Help me decided: Jan. New Zealand OR Jan. Spain/Portugal (2028)

Air New Zealand has direct flights out of IAH, 15 hours. I disagree with stopping in Hawaii. You take 8 hours to get to Hawaii, and then (if on OneWorld like AA) you fly Qantas to Australia, and then hop back to NZ. That's beyond misery (over 24 hours from Hawaii). I looked up Delta, and that's OKC-SLC-LAX-Auckland for 20 hours. Not awful, but that's a lot of connections that are putting you at risk in both directions.

At any rate, if you have the time to hit AUS/NZ, take it. When is the next time you're going to be able to carve out time like that with a 16/17 year old? Although, I'll argue to hell and back trips like this trump any tournament in any sport, at any time, unless they have a pro contract.

I haven't been to Auckland, but I spent a week in the Queenstown area in 2019 with girls 14 and 13 years old, and we had an awesome time hiking the Routeburn Trek and also to the Mueller Hut near Mt. Cook. Milford Sound is spectacular, and the glowworm cave at Te Anau was great. Great trip.

I haven't been southern Spain or Portugal since 1992, but I was in Lisbon and the Azores twice in the last 10 years. The Azores might be my favorite place on Planet Earth (and I've traveled to 46 countries), but the weather is terrible in January and I can't recommend it. I just, in general, don't think that January is a good time to go anywhere in Spain or Portugal. The average low temp in Grenada in January is 35 degrees.

That's good feedback.

My parents went to Patagonia and loved it. That's a great option to consider!

Wife and I spent this past January in Sevilla, Spain
It rained almost every single day and the weather was 40's-50's on average straight through.
We had a great time but the weather was a bummer
Since you mentioned January specifically, based on the weather, I'd choose NZ

New Zealand in 2028 and Spain/portugal in 2030 for the World Cup

Want to go but never been to New Zealand, but I can say weather-wise Jan is not the best time to visit Spain/Portugal for a pleasure trip.

And to the folks who say 10 days is too short for NZ, yes its not ideal but its easily doable, plus your kids are at an age where they can deal with the time change/travel. Most families with kids that age will never be able to find 2 or 3 weeks for a trip like that, if that is family bucket-list trip, you have the money to pull it off, and everyone is available, go for NZ.

I lived in Queenstown for 6 months and my wife is from NZ, so I’m biased. I haven’t been to Europe - take that for what you will - but New Zealand:

1. Is an English-speaking country
2. Safer than most European countries
3. Has more natural beauty (tropical island vibes in the North Island; mountains in the South Island)
4. Has more beautiful hikes that everyone can enjoy
5. Tourism is one of their main industries so there is public restrooms and campsites literally everywhere you go

Everyone and their brother complains about the flights, but it’s not bad. If the single mom with two kids can do it, you can too. Plus, if you fly Air New Zealand, it’s a first-class experience.

I would do one week in the North Island and one in the South Island. Don’t spend more than two days in Auckland (I wouldn’t spend a day but that’s just me), though it is a wonderful city that makes most of our cities in the US look like crap.

The South is where it’s at. Less Maoris (no offense but it is what it is) and more mountains. You can go to the Marlborough region for some wine, Mount Cook to see a mountain with glaciers, Queenstown for a cool resort town, Wanaka for more mountains, Dunedin for an older city with rich Scottish roots, Invercargil because you can (people from Queenstown scoff at the place because you can’t ski or mountain bike there but they have a stunning public garden), Milford Sound for some beautiful waterfalls, Stewart Island to see a kiwi (bird not fruit), and the West Coast for some scenic ocean driving.

Honestly, I would spend two weeks just in the South Island. Get a Campervan for one week and camp anywhere and everywhere.

With all that said, people who live their life not seeing New Zealand miss seeing a country that God took extra time to create and is a shame.

Queenstown is awesome. Make sure you do a jetboat ride on the shotover river, and if youre adventurous enough, bungee jump at the Kawarau River Bridge. Very cool things to do on top of the mountain too, including riding tricycle like thing (not sure what you call it) down the mountain. Also make sure to do a boat ride in Milford Sound. Breathtaking.