That sounds like a fun trip.Definitely not too many days, since the first day activities don’t start until late and the last one just looks like a travel day. Only too many days if he’s not very interested in seeing Yosemite.
Seems very expensive for a stay in the rather basic Yosemite Lodge motel. And doesn’t appear to include dinners for two of the nights in Yosemite Valley (food is generally poor there, cafeteria style or bar snacks, unless you eat at the Ahwahnee, but book well in advance for that).
Personally I’d rent a car, drive and stay at the Ahwahnee, and likely still have money left over. It’s a good time of year to go, though there will likely be some bugs in the evening.
As to the places you are seeing, all are worth doing, the real question is whether everyone’s walking expectations will be aligned (and enough time is available for hiking). Most of the best sights require a hike, and the further you go the better it is, for example I’d want to walk back from Glacier Point along the Panorama Trail (about 10 miles). And in Mariposa Grove, going to the top of the hill (6-8 miles) gives the best views back over Wawona.
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Yes, planning it ourselves might be more economical. But lodging is already fully booked for next spring so this is the only way to stay in the park. And neither of us are hikers so happy to be taken to viewpoints; I can only manage a few miles at best on my feet.
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It sounds like a great trip, hope that either husband or son will accompany you.
It’s really difficult to find availability for Yosemite lodging. I did that for my in laws, they have no idea what I did for them. It wasn’t easy.
You are paying for the ease and I think that counts for a lot
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I was wondering that, too. A friend is on her way there right now for her company’s worldwide HR conference. It surprised me that they would have the meeting there if it was unsafe.
Probably still safe for now as Putin is having trouble advancing in Ukraine. But if he invades Moldova, as some analysts think he still plans to, the neighboring parts of Romania might become less safe for various reasons.
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Reminds me of when my company held a sales club event in Mexico during a period when there was a big spike in violence and kidnappings.
The organizers sent out an email saying basically, “Don’t worry, we’ve hired a top company that specializes in international security to provide security for the event and attendees.”
Which I immediately took as, “We need an elite team of international mercenaries to protect us? I feel so much safer now?!??!”
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Yosemite is spectacular! I went on a backpacking trip with two girlfriends in 2011. We went for a week. Backpacked for four nights and spent the last three nights in an Air B&B right outside of the park. The last night we went to dinner at Ahwahnee, and while the ambience was five-star, the food was just okay. Definitely not worth the price. Maybe that’s changed.
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I just saw a piece on women getting rejected at TSA because they too Glam photos for their passport photos and the agent didn’t think they looked like the photo.
So don’t do Glam photos for your passports. It’s unlikely you’ll look glamorous at 4 am or after a 12 hour flight.
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The Ahwahnee is not that spectacular (apart from the setting). And definitely overpriced. But every other choice for evening meals is pretty poor.
One place people forget about as an option to stay is Yosemite West, where there are vacation rentals of various sizes inside the park (near the Glacier Point turnoff).
Add this to the TSA tray aesthetic trend and the world is getting weird.
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My passport photo is worse than my drivers license photo. Imagine!
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One can stay where they like and still dine wherever they can get reservations or seated. We stayed in pretty basic lodging in the park but ate at Awahnee
Has anyone here done the Tour du Mont Blanc? It’s a 100 mile hike around Mont Blanc, going through France, Switzerland and Italy. We’re looking at doing it next year, perhaps, while we’re still able to.
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S23 just added on a minor of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. It took a while for him to explain what it was, but it seems like they’ve created a whole new college major to deal with this.
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This 2minute Rick Steves video was interesting. Having been to Sorrento, the example was meaningful. (I also realize that Rick Steves travel info is part of the reason that we and other travelers like/popularized this kind of destination.) It does make me lean more toward using hotels and bed/breakfasts instead of airbnb etc.
https://fb.watch/uE9lZg_Nuw/?
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Wow, that doesn’t look like the Sorrento we went to several years ago! No Airbnbs for us.
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Looks like we’re not going to do the hike around Mont Blanc next year, too much going on. Our travel buddies called me today, and five minutes later we were signed up for another Rick Steves trip, the Best of Spain. Looks like a really nice itinerary.
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@busdriver11, I was going to reply to your first comment about tour De Mont Blanc. I highly recommend it. But now I see that you are not going. It was NOT that hard. We did it maybe 5 years ago or so, could be longer. We used (I hope it is OK to post the link, otherwise just google macsadventure tours…
to get the lodging for us and to move the luggage.
It was great, we went with our kids. One of the days our son, who doesn’t actually LIKE hiking that much (and he felt sort of sick) just took the train to the next place. I think you can take the train to many of the places if you need a rest day. It was a beautiful trip and we booked the slow pace so had lots more days. I remember it being so nice.
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That’s awesome, funny, that’s the organization I was looking at! Seems appealing to have someone else figure out the plan for you and move your luggage, while staying mostly at small hotels. Forget the camping and carrying everything in the backpack, small hotels/some huts are more my style. We were looking at fast hiking it in five days, but that’s not an option for Macs, so I think the longer trip with 9-10 days of hiking would be nice. Glad you enjoyed it.
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