Hi folks! We're looking for advice on a potential two week trip from the Bay Area in September-October (🤞but probably not till next year). Visited Japan (Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka) a couple years ago and absolutely loved it, hands down our favorite destination, between the unfamiliarity of the culture, quality and variety of food, and the general good vibes/weirdness. The safety/cleanliness brought the whole thing together into an awesome experience. Japan was magical and trying to find something similar has made me wonder if we should just keep going back even if I feel strongly that I should keep visiting new places.
I feel a pull to the Asia region because 1. still chasing the dragon from the Tokyo trip and 2. lots of good non-stop flight options from the Bay Area. We've experienced most of Europe and don't feel a pull to South America (maybe Argentina).
In Asia-ish, we've already visited Hong Kong (not bad, missed a certain vibrancy), Bangkok (fun but too dirty imo), Chang Mai/Phuket/Pai (fucking awesome all around), Australia (boring, sorry).
Here's the twist if you've made it this far: we have a kid now! We're not super stressed about traveling with a kid but it really takes down the types of trips we're willing to do - ideally we're looking for either a big city or two to explore for a couple weeks or maybe a road trip around a small country/area.
Here are a few places I've considered and my current opinions (please tell me if you disagree):
Singapore - could be great, something about it feels too... stiff?
Vietnam Road Trip - strong potential, afraid my wife will be worried about the safety or that it's too similar to the Thailand road trip.
Taiwan - apparently great for a taste of China without going to the mainland. Worried that I already experienced something similar in Hong Kong. Heard a road trip could be great?
South Korea/Seoul - Near the top of the list, seems like a different twist on Japan with many of the qualities I really enjoyed. Maybe a little bit toned down? But food seems great, seems easy to get around and enjoy the country.
Indonesia/Philippines/Burma/India - my wife has general concerns about safety especially with the kid. I tend to find these types of destinations particularly interesting but I don't get a sense of "sparkle" from them.
Istanbul - The dark horse of the list that is very interesting to me but my wife thinks is too dangerous. I have a feeling it could be the cultural "wow" that we're looking for but it's also by far the furthest away of any travel destinations.
Very interested to hear any and all thoughts!
Submitted April 28, 2020 at 07:40PM by ldemi https://ift.tt/2zFlEFm
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