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I don't know how it would be for you if you are traveling alone but the best vacation I have ever taken was a cruise out of LA to Cabo, Mexico. Very, very relaxing. They have plenty of things you can do on the boat or you can just go to the upper deck, drink a beer, put the feet back and watch the ocean.
I am looking for help or suggestions of where I should go this holiday season. I have been to a few (5?) different states within the US but I have never traveled outside of the US before. I am 25 and I have very limited travel experience. Also, I have never traveled alone before so this would be my first time.
To be honest I don't have much interests outside of competitive gaming and I just want to relax. Perhaps somewhere where I can wake up, the weather is great, perhaps a nice beach, good drinks, and beautiful friendly women. Aside from those preferences, I was interested in Japan, Philippines and Hawaii (anyone want to fill me in on average ticket prices to these places from New York?).
If anyone has any idea or suggestions for trying out another place as well as deal information that could save me some cash that would be great. Any help and sound advice is appreciated. Thank you.
Caribbean is the way to go! Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, St. Lucia, St. Thomas, St. Martinique, Barbados, etc. Personally, I've enjoyed Jamaica and the Dominican Republic the most.
I'm black, too. The majority of black people don't travel, that's why you may get odd looks.
I hate the cold weather so I am definitely not looking into anything involving winter sports or snow. Okay! It seems like the general advice is to hit the Caribbean and/or Central America. Can anyone recommend a good resort in either of those locations where all of my stuff is paid for and has what I am looking for above? or perhaps a list or a guide containing the food, activities and scenery, so I can pick where I want to go from these places?
Seriously, look at groupon and livingsocial. They have so many great options for all-inclusive travel deals. Only problem is the weeks from Christmas to New Years are always blacked out. If you're flexible then you can score huge discounts.
If you want to meet people, a cruise is an excellent idea. But most of them do not include drinks. Check out travelzoo.com. They often list discounted all inclusive vacations and cruises. If you can possibly get a buddy to go with you, that would be a good idea, since you're not an experienced traveler, and it's cheaper to share a room/cabin. Stay close to home - Mexico, Caribbean, Bahamas, for this first trip outside the US. If you do wind up considering a cruise, Cruisecritic.com is wonderful for researching how to get the most out of your cruise.
Thanks for the suggestions. I've done aton of looking around and it seems flights (even for a 2 week round trip) from New York to the Caribbean are extremely cheap, so I'm thinking I will likely end up there... I've also went along and made a living social and groupon account. You were right, there is an insane amount of travel deals there so I will eventually find something. Might be a dumb question but which is cheaper and/or better (on average)? Buying a plane ticket and finding a decent hotel, or paying for an all inclusive package? If anyone has a resort in particular that they've been to and enjoyed that would be helpful as well.
P.S. - So I saw this crazy resort called Hedonism II in Jamaica. Anyone ever been there?
If you want to meet people, a cruise is an excellent idea. But most of them do not include drinks. Check out travelzoo.com. They often list discounted all inclusive vacations and cruises. If you can possibly get a buddy to go with you, that would be a good idea, since you're not an experienced traveler, and it's cheaper to share a room/cabin. Stay close to home - Mexico, Caribbean, Bahamas, for this first trip outside the US. If you do wind up considering a cruise, Cruisecritic.com is wonderful for researching how to get the most out of your cruise.
Thank you. I'll create an account and check out those websites. To be straight honest I'm the only one of my buddies that has a career or any money to travel so I will likely be going solo. That's fine since I am very much used to being alone anyway.
I have never ever been on a cruise before. What's it like?
Thanks for the suggestions. I've done aton of looking around and it seems flights (even for a 2 week round trip) from New York to the Caribbean are extremely cheap, so I'm thinking I will likely end up there... I've also went along and made a living social and groupon account. You were right, there is an insane amount of travel deals there so I will eventually find something. Might be a dumb question but which is cheaper and/or better (on average)? Buying a plane ticket and finding a decent hotel, or paying for an all inclusive package? If anyone has a resort in particular that they've been to and enjoyed that would be helpful as well.
P.S. - So I saw this crazy resort called Hedonism II in Jamaica. Anyone ever been there?
Nope, I've done Sandals Montego Bay and Jamaica Grade (Ocho Rios).
How about Costa Rica? You can pay extra to have your passport application expedited and you will get it within about a week if you do that.
If you travel to Asia you will get LOTS of attention as a black man. People will openly stare at you and take your photo. I traveled with a black guy to Japan and China and it was very odd how people reacted to him. They kept asking him if he was Michael Jordan...even though he looks NOTHING like Michael Jordan!!
That's funny. There are a crap ton of these deals on groupon. The prices seem almost too good to be true. I'm going to check livingsocial a bit later on in the afternoon. Thanks to the posts in this thread I have narrowed it down to: Caribbean/Mexico, all-inclusive, adult and hopefully with airfare. I feel really silly asking the following questions to the more experienced:
Has anyone ever used one of these groupon travel deals personally?
What is a restaurant reservation?
"Reservations required and subject to availability" is written in the fine print. I need to know what that is along with blackout dates.
Some of these deals include breakfast, lunch and dinner. My guess is that these meals are being offered at the resort, and not at the restaurants that are being advertised in these deals?
Again, might be silly questions but it's very rare that I get out.
While you are looking at destinations, possibly traveling alone, check out the Maho area of St. Maarten. The beach is good, there are lots of beach bars, and many people your age. You can check out YouTube. No reason to go all-inclusive there.
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