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Post by tiffany on Aug 22, 2016 12:11:45 GMT
So I might be getting ahead of myself, especially since I have not gone on my 2016 trip yet, but I’m already planning for 2017, and I’m sure some of you are as well. As of now, I’m planning a Southern Caribbean cruise for March of 2017, and the Northern Spain tour in Sept/Oct 2017. As the Northern Spain tour is not part of Trafalgar’s Preview program, I’m going to wait until January to book.
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Post by californian on Aug 22, 2016 15:17:58 GMT
Good for you Tiffany! I think I am done with long flights for now, although I have said that before as my family reminds me. But I am seriously thinking about staying within the continent, especially seeing a little more of Canada, maybe even a driving trip with friends. Part of my family moved to North Carolina in the SE of USA, going for 10 days in November, looking forward to see that part of my country. And thanks to you, Chech and others will get to know parts of the world that I never will personally. I did a little part of the North of Spain with the Best of Spain, certainly very nice, loved San Sebastian and the food! Happy travels!
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Post by tiffany on Aug 22, 2016 15:30:49 GMT
Road trips across the US and Canada would be nice, and at least you’re still travelling. I hope to drive across Canada and the US someday. I want to go on trips that are further away right now, as I’m able to handle the longer flights, but I plan on travelling through Canada and the US when I’m older and can’t handle the long plane rides anymore. I hope that won’t happen for years to come though, as I have a long list of tours I want to go on in Europe, Asia, Australian, New Zealand and South America.
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Post by grandma7 on Aug 22, 2016 20:12:59 GMT
Planning ahead is a good idea - lots of time to research places so you are not making a hasty decision. We booked Insight's Easy Pace Russia in June for Sept. 2017 - getting the 2016 prices and lots of time to save up and plan. As for driving trips - I agree - we are trying to do the long haul trips while we can manage the long flights - and will do the driving, closer to home trips when overseas flights get to be too much!
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Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
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Post by Pauline on Aug 23, 2016 0:50:43 GMT
So I might be getting ahead of myself, especially since I have not gone on my 2016 trip yet, but I’m already planning for 2017, and I’m sure some of you are as well. As of now, I’m planning a Southern Caribbean cruise for March of 2017, and the Northern Spain tour in Sept/Oct 2017. As the Northern Spain tour is not part of Trafalgar’s Preview program, I’m going to wait until January to book. I'll be booking a tour of Scandinavia for travel in June/July 2017, once I return from this years holiday. Travelling with an Australian company and doing this tour: www.bunniktours.com.au/Europe-Tours/Small-Group-Tours/Scandinavian-DiscoveryI'll be traveling with my best friend Mary, who is the one about to start on the Trafalgar tour of Turkey & cruise.
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Post by chech on Aug 23, 2016 12:08:23 GMT
Oh, that's a nice tour, Pauline! And you don't drive all that way north and back like some do. I think the only thing you don't do that really defines Norway is Geiranger.....but you do go to Laerdal, so you should do the ferry through the Sognefjord. (My Norway Tale would cover that area and the Flam) I've settled most of my choices for 2017. Feb/March - EgyptMay - Nepal/TibetNovember - Kenya/TanzaniaIt leaves a big gap in the summer so I might consider Scotland or New York/Washington DC to break that up.
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Post by bet on Aug 24, 2016 10:59:09 GMT
Lucky you Chech, not only having the money but the time to travel and in every season as well. Your definition of a big gap over summer isn't quite so big for most us who are only lucky enough to travel once a year if that.
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Post by bet on Aug 24, 2016 11:02:32 GMT
I'm planning an overland African Safari for 2017, just focusing on Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar.
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Post by tiffany on Aug 24, 2016 11:48:49 GMT
Good for you for being able to do a few tours next year. If I had the time and money to travel as much as you do in a year, I would! I love New York, but I also really enjoyed Scotland when I was there, and I hope to go back again someday. It will hard for you to choose between the two for next summer.
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Post by chech on Aug 24, 2016 12:39:38 GMT
The Kenya tour I listed goes to Zanzibar as well. I like that tour cause there's no internal flights except the flight to Zanzibar and that's not an extension. It's included. And a decent price for a three week tour.
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Post by chech on Aug 24, 2016 12:45:36 GMT
Good for you for being able to do a few tours next year. If I had the time and money to travel as much as you do in a year, I would! I love New York, but I also really enjoyed Scotland when I was there, and I hope to go back again someday. It will hard for you to choose between the two for next summer. I just had an internet friend pass away at 62. She loved to travel and regretted not doing more. I put my name in for those tours the day after she passed. Thankfully, I have a decent army pension but for the next couple years, my bank account will be kind of stagnant....but I hope to have no regrets. And yeah...another friend just came back from Ireland and Scotland and she recommended Scotland too. She said Ireland was too much like home...LOL
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Post by tiffany on Aug 24, 2016 12:59:24 GMT
Good for you for being able to do a few tours next year. If I had the time and money to travel as much as you do in a year, I would! I love New York, but I also really enjoyed Scotland when I was there, and I hope to go back again someday. It will hard for you to choose between the two for next summer. I just had an internet friend pass away at 62. She loved to travel and regretted not doing more. I put my name in for those tours the day after she passed. Thankfully, I have a decent army pension but for the next couple years, my bank account will be kind of stagnant....but I hope to have no regrets. And yeah...another friend just came back from Ireland and Scotland and she recommended Scotland too. She said Ireland was too much like home...LOL I’ve had some health issues this year, which have made me realize how important it is to do what you love today, because you don’t know if you’ll be able to tomorrow. I’m so glad I started travelling young and hope to continue travelling for years to come. I’ve had to sacrifice things to travel, like buying a home, but I rent a nice apartment in a nice area of Toronto, and really don’t feel the need to own. I’d rather have the extra money to travel! I make sure all of my bills are paid, and put money aside for emergencies and retirement, but after that, my money is mine to do with what I want, and that would be travelling! I really liked Ireland when I was there, but I preferred Scotland, and I spent less time in Scotland. I found the people to be really nice, and it was a beautiful country. My friends and I are thinking of going on the 14 day tour of Scotland and the Highlands in 2018. That’s a way off though, so that could change.
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Post by chech on Aug 24, 2016 14:29:57 GMT
Yeah, apartments are great for that type of situation, especially with the discipline to make sure bills and retirement are taken care of. My sister turns 44 today is still up to her head in car debt and student loans...her husband is still paying off an RV, motorcycle and his truck....and they just bought a house but didn't stop spending money on crap. And the kicker is that they both are in temporary high-paying jobs that can end at any time! No retirement savings at all....makes my head pop when I hear them planning on going to Europe or something...LOL Two weeks in Scotland would cover so much. The couple I've looked at are 14-15 days and really comprehensive.
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Post by tiffany on Aug 24, 2016 17:40:19 GMT
Yeah, apartments are great for that type of situation, especially with the discipline to make sure bills and retirement are taken care of. My sister turns 44 today is still up to her head in car debt and student loans...her husband is still paying off an RV, motorcycle and his truck....and they just bought a house but didn't stop spending money on crap. And the kicker is that they both are in temporary high-paying jobs that can end at any time! No retirement savings at all....makes my head pop when I hear them planning on going to Europe or something...LOL Two weeks in Scotland would cover so much. The couple I've looked at are 14-15 days and really comprehensive. A lot of people live that way now-a-days. They live pay-cheque to pay-cheque, or they live in debt, just so that they can have it all. I was taught to pay myself first, which meant putting money aside for retirement and in an emergency savings account. After that, you pay all of your bills, and, if there’s any money left over after that, you can spend it on what you want. I know a lot of people who have no savings or money put aside for retirement, yet they are still living like they are rich. I hope they don’t regret it some day.
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Post by bet on Aug 25, 2016 0:10:29 GMT
The Kenya tour I listed goes to Zanzibar as well. I like that tour cause there's no internal flights except the flight to Zanzibar and that's not an extension. It's included. And a decent price for a three week tour. Your tour is almost identical, with Masai Mara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater except you have the flight to Zanzibar, my tour is completely overland so there will be some long travel days, but it's part of the adventure. Ending the trip on the beaches of Zanzibar was a definite for me. I've heard Africa isn't as cheap as people think and the optionals like the ballon ride in Serengeti are very pricy US$500+
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Post by chech on Aug 25, 2016 0:27:21 GMT
Wow, that is pricey! I wouldn't be doing it either way. I don't do balloon rides anywhere. Don't really trust them....but I would probably ask one of them to take my point-n-shoot up with them to snap a few pics. And maybe I could get a few with the balloons rising and Kilimanjaro in the background....hmmmm.
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Post by bet on Aug 25, 2016 0:30:25 GMT
I'm very much the same, I've always lived and breathed travel, once all my expenses are paid the rest goes on travel. I don't live a high maintance lifestyle but I know people who do and live way beyond their means and are up to their eyeballs in debt. I have to save hard and make some sacrifices to travel but it's worth it in the end, coming home from a trip and not owing a single dollar is a great feeling.
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Post by bet on Aug 25, 2016 0:36:09 GMT
Wow, that is pricey! I wouldn't be doing it either way. I don't do balloon rides anywhere. Don't really trust them....but I would probably ask one of them to take my point-n-shoot up with them to snap a few pics. And maybe I could get a few with the balloons rising and Kilimanjaro in the background....hmmmm. Sure is, I'm not totally comfortable with balloon rides either & I have the option of a ballon ride on my India trip so I'll wait and see. I know they use companies with high safety standards but even so.. I don't want to miss out either and regret not doing it either... I'm hoping the weather is good to see Mt Kilimanjaro
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Post by mary on Aug 25, 2016 2:52:05 GMT
I enjoyed reading where everyone is going in 2017.
I booked a tour to Ecuador for 2017. I considered Trafalgar's "Secrets of Ecuador", but ended up booking a Cosmos tour, "Ecuador: From The Andes to the Amazon". It just appealed to me more. I've not previously been on a budget tour, but I had an excellent experience on my Globus tour to Peru in 2015 - Cosmos is under the Globus group, so I decided to go for it.
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Post by chech on Aug 25, 2016 11:43:11 GMT
Wow, that is pricey! I wouldn't be doing it either way. I don't do balloon rides anywhere. Don't really trust them....but I would probably ask one of them to take my point-n-shoot up with them to snap a few pics. And maybe I could get a few with the balloons rising and Kilimanjaro in the background....hmmmm. Sure is, I'm not totally comfortable with balloon rides either & I have the option of a ballon ride on my India trip so I'll wait and see. I know they use companies with high safety standards but even so.. I don't want to miss out either and regret not doing it either... I'm hoping the weather is good to see Mt Kilimanjaro Yeah, I used to think it would be okay in some places due to higher standards...then the balloon crashed in New Zealand...and now Texas. If you decide not to do it, you can always do the camera hand off....though I wouldn't hand off my cell phone though...no strap. LOL I do get nervous every time I see someone holding a phone or tablet over the edge of a ship. One of these days....
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Post by chech on Aug 25, 2016 11:43:44 GMT
I enjoyed reading where everyone is going in 2017.
I booked a tour to Ecuador for 2017. I considered Trafalgar's "Secrets of Ecuador", but ended up booking a Cosmos tour, "Ecuador: From The Andes to the Amazon". It just appealed to me more. I've not previously been on a budget tour, but I had an excellent experience on my Globus tour to Peru in 2015 - Cosmos is under the Globus group, so I decided to go for it. Oh, I'd love to hear about that one when you get back!
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Post by tiffany on Aug 25, 2016 11:45:01 GMT
I enjoyed reading where everyone is going in 2017.
I booked a tour to Ecuador for 2017. I considered Trafalgar's "Secrets of Ecuador", but ended up booking a Cosmos tour, "Ecuador: From The Andes to the Amazon". It just appealed to me more. I've not previously been on a budget tour, but I had an excellent experience on my Globus tour to Peru in 2015 - Cosmos is under the Globus group, so I decided to go for it. I’m looking forward to hearing about your trip when you get back, and whether you enjoyed travelling with Cosmo. I’ve heard mixed reviews about them. I know two women who have traveled with them twice and loved both tours, and one couple who travelled with them once, and said never again. It will be nice to get your take on the tour company. I always seem to book with Trafalgar because I know what to expect with them. I’m always worried about spending money on a tour with another tour group, only to find the standards are not the same.
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Post by tiffany on Aug 25, 2016 11:47:49 GMT
Wow, that is pricey! I wouldn't be doing it either way. I don't do balloon rides anywhere. Don't really trust them....but I would probably ask one of them to take my point-n-shoot up with them to snap a few pics. And maybe I could get a few with the balloons rising and Kilimanjaro in the background....hmmmm. Sure is, I'm not totally comfortable with balloon rides either & I have the option of a ballon ride on my India trip so I'll wait and see. I know they use companies with high safety standards but even so.. I don't want to miss out either and regret not doing it either... I'm hoping the weather is good to see Mt Kilimanjaro I went on a balloon ride while in Turkey, and felt very safe, however, there is always a risk. You’ll have to decide when you get there if it’s safe enough to go on one.
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Post by mary on Aug 25, 2016 12:47:55 GMT
I enjoyed reading where everyone is going in 2017.
I booked a tour to Ecuador for 2017. I considered Trafalgar's "Secrets of Ecuador", but ended up booking a Cosmos tour, "Ecuador: From The Andes to the Amazon". It just appealed to me more. I've not previously been on a budget tour, but I had an excellent experience on my Globus tour to Peru in 2015 - Cosmos is under the Globus group, so I decided to go for it. I’m looking forward to hearing about your trip when you get back, and whether you enjoyed travelling with Cosmo. I’ve heard mixed reviews about them. I know two women who have traveled with them twice and loved both tours, and one couple who travelled with them once, and said never again. It will be nice to get your take on the tour company. I always seem to book with Trafalgar because I know what to expect with them. I’m always worried about spending money on a tour with another tour group, only to find the standards are not the same. I've heard mixed reviews on Cosmos also and went back and forth on my decision on this trip. All my tours up to this point have been on Trafalgar/Insight except my Peru trip with Globus - I do feel I am taking a bit of a chance with Cosmos. I picked this tour based on the itinerary, so keeping my fingers crossed.
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Post by marielouise on Aug 25, 2016 16:54:26 GMT
When I went to Turkey in 2007, I was contemplating taking the hot air balloon over Cappadocia, but just before the tour, there were 2 accidents in Canada, one near Winnipeg and the other in BC with loss of life, so my family told me not to do it. Then a few years later there was an accident in Cappadocia with at least one dead. So when I went back with DH in 2010, we did not do it, although I was tempted. In 2007 the TD would arrange it but not in 2010 because of liability issues.
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Post by purvis on Aug 25, 2016 18:19:39 GMT
I'm glad to hear that so many of you take your trips with monies left after all necessary daily expenses and retirement commitments are handled first. At age 81 I see many people reaching retirement age with little or no funds available to maintain even a simple lifestyle . It's fine to have the nice things in life when you're young but if you live long enough you will need savings to live on when you can no longer work and if you think government pensions will be enough you're kidding yourselves. Recent Canadian stats show that one of the most heavily in debt age groups is now seniors who have retired still owing on mortgages. Assisted living units in my city range from $30,000.00 to $60,000.00 per year. (2 bedroom,2 bathrooms). A senior would need an annual after taxes income of about $70,000.00 minimum to live in such residences. Purvis
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Post by tiffany on Aug 25, 2016 19:29:52 GMT
When I was in college, I managed a telemarketing room, and there was a women in her early sixty’s working for me just so she could have a little extra spending money. She had been a stay-at-home mom all of her life, and her husband died young without a pension, and she had no money put aside for retirement, nor did she have any work experience in order to get a decent paying job. She applied for early CPP, but it wasn’t enough for her to pay her bills, and her daughter had to give her money every month to help her out. She was lucky that her daughter could afford to do that. I remember thinking that I don’t want to be like that when I’m in my 60’s, and it encouraged me to start saving for retirement as soon as I got my first full time job after college. I was told if you start saving in your 20’s, 10% of your pay should be a sufficient amount of money to put in your RRSP’s every pay, however, if you start saving in your 30’s or 40’s, you should give more that than.
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Post by purvis on Aug 25, 2016 22:58:29 GMT
What really scare me are those ads for reversed mortgages where you can borrow up to 55% of your fully paid homes value. No need to pay the "loan" back until you sell your home at which time the loan company takes back the monies they loaned you plus the compounded interest thus after paying off this loan & real estate fees many are going to find out that they really don't have much left for their new residences . I only hope it isn't an assisted living residence which can be very expensive and is in reality high monthly rent with nothing to show but a rent receipt in the end. Purvis
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Post by tassiedevil on Aug 26, 2016 12:04:08 GMT
Some nice trips planned for next year Chech! I would choose Scotland any day over NYC! I liked NYC but I love Scotland! I spent 2 weeks with a hire car driving around Scotland last year, got to see so much.
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Post by chech on Aug 26, 2016 18:55:39 GMT
I'd love to drive it...but I've tried and I can't drive on the wrong side of the road!
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