I definitely would not recommend something like Tunisia when you’ve got two American kids who have never left the continent.
Spain is still my vote, because you can’t go wrong with that country, but London/Paris/Iceland/Ireland/Scotland (and many others!) would all be fine.
I wouldn’t worry about a language barrier unless you go somewhere really weird.
So is Japan.
Ok yeah, the difference is more than I realized. 5 hours longer than Tokyo from LAX.
But they were already considering Japan. A major Asian city feels like something that appeals to white people with a fetish for exoticism while having both safe, tourist-friendly spaces and opportunities to go off the beaten path a bit, but I’m guessing they have more COVID restrictions.
It really isn’t though.
The only real COVID restriction Japan has right now is that tourists aren’t allowed into the country. Once you get in though, as long as you have a mask everything’s otherwise the same.
@LFS, I’ve got the perfect gateway trip for you: Montreal.
It’s out of the country. Feels more foreign than it is because of the language thing, but you can get around with English just fine. Also I think there is a lot of cool stuff to do, especially in the summer.
I’m probably biased, but I’d vote against Singapore. I think it’s a great place to live for a lot of reasons, but not that interesting to visit. Having said that, as an answer to LFS’ query it makes a lot more sense than it does for a random.
LFS, have you been to Ireland?
I think the convergence of Chinese, Indian, and Malay food makes it an interesting culinary destination, but it’s also a place you can see everything in a relatively short period of time.
Wife is committed to going far. One of her Iceland objections was that it’s too easy lol.
No.
True. But culinarily, LA is a better city and it’s not really close. So, that’s not really a need that LFS has to fill.
Also, unless I’m mistaken, LFS has a fairly limited diet. So that may not be as much of a draw. Not sure what the family eats, tho.
I loved Ireland - been twice. The people are super friendly. Spend some time in Dublin and some time in the south or east. See the Cliffs of Moher. Stay in Adare where they have the thatched roof houses. Check out Cork and Cobh. Eat fish and chips.
Well if Montreal is out, then London or Paris in that order.
I appreciate that! Yes I do. No meat, no gluten. I feel like these are points in Greece’s favor, and against Italy.
I think it’s kind of a wash. Neither of those cuisines seems super friendly to a gluten-free non meat eater.
Italy is also incredible. You cannot have a bad time in Italy, it’s physically impossible.
What if you’re Amanda Knox?
Yeah, I think you’re infested with FPS. There are damn good reasons why London and Paris are some of the most visited cities in the world. There’s awesome stuff for just about every taste. Paris is home to the most delicious single thing I’ve ever eaten (a whole lobe foie gras appetizer with a raspberry sauce that tasted like dessert) and the best classical music concert I’ve ever been to (a performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons IN fucking La Sainte Chapelle, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, at sunset as the sun was coming directly through the stained glass). I mean, maybe you have some niche interests that make Tunisia especially appealing, but it sounds more like you’re unsure and unfocused after the one obvious target of your niche interests got taken off the table.
I mean, Greece is cool, but we also spent a lot of time wandering around ruins that were more ruinous than they were recognizable and in museums with more rooms of artifacts that don’t mean anything than they have things you might find interesting. The food was good, but there’s good down home food to be had anywhere. Maybe there’s something there of particular interest, but while what we were seeing was distinctly Greek, there’s similarly cool stuff to see in a lot of places.
But, like, hit one of the biggies if you’re not sure.
Uh, this is going to be pretty hard in Greece. This is going to be a challenge in a ton of places outside of India, so I’d definitely favor large cosmopolitan cities that are more likely to have niches for you than places off the beaten path who might think you’re crazy.