What's your dream vacation?

[sabrina]

Not necessarily just a vacation but a mission--someplace where you want to go and what you want to do there.

Personally, I've always had a fascination with Africa and would absolutely love to go there and fly. There's been some great books...one that I reviewed for the magazine is My Heart is Africa: A Flying Adventure by Scott Griffin. Excellent book. Alaska was on my list and I did that a few years back, spending a season there.

Where have you guys always wanted to go and do?

 

[diddyriddick]

One day, I want to dive Truk Lagoon. That, dear friends, is wreck-diving Mecca.

 

[sabrina]

Nice. Truk Lagoon is the home of the I-169 Shinohara submarine.

 

[Vassili Zaitzev]

Wouldn't mind visiting Midway Island, and if possible see the USS Yorktown from an ROV.

 

[diddyriddick]

Nice. Truk Lagoon is the home of the I-169 Shinohara submarine.

And many, many other Japanese ships

Interestingly enough, it is also unique because we can date coral growth to the day for the first time ever.

 

[trackend]

My Dream would be to sail around the world like a guy whos book I read (Shrimpy by Shane Acton) it took him 5 years in a
19 foot yacht he stopped off in dozens of fasinating places. At the end of that voyage i would be happy to see the rest of my days out at home.

 

[Airframes]

I think I've seen enough of parts of Africa to keep me going for a while, although I wouldn't mind seeing some of the areas where my late father served , in the Western Desert, during WW2. Unlikely though, with the political situations there (in general).
But, a tour of three or four months, across Europe and it's battlefields (air and ground), then on to Australia, New Zealand, and around the corner to the U.S.A. would be nice, taking in all my forum friends along the way. If, in the unlikely event, I ever win the National Lottery, it'll definitely be one of the first things I would do.

 

[ToughOmbre]

I want to go to Normandy France, specifically Utah Beach. I would then retrace my father's footsteps on June 6th, 1944, through the surf and across the beach.

After that, I would visit the American Cemetery and Memorial overlooking Omaha Beach. And say thanks to the 9,387 Americans soldiers who never made it home.

TO

 

[sabrina]

Also want to return to AK at some point and spend a summer at Kodiak Island. Was going to do it after I came home from the Anchorage area, but...hell temporarily broke loose and I came here to AZ instead. Kodiak Island's beautiful--and a great place to fly the AK coastline.

 

[Bucksnort101]

So many trips I'd like to take, so little time and money to take them.

1. Alaska- Fish for Salmon and just generally hike around the mountain and raft the rivers.
2. African Safari, hunt South Africa with my Longbow, then just go on Safari and admire the landscape and animal life.
3. Grand Tour of Europe, first see the path my Uncle took with the 83rd Infantry in WWII. Start at Normandy Beach where he landed a few weeks after the invasion, work my way through Brittany and then to the Hurtgen and on into Germany.
This trip would also include the ulitmate sampling tour of all the great Beers of Europe, Czech, German, Belgian, you name it, all the great beer breweries of Europe. Will need a designated driver for this one if anyones care to tag along.

 

[Doughboy]

EDIT: There are no age limits in Africa!
I want to hunt in one of the various countries in Africa....For game like the Cape Buffalo, Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Gemsbok, Kudu, Impala, Duiker, Dik-Dik, Sable, and the Springbok.. Hopefully I can handle the type of caliber you need to hunt the Big 5...I will (probably) oneday go to Africa...I just have a feeling...

I would also like to go to Poland...To see some of the concentration camps there.

 

[BikerBabe]

I've been so lucky as to "explore" the area around Kehlsteinhaus in southern Germany, and we also went to see the house itself - fascinating experience. I bought myself a really good book about the history of the house, which I'm happy to own today.
I'd love to go to Germany and see some of the historically more interesting places - Berlin, Dresden, you name it, if there is a museum that contains anything about WW2, I'd prolly go see it.
France and Normandy could be interesting as well, although I know from a buddy who's been to Normandy, that the place has developed into something that suspiciously looks like a tourist trap...too bad for a place which hold such great significance for anyone with an interest in the history of WW2.
Poland and Russia (Stalingrad anyone?) could be very interesting too, even though I know that some of those places in these countries can have a very tough, sometimes even nasty and decidedly grisly history.
But I think it's important to learn, and to pass on what you learn from Europe's past mistakes - that's my main reason for wanting to visit those places.
And yes I'm also incredibly curious, as I believe that knowledge and the will to learn is power. *steps down from soap box and curtsies*

 

[RabidAlien]

Heh. I'll drive ya, Buck. My dream is to start out in England, and visit all the major and minor sites from all the major and minor battles of WW2. See the spots the BoB launched from, walk the beaches of Normandy, visit Pointe du Hoc and Caen and the canals of the Pegasus Bridge, lose myself in the hedgerows, venture east from there...head north, to follow Hell's Highway and Market Garden. Stroll through the Hurtgen and Ardenne forests, walk through the streets of Bastogne, all the way into Germany and Berlin itself. See the spots where the Dutch underground fought from. Drive across the sands of N. Africa (alas, probably not a safe thing to do these days) and trace the paths made by Rommel and his Afrika Corps. Push up through Italy, stopping at Anzio and Salerno and Monte Cassino, Crete, all the other battles that were fought there; tour old castles that survived the war. And then, turn my sights to the Pacific and the CBI theaters, starting with Australia. Yep...there'll be much camping and much much more photography done along the way!

Great. Now I wanna go on vacation....

 

[RabidAlien]

I've been so lucky as to "explore" the area around Kehlsteinhaus in southern Germany, and we also went to see the house itself - fascinating experience. I bought myself a really good book about the history of the house, which I'm happy to own today.
I'd love to go to Germany and see some of the historically more interesting places - Berlin, Dresden, you name it, if there is a museum that contains anything about WW2, I'd prolly go see it.
France and Normandy could be interesting as well, although I know from a buddy who's been to Normandy, that the place has developed into something that suspiciously looks like a tourist trap...too bad for a place which hold such great significance for anyone with an interest in the history of WW2.
Poland and Russia (Stalingrad anyone?) could be very interesting too, even though I know that some of those places in these countries can have a very tough, sometimes even nasty and decidedly grisly history.
But I think it's important to learn, and to pass on what you learn from Europe's past mistakes - that's my main reason for wanting to visit those places.
And yes I'm also incredibly curious, as I believe that knowledge and the will to learn is power. *steps down from soap box and curtsies*

**applause**

 

[Gnomey]

Honestly not sure as I have probably already done it (last year). I would say I have done Africa (although I'm still going to back) having been to Kenya (3), South Africa (2), Tanzania, Madagascar, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. There are still a number of missing places, still got to go to Uganda/Rwanda to see the Gorilla's and Chimpanzee's and for some reason would like to do a trek through the Congo rainforest and then there is the hunting which I keep saying to myself I will do (I have been a ranger in RSA but missed the shooting of anything), got the contacts to do it, so it will happen no doubt at some point. Been to Australia and (no offence to those Aussie's here) probably won't go back although there are numerous locations in the South Pacific Islands I would wish to go and dive among other things. Also been to Alaska and would probably go back just to take some more pictures and marvel at the scenery.

However despite all travelling (you can never have enough) my trip would be something although the lines of an around the world trip stopping off in South America (rainforest), Africa (hunting/rainforest), Red Sea (Diving), South Pacific (Diving), the Alps (Skiing), British Columbia (Skiing), Colorado (Skiing) and the Western Seaboard of the States (Skiing). I think that then I would of covered everything...

 

[imalko]

Something I would very much like to do is to go to Vienna this July and to attend the commemoration of 200th anniversary battle of Wagram, which was fought on 5/6 July 1809 between Austrians and the French. (Yes, I'm a great admirer of Napoleon.) However, this won't happen due to the money issues. This really bugs me a lot since I already missed the Austerlitz commemoration in 2005. Oh well, I suppose that leaves me the 200th anniversary of "Battle of the Nations" at Leipzig (fought in 1813), Borodino (fought in 1812) and Waterloo (fought in 1815)...

As for sites of WW2 battles I would like to visit Stalingrad (today's Volgograd), Kursk, Ardenes, Normandy and Berlin. I would also like to make small tour of Europe's capitols and especially visit (besides Berlin) Prague, Rome, Paris and London. As for Paris, Eiffel tower, Tomb of Napoleon, Louvre and Triumphant Arc are must see. Trip to the North America is also something I would like to do eventually. One more reason to do this is so I could visit my relatives who emigrated to Canada and whom i haven't seen in 15 years.

Cruise along the Mediterranean which would include visits to Greece and Egypt would also be nice. Don't know about this modern day Pirats though...

Just wondering, since I mentioned cruise in Mediterranean, did some of you guys ever visited medieval city of Dubrovnik? It was regullary included in Mediterranean cruises and is famous tourist attraction in Croatia, same as it was once in former Yugoslavia.

 

[Erich]

sadly so many of the ww2 sites are no-more or just a museum of what was, the landscape is all healed and grown-up.

Dream vacation maybe go back and hit K2 and or Everest

back to Germany in a minute to finish up long overdue visits to Familie and friends, the ideas are already forming, maybe in another year or two down the Moselle River with my Babe'

 

[Catch22]

My dream vacation would be to go to Germany and visit all of the sites I possibly could!

I was actually supposed to go last summer as a graduation present from my grandparents but was/am too sick to go. Hopefully I shape up soon, but I dunno. They said they'd help with a car instead if I can't go but it's not the same really.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Dog Sled to the South Pole.

 

[pbfoot]

This will sound a little strange but a 5 day trip to Brazil , I day for the flight there with a connection to the Rainforest area stay in the forest for 1 day then go to Buenos Aires for Mardi Gras then on day 5 return home other then that I'm quite happy in my little area
Having been on 2 round the world Nav trainers with the CAF and visited all the continents save Antarctica and extended TDY in Europe and the Middle East I came to the conclusion that there is not really a great difference between the tourist trap I live in (15 million tourists annually in a town with 80k) and the ones i visited save for the different insert picture in the lucite key chain. I find tourists invariably get the short shaft and guided tours should be avoided at all costs. IMHO touring is great but stay off the beaten path and hook up or ask locals what to see never ask a guide because he is sure to point you in a direction that will benefit him (kick backs)
That being said if anyone has the urge to visit Niagara Falls look me up and I'll give you a proper tour at no cost