GTKY 6/19 - Vacations

PinkPrincessPiper

What's your favorite vacation destination?

What's your dream vacation like?

AW pics welcomed!  

SouthernMama15

The beach. I love the beach. I prefer the gulf as I don't go many fancy places. I've only been out of the country twice, once on a mission trip to Jamaica and on a cruise to the Bahamas for our honeymoon. 

Dream vacation is to stay in one of those over the water tiki huts in Bora Bora.

SpotConlon

I love any place that I can walk around and find cute restaurants or beaches. I really liked my trip to Waikiki. I know it's super touristy, but I loved that we didn't have to drive anywhere (or very far) to find good food, a fun karaoke bar, and beaches. 

My dream vacation is one where I don't have to keep getting into cars or buses or airplanes because I get motion sick, and it ruins my day for at least an hour (the number of times I've been in tears on vacation because I feel like garbage is too much--I'd seriously rather stay home most of the time). I'd love to travel to France or Italy or something and just spend a handful of days exploring the same town and eating good food. 

This is my husband in Oahu a few years ago. Yes, this is how he sleeps.

DeansGirl14

What's your favorite vacation destination?  Growing up, we went to Door County, Wisconsin, every summer. Definitely holds a special place in my heart. Now, my favorite location is Napa and Sonoma Valleys for wine tasting. 
Generally speaking I just adore Europe. I love Paris. We did Lake Como, Italy for our honeymoon and it was just unbelievably gorgeous. 

What's your dream vacation like? Seconding a PP that I am dying to do one of those over-water huts in Bora Bora, Fiji or the like! I'm also dying to visit Santorini, Greece. 

smallbutmighty77

@DeansGirl14 my family still goes to Door every summer, this year I am forgoing the family trip since it is a week away from LO due date!! 

Dream is Australia/New Zealand. And a Safari is on the list too- so really if we win the lottery, dreams can come true! I love sun and beach and relaxing, with a mix of serious adventure so we're always looking for places we can do a little of both.

tova24

@SouthernMama15 I too dream of Bora Bora! It just looks so magical!

my favorite vacation was Belize. It was the first time I really paid for a trip myself and treated my dad! We spent our days laying on the beach, reading, walking, and paddle boarding. It was nice because we both did our own thing but still enjoyed each other's company. 

My dream vacation would have to be Bora Bora. I'm all about relaxation and just taking in the beautiful views. 

Pic of resort I stayed at in Belize. 

PinkPrincessPiper

Our usual beach destination is Sanibel Island, FL. It's right off Ft. Meyer's. The local restaurants & shops are great, and the condo we usually stay at has a nice private beach so it's never crowded. Pic is from a trip in 2012. 


Now that we have a bunch of kids, we do closer vacations. The Great Smokey Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN is our other favorite spot. All sorts of activities for the kids, great shopping at the outlets, tons of restaurants to choose from, etc. (pic from 2008). We either do a cabin, or stay at the Wilderness of the Smokies waterpark resort (perfect for the kids). 


+1 for the hut on the water in Bora Bora! My dream vacation is really Hawaii (never been before), and I'm hoping DH & I can go for our 15th wedding anniversary (in 2020). Our kids should be old enough to stay with my parents without too much hassle then (fingers crossed). 

smallbutmighty77

@tova24 our honeymoon was Belize, we got 2 great days and then it rained and was crazy the next week...the wind was borderline tropical storm levels, worst flooding they had in like 10+ years.

Beautiful, but if the weather is bad, you can't really do much of anything so it was a rough end to our trip. 

littlebug2010

I love cruising.  I have been on 8, and I could do it for every vacation.  I love that we get to go to different locations, without having to jump in a car or fly.  I also love that everything is provided for you.  I know its not for everyone, but I always loved our family vacations like that.  

I have said many times that one dream of mine is to do all the disney parks.  But I also want to see the world! I would love to spend extended periods of time just traveling and feeling the culture.  

If I were to chose a relaxation only vacation, it would either be a european or hawiian cruise, that was like 14 or 16 days, and just spend my days either by the pool or on the beach, and then nights eating amazing food.  

LSP87

What's your favorite vacation destination? I am not much of a traveler, but I do enjoy going away for a long weekend to the Texas Hill Country. Last year, we went to Natural Bridge and explored the caverns and went on a safari ride with DS. It was the perfect trip for a 2 and a half year old.

What's your dream vacation like? I like somewhere that isn't too crowded and isn't too far from our home, at least for now. The thought of going too far (6+ hours) away from home just freaks me out at this point with the little ones. However, I think it's great if people have the confidence to do it, I just don't.

kvh22

We never go to the same place twice so not sure I have a specific favorite but I'd say I love European destinations in general. Also, my family's lake houses (both in the lakes region of NH) are my happy place in the summer if/when I can make it back from the west coast.

DH and I both go too stir crazy sitting on a beach/by a pool. I like a mix of tourist attractions/sight seeing, great food (and hopefully wine), a few opportunities to relax, and some good cultural experiences (museums, walking tours to learn the history of a place, etc.). If there's some adventure-type activities, that's great too (like kayaking, ziplining, hiking).

donehue

Our favorite destination (as a family) so far has been this great family friendly resort in St. Lucia (Coconut Bay). I  highly recommend it to anyone looking to travel with kids and get an all-inclusive water park next to some great culture/sight-seeing. It is right next to the airport in St. Lucia, but not in a bad way. Most of the hotels are on the other side of the island and take a few hours on winding roads to get to, which doesn't sound like fun with kids. My older daughter constantly asks when we are going back there.



As far as dream trips, my grandmother was from Scotland and we have never been as a family so we are trying to plan something there for 2018. It helps that I'm also pretty into Outlander at the moment. Otherwise the mention of Lake Como above sounds amazing to me right now!

tova24

@smallbutmighty77 oh no! You must have gone during/around hurricane season! I'm so sorry. I went right after hurricane season, and you could just see the destruction.  

bumpybump

This isn't such a hard question for me! I love going somewhere that isn't all one type of activity. For example, I can't just lay on the beach all day long. I need to be active and go explore. 

We loved Iguassu Falls in Brazil/Argentina. It was amazing! This is a picture of Devil's Throat there:


We we also loved Thailand. My favorite part was the cooking class we took, the snorkeling trip, and zip lining. This was a portion of the snorkeling trip where we hiked and swam at the Similan Islands:


Dream vacation: that's hard to say for sure. I'd probably say more of Europe right now because my trips there were short, plus, I feel like it's more my "style" where we can walk around, learn the culture, shop, etc. 

LSP87

@bumpybump that looks out of this world!!

MetsGirl18

What's your favorite vacation destination? 
I'm also someone who loves places that offer both relaxation and the opportunity for excursions.  I love the beach, but can only spend so long there.  I'm so fair and don't seem to do well in the strong sun no matter how much lotion I apply and reapply.  I don't know if I have a favorite spot, but I hate the cold and will always pick somewhere warm.

What's your dream vacation like?
Add me to the list of people who would love to stay in an over the water bungalow in Bora Bora or one of the other islands.  A Safari is also at the top of my vacation bucket list.

and_peggy

Neither DH or I are beach people. For our honeymoon, we went to Breckenridge, CO which was glorious for us. We love the cold.

These are photos from our 3 week trip to Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Singapore. I absolutely loved Malaysia! I was about 6 months pregnant with DD on this trip.



My dream vacation is Ireland and New Zealand.

Nxy

Favorite vacation is a tie between Paris and Garmish Germany 


I want to make it to Rome 

belmont1785

I haven't been many places. But my favorite so far would be Nashville. I just love it. Every bit of it, the food the history, the music, the hospitality.

My dream is Alaska. I go completely stir crazy relaxing. So I love to take trips where we see EVERYTHING and do it all. Hiking, shows, food, sports. I always come home exhausted.

dma0389

What's your favorite vacation destination?  Tie between Hawaii and Italy. Our family on my side likes to visit Hawaii often (my Dad lived there for 7 years during his Navy days before I was born) and we are planning, if all goes well, to purchase a small vacation home or condo in Oahu next year.  Italy was another favorite place for me & DH as it was where we went for our honeymoon and my Dad also lived there too during the Navy.


What's your dream vacation like?  Relaxing at the beach that has clear blue/green waters or visiting locations with rich history!

Kathryn0903

Favorite Vacation? 
I've always loved Nashville. Huge country music fan! I really fell in love with Napa on our honeymoon, too. DH and I have already talked about making a trip back for one of our anniversaries.

Dream Vacation? Probably somewhere out of the country. I've done a little traveling out of the country and love seeing other cultures.

Mango517

Favorite vacation:
I think our favorite place for a stress free time is Charlottesville, VA. It's not that far of a drive for us, so we can meander through the back roads and enjoy the drive time together. We usually drive a bit through Shenandoah National Park or the Blue Ridge Parkway, hike a few trails, visit the wineries, eat all the food, and walk around UVA. Very chill and lovely area to unwind for a few days.

Dream vacation:
Two right now and one is more attainable than the other.

I'd like to road trip down the Pacific Coast from Washington through California. I have that FTM naivety that is telling me that maybe we could bring a baby along on that trip next year before he starts walking.

The other is a Safari in Africa. They look amazing! That however might have to wait until the kids are either old enough to come with us or be left with family for that amount of time.

tova24

@belmont1785 when I was 12 my grandparents took my sister and I on an Alaskan cruise. It was absolutely breathtaking! I really would love to go back. 

Nxy

@Mango517 I think you could do that trip with a baby as long as they aren't one of the handful who hate the car. DD would have slept the entire time lol 

SpotConlon

@Mango517 I someone who lives near the Pacific coast, I highly recommend it. I grew up on cold beach trips in Washington and Oregon, but it's still beautiful.

PinkPrincessPiper

@belmont1785 @tova24 My husband is all about an Alaskan vacation/cruise. I would love to see the sights, especially the northern lights, but I am not a fan of cold weather. I guess I'll suck it up for him. It's definitely on our list of things to do once our kids are older, but Hawaii comes first!    

@tova24 What locations did your cruise stop at? 

Mango517

@Nxy That gives me hope that I might be able to pull off the trip next spring for our Anniversary!

@SpotConlon The Pacific coast looks amazing and so different than beaches I grew up with in New Jersey.

SpotConlon

@Mango517 A couple years ago, my husband and I went down to the Redwoods and worked our way up the coast on the way back north. Oregon and Washington beaches are finicky, so sometimes they can be sunny like it is further inland, or they can be foggy and gray. This picture was taken at Port Orford, OR. Our dog was not impressed by its beauty.

PinkPrincessPiper

@Mango517 The PCH is beautiful! I've only driven a portion, but it was gorgeous. 

tova24

@PinkPrincessPiper we stopped in Anchorage, Juno, Sitka, and Ketchikan. It was gorgeous. We went around June and the weather wasn't too cold! I recommend it!

lwhrmomma

Favorite Vacation: my honeymoon to Hawaii.  We spent a week in Maui and a week in Kauai, and it was the perfect mix of fun excursions and relaxing at the beach/pool.  I can't wait until the kids are older so we can take them with us!

Dream Vacation: I have 3, lol.  One would be to go backpacking around Europe- specifically France, Spain, Italy, and Greece.   Another is an African Safari,  and the third is an Alaskan cruise.

AbbeyH

Favorite: I loved St.Thomas and Rosemary Beach,Fl      But at heart I really prefer the mountains. 

Dream would be the Irish countyside or Napa.