Travel plans for 2011

I didn't get to go anywhere in 2010 so I am very very very excited about my May trip to Rome, Naples, Sorrento, and Puglia! three months!? that's amazing!

I'm going with a friend to France (Paris and Nice) and Italy (Venice, Florence and Rome) in May and with my parents on an Eastern Caribbean cruise in June. I graduate college in May so these are my big trips :)

After four consecutive summer trips to Europe we needed to do something different. We are taking the children to New Zealand for two weeks and Australia for 4 weeks (one trip). Then, starting in summer 2012, we'll be in a better frame of mind for another round of European trips - at least if we are fortunate enough to not experience any financial trauma in the mean time.

You beauty Randy, good to see somone on this forum travelling south of the Equator. Good that you are fitting in 2 weeks in NZ. An absolutely beautiful country. If you intend to get as far as Adelaide, please get in touch before you leave if you would like to touch base.

We are going on a 2 week trip to Ireland (our 3rd since 2006) March 26-April 10. Have done all B&B's up to now, but this time have booked a one week self catering cottage in rural county Cork in order to do some heavy duty geneology research in a area our ancestors left back in 1851. When not doing geneology, we will do day trips to the SW region. Otherwise we will land Dublin(2nights), Kilkenny(2), self cater near Millstreet(7), Kenmare(2) and Bunratty(1) departing Shannon. 1st time we have used open jaw, and also the first time for a one-way car rental. We are really getting excited, as it is less than 3 months....and counting! Already thinking about the next trip...Northern Ireland from Donegal to Derry to Belfast for 10 days, then an additional 10 days in Scotland! Dan

This year my big trip will be almost 3 weeks in Europe with a couple of friends. We will be there from late September through mid October. We'll spend 6 nights in Barcelona and almost 2 weeks in France, one week on the coast near Perpignan and 6 nights in Paris. Lucky you Randy! I can't wait to have the opportunity to go to N.Z. and Australia. That trip is high on my list of trips to do. Happy travels everyone!!

A mini-cruise to Cabo San Lucas in February. All of May in England, Scotland and Wales. A Carribean cruise in late November. Enjoy YOUR travels in 2011!

Since I did not make it to the UK on my recent trip, some friends and I have been throwing around the idea of going in 2012. It's kind of in the joke-y "not sure how I'll pay for this" stage...but I do kind of hope it pans out.

Last year I took the wife and kids to London for the first time and was hoping to do Paris this year. Unfortunately our economic situation changed drastically when I was laid-off (no worries, now employed but lower salary) so budget will only allow U.S. travel for 2011. We let the kids choose and suprisingly the destination does not include "Disney" in the title. So we are heading to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for a week of camping and hiking and photography.
But I am hoping I can suprise my sweetheart with a week in Rome for her birthday in November.

For late spring / early summer. We're making reservations stateside. Yellowstone and the Tetons. We've never been. For fall, or early winter we're bouncing between 2 options. Flying in through Barcelona then working our way up to Paris through the Languedoc and Dordogne. 2nd option is a River cruise from Passau to Budapest, Probably flying in through Prague. And extra time in Budapest. France seems to be winning now but who knows

I'm beginning plans for my first trip to Ireland in September 2011 for a group of 4-5 people. Two weeks: one week at a house near Dingle, a couple of days in Dublin then probably on to London and outskirts for a few days. I love the planning stage!

I've got tickets to Barcelona in May. From there, we're going by train to Nice, Milan, Innsbruck and Munich. We're flying back to Barcelona for the trip home since it's cheaper than a flight from Munich. A little over a three week trip in all. In June, we're going to Disneyland with kids and grandkids.

We are doing our first family trip abroad with our teenage sons, 16 and 13. We will be in London for 3days, then a cottage in Bath for a week, one night in York, and a converted castle apartment for one week near Stirling, Scotland. We are really excited and are leaving as soon as school ends in June :) With braces and university fees in the very near future, I don't know if we will be going again anytime soon, so this is a pretty special trip for us.....

I am already watching the airfare, flying into Brussels and out of Munich. Since my last vacation was very exhausting (Italy), I have decided to return to places that I have already been. I am thinking about 14 days, leaving the week before Thanksgiving and coming home a week after. And guess what Bruges haters.................7 of those nights will be in Bruges!!!!!!!!! Of course with day trips to Ghent, Antwerp, and a day in London. ONLY A DAY IN LONDON? Yes, so I can hit some important museums that I missed when I was there 5 years ago (why in the heck did I miss that National Gallery, stupid stupid stupid). The rest of my time, I will be traveling back to Germany to go to museums that I missed when I went there 4 years ago. I can't believe that I missed most of Berlin's art museums, I skipped the one in Dresden, and I skipped all the art museums in Munich. Once again, stupid stupid stupid. What was wrong with me? Anyways, 3 nights in Berlin, 3 in Rothenburg, and only 1 in Munich (I have been there 2 times and only need to see those dang art museums). So I am hoping for some $600-700 airfares (right now about $1000).
My boyfriend and I are huge art lovers and when we view an art book with a nice Vermeer or Van Eyck and see that it is in Berlin, Dresden, or Munich, we both get sick to our stomachs because we were foolish and skipped them all.

I would like to finally see Scandinavia this year, but we'll see how the work schedule goes. At a minimum, maybe a quick trip to Denmark. And... family reunion in Disney World this summer.

My condolences, Tom. :) We're planning 2 weeks in Germany to take the kids to the stuff we've seen but they haven't. But I just found out that the Women's World Cup is going to be going on the same time we're planning on being there. I don't know how much we care, though. We probably won't go to any games, I'm just worried about crowds. We've promised the little princess (my daughter) a night in the castle, and my son a day at Legoland. Other than that, mostly lots of hiking and an entire day in the Deutches Museum.

Since we own a business, this remains tentative, but I've got in my head a trip back to Paris, and then down to Burgundy. Considering either a bit of Belgium after that, or Alsace. It will be solo, unless a family member hitches along. Btw, I told someone yesterday about my plans, and she was floored by fact that I'd want to go alone. Incomprehensible to her, but heaven to me!

All wonderful trips for 2011! We would love to visit NZ and Australia but not sure if it is possible anytime soon. My hubby has an aunt in NZ and she is always inviting us to visit. It has been our dream to visit that part of the world, but for now, Europe is easier because of work opportunities (consulting) every now and again.

I am already counting the days until I leave for Paris and the RS Paris and Heart of France Tour. I will be in France the first two weeks of May then travel to London via the Eurostar on May 13. If you are anywhere near London during that timeframe, I'd love to have tea or lunch. I also hope to get back to Santa Fe, NM, this year. I was there last year for my birthday and loved it and want to see it in other seasons than late fall.

Wife and I are doing a 3 nighter in London and a 4 nighter in Dublin at the end of March during her spring break time. 2nd time in London,1st time in Dublin for the both of us.

Back to Italy for the month of December! We fell in love with Italy in October and cannot get her out of our heads. WIll start in Venezia, travel through Umbria, finally make it to Sorrento, and spend a week surrounding Christmas in Rome. Other than that, a couple of trips to Oregon's marvelous coast to read, relax and hike.

This year will be an autumn colors trip to Nova Scotia and northern New England. 2012 will be back to Ireland, focusing on Donegal and the Beara Peninsula, then finishing with a few nights in London.

Our travel plans for 2011 includes a Switzerland tour in eary june to celebrate our wedding aniversary along with a RS city tour of Istanbul in mid oct. We travel twice a year to europe to visit our son who lives/works in Paris.
In 2007 had we visited Sydney which is a great city along with a trip to Cairns to visit the Great Barrier Reef.

Much to our own surprise we find ourselves booked on an Eastern Caribbean cruise this April. We are really trying to get back to Europe in September as well and should know for sure by March. We're thinking of France right now but tend to just go wherever a good deal on airfare pops up. Hubby is Portuguese descent at some point we will get there. His people are from Azores. Somehow it keeps getting bumped for somewhere else. We're also thinking of Eastern Europe again next June (2012) for the Euros, and have definite plans to do the Whiskey Trail in Scotland with friends in 2013. Cross fingers that the economy doesn't bite us in the butt and change all that!

After many years of European trips we are making a change and going to Peru in April! Machu Picchu, sacred Valley, Cusco, and Lima. Very excited / nervous ... if anyone has been I would love to hear about it!

We have gone to Europe 9 times in the last 8 years, always having a fantastic, exciting time, endlessly exploring the histories and culures of the many countries we have visited.But have these trips been relaxing?Not exactly.So this fall(as a present to my husband who always gets dragged everywhere by a Type A wife who can't get enough museum time)we are taking a transatlantic cruise.This will be a great way to spend alone time with my husband, relax and be pampered AND get to see some parts of Spain including the Canary Islands, that we haven't yet seen.An occasional cruise can be a great break from the usual vacation routine.Our former Madrid exchange student's parents will meet us in Barcelona to experience the citywith us for a few days before my husband and I board the ship. Beyond this, we are starting to plan a summer 2012 home exchange in Vienna for the whole family. I am ALWAYS planning our next European vacation!

No European travel for us this year, the house needs a roof and gutters, and we are saving for a wedding-my daughter is getting married- no date yet. So it will be a few years.sigh

For me, all my fun travel abroad will be piggy-backed onto work trips--England in mid summer, Beijing in even later summer, Hong Kong in early fall, and Rio in November. But I am in the planning stages of some purely fun trips in mid 2012 through mid 2013...it seems a long ways away, though.

My travel plans so far is mainly to do more exploring of the smaller towns in the Rhine Main area. Go on some of the towns walking tours, plus visit the abbeys and palaces of Hessen. Towns on my list include Marburg, Idstein, Dreieich, Büdingen, Seligenstadt, Michelstadt, Speyer, Ulm, and visit more of the museums in Mainz, Wiesbaden, Aschaffenburg and Darmstadt. I really want to get up to Hamburg this year, but Porto is calling me too. Ryan Air flies there, so might just have to hop down there for a few days in June. There is supposed to be a really fun festival there on the 23rd.

WOW, there are some fabulous trips planned here!!!! RANDY - you are going on one of my dream trips! Two weeks in New Zealand, four in Australia - so awesome! And Bronwen - a friend of mine went to Peru and did a four-day hike with a group to Machu Picchu. She said it was exhausting but she loved it. Hopefully my German friend can come to the U.S. for a visit this summer - we want to drive across Canada from east to west. And if the money is there, in October I want to go to Iceland for a few days, spend 2 weeks in the UK (London, Wales, and the Isle of Man), a few days in Salzburg, and a few days in Amsterdam.

For me - Paris & London in late March and early April.

We are heading for our 4th stay in Paris in May. We are traveling with another couple (first time that we haven't traveled alone) -one of them has never been to France-and are renting an apartment in the 15th arrondisement so we can take advantage of the markets and do some cooking. We will be there for 12 days and do day trips to the Loire, Mont St Michael, Strausborg, Dijon and do it all. Haven't been to Europe since 2007 and are just aching to get back.

Wow! Lots of great trips out there. I love to hear where everyone is going! Oh, Marilyn! I feel your pain! That was us in 2008 when my daughter got married in Florida, (we're in NM) and this year my son is getting married. (They're going to Ireland for their honeymoon) We pulled a trip together at the last minute and will be leaving for Scotland, England, Wales and Belgium on Jan. 12. Flying to Edinburgh, a week there, then two weeks in London. We've rented a flat in both places and will do day trips. Possible trip to Ireland in May, (would be my first) but it's still in the "can we do it?" stage. A friend will be working in Budapest for about 4 months this year and we may try to scoot over there for a week or so. Due to my line of work our trips are often planned and executed within a very short window of time so I'm always in planning mode. Safe travels everyone!

Jo. Make every effort to get to Porto. One of my favourite places. Factor in a day trip to the Duoro Valley. I might have aksed this question before, can't recall. How many weeks annual leave do you guys in the States get? We are done with long haul overseas flights at this stage. Going to concentrate on seeing some sites in Oz. Have to live another lifetime to see them all, but will make a start this year.

My first Rick Steves tour in September: Paris and the Heart of France in 11 days. Sounds like not enough time. I think he is planning on running us ragged! Once the tour is over I'll be spending a couple of days in Amsterdam on my own.

@Judy, there is no real answer to your question about how much leave we get. It all depends on who you work for and how long you have worked there. I work for local government and started with 2 weeks vacation per year. After 15 years, vacation tops out at 5 weeks. After that it doesn't matter how long your work there, it never increases. Where I work I can take it as I like. I can also roll my time over and save up to 400 hours (I think, it may be more) before I would get to the point where I would have to use it or lose it. I use it, so I'm in no danger of losing it. Vacation time anyway! :-) Some employers give you a certain number of hours per pay period (I get 7.7 hours every two weeks) and some give you a set amount of time at the beginning of the year or at your anniversary date.

We are doing a RS Village Italy in the fall. We will add another week in Venice and Milan. Can't wait!

Interesting reading all the posts to Eli's question. We're in our mid 60's so try to do a couple trips to Europe a year. Spring and fall are our favorite times. We're going to France in late March and April for 17 days. Our adult son will be with us this time as he hasn't been to France. Doing Provence, Normandy and Paris. W've been to France many times and just love it. In 2010 we went to Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Dresden and Berlin. Fabulous! In November we went with friends to Spain...Madrid, Andalucia etc. Great sites. We figure as long as we have our health we will continue to travel. Who knows when we can't!!

January is dreary here, so I try to brighten it by beginning my vacation planning. Usually I have some place in mind, but this year I have no idea. Ideas I am considering are: 1) Wales with a stop in the Cotswolds, 2) rural France maybe the Dordogne area for one week and Brittany or Burgundy or the French Alps for a second week, 3) Switzerland and possibly Austria or the Dolomites, or 5) Amsterdam and the Netherlands. Randy, I'm excited about your trip to Autralia and New Zealand. That's one of the few non-Europe destinations on my list, but I need to save it for retirement when I can take more than two weeks. I hope to get a lot of tips from your blog. Tom, I think a family reunion in DisneyWorld sounds like a blast. Have fun! Wishing everyone a wonderful trip in 2011 wherever you go!

Just got our tickets to Frankfurt for the second half of May. We'll visit our Air Force son stationed at Spangdahlem, and spend about half the time seeing Germany and the other half in Switzerland/Austria. It'll be my husband's first trip to Europe - I went to London, Paris, and saw a bit of Germany with my son in March 2009.

We are thinking of a Baltic cruise this year with a few extra days in England before or after the cruise. It depends on what we can afford. Love reading what others are doing.

After going to Scotland and England-Yorkshire area on our last 2 trips to Europe, we are going to the Black Forest this time in September. Hope to get to Luzern and Alsace etc. Still in planning stages.

First I will spend a week in Puerto Rico in March to escape the north eastern winter. Then in late April I'll spend almost 3 weeks in Italy that includes a photography workshop in Venice. Not sure about the second half of the year but probably at least 2 more trips perhaps one to eastern Canada.

I am finally go back to Europe!!!! I am going to Rome for a week in the fall. I have not been to Europe since 2003 so it has been a long time coming. I just hope I can find a flight that works for my schedule and my budget. I have all ready started making maps of Rome and marking what I want to see on them. Hopefully this will help me get around the city.

Going to do a road trip this year starting in NYC and ending in Boston. 2012 we hope to do London, Cotswolds, Scotland and maybe Ireland.

What a great thread! We haven't been to Europe since November 2008, and so I'm thrilled to be heading to Paris and Sicily in 8 weeks for a total of 17 days (Paris 2 days, Sicily 13 days, Paris 2 days). A little worried that I may fall in love with Paris and then I'll really be in trouble trying to choose where to go.

My wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in Italy, Switzerland and Paris in 2007. Needless to say we fell in love with that region of Europe and started to plan our next trip almost immediately. We will be spending September in Provence, staying one week each in four different towns/villages, starting in Vaison-la-Romaine and ending in Antibes. We have our flight reservations (using ff miles) and our lodging is booked as well (amazing how early lodgings are booked). We will be leasing a car for the majority of our time in France and will be able to spend our final day/night in Paris before we head home. The Rick Steves website, Travelers Helpline, Fodors forum and Slow Travel forums and trip reports have been very helpful with our planning and will be used as we decide what towns we will be visting and what activites we will be doing during our stay. September cannot get here fast enough.

I've been planning a hiking trip to the Salzkammergut area, and have the perfect room in Hallstatt reserved for two weeks in early May. I was also planning to add a few days in Venice, but my finances are such that that's not going to be feasible this year. I travel solo, and I also felt that I wanted to share Venice with someone, maybe my sister, on a future trip. But two weeks hiking in the Alps will be wonderful, and I'm really looking forward to it!

Would love another trip to Europe in 2011 but alas, it will have to wait until Fall of 2012. Planning on returning to Rome and then down to Sorrento/Amalfi Coast. I took the RS Heart of Italy tour this last May and loved my time with the group and then on my own in Tuscany & Umbria. This year it is the Oregon coast at Manzanita Beach for some camping fun with the family... then home to celebrate my granddaughter's 1st birthday. I'm getting tired of the gray here so I might just book a short trip to Tucson, San Diego or Vegas for some sun.. Happy travels everyone. Ciao Linda

We'll be going on our third trip to Europe this June. We will be in Northern Italy (Dolomites, Veneto, Lake Como) on to Gimmelwald, Burgundy and Alsace France and then to the Mose/Rhein, ending in Koln. We can't wait. It will be an interesting change to not have major sites and cities.

I'm planning our trip to Prague, Dresden & Berlin for 12 days in October-November this year.
Planning a trip is half of the fun. Hoping to go to Paris in 2013.

In late May heading to A'dam and London for 8 days then flying to southern Spain for 8 more days Italy. Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in August.

Such wonderful trips planned. It makes for enjoyable reading. I have never been to Prague, but have always wanted to go there.

Thanks for asking! Can't find anyone who wants to listen. I with my husband, mom and two children (8 & 13) have rented apartments in Italy for three weeks in July (Rome, Positano, Vernazza, Venice). Then we fly to London, and have a home exchange lined up in East Sussex, England for two weeks. Can't wait!

This is a great thread as I've been mopey without a trip planned; have not found anything dazzling yet like last year. Please keep posting!
LOL, Kerry, "Thanks for asking! Can't find anyone who wants to listen"= me, too!

We just got home from two weeks in Brazil, and are continuing to plan for Turkey and Greece in Sept/Oct. Turkey will mostly be on a RS tour. This is new territory for us and we are excited.

OK Eli, you have started something. Your wonder news about how well your mom did on your recent trip got me and my husband thinking. My mom is 72. She is getting ready to have a back "procedure" to deal with a protruding disk. IF it goes well (fingers crossed, prayers said), my sister and I and her sister (who is only 4 years older than I am) hope to take her to Ireland to see my cousin (Aunt's son Cade) who is doing his student teaching there. And maybe we can include a bit of Scotland (around Inverness where our ancestors came from) and possibly a bit of time in London. It may be wishful thinking. We'd have to take it slow (much slower than I am used to with my husband who walks faster than most people run), but I think I'd llike that. If we could, I'd like to plan on being gone about a month, but we might have to cut that time and not do as many places. I'm looking into serviced apartments in London and Inverness. Cade is teaching in a small village in the Ring of Kerry area. Probably have to stay at the local small hotel there. Wish us luck!!!!

Well, Toni, that >>would<< be a big step, wouldn't it? It would be magnificent if you pull that off!! I really hope that your mom would have it as Eli's mom had her trip. I hope that it works out for you too, and that MIL is able to cope. Keep dreaming and I hope that your dreams come true....

Am taking my first trip to Europe this summer!! Yippee! My daughter and I are taking a RS tour of Paris then heading to Belgium to visit a friend for a week. We are both excited and nervous at the same time!

I love reading about everyone's trips. My niece and I are going to Spain to celebrate her college graduation. Never been to Spain, can't wait!

In May we are going to Venice for a few days, then to Slovenia: Ljubljana; Bovec (for white water rafting); and Bled, then on to Salzburg, Innsbruck, Fussen to see the castles, and finally to Rothenburg, and then flying out of Frankfurt. Whew! Originally we were going to Slovenia & Croatia but flights into one and out of the other were complicated/too expensive. This trip morphed into about 8 different trips until it finally gelled into the above, and we are both happy with the latest excursion plans. At the end the hardest planning has been getting from Venice to Slovenia didn't want to depend on the weather to take a ferry; didn't want to rent a car in Italy; and didn't want to spend 8 hrs going only about 140 miles taking the train/bus, etc.! At the end we have decided to take the night train from Venice to Ljubljana (a 4-hr train ride) arriving in LJU at 0140.
Now I'm just praying for sunshine so we can admire the beauties of nature in Slovenia!

I will be in Venice in May and am also trying to get to Ljubljana and have found the same problems with the train/bus or ferry. Is it possible to hire a driver in Venice to make the 2-hour drive? If so, what might this cost?

MY WIFE AND I ARE PLANING A 3 MONTH RV (CARAVAN) TOUR OF EUROPE. CAMING SITES ALL OVER EUROPE. NO SET SCHEDULE. GO AND STOP/STAY WHEN WE WANT. PLANING APRIL THROUGH JUNE. ANYONE OUT THERE DONE EUROPE THIS WAY. THIS WILL BE OUR FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE.

PLEASE, DON'T SHOUT. I looked into caravaning around here once, but decided against it. The reasons: 1) fuel is too expensive. 2) A caravan may sound like the ultimate in travel freedom, but actually, it severely limits what you can see. The RV parks tend to be located, for the most part, in the middle of nowhere, often without access to public transportation. It can also be very hard to find a place to park one anywhere except in the RV parks and sometimes shopping centers.

We head to Hawaii for spring break in 9 days! But the big one is our 30 day trip to Europe over Christmas/New Years. I'm so excited and can hardly wait. Ireland->France->Italy. Bring it on!

Oktoberfest and Salzburg (read: more beer), then a LONG nap on the train b/n Munich and Siena LOL! Six days in Northern Italy, then swing by Rome/FCO to pick up the M-i-L and head to Sorrento for a week (Pompeii/Herculaneum/Paestum/Naples/limoncello), then a few days in Rome before flying home. And yes, the next 17 trip itineraries are planned out...;-) Somethin' wrong with that???

Was looking at a typical river cruise, with a week or 10 beofre and after, but was not getting excited about it. Now looking at either a Russian river cruise, or Black Sea cruise, and reading for more ideas.
But of course, Eileen, the next 17 are being cooked up with gravy and a side of biscuits!

My mom, dad, sister and I are going to Europe for the first time this year. Italy and Paris. I've done all the planning so I'm super excited to finally get there. But have to wait till Sept 19th. We will be traveling for 18days (19 with flights). My husband is staying home for this one so after I go and get everything down pat he'll be needing to go....so I'll have to buck up and, I guess, go again :)

Hi, My husband, son,mother-in-law and I are going to London, Paris, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Trier, Strasborg, Nice, Cannes and Paris for 6 weeks this July and August. We are supper excited as this will be my mother-in-laws first time on an airplane. We go to Europe every other summer and the years we are not traveling we are planning :-) . Paula

Thanks Eli for asking yet another thoughtful question. I sure wish I was going overseas this year, but alas my finances are hampered by budget cuts and unpaid furlough days. But I love to see where everyone else is going this year (jealous!). 2012 will be my return to Europe (RS Eastern Europe tour). I'm already planning, asking questions, and dreaming of how much fun I'll have. Bon voyage to everyone, learn lots so you can help us out when you return!

Three weeks in May: Fly to Manchester (Icelandair), then Chester, North Wales, York, Durham, Hadrian's Wall, Edinburgh, Lake District, back to Manchester and home. No Heathrow. Rental car with automatic shift (so I can concentrate on keeping left). Mostly B&Bs, about three nights in each place. Saving Ireland and the rest of Scotland for another trip. Planning is half the fun.

I'm heading back to Italy to study there for 4 more months (or more if I extend it to a year instead of one semester haha). So excited to get back, where my program is where my relatives live (Arezzo) so it will be great to spend more time with them. While we're there we will definitely do some trips to Germany, Greece, Spain, UK, Croatia, Turkey etc. Probably make it back to Switzerland since I've got a free place to stay there too.

Ohh, this has been a fun thread to read through! My husband and I are spending 2 weeks in Turkey next month. We are very excited as this is our first international trip as a married couple.

Barcelona, Madrid & Paris for 2 1/2 weeks in May

Our trip to Germany/Italy in Sept of this year has been on our radar for several years to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Planning the trip has been great fun, especially with all the great advice from the RS helpline. But before Europe, we are going to Fargo in May so we can visit my husband's family (at least it's not Christmas again). Then over 4th of July we are going to Carmel, CA with our two Goldens. That being said it's these trips that keep me going. I must have the "carrot" on the horizon to look forward to. So I imagine that shortly after returning from Europe in September, I'll be on the search for the next adventure. We tend to rotate vacations/long weekends between family, beach, dog inclusive, and adventure.

Just wrapped up a trip to France a couple of weeks ago... this summer, I'll head to Minnesota to visit my fiance's family for a few days. Beyond that, I'm saving money/vacation time for a wedding and honeymoon in 2012. Reading the RS site and especially the Travelers Helpline helps me not get too restless!

I feel like the luckiest person because I will be heading to Europe for 17 days in June, and I don't have to pay a dime! I am a teacher and received a grant for myself and a coworker to travel to Germany and follow Fairy Tale Road, then heading to Ireland to stay with a storyteller and learn Celtic folk tales. Mixed in there is a long layover in London, day trip to Salzburg, and a few nights in Dublin. It is a crazy and exhausting itinerary, but this is my fourth trip to Europe, and I can do it. Busy busy booking flights and hotels and fine-tuning the itinerary.

We're heading to Croatia, Bosnia herzegovina and Montenegro this fall. Janis is right, trying to fit Slovenia into that was a real challenge and that plan was scraped. This winter will get out of the Minnesota and hang out in Roatan!

I, too, get a lot of pleasure from reading all the plans & dreams! My 3rd trip to Europe & husband's second begins in 17 days & 12 hours. We'll start with 3 days in Bruges, then 6 on the Rhine, 6 in Munich, followed by 5 in County Limerick/SW Ireland & 2 in Dublin. My 75 year old mother & 2 of my friends are coming, too. For 2012, we're currently deciding between Alaska & Montreal- neither of us have been to that part of Canada, but I also spent a week in Anchorage this March (mostly business) & can't wait to go back. In 2013 (fingers crossed) my job will give me a month off with pay & a hefty stipend for airfare & lodging for 4 anywhere in the world that I haven't been. NZ is under consideration, as well as China, but there is so much of Europe I haven't seen. I'm sure the itinerary will change many times, as this year's trip started out to be Spain & Morocco, before taking its current path.

Well, my husband and I are spending a month at our condo in Kapaa, Kauai this July. Then... we will be enjoying a 5 week holiday in Europe this September and October. One week in Amboise, France, one week in Antibes, France, one week in Venice and one week in Varenna, Lake Como. We've been to Venice and Lake Como several times, but never France! We will spend several days on either side in Paris and Milan. We have rented apartments through VRBO and Homeaway. Wow... we are already excited. Now if the $$ to Euro exchange rate would get a little better... Thanks the for question, Eli, been great reading all the plans.

We are spontaneous and have a month for vacation, haven't been to Portugal, so we will start there in October and end up who knows where????

This has been a great thread to read everyone's exciting plans. I have been to Europe and the Caribbean for the past two years but decided that 2011 is for the US. I've got a week on the beach in San Diego in May then Yellowstone / Mt. Rushmore / Grand Tetons in the Fall. I have never been and am really looking forward to seeing the beauty of the area. My family travels somewhere every Christmas and this year we are doing Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic. I already have a deposit on a Rhine River Cruise for May 2012. I'm thinking about alternating the US and Europe for a while but like other posters, I have about the next 4-5 years worth in my mind. I'm thinking of a cruise around Nantucket / Cape Cod / Martha's Vineyard for 2013. The planning is so much fun.