The Prize for the most Indecisive Traveller

[WanderlustNZ]

I think I would be too nervous to do a self-drive. There are just so many things that can go wrong! We were not allowed to leave our accommodation unlocked either because of the baboons. They sure are cheeky and clever! I don't know if I'd be happy in a regular car with the windows up either. A safari jeep is much better for photography

The funny thing is my biggest worry is not the animals, but the people. I have read so many horror stories of car jacking in South African towns and cities, that I worry about the drive to get to the parks. I know crime in South Africa is over-dramatised, and in all likelihood everything would be fine, but I think I'd be happier booking drivers and/or domestic flights to minimise the risk. I'm a bit overly cautious (or perhaps 'paranoid' is a better word) when it comes to things like that.

 

[zanzibar138]

The funny thing is my biggest worry is not the animals, but the people. I have read so many horror stories of car jacking in South African towns and cities, that I worry about the drive to get to the parks. I know crime in South Africa is over-dramatised, and in all likelihood everything would be fine, but I think I'd be happier booking drivers and/or domestic flights to minimise the risk. I'm a bit overly cautious (or perhaps 'paranoid' is a better word) when it comes to things like that.

Oh, I didn't realise you had to drive to get there too. I would be totally worried about crime too. I would never drive as a way of getting around anywhere in Africa, mainly because of that. I would always book a transfer.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Oh, I didn't realise you had to drive to get there too. I would be totally worried about crime too. I would never drive as a way of getting around anywhere in Africa, mainly because of that. I would always book a transfer.

That's what I'm thinking.

 

[Tashinwdw]

What places are you trying to decide between? Do share.

At present I am strongly swaying towards Africa. The more I research, the more excited I get. My dilemma at present is where to visit. There are so many wonderful options.

I am torn between spending most of our time in Kruger NP (and also perhaps popping over the border to see Vic Falls in Zimbabwe and Chobe NP in Botswana), or sticking to the non Malaria zones of South Africa such as Madikwe and the Waterberg Mountains.

At least I have plenty of time to decide.

I'm going through a bit of a wildlife obsession at present. My family and I love sitting down and watching BBC wildlife documentaries (we are watching an episode of Africa each night at present), and it's become a bit of a goal of mine to start ticking off the major wildlife locations around the world starting with Yellowstone in a few months.

I asked DH what animal he would most like to see in the wild and he said a sloth. So now I'm also seriously considering Costa Rica alongside Africa and Alaska. It's been in my top 10 bucket list for years, but it's just been bumped up a few places.

Thats the biggest problem there is just so many wonderful things out there to see and experience. Reading through your posts and especially looking at those resorts I want to go there too now

If DH has any say in it then next year it will be South Australia and Ullaru which means it will be 2016 before we go international again. DD will be heading back to the US that year as well as she has a school trip there. She is super excited as she will be attending school there etc. Its a bit pricey but she has gotten herself a job and will be paying half. The other bonus about not travelling overseas again until then is it will probably be just two of us. If I can get DH up in a plan again. Otherwise I will drag one of the kids along with me.

DH wants to not have anything planned due to some amazing deals we have seen this year with flights, he thinks we should wait and see what deals become available and then bang! choose that one and just go. That will take away all my planning fun, or at least cram it down to only a few months.

I really want to do Alaska and canada. But Europe would probably be the top of my list, going to Italy has always been a dream, I have just never had anyone to go with, but since this upcoming trip will be 2 trips for DH it is looking promising that I will be able to convince him. Honestly though, there is such a long list of places I want to see that I think I would be happy to go anywhere, as long as I am going somewhere then its all good

 

[WanderlustNZ]

DH wants to not have anything planned due to some amazing deals we have seen this year with flights, he thinks we should wait and see what deals become available and then bang! choose that one and just go. That will take away all my planning fun, or at least cram it down to only a few months.

Thanks a tough one. It's kind of romantic to just jump on a deal at the last minute and fly away. I do often wish I could be that carefree. But I'm like you, I love the planning.

I figure that the tens of thousands these trips cost is not just an investment in the weeks we are away. It's an investment in the year + of fun I get out of planning the trip. Not to mention the lifetime of memories that come from a trip that was near perfect because it was so well planned. At least that is what I will keep telling myself in order to justify my obsessive behaviour
Besides, if I want any time off outside school holidays I have to apply for leave about a year in advance. It kind of removes any option of being impulsive.

A trip to Uluru sounds awesome. I think that will make for a great 2015 goal, especially with the thought of a trip further afield the year after.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

The Good News: I bought my Halloween Tickets and am now officially going.

The Less Exciting, but still good, news: I bought a pair of binoculars for Yellowstone. They were cheap, but well-reviewed, so will hopefully be okay.

The not so good news: I got my first official DIS warning. It seems that linking to my blog in my signature is against the rules. It's only okay if I link back to the Dis on the home page of my blog. My blog isn't about promoting anything other than my love of travel and the places I have loved, so I have removed it from my signature. It's a shame, but rules are rules. If and when I actually get around to adding to my blog, I'm afraid I will only be sharing it on Facebook from now on.

 

[zanzibar138]

The Good News: I bought my Halloween Tickets and am now officially going.

The Less Exciting, but still good, news: I bought a pair of binoculars for Yellowstone. They were cheap, but well-reviewed, so will hopefully be okay.

The not so good news: I got my first official DIS warning. It seems that linking to my blog in my signature is against the rules. It's only okay if I link back to the Dis on the home page of my blog. My blog isn't about promoting anything other than my love of travel and the places I have loved, so I have removed it from my signature. It's a shame, but rules are rules. If and when I actually get around to adding to my blog, I'm afraid I will only be sharing it on Facebook from now on.

Great news on the Halloween tickets, and the binoculars - those will come in very handy I'm sure

about your DIS warning! I see plenty of personal blog links in signatures. Maybe they've got the link back to the DIS on their home pages

 

[PrincessInOz]

YAY for the good news.


Sorry you got a warning. That's a shame. I think I've saved your blog under one of the favourites folders. I'll keep checking it from time to time.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

It's been a long time between posts as not much has been happening in my travel world lately. But I thought it might be time for a quick update.

40 sleeps to go and counting. Everything is now pretty much sorted with the exception of my Discover the Magic Tour booking. I also still haven't decided between the WOC Dining Package, Fantasmic Dessert package, or neither. The final decision will need to be made early next month and will probably come down to $$$.

I cancelled our Bar T 5 Chuckwagon Dinner the other day. The more I thought about it, the less appealing it became. It was booked for the end of a busy day driving to and exploring Jackson Hole, and I was having premonitions of every one being too tired to get excited or even be bothered.

Thankfully my USA trip is pretty much paid for as final payment needs to be made for my December cruise. Thanks to PIO's TR I have decided how we will spend our short stay in Sydney. I now just need to work out what to do in Melbourne. If anyone is going to be around, it would be great to say 'Hi'.

Speaking of Melbourne, DH has given me the thumbs up to visit next year for a Lion King Dismeet. It'll be a at least December before I can even think about booking airfares and tickets, but it's definitely on the cards if others are still keen.

That may be my one and only overseas trip for quite a long time. I've stopped researching Africa (or anywhere else) as I'm trying not to crave something that may not happen for quite a few years. For almost 10 years, DH and I have discussed escaping the rat race and relocating to one of our favourite areas of the Sth Island. It will be a huge change in lifestyle and a pretty noticeable reduction in wages (at least for the first year or two). As such we have always been a bit scared to follow our dream.
However, lately we have been realising more and more that we need to bite the bullet and take a gamble. I live life a bit in limbo at present - working hard in a job that stresses me out just to look forward to the next overseas trip. Both DH and I have done a lot a soul searching lately and more and more we realise how desperately we want to live somewhere where we look forward to everyday (or at least every weekend) because we are surrounded by nature and so many beautiful places to explore.
So the plan now is too save intensively for up to a year and then make the move when we have a little financial cushion to fall back on. The fact that I have already resigned myself to no travel next year has made this decision easier.
So let's see what happens. I'm so indecisive that anything could still change. But this is something I hope we don't chicken out on.

 

[zanzibar138]

Wow what a big decision. DH and I have also tossed up the idea of moving somewhere else for lifestyle. We really are twins I hope it all works out for you, and will definitely be worth taking a brief travel hiatus from travel for.

I'll definitely be up for a meet in both December and February for the Lion King. I won't be able to book my Lion King tickets for a while either until my finances recover from our trip. It nearly killed me to let the presale go

 

[PrincessInOz]

Good for you, Wanderlust. That's a fantastic life goal to work towards in the short/medium term.

Remind me what date you're in Melbourne? I seem to recall that it might be on a day and time that I was free. Happy to be chauffeur if that's the case.

December 2015 for Lion King? I might be convinced to go.....twist my arm....okay. I'm in.

 

[Tashinwdw]

Wanderlust, good luck in your new adventure, it will be all worth it when you can enjoy work as well as the environment that surrounds you.

I may be interested in the Lion King meet. I was so determined that if it came back that I would not miss it this time, and it just happened to come around when I am saving every penny for this trip. My DD15 has a school excursion to it on Wednesday - I am so jealous. If I can get enough money together for the Melbourne show I would be keen to go.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Wow what a big decision. DH and I have also tossed up the idea of moving somewhere else for lifestyle. We really are twins I hope it all works out for you, and will definitely be worth taking a brief travel hiatus from travel for. I'll definitely be up for a meet in both December and February for the Lion King. I won't be able to book my Lion King tickets for a while either until my finances recover from our trip. It nearly killed me to let the presale go

It is funny how we share such similar values and interests.

It really is such a big decision for us. Not just for the drop in wages, but also because we will be leaving all our family and friends behind in the North Island. My son's grandparents will be particularly upset if we move away. However, I'm pretty confident we'll end up with more house guests than we've ever had because everyone will be keen to visit us down in the beautiful South. Of course my Dis friends will also be welcome.
DH and I have already discussed how we would need to upgrade to a 7-8 seater vehicle so we can take visitors tiki-touring around and show them all our favourite places.

How long is the Lion King running for? I imagine there should be some fairly good specials on flights to Australia over Feb/Mar. I was thinking I could fly in Friday after work and I'd need to leave by about midday Sunday, giving me all of Saturday for a Dismeet. Sounds like fun
I'll be able to start looking seriously for flight specials once we are back from this US trip and I have cleared the credit card.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Good for you, Wanderlust. That's a fantastic life goal to work towards in the short/medium term. Remind me what date you're in Melbourne? I seem to recall that it might be on a day and time that I was free. Happy to be chauffeur if that's the case. December 2015 for Lion King? I might be convinced to go.....twist my arm....okay. I'm in.

Thanks PIO. It's a change we have discussed for so many years, I think though we have finally reached the point where we are fed up of talking about it.

I am in Melbourne on Wednesday 17th December. I think we can be off the ship by about 9am and need to be back on no later than about 4:30/5pm. If you are free to chauffeur that would be wonderful and of course we'd pay for petrol and your lunch, entrance fees etc. To be honest I would be happy to be shown whatever you, as a local, think is worthwhile. A surprise trip of sorts.
However, I also understand that Wednesday is a really annoying day as it's one when most people have to work. If you and Zanzibar are free for even part of the day, that would be awesome. If not, no pressure, I'll browse the ship excursions instead and get advice from both of you on which one would be best.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Wanderlust, good luck in your new adventure, it will be all worth it when you can enjoy work as well as the environment that surrounds you. I may be interested in the Lion King meet. I was so determined that if it came back that I would not miss it this time, and it just happened to come around when I am saving every penny for this trip. My DD15 has a school excursion to it on Wednesday - I am so jealous. If I can get enough money together for the Melbourne show I would be keen to go.

Thanks Tash.

That would be so cool if you joined us as well for a Lion King Dismeet. You would be coming from Sydney?

Let's discuss it more in November/December and try and pick a date that would suit everyone.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks PIO. It's a change we have discussed for so many years, I think though we have finally reached the point where we are fed up of talking about it.

I am in Melbourne on Wednesday 17th December. I think we can be off the ship by about 9am and need to be back on no later than about 4:30/5pm. If you are free to chauffeur that would be wonderful and of course we'd pay for petrol and your lunch, entrance fees etc. To be honest I would be happy to be shown whatever you, as a local, think is worthwhile. A surprise trip of sorts.
However, I also understand that Wednesday is a really annoying day as it's one when most people have to work. If you and Zanzibar are free for even part of the day, that would be awesome. If not, no pressure, I'll browse the ship excursions instead and get advice from both of you on which one would be best.

Remind me to take the day off.

Let us know what sorts of things you like to see or what the excursions are and we can work it out from there. If we have an idea of what you and the family want to see, we can definitely see how much we can fit in the day.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks PIO. It's a change we have discussed for so many years, I think though we have finally reached the point where we are fed up of talking about it.

I am in Melbourne on Wednesday 17th December. I think we can be off the ship by about 9am and need to be back on no later than about 4:30/5pm. If you are free to chauffeur that would be wonderful and of course we'd pay for petrol and your lunch, entrance fees etc. To be honest I would be happy to be shown whatever you, as a local, think is worthwhile. A surprise trip of sorts.
However, I also understand that Wednesday is a really annoying day as it's one when most people have to work. If you and Zanzibar are free for even part of the day, that would be awesome. If not, no pressure, I'll browse the ship excursions instead and get advice from both of you on which one would be best.

ps. Personally, I don't think it works that way. I always like to save tourists their dollars so that they can spend it on tourist things and souvenirs. And if you''re uncomfortable about it, you can reciprocate when I get to NZ to visit you.

 

[Caroline NZ]

Yay for moving to the South Island Wanderlust . What area are you looking to move to?

I would be keen to visit Melbourne for a Lion King dismeet. Agree we should look at dates when a lot of us have got back from our trips in Sep/Oct

 

[zanzibar138]

I am in Melbourne on Wednesday 17th December. I think we can be off the ship by about 9am and need to be back on no later than about 4:30/5pm.
However, I also understand that Wednesday is a really annoying day as it's one when most people have to work. If you and Zanzibar are free for even part of the day, that would be awesome. If not, no pressure, I'll browse the ship excursions instead and get advice from both of you on which one would be best.

I'm not sure what my work situation will be by then, but I'm sure it will be no trouble to get a day off

It is funny how we share such similar values and interests.

It really is such a big decision for us. Not just for the drop in wages, but also because we will be leaving all our family and friends behind in the North Island. My son's grandparents will be particularly upset if we move away. However, I'm pretty confident we'll end up with more house guests than we've ever had because everyone will be keen to visit us down in the beautiful South. Of course my Dis friends will also be welcome.
DH and I have already discussed how we would need to upgrade to a 7-8 seater vehicle so we can take visitors tiki-touring around and show them all our favourite places.

We also took that into consideration. Although, it is less of an issue for me because my family are already on the other side of the country. And we have no kids so the grandparents thing isn't an issue either.

We worked that if we lived close to the right airport in Tassie, we could actually get to SIL in about the same time it takes us to drive from our current location

At the end of the day, we decided against it because of DH's business. If we moved too far, he would have to basically start again establishing a client base and new network of builders etc.

How long is the Lion King running for? I imagine there should be some fairly good specials on flights to Australia over Feb/Mar. I was thinking I could fly in Friday after work and I'd need to leave by about midday Sunday, giving me all of Saturday for a Dismeet. Sounds like fun
I'll be able to start looking seriously for flight specials once we are back from this US trip and I have cleared the credit card.

We will have our anniversary trip at the end of Feb/early March. Not sure on exact dates yet, but if we can stick with early/mid Feb or late March, I should be safe.

I'll keep everyone updated on dates once we've booked our flights.

 

[zanzibar138]

Wanderlust, good luck in your new adventure, it will be all worth it when you can enjoy work as well as the environment that surrounds you.

I may be interested in the Lion King meet. I was so determined that if it came back that I would not miss it this time, and it just happened to come around when I am saving every penny for this trip. My DD15 has a school excursion to it on Wednesday - I am so jealous. If I can get enough money together for the Melbourne show I would be keen to go.

Yay for moving to the South Island Wanderlust . What area are you looking to move to?

I would be keen to visit Melbourne for a Lion King dismeet. Agree we should look at dates when a lot of us have got back from our trips in Sep/Oct

That would be awesome if you guys could make it for a DisMeet too!