Summer vacations

I normally stay at home during the summer and go away in the winter, as that's the time of the year I hate most in the UK. Also, the summer tends to be a busier and more expensive time to go away due to it being European school holidays. I also like to go away during the shoulder seasons - this year I'm going to Lebanon in May and Romania in September.

In the past I usually traveled in spring and fall. But as the years go by (I'll be 70 this year) I find that I'm traveling year round, including summer. I'm still concentrating on "adventure" travel to destinations that are somewhat physically challenging. On such trips I usually ask my guide at the end to rate my abilities and endurance. I did so last September in Kamchatka after I hiked nearly three weeks on volcanoes; and near lakes and rivers to watch spawning salmon and brown bears. The guide's opinion: "Don't stop."

After just over a month in Patagonia (an encore visit) and Antarctica, I'm headed next month to Japan, Russia, Alaska, Canada, Washington, Oregon and California, returning home early June. In July I plan to be in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras for about six weeks to hike volcanoes and watch birds.

I'm going first time down under, my most expensive trip up till now and the longest

Quoting berner256

But as the years go by (I'll be 70 this year) I find that I'm traveling year round, including summer. I'm still concentrating on "adventure" travel to destinations that are somewhat physically challenging. On such trips I usually ask my guide at the end to rate my abilities and endurance. I did so last September in Kamchatka after I hiked nearly three weeks on volcanoes; and near lakes and rivers to watch spawning salmon and brown bears. The guide's opinion: "Don't stop."

That's impressive!

Was Kamchatka amazing?

Yes, Kamchatka is truly amazing. It's one of the finest trips I've ever had. A company, Lost World, offers a single trip in the fall that includes Tolbachik volcano that erupted in 2012-'13. We walked on the lava fields, put a stick in one of the cracks, and it came out in flames. I took a video. There are few roads in Kamchatka, so we used converted Kamaz military trucks to get around; and also used converted military helicopters. There are 30 active volcanoes in Kamchatka; an an estimated 17,000 brown bears.

Antarctica is amazing as well. I've told family and friends that I've never seen so many icebergs and glaciers. It surpasses anything I've seen. The environment is stunning. In one afternoon I took a record 1,879 photos in Cierva Cove. I recommend going on one of the smaller expedition ships that give you the opportunity to spend more time ashore. The one I took traveled south of the Antarctic Circle. I'm glad a fisheries ranger in the Falklands convinced me in 2016 to go. I plan to return.

Antarctica trips can be expensive. But some companies offer the ability for solo travelers to share cabins with one or two other persons (each with their own bed), making the trip more affordable. The companies match the solo travelers. I shared a cabin with a friend. Discounts also are available. Other passengers said they got 30 percent off on the final sailing of the season. We were lucky to experience decent weather. Crossing the Drake Passage wasn't rough as I had expected.

Hi there!

No surprise, it is Greece again for me! This summer I am going to head to my beloved Mt. Pelion... My best friend has a boat so we might take some excursions to Skiathos and Skopelos from there. Favourite beaches in Mt. Pelion: Papa Nero, Milopotamos and Plaka (Agios Ioannis). If I have the time I might get to Folegandros or Milos. Both very romantic islands with incredible beaches.

I prefer to visit other countries during Autumn or Spring.

I've been reading over the trip reports that I did 15 to 20 years ago. There's a big difference between what I could do at age 60 in 1998 or 65 in 2002 or even at 72 in 2010, and what I can do now at age 80. One of the big differences (and this was true for my mother also when she got to her 80s and 90s) is that I can't stand the heat of summer the way I could when I was 30. It's fine to travel to England in the summer (the coldest I've ever been was one night in July in northern England), or the Baltic or even the Caribbean/Central America in the summer. The Caribbean is more or less the same year round except for rain. But I can no longer do Madrid, Nice, New York city, Philadelphia or Chicago in August.

Quoting berner256

Lost World, offers a single trip in the fall that includes Tolbachik volcano that erupted in 2012-'13.

At first glance, I would be a little worried to book a single trip to a volcano

But it sounds like you managed to come back somehow . Seriously, I just looked at the pictures and that trip looks quite interesting.

[ Edit: Edited on 14-Apr-2018, at 01:48 by westwind57 ]

It depends on what you want to experience this summer.