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
Omg every suggestion is so different! SK to Thailand for me solo would be great. Only thing is I think if I go to Thailand I’d want to do one of those women-only guided trips where they take you to pickleball and snorkeling and the night market, and idk if one week would be enough to join one of those. I’m really good at traveling on my own though so maybe I don’t need it.
I’m probably not gonna get the plastic surgery but taking this heavily into account. I love Thai people and want to go so bad I just figure I can go in cooler weather. It’s more about what she wants for that first week than me tho and she might be more comfortable in Asia than a different region so I’ll have to find out but this is super helpful
Chiang Mai will always be a little cooler than the rest of the country since it’s a thousand feet in elevation. It’s also a very fun city with tons to do for the both of you. Between the temples, step waterfalls, amazing food, the massages(best in the world so far for me), art museums, monks, jade statues, jewelry neighborhoods, night markets, monitor lizards, tigers, there’ll be a ton of culture for both of you before party time for you.
The women’s only tours are a good idea, there are countless agencies before you land and even more after you are in Thailand that will be happy to provide you with womens-only or private tours for however many days you’re looking for. If you are comfortable solo traveling, it will be extremely easy for you to walk into any tourist agency the day you’re on your own and find the exact type of tour you’re looking for the next day.
Since you’ve mentioned climate a few times, I should mention that Chiang Mai is the only city in Thailand that will be significantly cooler during the winter months since Thailand is near the equator and has a very stable tropical climate. Any other cities at sea-level, Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, will all be about 90F(32C) the whole year., Chiang Mai is the only one that will drop closer to 60(23C) over the winter months, but will still be cooler during the summer as noted in that temp chart I linked above. Any place you stay in will have AC, and a lot of the malls, restaurants, museums have AC, and there are ice cold smoothie stands everywhere around as well.
Thailand is such a beautiful, convenient and friendly country that the heat does not put off tens of millions of tourists from visiting every year. You mentioned disliking crowds, which Thailand certainly has, but if you’re planning on partying/clubbing, you’ll be in the more touristy crowded districts whichever country you end up in.