I Love Travel!!

I have been all over the world; Mexico, Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma (Myanmar), India, Egypt, Turkey, Croatia, Spain, and Belize so far. I have a trip planned through the Amazon going to another 10 countries including a number of small islands in December, and also going back to one of the Caribbean countries in January.

I love hotels. I know it's strange, but I do. Not the krap ones obviously, but just normal hotels. They usually have kick a$$ air conditioners. So I like traveling too, because I get to stay in a hotel! Crazy world innit?

I love living in different countries, but hate moving. However once I get somewhere and have unpacked, I'm fine. Lived in Saipan, Palau, Ponape (Micronesia), Bali, and Thailand so far. In Florida now, but eventually I'd like to go over to Europe to live for a while. You learn so much about how different we are -- and how much we are the same -- when you can take time to hang out in a different culture.

I don't have alot of money, but if I did, I would travel every chance I got. I'd love to see Europe. The castles and cathedrals...ride a train thru Austria and Switzerland. I hear it's beautiful. My travels are limited to one-day road trips. Today, I'm driving about 50 miles north to go get my son's 1st car. Tomorrow, we go 100 miles south to visit the college campus my daughter will be attending this fall. Not much compared to what you guys are describing, but, hey, you work with what you got. I've tried and tried to get a better paying job so I can do some more significant traveling, but so far, it's been impossible. Not whining, just being honest. Some people just have what it takes to make the money, that's all. I never knew how. So, for now, I'm content to dream. When the time comes, I'll go where I want to go. And if I wanna stay home, I'll stay home.

I love visiting new places, but I hate traveling. Driving makes me so tense that I always have a backaches, clenched hands, headache after a two-hour drive. And airports are even worse - noisy, chaotic, and full of cranky people (sort of like my middle school, now that I think of it!). Once I get where I'm going, however, I can relax and enjoy the countryside, food, cathedrals, etc.

But that first step out y door is a doozie! When are those scientists going to invent teleporters?

i really liked your story. however if your living in florida its a penninsula surrounded by water right?

so why dont you go to the beaches and try snorkeling, or surfing, skim boarding, this like to travelling to beautiful Hawaii. just think about it if you can drive your children to school 100 miles,

surely you drive 50 or 100 miles to one of our beautiful beaches, i have 5 surfboards and if you decide to try this ill send you one for to try and even keep, but if you dont like id want it back.

how much do you weigh and how tall are you. male or female? cell 954-806-0880 rene (speed)

I agree. There are lots of cool things to do in Florida. Go snorkelling at Pennekamp in the Keys. Or collect sharks' teeth along the beaches in Venice. Swim with the Manatees in the Homosassa River.

If you don't like the water/water sports, there are dozens of hiking trails in the state. Grab a guide from the local library, call a friend, and put on your walking shoes. Enjoyment is a mindset and doesn't cost a thing.

Dubai and Hong Kong are some of my favorite places.

There is a really swank hotel, in the closest big city; where the phone never rings with anyone wanting anything from me. The sunsets from the roof are gorgeous, the beds are deep and delicious. I only go alone, so can sleep as late as I want and be responsible for no one. It has been far too long.

I love travelling alone. No schedules. Doing what I want when I want. Yeah, it's noce to share experiences with someone special... but I still would rather travel alone.

I love to travel, either alone, with friends, or with my family, but when I can't travel, I like to be a tourist in my own town. I live in Savannah, GA so this is pretty easy for me. I can go down to River Street for a stroll, drive over to the beach at Tybee or Hilton Head, visit Fort Pulaski, etc. I think a lot of people dismiss the attractions close to home because they think "Oh, I can always do that, I want to do something different!" But close to home attractions are a great way to spend a lonely Saturday when you don't have the time, money, or inclination to take an actual road trip out of town.

Speaking of things to do with very little money involved, one thing that I love to do is hang out at coffee shops... especially the ones where you can sit outside and people-watch. This became a daily activity in Bali, Paris, Lisbon, and a number of other places I've been to. In a lot of cultures, people are likely to sit at a table with you and strike up a conversation around just about anything.

Even here in Florida, there's just something about hanging out at Starbucks.

I am about to go to Europe for the first time. My friends and I are going to Budapest, then to Amsterdam. We will in each city for 4 days. If anyone has been to either place, some advice would be great.

Hi beloved0000!

I don't have a lot of money, either, so I don't get to travel nearly as much as I'd like to. I have found that I can get really great deals through "fam trips" and "time share promotions" (when you take your vacation, you have to visit a property for a couple hours and listen to their sales pitch, but no obligation to buy). My first offers were from Ramada Plaza Resorts; they offer different packages. You can pay a very small amount of money to cover hotel costs for several different places. Through these offers, I have been to Florida a couple times, Aruba, Freeport and Nassau Bahamas, and Puerto Vallarta MX. I had to pay for my transportation, but saving the cost of the hotels made it affordable. I haven't done one in a while, so I'm not sure what their package deals would be right now. (My guess is that they would be very inexpensive right now, due to the economy.) They do give you up to a year to take the trip, so you'd have time to save up, and if you need to extend your time, they will do that for a small fee. It's well worth checking into, and if you ever do one, they'll continue to send you offers from time to time. I have one on my desk right now, just haven't called, yet.

Hope you can take advantage of some of these...and you can always invite a friend to split the cost. :)

Happy Traveling!

OK...I would like to amend my previous post. Since I posted, I went online to see what offers were available through Ramada Plaza Resorts. I googled, and found many, many, many complaints about the company, its service and the vacation packages. I am really surprised. I have taken several vacations with this company and have never had a problem. Granted, these were several years back (2003,2004), so it is possible that the quality of this company has gone way down hill since then. I have decided to throw away the offer from them that was on my desk. I'm disappointed, because I really enjoyed my vacations.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what I found out because I certainly don't want to recommend this company after reading what I have about them, this morning.

Just got back from the Caribbean! I absolutely loved Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. I recommend this island to everyone. It's pretty small - only 28 square miles, but the water and the beaches are some of the best I've ever seen.

Dallas_Guy, you will love Europe! I was in London and Paris last year. Go to www.tripadvisor.com, which is a really really helpful site. I planned most of my trip through that site. Also, www.fodors.com has a lot of good information as well. But go to tripadvisor first. Have fun in planning!

-Sunny