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Pick My Vacation - Europe or CA


KBadd
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As a company 5 year anniversary gift, my husband gets 2 plane tickets and $1500 to spend on a trip to visit (quick stop-by) one of his company's offices, either in LA (Ventura County) or London.

 

We have 4 kids - 7, 6, 3, and a 1 year old. The older 3 can come with us to CA or stay with my parents. The 1 year old will need to come with us.

 

We moved to NC 4 years ago from CA. My husband works from home but frequently travels to the CA office, so it wouldn't really feel like a vacation to him if we spent too long in that area. So we would probably see a few family members, visit the office, and then head to Orange County or San Diego with the kids and enjoy the beach, zoo, maybe Disneyland, etc.

 

Hubby has taken a quick work trip to London, but other than that we've never been to Europe.

 

So...

 

Do we go for a European vacation with a 1 year-old? Is that doable and worth it? Any tips for how to do that? What parts of Europe would you travel to? I've even considered a cruise, but I can't decide if that would make it easier with our baby girl or not.

 

Or, do we go for a family California trip? Where would you go, what would you do?

 

Feel free to link to other relevant threads. I couldn't pull up much in my search.

 

Thanks for your input!

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We took my eldest (at the time only) to the UK for a wedding when she was 11 months.  We had a great time.  Remember when you only had one, and it was easy-peasy to just go about your business with baby in tow?  What's the big deal?  I had her in the backpack as we did museums and touristy stuff, and at night we just wheeled the stroller into pubs and restaurants, and she went right to sleep after a bit of fish & chips, plonk in the middle of all the pandemonium.

 

But a family vacation in San Diego would also be fab, if it could feel like a break to your husband.

 

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The big thing is how you feel about making it a whole family trip vs. You, DH and baby. Everyone feels really differently about this. I'd say I wanted to go to London with DH, only to have an anxiety attack about the other three kids :) But London does seem like more of a vacation and all adult conversations can still take place around a 1 year old so it might be really nice for your marriage to have a little time alone, or almost alone.

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True, I think it would be great to have a nice get-away with my husband. It's been a long time since we've gone somewhere kid-free.

 

What other place would you see besides London - maybe Paris? Any other ideas? Hubby is not too enthused about Paris. Can anyone change his mind? 😉

 

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London. LA is okay but spread out and bland. I wouldn't try to visit any other countries, necessarily. There is plenty to do and see in England. Lots in London, the the countryside, castles...I'd get some travelogues and guides and plan an amazing visit.

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London. LA is okay but spread out and bland. I wouldn't try to visit any other countries, necessarily. There is plenty to do and see in England. Lots in London, the the countryside, castles...I'd get some travelogues and guides and plan an amazing visit.

Thank you, I agree about CA. We're leaning toward Europe.

 

I appreciate your advice about staying in England also. That is a great option. It seems less stressful, too, which we value at this stage of our lives. 😉

 

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The airline tickets to London would (probably) cost the company more.   CA is not cheap, but the USD$1500 will go a lot farther in CA than in the UK.  With the ages of your DC, I think they would be happier, going to the San Diego Zoo, seeing the Navy ships in San Diego, and doing many other things in San Diego. I was born and raised in So CA and was in San Diego many times. You can also go across the border to Tijuana, BC, Mexico. If you do that, take copies of your birth certificates.   Enjoy your trip!

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We just spent a week in one neighborhood of London, and still feel like we barely scratched the surface. :) I'd be more than happy to elaborate, if you ever want details. :)

 

Last summer we spent two weeks in England, with a week in Berkshire, a long weekend in Cornwall (stunning), and a quick trip to Lincolnshire to see an old friend. Beside the usual touristy stuff, we chatted with the change-ringers at an ancient church; the lady of the manor at a stately home (said to have been a model for Toad Hall) showed us around (!!!); and the verger at a Lincolnshire church showed me fragments of a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon cross he'd found half-buried in the church garden (he pulled them out of a closet in the vestry to show me  :wub: ).

 

And, the exchange rate is very  favorable right now. Unbelievably so. We've been in the UK when it was 1.95$/£; during our last visit the rate hovered between 1.2 and 1.3. Plus, there is lots of free stuff in London – free lunch-hour concerts at many churches; free admission to many world-class museums; etc.

 

Obviously, being in CA (and since you've lived in CA), I vote for Europe!  :001_tt1:

 

 

 

ETA: Strictly in terms of physical beauty, the California coast is similar to Cornwall's. BUT Cornwall has a coastal path, layers of history (from prehistoric standing stones you can walk right up to and around, to smugglers' hideouts, medieval churches in some coves, lifeboat stations you can tour, little museums like the one about Marconi, an island similar to Mont-St-Michel, old tin mines, etc.), and heaps of tiny villages, all of which seem to have a welcoming, historic pub, a tea shop where you can get cream tea, Cornish ice cream, etc. Yum!! Oh, and it's green. :)

 

 

Edited by Laura in CA
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