<p>We are planning on celebrating BIL’s milestone birthday in Nov - the only time feasible for all of us to make it is thanksgiving. S gets the whole week off, but D is off only from Wed. BIL cannot travel to the US due to visa issues - so we need to find a place for all of us to meet that’s convenient and preferably warm. Suggestions?</p>
<p>H thinks Egypt would be the best - but I am a bit wary. Have looked briefly at Brazil and Aruba - flights are so ridiculously expensive.</p>
<p>Costa Rica, Bahamas, Yucatan. These offer varied priced lodging and more reasonable priced airfare depending upon where in the US you are originating. Where is BIL originating? </p>
<p>In another thread people have posted about all-inclusive vacation destinations in the Caribbean. This sounds as if it might be a good time for that sort of thing, since the time is relatively short and people are coming from various directions.</p>
<p>Last year we had a wonderful December break in Jordan. One of the seven wonders of the world (Petra), one of the most beautiful deserts in the world (Wadi Rum - where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed) and chock a block full of Roman ruins. The people were lovely, the food was great and because everyone is a little nervous about the middle east - many accommodations were upgraded. However, it’s possible that even Jordan, which has been pretty stable, will not remain so. In which case I’d recommend the Caribbean. I’ve been to St. John for Thanksgiving (American territory) several times. We have always had good weather with just a couple of showers and spectacular rainbows, but you should be aware that Thanksgiving can still be the tail end of hurricane season. (Which officially runs from June 1 to Nov 30.)</p>
<p>Where is everyone flying from? For such a short trip, I would suggest finding a destination that is only one flight away for the most people. Some lovely destinations take all day to get to - losing a whole day of vacation. If most people are flying from US - then Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bahamas are convenient. If people are flying from US and Europe/Middle East, then Spain, Italy, Greece, Dubai are usually easy to get to. </p>
<p>Um…if you are traveling from the U.S., you will have a 24 hour travel time to almost any place in Africa. So, if you on,y have five days, you would be using two of those days to travel. I agree with the post above this…places in the Caribbean would be a good choice.</p>
<p>Fwiw, the visa limitation might preclude a good number of destinations close to the US. For instance, Canada and the Caribbean might have forced stopovers and custom clearances that do not allow transits. </p>
<p>To me, it sounds like a great plan for everyone except your daughter who has only Wed-Sun off. She’d have 2 full-days of travel if you leave the U.S. so only 3 days of relax time. Perhaps not so relaxed as she might have papers to write or exams to study as term ends 3 weeks later. Wed evenning before Thanksgiving is the single busiest air travel time of the entire year, exceeding Christmas which gets more spread out among more days. If she’s leaving from a Northern location, she might also have weather delays from ice or snow.</p>
<p>As a mature man, how close does a BIL’s birthday need to be compared to his actual birthday? Every family is different, but if this were me, I’d attempt a summer birthday gathering, or let daughter skip it in November, making it up to her some other way.</p>
<p>Another approach for everyone in November is a Canadian city. Bring warm coats. Plan an urban cultural holiday in Montreal or Toronto with concerts, museums, good restaurants. It’s not Thanksgiving there, but a regular business week. Canadian Thanksgiving is mid-October. If Canada is close by air to your daughter’s campus, perhaps that’s fair because her time is the most constrained.</p>
<p>Mexico lets almost anyone travel without needing a visa. One needs to register his/her passport prior to travel and obtain an entry permit. Yucatan peninsula might be a good compromise spot. There are some nice all-inclusive places not too far from Cancun that are quiet and relaxing. </p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions thus far. Caribbean and Mexico are two places I will look into further. BIL will be flying in from India - but I think he can take extra time off - so it might be ok for him to travel a bit longer. Yes, D is the primary bottleneck - H was suggesting that we all go to Egypt for the week and have her join us on Wednesday. Not sure if I quite like the idea…I think I’d prefer an all inclusive in the Caribbean or Mexico. Will do some research…</p>
<p>Arisamp, I would really discouraged a long plane ride for your D over thanksgiving. I don’t know what year in college she is but thanksgiving break is only 2 or 3 weeks from the end of the semester. My kids usually had tons of papers and end of semester stuff to do after thanksgiving. When they came home it was to relax and do some homework, to gear up for a very busy end of semester. </p>
<p>I would try and find the easiest shortest direct flight for your D and pick a resort in Mexico or the Caribbean based on how easy it for her to get back and forth. If not, I might have one cranky college student on my hands. No way would I have her fly to Egypt. Just my personal opinion. </p>
<p>I agree that Jordan and Egypt are out for this trip. Not only would you spend 2 of the five days travelling, but you’d have a tremendous jet lag on top of it. Even Europe would be tough.</p>
<p>Stick to Central or Northern South America. No jet lag, or not much depending on where. Relatively short flights and warm weather everywhere.</p>
<p>There was a recent thread about favorite all-inclusive resorts with a lot of great suggestions. Please do not subject your D to the torture of 24-hr travel.</p>
<p>I would go where there is direct flight for your family since your D has only few days. It sounds like your BIL has more time, so let him travel. What about Portugal? It is further south, so it will be warmer. I have taken my family to Italy or Paris for Thanksgiving. It is usually a lot cheaper because people don’t usually travel overseas for Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>OP, make sure that the uncle can get a visa or an entry permit to the chosen destination. It looks like Mexico could be out, too. </p>
<p>Mexico requires a visa for Indian nationals.<br>
<a href=“Mexico Visa Application”>Mexico Visa Application;
<p>If there is an issue with entry in the US, one needs to check the transit rules in airports serving the Caribbean, or find an airline that flights directly and does not have a US connection. There are charter flights from Europe that serve the Eurotravellers well from London, Brussels, or Frankfurt. The fares should be attractive in the winter months but all days of the week might not be available. </p>
<p>I would skip the November date and opt for a winter break get together for your BIL. It is at least a 24 hour journey (my MIL goes by train/plane/automobile to come and go from India) with jet lag added to the mix. Your college students shouldn’t be spending most of their Thanksgiving breaks traveling- even western Europe would involve all day. A family get together in the eastern hemisphere could be wonderful for everyone during winter break. Otherwise the Caribbean or Canada if feasible is your best bet.</p>
<p>I suspect this is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime family get together, optimize it for all. I’m sure a more relaxed between semesters trip would be best for your kids and your BIL would be thrilled that everyone is getting together in his honor. The Indians I know are not that rigid about things- a few weeks later won’t ruin things. </p>
<p>Also- planning an overseas trip 6 months in advance- who knows what the political situation will be in some places, especially Egypt et al.</p>
<p>For some reason, I originally thought that OP’s BIL was from Europe (Egypt used to be a favorite destination of Eastern European travelers, but after the recent events, those travelers look elsewhere, and Mexico seems to be the most popular choice).</p>
<p>xiggi makes a good point. Any flight that has a stop on the US soil is out of question, unless BIL applies for and gets a transit visa (which will be denied with 99.9% certainty since he is from a country that has a high immigration rate to the US and has relatives here). </p>