Official Travel Thread

[Deleted]

Dude get a passport even if you don't go on the trip.

[llamaoftime]

Jan 15, 2018 11:17:50 GMT -6 neader said:

Jan 15, 2018 11:10:58 GMT -6 llamaoftime said:

I'm super split on whether I want to go to Europe this year (probably Berlin), probably would do Saturday to Saturday over Labor day week, or just split my vacation days left up a bit more and take smaller trips while saving to do a much bigger Europe trip in 2019. I already used half my vacation days for 2018 last week so I'm a bit limited, and I do like having it spread out some.

I feel like I need to decide on this Europe thing ASAP because I don't even have a passport yet and will need to start saving for it. If I stick to smaller trips I don't need to make any decisions right now

If you can take a much bigger trip in 2019 do that, but how much time can you take off at once? Like what constitutes "bigger"?

if I go next year and not this year it'd probably be like a 12-14 day trip and I'd hit multiple cities. I'd also save more for it and probably be able to go bigger on like food and accommodations and entertainment. Also I'd be more likely to be able to get someone to go with me for at least part of the trip, which I think I'd prefer (not that I don't enjoy traveling alone) 

If I go this year it's going to be roughly be 5-7 days (though 1-2 of those would be taken up by travel) and I'd probably stick to one city (though maybe a day trip to somewhere nearby depending where I go) and likely be by myself.

If I do a week long trip this year I'd still strongly consider doing another week long trip next year. Wouldn't do a two week trip though 

[llamaoftime]

Jan 15, 2018 11:19:56 GMT -6 scoots said:

Dude get a passport even if you don't go on the trip.

yeah I know I need to get on that this week and I think I will

[andrewvb]

it sounds like you only travel domestically for work, but given that you do travel for work you should get a passport in case the opportunity arises. you don't want to miss out because of something like that.

[neader]

Jan 15, 2018 11:26:53 GMT -6 llamaoftime said:

Jan 15, 2018 11:17:50 GMT -6 neader said:

If you can take a much bigger trip in 2019 do that, but how much time can you take off at once? Like what constitutes "bigger"?

if I go next year and not this year it'd probably be like a 12-14 day trip and I'd hit multiple cities. I'd also save more for it and probably be able to go bigger on like food and accommodations and entertainment. Also I'd be more likely to be able to get someone to go with me for at least part of the trip, which I think I'd prefer (not that I don't enjoy traveling alone) 

If I go this year it's going to be roughly be 5-7 days (though 1-2 of those would be taken up by travel) and I'd probably stick to one city (though maybe a day trip to somewhere nearby depending where I go) and likely be by myself.

If I do a week long trip this year I'd still strongly consider doing another week long trip next year. Wouldn't do a two week trip though 

Do you know where you want to go yet outside of Berlin? That could help determine it.

[llamaoftime]

Jan 15, 2018 11:29:34 GMT -6 neader said:

Jan 15, 2018 11:26:53 GMT -6 llamaoftime said:

if I go next year and not this year it'd probably be like a 12-14 day trip and I'd hit multiple cities. I'd also save more for it and probably be able to go bigger on like food and accommodations and entertainment. Also I'd be more likely to be able to get someone to go with me for at least part of the trip, which I think I'd prefer (not that I don't enjoy traveling alone) 

If I go this year it's going to be roughly be 5-7 days (though 1-2 of those would be taken up by travel) and I'd probably stick to one city (though maybe a day trip to somewhere nearby depending where I go) and likely be by myself.

If I do a week long trip this year I'd still strongly consider doing another week long trip next year. Wouldn't do a two week trip though 

Do you know where you want to go yet outside of Berlin? That could help determine it.

London, Dublin, and Lisbon are at the top of my list. Maybe Paris too. I need to do some further research to narrow it down, I haven't looked into things hard. I'd like to do Italy too but I don't really want to do that one alone. Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Oslo are all ones I've thought about too but I need to do more research on them. If I did the trip this year I'm thinking either Berlin or London (maybe could wing London and Dublin together but that might not be worth it for a shorter trip)

[neader]

Fortunately you can do most of those as trips. London, Dublin, and Lisbon is doable in two weeks as is Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Oslo (haven't been to the latter two, just based on what I've heard).

[Deleted]

So minus the shit show that happened during the big winter storm, JFK is the better airport to use when traveling to NYC, correct?

[venom]

not necessarily. nj transit from newark can often be quicker if you're going to/from manhattan.

[alady]

JFK is the least gross.

[doso]

All three NYC-area airports tend to lead the nation in terms of flights delays, so you're not much more likely to experience a delay at one location versus another.

EWR is a complete hassle to get to from Brooklyn, so I only fly in/out of there if it's absolutely necessary. Despite it being a dump, I prefer LGA to JFK because it's generally easier to get to and the terminals are much smaller than JFK's, making it easier to navigate. In my experience, JFK security lines tend to be much longer compared to LGA. On the other hand, the difference is negligible if you have TSA Pre-Check.

Depends where you're going, but for me, using public transportation to get to JFK involves multiple transfers whereas I can take one subway and an express bus to/from LGA. JFK has the Airtrain which links to the subway system and the LIRR, but transferring between systems (especially if you do Airtrain -> LIRR -> subway) can be daunting depending on who's traveling. The cab/Uber ride to/from LGA is quicker and less expensive from the more popular areas of Brooklyn such as Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Park Slope and Downtown Brooklyn.

LGA, of course, is under construction as they are working on the multi-billion dollar improvement plan. When they first started, there was some chaos with traffic getting snarled, but they seem to have worked out those issues and I've been able to zip in and out with comparative ease over the past 6-9 months. Also, if you're flying Delta, you come into either the Marine Air Terminal which is very nice or Terminal C/D which are also fine. Terminal B is the nasty one (American, United, JetBlue, Frontier, Spirit).

Generally speaking, I'll typically go for LGA and recommend it to people flying in (especially if I'm picking them up), but if I knew I was going to be stuck or laid over, I'd rather be at JFK.

[Deleted]

Uber in July was about $50 from LGA in fairly heavy traffic, maybe $20 or so on the way back with little traffic (which was odd af).

[Deleted]

I'd assume we'll be staying in Brooklyn. I guess that would be the deciding vote - I really, really hated LGA last time out.

[Deleted]

It's probably made worse by the fact I'd be flying Southwest if I did end up using LGA. Welp a lot of time to decide - thanks for the info, folks.

[sick2b]

Looks like I never got the Hepatitis B shot, so one more on my pre-departure immunization shot blitz (alongside Hep A, yellow fever, meningitis and typhoid fever + malaria tabs)

[Deleted]

[sick2b]

Jan 18, 2018 9:54:40 GMT -6 scoots said:

?

[neader]

is there literally anything to do in Cincinnati? my god the internet is giving me nothing. thrillist suggested going to see a hippo.

[andrewvb]

when we went when i was a kid we went to kings island which is an amusement park, of course that's outside the city i assume. that was cool.

i'm pretty sure they have a famous zoo, hence the hippo comment.

could go to a baseball game.

[Deleted]

Northern Kentucky is the highlight of Cincinnati.

[irvred]

No it sucks but less so than Cleveland.

[mookie]

Nah. Cleveland has Great Lakes Brewery and Mitchell's Ice Cream. They win.

[irvred]

It's a matter of taste but I'd argue Cincy breweries are overall better than Cleveland breweries. Although I honestly can't do a day-long tasting crawl without feeling like sludge the next day or even the same day, so I wouldn't recommend that as an activity on a festival weekend.

[Gulfwax]

Just started planning out a trip to Poland with my dad and brother. Last time the three of us took a trip together was when I was in middle school. My dad has been in touch with a newly-found relative, and it turns out that their grandfathers were brothers. He invited us over to check out the town where my great-great grandfather lived called Marzenin, near Poznan.

We plan on hitting up Berlin and Warsaw, because why not. My dad wants to even start in Amsterdam and make a huge road trip out of it. So freaking excited.

I know there's a lot of love for Berlin here on the board.
Anyone ever been to Warsaw? Any recs for either would be delightful.

[alady]

I'm having drinks Monday night with a friend who lives in Newport KY (across the river from Cincinnati). I can ask her what's good.

[Broc1123]

I like Cincinnati.

[Xamnam]

Jan 18, 2018 14:00:30 GMT -6 mookie said:

Nah. Cleveland has Great Lakes Brewery and Mitchell's Ice Cream. They win.

More racists tho. 

[Xamnam]

Watch Anomalisa and see how accurate it is.

[teekoh]

Highly recommend a baseball game. We drove in 10 minutes before the game and left immediately afterwards so I can't speak to anything else in Cincy.

Sounds like the chili would be up neader's alley.

[neader]

Jan 18, 2018 14:19:01 GMT -6 teekoh said:

Highly recommend a baseball game. We drove in 10 minutes before the game and left immediately afterwards so I can't speak to anything else in Cincy.

Sounds like the chili would be up neader's alley.

Def going to compare the chili to coney island chili.

I'll most likely have a Friday night to myself so looking for more of cool restaurants/bars/breweries. Or just a neighborhood to stroll and pop in and out of.