Help! Where should we go after Iceland?
As I’ve written before, choosing where to rest our heads when the whole world is our oyster can be difficult. So, we’re asking for your help – where should we go in November?
Until then, we have a great itinerary. I’m writing this from the airport on our way to Iceland for 3 days of 25th anniversary celebration. Then 10 days in a rural French village, followed by a 2-week house-sit in Ireland, an 8-day mountain-bike trip in Italy, and a week relaxing with family on the French Mediterranean. Finally, 35-40 days hiking the Camino Frances, ending up in Santiago de Compostela, Spain the first week in November.
We are opening ourselves up to YOU (aka the Universe) to decide where to go after Santiago. We’re asking you to share your ideas (in the comments below this blog post, or on Facebook), then we’ll ask a small group of friends/family to sort through it all and come up with a destination and buy (with our card) the plane ticket and first accommodations. We will not know where we’re going until we arrive in Santiago. How’s that for trust?
A few logistical parameters. We want to stay within a 2-4 hour flight of Spain (ie, stay in the region), but it also has to be outside the Schengen area (the European Union countries who have open borders and restrict foreigners to 90 days of visits in any 180-day period – see list below). Preferably not a country we’ve already experienced (see second list below). Sarah needs good internet for her work. Sarah’s mom prefers no active war zones.
So put on your creative Where’s Waldo adventure hats and drum up the November of a Lifetime for us. After so many adventures and countries in Aug-Oct, we hope to settle down somewhere we can enjoy for a full month (or longer) exploring new culture, food, language, outdoors, ways of being. And hey, if your idea gets picked, maybe that’ll inspire you to come visit!
Schengen countries sadly not eligible for our destination: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland
Countries we have already experienced:
| SARAH | RICKY |
| Canada | Austria |
| Central African Republic | Botswana |
| Columbia | Cameroon |
| Costa Rica | Canada |
| Cuba | Central African Republic |
| DR | Columbia |
| Ecuador | Costa Rica |
| England | Cuba |
| France | Czechslovakia |
| Gambia | Denmark |
| Guatemala | Egypt |
| hong kong | England |
| Ivory Coast | Ethiopia |
| Malawi | France |
| Malaysia | Germany |
| Mexico | Ghana |
| Mozambique | Guatemala |
| myanmar | hong kong |
| Nepal | India |
| Netherlands | Ivory Coast |
| Nicaragua | Kenya |
| Peru | Madagascar |
| Senegal | Malawi |
| South Africa | Malaysia |
| Spain | Mexico |
| USA | Mozambique |
| Zambia | myanmar |
| Zimbabwe | Nepal |
| Netherlands | |
| Nicaragua | |
| Panama | |
| Peru | |
| South Africa | |
| Spain | |
| Sri Lanka | |
| Sweden | |
| Switzerland | |
| Tanzania | |
| USA | |
| Zaire | |
| Zambia | |
| Zimbabwe |
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5 Comments
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Currently in...
Philadelphia
Heading to...
Costa Rica (Monteverde) till Christmas, then Thailand (Chiang Mai), Vietnam (Hoi Ann, Feb-Mar). Please share any sites, people or ideas by email.
It’s a little farther from Spain than you want, but the Republic of Georgia is a gem. It’s inexpensive. Tbilisi is a Mediterranean-like city that sleeps late and celebrates late. The food and wine is fantastic. The hospitality is warm and generous. The hiking and outdoors is vast and beautiful (though the Caucuses may be pretty snowy but November. It’s small and you can get places pretty easily. That’s my vote.
Oh. And there’s lots of digital nomads in Tbilisi and the internet is excellent. (May be less so the hinterlands.) And Russia does occupy about 20% of the country, in two regions, but it is occupied elsewhere (and occupying elsewhere) and there’s no active war zone near by.
Mónaco?
Too bad Greece in the Schengen area. Neither of you have been there, and the islands are quite a sight.
About the only other place I’ve been that you haven’t is Istanbul, Turkey. Fascinating culture in a modern city. Tasty food.
I’ve always wanted to go to Morocco; I’ve heard it’s gorgeous. Tunisia must be good; a lot of Europeans visit there.
Friends spent time in Turkey and loved it. They were in the Marmaris area for the most part. That’s my recommendation for November.
Greece would also be on my destination list! (Although you’d have to wait until you could return to the Schengen area). Kefalonia (or Cephalonia) is the island where my maternal grandfather was born and lived until immigrating to the U.S. at the age of 16 or so.