[size=2]Hello everyone. I'm planning way ahead to next year's summer trip, and I need just a little help. I'm taking my sister and my fiancee's sister on a three month trip of either South America or Europe next year, but I cant decide which one. My sister is like my fiancee and I as we're more grab a backpack and go, but my fiancee's sister is much more of a pamper me person. My question is where to take this pampered person. We all speak English. My sister and I speak Spanish and Catalan. My Fiancee's sister and I both speak French. And, I speak Portuguese and very bad italian, so communication isn't an issue. The only issue so far is that I don't know where to go. My mom is going to pay her timeshare for us for four weeks which is really cool, but she needs to know soon so she can find us. Where would you guys recommend? </span></span>

SOUTH AMERICA.

but that's just my preference.

You can be pampered down there and you can find crazy adventure. It's all about your style.

Well i went to Europe this summer and before i went i remember Jake telling me to go to SA. Well, I have no real urge to hit up europe any time soon again but SA is calling.

South America will be cheaper if money is a factor. I like both but I must say I prefer SA given the choice of one or the other. Flights will be more to SA but the cheapness of all the places takes care of it and then some.

Foo

:cheers:

Where do your sister and fiancee's sister want to go?

:tumbleweed:

Yea.... where yall want to you and what would mean more and be more fulfilling to you in the end is what matters. I will be in UK/Europe and maybe Morrocco 3 months starting in April if yall go to Europe and want to meet up!

Well I know my sister really doesn't care, we've been to both. The only problem is my fiancee's sister. She seems to not want to help in the decision making process. I think she feels that she is going to bug the rest of us, but I really want her to to choose because she has never been anyhere without her parents, and in a way this will be her first real travel experience. She is a bookish type & more of a history person like me. My family is from Rosario in Argentina, and we visit Brazil often. But, we also have family near Tarragona, Spain, so we're there often too. My only issue in deciding is knowing what to do. Any suggestions on places youve been to on either continent? Maybe theyll sway me in a certain direction.

Forgive me if this comes across as blunt, but does she want to go at all? This could be an important question, because if she's feeling pressured into going it doesn't matter where you go, she won't enjoy it. It seems like she HAS to be drawn into the decision making process or the trip will be wasted on her. Is she scared to death? (It's easy to overcome that, once you know what she's afraid of.) Or is she genuinely NOT interested in going. That's a lot harder to overcome, and even on the road, it's hard to engage a person who doesn't want to be there. That makes for a LOOOOOOOONG trip.

Before you decide where to go, it sounds like you need to get a read of her attitude to the whole thing - is she just going along because she doesn't want to cause a conflict? Doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings? Or is she keen to go but terrified? (As I said, that's easy to fix.) Once you've addressed those issues, decision time will be much easier: if she doesn't want to go, she shouldn't go, and you're free to go wherever you want. If she is scared, you give her this website and tell her to read all the "First time and terrified" posts, or she can post her own, and we can all encourage her and figure out where SHE wants to go.

If you still are responsible for making the decision without her input, I would suggest picking a place that will be of such enormous significance to her that she can't help being intrigued. You said she was interested in history. Latin American or European? What's she reading about right now? If she's currently engrossed in a book about ancient Rome, you are going to Italy, my friend. If it's a tome about ancient Aztec civilization, South America awaits. If it's a book about the Mongol empire, your decision just got a little harder!

Basically, the point is, she's not going to have a good time (which puts a lot of pressure on you) unless she buys into the trip a little, and she's not going to do that until her reluctance is addressed. Since you guys have traveled often, she may feel like too much of a greenhorn to go with you, so you have to find out what will capture her imagination so completely that she will put up with some discomfort (mental or physical) to get there. Having traveled with four, occasionally reluctant small children, I have a little experience with this technique...it does work, you just have to be creative. And find the right motivation.

:tumbleweed:

hahaha someone just asked me what a blog was! haahaha it's funny the way the person asked! Okie guys going to the point as always Tumbz has made an awsome point on getting to what she digs, but is she only about books or is she into something else? what music is she into? what makes her laugh does she like any sports? books are awsome but they come from somewhere and you have to live before you write about anything, I'm sorry to hear you are having a hard time deciding where to go, but hey join the club! this is your bump and although it might be a 3 peeps travel also make it about you guys, you might finish giving so much in that you will not indulge yourselves with what you fellas like, don't be begging her for something she will ultimately enjoy and charish for the rest of her life and will never be taken away from her, Ask her: "Dude, come on tell me what the deal is? are you frighten that Ness monster will eat you over Europe or is it something about South America and it's Chupacabra that has you this apart from the decision making?" Oh and here might be something Thumbz left out. . . How is she paying for this? if she is being tagged along she might be being reserved about it and doesn't feel right saying where to. Tell us how the talk went and yeah most deff tell her to drop by here and read the secton Thumb said but after that tell her to read a lil' more and you'll see things just might change. Best of lucks and dude that shirt is so Argentina.

I've been to both and i would say Mexico, not quite South America i know, but hear me out. There's heaps of absolutley incredible ruins to keep the historian happy, there's enough culture to keep anyone amused, there's a few really touristy places (Acapulco, Cacun) to keep the pamperees pampered, and it has some freakin beautiful coastlines for relaxation times and snorkeling. I think Mexico has the best mix of all things travel, it suits those that love dirty budget backpacking and theres a few stops along the way for those that love 5 star club med style travel.