Trip for OH's 30th - can you help me with the options?

I am thinking about planning a trip for Mr W’s 30th in late September 2015 (he is still 28 at the minute…), probably at the end of September/beginning of October or slightly later in October. As we already have 2 week-long trips booked next year together (Grenada and Chicago), and he has another one with his family to NYC (I shan’t be joining them, it’s for the best, really), trying to convince him to take yet another trip later in the year has been be a little difficult (despite the “me going away with family doesn’t affect our trips” claims). But it is a special birthday (and I’d be very happy to treat him to it, mainly because I will want to get away again), I’m mulling over options. By the time Oct/Nov comes round (i.e. 11 months before the planned trip thereby permitting me to buy tickets), I’ll have 60k/70k FC miles again, so at least I can get us to fly out in UC should I be able to track down the Gs! 8D

So I’ve come up with the below list as potential candidates, and would very much appreciate some help from all the lovely and well-travelled v-flyers to help me decide!

Hong Kong – I think end of Sept/early Oct, or even later in Oct would be a good time of year to visit, and as our first trip, maybe 5-7 days would work well. This might be a good option as I’ve never been too fussed to visit (don’t get me wrong, I’d be happy to go, but as I’m from that part of the world originally it feels somewhat less exotic to me), so it would be an extra nice gesture that the trip is more about him and his birthday :p I think the G availability isn’t too bad on this route, but I could be wrong.

Boston/Cape Cod/bits of New England – again I think it’s a good time of year, with the beautiful autumn colours, and at the tail end of the whale watching season (not a requirement as have seen them before, but would be a nice to have). A little road trip though so would probably require at least 1.5 weeks for this one. The actual flights though would seem a bit short to go in UC, so this could be a better destination when my PE vouchers come through (my membership year won’t end until next July v( ).

West Coast road trip – I’ve fancied this one for a while. Fly into SFO then drive down to LA and then to Vegas, Grand Canyon, before flying back from LAS. Again I believe it’s a really good time to do, but this one would probably require 2 weeks! Gs are likely to be hard to come by… n(

Vancouver/Seattle – Not sure whether it will be a little chilly then (I quite like some warmth but as long as it’s not freezing, I’ll be ok), but this might be a one-weeker? I understand the Gs are easier to find on this route? Relatively?

Lisbon/somewhere in Europe – a bit less exotic (and more importantly, non-VS route!), which is why it’s at the bottom of the list. Europe I think we can go to at any time, so might be a bit less fancy for a big birthday?

Any insight would be much appreciated! I'm not sure how the costs would compare either (hotels etc, rather than the flights mainly). Also any other suggestions for late Sept/Oct would be very welcome, too.

I’m always super impressed by what you experienced travellers have to say y)

My son did a West coast road trip as part of his honeymoon.
Surprise present was a Hertz Mustang hire car. Not any old mustang but a really powerful one. I think he only had it a couple of days but he loved the experience.
Boston and Cape Cod in the fall. Done that and loved it but I was already quite a bit older than 30 and it was all at a very slow pace.
Dick D

Boston and Cape Cod in the fall. Done that and loved it but I was already quite a bit older than 30 and it was all at a very slow pace.
Dick D

Thanks Dick. I should add that Mr W was born 40 years too late, and that's why I'm not looking at Kavos 18-30 type trips

Hi MrsW
I have done Boston (but not surrounding area) and Hong Kong, Either of these would be great but my suggestion would be the west coast drive. San Fran is on my to do list but I only hear good things. Be great to end in Vegas for a special birthday. I'm going there again myself for a special birthday in a few weeks. For hotel costs for chains such as Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons or world famous resorts Vegas is very affordable compared to most major cities and difficult to beat. Although not a cheap city, aside from the airfare, with some tips there are definitely savings to be had on hotel and meals. You could tie in a show also. Weather also be nice around this period. I could also suggest adding Palm Springs or San Diego to your schedule especially if you are going to LA.

Hi MrsW
I have done Boston (but not surrounding area) and Hong Kong, Either of these would be great but my suggestion would be the west coast drive. San Fran is on my to do list but I only hear good things. Be great to end in Vegas for a special birthday. I'm going there again myself for a special birthday in a few weeks. For hotel costs for chains such as Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons or world famous resorts Vegas is very affordable compared to most major cities and difficult to beat. Although not a cheap city, aside from the airfare, with some tips there are definitely savings to be had on hotel and meals. You could tie in a show also. Weather also be nice around this period. I could also suggest adding Palm Springs or San Diego to your schedule especially if you are going to LA.

Thank you Paul for your helpful input.

I must admit, the west coast road trip would be what I'm leaning towards, mainly because it's something that I have wanted to do for a while (selfish thinking). My main worry (in addition to the lack of G, and how many annual leave we will need) is that OH claims to dislike "fake" places (Dubai, Vegas), having never been to them... but I think if he gives it a chance, he might just love them

mrw just a bit of info - we did a Boston fall trip in 2008. We arrived in Boston Oct 10th and experienced beautiful crisp sunny days around the city. We actually took an organised coach tour northwards and into New Hampshire, however the tree colour was past it best and the tour guide said the peak is first week of October but the trees on Boston common and surrounding area were hardly turning!
If you did your choice of a west coast road trip, you could do what we are planning for next spring ie Los Angeles up to San Francisco. No need to touch LV but I bet your OH would end up enjoying it most folk do and I know I'm in the minority when saying I also think it's fake & tacky :0
Enjoy your planning stage y)

Thank you all

I've had a few chats with Mr W, and it appears that he doesn't really want to spend anything more than 1 week for his birthday trip, based on annual leave constraints, and the fact that he's already going away 3 times in 2015...

Also since my last post, Vancouver is out! Thanks VS. Couldn't they have waited until I've been? )

Based on this, my current thinking is this:

Hong Kong or Boston still, 5-7 day trips taking no more than 5 days leave; or

Somewhere like Florence?!

And maybe save the west coast trip for my 30th in 2016

Also I realised that I will get a companion voucher with my black CC later this month, and whilst I am completely aware that this is usually bad value for money (and I have a spreadsheet to prove it), I am considering using it to get an M fare, with a companion ticket, and then upgrade that M fare to G for the OH for this trip. I know that it will mean that I'll be sat in the back, but we can both enjoy the CH (though there's a decent chance I'll be AU by then) on the ground, and I can always see if I can upgrade for cash at the airport. Normally buying an M for the companion voucher may not make sense, but if I then upgrade it, I think the value improves quite a bit.

Am I a good wife or what?! :X