Suggestions for a travel destination for September?

[RSD]

My new SO (Significant Other not Second Officer) has never been overseas before but we both have a couple of weeks available to rectify that in September. I'm a little stuck for ideas though at the moment as to where to take a first time overseas traveller - the sorts of places that I normally go (Egypt, India, Tanzania, Iran and the like) probably aren't the sort of places I would take a first time traveller, I did think about New York but then remembered that the weather is horribly humid at that time of year. Looking more for sightseeing and the like than adventurous activities as I'm way too old and fragile to go whitewater rafting or bungee jumping Preference would be somewhere QF goes to so as I can accumulate some of the SC's needed to maintain status as well.

Any suggestions?

 

[AIRwin]

SIN with SO in September?

 

[Kerrodt]

My quick ideas:
1. France. Travel from Paris to Lyon And then down to Nice via train. Stop at Avignon and Marseille for a couple of days each on the way.
2. Central Europe and travel by Train.
3. London. Stay for several days, then catch Eurostar across to Paris.

 

[Tropic]

Italy...fly into VCE, high speed ferry over to Pula/Rovnig and back, train to Milano up and back to Lake Como then Down the West coast Flrence, Roma, Napoli then home out of Roma. Very romantic.

 

[Melburnian1]

The UK countryside. Late September especially should mean lower temperatures and fewer tourists, but not have wholesale closures of attractions. Travel by train from London. No language difficulties, history, great architecture...and perhaps improved food compared with the common view.

I'd stay in smaller towns. You might find an historic pub at a reasonable rate despite the state of the A$.

 

[Dr Ralph]

No mention of budget @RSD

I didn't travel overseas until I was 21. First trips were to Fiji and Thailand. Great introductions to the world for me.

 

[RSD]

No mention of budget @RSD

I didn't travel overseas until I was 21. First trips were to Fiji and Thailand. Great introductions to the world for me.

Haven't really thought about budget, travel will probably be in Y, neither of us are the sort of people that need 5 star hotels or resorts. The Aussie dollar probably isn't going to help when it comes to budget unless it recovers a bit.

 

[Deleted member]

NZ. It’s close. It’s OS. It’s beautiful countryside and your $ will work better than I. Europe . Grab a car and do the high spots.

 

[JohnM]

Frankly, I would throw the first time traveller in at the deep end with something like your typical places - but don't go back to places that you have already been to as that will take away the magic for both of you. This is all especially assuming that you are considering the SO for a possible keeper.

I am deadly serious. Get the SO out of the comfort zone and moronic media-addled stereotypes ASAP is my motto.

IMHO, the SO has more chance of being blown away and seeing that life has a different dimension by doing something that may be way off the grid of their seemingly limited perceptions.

One way to approach the possible 'scare-factor' is to do a small-group tour with one of the more adventure-end companies such as Exodus, Intrepid, Peregrine, maybe World Expeditions. Native Eye is probably a little too far off the grid for a first-timer.

eg.: Madagascar with Exodus (Madagascan Discoverer) I can highly recommend. Particularly if you haven't yourself been before. Kill two birds with the one stone if at all possible.

And why not Egypt with one of those companies? You get well looked after and anyone who came away not mesmerised would be an unusual person (but I repeat that my view is not to do something that you have already done). Or Ethiopia? : A North Africa and Middle East ramble

What about Cuba? Sensational, safe, fun... different. Peregrine offer this that I can recommend: Essential Cuba overview | Essential Cuba. See here from post #146: Gallivanting the globe 2019 - RTW and then some

Into hiking, or even just walking? What about Patagonia? Mind-blowing, safe, easy to get around independently.

Most of these places you could use QF to go much of the way.

I could go on and on...

 

[RSD]

Frankly, I would throw the first time traveller in at the deep end with something like your typical places - but don't go back to places that you have already been to as that will take away the magic for both of you. This is all especially assuming that you are considering the SO for a possible keeper.

I am deadly serious. Get the SO out of the comfort zone and moronic media-addled stereotypes ASAP is my motto.

IMHO, the SO has more chance of being blown away and seeing that life has a different dimension by doing something that may be way off the grid of their seemingly limited perceptions.

One way to approach the possible 'scare-factor' is to do a small-group tour with one of the more adventure-end companies such as Exodus, Intrepid, Peregrine, maybe World Expeditions. Native Eye is probably a little too far off the grid for a first-timer.

eg.: Madagascar with Exodus (Madagascan Discoverer) I can highly recommend. Particularly if you haven't yourself been before. Kill two birds with the one stone if at all possible.

And why not Egypt with one of those companies? You get well looked after and anyone who came away not mesmerised would be an unusual person (but I repeat that my view is not to do something that you have already done). Or Ethiopia? : A North Africa and Middle East ramble

What about Cuba? Sensational, safe, fun... different. Peregrine offer this that I can recommend: Essential Cuba overview | Essential Cuba. See here from post #146: Gallivanting the globe 2019 - RTW and then some

Into hiking, or even just walking? What about Patagonia? Mind-blowing, safe, easy to get around independently.

Most of these places you could use QF to go much of the way.

I could go on and on...

Some very interesting thoughts there @JohnM - many thanks for that! Morocco might fit the description you have given - or perhaps a Nile cruise - I've never done one before.

 

[offshore171]

Bermuda. September is the best month to visit.

Qantas to JFK and a short AA or Delta flight from there.

 

[JohnM]

What about Namibia? Easy to get there with QF to JNB and BA(Comair) from there. Very easy to travel independently, especially if you like driving in the countryside. Very safe (Namibia has not had apartheid).

It's benign, but different enough to be a whole 'wow' experience without being too confronting. Same can be said for Botswana. Come to think of it, do a loop Namibia-Botswana-Vic Falls! That would run the spectrum from wow at natural phenomena and wildlife to the colonial luxury of taking high tea at the Vic Falls Hotel. If all that didn't blow the mind of a first timer in safe and civilised circumstances, I'm danged if I know what would.

Hot air ballooning over the Namibian dunes is sensational, as is the cheetah park and Vic Falls, Chobe NP for the elephants in the water and a sunset cruise on the Zambezi is a must-do.

See:

Let's mix it up and fill in some experience gaps: RTW 2015

Gaah! Now I'm being harassed by some NB (or is it the dizzy heights of PS :confused::shock::p) with a totally unimaginative handle :mrgreen:. Can't cope with the popularity and fame eh, JohnM? :):cool:

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Meandering in Madagascar & a little more ambling in Africa…via the Hunter Valley

A little description of the World Heritage-listed Tsingy: The Tsingys are plateaus in which groundwater has undercut the elevated uplands, and has gouged caverns and fissures into the limestone. Because of local conditions, the erosion is patterned vertically as well as horizontally. In several...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

JohnM's E Africa aerial safari

Last year I went on my first aerial safari in E Africa, covering four game parks in SW Kenya, followed by a trip to trek to the gorillas in Rwanda. My TR from that is here...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Franky]

What about Namibia? Easy to get there with QF to JNB and BA(Comair) from there. Very easy to travel independently, especially if you like driving in the countryside. Very safe (Namibia has not had apartheid).

It's benign, but different enough to be a whole 'wow' experience without being too confronting. Same can be said for Botswana. Come to think of it, do a loop Namibia-Botswana-Vic Falls! That would run the spectrum from wow at natural phenomena and wildlife to the colonial luxury of taking high tea at the Vic Falls Hotel. If all that didn't blow the mind of a first timer in safe and civilised circumstances, I'm danged if I know what would.

Hot air ballooning over the Namibian dunes is sensational, as is the cheetah park and Vic Falls, Chobe NP for the elephants in the water and a sunset cruise on the Zambezi is a must-do.

See:

Let's mix it up and fill in some experience gaps: RTW 2015

Gaah! Now I'm being harassed by some NB (or is it the dizzy heights of PS :confused::shock::p) with a totally unimaginative handle :mrgreen:. Can't cope with the popularity and fame eh, JohnM? :):cool:

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Meandering in Madagascar & a little more ambling in Africa…via the Hunter Valley

A little description of the World Heritage-listed Tsingy: The Tsingys are plateaus in which groundwater has undercut the elevated uplands, and has gouged caverns and fissures into the limestone. Because of local conditions, the erosion is patterned vertically as well as horizontally. In several...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

JohnM's E Africa aerial safari

Last year I went on my first aerial safari in E Africa, covering four game parks in SW Kenya, followed by a trip to trek to the gorillas in Rwanda. My TR from that is here...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

If your'e into history I would suggest a look at the Western Front - everything of interest is closely located, France and Belgium in that area is wonderful, and also close by is the site of the Battle of Waterloo. Driving there is easy, and not likely to be crowded at that time of year. I took 5 mature aged friends on a tour there and took things easy over about 10 days, and it was a wonderful experience for all.

 

[JohnM]

Morocco might fit the description you have given.

For what it's worth, I found Morocco underwhelming. Interesting enough but ultimately a bit drab and certainly not as exotic as the images would have people believe. I was there travelling independently by car with a friend's two 20-something kids. We covered a lot of territory and the three of us ended up feeling the same. It was a bit of a let-down, frankly - and there's not too many places I've said that about. Of course, others' and YMMV.

 

[RSD]

Cheers @JohnM. I'm leaning towards an Egypt trip including a Nile cruise now - its just over 25 years since I lived there, and visiting will be far different to working there.

 

[Renato1]

Istria in Croatia,

From second week in September, most of the Germans go home, as it is the end of school holidays.
Accommodation prices tumble, the weather is still delightful, and there are 10 or so historic Venetian towns to visit - better than on the other side of the Adriatic, excluding Venice itself.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Wong.a]

Places like Japan and Taiwan are very tourist-friendly, with great food, walkable/public-transportable cities, and signage written in English. Definitely not the 'deep end' of destinations, but they are well removed from the Western world/Australia to make you feel significantly out of the country.

 

[Tejas57]

i'm heading to london in september for 2 weeks. the only thing about that for a new flyer is the travel time could be offputitng. weather should still be nice (mid 20's) and half term break would be over as well so less school kids

 

[craven morehead]

Naturally we will be looking for a TR from this

 

[infrequent_jim]

My first thought was Paris and Provence area, but for something more 'interesting' think about Vietnam and Cambodia. Both are quite easy countries to travel in, they can be cheap without being nasty, and of course the food is great. Hanoi is one of my favourite cities, and the Ankor complex near Siem Reap is amazing. Stay in local hotels and guesthouses rather than western chain hotels.