Planning on taking the wife on a 5-7 day trip mid march without kids and needing suggestions! No budget and don't have a direction in mind yet. We went to Banff last year and had a great time. We've briefly discussed Quebec City, Hawaii (although may not be the best time of year, idk) and a few other places.
Figured I'd get better ideas from some of you that travel often!

I went to Quebec City last May. It's a great destination, but unless you have a car and want to travel into the countryside or on to Montreal, 5-7 days is probably too long (just for Quebec City).

Also, unless you specifically want cooler weather and possibly snow, a lot of activities won't be open/available. I had this problem in May. Summer activities were not available to book, and the summer season doesn't really get going until mid-June. So, I missed out on a few things that I wanted to do.

It's also stupid expensive to get there from IAH because the only airline with reasonable itineraries is Air Canada. But maybe you can score a deal if you go on "off" dates.

I think Charleston would be a great choice, especially for a couples trip. 5 days would be perfect, 7 if you want to rent a car and venture into areas outside of the city. But if you stay in town, a car is not necessary.

Just keep in mind that is spring break for a lot of the country

What type of vacation do you envision? Also how many days are you wanting to stay in destination as well as travel time? Do you typically like the outdoors and a lot of activity or more relaxing? . Banff is a beautiful location as I was there in summer of 2024. If you were looking for a travel advisor to help with this vacation, my contact info is in my bio.

Quebec City is fantastic but TXTransplant is right, may not be the best time of year, nor somewhere you want to spend a full 5-7 days. Second Montreal there too. Visiting both of those cities on one trip is very doable, though probably better in the summer.

Charleston is great. Some really interesting plantation tours just outside of town, beaches nearby if that is your thing. So much good food there too. Helluva place to day drink leisurely explore the unique history there.

Vancouver and/or Vancouver Island are great too. You could easily do 3-4 nights in the city and 3-4 nights out in Tofino or Uculet.

Mexico City is awesome.

London has direct flights and would be a great 5-7 day experience.

IIRC you can get to Portugal and Spain on a direct flight out of IAH. I fly out of AUS so not sure about that exactly but that would be really fun too.

*Disclaimer, my wife & family aren't "Sit-at-the-beach" type of vacationers. We're more the carpe diem, blow & go to experience local culture and cuisine types. Different strokes for different folks but wanted to provide some context.


Have fun whatever you decide!

Can't get to Madrid or Barcelona direct from IAH. I think there used to be a flight back in the day (pre-Covid). Can't get to Portugal direct, either.

Options out of IAH to Europe are London, CDG, AMS, FRA, and MUC

TXTransplant & ol'Porkbelly, thanks for the suggestions. London would be awesome, just not sure if I could realistically get it planned in the next 2-3 weeks. I'm definitely going to look into it though. We could easily fly out of IAH or DFW. My date range could be from March 13 - 20th wherever we go.
We've also thought about Charleston as you mentioned.

harringtontravelco, probably a good 5 days at a destination. We do like outdoors as well as checking out the local scene, not just the tourist traps.

Have you been down to Costa Rica? I've got a place in Playas del Coco that has availability during that time frame.

Depending on your style, there's plenty to see and do in the overall area, relax at the pool or the beach, scuba diving, and deep sea fishing, among other things.

Fly into Liberia (LIR) and it's a short 30 minute drive/shuttle to Playas del Coco.

I know you mentioned it's just you and your wife, so my place may be a little bigger than you're looking for. My condo sleeps up to 6 with 3 beds and a pull-out couch. With 2 bedroom, 2.5 baths, private terrace, and one of the condo's 6 pools located right outside the front door, you'll quickly find yourself surrounded by the "pura vida" vibes.

If you choose to stay local and not rent a car, the area is extremely walkable, with the closest restaurants and convenience store located short 2 minutes away. The beach is only 3-4 minutes away, and the main strip of town is a short 10 minute walk.

The first time my family and I stayed there, we spent a month there and never rented a car (we did Uber a few times for big grocery trips/going up to Playa Hermosa and down to Playa Ocotal for a change of scenery).

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1282678568317453381

If you're interested, you can either book through airbnb, or let me know the dates and I'll give you an Aggie Special rate.

cocosunsethills56 at gmail

The last 2 years in March I went to San Juan and Kauai. Perfect weather both places.

We're doing 5 days, 6 nights in Mexico City without kids at the end of March. Easy choice.

HECUBUS said:

---

We're doing 5 days, 6 nights in Mexico City without kids at the end of March. Easy choice.

---

What's your strategy for coming back alive?