I am going to be retiring this year and need vacation ideas.

There's nothing really exciting out there, probably best just to stay at home.

Narrow things down at all? The world is a big place, and to some people travel means venturing out of state while for others it means a new exotic country.

I use booking.com to find rooms around the world, and Expedia for flights and sometimes also rooms. Have not been steered wrong yet by either of them.

Well I can drive my 2016 Rav4 and use the sports function to improve the pick up.

Maybe an island vacation, I have only been to Bermuda and Puerto Rico. Never been to the Florida keys either.

Have travelled a lot wrote:

Narrow things down at all? The world is a big place, and to some people travel means venturing out of state while for others it means a new exotic country.

I use booking.com to find rooms around the world, and Expedia for flights and sometimes also rooms. Have not been steered wrong yet by either of them.

live in the northeast wrote:

Well I can drive my 2016 Rav4 and use the sports function to improve the pick up.

Yeh that sounds more like it. You could also do things treat yourself to a premium brand toilet paper. Overall you'd save money from not going away on vacation and you'd have a lot more fun.

Moscow is beautiful place to visit. Instead of going to Washington DC, go the place that will really be the center of power.

Some unorthodox ideas:

(1) Fix up and retrofit an old van with a bed, fridge, etc. Spend months on the road.

(2) Spend lots of time on cruise ships. There are people out there who practically live on cruise ships, as the per-night cost on the right line for both food and lodging can average around $100 a night. It's a great way to see the world.

(3) Learn basic sailing skills, then volunteer as crew on private yachts.

live in the northeast wrote:

I haven't traveled too much in my life. I am financially comfortable so that's not a problem.

I need ideas though.

Also any thoughts on getting the best flight and hotel costs.

What do you like to do? If it was me I would start by visiting the national parks and then plan a trip or two to Europe.

I don't recommend using expedia or any of those type sites. They are worth using to see who has the best rates, but then book directly with the hotel, airline, ect.

Drive up to:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'Anse_aux_Meadows]

Get some great runs in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. Go to Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Spend some time in St. Johns.

If you're really adventurous take the ferry from the top of Newfoundland over to Labrador and drive back to Quebec, stopping by Réserve écologique Louis-Babel.

I plan on doing this trip when I retire.

If you are interested in a Caribbean island, I would recommend Bonaire. This is our favorite among the 8-9 Caribbean islands that we have visited (none of which were on cruise boats, but separate vacations). We have visited Some of the best snorkeling right from shore. It lies outside the hurricane belt, so you are less likely to have a summer/fall vacation disrupted by a major storm. It is also much less crowded than Curacao or Bonaire. Rent a car and don't be afraid to drive around the island. Within 30-60 minutes of driving in a foreign country, you will begin driving like a local. I recommend a higher-clearance vehicle or SUV so you can drive into the national park as well as some of the more remote parts of the island. Do not stay at one of the resorts. Find a condo or vacation rental on homeaway.com or vrbo.com (one with lots of 5-star reviews).

If traveling in the summer, I would highly recommend Iceland. It is our favorite place we have visited in the world (of 28 countries). Weather is most optimal during July and August, but it also becomes more expensive. Iceland is shockingly expensive at times, but it is possible to keep things somewhat affordable. Recommend renting a camper van and driving around the entire island over a 2 week period. Iceland has very relaxed rules for camping, and these rental vans have beds in the back, so you can just pull off the road and sleep for the night. Most towns have public swimming pools that are geothermally heated, so you can stop for a swim or shower at these pools.

Instead of using Expedia, Orbitz, Kayak or other search aggregators, I would highly recommend Google Flights. Love their mapping feature which lets you see what it might cost to fly different places around the world. We use this a lot to explore potential destinations and then research further when we find one that might be fun.

Travel tastes are fairly personal. I'm not a fan of beach destinations myself. I've been to Bermuda, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Jamaica, Aruba, grand cayman and Oahu, likely won't go back to any of them, but I can see they appeal to a lot if people. My wife and I like to explore new places with unfamiliar culture and especially different food. We enjoy a lot of Europe, although we prefer the countries around the Mediterranean. We've also been to morocco, South Korea, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

I've loved a lot of the places we've visited but would really like to get back to Barcelona to see more of Gaudi's architecture, especially his cathedral.

Try a trip to Iceland- the landscape is really unlike anything you have likely seen before. If you fly Icelandair to Europe you can break your journey for up to a week with no extra airfare cost. Rates tend to be $200 less than on most of the larger international carriers. they also own hotels in Iceland and can do packages.

http://www.icelandair.us/vacations/

Much appreciated. Bonaire - Google Flights - vacation rental from homeaway.com or vrbo.

Great leads!

The New Orleans Rock N Roll Marathon, Half Marathon or 10K in February.

Time your visit right, and you can enjoy some of the Mardi Gras season while you're there.

Nobody can throw a party - or a race - like New Orleans.

I travel a lot (last year -- 8 trips). Last year's best trip was BOLIVIA! Holy cow Bolivia is cool. Get yourself down there before everyone else does. It's a bit of a PITA because you need a visa ($160), but the scenery and natural stuff down there is first rate.

My fave have been :

New Zealand

Patagonia

Nepal

Alps

I second the idea about hitting the national parks. Where to begin?

Yosemite

Death Valley

Zion

Bryce

Grand Canyon

Moab

Yellowstone

Grand Teton

The national parks are an excellent place to meet European tourists!