travel

[robbie]

I am 23, I have spent the majority (99%) of my life in the central time zone. I would like to travel but need suggestions, and I suppose I am either picky, weird or both.

I think I need a place where I can see the sky, and the sky I can see is clean. I visited Seattle and had a mild anxiety attack while shopping down town.

So obviously huge cities are out, but any suggestions of Domestic/Foreign travel that isn't going to overwhelm me, but is still going to be interesting?

robbie

 

[chas]

If you are in the Central time zone I recommend getting in your car and driving west. Colorado, Wyomiong, Utah, Montana - take your pick and enjoy!

 

[teddieriley]

I had a co-worker that liked hiking and camping. He went hard core backpacking through Scandinavia for 6 weeks, by himself. He had a map and a compass and his gear. Would only stop into town to get provisions. Longest time he went without seeing someone was like 8 days, and it was a brief and passing hello. I'm sure the sky was pretty clean.

 

[robbie]

ohh, and I don't really like mountains... camping is okay, but not really what I consider a vacation as basically the entire trip is work.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by robbie

I think I need a place where I can see the sky, and the sky I can see is clean. I visited Seattle and had a mild anxiety attack while shopping down town.
Seattle? Really? It's not even a big city.

Was it the clouds?

 

[michaeljkrell]

How about Santa Fe? I think I will be heading there this spring.

 

[Stazy]

Have you seen an ocean? If not, that's where you should head. (I would suggest Aruba)

 

[Reckoner]

Originally Posted by robbie

I am 23, I have spent the majority (99%) of my life in the central time zone. I would like to travel but need suggestions, and I suppose I am either picky, weird or both. I think I need a place where I can see the sky, and the sky I can see is clean. I visited Seattle and had a mild anxiety attack while shopping down town. So obviously huge cities are out, but any suggestions of Domestic/Foreign travel that isn't going to overwhelm me, but is still going to be interesting? robbie
Hi there, I'm guessing you're from either Omaha, Oklahoma or something similar. I have travelled alot in life, and last year I in actual fact, visited Omaha. I can see where you're coming from, considering you've grown up 99% in Central USA. When I visited Omaha it was predominantly white, and very conservative ... there were still horses and horse carriages in the Old Market Area!! But unlike yourself, I have grown up in very diverse, bustling, multi-cultural cities, like Sydney, London and New York. So we are probably polar opposites. I couldn't imagine myself living in small close-knit predominantly closed and uneventful areas like Omaha all my life ... I need some action and excitment. I'm not sure what your aversion to big cities are, maybe it's all the lights and people you're not used to. But for me, and in my opinion, you're missing out on the biggest things in life and missing out on meeting so many interesting people and personalities by not exploring major cities like NY, Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Sydney. Some foreign suggestions in terms of "I think I need a place where I can see the sky, and the sky I can see is clean" would be: - Italy: I think you would love places like Tuscany, the beautiful countryside of Italy where the air is very clean, sky is blue, and the climate is similar to mid-west/South USA. Tuscany is a very serene place too where you can take a break and gather your thoughts and concentrate on whatever it is you want (family, big life changing career decisions). Also, have a look at the beautiful amalfi coast too, places like Ravello and Positano. Italy is one of my most favorite places and one of the most beautiful (and EXPENSIVE!). - Switzerland or New Zealand seems like something you would be interested in. Very liveable and peaceful places ... I think you should be a bit more open as well. One of the problems I encountered when visiting Omaha, was that the people who lived there seemed a bit sheltered from what was going on in the outside world, and closed off, and stuck in their old ways not willing to try new things. This is especially true of people in the South of USA, which probably explains why the majority of them end up being republican ... whereas people from east/west coast of USA are more progressive ... lol. =)

 

[huy]

California. There's so much to do and see here. It's still around 70 degrees in the bay area and very sunny. There are great beaches, lots of diversity, wine country, good food, shopping, amazing scenery and friendly people.

 

[Cavalier]

How about getting to Chicago, purchasing a 30 day Amtrak pass and traveling the country?? I believe they cost $550 for a month. not bad!

 

[johnapril]

Bozeman, Montana

 

[Seanallen]

Originally Posted by Cavalier

How about getting to Chicago, purchasing a 30 day Amtrak pass and traveling the country?? I believe they cost $550 for a month. not bad!

Wow for a month? Thats not bad I think I might do that sometime soon.

 

[$unny]

road trip! the south is amazing (from florida to california!)

 

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by Seanallen

Wow for a month? Thats not bad I think I might do that sometime soon.
Yes, they sell them in 15,30 and 45 day increments. You're limited to the amount of "legs" of the trip, but I believe for the 30 days it's like 16 legs. I.e. each time you get off the train at a city counts as a leg. I figured you can traverse the country a few times and basically see the whole country on a 30 day trip. If I had someone to travel with I would have already done it by now.

 

[tiger02]

I'll second Scandinavia, but get as far north as you can. See the midnight sun, feel like you're on the moon.
Siberia
The great Hungarian Plain (Alfold)
Tibetan Plateau
South Africa


I'm not kidding about any of this, nor exaggerating. The only way to give yourself an uncontrollable travel itch (a good thing) is to dive into it with no reservations from the very beginning. My first time out of the US I went someplace most people have never heard of, for three weeks. Haven't looked back since. Don't do a spring break trip to Cancun and pretend you've seen the world.