Travel Talk Sat April 11: where are you headed? (online, everyone welcome)

FUTURE ONLINE MEETINGS: 2nd Saturdays, except as noted

May 9: Valencia and Southern Spain
- I will just have been back from a week in Valencia and can share insights
- have you recently been to Spain and have stories? please RSVP and let me know in the comments

July 11: Christmas Markets planning in July

August 8: Greece, travels and tips beyond Athens

Any recent trips that you'd like to share (no photos this meeting)

We already talked about Mexico, in Feburary!

And, especially, your upcoming trips!

Next up, Valencia - we'll talk about Spain in May.
In September, I'm off to Alpine Europe (about half in Italy)
....and a couple of ballet trips, just waiting for the tickets to go on sale!

I will be there, and headed to England the very next day for almost a month, with a few days in Paris in May.

Thanks for all you do,
Cynthia

I am available and eager to talk about travel! Thanks, CW! I will be there!

Hi CWsocial, I will be available that day and would like to join. Thanks for doing these!

Probably the most helpful location I could share if anyone is still interested is the Puglia region of Italy. I will be heading there in May for the third year in a row - all three times without a car. Specifically, I’ve stayed in Trani, Bari (for festivals), Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Lecce, Ostuni, Martina Franca, Locorotondo, Alberobello & near Puglia - Matera. I did a day trip to Giovinazzo. I will be returning this May to Trani, Bari, Polignano a Mare, Lecce, and Locorotondo.

February 2026: Southern Spain fits in the 1st category, but you have that topic for May, so I won’t share.

December 2026: Christmas Markets - a 11-city Germany itinerary that’s very active & exciting- fine because I’m traveling solo. All 11 cities are new for me. I see that’s your July topic.

ponygirl813, I am also heading out the very next day A full month, wow! Looking forward to hearing what you have planned. This is a short trip for me, barely over a week without the usual trip to Denver. (That comes later.)

Jean, I would love to hear about Puglia! Speaking only for myself - the gal who is spending a week in Valencia - I'd be interested in your thoughts on how to travel that region with a base (or two) and day trips. Which I know is not your style in that region, but I bet you still have good insights.

Glad you can make it Mardee, although it's looking like a balmy 44 degree day in Duluth!

I'll be there! Just booked my flights today for a Summer trip to the Baltics. I'd love to hear tips from other people who have visited the Baltics.

CWsocial, yes, I can share thoughts for changing cities less often in Puglia. Are you wanting advice having a car or just using public transportation?

Jean, public transit, please. I would find little day tours to go some places that might not be easy by bus/train.

I'd love to hear tips from other people who have visited the Baltics.

Yes, I'd love to hear more about the Baltics, as well. Especially outside the capitals. It's such a great region to get away from the summer heat!

4/11?

I'm in Lyon!

Guess that counts me out.

-- Mike Beebe

Mike Beebe, feel free to drop in and say hello from Lyon. We'd love an on the ground report!!

I have tickets for La Sylphide that day, so I’ll miss this one.

Barbara N, I'll be there the night before you. My original tickets were for the matinee on the 11th, but we swapped seats to the 10th.

Enjoy!

Actually, I forgot about the earlier start--I can probably come for the first hour, so please do send the link.

My upcoming trip is our first tour in late September: Road Scholar's Independent Cities: Quebec City, with 3 HS best friends and their husbands. The tour is an interesting hybrid between a My Way type of tour and a guided tour, with free time about half of the time.

I want to hear about village Italy and the Baltics.

The Cyprus tour I was considering already looked a bit pricey and when I look closer I realize that it didn't include the flights, so now it looks too pricey. Should I do it on my own? Hmmm....

Count me in! Looking forward to hearing how everyone's 2026 is shaping up!

I will miss you in April but looking forward to May!

I was in the Baltics for 3 weeks in 2024. You will have a great time, Christine!

Thanks for doing these, CWsocial! I will try to join in April.

In mid-May, we leave for Copenhagen for a month to visit our daughter. During that trip, we are excited to visit Krakow for the first time and spend four nights there.

Then in September, we are headed to Romania for three weeks. It has been on my "wine tourism wishlist" for a while, but I was inspired to go this year by the forum.

Glad you can make it Mardee, although it's looking like a balmy 44 degree day in Duluth!

Woohoo, summertime weather! 😂

CW when you get your plans for the Baltics finalized, please share. I suspect tgey would be a great start for me.

Put me down for 11 April.

Oh, and May too. I have to go to Valencia in July (dont say it).

Thanks

Mr É,

Christine is headed to the Baltics, though I'm happy to share my trip report from 3 years ago:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/3-weeks-4-capitals-solo-after-warsaw-in-3-baltic-capitals

Valencia in July (dont say it).

Not a word. I had to dig a little deeper than my usual sources for Valencia.

My son is going to be there the month of July so I am sort of obligated to visit for a few days; and it will be "few", maybe 3. Must be popular because even WizzAir and Ryan are silly expensive. Fortunately I dont mind sleeping on the beach.

Planning on my next Camino, walking through Portugal from Porto in Sept. Not sure if that is of interest to anyone? Mainly along the coast this time and will be in what looks like some interesting towns in northern Portugal.
Add my name to the list, please.

did I sign up already?

Ha ha, jump up three posts and you'll see it. 😊

Oooops.......

I have sent links to everyone who has RSVP'd, above, for April 11th. There is plenty of room for others to join and talk about your upcoming travel plans.

The meeting format will not be a "Trip Report" with photos, just "raise your hand" to share where you are headed, offer advice to others, or ask questions to help you with your own plans. If you're recently back from a trip, we're interested in hearing about that too!

I just saw this.
I’d like to “come” as well.
Thanks!

What a bummer to miss this. I'll be flying home from Mexico on April 11.
I'm a newbie to the forum and haven't participated in one of these yet. Will keep future dates in mind.

Joy-, welcome! I hope your trip to Mexico is going well. We would have loved to hear about that. Please join any time that your schedule allows.

SharYn, I have sent the meeting details for April 11th.

I would like to join the group when I can but I will be flying on the 11th. May 9th I will be spending a day in Newcastle upon Tyne. So I will post again for the July one. I have a fantasy Christmas markets itinerary already. And I will PM my email address then.

Katiecem, you are welcome whenever your schedule allows, and we will look forward to hearing about your travels!

Please include me. Sorry for the last minute response but I didn't think I'd be able to make it. . . . my calendar just opened up.

Hi Chani, I've just sent you the meeting link. I'm glad you can make it, though it's too bad about having to cancel your trip.

Got it. Thanks, Catherine.

Please add me to your list of attendees. Always a fun afternoon to see everyone and talk travel.

I was wondering if I could be added for this Saturday.

I am going to Paris early May, my first time in Paris.

In October, I went to Yokohama and cruised to Seoul.

However if I have any chance to speak, I would like to talk about Paris which is right around the corner.

Bostonphil7, yes, I will send you the meeting details in a forum message.

In the meantime, I strongly advise that you remove your email address from a public forum.

I've sent the link to everyone who has expressed interest, above. And there is room if others would like to join!

Thank you CWSocial

I removed my email address. I know better. What was I thinking?

See you Saturday.

I can't make it after all, darn! Sorry to be missing this!

Andrea, that's too bad!

Today happens to be the birthday of poet Mark Strand (Prince Edward Island, 1934)

When I Turned a Hundred
by Mark Strand

I wanted to go on an immense journey, to travel night and day into
the unknown until, forgetting my old self, I came into possession
of a new self, one that I might have missed on my previous travels.
But the first step was beyond me. I lay in bed, unable to move,
pondering, as one does at my age, the ways of melancholy—how it
seeps into the spirit, how it disincarnates the will, how it banishes
the senses to the chill of twilight, how even the best and worst
intentions wither in its keep. I kept staring at the ceiling, then suddenly
felt a blast of cold air, and I was gone.

“When I Turned a Hundred” by Mark Strand from Collected Poems. © Knopf, 2014

I came into possession of a new self, one that I might have missed on my previous travels.

Very interesting to think about ...

And we all are headed to roughly 20 countries in these upcoming months!!

Thanks for the meeting this morning! It’s always fun to see faces & chat about trips & future wishes!

Thank you CW. it was very interesting.

I am sorry that I had to leave before my chance to talk about my trip to Paris. A friend texted me that she was on her way to take me to lunch.

CW, thanks for hosting a great meeting! I really had fun and it was great hearing where everyone is going off to. I hope that everyone has wonderful travels in 2026 and I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone is planning for 2027 and onward.

Great topic today! Fun hearing about everyone's 2026 travel plans. Thank you, CW, for organizing our 'Travel Talk."

Oh, no!! I forgot all about this meeting! I guess I am still distracted. So sorry to have missed what sounds like a really fun and interesting meeting.

Interesting meeting and fun to hear how everyone plans their trips. Always good for future planning and ideas.
Thanks, Catherine! Hope to see some of you if you travel through this part of Germany.

I mentioned the organization called ASOR (American Society of Overseas Research) as a source of interesting tour trips with an archaeological focus, so I thought I would send you the link:

https://www.asor.org/foa/

The group of interest to us travelers is really the FOA -- Friends of ASOR.

Their HQ is in Philadelphia and their mission statement is:

"Tour the world’s most fascinating archaeological sites and museums alongside their curators and scholars. Whether you’re a lifelong learner, heritage enthusiast, or simply curious, our tours offer more than just travel – they connect you directly to the archaeological understanding and efforts to preserve the cultural heritage of each site. Each experience is designed to engage, educate, and motivate, while directly supporting research in the field."