Your Favorite Vacation

[ErinE]

I'm interested for a couple reasons. I have vacations I'd like to experience within the next decade or so. I'd like to go on vacation with my family (DH and kids), with my DH (no kids), and a vacation with my sister.

 

* Where'd you go?

* Who'd you go with?

* Where'd you stay (friends, hotel, resort, cruise)?

* Was it expensive, moderate, or inexpensive?

* What was the most memorable moment?

 

I'm in the U.S., but let's pretend no country is off limits.

[Guest]

One of my favorites was on a cruise, out of Seattle, WA, to Alaska and back. This was just DH and I; the first vacation away from the kids (youngest was seven). It was expensive, at least by my standards; in the $6k range for everything. Things that made it awesome:

* almost everything was planned in advance; no indecision or weighing of options

* almost everything was paid for in advance; no guilty debates over whether we were spending too much

* we got SO lucky with the weather and nearly all days were beautiful, clear and mild

* we loved the cruise line (NCL) and it best met our desires.

* booking the flights through the cruiseline was ideal; we were fast-tracked through clearances and avoided some very long lines.

* our excursions were ideally suited to what we like to do. We fished for salmon, kayaked in the Yukon, Rode the railroad, saw a glacier (Mendelhall? I think.), and hiked a rain forest.

 

Good luck! I have a lot of trips I hope to do. I want to go the France with DD and cruise Hawaii with DH. In my far-off fantasies, I would love to go to Australia and New Zealand.

[Okra]

Yellowstone

 

I'm an outdoorsy type person so this was go great for us.

 

We stayed in a VRBO outside of Yellowstone, and really Yellowstone is pretty cheap.  We made our meals, hiked, saw AMAZING sites and AMAZING animals.

 

Best vacation ever.

 

 

[Shelly in IL]

Aruba! Stayed in a nice condo in Oranjastad. Very tourist friendly and safe. We snorkeld in the pristine waters,took a catamaran out, the ocean is amazing there! Beaches are gorgeous. Very laid back atmosphere. Moderately expensive, but not prohibitively so. Not overly commercialized at every beach, can still find a wild beach. Fun to off road, they do 4 wheeler and/or jeep tours. Awesome weather - very dry not humid. Water is great to drink out of the faucet. Nice local people. Great night life if that's your thing.

[creekland]

Absolute favorite vacation?  'Cause there are a lot of contenders in various price ranges...

 

But our absolute favorite has to be Hawaii.  We took a month off and saw three islands - Kauai for a week, Oahu for 5 days, and the Big Island for the rest (quick stop in Maui, but not enough to do anything).

 

Hubby, myself and our three boys went - they were 13, 11, and 10 at the time.

 

We stayed in rented condos on the beach except for 4 nights at Volcano Village to explore Volcanoes NP.

 

It was expensive...

 

Most memorable moment?  Way too many.  Way, way too many.  It's how it wins as our best trip ever.  On Kauai we loved our hike in Waimea Canyon (and tons more).  On Oahu (our least favorite island) we all felt humbled at Pearl Harbor.  On the Big Island we loved the Manta Ray night dive and seeing fresh lava at night - albeit at a distance.  But there were far, far more great moments.

 

I could list a Top 10 of best vacations and still have tons of competitors for the list.

[Amira]

I always love Yellowstone. I like to stay in the cabins inside the park, but I've mostly been there when we lived 90 minutes away from the west entrance. I love the geysers most of all.

 

Staying in a yurt in Kyrgyzstan was great, along with other homestays we did there. It's quite inexpensive, except for the getting there part.

 

Xi'an, China. The walls are fun and the terra cotta warriors are amazing.

 

Mexico City. Hotels there can be cheap to super expensive. The highlights were Teotihuacan, other pyramid sites, the Anthropology Museum, Coyoacan, and downtown.

 

Pyramids in the Yucatan. We could eat and sleep for about $50/day for four people. Museums are way less expensive in Mexico than the US. If you pick up and drop off a rental car in the same place it doesn't cost much to rent a car. This was truly was one of the most amazing trips we've ever done.

 

Seattle is great.

 

We just had the most amazing week with my nephews visiting us in Guadalajara. There is a lot to do here.

 

I've done all of these with dh and my boys. We usually camp or stay in inexpensive hotels and eat street food or cook our own food.

 

I also love southern Utah but I haven't been there in a long time. And Glacier National Park. And Kauai.

[ErinE]

We spend a lot of time in Montana, so I know the beauty of Yellowstone and Glacier Park.

 

I love Kauai, BC (before children) it was DH and I's favorite vacation spot.

 

I'm definitely looking for multiple price ranges. Given DH's airline status, we can fly to many places inexpensively. I'm also looking for reaches for DH and I plus my sister.

 

Thanks for the replies thus far!

[Arcadia]

Europe. We did Germany, Switzerland and France for our honeymoon. We intend to bring kids there on a family vacation when they are older. It cost us over $3k per person for airfare, hotel, tours and some meals in 2004 for a 16 day tour. Some parts were guided some were free and easy.

I enjoyed the Winter scenery and my fellow tour mates building snowmen during rest stops. The majestic Swiss mountains, European architecture and train stations :). My most memorable would be the gondola ride to the top of Mt Titlis (Swiss Alps) and visiting the UN in Geneva.

[Susan in TN]

Washington State with my family (dh and 3 kids back then). The flight was expensive, but otherwise very budget friendly.

 

We flew into Seattle, rented a car, and spent a couple days in the city. Then we drove to Mt. Rainier, explored there for a few hours, and then drove across the state to Spokane (family reunion). I made a point to take as many pictures of "espresso shops" as possible (i.e. "Bob's Complete Auto Repair and Espresso" and "Best BBQ and Espresso") :D. On the way back to Seattle, we drove the northern route through the Cascade Mtns and stayed at a fun "Old West" kind of motel, visited the little Cascadian Farms shop, and on the other side of the mtns stayed in a "cabin resort" that was over-run with rabbits and bought fresh cherries from roadside stands. We did stop a couple of times to hike some easy path/trails. Back on the west coast we stopped at a lighthouse and Fort Casey, and took a ferry back to Seattle.

 

I guess it wasn't a fancy trip, but it was fun and beautiful and interesting. We all had a blast.

[happypamama]

Ocracoke Island with my family, just the lot of us.  Renting a house with a yard.  Some cooking at the house, some eating at delicious local seafood restaurants.  (So, moderately expensive?  I don't know.  Never priced anything like a cruise or inclusive resort or B&B.  Renting the house would be the most expensive part, but of course, eating out with five children adds up.)  Hang out on the beach early in the morning, come inside or hit tourist attractions and local shops during the mid-day, back to the beach after dinner.  Maybe fishing.  Maybe a day trip to one of the close areas via ferry.  Maybe an evening dolphin cruise.  No expectations, just chilling out.

 

We've had a couple of vacations there, just like that, and they were great.  One of the nicest was the year I was in my first trimester with DD, so I tired easily.  We just took it easy and relaxed and ate seafood.

 

[Aiden]

My hands-down favorite was the transatlantic Disney Cruise. We did the westbound, offered in or around September of every year. The ship wasn't as full as it usually is, because it's a longer cruise that happens just after school starts back, so usually all the cabins are booked, but they're not filled to capacity like they're likely to be during the high season. It was expensive, but nowhere near as expensive as you would expect for a 14-night cruise. I think the 14-night off season cruise cost about 10% more than a 5- or 7-night, peak season cruise, though we did have to add in about $1000/person for one-way airfare. For us, it was the perfect blend of traveling and seeing new places (ports of call) and just relaxing. My favorite part was the 5 straight days at sea as we crossed the Atlantic. Service was excellent, the ship was beautiful, the food was delicious. The cast and crew were excellent with the kids, and there was plenty for them to do, but also plenty for adults to do with or without kids. The ports in Europe were interesting. The ports once we hit the Caribbean were not as interesting, but if you enjoy beach activities, they'd be great. (We prefer sightseeing over hanging out at the beach.) Many people combine the transatlantic with a week or so vacation in Europe, making it a 3+ week dream vacation.

 

My next dream cruise is the eastbound transatlantic. Next year, the ports of call are Boston, one in Nova Scotia, Dublin, Liverpool, and ending in Dover--all much more interesting to me than the Caribbean ports. There also are Northern European and Norwegian fjords ones that would be utterly amazing. Those are all more expensive because of the port fees, though, and due to the timing of them, I'd expect the ship to be more full. Disney also does a long Panama Canal cruise, which I'd love to do when my daughter is older, timing it so that we study the construction of the Panama Canal just before we do it. And of course, Disney also does the shorter cruises--Alaska, Hawaii, Caribbean, and Mediterranean ones.

 

My second favorite vacation was the Nile cruise we went on with Abercrombie & Kent when we lived in Egypt. It wasn't too expensive for us, but it would have been if we'd had to pay the non-resident prices. I think it was a 5-night cruise, maybe a 4-night, and we visited lots of amazing sites in Upper Egypt.

 

I enjoy cruises because the planning is very simple, and once you're there, everything is taken care of for you. Because of that, a cruise is a true vacation for every member of the family. When I was a kid, I loved going to the rented house on the beach with my friend's family, but as an adult, I see now how much work that was for the women of the family, who still had to cook and clean. That's not a vacation I would enjoy as much as the responsible adult, kwim?

 

I also do enjoy vacations that are more active, but in our family, we call those expeditions. A vacation involves time for relaxing; an expedition is a trip to see the sites and/or do other active things most of the time. Vacations may involve some periods of activity, and expeditions may involve some periods of relaxation, but the overall tone of the trip tends to be one or the other. My husband and I had to come up with the distinction after we got married, once we realized that we had fundamentally different ideas of what a vacation was. Once we defined our terms so we both were expecting the same things from our trips, we both enjoyed them more. So we had a great expedition to Siem Reap, in Cambodia, to see several of the ancient temples of Angkor Wat--we loved it, but it wasn't very relaxing.

[Donna]

My favorite vacation was a five week trip from our home in NJ down through NC, across through TX, then up through CO into WY and back home through SD. It was with my family about eight years ago. We camped mostly in a conversion van with the boys in a tent. I think we spent one night in a hotel because ds2 had a stomach bug. We visited national parks, took in Wild West shows, went white water rafting, and fishing. My favorites were a horseback riding trip in Yellowstone out to a cowboy chuck wagon dinner complete with cowboy musicians and a day at the Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead in SD. We did it as inexpensively as possible but taking that long off work is difficult to do again. Our most memorable moments include the rafting trip and some of our adventures stopping to stay in scary places because there was nothing else or sights we happened upon by accident. It was an adventure.

 

Since that year we have traveled to Ireland every year for a music festival and competition. We've seen almost the whole country by taking side trips and driving each year and had so many fun and memorable moments.

[lmrich]

We flew to Alaska and then Rented an RV. We spent 10 days in the interior spending 3 nights at Denali. It was work for me because I cooked most of the meals, but it was fun. 

 

10 days in Italy. BUT we were with friends who lived there. So they did all the driving and plannng etc. It was so relaxing to not have to plan too much. 

 

We have done a Disney Cruise as well. Such an easy vacation. 

[ErinE]

My hands-down favorite was the transatlantic Disney Cruise. We did the westbound, offered in or around September of every year. The ship wasn't as full as it usually is, because it's a longer cruise that happens just after school starts back, so usually all the cabins are booked, but they're not filled to capacity like they're likely to be during the high season. It was expensive, but nowhere near as expensive as you would expect for a 14-night cruise. I think the 14-night off season cruise cost about 10% more than a 5- or 7-night, peak season cruise, though we did have to add in about $1000/person for one-way airfare. For us, it was the perfect blend of traveling and seeing new places (ports of call) and just relaxing. My favorite part was the 5 straight days at sea as we crossed the Atlantic. Service was excellent, the ship was beautiful, the food was delicious. The cast and crew were excellent with the kids, and there was plenty for them to do, but also plenty for adults to do with or without kids. The ports in Europe were interesting. The ports once we hit the Caribbean were not as interesting, but if you enjoy beach activities, they'd be great. (We prefer sightseeing over hanging out at the beach.) Many people combine the transatlantic with a week or so vacation in Europe, making it a 3+ week dream vacation.

I was just discussing the Disney cruises with DH the other day. I've never been on a cruise, but I've heard they are excellent.

 

I feel the same way about having a true vacation which is why a cruise is sounding attractive. We've gone on vacations where I felt stressed the entire time because I was cooking and cleaning in a strange place.

[Lanny]

* Where'd you go? Orlando, FL, USA
* Who'd you go with? My (pregnant) wife
* Where'd you stay (friends, hotel, resort, cruise)? Comfort Inn about 15 miles North of Orlando in Winter Park as I recall
* Was it expensive, moderate, or inexpensive? Moderate
* What was the most memorable moment? Watching the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-101) with my wife and my late Best friend. May 19, 2000 the day we had to return to Colombia.

 

Going to DisneyWorld and touring Kennedy Space Center with a childhood friend and his wife. They were afraid to visit us in Colombia and we were afraid to visit them in Israel. At the last minute, they said we could join them in Orlando.  After they left, my friend came in from Texas and we saw the launch on KSC with him.

 

I believe my friend from Israel selected the motor inn we stayed in because in the AAA TourBook it showed to be unusually clean, which is rare for them to mention about a property. It was a long way from DisneyWorld.  In Winter Park there was a Mexican restaurant that was closing and we got them to stay open and my wife got their recipe for something that night.

 

While lost North of Orlando looking for the I.R.S. office, we spotted a Colombian restaurant in a strip shopping mall and we ate there 2 or 3 times as my wife was pregnant and wanting to eat certain things.... 

 

Other memorable trips include going to Chichen Itza (Spelling?) which is about 3 hours West of Cancun. I went there 2 or 3 times.

 

And a trip I made with an aunt and uncle and 2 cousins when I was a kid, to Death Valley and then to Las Vegas, towing a travel trailer.

 

The trip we made when DD was 6 months old, to Dallas/Ft. Worth and Las Vegas.    My wife *loves* Las Vegas. How that city has grown and changed since I first went there when I was 12 years old.   We checked into the Rio about 11 P.M. and when it was our turn, I reminded the clerk about the room we had requested. There was a conference between the clerk and Manager on Duty... We were upgraded from a $65 a night room to their most expensive Suite. So, we "won" at the RIo...  We drove down to Southern California for 3 nights to visit family there.

[JFSinIL]

My favorite vacation have been the road trips we took in the minivan with all four kids.  First in a loop west for 2.5 weeks, hitting Yellowstone, Custer St. Park, the cool museums in Cody, WY (there we also saw Spirit, the Disney film about a wild mustang...we had seen herds of wild mustangs just a couple days earlier. Cool coincidence), DeSmet, etc.

 

Also a fav- the road trip East, again in a loop to hit as much as possible: Hershey, PA, Gettysburg, Washington D.C. for five days, Williamsburg (and PHP!), Outer Banks and Kitty Hawk, Monticello, etc.

 

We flew to see my folks in S. California...and with a rented minivan did a road trip up the coast, then inland to Yosemite.  Posed for photos with huge California Raisin box in Fresno - just as we did years earlier on road trip honeymoon, when I showed hubby MY home state. 

 

I love me some road trips.

[creekland]

This thread, for me, is probably akin to a big bag of chocolate for many others.   :coolgleamA:

 

I love reminiscing and planning.

 

We're definitely not cruise people though.  My mom is.  It all depends upon the person.

 

My favorite memory (at this moment as it can change pending my whims of the day) is from a time when we were camping at Dry Tortugas NP (island off southern FL).  Fort Jefferson is there and there's a moat around the fort.  My youngest (age 9) got up early with me - the sky was still jet black with stars.  We walked around the moat talking and sharing the peacefulness - then watched all the stars get erased from the sky one by one as the sunrise started to come.  I really wish that morning hadn't ended.

 

The island was nigh onto perfect for a vacation "our style."  There was no electric (for campers - the NP rangers have a LOUD generator - the only negative for us).  There was no internet or cell phone service.  There was no need to set rules for our kids - except one - they had to snorkel or swim with a buddy.  The snorkeling was terrific and it was so peaceful.  We didn't bother cooking (too much stuff to bring for this).  We just had ready to eat foods that we could snack on as we wanted.  Three days of bliss and good memories, but one moment that was truly extra spectacular.

 

 

[Pam in CT]

I expect my various family members would answer the question differently -- my husband and eldest are real urban types, who love going to museums and wandering around looking at architecture and sitting in sidewalk cafes people-watching and checking out local theater/music offerings; while my youngest most enjoys hiking / interacting with animals in various capacities; while my son would I expect be most happy sprawled for a week on a beach like a comatose starfish.  Sometimes, particularly when we go to other countries, we try to work in a couple different locations to hit on different family members' interests; other times we go in knowing "this one will be a Daddy/E experience" or "this one's for S..."

 

Anyway.  My two favorite vacations:

 

-  Costa Rica: We spent a week living in a home stay/going to Spanish immersion school; then another 5 days in the Monteverdi cloud forest  hiking and poking around and horseback riding.  My parents joined us for the Monteverdi part.

 

-  Acadia, ME: We've done this a zillion times a bunch of different ways.  I started out 15+ years ago going without my husband, with various combinations of kids to the College of the Atlantic's Family Nature Camp -- completely structured, you live in the dorms and eat in the cafeteria and all the hikes/talks/boat rides/experiences are structured for you.  I just fell in love with the area, and as we outgrew the camp kept going back, renting houses or camping.

 

 

 

ETA: I also do love me a good road trip.  Especially when we can take the dog.  Having to leave the dog behind is always a bit of a bittersweet element to an otherwise great vacation.

[regentrude]

My favorite vacations were backpacking trips to Iceland, and within the US (Sierra Nevada, canyons in Utah). Except for transportation very low cost.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

My favorite memory (at this moment as it can change pending my whims of the day) is from a time when we were camping at Dry Tortugas NP (island off southern FL).  Fort Jefferson is there and there's a moat around the fort.  My youngest (age 9) got up early with me - the sky was still jet black with stars.  We walked around the moat talking and sharing the peacefulness - then watched all the stars get erased from the sky one by one as the sunrise started to come.  I really wish that morning hadn't ended.

 

The island was nigh onto perfect for a vacation "our style."  There was no electric (for campers - the NP rangers have a LOUD generator - the only negative for us).  There was no internet or cell phone service.  There was no need to set rules for our kids - except one - they had to snorkel or swim with a buddy.  The snorkeling was terrific and it was so peaceful.  We didn't bother cooking (too much stuff to bring for this).  We just had ready to eat foods that we could snack on as we wanted.  Three days of bliss and good memories, but one moment that was truly extra spectacular.

 

This sounds heavenly to me. 

[creekland]

This sounds heavenly to me. 

 

It is for me too.  The pic I posted had other people in it.  I used that pic more or less so one could determine size.  Those other people came on day trips with a tourist boat that brought 20 - 40 people (guessing at the number, but it wasn't hundreds).  That was actually our "worst" time of the day as it was crowded (by comparison).  We spent that time either around our tent reading or taking pics, etc.  As soon as the boat left, we had the place to ourselves again.  ;)  Only a handful of people choose to camp there.

 

Our boys loved it and would also rank it in or near their Top 10 of places we've been/things we've done.

[TammyinTN]

My favorite vacation was when my parents came to Germany and we all flew to Spain and hopped a cruise ship that my sister and her family were on.  It was absolutely awesome.  We had a blast and went to Spain, Italy and France.  I fell in love with the French Riviera.  We had such a wonderful time.  

[HS Mom in NC]

We toured the natural wonders of our state: 

 

We did a boat tour of on Lake Powell to see Antelope Canyon with a Native American guide. https://www.google.com/search?q=lake+powell+boat+tours+antelope+canyon&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=mVspVYjBM4G4oQTK_4C4Bg&ved=0CGQQsAQ&biw=1254&bih=890
 

We did a foot tour through Antelope Canyon (different canyon than above.) with a Native American guide.https://www.google.com/search?q=antelope+canyon+AZ&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Y1spVeehKo63oQSavIDQBQ&ved=0CEcQsAQ&biw=1254&bih=890
 

We did a 3 hour jeep tour of Canyon De Chelley with a Native American guide. https://www.google.com/search?q=canyon+de+chelly+az&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=GlspVZHIMMyuogTIpoCoCw&ved=0CFcQsAQ&biw=1254&bih=890
 

We did a small plane tour around the Grand Canyon in a 7 man Cessna. https://www.google.com/search?q=lake+plane+tour+grand+canyon&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=91spVfbvCNbhoASv54HICA&ved=0CFAQsAQ&biw=1254&bih=890

 

We stayed in hotels and drove and while we drove the long stretches of road we listened to Huckleberry Finn on CD by Patrick Fraley. http://www.amazon.com/The-Adventures-of-Huckleberry-Finn/dp/B00005474Y

 

The kids say it's their favorite family trip-more so than Disneyland, Disneyworld, camping, Washington DC and our North Carolina beach trip.

 

[Garga]

We live in Pennsylvania. We've lived in Maryland. They're both pretty flat with lots and lots (and lots) of green and trees. Even the cities have lots of trees.

 

Last year we went to Arizona to visit my parents.

 

It was amazing. We didn't do anything particularly special, but the scenery was so vastly different from anything we've known. We are used to there being a press of people all around (Maryland) or at least a small town every 10 or so miles (PA.)

 

We drove 4 hours from the airport in Las Vegas to where my parents were and passed maybe 3 towns? Maybe? Everything was brown and dry. You'd have thought it would have been hideous (all the pictures I've seen of the desert look so booooring), but in real life we were delighted. We all sat and stared out the windows for the first hour of the drive, enthralled at the dirt. All those hills and craggy rock structures! It astounded us.

 

We saw some 1000 year old ruins left by Native Americans and my youngest, who was 9, just gasped, clutched his hands to his chest and said, "Seeing old things like this makes me feel all funny inside!" I understand what he meant. In MD and PA we've never seen something that old in person, other than a few artifacts in an airconditioned museum. To walk outside and see something that old in person, and not enclosed in a temperature controlled glass case, tugged on our sentimental sides. It brought literal tears to our eyes.

 

My take away from this? Go somewhere completely foreign to what you're used to. See something that you can never, ever see at home.

 

That's what would make a good vacation for us--seeing things we have never before seen in our lives and may never see again.

[creekland]

The kids say it's their favorite family trip-more so than Disneyland, Disneyworld, camping, Washington DC and our North Carolina beach trip.

 

We've done Disney and it's fun in its own way, but it doesn't rank anywhere close to Top 10 for either of us parents or any of our kids.  It might have for a little while - then we explored so many other places.

 

My take away from this? Go somewhere completely foreign to what you're used to. See something that you can never, ever see at home.

 

That's what would make a good vacation for us--seeing things we have never before seen in our lives and may never see again.

 

Ditto.  It's sights we have never seen that give us the best travel junkie highs.  

[creekland]

Hmm, more people need to add favorite vacations.  It's pretty depressing to get on here expecting to read about great trips/memories/experiences knowing I want to reminisce and/or plan, but end up blowing dust off the thread.  Re-reading was sort of fun.  Reading new posts would be much better.  Y'all have quite a few hours to add to this while we traipse home (from visiting middle son)...

[RKWAcademy]

We're beach-y, scuba folks.  As a family, we go to Myrtle Beach twice per summer.  We have a camper and stay in a great place with so many amenities.  Without little kids, it wouldn't hold much allure for me.  It's close to us and affordable. 

Before kids (or if my kids were older), we love to go to the FL Keys.  Diving is wonderful in Key Largo and the snorkeling is great in Key West (Diving is great too but if not a diver, snorkeling in KW is great). 

 

I despised the one cruise I went on.  But, the Bahamas were lovely. 

 

Hawaii was beautiful and so interesting.  I went when I was in college.

 

My dream is to go to the Cayman Islands.  My husband's dream is to go to Hawaii.  We're at a bit of a stand-off.  I guess it's good we can't afford either.

[Jann in TX]

We have 3 family favorites-- all for different reasons...

 

1) Family trip to Kauai and Maui (girls were 15, 13 and 4)-- we loved Kauai best-- lots of beautiful hiking and we loved the slow pace. Our favorite activity was a zipline adventure in the center of the island that included the older girls jumping off a waterfall...  We had fun on Maui too--biking, parasailing...

 

2) Family trip to Ohio.  We have ZERO family in Ohio (one reason why it ranks so high!).  We are all rollercoaster fans so we spent 2 days at Kings Island and 2 days at Cedar Point.  We went in early June and weather was wonderful (parks were not crowded).  Girls were 16, 14 and 5.

 

3) Family trip to Kenya and Uganda.  We spent 2 weeks in Kenya and one week in Uganda (and drove between the two-- BEAUTIFUL drive BTW).  While in Kenya we went on a 3 day safari in the Masai Mara-- just before peak season so very few other vehicles. THOUSANDS of pictures...  Oldest dd was 20 and youngest was 9.  Middle dd did not go on that one as she was going through some hard times and did not want to travel.

 

For DH and I (no kids) we've had 2 great trips to Hawaii and one cruise to western Carribbean.  Both Hawaii trips were AWESOME.  The first was to Kauai with a day trip to Ohau and Pearl Harbor.  The second was on the Big Island-- 5 days in Hilo and 5 days in Kona.  We stayed at a B&B in Hilo that had a private waterfall-- took a drive to see the night lava flow (cool)..  DH received a company award that put us up at the Four Seasons in Kona-- that alone was spectacular as we could never afford staying there on our own.  We were so pampered and had so much fun together!

 

DH took me on a surprise cruise (Norwegian) for New Years this year (30th anniversary present).  It was a lot of fun-- but I prefer to fly to destination and stay in one place for a few days.

[Gentlemommy]

We've done Disney cruises, skiing trips, Chicago, New Mexico, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida Keys, and Miami. Beaches, mountains, desert, cities. Prior to kids dh and I both traveled outside of the country, but not together, we worked. I loved traveling to other countries, and would like to do it again once the kids are older. We lived in Orlando and both dh and I used to work for the theme parks, so the kids have gone to those a lot. Kids are currently 10, 7, and 4.

Favorite so far with the kids has been camping at the lake just half hour from our house. We initially went right when we bought our RV as a trial, making sure we knew what we were doing before we took it further from home. We loved it so much, we ended up camping there five times last summer! We are anxiously awaiting the start of the season again so we can head out.

What made it so great was-

-Easy and comfortable in the RV.

-Site was on the lake, so we opened our door to a shoreline and beach entry.

-Every time we went, there were wonderful people there, kids made friends, everyone watches out for the kids, it's very relaxing.

-Our closest family friends also have an RV, jet skis and a boat. They met us out there several times. They also homeschool and have four amazing kids. Their teenagers are incrediblely sweet and have endless energy to play with the little kids. They are also responsible and trustworthy. Made it easy to lay in the hammock while they took the kids on the jet ski or fishing or swimming.

 

There was no rushing around, no waiting in restaurants, no hushing them or keeping them inside a hotel room. The kids quite literally spend every waking minute outside, in the fresh air, in the water, playing with mud and rocks and sticks and exploring little islands on the lake. Everyone is relaxed and tired, a good tired, at the end of the day. We usually roast marshmallows and spend the evenings playing board games on the picnic tables. We talk, laugh, sing, and enjoy each other so much. We can bring our dogs, which is important to us. For us, these are the perfect vacations.

[MyThreeSons]

Vacation? What's that? Seriously -- we have been married for almost 28 years, and over that time, here's what we have done:

 

1. Dh and I did a 4-day, 3-night cruise out of Los Angeles once, when oldest ds was a few years old, so about 1992.

 

2. The whole family did a one-week trip to San Diego -- the zoo, Sea World, etc. Youngest ds took his first steps in the motel room, so I know this was in 1996. This is the only real family vacation we have ever had. 

 

3. My folks treated the whole family (including my brother's and sister's families) to a trip to Disneyland in 2001. But Dad fell and broke his hip a couple of weeks before we were to go, so he and Mom didn't get to join us. It was four days of fun tempered by concern for Grandpa.

 

Since then, I have made a few trips to CA to do family things, but not really vacations. Like the time youngest ds and I went to visit and to celebrate ds's birthday, but my Dad took a drastic turn for the worse the day we arrived and died a few days later. Memorable, to be sure. 

 

Other than that, we have had a very few -- not even once a year -- fun trips. Two days at the beach a couple of times. A few day trips to the amusement park. A day trip to Atlanta to see our beloved Giants play the Braves. 

 

I cannot even conceive of spending thousands of dollars on a vacation. 

[Hikin' Mama]

For me, camping is a vacation. I love it so much, and my husbnd not as much, so it's usually me and the kids.

 

Our favorite family vacation was Hawaii. We went to Maui. We snorkelled nearly every day, watched whales (it was migration season), went to Haleakala twice (once with the whole family, once with just middle son and I to hike it), drove the rode to Hana, ate lots of wonderful local fruit, did a bamboo forest hike which ended in an incredibly high waterfall, swam at the Seven Sacred Pools, walked through an underground lava vent. I have never enjoyed a vacation more! We are planning and saving to go back in fall 2016.

 

We also love the Oregon Coast. We can drive there and usually rent a condo so we can cook our own meals. Our favorite place is Seaside. The ocean makes me feel so peaceful inside. We go to aquariums, go on hikes, visit local attractions, roast hotdogs over a beach fire, and try to be at the beach for every sunset. It can be cloudy there, though, so sometimes they are hard to see.

 

I would love to visit some national parks in the future. I love nature and the outdoors.

 

ETA: I realized I didn't answer all your questions. Both vacations were with the whole family. Last trip to Oregon included dil and grandgirl.

 

Most memorable moment in Hawaii: snorkelling around, changing direction, and having a huge turtle just inches from me. I big puffy heart sea turtles.

 

Most memorable moment on Oregon Coast: the sunsets. I can never get enough Oregon Coast sunsets!

 

Hawaii: expensive. Oregon: moderate.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Vacation? What's that? Seriously -- we have been married for almost 28 years, and over that time, here's what we have done:

 

1. Dh and I did a 4-day, 3-night cruise out of Los Angeles once, when oldest ds was a few years old, so about 1992.

 

2. The whole family did a one-week trip to San Diego -- the zoo, Sea World, etc. Youngest ds took his first steps in the motel room, so I know this was in 1996. This is the only real family vacation we have ever had. 

 

3. My folks treated the whole family (including my brother's and sister's families) to a trip to Disneyland in 2001. But Dad fell and broke his hip a couple of weeks before we were to go, so he and Mom didn't get to join us. It was four days of fun tempered by concern for Grandpa.

 

Since then, I have made a few trips to CA to do family things, but not really vacations. Like the time youngest ds and I went to visit and to celebrate ds's birthday, but my Dad took a drastic turn for the worse the day we arrived and died a few days later. Memorable, to be sure. 

 

Other than that, we have had a very few -- not even once a year -- fun trips. Two days at the beach a couple of times. A few day trips to the amusement park. A day trip to Atlanta to see our beloved Giants play the Braves. 

 

I cannot even conceive of spending thousands of dollars on a vacation. 

 

I was kind of thinking the same thing *sigh* We do take an annual family vacation, but it's with extended family and we all share a house, so it's not that expensive. We do take trips to visit family, but I don't consider those vacations. 

 

Oldest DD and I hate camping and won't go (DH and youngest DD would), but I would totally make an exception to that rule for Creekland's kind of camping.

[kroe1]

Anything done by Adventures By Disney.

[Closeacademy]

Favorite would be Hawai'i.

 

We stayed local, went native and just relaxed and had a good time. 

 

Anywhere with a beach is good for us.

[SKL]

* Where'd you go?  India.  We were there for 3 weeks and mostly stayed in a different city each night.  We hired drivers for most of the trip.

 

* Who'd you go with?  Friends, including one from India.

 

* Where'd you stay (friends, hotel, resort, cruise)?  Mostly in 3 star hotels, preferring those with a little cultural flair.  We did spend some time in friends' houses.

 

* Was it expensive, moderate, or inexpensive?  Compared to other international trips we've taken, inexpensive.

 

* What was the most memorable moment?  First view of the Taj Mahal?  Visiting the orphanage / schools we support?  Touring the old moghul forts / palaces?  There were literally hundreds of truly memorable sights / experiences, so it's hard to answer this question.

[creekland]

I was kind of thinking the same thing *sigh* We do take an annual family vacation, but it's with extended family and we all share a house, so it's not that expensive. We do take trips to visit family, but I don't consider those vacations. 

 

Oldest DD and I hate camping and won't go (DH and youngest DD would), but I would totally make an exception to that rule for Creekland's kind of camping.

 

Camping has helped us stretch our travel dollars considerably - plus we just like being in the great outdoors at many national, state, or provincial parks.  The scenery is often outstanding.

 

We DO NOT believe in working on a vacation, so meals tend to be super simple including cleanup.  Plus... while camping... any cooking AND cleanup is done by the resident adult male in the family.  The resident adult female is only responsible for determining the menu and buying the food.  It works out VERY well for me.   :coolgleamA:

[J-rap]

I have grown up traveling.  My father saved every penny so that we could take trips, and they were done as frugally as possible.  I picked a husband that liked to do the same  :).  We chose to live our daily lives simply, first because we had to, and then because we realized experiences were more important than things.  So, we have traveled a lot!

 

Growing up, my favorite vacation was taking the train from the West coast to the Midwest, where all of our relatives lived and where we would spend our summers, every summer.  This was in the 60's and early 70's.  The train ride was long, 3 days, but I loved every minute of it.  I would live for those train rides and summers in the Midwest every year!

 

Right before I graduated from high school, my family took a trip to Honolulu and Kauai.  I'd have to say that was one of my all-time favorite trips.  Very special. 

 

In my grown-up life, probably my all-time favorite trip was renting an apartment in Budapest, Hungary for two weeks.  I didn't know it when I rented the apartment, but we found out that it was actually in the old Jewish ghetto area of Budapest.  This made such an impression on me.  I couldn't stop thinking that the family who had lived in our apartment most likely never survived the war.  I will never forget that vacation.

[LibraryLover]

One of the best domestic vacations was in an old FL motel on a canal. We rented kayaks and floated with manatees. It was a few years ago, and I can't find the place now. But it was really relaxing and didn't break the bank. We had a little kitchen, and a fire pit outside. It was old school.  It was hot outside, and there were other folks at the motel gathering around the grill lol Maybe too cozy?  (we had an AC unit inside, thankfully!) I can think of more costly getaways, yes. But this trip was memorable, and totally relaxing.

[Rosie_0801]

* Where'd you go? We rode our bikes around Uluru last year.

* Who'd you go with? Dd :)
* Where'd you stay (friends, hotel, resort, cruise)? In the horribly expensive campground nearby, because the only other choices out there are the unimaginably expensive motels.
* Was it expensive, moderate, or inexpensive? The bike riding wasn't expensive, since we bought our own. :p The rest was. It is not inexpensive to get from the outside edge of a continent into the middle.
* What was the most memorable moment? Well, that might just have been camping on the way to and from at truck stops beside the highway, holding our tent up with a tub of water and a bucket of rocks. The ground was either too hard or too sandy to get tent pegs in.  :laugh:  These parts were inexpensive, at least!

[LucyStoner]

Oregon Coast. In a yurt. On a stormy beach when the tourism season is over. We love doing this so we have done it quite a lot. It's pretty low cost. We've gone by ourselves, with friends and with our kids. Fill the trunk, don't forget the kites and we are good.

[creekland]

 I can think of more costly getaways, yes. But this trip was memorable, and totally relaxing.

 

Trips definitely don't have to be costly to be relaxing and memorable.  Hubby and I are plotting our annual August anniversary trip now.  On our trip home from seeing middle son, we brainstormed oodles of ideas from cities to national parks to amusement parks.  The current leader in both of our minds?  A simple road trip along the Susquehanna River - an idea inspired by a travel brochure talking about the top scenic spots along the river.  Why is it top in our minds?  We LOVE simple trips and great scenery and we live in the area.  It seems a shame NOT to have seen some top spots in our own area.  The fact that it will be inexpensive is a plus, but not the overriding factor.  We just WANT to do this the most.  It's beaten out Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Acadia, Rocky Mountain, Hershey, DC, and maybe one or two other contenders I'm not thinking of this morning.

 

Travel junkies like many things.  They need not be expensive.

 

I feel fortunate that my dad also brought me up traveling - and my hubby loves it as much as I do.  We give up many other things to spend our time traveling and have no regrets. (Ok, we could have skipped Las Vegas in favor of spending more time at Death Valley, but in general we have no regrets!)  My boys loved it all from a super young age too.