More vacation musings

So the latest nonsense with the airline industry in the U.S. is not making me enthusiastic about traveling far for a vacation.

Still... I need one. But where to go?

Top contenders:

- Japan (I would like to see Tokyo)
Pluses: I know a little Japanese and can more-or-less manage to get around there. Plus, there's people I can visit with there. If I could figure out how to do it, I could take a train to Kobe and visit Megumi and maybe the Ono City crowd.
Minuses: Expense and the fact that I can only speak a little Japanese and can't read it worth a damn.

- China (I would like to see more of Beijing and Shanghai)
Pluses: I've been to Beijing and Shanghai, so I more-or-less know what to expect.
Minuses: Expense. I can't speak or read Mandarin at all. Going to China during the Olympic craziness is just stupid.

- Korea (mostly out of curiosity)
Pluses: I've never been there. It sounds interesting.
Minuses: Expense. Oh, and I can't speak or read Korean. And I really haven't researched this at all, so it's more of a whim.

- Germany/Austria (to see the family roots)
Pluses: Should be easy to get around. It sounds interesting. Beer. Pretzels. I mean... how can that be wrong?
Minuses: Expense. The exchange rate is just baaaaaad. I can't speak German.
Side note: It would be better to hit Germany/Austria in September for Oktoberfest anyway.

- Scotland (again: family roots)
Pluses: Should be easy to get around. I mean, theoretically, they speak English there... the weather is my kind of weather. Edinburgh is supposed to be totally fantastic and "my kind of city" (or so people keep telling me).
Minuses: Again with the expense. Also... Scottish food? Yeeesh. The Scots aren't known for their culinary skills.

- Ireland ('cause Ireland is fun!)
Pluses: Been there. It's easy to get around and the people are incredibly nice. It's safe and both the food and the drink is appealing.
Minuses: Been there. Plus expense... I think they're on the Euro, so the exchange rate would be much like Germany/Austria, so I may as well light half my wallet on fire.

There's the Vienna-Budapest-Prague trip that my sis and I keep talking about. That's still on the books, but probably for 2009. Assuming civilization hasn't collapsed, the polar icecaps haven't completely melted, and the economy hasn't gone completely into the shitter.

So... local trips, maybe?

Tim suggested camping/hiking treks. My only camping experiences come from those best-forgotten months with the SCA. I think I have some equipment, but probably not enough to satisfy my anxiety-driven OCD.

Maybe a trip to Seattle/Vancouver? I could see friends and family. I barely remember my one trip to Vancouver, so I could stand to see it again.

Or maybe a return trip to Vegas? Ay carumba... I'd need to carefully pick who to go with.

Gaaah!