Today, my wife and I are celebrating our ninth wedding anniversary. So, what are we doing to mark the occasion? Well… seeing as our new dog isn’t quite ready to be left alone, our options were limited, leaving us to eventually opt for a casual, uneventful night in. However, this has given us even more motivation to start planning something special for our 10th anniversary next year. Specifically, we’ve been discussing a few options for where we might want to be for this milestone, with each of our suggested destinations having its own pros and cons. On that note, bear with me as I share a few of the places we have in mind and why each one appeals to us.
Australia
Ever since I was a kid, Australia has been at the top of my list of places I’d like to go. Despite that long-standing desire, it still hasn’t happened. And, yes, it’s true that a significant amount of my interest in the continent country can be attributed to koalas, there’s plenty more that appeals to me.
For instance, while we’ll look at some non-English-speaking countries on the list, I do think that visiting another nation where the local tongue is one we already know could be a good choice for an anniversary trip as it takes a bit of the stress out of traveling. As for downsides, flights are long and, to be honest, I’m not 100% sure which part of the country we’d want to go to. Still, it’s definitely in the mix.
Japan
Another debate we’ve been having regarding our anniversary trip is whether we should head back to a favorite location or take the opportunity to explore a new one. Representing Option A in this case is Japan. As I’ve shared before, we had our honeymoon in Tokyo, so a return for our 10th anniversary does make a lot of symmetrical sense. This time around, however, perhaps we could see more of the country beyond the capital we’ve already been to.
Drawbacks to this one include the language and dining barriers that have made past trips (for as much as I love being there) a bit difficult at times. Also, while the flight time might not be as long as if we went to Australia, they’re not exactly short either. Overall, I’d say this one is lower down the list just because we might want to try something 100% new, but I definitely don’t want to rule it out entirely.
Singapore
While we’re in Asia, let me give a shout-out to Singapore. If you’ve spent much time online looking at travel blogs, Instagram, etc., there’s a good chance that you’ve come across images of the city-state’s amazing-looking airport. Beyond that, everything I’ve seen from the city itself looks equally as cool. Plus, I know my dad’s a big fan as he’s been several times… but never with me. An extra perk to this pick is that we actually know someone who lives there and could show us around.
Of course, somewhat ironically, this isn’t quite as important in Singapore as English is an official language. Turning to a major drawback, those long-ass flights strike again! That said, at this point, it seems like we’re going to have to deal with that factor for most of our options, so perhaps it’s not as big a deal as I’m making it out to be. I should also mention that, if we’re redeeming our Amex Membership Rewards points for, say, a fancy experience on Singapore Airlines, then perhaps a long flight is actually a benefit. Hmm…
Hawaii
I don’t know if this will surprise you or not, but I’ve never been to Hawaii. Somehow, even though my dad and I have probably discussed going together at least half a dozen times or so, it hasn’t happened. Maybe it’s about time to change that by ditching him and visiting with my wife instead.
One thing I like about this idea is that it’s a bit different for us as it could easily be an “arrive and relax” sort of a trip instead of one where we want to go explore all the time. This isn’t to say we wouldn’t go check things out, but there’s also the option to just enjoy the beauty a few steps from our hotel room (presumably).
There’s also an element to this potential trip that’s both a pro and a con, which is that there’s a Disney resort there. Being Disney fans, why wouldn’t I want to go see Aulani? On the other hand, seeing as most of our travels involve Disney because of work, it might be better to avoid the brand this time. I guess I should also point out that this is currently the only domestic option on our list, so there’s that.
Rhine River
Okay, so this one is a bit of a cheat as it’s not quite a place. Instead, I’ve recently wondered what it’d be like to take a Rhine River cruise. I realize that we’re not exactly members of the traditional river cruise demographic, but the right itinerary would take us to several European cities we’d love to visit and would allow us to do so without needing to make further arrangements. I have several people in my life that do nothing but gush about the cruise experience. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I’m up for taking to the open ocean. Thus, a river cruise seems like a decent compromise in my book. So, even if we end up spending our 10th anniversary as 37-year-olds among octogenarians, I’m open to this idea.
With one year to go until our milestone 10th wedding anniversary — and the fact that it’s been forever since we took a proper vacation — we’ve been thinking a lot about where we should travel for the occasion. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an easy answer. Ultimately, it will likely come down to what’s available, what pricing is like, and what else we might discover as we do more research on these (and perhaps other) options. Where will we end up? I’ll let you know a year from now.