I’m hoping to visit Lake Bled in Slovenia in the off season. You could add on destinations in Italy or head into eastern Europe. Machu Picchu is still one of the most amazing places I’ve visited. We skipped the tourist hotels and stayed local places.
Prague?
Since they have 2 weeks how about Ireland and Scotland.
Price parameters?
Another vote for southern Utah. Start in St George and make your way up to Grand Junction, Colorado, hitting every park along the way.
Second choice: Budapest, Bratislava and Prague. Love those cities.
Oh man, go to Europe while everyone else is back in school. My sister goes to europe every year for Thanksgiving and while it’s a little cold, the crowds are low. Italy sounds wonderful.
@cypresspat I wish I was going to Italy in October. I’ve been a lot of places but never Italy. It’s at the top of my list. I’m going to make note of your suggestions.
They went to Ireland for their honeymoon. Prague and Budapest two years ago.
I dont see them doing a car trip but I could be wrong. My S has been to a lot of the western NP’s with us when he was a kid.
I don’t know what the budget is. They both make a good income. I know the original plan was banking on his wife getting her airfare paid for by piggybacking on her business trip.
We visited Berlin and Stockholm in early November. As long as one is prepared for adverse weather, one can have a lot of fun even in those places. 12 days should be enough to hit at least a couple of places/countries.
Of course, my personal choice would be Hawaii. 
It’s not peak season in Europe, so cheaper and less crowded. The weather in Southern Europe can be delightful for walking and touring. (Cinque Terre is Italy, for example.)
The major cities are in full cultural swing if that’s appealing.
And fwiw, while Scandanavia is already cooler and getting darker, it’s a great time to visit. Again, fewer crowds and lots more opportunities to mix with locals. SAS has amazing fares.
@mom60 Well consider me your trip planner for Italy. I am of Irish descent and was just in Ireland a few months ago for a quick trip, but Ireland in October can be chilly.
Although I have been to Italy, oh, 15 times?, I have never been during harvest. That’s why I jumped right to Italy for your dates. Top of my bucket list. Tuscany (especially the Chianti region in Tuscany) in October. Sigh.
Once you get past the flight cost (and I have been able to leverage freq flier miles a lot), a trip in Italy can be dirt cheap. For our 30th wedding anniversary we all (and their significant others) rented a villa in Chianti for $2k a week. The villa was like something out of a Coppola movie and Sting was our neighbor. You can get a nice one bedroom unit in the center of any medium sized city for $50 a night.
While driving in Italy is easy (but NOT NOT NOT inside any Italian city walls), one could easy take trains from place to place. We like to have a car to freely explore the surrounds. Certainly in Tuscany not having a car would feel limiting. In sum one can do a fabulous trip in Italy for far less $ than a week at the beach in the US. I have spent a few days in Rome where all I ate was street food. So, $20 a day, maybe?
Getting to Rome from most major European cities can be easy, too. With a 12 day trip, they could fly into the cheapest possible European city and pretty easily/cheaply get to Rome. Or Milan. Naples. Ok, I am getting sad again. I wish I could go!!!
Spain, particularly Andalusia. Granada, Cordoba, Seville. Warm days, but not too hot. Sunny.
Either Morocco or a combination of Jordan and Israel.
Jordan is a great idea. I don’t know what the weather is like in October, it was great in December we spent a week and two weekends there and did not see everything. (We’d previously done an Israel trip.) I do recommend a small group or individual tour unless you really like deal with Arabic road signs (or the lack of them.) Food was wonderful, scenery was gorgeous and all sorts of interesting museums. Better Roman ruins than Italy.
I’m going to put in a vote for South Africa. 14 days would be fine…I think 12 not enough when considering the distance and travel.
So many wonderful things to do there. We loved Capetown, and would happily go back.
We went to Capetown a few years ago. It was the most beautiful place. My H tells me the violence has increased. So we are glad we went when we could.
South Africa sounds lovely but the flight time from LA or San Francisco makes it not even an option. Remember his wife will have a flight to China not long after they return.
The latest option he is researching is Tahiti. That locale plus the BVI make me think they prefer a water centric vacation. @BunsenBurner I’ve suggested Hawaii multiple times.
Next year is a big birthday for me and I think a trip to Italy and Spain might be my present to myself.
If they can fly out of LAX, Air Tahiti has flights to Tahiti. Our kid says they were the most favorable cost option. Once they get to SE Asia, they could add on a trip to say…Thailand or Cambodia. My kid suggests going to Ankar Wat. She says it was amazing!
But if she is flying to Asia soon after…maybe that isn’t a good destination.
What about the Galapagos?
Maldives?
@thumper1 SE Asia was the original destination tacked on to her China, Vietnam trip. She goes to Asia twice a year so I assume they will try again next year. This year the trip was pushed backed and my S can’t travel at that later date. Air Tahiti is the inter island airline. Air Tahiti Nui is the international carrier. Air France also flies direct from LAX. United and French Bee fly direct from SFO.
They would love Maldives but I think it’s pretty expensive and also harder to get to. I suggested Cook Islands as Air New Zealand flies direct once a week from LAX.