Welcome. I'm so excited to have non-American readers. And I have a question specifically for -you- reader(s) from New Zealand: is the weather really bad in NZ in August? Would it be silly for an American couple to come visit then? Especially a couple who won't be skiing.
Because I kind-of had my heart set on NZ for our honeymoon. But all sorts of silliness has pushed the honeymoon up from September/October to August. And JD is convinced the weather will not be great.
And he wants to go to Croatia. Yes, it's supposed to be beautiful but I wanted to go someplace far away, someplace hard to get to, someplace I won't go back to in the next couple of years. And Croatia doesn't really qualify given the amount of time I have to spend in Western Europe in the next few years.
Let's review, places I would love to honeymoon:
New Zealand
Iceland circle route
Turkey
Vietnam
Galapagos Islands (after we win the lottery naturally)
Places JD thinks are safe for poor, delicate me (and yes, I do have the bad habit of getting seriously ill on trips, but I know a lot about what to avoid by this point in my life. and I have fabulous travel docs on speed dial in both the U.S. and Europe):
Scandanavia
Croatia
Canada
Argentina
See a pattern here? Who do you think is more cautious? I think JD might just have forgotten who he is marrying. Within the next 2 years we will definitely be traveling to China and India for different reasons, and I will be spending at least 8 months in Europe in the next year and a half. I actually remembered to have all of my travel shots update before our first (canceled) cycle in preparation for those trips.
And now I'm reconsidering my original demand to go to Wales (which I find incredibly romantic) for my honeymoon. Maybe we should revert to Plan A. It's safe, easy to travel, and way too expensive for us to do later.
Clearly we're not the far along in the planning process, so suggestions much appreciated. I am pretty firm at this point that we won't be going anywhere in Western Europe. But any other advice would be great. The trip will be about 3 weeks, and we clearly don't have this money, so whatever it lands up costing, we'll figure it out when we both start working again in the fall. But given the stress on our relationship of 5 years of commuting, IF and now a potential addition, I'm sure it's worth the splurge.
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5 comments:
What difficult choices. Personally,I love Scandinavia. Norway in the summer is gorgeous.
I'm not your Kiwi visitor, but I did spend some time in NZ and I wouildn't want to vacation there in August if skiing is off the itinerary.
I am a tour guide and I can tell you that Vietnam, for all that it sounds third world, is lovely and there is a lot to see. The people are friendly, the toilets are western, they accept US dollars in payment (even in the remotest villages) and give US dollars in change. They have gorgeous resort areas (Hoi An is one of them). Also, don't miss the Temples of Angkor outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia. They are amazing!
Well those are lovely places. I've been to NZ and the Galapagoes Islands. They are both top 5 destinations.
I loved both. I'd vote for a small boat cruise if you were doing the Galapagos. For other reasons I love NZ. The top of the South Island (nelson, motueka, Able Tasman national park) is amazing and tends to get better weather year around. I've eaten sub-tropical fruits from orchards in the North Island in July. There are some interesting lodges in national parks, hot springs, and road trip options galore.
Less fun things but good things: Flights tend to be cheaper in August and accomodation is more open. Health care is good and any accidents are covered by ACC.
As for weather details - http://www.emigratenz.org/new-zealand-climate.html has some info
Also, sometimes there are flights to Australia with free stop overs in NZ. For example, stop over in Auckland then Sydney/Melbourne then on way back stop over in Christchurch.
Okay enough random information... Good luck deciding between so many wonderful places. I spent my honeymoon in a cabin without a working stove in the middle of nowhere and it was cut short to spend time with my dying grandfather-in-law -- it was great fun to spend some time playing 'plan a proper honeymoon' Wish you a wonderful time where ever you choose to be!
I'm back and glad to catch-up on what's going on with you. Sounds like things are progressing well!
In regards to the honeymoon, I would avoid Croatia since August is the prime vacation time for Europeans and August is the holiday month. I've been to NZ but not in August, so I don't know how it would be then. I have been to Scandanavia in July and August and it was amazing. Argentina is supposed to be fabulous from everything I've heard, but I haven't been there.
Whatever you decide, just enjoy being together and relaxing after the wedding and before your new addition :)
why not try Australia? August is the best time.
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