Alice Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 SIL takes all the nephew/nieces on a trip of their choice in the USA when they are 10. Ds turns 10 later this year and is trying to choose. He is picking the big name places (Hawaii, Puerto Rico/US Virgin Islands, Yellowstone). All are good options but I’m trying to help him think of other ideas. One is that I think a trip to Hawaii will be too long for that age (because of distance she wants to go for 12 days if they go to Hawaii). One is that due to other things going on we’re having some trouble finding time for him to go (partially our schedule, partially hers). A great time in our schedules to go would be Feb or March next year but Yellowstone is out that time of year. PR/VI might be an option but I’m trying to think of other ones to suggest. So where would you go in Feb or March? This is for a 10 year old boy who loves science, nature, animals. He likes trying new experiences. Things he is excited about in the places he’s looked at are white water boating, horseback riding, snorkeling, hiking, etc. He likes history or science museums or sites as long as they are fairly hands-on. SIL is an experienced traveler (works as a medical missionary and is an ER doc) so I’m not worried about that. She will over-research and over-plan anywhere they go and keep him safer than I might. They both like to be pretty busy, especially SIL. Other thoughts I’ve had... California Florida Keys (although SIL is not excited about this idea, she’s been and thought it was boring) Arkansas...he is very interested in going to the diamond mine there Texas Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Twelve days in Hawaii would give them time to do at least 2 islands. Oahu and the Big Island would give them lots to do. They could swim with dolphins, whale watch, snorkel, hike the volcano, etc. Lots of nature-heavy places like Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon have major roads closed and/or limited hours in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted July 9, 2013 Author Share Posted July 9, 2013 Twelve days in Hawaii would give them time to do at least 2 islands. Oahu and the Big Island would give them lots to do. They could swim with dolphins, whale watch, snorkel, hike the volcano, etc. Lots of nature-heavy places like Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon have major roads closed and/or limited hours in the winter. Yes, I know 12 days is enough for Hawaii. My thought is that it’s too much for him to be away. It’s partially that the timing isn’t great. We have two other trips we have to do next spring (family obligations) and for him to go away for 12 days right on top of those would essentially mean no school for about 6 weeks. I try to be flexible with homeschooling but that’s just going to make the rest of the year tough. Plus, we have found spring to be the time when all the extracurricular activities have stuff gong on which he’d have to miss. That might be ok but I think when the time comes he will be sad at the amount of stuff he’s missing. Even more than that though my maternal gut feeling tells me that 12 days is too long for this particular trip. I think he’d be fine with 12 days at a camp but as wonderful as SIL is she’s not the easiest person to travel with. All the other nephews/nieces who have gone have experienced a lot of homesickness. I want him to go and I think it’s a wonderful opportunity but I think a better trip would be 7-8 days. That’s not enough for Hawaii, especially coming from the East Coast where at least 2 days are travel. I know that Yellowstone and those places are out in the winter. That’s why I was hoping to get some other ideas here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Yes, I know 12 days is enough for Hawaii. My thought is that it’s too much for him to be away. It’s partially that the timing isn’t great. We have two other trips we have to do next spring (family obligations) and for him to go away for 12 days right on top of those would essentially mean no school for about 6 weeks. I try to be flexible with homeschooling but that’s just going to make the rest of the year tough. Plus, we have found spring to be the time when all the extracurricular activities have stuff gong on which he’d have to miss. That might be ok but I think when the time comes he will be sad at the amount of stuff he’s missing. Even more than that though my maternal gut feeling tells me that 12 days is too long for this particular trip. I think he’d be fine with 12 days at a camp but as wonderful as SIL is she’s not the easiest person to travel with. All the other nephews/nieces who have gone have experienced a lot of homesickness. I want him to go and I think it’s a wonderful opportunity but I think a better trip would be 7-8 days. That’s not enough for Hawaii, especially coming from the East Coast where at least 2 days are travel. Well, that is a lot of extra information. ;) I just know I love Hawaii and it seems like other nature lovers would love it too. I know that Yellowstone and those places are out in the winter. That’s why I was hoping to get some other ideas here. You mentioned California, but I was saying that most of the national parks there (Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Canyon, etc) are also out for the winter. Sure, you could do San Diego or something, but I think it would have limited appeal. Where do you live? Do you live in the NE, SE, mid-Atlantic? How far would you rather he go? Sorry, formatting seems to be sort of broken on Safari still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Are they outdoorsy? Your list of ideas sparked a memory for me. Many years ago, I spent 10 days canoeing the Everglades. It was amazing. You might look into something like that if they are into that sort of thing. We did it in Feb, and the weather was perfect. ETA: You do have to really like the person you'll be canoeing with for this amount of time, though! Might be too much for an aunt and nephew. Maybe there are shorter trips than the 80+ mile route we took. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 If you are thinking Texas they could do Corpus Christie, Padre Island, and San Antonio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 California coast/Yosemite is beautiful. Lots of nature, cool biology, ocean, museums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Hawaii without a doubt. And you sister is right, sort of, about the Keys. ;) Hawaii. No question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 A little homesickness is not the end of the world, unless you have the sort of child who would think it the end of the world. I wouldn't want a child to suffer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thanks everyone for the ideas. For some reason I’m having trouble with the multiquote function; hopefully, these responses will make sense. Mrs. Mungo- We live near Washington DC. I don’t really care how far away he goes, but if she wants the trip to be next spring I’d like to keep it to about 7 days. I think anywhere in the continental US will be ok in that time frame. Spryte- The Everglades sounds like a great trip...but I think you might be right not for the aunt and nephew combo. She is not particularly “outdoorsyâ€. She will do outdoor things like go on a hike but she wouldn’t want to camp or rough it. Mama Geek- Thanks for the suggestions, Texas is kind of a blank slate to me. I’ll have to look into those suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilaclady Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I will say California, maybe north bay is nice almost all year round. They can do Monterrey, Carmel, San Francisco and San Jose in one trip. There is lots to see there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 A little homesickness is not the end of the world, unless you have the sort of child who would think it the end of the world. I wouldn't want a child to suffer. Travel often involves a bit of acclimation/fretting. If you trust this aunt, I would talk it up and assure the child you will Skype etc whenever he wishes. I am guessing even the cousins who felt the homesickness are thrilled to have had the experiences. :) No, it isn’t the end of the world. I think he’ll be fine even if he is homesick. He’s fairly independent. It’s more a combination of things: length of trip, all the other things he’ll miss, disruption of school, etc. If the same trip was an option the next year or in the fall of 2014 I’d say yes to Hawaii, still worrying about the length of time but more ok with it. He’d also be that much older. However, because of SIL’s schedule it’s not clear that is an option. On one hand I realize that it’s a fantastic opportunity and maybe I should just say go for it and go to Hawaii and not worry about all the other stuff. On the other hand I feel like he’s only 10 and there is a lot of the country he hasn’t seen. He likes the idea of Hawaii because it’s exotic but then when I tell him about things he could do other places he likes those too. The cousins have mixed feelings about their trips. :) The same aunt offers a trip anywhere in the world when they are 16 and only one of them took her up on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Phoenix/Tucson area might be a good fit that time a year for a not so outdoorsy aunt and a 10 year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dahliarw Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 If you can make summer work, he would most likely LOVE Alaska. You can do the coastal areas and then move inland to the national forest and such. Lots of different plants/animals and there are things like glaciers, bear watching trips, great hiking trails, etc. Crater Lake in Oregon is also a great area (and you could do the coast and then drive inland to CL), but again, summer or fall, not spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 What about NYC? Lots of great museums, like the museum of natural history, FAO Schwartz, Union Station, Statue of Librerty, Ellis Island, Eiffel Tower, carriage rides and playgrounds in Central Park, Radio City Music Hall, skating at Rockefeller Center, fabulous places to eat, etc. We went when my son was about that age and had a blast. Not a lot of nature except the museum, but I'm sure there have got to be some great science museums and, there's lots of history there as well. Or what about Philly? We just returned from there. Tons of history, the Franklin Science Institute, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Arizona is nice (weather) in February/march. Things to do include the Grand Canyon, the Phoenix zoo, the Wildlife World zoo, the meteor curator, camelback mountain, and more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 The cousins have mixed feelings about their trips. :) The same aunt offers a trip anywhere in the world when they are 16 and only one of them took her up on it. Oh my. What went wrong on those trips? I think Hawaii sounds great, even with the disruptions - but I'm not one to get worried about school absences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Where has she taken some of the other kids? Do they all seem to travel about the same time of year? Of those choices, I would pick Hawaii for the time of year. It is the only place that you can pretty much guarantee nice enough weather to be outside during those months. I also think it would be a good combination of the outdoorsy stuff he likes and a tropical location she would like. Have you asked any of the other kids why they refused the second trip? That would almost be concerning to me if it wasn't for the fact that at 16 most kids don't want to be seen with adults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thanks everyone. You’ve given lots of good suggestions. We have lots to think about. In answer to the questions about the other trips/cousins, I’m trying to answer in a way that is fair to SIL. The other cousins are all much older (19-25) so it’s been about 10 years since the last trip. The oldest of that bunch went to Hawaii (precedent setting) and was very homesick, the second sister went to NYC for a weekend only because she initially refused to go away at all from home, the third sister went to the Grand Canyon/Southwest. The youngest and only boy went to southern California. I think he had the best trip, he actually fell in love with California and is now headed off to college there in the fall. I don’t think anything was really wrong with their trips. SIL is a very wonderful person and obviously a loving and generous aunt. However, she isn’t always the easiest person to travel with. I’ll just leave it at that as I don’t want to be unkind. I have no qualms about ds traveling with her. I think it will be a great experience for him on multiple levels Oh, and the other kids were all in private school so I know they went on school breaks. I can’t remember when exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 IF you can swing it timing wise I think Alaska would be a neat place for him to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Where can I get an Aunt like that? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Try the Adventures by Disney website. That should give you many ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 This one sounds good. http://www.adventuresbydisney.com/north-america/southern-california-vacations/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 IF you can swing it timing wise I think Alaska would be a neat place for him to go. Alaska would be a really good trip, when we were working there we had family come visit in the Feb March time frame and we did tons of stuff. It is beautiful in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 We've done the diamond thing in Arkansas. It is a very large plowed soil field. You just spend as long as you want sifting through any portion of it. I don't know if that is something your SIL would enjoy. It will probably be cold and it is in the middle of nowhere. Even if they are going to make a big tour of Arkansas and see Hot Springs and Little Rock it will be kind of boring. Can the trip be postponed a few months to open up more possibilities? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 We've done the diamond thing in Arkansas. It is a very large plowed soil field. You just spend as long as you want sifting through any portion of it. I don't know if that is something your SIL would enjoy. It will probably be cold and it is in the middle of nowhere. Even if they are going to make a big tour of Arkansas and see Hot Springs and Little Rock it will be kind of boring. Can the trip be postponed a few months to open up more possibilities? She actually took one of the other cousins to the diamond mine on her trip. They went there and then went on to Arizona and the Grand Canyon. The diamond mine was SIL’s idea, she is really into gems and loves the idea of finding something. We could postpone to the summer, but that gets into bigger crowds and higher prices. The fall is ideal for us, but she has other travel plans. It’s looking like we’ve figured out that late March/early April will work for both of us and Puerto Rico is the first choice right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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