Need a vacation! Help me pick a country!

[ma23peas]

I am praying with all you ladies out there needing to sell a home, we've had two payments for 13 months, dh has worked 2 jobs for that time and we're fried. We've had issues with scouting (thanks for all those who responded!! Still working on it), our dog of 15 years almost died last week (brown recluse bite, I got bit as well) grandmother suffered lung cancer surgery and broken hip..it's just been one thing after another....On the good side, I have saved enough ff miles to get us another trip overseas....we took a historical trip to England 3 years ago (cost less than our trip to Disney, pricelined an awesome deal on hotel/car rental and got a steal at an English cottage in the Cotswolds....stayed 11 days and had a blast) the kids really would like to return to England but I know we won't have the opportunity to travel much in the future (they're 13, 10, 9) and foresee them taking off for mission exchanges and such in their midteens...

And we want to travel overseas again before their passports need renewing, kids passports don't last as long and they're EXPENSIVE!! So for all you travelers, military families, just lucky folks who've made it out of the country ...what's a good place to take the kids?

 

I've been thinking about Ireland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Australia is just too far, can't do the time flying....considered South American countries...any tips???

 

I've got to have something to look forward to after we survive this housing market!

 

Thanks!!

Tara

[Mom to Aly]

Depending on when you are going--is it really soon? France and England are outrageously expensive, so is Germany (food, hotels, etc.). Italy is more reasonable, Spain is a bit better, and wonderful--Greece is also good. Right now is so touristy and hot, if you can wait until after summer, it will be less crowded, less hot, less expensive.

 

My biggest disappointment ever travelling was Venice--went there in August, and it is a huge TOILET--truly, their sewage goes into their water, you can see stuff floating by. And in the summer, you can smell it miles away. Florence is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to--you can walk all over and it is wonderful. I also love Rome, so much history, but horrible in the summer. Still, better to see it then than never.

 

I love Spain, and my fave city there is Barcelona. So much fun, wonderful to see--you have to see all the Gaudi places you can--he is the famous architect that designed so many places beyond imagination (the word "gaudy" comes from him, so you can imagine)--your kids will ADORE him! He has a famous park he designed, Parc Guell, there that is wonderful. If your kids have studied Spanish, it will be great. My high school Spanish got me through there wonderfully, and people were friendly, open, wonderful! The olympics changed a lot there, but still a wonderful city. (One of my fave things I've ever bought was from there--my brother is a grand master chess player, & I've bought him chess sets from all over the world. I got him a "Don Quixote" chess set there--the king is Don Quixote, the bishops are Sancho Panza, the rooks windmills, etc.)

 

France is amazing, you can see so much in Paris, if you can get a good deal there. The dollar is horrible all over, and France is really expensive, even just for meals, but if you have the money, it is amazing. I've lived there, and just don't like it that much, but it shouldn't be discounted. The history, museums, etc are amazing, and the metro is unbelievably cheap and amazing.

 

You could always get a Europass and go to a few places--the train is so cheap! It could be worth it if you could take the time.

 

One city you did not mention is Amersterdam. It has more canals than Venice, and a lot of history--Anne Frank's house is amazing, but traumatizing, I've never recovered from it, and it has been 20 years since I went there. They take you in, and let you into the room she hid in. They let in the same # of people who were in with her, and close the door, telling you to be very quiet--and you get to see what it was like, how every movement makes noise, etc. Then, as you walk out, you pass pictures of her, and the people in the house, and other people who died then. Very impressive. At least, this is what they did then, if you went off season. I'd been there when it was crowded before then, and they didn't do it if there was a big crowd.

 

Greece has a ton of places I didn't touch upon--but, depending upon health, the air polution there is tremendous, and you might have to watch that (I've had problems in the past with Paris with that, and that was before I had asthma, but just when I lived there--for that matter, I've had that prob in London, when I lived there as well).

 

I did Scotland on a vacation once, but found it much too boring--at least for me, a born NY'er, who was always on the go--not the kind of vacation I like. I like to be on the go and really see things.

 

If you do go to Paris, do let me know. I know of a ton of museums a lot of tourists may not find, that are really amazing!

 

Good luck! I know you'll enjoy it, where ever you go! I haven't thought of going to Europe in so long, but now I'm so jealous!!

[TammyinTN]

:iagree: I would wait and come in the fall. You will still have crowds but it will be cooler. Were in Germany and the high yesterday was 91 and most places do not have AC. Consider the exchange rate and plan well before traveling..the rate really dampens our travels some months. Good luck!

[Laura Corin]

Rome and Pompeii is wonderful, but wait until the autumn.

 

Laura

[Heather in the Kootenays]

But it isn't an inexpensive trip.

 

We spent 8 days on a boat, snorkeling and hiking every day. Ecuador is also worth spending some time.

[Melinda in VT]

We went on a family trip to the south of France last spring (April) and loved it. We rented two houses for a week--one in a little hilltop town in Provence, and one in a small village outside Carcassonne.

[Kathleen in VA]

If I could go anywhere in the world one of my top picks would be to go to Salzburg, Austria and see all the "Sound of Music" sights. I've heard it is an awesome tour.

 

Anywhere along the Mediterranean would be my next pick. When the Olympics were in Athens they kept showing the crystal clear blue waters from airplanes/helicopters and I thought it was so very beautiful. The South of France sounds great, too.

[laylamcb]

As others mentioned, the fall would be better. But if you're going in August, the ONLY place I'd go in France is Paris. Many, many Parisians will be gone, enjoying their own summer vacation in the south. Note: DON'T go near the south of France in August. ;) Also note, you'll need A/C. Whew!

[elegantlion]

Since my family and I are starting to plan for a trip to Ireland, I vote there. Then you can come back and share all of the places we need to visit. :tongue_smilie:

 

Have you been to Costa Rica? We had the opportunity to go in 2005, it was beautiful. We stayed near Tamarindo on the north western coast.

[ma23peas]

Okay, you guys are getting me excited! :) We have seriously considered Austria because we're huge Sound of Music nuts...we really want to stick to historical places and also considered Holland (a dear friend of ours is from there and we'd like to visit her family who stayed a few weeks with us last year)...The Hiding Place is one of our favorite books and we'd like to go to Haarlem to see Corrie's house...

 

On France and Germany, are any of the museums free? That's what we loved about England, most of the museums were free and such a treat..while it was expensive when we went to England (almost 2 dollars for every pound)...we could easily find ways around it...buying our own food and sticking to a budget by limiting ourselves on pay museums/events. But, I'm not that familiar with France/Germany.

 

Now Spain is interesting, that's twice that someone has said they loved Spain, I would assume they would have loads of history...anything free there? We usually plan a trip like this in September or April..a time when the weather is still decent for walking but the rates and touristy traffic is way down. Also it's the only time we can usually manage 5 Frequent flyer vouchers on the same flight...it took me 4 months of daily calling to manage that for our England trip...

 

While I love beaches, we have some beautiful ones in the Gulf on Florida's coast, I really want the kids to have a "historical" trip so that when we cover these inventors/authors/events in time, it will bring it alive for them...not many of those from the Caribbean....and really not many of those that I know of from South America...I'm sure there are loads but how do they escape us?

 

I was wondering if I could put together a tour of Holland (Corrie Ten Boom)....(Anne Frank)....Germany... Austria (Von Trapp).. France (the Sun King) and any other places? We would actually probably drive a car, everyone says to do the eurorail...but we love going off the beaten path and exploring a bit. I got my car rental in England for $130 for 10 days! If you keep hitting sites, you'll find the deals! :)

 

Any more ideas? Oh, and we're considering doing Disneyland Paris...anyone done this? I know it's really expensive but that would be our only splurge and just for a day...thanks!!

Tara

[JFSinIL]

If your kids like the Asterix books...do you know about this http://www.parcasterix.fr/ a theme park based on the books!

 

Me - I'd take kids to Rome/Florence/Pompei...in the fall. but, outside of Bern, that is the only area in Europe I've been too.

[Melinda in VT]

Personally, I'd pick one country (or even part of a country) and explore it thoroughly.

 

Southern France has tons of Roman ruins. There are lots of medieval castles near Carcassonne.

 

Also, I wouldn't rule out Salzburg for a lack of historical sites. I regret spending my one full day in Salzburg on the Sound of Music tour. There is so much else I could have seen!

[danielle]

The Netherlands is awesome. We took a barge and bicycle trip there two years ago. Once we discovered that the 75 year olds on the trip could beat the pants off of us, we just decided to take the barge from stop to stop, get off and tour the city, take a quick train to meet the barge at nite. BTW we did see Corrie ten Boem's house, Anne Franke, etc. The Netherlands was stunning for my dd also--a society with a serious commitment to the environment. It will blow your mind--the seriousness of bike travel and public transit.

 

France is my favorite destination in the world, but this year we ruled out England and France due to the horrendous exchange rate. We're looking at Greece--some of the early fall cruises are very affordable compared to the cost in summer (or the cost of France right now).

Danielle

[muffinmom]

If I could go anywhere in the world one of my top picks would be to go to Salzburg, Austria and see all the "Sound of Music" sights. I've heard it is an awesome tour.

 

It is a great tour! I was already going to say Austria--I think you can even get some direct flights from Atlanta (maybe other cities too) to Vienna. Vienna is definitely top on the list for me--it is lovely, has so many things to see (try the opera house--you can get cheap, last-minute tickets for standing room at one of the most famous opera houses in the world), is CLEAN!, and the public transportation is on time, clean, and easy to use. Yummy food, too. Oh, and the coffeehouses....

 

From Vienna, you can visit Salzburg and the Lake District, which is just beautiful. If you're really up for some fun, take a side trip to Prague--the Old City area is like a fairy tale!

 

Wish I could go.

[ma23peas]

Thanks for the tip on the park! Some of our favorites is just walking around BIG NICE parks! My son is a bird enthusiast and my girls love the playgrounds or just running around..we loved St. James Park with all the birds and of course Hyde Park with Princess Di's memorial...do cities like Salzburg and Vienna have large open park areas??

 

Thanks!

Tara

[Melinda in VT]

Thanks for the tip on the park! Some of our favorites is just walking around BIG NICE parks! My son is a bird enthusiast and my girls love the playgrounds or just running around..we loved St. James Park with all the birds and of course Hyde Park with Princess Di's memorial...do cities like Salzburg and Vienna have large open park areas??

 

Thanks!

Tara

 

Remember the gardens the kids dance through in "Do a Deer"? Those are in the heart of Salzburg.

 

Vienna has some nice open spaces too, but I can't remember the details.

[CalicoKat]

I am praying with all you ladies out there needing to sell a home, we've had two payments for 13 months, dh has worked 2 jobs for that time and we're fried. We've had issues with scouting (thanks for all those who responded!! Still working on it), our dog of 15 years almost died last week (brown recluse bite, I got bit as well) grandmother suffered lung cancer surgery and broken hip..it's just been one thing after another....On the good side, I have saved enough ff miles to get us another trip overseas....we took a historical trip to England 3 years ago (cost less than our trip to Disney, pricelined an awesome deal on hotel/car rental and got a steal at an English cottage in the Cotswolds....stayed 11 days and had a blast) the kids really would like to return to England but I know we won't have the opportunity to travel much in the future (they're 13, 10, 9) and foresee them taking off for mission exchanges and such in their midteens...

And we want to travel overseas again before their passports need renewing, kids passports don't last as long and they're EXPENSIVE!! So for all you travelers, military families, just lucky folks who've made it out of the country ...what's a good place to take the kids?

 

I've been thinking about Ireland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Australia is just too far, can't do the time flying....considered South American countries...any tips???

 

I've got to have something to look forward to after we survive this housing market!

 

Thanks!!

Tara

Africa - Nairobi, Kenya to be precise. My fav. memory was an African safari in the Sarengeti. It was a two week trip pup tenting with a one night stay in one of the luxury lodges.

 

We went with Game Trackers. http://www.gametrac.co.za/index2.html

 

I will never forget that trip. :) We still talk alot about it today.

[Mom to Aly]

Someone mentioned Carcasonne, which I'd forgotten, don't know why, it is my fave place in France. It is a medeival fortress city, you can explore it, and it is wonderful! Plus, Mont St. Michel is amazing, when the tide is out you can usually walk to the city, it is amazing, and I think they might have already completed a bridge for when the tide is in--you have to look it up. And you can do Giverny, you know, the gardens that Monet painted, so beautiful--yes, France has a lot to offer, then you can drive to the Pyrenees and go on to Spain, and the Pyrenees are beautiful, and won't be really cold yet--there is a sleeper train you can take there, and then, if you are not driving, a really old fashioned train you can take to Barcelona--it is a trip! You have to consider gas in all this--it is $4 a liter there, not a gallon.

 

Vienna is gorgeous!! If that is they way you won't to go, I wouldn't miss it. And Holland is great. But if you are looking at 10 days, I wouldn't spread it out too much, you'll be on the road too much, and miss a lot.

 

Museums in France are definitely not free, btw. That is basically London & Washington DC. Sorry.

[Sparkle]

If you're going very soon, WorldHotels has a special promotion in several European countries, where you pay the euro rate in dollars at their hotels. So if the room is 150 euros, you only pay $150.

 

http://www.worldhotels.com/offers-euro-worth-a-dollar.html

 

I loved France and the Netherlands - lots to see and do there. Places I haven't been but would love to visit - Italy, Germany, Ireland, and Bolivia.

[ma23peas]

Thanks for the tip on the euro for dollar!! We are even considering house swapping...has anyone done that? We can travel as soon as our other home sells...so my time frame is up in the air....I remember my friend telling me about Mont st. Michel? she had pictures of the little strip you had to cross before the water came back in! :)

 

I know my kids would love the safari, I love animals but I think I love history more...from what I've seen of the developed areas of Africa on "Amazing Race" I just don't feel comfortable taking my children there....when they're older and before they start families, now that's a trip I'd love to take with them and see Mt, Kilimanjaro! :)

Thanks!!

Tara

[milovany]

I haven't read all the other replies. Just wanted to put in my vote for the Mediterranean coast of Spain. That's dh's and my dream. We actually want to live there after our kids are grown.

[Amy in Orlando]

I vote for ALL of the replies. LOL I just want to know if I can come along? I will carry luggage and sleep on the doorstep. You'll hardly notice me. 8)

 

I'm so excited to hear what you end up deciding to do.

[Dawn E]

We went to Greece in 2000 or 2001; I'm tired and can't remember which year. It was early in our marriage, before children. I LOVED it and want to go back with the children someday. We found it to be extremely affordable; however that was pre-Olympics, so things may be more expensive now. We went off-season, in March. The weather was windy but wonderful. If we get to return we will spend most of our time in Crete with a side-trip to Santorini. Ahhhh....beautiful!!!!

[Stacia]

Now Spain is interesting, that's twice that someone has said they loved Spain, I would assume they would have loads of history...anything free there?

 

Wow, this trip sounds so fun & exciting!

 

I'll be a third vote for Spain, even though it was ages ago when I was there (1992 -- yikes!). I didn't go for the Olympics, even though that was the year they hosted. I went because my sister was doing a summer study there w/ her college & I had always wanted to travel to Spain. We actually rented dorm space from the University in Madrid. You could always look into that as cheaper living space too, perhaps. If you could I'd definitely recommend the Alhambra (I bought a plane tix & did a day trip to there) & the northern coast of Spain too (esp. San Sebastian). Spain was awesome. I really had wanted to go there for years & places often don't live up to your own mental hype, but Spain exceeded everything, imo. (Except the heat was brutal in the summer.) Spain has lots of history and many beautiful things to see and experience.

 

I also recommend northern Italy. Florence is wonderful (though it's also been ages since I've been there). I agree w/ a previous poster that Venice is not all that it's cracked up to be. If you're looking for a calmer paced vacation, I highly recommend getting a hotel or apartment in the Dolomites & doing hiking. It's gorgeous. Gorgeous. I can wish & dream that we could retire & move to this area. It's basically the south Tyrol. As for history, I know Otzi the Iceman is on display there, though we haven't gone to visit him yet, lol. Val Gardena is the valley we stay in & love. Summer is actually the slower tourist season (because they are at high-season during winter skiing). You would need a car. (It's about a 4-6 hour drive from both Venice & Milan.) It really doesn't offer as much as the typical 'big' European cities (museums, travel via train, etc...). But, our trips there have been some of the most enjoyable and relaxing trips we've ever taken (both for us -- the adults -- and our kids). My kids constantly ask when we can go back, both in the winter & the summer. I wish it were that easy, lol!

 

Belgium is also an often overlooked treasure. Brugge (Bruges) is a beautiful city with lots of history, lovely places, and delicious food (including the heavenly-smelling waffle stands on the streets, lol). You can also try Brussels or visit castles (we've visited the ones in Bouillon & the Gravensteen in Ghent).

 

Have fun on whatever adventure you choose! :001_smile:

[Susan in KY]

Go to Greece and Turkey.

 

I lived in Turkey as an exchange student and it's fun! Tons of ruins you can climb all over, beautiful beaches, great food, history out your eyeballs, CHEAP....

 

Yeah, baby. Greece and Turkey all the way!

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

I have travelled all over the world, and my vote is Machu Pichuu in Peru. The kids would love Cusco, and the European touch of Lima. Europe is high priced right now, although I am taking my children to Italy this fall. Cruising is your best value right now. That is what we opted for. We are doing the Eastern Med. Greece, Turkey and Italy and studying the ancients this fall. I have been to Europe the last couple of years and it is down right unaffordable especially with many people.

[Brigitte]

Go to Belgium (not that I am biased or anything ;)). See Brugges, Brussels, Antwerp, and Dinant. There is a lot packed into a small country.

 

Otherwise, I vote for Paris and the south of France or Rome and Pompei.

[Hannah]

Come here! South Africa.

 

We have wonderful game parks, beautiful landscapes, beaches....and some history to explore.

 

But if it's too far....after watching the Tour de France on television, I'd love to visit the Brittany region of France.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

Check out Guatemala. It's really a great place for a vacation for families, not too expensive, but, lots to do.

 

You can climb Pacaya

a video of the lava flows.

 

You can go to Tikal here's some great photos of Tikal.

 

At Lake Atitlan you can visit the Mayan villages around the lake, visit the volcanos around it, zipline the butterfly preserve, and boat ride the lake.

 

You can visit Xocomil and Xetalul parks and have a great time!

 

And, last, but not least, you can visit me in

It's beautiful here!

 

But, the best time to come is after November when the rainy season is over. If you want to get a really great cultural experience, come during Holy Week and be a part of the processions and really unique things that happen here. It's a great place. I'm glad I posted this! It really makes me grateful to live here!