[Phoenix]

I am planning to travel at the end of 2007 ( A while away i know). I am going to be gone from my home country of Australia for the majority of 12 months. At least six of these will be spent strictly on traveling and seeing as much of this world as i can. I was hoping some of you might provide me with some insight of the most amazing, beautiful, inspiring etc. places you have been to. I am trying to find a route that i could take that would take me through as much of those kind of places as i can get through. Thanks guys, i really look forward to hearing from as many experiences as possible!
T

P.S. I have never been outside of Australia and i have been wanting to travel for years now. I have the opportunity in 2007 so i can't wait.

[ezkcdude]

Not sure what your financial or time limitations are, but if you can only see one side of the country, I would vote for West Coast, having grown up there (San Francisco). I live in Missouri now, and I really wouldn't bother with the Midwest if I were you. New York is also great. If you're into the outdoors, and I'm guessing most Aussies are, I think Cali is the place to go, especially San Fran and San Diego. Also, Yosemite National Park is fantastic for hiking, camping, etc. Have fun. I hope one day I can make it out to your neck of the woods.

[_Ω_]

He said World, not America

[Phoenix]

Financially i will be pretty well off. Not rich or anything but enough to be able to say i can pretty much go where i want to. There really isn't a time limitation either. i will be working for a few months before hand and then towards the end of 2007 i can go till i get homesick i guess. You should really come to Australia some time. It is an amazing country. There are some really unique things in this country that i know i will miss when i leave.

[johnq]

Bangkok. And east coast of Thailand (less tsunami likelihood).

[FFL]

Chicago is well worth visiting, one of the best big cities in America.

Many Aussies I have met in the States enjoy Florida as well.

Otherwise, I'd agree with ezkcdude's post. See the cities as well as the great outdoors.

As far as non-States, I'd highly recommend Niagra Falls and Bimini, Bahamas. Also, London was pretty cool when I visited quite a few years ago. That's about the extent of my non-US personal experience, though.

I'll ask you to return the recommendations favor when I (eventually) visit Australia.
:smokey:

[Mac+]

Hi Trav

I personally have a soft spot for Italy and China, so here are a few brief thoughts.

ITALY
It's history is so rich (more so than ours) and the culture and nature of her people make it a truly beautiful place to visit. Of course, it goes without saying, the food is delicious.

From the 2nd edition Lonely Planet.

What is it that makes Italy so seductive? The Italian wirter, Luigi Barzini, had this to say on the question: It made and still makes unwanted people feel wanted, unimportant people feel important and purposeless people believe that the real way to live intelligently is to have no earnest purpose in life.

Roma - St Peter's, Vatican Museum's (including the Sistine Chapel), Trevi Fountain (be sure to throw in a coin over your shoulder whilst facing away), Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, The Colosseum, The Pantheon, The Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona ... the list goes on and on.
Firenze - Il Duomo, Uffizi Gallerry, Galleria dell'Accademia (see Michelangelo's David), Ponte Vecchio + a day trip to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower.
Siena - Italy's best-preserved medieval town (also see San Gimignano) ... if you are then on July 2 or August 16 you must see the horse race around Il Campo - but be sure to get there four hours before it starts!
Perugia - must try their hot chocolate (you know Bacci chocolates? this is the place)
Bologna - famed for its student population and ragu ... or should I say, Spag Bol?
Napoli - the ruins of Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast
Orvieto - quaint little cliff-top town ... excellent in January when the Winter Jazz Festival is on. :smokey:
Milano - Il Duomo, La Scala, check out new fashions
Venezia - this place is beautiful ... just go and get lost in the laneways!

Here are some links which you might find helpful:
CIA - The World Fact Book: ITALY
Lonely Planet - Italy
Italian tourism


CHINA
Shanghai - the most modern city in China. You won't be disappointed ... check out the view from the JinMao tower
Beijing - Great Wall, Temple Of Heaven, Forbidden City for starters ... of course you should try the Peking Duck too.
Nanjing - the old capital of China, full of historical sites and artefacts - population of 6 billion, in a town the size of Melbourne I believe!
Xian - Teracotta Warriors

Here are some links which you might find helpful:
CIA - The World Fact Book: CHINA
Lonely Planet - China
China Today

Finally - one more plug - before you depart the homeland, be sure to check out my hometown. Melbourne ROCKS! Happy reading.

[Mac+]

FFL - as a starting point you can check my link at the bottom of the post above!

just had a power outage - hence the break between posts

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by Omega He said World, not America

Well, my post still applies. I've also been to Munich, London, Venice, Rome, Florence, Israel, Paris, and Switzerland, and those are all great places, too. :smokey:

[Phoenix]

I was just in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago to get up to mischief and watch my good old Collingwood Magpies demolish West Coast. It was a great weekend. I love melbourne. It's where i will be settling down after i finish with traveling. It is the best place hands down i've been to so far. I have travelled a lot over Australia but nothing overseas. Thanks for the info. Keep it coming people this is great.

[709]

If you can swing the American SouthWest I'd definitely recommend the Canyonlands area...and all of the 4 corners area in general. I've climbed Ayers and The Olgas and they don't even compare (other than the sheer oddity of Ayers) to the ASW imo. It's the most beautiful place I've ever been to.

As far as cities go, I'll echo FFL's Chicago suggestion. I'ts definitely my favourite American city. Austin is great too. I lived there for 4 or so years and it was fantastic. But outside of that you really don't need to visit Texas (no offense to Texans, but c'mon, what else is there in Texas? ). New Orleans is great, and great friggin food to boot.

I just sent the SO to Spain (Barcelona) to get her out of my hair for a couple weeks and she came back raving about it. I trust her aesthetics second only to my own, so I'd have to plug there as well.

I love Toronto. My favourite Canadian city (though, I've not been to Vancouver, and everything I hear about it sounds like I'd like it). Rambling...sorry. Need more coffee.

[ezkcdude]

One thing I forgot to mention trav. If you go to Europe, make sure to pick up a copy of Rick Steve's "Europe through the back door". I think he's one of the best travel writers out there. In fact, I bought that book after I came back from Europe, just to read it for fun! His books on individual countries are also really informative.

[GSpotter]

To broaden your view, go to countries with a totally different culture.

One of my most impressive travels led me to Kashmir & Ladakh (Northern India). Although next to each other, there were many extreme contrasts (Kashmir: Muslim population, rather "green" - at least in Srinagar where we stayed; Ladakh: Buddhist population, very meager landscape, nearly a moonscape). You might have to check the current political situation to see if it safe to go there.

When I visited Thailand, it literally changed my point of view: With a size of 1.7m, I'm a bit smaller than the average german, so I'm used to looking up to other people. In Thailand, I stood above the crowd - a very strange and unfamiliar feeling for me ...

Around the Mediterranean Sea, there are lots of historic places, e.g. the only remaining one of the ancient seven wonders of the world - the Pyramids.

[ghoti]

Barcelona is a fascinating city, so if you're planning on going to Spain at all, don't leave it out! There are also some other great places, like Granada in southern Spain, with its midieval houses and castle.

Of course, no visit to Europe would be complete without spending some time in Vienna!

[FFL]

New Orleans is great, and great friggin food to boot.

I can't believe I posted without mentioning my favorite city on the planet. It's one of the most unique cities in the world, and well worth seeing. Just try not to spend all your time on Bourbon Street, it's mostly a Tourist Trap.