a decent proposal

[jeremy_center]

i have a passport, a backpack, a camera, and a week off between christmas and

new year's. i live in seattle, haven't travelled beyond north america as an

adult. i prefer authenticity as opposed to packaged and processed. not

necessrily looking for warmer climate, just a good rich experience.

 

so... where should i go?

 

jc

[gungajim]

I would go to Asia to where I could get a non-stop flight from Seattle. Perhaps Shanghai, HK or Bangkok. Tough to get a good airfare during that period. I'd book as soon as possible. There might be some bargains if you do a 30 day advance purchase. Invest $30 or so in a good guidebook and city map for wherever you decide to go.

[phillip_woodney]

I would also recommend Asia, Sri Lanka in particular, except for one thing...you only have a week. Travel time would eat into it terribly. How about Central/South America? Costa Rica, Perhaps?

 

Best regards,

 

Phil

[mike dixon]

Asia's a great place to travel, but if you're coming from the States, you'll be spending an entire day in planes and airports each way, and the 14- to 17-hour time difference leads to horrendous jet lag. Expect to spend the first 3 or 4 days at your destination with little energy and a screwy sleep schedule.

 

In your situation, I'd be looking at Central America or northern South America.

[david_henderson]

For one week, I think the avoidance of jet-lag is pretty important, and so is the liklihood of weather good enough to enjoy it.

 

If it were me I'd drive north to Vancouver to pick up a flight to Havana, Cuba and spend the week split between there and one or two of the provincial cities like Trinidad or Cienfuegos. There's a time value to this; Cuba won't be an "adventure" much longer. The logistics of getting around, booking hotels and eating etc are getting easier and the quality improved but there are still more uncertainties than you're used to.

 

Failing that, a trip to Yucatan, south-east Mexico, would be rewarding, flying into Merida (preferably) or even Cancun. Combines colourful colonial and vernacular architecture in Campeche, Merida and the villages bewteen with great history at sites like Chitchen Itza and Uxmal. Probably best to have a hire car for that one though.

 

Or a two-centre in Oaxaca and Saint Christobal las Casas, which are linked by local air service at least as close as Tuxtla Gutierrez and which wouldn't require a car.

 

Or maybe easier again a trip to two or three of the old silver cities a little north of Mexico City - San Miguel de Allende; Queretaro; Guanajuato; and Zacatecas. All with a great two or three days photography and there are hotels in San Miguel that will pick you up from the airport in Mexico City so you get to avoid the world's worst and most confusing drive through/round a city.

[CharlesBecker-Toronto]

Hong Kong!!! great place with a camera. bon voyage wherever you end up. regards, cb

[charles_stobbs3]

I've seen low fares between the East Coast and Paris/Berlin for that time period. Don't know how much from Seattle.

[bloosqr]

Since this is your first time outside of North America I would go to Southern Mexico

(Oaxaca , Chiapas (given the riots/protests going on in Oaxaca right now i think it would

make for an interesting experience (FYI Oaxaca is actually quite safe) and then trek to

northern gautamala .. on the boundary right there, there is an area w/ unreal blue

sapphire mountain lakes that are unlike anything else..

 

I say this as going to mexico is painless as far as travel is concerned and southern mexico

is very different from what americans think of as mexico (which is typically northern

mexico )

[ted_marcus1]

The last week of the year is a truly horrible time to travel anywhere. It's crowded, expensive, and unpleasant because everyone else is either traveling to family reunions or traveling to escape from family reunions. In the past I've taken trips to Hawaii and Death Valley during that week just because I had that time off and little other vacation time. I eventually decided that taking advantage of the "freebie" time wasn't worth the unpleasantness. So I usually spend that week barricaded at home catching up on reading. Last year, a friend convinced me to go to Las Vegas during that week. I came back with a nice collection of pictures, but the crowds and airport hassles confirmed that "holiday travel" is something to avoid.

 

If staying home doesn't appeal to you (and it's quite understandable if it doesn't) how about exploring and photographing in Seattle? Many people never consider their hometowns worth a visit, and miss out on the attractions that others travel a distance to see! The weather probably isn't photogenic, but it would be a challenge and a chance to improve your skills for when you inevitably get elephant-gray sky and rain in an "exotic" destination (the key is to concentrate on details and close-ups that don't include the dull gray sky, and on subjects flattered by the soft and sensuous light that overcast provides).

 

That's probably not the answer you were looking for, but it's the most honest one I can offer. Save your foreign adventure for the spring or fall, when you can actually enjoy them.

[jeremy_center]

Would Paris be out of the question? I checked the weather and it seems comparable to Seattle.

 

As far as exploring Seattle is concerned... it's pretty much what I do already (see the portolio :).

 

jc

[bonsignore_ezio]

Paris would certainly be quite OK, but I'm afraid both air tickets and hotel accommodations will be at their top cost in that period. Still, this would apply to virtually every other destination in Europe, and for someone who has never been to Europe Paris is arguably a very good place to start.