Where are some places y'all are looking to be this year? For our fam of four, heading back to Japan is top of the list, and we're kicking around some Baltic and Central Europe too.
2026 plans and destinations?
wandereranthony
642 XP
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35 replies
Replies (35)
TraciTravels
311 XP4 months ago
My partner and I are going to Barcelona and joining family for a cruise soon. It'll be my first time in Italy, and I'll get to see the south of France (briefly, of course). Then we're spending a few more days in Spain. Back to the States for July & Aug. Considering visiting my nomadic partner in Sante Fe in Sept but still deciding. Might alternately visit family in WV. October-November I'll be in the Yucatan and I will likely spend winter in Mexico as I usually do.
wandereranthony
565 XP4 months ago
The cruise sounds amazing! If you go to WV, any rafting plans for New River Gorge?
wandereranthony
565 XP8 months ago
We just completed some big firming-up on our plans. Will be in Osaka April, May, & June, then in Helsinki for July. August we're still deciding, likely some faster travel through Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, maybe part of Poland. Aiming to be in the US for part of August and all of September. In October we're cruising from LA to Yokohama, planning for October, November, and December to be back in Osaka.
TraciTravels
311 XP4 months ago
Nice! Are you on your way to Helsinki yet?
wandereranthony
565 XP4 months ago
We just arrived in Finland. Still amazed that we could fly direct from Osaka to Helsinki. And going from the high humidity to some cooler temps isn’t hurting my feelings.
popcornsally
101 XP8 months ago
3 weeks traveling around France in mid-April/May! It's our longest trip and the furthest from home. Super excited...
We start in Paris, then Bordeaux, Nice via Montpelier, Lyon, Dijon and back to Paris. We plan on doing lots of wine tours, museums, and putzing around the cities. Any hot tips appreciated!
wandereranthony
565 XP4 months ago
How was France?
popcornsally
101 XP4 months ago
Hey-thanks for asking. Our trip went well–saw many parts of France. Fortunately we went before the heat hit. I'd like to go back and stay in one place for several weeks as the moving around part leads to extreme decision fatigue after a while!
wandereranthony
565 XP3 months ago
Relieved you got to be there before the heat! Sounds like an awesome time. But at least you got to do the quick hits. We do that to get a sense of a place we'd like to stay longer.
wandereranthony
565 XP8 months ago
That sounds like a brilliant trip! Have not been to France yet. Lyon is on our minds the most for food. I don't have specific recommendations, but if you haven't already, I want to say Rick Steves has some really good podcast segments and episodes around most if not all of those areas.
jelewis488
31 XP9 months ago
Currently debating Austria or Switzerland for mid or late April!
wandereranthony
565 XP8 months ago
Have you settled the Austria v Switzerland debate?
Arrez
222 XP9 months ago
My entire family is going to the Canary Islands for a week in February/March, and in the summer I plan to travel a week+ by myself to Germany to attend DrachenFest. I'm far from FI, but enjoying life along the way.
TraciTravels
311 XP4 months ago
How were the Canaries in Feb/March? mostly in the 60s or 70s F?
wandereranthony
565 XP9 months ago
Brilliant! To my mind, it's so important to enjoy along the FI journey. Then we already know what we want to do when we reach FI.
sforrest
369 XP9 months ago
We(family of 3) are planning:
- 3 weeks in Korea and Japan in May
- 7 weeks of traveling across the US + Canada. Yellowstone, Oregon Coast, Vancouver Island. July & August.
- 2 weeks in Europe with 4 days on a Christmas Market Cruise. December
- Lots of local camping
wandereranthony
565 XP8 months ago
We'll be in Japan in May as well, Osaka area April–June.
sforrest
369 XP7 months ago
That is amazing. Well if you are around May 8-11 and want to go for a beer/park we would love to hear about your adventure.
wandereranthony
565 XP7 months ago
Heck. Yes. Would love to.
wandereranthony
565 XP9 months ago
This sounds amazing! Korea we still need to get to. The Christmas Market Cruise sounds really cool. Oregon Coast and Japan are faves for us, message me if you want to swap tips.
BostonFI
5,244 XP9 months ago
I'm headed to Costa Rica next week and then this summer a river cruise on the Danube. Several years ago I made a commitment to myself to travel once a year. For the past few years it's happily turned into twice a year. My intention is to eventually slow travel and have extended stays, but for now while I'm still working and have pets at home, I'm keeping it to under two weeks at a time.
wandereranthony
565 XP9 months ago
That's such a great goal, and it sounds like you've figured out some good pacing that works for where you are. The Danube river cruise sounds amazing. My wife and I travel everywhere with our tween and teen, but she and I are definitely noting river cruises as a likely activity for us once it's just us.
We keep pondering Costa Rica, but the timing hasn't been right yet. And we keep wanting to spend more time in Japan. Would love to hear more of how CR goes!
Sara2011
52 XP9 months ago
That sounds amazing! I’m not quite FI yet, so trying to focus on planning travel around the seasons of life and trying mini-adventures that mirror potential larger post-FI adventures. One of the items on the big bucket list is a cross country national park trip, so this year we’re going to try a mini version and head from southern New England to Mammoth Cave, New River Gorge, and Shenandoah.
wandereranthony
565 XP9 months ago
Building out the trips that work for where you are now is exactly what matters!
You're going to have such a great time. I haven't been to Mammoth Cave yet. Are you planning to go rafting in New River Gorge? Our kids were 8 and 11 at the time, and it was their first whitewater rafting trip. We had a brilliant time.
Shenandoah is so stunning. Around the center of the park near Big Meadows, the Harry F. Byrd Sr. Visitor Center typically has a lot of activities going, including ones for kids (and it's where you can get park stamps, Junior Ranger books, etc.). Really good spot to stop in, check out park exhibits, and get suggestions on where to go.
Sara2011
52 XP9 months ago
Thanks for the feedback! We’re still in the planning stages, but are definitely planning on a rafting trip. From what we’ve looked at so far, we certainly won’t be bored!
wandereranthony
565 XP8 months ago
How's the planning coming along?
Stephanie C
169 XP9 months ago
We are spending January and February in Chile, March in Brazil then cruising the Amazon back to our car in Miami. We tentatively plan to rent a house in Ajijic Mexico for the rest of the year with monthly trips within Mexico and to the US in June for a wedding.
Stephanie C
169 XP5 months ago
We have been in Ajijic for almost 6 weeks. We have been super busy getting in all of our health checks including a new tooth, new glasses, physicals and visits to specialist.
Lookin forward to getting all this wrapped up so we can do more fun stuff. I have a painting class next week and we volunteer at Lucky Dog pet rescue once a week.
Reach out when you arrive…we can grab a coffee.
LyndaW
5 months ago
Your plan sounds similar to ours for next year. We plan to travel to SE Asia before going to Ajijic, Mexico. How are things going with your time in Mexico?
wandereranthony
565 XP9 months ago
Saw on the news about the wildfires in Chile, has that been affecting you?
Stephanie C
169 XP9 months ago
Thanks for thinking of us. We are very far south of the fires and thankfully flying back to Santiago from Puerto Montt in late February.
It's spectacular here. Highly recommend.
wandereranthony
565 XP9 months ago
Glad you're doing ok! And thanks for the recommendation, Chile is a place we are definitely interested in.
wandereranthony
565 XP9 months ago
Wow, we've been to Oaxaca, but I hadn't been familiar with Aijijic. How's the lake area around there?
Stephanie C
169 XP9 months ago
Lake is OK. It has some pollution and lots of sunken barbed wire fences from when it was very low so no swimming. You do see fishing boats and some kayaking.
We like the expat community and the proximity to the Guadalajara airport/costco