect time to visit Andalucia weather-wise. Seville, Cordoba and Granada are the crown jewels of Andalucia. If you have the time, you can easily include Madrid, a world-class city with outstanding art museums and 1 or 2 nights in Toledo.

If you can do 14-18 days and fly from the west coast, NZ is my choice with the caveat that this would be a one island trip. Plenty to do on either the North or South Island,

How about Tahiti? We loved Moorea and a little private island resort called Vahine Island.

If you go with NZ, I agree with poster above to consider areas north of Auckland. It was my favorite part of a trip that encompassed both islands from the top of the north island, down as far as Queenstown on the south island.

Madeira or southern Spain. Both are warm and open for the season

I would stick with NZ. Queenstown is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and if you are a fan of Lord of the Rings, you must go to Hobbiton.

I guess I thought that if we went to NZ we should make time for both islands. Usually I don’t mind a long trip, but it has been a busy year for travel and I’m just tired. I read The Hobbit decades ago and never watched the Lord of the Rings movies. I would definitely do so if we go to NZ, which really does appeal to me. Spain does as well and we have discussed going there. As much as I would like to go to Maui I think that should be saved for when it is harder to do long haul flights. I’m still up for snorkeling which is something we like to do in Hawaii, but I’m not getting any younger and if for some reason I can’t snorkel in the future I’m okay with that. I snorkeled twice on the Great Barrier Reef in April so I’m happy I had that experience.

I spent most of November in Spain in 2021, and the weather was fantastic, mostly in the 60s. We spent a couple of days in Picos de Europa National Park , and there was snow in the higher elevations, which was fun. In Andalusia it was closer to 70. We had never been that interested in Spain, but we absolutely loved it. It’s a beautiful country with an interesting history and friendly people. The food is excellent, but I did find it challenging to eat dinner so late.

Another vote for Japan. I went there in November twenty-something years ago, and had a great time. After a few days in Tokyo (cool, a bit rainy), I decided to head to Nikko instead of Kyoto, to enjoy some fall foliage, and Nikko did not disappoint. It’s a gorgeous mountain town with temples galore, and a beautiful lake nearby (Lake Chuzenji).

Regarding NZ, I spent 10 days touring the South Island in November 2014, and it was quite chilly. Being at the same (South) latitude as the Pacific Northwest, the South Island experiences similar weather in early spring. Maybe not an issue if you’re on a tour, with buses and whatnot, but I was on a motorcycle. 🥶 I’m still very glad I went, but next time I’ll try January!

I second the Japan idea. Fall is very scenic in Japan. NZ will nice, but it'll be spring there. Also, the flights will be too long (at least for me).

We will probably stick with New Zealand. We just need to decide how much time we want to spend and where we want to go. Flying from San Francisco, Auckland isn’t that much further than Tokyo, and neither is that much further than many destinations in Europe. I would love to go to Japan and maybe someday I will make it there, but my husband isn’t interested at this time.

Thanks to you all for your suggestions.

Andrea,
We did an 8 day tour of the North Island some years ago. We originally had booked a cruise from Sydney that visited both islands, but it was cancelled at the last minute and luckily we found this tour. We didn't have time to do the South Island because we had a transpacific cruise booked.
The tour was great and we very much enjoyed NZ. We understand that the South Island is considered more scenic, but the North Island is great as well.
I think you need at least two weeks to do both islands.
The South Island can get chilly, November is like May for us in the northern hemisphere.

Take some time off from planning and then enjoy NZ. I understand the planning fatigue. But it will be worth it. And give yourself an extra week if you have it. It takes some planning but it is not like 4 or 5 countries in the same amount of time.