I can go to any country, with the caveat that my mom would accompany me for part of it. I don’t want to go someplace I’ve already been, so it can’t be Taiwan, Canada, France, Germany, Morocco, Japan, Mexico, Ireland, or Argentina. I’m from the US and don’t want to go to a state I’ve already been to either. I want somewhere that feels very different.
The reason that this is a hard decision is because my mom is up there in age and can’t swim. I would really like to beach and party at least some of the time, but I don’t want to do that with her because we’re not the type to drink and do drugs in front of each other. The idea is that it would be 2 weeks for me and 1 for her, so we would start off together and then I’d be let loose and she’d fly home. When she is there we would do shorter hikes, visit museums, shop, and do normal tourist things. When she is gone I want to party and swim, so I need a place that is rich in both culture and unzh unzh.
The other issue is that it has to be June, and some places we would both be really interested in like Thailand and Vietnam would be too hot for me. Or would they? Idk, that’s why I’m asking.
I would love to visit any country tbh but some would be less fun with my mom. Like in Kazakhstan I’d want to ride horses and sleep in yurts and it’ll just be different with her since she can’t do those things, so I will save that for solo travel. This also may be the last trip we take together so I want to make her happy. I bet the best option is Thailand in winter but June is when I won’t be employed.
My thoughts: Costa Rica–plenty to see and do with her, warm oceans for me after, many activities, but we only speak French, Chinese, Taiwanese, and English.
Cuba–same as above but could be difficult for US citizens?
Puerto Rico–I know it’s part of the US but I haven’t been and my only concern is the stability
Turkey–I was a history major with a focus on the Ottoman Empire so historical site would be fascinating to me, and I love cats, and there would be a lot of things I’d love to see while she’s there and plenty of beaches for me.
South Korea–her idea. I think if we go there not speaking Korean we might struggle to have a good time without a strong itinerary. I want to go to Korea with a person who speaks Korean and can show me more authentic things so I don’t just feel like I’m walking around looking at skyscrapers without a good itinerary. I’d also want to save up for some plastic surgery before going, lol.
New Zealand–only con is a long flight for a trip that will be on the short side for her if she’s only going for a week.
Scotland–I bet we’d both love it but it seems a bit quiet and more the kind of trip I’ve want to take with a lover.
Portugal, Croatia, etc…
To be clear I’m not trying to say that any of these countries would be bad to go to, just that they may not be ideal for a half-family half-solo trip. Other places I want to visit, like Iceland and Alaska, won’t offer the kind of swimming I want to do.
I’d also like to get a bit slutty on the back half. Like it’s actually really important to me that I get to make out with random strangers and do something stupid and stumble home
Belize.
Tiny country just south of Mexico. It was the only English colony in South America. It’s a lot like Jamaica with less crime. Beautiful beaches and friendly people. I went there for the scuba diving, but it also has old Mayan ruins to explore.
You can use US dollars anywhere if that matters.
Istanbul week 1, Princes Islands in the Sea of Marmara week 2.
Only speaking to what I know:
Cuba - It will be a pain for you to handle the paperwork. As an American, you have to pick only one of right reasons to go to Cuba and going on vacation isn’t one of them. You also can’t go to fancy hotel since they are owned by the Cuban state and the USA embargo means you can’t trade with the government directly. You also need to keep all receipts for a few years.
Puerto Rico - Pretty stable as a place to visit, especially in touristy areas.
Turkey - Istanbul is a great place to visit and it is easy to get around. I also hear the beaches are great. Only possible issue is that Turkey is rather hilly and I don’t know if your mom can handle the hills.
Scotland - Nice place to visit, but you aren’t going to be going to visit any beaches. Also, you’ll likely be drinking in front of your mother.
Portugal - Nice place to visit. Very hilly. The area is also adjusting to its tourist demand.
I’m sorry this is your last planned trip together and I hope you get another opportunity. When my mom was older we went to Alaska. It was beautiful and exciting while not being too much for her - short drives, train, ship through the inside passage- bears, eagles, moose, glaciers, …
How about Spain?
If you’re worried about stability in Costa Rica, man do I have news for you about Cuba.
Genuinely laughed out loud
Thailand is switching into monsoon / low season right now. Cheaper flights, cheaper hotels (in theory), temperatures coming down. For most people this is actually the best season to travel in Thailand.
Split in Croatia sounds like it’d fulfill basically all of your criteria.
I’ve seen videos of Croatian tourist activities like swimming holes and ziplines and I think that may be the one. And plenty of beautiful city to cover week one. Was thinking about spending one night in Zagreb–>Split–>Dubrovnik, send the madre on her way, and then just wing it by myself once I’ve gotten the lay of the land.
If you have more specific recs I’m all earsI have been to Croatia 2 years ago, drove to Zagreb via night train, rented a car and immediately drove to the coast. Keep in mind I really despise big cities and tourist stuff.
I have been with my girlfriend and we visited two small villages along the coast that were not too touristy but had nice beaches. We really liked it.
The highlight of our visit was the Plitvicd National park which was one of the most beautiful nature I have seen in my life (you need tickets). Also the roads to Plitvice have been very nice. We spontaneously did one other activity - there is an old Yugoslavian underground airbase close to the Bosnian border which is a huuuuge lost place. We booked a guide who went with us through the tunnels for 2 hours, I’ll never forget that experience!
Then we went to Split for one night, just for going to one of the islands, in our case Hvar. We spend almost a week in Hvar and had a really good time although it was way to warm.
Split was alright but pretty ugly, you have the typical tourist stuff, the residential area is not really worth it. It is pretty funny to watch the rich people in the port area though.
Dubrovnik was a pure tourist hell. Yes historically interesting, but pure tourist hell. I would never come back again if it wasn’t another pandemic or so, but people like different things.
That was a short summary of our trip, ask me anything if you like!
I’d second Portugal. You could spend a week in Lisbon for culture , museums and shopping, then hop on the train to a beach resort in the Algarve for the partying and swimming.
Cristina, Portugal or Spain would probably be good choices.
