Best Vacation Ever?

[W Craig Wilson]

My boss and my spouse are ganging up on me. Both are insisting that I take some kind of REAL vacation this year, not just a week or two off around the house.
Generally I'm too stingy or too anti-social to go far afield. But the commanders have convinced me that I need a touch more socialization.

I'm looking for ideas. Tell me about your Best Ever vacation experiance.
(Of course I have my own preferences, but I'm open to adjusting those if your experiance generates enthusiasm.)

[Jim Koepke]

Camping can be fun if one is so inclined.

Back roads and looking for out of the way antique and junk shops.

I have acquired a few of my favorite tools that way.

jtk

[Glenn Vaughn]

I went through pretty much the same thing a couple of years ago. I rarely take vacations and had a lot of vacation time to use. The wife and I usually just stayed home for vacation (she goes camping on the Navajo reservation in Arizona once a year but I don't care for camping that much anymore so I don't go with her). Wefinally decided in 2009 to take a "real" vacation and went to someplace I had always wanted to go - the South Pacific.

I had been to Fiji two years before (long story as to why involving our son and attitude adjustment). The trip was not a real vacation; it was to spend some time with the son. Instead of staying in a fancy hotel, I found out about what is calle a "village stay" and arranged one for the son and me.

So we decided to go to Fiji for 15 days. I offered a stay in a 5 star hotel or a village stay in the village I hhad stayed in before (Namatakula). She opted for the village. She still talks about the experience there. We stayed with a family in the village (same one I had stayed with 2 years earlier). By our standards the conditions were somewhat primitive but quite a bit better than camping. The people are fabulous - they are said to be the friendliest people in the world and I believe it. The food was different - they grow their own fruits and vegetables. Lots of seafood, plenty of chicken. Beef is seldom eaten and pork is for special events. The family we stayed with has become like part of our family and we call them a few times a year.

[Art Mulder]

Hmmm,
1) I really enjoyed driving to Florida with my wife and kids and spending a week in Orlando. Visited Kennedy Space Center, and visited Disney.

2) I also really enjoyed a charity bike tour I did in 2008 -- up at 6:30am every day, on the bike at 7am, and an average of 110km (70mi) per day, for two weeks. Hardest physical thing I've ever done, and one of the most enjoyable as well.

3) We go to a Christian Family Camp every year with the kids - stay in cabins, eat in the dining hall, go swimming and hang out with the "regulars" on the beach.

Those are all very different from each other, but all were highlights.

You might at least mention if you are empty-nesters or not. Because a couple on their own can handle a VASTLY different vacation than a family traveling with kids.

[Joe Pelonio]

It would also help if you told where you have been before so we don't suggest a repeat. For me, it was a trip with my wife to Hawaii for our 30th anniversary. It was our first time there so we stuck to Oahu, and other than the unforgettable visit to the memorial at Pearl Harbor, we didn't plan anything, just decided every morning what we might want to do that day. Even gave the many Japanese tourists a few laughs and comical video ops watching us snorkeling.

[Kev Godwin]

We took a nice cruise to the Panama canal and spent one full day in the canal zone to see how it works. Those large lock gates are actually hollow and float in the water. We stopped in Costa Rica also and went on a tour of a banana plantation. It was a really nice trip and very affordable.

Cruises are much less costly compared to 3 years ago. 9 days on a cruise was much less cost than going to any single carribean destination and staying in a hotel. Hope you find a good trip!
Kev

[Dave Wagner]

Florida (Sanibel Island) was nice, just walking the beach....relaxing...But ALASKA was the best so far, we flew into Anchorage and rented an RV and drove around for 2 weeks! Did a Grizzly bear tour, made it up above the Arctic Circle on a tour, glaciers, etc...
Last fall was Montana, drove out there and made stops along a way, Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower, Sturgis, Yellowstone....pretty nice county!. It is good to get away! :)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

New Zealand...10 days....read here: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?100568-A-dream-vacation........&highlight=

[Ken Garlock]

Hi Craig.

Well, my favorite two vacations have already been mentioned.

We have transited the Panama Canal with stops in Columbia and Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a fantastic place.

We also have taken a 14 day cruise of Alaska on Holland America( The canal was also Holland America). We spent 7 days traveling around Alaska, and then 7 days cruising down the coast, ending up in Vancouver B.C. The best Salmon I have ever tasted was while cruising down the Alaska coast.

We like Holland America because it is oriented toward the middle age and up customers. Not a lot of kids running around everywhere. There are some but not a lot.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

African safari.

[Steve Griffin]

The elements of a good vacation:

1)Get out of your comfort zone.
2)Learn something
3)Experience something in real life you have always dreamed about
4)Physical challenges. Time off is time to push yourself a little.
5)Risk. Nothing worse than being certain your trip will work out perfectly.

For myself, travel has usually involved wilderness experiences. You might consider a guided raft or canoe trip, or national park camping or wine country bike tour. Or sailboat charter or summer hike to a yurt or a trek to everest base camp.

Now that we have a toddler, vacations are even more fun. We try to take off about a month a year, and might get in more next year.

-Steve

[Joe Angrisani]

YOU MUST GIVE US SOME DIRECTION.

What's the budget? How long? What level do you travel at (tent, Motel 6, Holiday Inn, Westin)? Famous places or off the beaten path? Domestic only, or international? Hobbies/interests besides woodworking?

[Jay Jolliffe]

Venice Italy.....Best vacation I ever had...

[David Helm]

Done a lot of mountain climbing, sailing and sea kayaking in my time. Those are all fun and push one beyond his limits. Having said that, in 1997 we spent five weeks in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. None of this time in cities. Walked a lot. Saw a lot of antiquities. Went to a lot of gardens . . . but most of all drank a lot of Stout in Ireland (it's true that the closer you get to the source, the better the Guiness tastes) and discovered Single Malt Scotch on an island in the Inner Hebrides. Meanwhile, while in Cornwall, our house (both the sale of the old one and the purchase of the new one) closed. I finished the transaction from a payphone in the village of Padstow.

[Tom Scott]

Last summer my wife and two kids did a bareboat sailing charter in the British Virgin Islands for 9 days. This is where you basically rent a boat for the entirity and go where you want, when you want. We had some sailing experience, so could manage this (sailing there is about as easy as it gets). If not experienced, then you can hire a captain to go with you. We did lots of sailng, snorkeling, island exploring, and of course consuming rum drinks. No TV and no internet, and evryone agreed it was the best vacation we had ever taken are ready to do it again. Boats range in size so the group could be anywhere from 2 people up to 10+.

[David Peterson MN]

My best "vacation" was when I met my wife on a mission trip to the Philippines. She was a member of a church over there that we would do our mission work with. We hiked for 6 days in the mountains from remote village to remote village doing dental work and showing movies portraying the Gospel made in the ethnic languages. By far the hardest thing I have ever done but yet the most fulfilling. We have been back several times to visit her family but always make sure we have enough time to go out in the mission field. When our children get older, I want our family vacations to have a mission-oriented theme to them. I have backpacked Europe, done the cruise thing several times, and been elsewhere but the most memorable vacations are those where we do Gods work.

[glenn bradley]

Best ever was Jamaica but, I scuba. Cancun and Hawaii were expensive and very much like being in a large city in SoCal except more humid. Tried Mexico once more (still unimpressed) but have been to Jamaica 3 times. Where you like will depend a great deal on what you like to do. Some people love cruises; they are my idea of a living hell ;-)

[Pat Germain]

Indeed, some more information would be helpful. Of most importance; will this vacation just be you and your Mrs? Or, will there be children involved? This makes a huge difference. But here are few points:

If you're considering visiting Walt Disney World, please drop me a PM with your email address. I will be happy to send you a guide I have prepared for friends and family. (FYI, you'd be amazed how great of a time can be had by a couple without kids at Walt Disney World.)

Do you like railroads? Mrs. Patrick and I thoroughly enjoyed the Durango and Silverton tourist train. It departs from Durango, Colorado which is a great little town. We also enjoyed the Apple Orchard Inn B&B for that stay. (You'll earn great points with your Mrs. if you book this place!)

Do you like to Ski? The season in Colorado is far from over. I'm not much of a skier myself. But the hardcore skiers I know tell me Vail cannot be beat for amazing and very long runs. Vail Village is also a really cool place to visit. Surprisingly, it's not at all snobby. I occasionally visit during the summer.

For a beach vacation, I like Cocoa Beach, Florida. Unlike Miami, Cocoa Beach is a small and laid-back beach community. Unlike Key West, it's not all about partying and getting drunk. And the Kennedy Space Center is right there. I once stayed at a Holiday Inn at Cocoa Beach which was surprisingly nice. They have a section of rooms where the sliding glass door literally opens up right on the beach. And it's a very nice beach to boot.

I spent a lot of time in the Caribbean through the 80's and 90's. While things may have changed some, I'm not a big fan. Every island I visited was the same: very nice resorts surrounded by absolute, crime-infested squalor. St. Martin/St. Maartin was probably the least squalor-infested island I visited.

I spent some time Mombasa, Kenya. Like the Caribbean, it has very nice, four and five star resorts surrounded by bombed-out squalor. (The area wasn't actually bombed. It just looks like it.) Most visitors stay at one of the nice resorts, then venture out on safari.

Do you like to visit cities? You could vacation in Joe Pelonio's town. Seattle is absolutely amazing in July. And there's no shortage of things to do. I hope to soon return just so I can spend an entire day at the Boeing Air Museum.

[paul cottingham]

Venice Italy.....Best vacation I ever had...
+1 Add Florence and Rome, and you've got a real trip.

[W Craig Wilson]

Thanks for all of your responses.
Several of you have asked for some clues; I intentionally did not provide any framework in my first post because I really wanted to see the range of your favorites. (I self-limit too much, or so I am told.) So here’s a bit of our profile…
Yes we are empty nesters – sort of. Our two sons are grown with families of their own; they’ve blessed us with a total of seven (7) grandchildren, so far. But that’s part of the quandary – both families are within a six mile radius of our house and we see the offspring far-too-often (my words, not Nana’s). We need some just-we-two time. Somewhere along the way our shared interests got narrowly focused on the progeny and we’ve sort of lost each other.
We’re both approaching 60 years of age; we’ve done enough camping when the kids were growing up. And we’re both too out of shape for any long cycling or hiking activities.
As to budget, or as Joe asked ‘level of travel’, I’m a proud of my Scottish heritage, especially when it comes to money. To enjoy the time, I would need to keep the budget modest but we both want to be comfortable. My 20 years in the Air Force moved us to a lot of places[i] (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?160641-Best-Vacation-Ever&p=1647044#_edn1) and we tended to play tourist whenever family came to visit. The last 20 years in my second life have added business trips to many more[ii] (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?160641-Best-Vacation-Ever&p=1647044#_edn2); the wife traveling with me to a few. It’s deliciously cheap to let the employer cover most of travel costs, but splitting attention between the work trip and sightseeing really short changes any connection time.
I like the idea of a relaxed drive through northwestern states but wife seems to think I’d get too impatient. I’m also not sure if we’re ready to be THAT alone together.
We’ve never done a cruise but have been toying with the idea; Alaska, Panama or the Caribbean are all attractive. I guess we would need to pick one with comfortable activities and the right sort of co-travelers. And the price would have to be right.

________________________
[i] (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?160641-Best-Vacation-Ever&p=1647044#_ednref1) Denver, Ft Walton Beach FL, Tucson, Valdosta GA, Victorville CA; Thailand, Germany, Great Britain
[ii] (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?160641-Best-Vacation-Ever&p=1647044#_ednref2) Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, Orlando, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Seattle, New York City, Des Moines, Tulsa, Arlington VA, Louisville, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Kuala Lumpur

[W Craig Wilson]

Wow! What a fantastic gift.

[W Craig Wilson]

We like Holland America because it is oriented toward the middle age and up customers. Not a lot of kids running around everywhere. There are some but not a lot.

Sounds like my kind of environment. I'll look in to how a Panama trip might suit us.

[W Craig Wilson]

The elements of a good vacation:
1)Get out of your comfort zone.
2)Learn something
3)Experience something in real life you have always dreamed about
4)Physical challenges. Time off is time to push yourself a little.
5)Risk. Nothing worse than being certain your trip will work out perfectly.
-Steve

Excellent advice. Now I need to fit it to our circumstances.

[W Craig Wilson]

Some people love cruises; they are my idea of a living hell ;-)

Help me understand the cons of crusing for you. We've never done one; I hate crowds and kid-crowds might push me overboard.

[W Craig Wilson]

We've done Disney on both coasts - CA with kids, FL just the two of us. Good times both trips.
Railroads are interesting to me - I love anything technological. Wife comes along willingly but wouldn't pick it on her own.
Not really outdoor types skiing and beach time don't have any appeal
Never been to Carribean - its a possibility. Also been watching TV ads for Puerto Rico with some interest.
Mombasa, Kenya - That might be interesting - my dad was stationed in Kenya for most of WW II, my boss spend a few years growing up there (Missionary kids)
Seattle - I had a business trip there last year; intreguing place - would like to spend some tourist time.

[Pat Germain]

FYI, Disney will start Alaska cruises this Spring. Now, many people would say, "Oh my gosh, a ship full of screaming kids!". However, Disney has gone out of their way to create adults-only areas of the ship. There is a pool, a restaurant and a club where kids aren't permitted. I'm not aware of other ships which have kid-free zones other than the casino. (Disney ships have no casino.)

[Lee Ludden]

My wife and I just finished our first cruise. We did a five day Western Caribbean out of Tampa with stops in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. It was easily the best vacation I have ever had. Really to me, the best part of being on a cruise is that you are AWAY. No phone, no internet, just people there whose sole purpose is to make your life great. We were able to meet several very nice people, some of whom we will keep in touch with for possible future activities.

We did ours through Carnival. We avoided the spring break crowd, and while there were some younger families, most of the passengers were 40+. There were very few young singles on our cruise.

The trip was very reasonable too. Our total cost including tips, our one excursion, and minimal bar tab was under $1200 (we didn't have airfare, but we did have one night in a hotel, which I included in that price). I think we will be doing at least one cruise a year from here on.

[Jim Underwood]

5)Risk. Nothing worse than being certain your trip will work out perfectly


Actually, there's nothing worse than having saved up enough money to take that one week of desperately needed vacation, and have it totally ruined by some twist of bad luck, stupid planning or both....

[W Craig Wilson]

Sounds like a "worst ever" story under there....

[Jim O'Dell]

My best vacation was our trip to Canton OH for the 1995 Irish Setter National Specialty. Worst was the trip to FL for the 1999 Irish Setter National Specialty (young Irish lass in season, her young Irish brother next to her in the van crying at her the whole way to Florida!!! Then there was the IS National Specialty here in Ft. Worth back in 2003. Had lots of friends from around the country spend time with us.
Next best trip will be the Irish Setter National in Oklahoma City this May. Do you see a pattern here???:p:p:p We haven't been on a vacation without our dogs since 1981. Drove to Boulder, CO, then to Estes Park for a few days at a family reunion. Across the mountains and the Continental Divide, then down to Sante Fe, NM. From there we went to see Carlsbad Caverns, then across to San Antonio, and back home. Got to see some very beautiful parts of our United States. Diverse topography. Would have been even better with a dog or 2.:D Jim.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I can't really pin down best....

They've all been good.

IMHO - you get out of a "vacation" what you put into it.

Two weeks ago my wife and I took a week off work. We installed the wood trim around all the replacement windows we had installed on our last "vacation" (back in Nov 20101) :D.

I had a ball working in the shop and devoted one day per window to keep the pressure off.
My wife was thrilled to have "her house" looking good. We knocked off around 4:00pm to go out to eat dinner....

Then came home and I chased her around the house until she caught me :D!


I’m also not sure if we’re ready to be THAT alone together.

Maybe - just maybe - that's exactly what you need ;)...

[Brian Tymchak]

If you haven't done Hawaii yet, I'd recommend a 2 week guided Tauck tour.

http://www.tauck.com/tours/usa-tours/hawaii-vacations/hawaii-vacation-package-hw-2011

Everything is taken care of. Best hotels on the islands. We did this tour as our honeymoon.

[Bryan Morgan]

Sleeping on the beach and surfing every day for a month straight at Camp Pendleton, being woken up by tanks driving a few feet away from you on their way to the training area. Uncrowded sandy beaches, funny southern jarheads, wife and I just loafing around all stinky and covered with sand and sun burned.

[Rob Cunningham]

I have 2 favorite vacations.
1- My wife and I flew to St Thomas last year to celebrate our 25th anniversary last April. We didn't stay at a resort but stayed in a small bed and breakfast in the town of Charlotte Amalie. We were only there for 4 days but it was very relaxing and a beautiful island.
2- My other favorite is our 3 week drive to New Mexico and back for my sister in law's wedding. We took a southern route to NM. After the wedding we drove to the Grand Canyon, then Colorado and headed east to PA. I think we stopped in 15 states total. We did all this with 3 kids ages 9, 7, and 4. It was a great time.

[W Craig Wilson]

That sort of 'stay-cation' suits me, but with the 40th anniversary this year, there's some pressure to do something more special.

[W Craig Wilson]

... we stopped in 15 states total. We did all this with 3 kids ages 9, 7, and 4. It was a great time.

Brave (or crazy) man!
You're right about the southwest, though. NM-AZ-CO are the best part of the country, as far as I'm concerned.

[Jerry Bruette]

Best vacation we ever took was for our 25th anniversary. 12 days in Italy and Sicily landed in Rome and toured southern Italy and then to Sicily. It's a beuatiful country and we'd like to go back someday.

I noticed you mentioned you're partial to railroads. You could take a ride north and stop in Green Bay and visit the railroad museum and continue north to Sault Ste. Marie and take a ride on the train to Agawa Canyon or up to Hearst for an over night stay. It's a beautiful ride in late August or early September to see the colors.

Jerry

[Kent A Bathurst]

New Zealand...10 days....read here: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?100568-A-dream-vacation........&highlight=

Not a cruise, but - I'd go back to NZ [west coast, south island especially] in a heartbeat.

I'd also go back to Instanbul tomorrow.

And - these were remarkable - we aren't go-to-church religious, but for many, many centuries the church funded the art and architecture [cathedrals] and we like that. Two different trips, two different Christmases, two different christian countries - London and Vienna [with a side trip to Budapest]. Yeah, its cold, and yeah, the third leg of our interests [gardens] are n/a, but being in the middle of Christmas season/celebrations in other countries is simply amazing.

[John alder]

Fly to florida and rent an RV,cruse america is one outfit in Miami ,then do all of the keys,many have campgrounds go to an RV website and get recomends for the various camp grounds also your libary should have RV Travel directorys