I'm looking to book a 2 week trip to one of the 3 below, all of which I know my fiancé would love, but it's just a matter of what to prioritize for 2020. The timing is flexible, please recommend which month would be best for each destination!
I'm a minimally experienced traveller, and I have that desire to try and go to lots of places rather than stay in 1 city for 5+ days, as I'm still learning what my travel preferences are and want to be exposed to some variety, though I'm intimidated by how inaccessible Asia feels (language wise), and I don't know whether it's easier or harder than I think.
Our interests include food, sights that are both city and nature based, only a casual interest in history. Would be interested in some physical activities as a small component of the trip (i.e. kayak, sailing, hiking, caves, etc) but not as the primary focus. I also like markets and thrift shopping off the beaten path. Our interests do not include beer & wine tastings, high end shopping or nightlife.
Option 1: Italy
I was thinking Florence & Rome as mandatory, then add maybe Naples and a coastal small towns. Not interested in Venice or Pisa, but am willing to hear other recommendations. It's likely I would return to Italy so I'm not too worried about trying to fit in the maximum.
Pros: This would be the "easiest" of the vacations food wise, language wise, and itinerary wise. I think it would be the most relaxing, and the most centered on taking it slow and soaking it in.
Cons: It's the "easiest' and therefore perhaps not as exciting and novel. We have previously been to Spain & Portugal so already have some of the Mediterranean experience, though Italy would be very different. I can't decide if I want to have more variety in a 2 week period or if Italy will keep me happy.
Option 2: Japan
This would likely start in Tokyo due to easiness of flight access, and then definitely Kyoto. Osaka and Nagoya seem like easy add-ons due to proximity, but I'd appreciate some recommendations of more nature/smaller areas to check out (outside of Mt Fuji) that aren't extremely remote or extremely physically demanding. We're more interested in old school Japan than new age Japan. I'm also thinking of flying in through Seoul to add another really different culture on the way over for a little extra variety.
Pros: we both love ancient Japanese style, the culture would be the most different & exciting in comparison to where we've been before. The combination of old and new would be interesting as well. Adding on South Korea would also be great.
Cons: this would be the most stressful to figure out, primarily due to language & alphabet barriers. I'm not certain if I would have a hard time eating as I don't eat fish. Also expensive! I also have a trip planned for Vietnam + Thailand in Feb 2021, so I question if I should have Europe in the middle to break up the Asia + Asia back to back, even though obviously there is a huge difference in everything when comparing the two trips.
Option 3: Central Europe
This would likely be something like Prague + Krakow + Budapest + Vienna, maybe with a stop to Brno for Moravian Karst along the way. I think this would likely be the most city-centric trip of the options, unless there are some must see places nearby-ish that I would be an idiot to miss out on.
Pros: The most countries & therefore the most variety, though there would be enough cultural similarities that I don't feel it would be too whiplashy. Better price point in some of the sites vs somewhere like Japan. I'm not intimidated by navigating trains & buses in Europe.
Cons: The itinerary of ~3 days per place feels like it could be slightly rushed, especially considering losing a day on either side for flying to/from home (Canada). Difficult to prepare language wise for multiple countries. This one feels like the "medium" difficulty trip for these reasons.
Let me know your thoughts and recommendations, as the more I research about each location the more I keep changing my mind.
Submitted November 24, 2019 at 06:19PM by AlphaPeach https://ift.tt/2Df47SZ
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