GTKY: Dream vacations

FSUNole31 · January 2017

The Disney talk in the Randoms got me me wondering...if money wasn't an object what would be your dream vacation:
1. With kids
2. with just you and your significant other?

delujm0 · January 2017

I love to travel...and it's really important to me to expose my kids to other cultures if financially possible. I love DH but I'd really like to bring my kids on as many of the below trips as possible! I think DH and I are planning to do to Iceland without them in a couple of years for our 5th wedding anniversary though.

Places I want to go back to with DH/kids:

Italy

Hong Kong

France

UK

South Africa

Hawaii

Thailand

Places I really want to go that I've never been to before:

Iceland

China

Australia/New Zealand

Spain

South America

Alaska

Other parts of Southern Africa (we did South Africa and Mauritius on our honeymoon, but there is just so much more to see there).

I sock away part of my bonus check every year in a "vacation account" that I then forget about until the following year, so that I can eventually pay for these trips. Considering what the honeymoon cost, it's going to be insanely expensive to redo that trip with two additional people! :-)

Elyse1384 · January 2017

With kids I am eager to make a trip to Disney. We're planning for fall 2018 (this has been in the words for 3 years!). Should be great timing as DS will be 4, DD almost 3 and this LO will be 1. DS and DD love Mickey Mouse and DS is really getting into Disney movies. I love watching them get excited! My bank account does not agree with their enthusiasm.

With just DH I would love to go back to Ireland, France and Italy (we have been and love it), but I would also love to go to Hawaii. We've actually talked about moving to Ireland long-term. My mom's side is from Ireland and she still has cousins there. I LOVE Ireland as does DH.

FSUNole31 · January 2017

I have been wanting to go to NYC at Christmas time forever and would love to take the kids. I also want to go out west to some of the national parks out there.

For my honeymoon we did sandals Jamaica and it was pretty awesome. I would love to do like a 10th or maybe even 15th anniversary trip to St. Lucia with my husband. I also would love love love to go to England, Ireland and Wales someday.

Mtnmommy · January 2017

Oh my gosh, I have so many travel dreams!
Kids:
-when they're little: Disney Cruise, a surprise Disney World trip where we won't tell the kids where we are going and they'll find out when we get there, and a trip to a Beaches resort. I've also always dreamed of doing a reunion cruise to the Caribbean to celebrate our wedding anniversary and renew our vows. We got married on a cruise, and people still tell us that it was the best wedding they've been to. I'd love to do it again but have the kids with us.

-when they're older: a girls trip to Paris, Australia/New Zealand, Israel, Alaska, Iceland

Trips without kids:
Hawaii (I went the first time with my cousins and their kids who were brats the whole time. I'd love to do it kid-free)
St. Barts
St. Lucia
Czech Republic
All of the U.K.
The Italian Riviera

Stankonia2014 · January 2017

DH and I stopped in Ireland on our way to Iraq, I'd love to go back and actually go sightseeing.

I'd also love to visit:

Italy, Hawaii, Australia. Anywhere, really!

I love taking my kids to the beach, we usually go to Long Boat Key annually. I'd also love to get back to Disney eventually. When my kids get old enough to appreciate, I'd love to take them to D.C.

danij0 · January 2017

DH and I love to travel! Since we've been married (6 years in May!) we have mostly done small US city vacations and cruised the Caribbean (4 times) - all different itineraries so seeing 7 countries.
I want my kids to be able to experience many places but we will probably focus on US cities, Canada and Disney while they are young. I think when they're a bit older - middle school/high school I would like to take them to Europe. On my major vacation wish list is Australia & New Zealand (I have been to Australia - DH hasn't.) and Europe/European Cruise. I haven't been lucky enough to see Europe yet (DH has been to France). At this point I don't really care if its just me and DH or if the kids come along as long as I get to travel there.

n0soup4u · January 2017

With children: Disney( no brainer), Alaska and Washington.
Without: Back to Hawaii, Thailand, Maldives, Bora Bora, Ireland, Australia.

merrylea · January 2017

If money and time away from work were no object, I would travel. ALL THE TIME. I love seeing new cultures, eating new foods, and seeing all the history. I think in a way, it helps me to learn about myself.

In 3 weeks, DH and I are going to go to England (where i have been a number of times before but he has never been) and Ireland (we are renting a car and driving around for 6 days. Neither of us has been) I am really really looking foward to it for a number of reasons, and

With Children - ditto the Disney, Washington DC when they are older as it is so cool, fun road trips to different national parks.

Without Kids - Alaska. Back to Trinidad and Tobago (studied abroad there). Back to Guatemala (was in the Peace Corps there) The South Pacific, South Africa, Germany, Paris, Australia. Basically all the places.

ladylolly89 · January 2017

My family took long road trips all over the U.S. and Canada when I was little. I'd love to do something similar with my children!
But more specifically:
Alaska Highway road trip
Disney World
California
Hawaii (only state I haven't been to!)

With DH:
Hawaii (yes, I want to go twice)
Ireland
Scotland
England
Germany
Sweden
Norway
Finland
Iceland
France

mtvkv5 · January 2017

I have always dreamed of going to tahiti/bora bora...without kids. I travel for work a lot and plan on bringing our child with me to the Philippines and India regularly (I go to each twice a year for work), once she is old enough that is. I definitely want my kids to experience other cultures early in life!

I really haven't thought much about where we would go with kids. But we will probably just bring them anywhere we want to go and bring our nanny or a grandma along with us.

merrylea · January 2017

Ps..... Let's win the lottery ladies and make this happen!

mombod · January 2017

My absolute dream trip would be road trip America. Coast to Coast and hit as many National Parks as possible. My life goal is to hit all the National Parks. For the near future I want to do Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. Hopefully Alaska by cruise and train in the next few years.
While the kids are still young we will focus on US and then hopefully Australia, Europe, and Brazil, South Africa, Thailand.

alm52386 · January 2017

I want to take my kids to Disney for sure! I went 2 or 3 times as a child but DH never went until he was an adult. I also agree with a D.C. Trip when they are older and road trips. DH always went on road trips and my family always flew everywhere. I also want to take the kids to Virginia Beach which is where we got married.
Ive always wanted to go to Australia and Europe as well!

awillis13 · January 2017

We love to do ski trips and outdoorsy things with the kids. We have both talked about how we would LOVE to be able to get an RV and drive coast to coast.

Without the kids?
Italy
Caribbean
Alaska
Africa

I wish I thought about it more, we don't think about enough vacation related things. Maybe once DH gets himself back to work we can talk about things like that.

keniialise · January 2017

I'm a daydreamer so I pretty much have every vacation I could ever dream of mapped out in my head/Pinterest boards just waiting for the day we hit the lottery

while they are little we'd love to redo a old school bus into a rv and travel the states.
Once the kids are a bit older I want to pretty do all of the "Adventures by Disney" (if you have never heard of them look them up, they'll blow your mind!) our main one being Machu Picchu

adult only is bora bora for sure, with glass bottom bungalow over the ocean

zseirecarg · February 2017

with DH: Lake Louise in Canada, Hawaii, Ireland. (our last vacation was Disney, we wanted to do it once together without kids)

with Kids: Disney and maybe some others - but no ideas yet!

krex-2 · February 2017

We lived overseas for 3.5 years in Europe, so I'd like to go back there with our child to show her the places we lived and visited. Aside from that:

With Kids: Japan, Jordan, Israel, Disney, Europe (all of it!)...honestly, pretty much anywhere!

Without Kids: one of those over-water cabins in the South Pacific, maybe a Sandals all-inclusive

kfry22 · February 2017

My husband and I didn't go on a honeymoon and our only vacation together was to Kentucky (only 5 hours away) so any vacation would be great!! Neither one of us has ever seen mountains or the ocean/beach as our families also never went on vacations while growing up. My husband has already said he refuses to leave the US unless it is Canada so that limits us. I would love to visit Australia but don't know who I would go with.

We also hardly ever get to do anything without our son so we would probably mostly plan vacations with kids. I would like to go out West and visit a real working ranch (not the fake dude ranch for tourists) that offers a chance to participate in the ranch work. I also would like to go to Texas for Auntiques Week, visit Chip and Joanna Gains Silos in Magnolia, and visit the Junk Gypsy store. That might not be much fun for my husband or kids, now that I think about it!

When my husband and I retire we plan to buy him
the truck of his dreams and get myself a redone vintage airstream and travel the country together. I also like the idea of people who travel the country with their horses and trail ride all of the horse friendly national parks, but don't know what kind of shape we will be in when we are retirement age.

Edited to add more for clarity becuase I was thinking faster than I could type

keniialise · February 2017

@kassyfry we've been to magnolia a bunch, it's a fun experience for sure! Tell me more about this antique week?! I live here and never heard of it, or the junk gypsy!

kfry22 · February 2017

@keniialise The Junk Gypsys are two sisters who started out buying and reselling "junk" and antiques in Texas. They had a website and sold some clothes as well. Then they started getting some celebrity customers like Miranda Lambert (they styled her tour bus and decorated her wedding). They have a store in Texas and host the Junk O Rama Prom during Texas Auntiques week. They have also written a book and have a tv show as well. You'll have to visit their website!

Texas Auntiques week happens twice a year I think. Basically, it is just giant fields full of junk to buy. I'm not sure of where it is exactly in Texas or what week it falls on (edited to add it is warrenton and round top, Texas). Junk Gypsys participate regularly!!

I also forgot to add up above that one of my other dream places to visit is the Pioneer Women's mercantile in Oklahoma!

Yailani23 · February 2017

If money was no object I would be traveling every weekend ha! Wishful thinking.

I would love to go on a Disney cruise as a family trip. DD would lose her mind. I'm trying to figure out how to squeeze that in for the near future but we'll see.

A trip to Bora Bora or Fiji with no kids would be a top pick for me. I saw that one episode on the Kardashian show and thought how beautiful. I'd love to spend a week relaxing on a villa over crystal clear water. Someday, I hope.

Kylieslip24 · February 2017

Dh and I both grew up poor and we married young so we have never really been anywhere. The farthest I've been is just over the border of Mexico and the farthest he's been in Wyoming, we are in California. In six years of marriage, Disneyland is the only vacation we've had. So just dreaming we would go anywhere! But our plans are:
disneyland next year
hawaii in around 10 years
east coast when the kids are teenagers
disneyworld when dd graduates high school
europe to celebrate our last kid moving out
ive always wanted to see Australia and tour the US coast to coast too

silliegirlie143 · February 2017

I want to visit our motherlands: Hong Kong, Scandinavia, and Spain. We will probably do these when the children are older so they can experience them as well.

My top See Before I Die place: Vienna, Austria at Christmastime.

Here's my visual inspiration:

DewyK · February 2017

1. With kids - I'm SO looking forward to taking them to Disney. We are planning a 2018 trip and I already can't wait!

2. Without kids - I've never been out of the US. I really would love to go to Italy and Greece.

c1tym0m22 · February 2017

1. With kids, can't wait to take them to Australia (DH and I went on our honeymoon and can't wait to go back) and Costa Rica. I've always wanted to go to the Galapagos, so that's another one. (Animals are a key theme here!)

2. With or without, I've never been to Italy or Greece and would love to go one day!

JAGinMI · February 2017

With kids: Disney ALL OUT. I know that if I wanted to make it happen, someway somehow, I could get us there. But my dream would not be to do it cheaply. Stay at one of the best resorts, go to all the Disney and Universal resorts and water parks, fast passes, behind the scenes tours, do all the fun things like dinner at the castle and tea with princesses and all that, eat at the best places, etc etc etc. It would probably be like 2 weeks long and $15K for 4 of us!

Without Kids: Probably New Zealand. I would love to take my kids there, too, just not at these ages.

gabadoo · February 2017

With kids:
1) Disney (hopefully in 2018-19, when the oldest is 4 or 5)
2) Israel (grew up spending some summers there and all my friends there have kids around the same age as my son)
3) Driving down the PCH and seeing a bit of the West Coast (we live in NYC, so it'll be a nice change...plus, we have friends in almost every major city between Seattle and LA)
4) England/Ireland at some point when they're older

Without kids:
1) Hawaii - saving up extra $$$ to FINALLY make our real honeymoon happen for our 5 year anniversary this year!!!)
2) Iceland
3) Australia/New Zealand...once we can take an extended period of time off work.

joannabergeron · February 2017

With kids:
everywhere! Haha I would love to take them anywhere and everywhere no specific place

Just my husband and I:
- Italy
- Bora Bora

FSUNole31 · February 2017

@JAGinMI one day I want to do Disney the lux way too. I want to splurge on a deluxe resort and not worry about packing breakfast/lunch and snacks every day. A girl can dream right?

berg · February 2017

DH and I love to travel as soon as we are at the airport leaving one trip we are talking about our next. It's a problem.

With the kids:
Anywhere really, I think travel is really important. It doesn't have to be an over the top trip. You can go camping which can be relatively in-expensive. Getting your kid out of their comfort zone, experiencing new things, making memories, it's so wonderful! Growing up we camped up and down the East Coast and they are memories I'm so fond of. I can't say Disney is high on our list. There are a million other beautiful places that are so much less expensive, I would have trouble justifying it. I know California and taking the PCH down (as @gabadoo mentioned) is a big one for DH. I've been to LA a couple of times, but he hasn't been west yet. Probably Vancouver too. Once the kids are older anywhere in Europe. DH and I visited England, France, The Netherlands, and Belgium back 6 years ago. I would love to take my kids to Ireland, Italy, Greece, etc just so they can see what other countries are like. It really changes how you look at the world. We also talk about getting an RV and spending a summer catching a ball game at every ball park in the MLB.

Without the kids:
Maldives
South Africa
Turks and Caicos
Aruba
We love the Dominican Republic and talk about definitely going back for a big anniversary with the kids and renewing vows. But I already made him swear we can go back next winter when I don't have to worry about Zika, just the two of us.

BellaO21 · February 2017

My husband and I went to Sandals St Lucia for our honeymoon 2 years ago... we loved it so much that we plan on going back every 5 years as our "just us" vacation. We also went to The Dominican Republic this past summer and wouldn't mind taking the kiddos back there.

Other trips with kids:
1- Jamaica
2- Turks and Caicos
3- Disney Cruise
4- Atlantas

Other trips with Just DH and I:
1- Ireland
2- Italy
3- Australia

tjvan · February 2017

My husband and I lived in the U.K. for almost a year and west Africa for over 2 years, so we've been lucky to travel quite a bit. Would love to visit Japan though - that's one place that didn't get checked off our list.

for people who have been to Hawaii, any tips or recs?? We are thinking of doing a babymoon/anni trip next month but have never been!

kfry22 · February 2017

Ok, for some of you who have done some more exotic travel, how the hell do you afford that?! We did a four day trip to Kentucky to stay in a cabin and visit state parks. With driving, lodging, food, a few tshirts, and food it was close to $800. My husband about flipped out!!

berg · February 2017

@Kassyfry I think there is a misconception as to how expensive international travel is. There are great deals out there, you just have to find them. Exotic vacation wise: I stalk websites like cheap caribbean and travelocity (etc) for last minute deals. I take the hotels I find and read all the reviews and look at all the reviewer pictures on tripadvisor. Most of the travel websites (orbitz, travelocity, etc) have similar pricing even on their deals and they all guarantee the lowest pricing. So if you use one that is higher you can email and get the lowest price. I also use ebates to see if they offer and return on by using travelocity or whatever through them. Last year for DH's 30th we and some friends went to the Dominican Republic to celebrate. Travelocity was a little more than Orbitz, but had a bigger return through ebates. I used travelocity through ebates then emailed travelocity to get the lower price. Ebates gave me about $300 for that trip. It's also about knowing the time of year to go. Some of the Caribbean is cheaper in the fall as that's hurricane season. If you are cool to do a cruise, there are some awesome deals that way, especially in the winter. Cruises are fun because you get to see a lot of different places in a short period of time and if you have kids there are a lot of things to keep them busy on board. If you live near a port it's great because you don't have to fly. My parents are in NJ and they do cheap cruises out of NYC in the winter a lot. It's cheaper because it's cold for the first day before you get out into warmer air and then the last day coming back in. But those ships have so many casinos and shows going on that it doesn't matter. Mostly though, I budget for travel. Travel to me is as important as grocery shopping. I put money aside every month specifically for travel.

BellaO21 · February 2017

kassyfry said:

Ok, for some of you who have done some more exotic travel, how the hell do you afford that?! We did a four day trip to Kentucky to stay in a cabin and visit state parks. With driving, lodging, food, a few tshirts, and food it was close to $800. My husband about flipped out!!

DH and I go through AAA, we only have to put $400 down and then can pay it off little by little as long as it's paid in full 2 weeks before our departure date. So that helps, also he gets a really nice bonus from work at the end of their fiscal year every year that typically pays for the whole thing. It's not cheap, but we don't splurge on anything for ourselves ever so that is our gift to us.

Knottie42089123 · February 2017

@tjvan my husband and I went to Maui and it's a majestic island. Lots of hiking if you're up to it. I haven't been to the other islands

delujm0 · February 2017

@kassyfry there are a lot of good deals out there, and a lot of places that might cost a lot to get to (for the flight) but have very good exchange rates that make it reasonably affordable to actually be there. For my first 5 years out of college, I had a job that required me to travel 40-50% of the year, and they let us accumulate our own frequent flier and hotel miles, as well as pay for the trips on personal credit cards and then reimbursed us for them (so I used a travel rewards card to double up on collected points). For several of my international trips, I wound up flying business class using FF miles, and I was able to pay for more than half of my hotel nights with hotel and credit card points I had accumulated. So I totally hated that job but at least the perks were worth it!

Now I just save up money every year until I can afford to take a trip I've planned. Our honeymoon was out of the ordinary as far as how luxurious we went because we figured it was once in a lifetime; I had saved up for over a year to afford to pay for it (and South Africa/Mauritius were worth it, and we absolutely could have done it for much less, but we really wanted to stay at fancier places than we normally would). I'm almost out of miles and points now because I don't travel for work anymore, but I just take a sizable portion of my annual bonus and stow it away in a savings account each year, and then forget it's there until it's time to go on a trip. Generally though, if you're willing to do the research before hand (I would start planning trips at least a year in advance by going to the library and taking out travel guides and whatnot), you can find and score some great deals in a lot of places. For example, you don't have to pay for a group tour of Italy - you can do it much cheaper on your own if you're willing to put in the work on the logistics. I also do most of my international travel in that country's off-season or shoulder season so that I'm getting the best prices - I can wear a raincoat if I have to, and I'm not much of a beach person, so that's something that has always worked out for me (when I went to Italy, UK, and France, which were separate trips, I did them all in October/November instead of in the busy summer months for example).

lovesclimbing · February 2017

H and I have done very little traveling together because we've had difficulty getting ahead financially and then other things come up that we need to do like siblings' weddings and such
that don't just take some money in travel costs but also time off.

So basically we want to go everywhere! First, we would really love to do a hot vacation. Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, somewhere like that. We also really want to visit New Zealand.

With kids, no preference. I don't really feel strongly about taking them on trips when they're too young to remember. My family didn't do a lot of trips when we were young and I don't feel that I missed out. When they're a little older, a cross country road trip, D.C., somewhere fun and tropical.

NarrowHouses · February 2017

We visit DH's family in Florida every year. Every other year do a trip to Outer Banks with college friends on the alternating years my family does Lake Michigan. I'm grateful we get to travel some already. I'd love to continue to take vacations that are familiar and mix in new places too.

Those are reality, though! Dream vacations to satisfy my wanderlust would be...

With Kids
- Disney (all out like others have said)
- Scotland, Ireland, England
- Hawaii
- Costa Rica Belize and El Salvador
- Peru and Argentina
- Pacific Northwest
- Australia

Without Kids
- CA Wine Country
- Hawaii
- Bora Bora
- Thailand

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