u/SerenityFalcon89

Hey all,

I'm a 37 year old teacher from NYC already thinking ahead to next year's summer vacation. I really love wildlife and animals and would love to go somewhere where I could see cool stuff. My favorite destinations so far have been Costa Rica, South Africa and Sumatra.

I might get lucky and be able to recruit a friend, but in case I don't I'd still love ideas for places that could be fun and safe alone. Not sure if I should just rent an air bnb for a month in one place and really relax, or bounce around, which can be a bit more stressful.

Also open to volunteering ethically.

Open to ideas! Thanks in advance for any help.

ETA: I don't drive.

Hey All,

I'm a 37F teacher thinking ahead to next summer vacation. I'm single and a lot of my friends are spread out or married with kids, so while I might be able to recruit a friend for a week or two of traveling, that still leaves several weeks of freedom. I don't like being bored and I love to travel.

I majored in conservation biology so animals are a passion, but I don't want to do anything scammy or exploitative. I do like kids and would be open to working with them as well, but again want something reputable. I have a background in nature education.

I'd love to go somewhere for about a month and volunteer with purpose. I'd appreciate any advice you can offer. I'm coming from NYC and anything in the Americas might be a perk for cost reasons, but willing to go elsewhere.

Hello,

I'm thinking of spending a week in Manuel Antonio with my mom in February.

We did it a few years ago and stayed at Costa Verde which we enjoyed greatly, but I'm wondering if there's anything a bit closer to the beach. We'd ideally like to spend under $300 a night and be at a place that has frequent monkey visitors although we understand in nature there are no guarantees.

We will probably go into the national park at least twice (I'm thinking once with a guide and once to wander on our own once we have our bearings). One or two beach days. Any other thoughts on things to do in the area?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hello,

I'm a teacher who will have a week off in February for presidents week, and I'd love to go somewhere warm with my mom for cheap.

I will be taking a big trip next summer to either Tanzania or the Brazilian Pantanal, which will be pricey so trying to do this for under 2k a person.

I studied wildlife biology in school so seeing wildlife is a huge perk. Monkeys are special favorites. I want one or two beach days but will get bored just being on a beach so doing some fun activities as well would be nice. I like leisurely hiking and bird watching.

I'm thinking the Caribbean or Central America but open to ideas.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

I am a teacher who will be leading a spring field trip for 16 or so 3-5th graders. We will be going on a nature walk focused on things that fly (birds and insects). I would love to purchase 3-4 pairs of binoculars for the kids to share. The school will pay for them but I probably wouldn't be able to ask for more than $200 usd as I'll need to purchase other stuff too for the week.

So, what would work well for this age group and budget? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hello Fellow Teachers,

After working for years at a 12 month special education school, I am looking forward to my first summer off. I'm going to Ireland for 2 1/2 weeks, taking my last Masters + 30 class at the Bronx Zoo, and a class at the Botanical Garden for fun.

But I'll still have a lot of free time, and I want it to be engaging and productive. Wouldn't mind taking another career related class or attending some lectures or workshops.

I love wildlife/nature/birding, board games, live music (mostly classic rock, blues, bluegrass, folk), science/secular humanism, pub trivia and probably more things I'm not thinking of.

What are some things you seasoned teachers do to fill up your days or fun places in the city to explore? Any great lesser known museums or cultural institutions? Fun bars with good open mics?

I don't want to spend all summer watching Netflix!

TIA for any suggestions 😄