Ottakee Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 How do you travel? Do you do a road trip type vacation where you drive from place to place or do you pick a destination and stay there for the entire time? Trying to decide what to do here. Our options include a 10 day, 13 state trip where we could let our girls see where their birth parents lived and visit the cemetery, etc and have us visit other family along the way on a road trip........Or do we pick a destination and stay for a week or so? Which type of trip do you enjoy? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Depends on what we want at that time, and what opportunity presents itself. Our biggest vacation was a month in the UK. This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime sort of trip, an opportunity that presented itself. We spent a week in London, then hit the road, staying no more than 3 days in one place. We went up to Scotland and out to Lewis, Outer Hebrides, then back down to London to go home. On the other hand, most of our vacations are stay-in-one-place types, with more relaxation and more day trips, wandering in the woods, etc. I like them both. One thing I don't like is a rushed trip. One of the ways my husband and I knew we were compatible was by our traveling styles. We don't like to rush and we never try to cram everything possible into a trip. So, when we went to the UK we didn't see a lot of "typical" tourist places. We took our time, though we covered a lot of ground. That was fine, even if people were horrified that we "went all that way and didn't see Stratford-upon-Avon???" Hope to hear about what sort of trip you pick. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Would your girls enjoy driving that much, to see where their birth parents lived and the cemeteries, than going to a Timeshare or somewhere, at the beach or in the mountains or a place like Orlando? Which would they enjoy more? It is nice to check into a place like a Timeshare for 7 nights, unpack, and you are there and you are not in and out of motels every night and the following morning and in the car driving down the highway. Which would they prefer to do? Are they curious about where their birth parents lived and are buried? What would they enjoy doing on vacation? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Both. Just depends on our mood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted March 27, 2017 Author Share Posted March 27, 2017 Would your girls enjoy driving that much, to see where their birth parents lived and the cemeteries, than going to a Timeshare or somewhere, at the beach or in the mountains or a place like Orlando? Which would they enjoy more? It is nice to check into a place like a Timeshare for 7 nights, unpack, and you are there and you are not in and out of motels every night and the following morning and in the car driving down the highway. Which would they prefer to do? Are they curious about where their birth parents lived and are buried? What would they enjoy doing on vacation? One has a very strong desire to see where they lived, where they are buried, etc. When asked where she would want to go out of anywhere in the states she said that was her top pick. Other is curious but not as much We live 10 minutes from sugar sand beaches so while they are fun and oceans are different than Lake Michigan a beach vacation would not have a huge pull. We did Orlando twice with Make a Wish....And once you have done it that way nothing else can compare. I could enjoy a time share, etc to avoid the packing and unpacking aspects. If we did it would likely be more mountain area vs. beach area. All kids travel well so car rides aren't an issue. I just know that 13 states in 10 days would not be relaxing, even if some are just drive through or stop for an hour or 2 and move on. Still thinking here. We need a budget plan no matter what we do....Meals from the car or Walmart deli, basic places to stay, etc. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 We do both, but generally if it is a longer (more than a week) trip, we do not stay in one place. (Unless the whole purpose of the trip is to be in a particular city or place). We had some fabulous road trips where we crossed over half the country, but we always had time to stay 2-3 days at a few places along the way. I don't think I'd want to be on the road going to a new place every single day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 One has a very strong desire to see where they lived, where they are buried, etc. When asked where she would want to go out of anywhere in the states she said that was her top pick. Other is curious but not as much <snip> Based on that, when you can, I would sit down with them and your DH, and ask them to help you plan this trip. If and when possible, I would stay in the same place more than one night, so you remember more than just checking in/out of motels and unpacking/packing. If "Other" is on-board with this trip, then I would try to make it happen for the one with the strong desire. Start planning! Get a big Road Map of the USA and try to find some places of interest on the routes you will be taking, or, close to those routes. Try to get "Other" to find some place(s) she would like to visit. Get her involved and enthused, if possible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I would prefer a mix. Most of our trips, we're in a different place almost every day. Packing and figuring out the transport takes a significant chunk of time, and it can be stressful depending on how time-sensitive the transport is. :) But being able to see a lot of different places is worth it, up to a point. There is of course a place for relaxation ... some of our trips have little or none of that. (Especially since we always seem to have one or more work emergencies during the trip.) This is why I like cruises - you get to see lots of different places, but you don't have to pack and move every day. :) You can even get a massage between stops. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zinnia Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I like both, too. One of our favorites is a home base, then exploring from there every day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Add us to those who do both. We've done up to two months road tripping - never more than 3 nights in one spot (usually camping) and saw tons of things - most of the west, etc. Then we've done up to one month in one spot and enjoyed the relaxation with a day trip or two perhaps. My kids and our younger selves definitely preferred the road trips - seeing tons of things, moving on. We NEVER felt stressed, but occasionally should have allowed another day or two in what became some of our favorite spots (others we could have skipped, but one doesn't know going "in" to somewhere new). If we stayed longer in one area (like a month in Hawaii) we did three islands during that time and there were plenty of different things to do in each area. Like a pp, as we've gotten older, hubby and I have morphed a bit to enjoying one spot (or a few spots) more. We don't get bored with the same sights as easily as we did before. But... I'd set out on another road trip in an instant if we could afford it (and still do our other planned travel - like this summer's eclipse). We'd live on the road 24/7 if we could afford it - probably spending up to a month in one (decent) spot before moving on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 We prefer to stay in one place. For us, it is stressful to be in the car that much and always feel like we have something to do, somewhere to be. We like leisurely vacations with breaks built in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 We enjoy both types of trips. Just really depends on our mood when planning. If we know we need relaxation, we're plopping ourselves down on a beach somewhere. We also enjoy spending a day or two in each of several places. I don't mind the driving but don't care for the packing/unpacking or laundry issues of that method though. When we stay somewhere for a week, we at least have a washer/dryer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Depends on my mood, since I am the trip planner. I enjoy both. But mostly we move around a lot on vacations to see everything we can see. We relax a lot a home. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 We like settling into a base camp and then jaunting about from there. For instance, camping at Pinecrest Lake--we would spend time at the beach, hike over to the dam and figure it out, drive a couple of miles to a gorgeous river picnic spot, take a guided nature walk, and go see some Native American displays nearby. At Tahoe, we spend time at the beach, drive up to an alpine meadow and hike around it, drive to Spooner Lake and hike around that, drive to Tahoe City and spend the day there at the beaches and shops, and maybe see a sunset concert at a ski area or beach spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I would consider not visiting everyone along the way if I were heading to a long distance spot. Can you do some long driving and then stay for a few days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 We've done both. Staying in one place is usually more relaxing. You sleep in the same bed, get to know the local roads and restaurants. It's really nice to take small excursions in the nearby area. Traveling from place to place is nice if you enjoy driving and want to see a lot of different places and more varied county-side. Finding new accommodations, dealing with food, navigating roads and travel, is all more tiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 depends what we're doing. we've done some of both. road trip types for history can be really interesting. just make sure to include "down" days to recover from all the driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 If I am going to be driving to someplace and spending the day there, I'd rather pack and stay nearby the next place, then driving all the way back. The only exception is if the central location place to stay is really great and travelling out from there is easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I like to stay put. Moving around is too stressful even if I am in my RV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Dh likes to go as many places as possible, moving everyday to a different localtion. I'm more of the "stay a while" type. I like to nestle into a place and explore it. Take a slower pace and relax. I come back from trips with dh and need a vacation to recover. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 So today I went to AAA and got maps and your books for 14 states for this possible trip. Looks great, looks doable. THEN.....Tonight I started looking at a map and notice Branson MO was within an hour or so drive of 4 places I found that looked interesting. Then...I looked up places to stay and my friend might be able to get us a 2 bedroom condo/time share through her parents for $250 for the week. Suddenly the tourist trap place of Branson MO is looking very appealing. We could make the drive down in 1 day, unload the car, make simple meals if we wanted to, take day trips, and have more room to spread out....For less money and less stress. Still not sure what we will do but the Titanic museum would be a huge hit for our kids and it looks like there are good national and state parks close by as well. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Another one for renting a vacation house and go exploring from there. This way you decide how much and how often you want to be gone. You do not have to lug around your bags every evening, unpack and pack again. It does limit you naturally unless you can see yourself having a home base and traveling a bit further for a special trip and spending one night away from the home base. Perhaps finding a must see area and setting a radius around that area of things that can be reached within one day. I prefer relaxing vacations. I run around the rest of the time. I want to sit at the beach and watch the coast guard exercises or the fishing boats come and go. However, one or two days we usually plan a longer trip with a destination but not too far off so we can come back to the vacation rental. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 (edited) When we were kids, we would travel 3 days to spend a week with grandparents (4 or 5 days) then travel 3 days home and stop 2 days to do an amusement park somewhere (Opryland, Silver dollar city in Branson, Etc) Oh and the 2nd night on the way up there was a night spent wiht the other grandparents (who were on the way) This summer, we are flying in to Cincinnati. Some time we will be doing stuff in the Cincinnati area. At least one or two days will be day trips up to Columbus and we have relatives in Athens we are still trying to figure out how to fit in. But we are sleeping in Cincinnati. At first I was going to try to change hotels... then decided that was too chaotic. Edited March 28, 2017 by vonfirmath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 We live to travel and have done many road trips, but we prefer a base camp and then go do multiple things in the area. We are going to CA soon and will drive 2 days to get there, but then do 1 week in a condo before the 2 day drive back home. In that week we plan to visit multiple national parks in the surrounding areas. We also camp, but those are usually 3-4 day trips and we focus on that immediate area to explore/enjoy. Our road trip across the country was fun and we saw a lot, but for the cost I would prefer to just do a week in 1 place and explore all around the region. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Check out the Timeshare on https://www.tripadvisor.com/ That web site is the "Gold standard" when you are considering staying in a property. I pay the most attention to the most recent (preferably during the past 30 days) Reviews. The Timeshare we stayed in during April 2016, near Orlando, everything was included in what we paid. Taxes, Services Charges, Parking, WiFi, etc. That was wonderful. However, they also had many places where you could spent (a lot) of money on the beautiful grounds. Great place and we will stay there again if we can. It had 2 Bedrooms, 2 baths, 3 TVs, and a fully equipped kitchen. My wife was not planning to cook on our vacation, but she cooked a quick Breakfast 6 of the 7 mornings we were there and we saved money, but, more importantly, we got into the parks much earlier than if we'd gone to the nearby Denny's restaurant for Breakfast. NOTE or WARNING: Verify before you book this that you are NOT obligated to attend a Timeshare Sales Presentation. No matter what they offer you, do not attend one of those. If you ever want to buy a Timeshare, buy one on the Resale market, not from the Developer. Many people will give you their Timeshare and they will pay the Transfer Fees, to get rid of it. Wonderful to Rent a Timeshare. http://www.tug2.net/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 You can look on Ebay and find people selling time share rentals for that area too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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