Just for fun (travel related)

Nice on the sabbatical! How does one get that? lol

I would travel internationally in a heartbeat.. my first would be England and Italy.. followed by Ireland. I wouldn't rush it and take my time if allowed. (I have already been to Germany, Austria and France, although there are more things I would love to see in those countries, I would want to visit new places)

I was on a cruise last month and absolutely loved Malta!

With 4 weeks, I'm going to Australia and New Zealand.

FWIW, I've been to Greece a number of times and would highly recommend September as the best month if that is where you end up.

GREECE.

I have a good friend who is there for 2 weeks right now and it looks amazing. So amazing I think it will be my trip next summer! 

January/February is summer, down here in New Zealand (and in Australia too, of course).
Just sayin….……..

Four week road trip, through New England.

If you are going to Greece (which you should if that’s your dream destination), I’d shoot for an April time frame if you want warm (not blazing hot) temps. Just know that tourist schedules may not be fully filled out early in the season. Check when Greek Orthodox Easter is and a valid that unless you want crowds. If you wait until May, it’s still early for tourists and you may have more transportation options to any islands or attractions.

For most of Europe, January or February works well of most of what you want to see is indoors. England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany will all be cool and rainy (as in torrential rains for weeks on end). By the end of March and into April, most of those areas will see some flowers and trees blooming and it’s quite pretty. Traveling in the winter has some benefits—the crowds are lesser and there’s less demand for attractions. But not all attractions are open or operate with limited hours. Again, watch for Easter—the crowds will be huge with kids off of school. 

In order of my preference:

New Zealand and Australia

Iceland (followed by other Scandinavian countries)

Greece

Ireland

African Safari

I would go to Italy or Great Britain. I would take my time exploring and seeing things. Maybe have days we do nothing but people watch. I feel like 4 weeks is enough time to really explore one of those two places.

However, for some reason I don’t like to take really long vacations anymore, 2 weeks max, 10 days is good. I long for home after 2 weeks. Maybe it is an old age thing. Lol!

Well, that would rule out Greece if your dream includes swimming in the sea and toes in the sand beachside eating. 

Athens, Thessaloniki and the major historical sites will all be open, but most of the island tourist life shuts down over winter.

Have fun planning.

I would spend a week in Netherlands, a week in Czech Republic, and 2 weeks driving about Germany, if I waited for spring, otherwise, in Jan or Feb, I would be heading down under.

With 4 weeks, I would do more than one country if you decided to come to Europe. Greece is lovely, and I would definitely include it, but add in a couple of others: Italy, Croatia, Spain, France, Germany or even Turkey.

If you have a choice in when you travel, I wouldn't come to Europe in January/February. Many of the Greek Islands pretty much shut down their tourism from mid October to just before Easter, and getting between islands is not as easy, with fewer ferries and flights. In other places, the tourist offerings might also be reduced - fewer tours and experiences, for example. 

I don't know where in the US you are, and so what your cold tolerance is, but here in Germany (and other countries, especially Scandinavia) we get below freezing and being outside in that and snow is not much fun.

Looking at dates, Easter is April 9 (Orthodox Easter, April 16) next year - travelling just after that would give you better weather - though it can be unpredictable in April here - but without the big tourist crush and heat of summer.