Where would you go?

quiksquirrel wrote in post #13089918
I don't see a whole lot of creativity here. Almost all of these suggestions are for various parts of the US. The world is quite a bit larger than that you know.

A few from my list:

Cambodia.
Afghanistan, among the locals. Playing with the foreign troops is for tourists.
Northern Lapland.

But since you have severely limited time and funds, I would take WaltA's advise and go to Nova Scotia.
With a bit of luck, you might even be able to stretch the money all the way to Scotland. The highlands are amazing in autumn.

I vote Cambodia too, and I loved it there, but it's a ridiculously long trip from Indiana to Phnom Penh, and he's only got a week. As for Afghanistan, it's a huge pain in the ass for an American to get over there without a solid reason, and add to that the fact that there are only three places in the States where one can even get a visa (NY, DC, LA), all of which are quite far from Indiana. And of course there are serious kidnapping threats that are severely heightened for people who've come in on an American passport, etc etc. It's a beautiful country but I don't think all the "sense of adventure" in the world would make it truly worth going unless you had a real plan and a good reason to be there. If you're not going to shoot anything war-related, then Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan would all be similar, safer places to visit. None of them, though, are good choices for a week-long trip!

To OP - if you're not digging going abroad, then you could also try the Northeast. Fly to Boston, rent a car, and road trip all the way up the coast of Maine until you hit Quoddy Head, which is a stunner of a place. Lots of nifty Americana in between, too...various historic/quaint New England towns (Lexington/Concord, Rockport, Portsmouth NH to name a few) and heavy-nostalgia coastal spots like Hampton Beach, NH. And the drive from Boston to Campobello Island (just over the Canadian border) is only 6 hours or so if you do it straight, so a week is more than enough time and would probably allow you to drive all the way to Nova Scotia as well (another 6 hours). Check it out!

Oh, and following what others have said...the end of this month is perfect timing for fall colors in New England (Maine especially).

TGrundvig wrote in post #13090224
How do you know the OP even has a Passport? Do you know how long it takes to get one in the US right now? Maybe leaving the country is not an option for the OP. Also, booking a flight out of the US on short notice will cost a lot more money.

Why wouldn't the OP have a passport? It's about as basic a item as one can possibly find.
Even if you never use it, it's just one of those things you have, so you are ready if you need it.

But then again. Even the idea of a grown person who has never left their home country, is strange to me.

Mine has been expired for 2 years. I'm guessing here, but I bet a lot of Americans never leave the country. You can drive from state to state without one and while the rest of the world has a lot to offer, the US has a lot to offer on its own. Sure you can't get some of the culture if you don't leave the country, but you can see deserts, mountains, canyons and everything in between. A lot of people feel that they can see plenty right here without ever leaving, and in many ways it's true.

quiksquirrel wrote in post #13090653
Why wouldn't the OP have a passport? It's about as basic a item as one can possibly find.
Even if you never use it, it's just one of those things you have, so you are ready if you need it.

But then again. Even the idea of a grown person who has never left their home country, is strange to me.

Only 30% of Americans have passports...which, yes, is depressingly low, but think about it. Assume you live in Copenhagen; you're 40 minutes from Sweden and just over 3 hours from Germany. Depending on where the OP lives in Indiana, he might be over 3 hours from the nearest airport. One's perspective on international travel is necessarily different when it takes longer to drive from one end of the country to the other (Boston to San Francisco) than it does to drive from Gibraltar to freaking Moscow. And we also no longer have anything like SCHENGEN, and certainly nothing like Ryanair/Easyjet.

cptrios wrote in post #13090781
Only 30% of Americans have passports...which, yes, is depressingly low, but think about it. Assume you live in Copenhagen; you're 40 minutes from Sweden and just over 3 hours from Germany. Depending on where the OP lives in Indiana, he might be over 3 hours from the nearest airport. One's perspective on international travel is necessarily different when it takes longer to drive from one end of the country to the other (Boston to San Francisco) than it does to drive from Gibraltar to freaking Moscow. And we also no longer have anything like SCHENGEN, and certainly nothing like Ryanair/Easyjet.

Sounds like you think Europe is a pretty small place. In fact, it's larger than the US. Even with vastly superior infrastructure, distances are generally greater than most sane people would want to drive.

Just like you can in the US, I can travel to pretty much any part of Europe without my passport.
But pretty much everyone here, travels to places outside Europe. And that is the way it should be. To know anything about the world, you have to experience it. And one of the main reasons for all the crap in the world right now, is the fact that to many people (no nationalities mentioned, you know who you are), have absolutely no clue what goes on outside their own backyard. And no interest in changing that.

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but lack thereof is killing the world.

quiksquirrel wrote in post #13091071
Sounds like you think Europe is a pretty small place. In fact, it's larger than the US. Even with vastly superior infrastructure, distances are generally greater than most sane people would want to drive....

...To know anything about the world, you have to experience it. And one of the main reasons for all the crap in the world right now, is the fact that to many people (no nationalities mentioned, you know who you are), have absolutely no clue what goes on outside their own backyard. And no interest in changing that.

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but lack thereof is killing the world.

How many different countries are within Europe, not just states, provinces, or prefectures; I think that's the point.

My apologies for the sidetrack, but just a general comment before things get brewing.

As for the stereotyping of Americans as provincial and ignorant of world affairs, this is unfortunately true to some extent, but we obviously have some remarkably bright people in this country as well.

Really, nothing more fascist than stereotyping 300 million people based on their nationality.

Nothing more ignorant than stereotyping 300 million people based on their nationality when said people comprise one of the most diverse populations on the planet in terms of religion, thought, culture, ethnicity, morality, and so on. Think about it, nearly 40 million Americans were born outside of the country…compare that with your [In the plural form of the word] country's respective overall population.

Nothing more hypocritical than when people who chastise Americans for being chauvinistically myopic are themselves guilty of making such a chauvinistically simplistic assessment.

Given the soaring racial issues afflicting Europe now, I'm in no mood to hear any Europeans proselytizing about America's faults. As for the world's problem, many of them stem from issues that predate the existence of the United States; world history did not begin in 1946.

What I've experienced while living overseas is that a lot of people think they know much more about the United States than I know about their country, but often times, what they actually know appears to come from bigoted-inspired propaganda. That is, what they actually know amounts to nothing more than hateful disinformation. Sure, I can find an American who probably thinks that all Japanese women wear kimono all the time (could find some Europeans who think that too), but such ignorance is just that, ignorance of Japan. Yet, much of the malicious stereotyping of Americans is due to the deliberate dissemination of half-truths, vicious generalizations, and unwarranted excoriations emitting, in some cases, from reputable media sources.

That said, I agree, more Americans should see the rest of the world (many don't have the money), and education in this country needs a major overhaul. And with another American, I will happily rail against the numerous problems that the US faces; we weren't all born high-fiving each other while loudly opining, "USA Number 1!" Actually, I love living overseas, and I could probably spend the rest of my life in Tokyo; so no, this isn't the rant of your classic redneck, but simply one from someone who realizes that none of us on this planet are above reproach.

Consequently, more non-American Westerners should not rely on anti-US rhetoric, or for that matter, Hollywood's spew, to judge America; especially when so many of the critics go about listening to jazz, R&B, or rock while wearing jeans and watching some TV show imported fro the US.

I do believe that a number of (certainly NOT all) Europeans fail to comprehend just how diverse our population is, and how geographically expansive the country is. This does not really bother me, unless, however, these same people falsely feel knowledgeable enough to erroneously conflate the American character in a pejorative manner.

Bottom line, and what appropriate timing, it was on a David Bowie forum, no less, that just days after the 9-11 attacks, I had the privilege of reading a number of posts from Europeans and other Westerners on how the US deserved what it got…

This is a camera site, and I'm not going to tolerate even the slightest hint of such f*cking bullsh*t mentality, the sanctimonious hypocrisy is just too galling.

Said me bit, off this thread now...

sjones wrote in post #13091491
-self righteous rant-

Getting a bit defensive are we?

I almost feel like pointing out the immensely humorous irony of your post, but that would somewhat spoil it for those who can figure it out on their own.

And for the record. I lived in the US some years ago. And you know what. First hand experience is much worse than the media image.

Edit to ad: Quote edited down due to post length concerns.

How about Mexico? I'm going to Cancun in November along with the movie production crew I've been working with, and that's where we are shooting the final scene and wrapping the film.

Hang out with the locals and get some photos of their way of life, visit Chichen Itza and other archaeological sites, etc.

Yeesh how did this happen? Helluva tone we've got going here! Bottom line: there are loads and loads of Americans who fit quite well with nearly all of the negative stereotypes Europeans have of us, and there are loads and loads who don't. So basically it's like every other country on the planet. There! Finished!

Now, OP, please ignore this stuff and update us on your decisions when you make them!

10megapixel wrote in post #13089782
This month.

So, don't keep us in suspence: Do you or don't you have a passport?

You said you had been to Canada, but in the "old days" you could come and go to Canada and Mexico without a passport. Things have changed...

quiksquirrel wrote in post #13089918
I don't see a whole lot of creativity here. Almost all of these suggestions are for various parts of the US. The world is quite a bit larger than that you know.

A few from my list:

Cambodia.
Afghanistan, among the locals. Playing with the foreign troops is for tourists.
Northern Lapland.

But since you have severely limited time and funds, I would take WaltA's advise and go to Nova Scotia.
With a bit of luck, you might even be able to stretch the money all the way to Scotland. The highlands are amazing in autumn.

Not as silly as it sounds. Fly into Phnom Penh, then a same day connecting flight to Siem Reap. 30 minutes from Siem Reap (find a good hotel in Siem Reap) by car to the Angkor Wat complex..One of the most photographable places on this planet.

sjones wrote in post #13091491
Said me bit, off this thread now...

So that is the Geopolitics sorted what about where you think the OP should gor for a week, why are some people so self important that the beleive that they can ignore the initial point of the thread?

Heading off the beaten trail in South America, think Ecuador or Bolivia should be easily doable within your budget but time may be tight, any chance you could extend your time frame? Not sure what your airfares are like from the US right now but you should be able to live for peanuts!

In Europe I would maybe suggest something a little different and head down the dalmation coast and have a look see at Croatia?

tonylong wrote in post #13093554
So, don't keep us in suspence: Do you or don't you have a passport?

You said you had been to Canada, but in the "old days" you could come and go to Canada and Mexico without a passport. Things have changed...

Sorry....no passport

Well, that narrows down your possibilities - A LOT!

Seriously, go to NYC. The place has a life of its own. So much to see and shoot, the place is a hoot!