Aix-en-Provence, France

We are experimenting on this trip to determine if driving farther to the airport for a non-stop flight is worth the extra driving time. Many of our trips start with where we can get good airfare on ScottsCheapFlights.  When a non-stop flight at a good price to an area we were considering from a close-enough airport appeared on this site, we decided to try it. So in a few hours we are driving three hours to Miami International Airport for a non-stop flight to Milan, Italy.

In Milan, we pick up our rental car and head to Aix-en-Provence in southern France with a one-night stay in Monaco along the way.  We thought it would be fun to combine a break from the six-hour drive to Aix with a visit to a new country.

Our friend Scott is meeting us in Aix for six days and  then we all go to Alba and Verona, Italy. After we bid Scott farewell, Paul and I go to Ljubljana, Slovenia. I was in Aix fourteen years ago on the way to visit my daughter who was doing a study-abroad in Toledo, Spain, but every other destination is new for me and all of them are new for Paul and Scott.

Southern France and northern Italy were easy choices, but we wanted to try something more off the beaten path for our final week.  We chose Ljubljana, Slovenia after Paul listened to an Extra Pack of Peanuts podcast that raved about the appeal of Slovenia, a place that had never been on our travel radar.

Lake Bled. Slovenia

We are looking forward to great wine tasting, fabulous food, beautiful sights, invigorating hikes and interesting people and culture.