Best Vacation Ever (poll)

[Deleted]

Where was the best vacation you ever took? H and I are wanting a big vacation in 2014 before we try to have kids. We wanted somewhere that would be difficult to do once we have kids. We will want it to be a 3 week vacation. What have been your fave adult friendly vacations?

[oneslybookworm]

Oh...three weeks, that's a lot of time to do lots of great things! One of my favorite vacations was our honeymoon...10 days in Maui. That was fabulous. Another great trip was our week of backpacking through southern Japan. Both were equally fabulous, but with three weeks, you could do some fantastic travel!

[anna7602]

That's a tough one. It's hard to decide on "best." I really loved any and all time I've spent in Brazil, including our nearly 3-week honeymoon (in the Northeast of the country) and the summer I spent on my own in Rio doing a grad school internship. However, those were two really special times in life in general, so maybe that makes those trips even more amazing than usual.

As far as really great "couples" time in a place I wouldn't really take DD, I think I have to pick Vieques, Puerto Rico. I don't know how much more developed it is now, but when we were there almost 6 years ago, it was practically untouched. We rented a jeep and drove to different, beautiful, secluded beaches every day. I think DD would be bored in about 5 minutes on those secluded beaches and there would be little ability to be as spontaneous with her in tow.

Places with great nightlife would also get top-priority if I were going to a do a childless trip. Going to Buenos Aires, Argentina with DD and without her were two completely different experiences, for example.

My top places I want to go without DD right now (but have never been at all) are India and Mozambique. I would prefer to explore almost any place in Africa in general on my own.

[allibally]

Three weeks traveling around Australia when I was 17. 6 cities in total we went too. It was fantastic!

DH and I haven't been able to do many trips since we spent most of our time in CH penny pinching for a move to the US.

[dulcemariamar]

Do you really want to take a three week vacation? I love my DH but after a week together, I need a break.

Last year was awsome. We decided to travel a lot but instead of taking one big vacation, we planned several vacations during the year. It was cool because it was like every two months we went somewhere.

[dorothyinAus]

Jun 14, 2012 0:18:38 GMT -5 @myblue said:

Where was the best vacation you ever took? H and I are wanting a big vacation in 2014 before we try to have kids. We wanted somewhere that would be difficult to do once we have kids. We will want it to be a 3 week vacation. What have been your fave adult friendly vacations?

The Baltic cruise I took in 2000 was a dream-come-true moment -- standing on the Jordan Staircase in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg was fantastic, and I highly recommend that cruise for anyone who is looking for something a it out of the ordinary.

The best cruise I took was a special Canada/New England itinerary in 2002 that went to St. Pierre et Miquelon and St. John's, Newfoundland. I had the best time on that cruise and still compare every cruise to that one.

The best land vacation I took was 2 weeks in Australia in 2006. My travel agent's advice was to skip extra days in Sydney and visit Kangaroo Island instead. BEST ADVICE EVER!! Kangaroo Island was fantastic. And the all-day personal tour of the Barossa Valley was so good I did it again in 2008 with my then fiance (now DH).

[pittpurple]

Oh wow... hard question! But if I'm thinking of places I'd go before kids, I would add India to the list. We had an amazing (although difficult) time and I can't imagine trying to do it with children. I've heard Russia is really expensive (and it's high on our list right now) so that's a thought. We absolutely loved Tokyo/Nikko but there's really no reason you couldn't do it with children except for cost.

Personally for three weeks I'd look for something where we were running around for half the time and lying around on the beach drinking cocktails for half the time. I miss cocktails! Thailand? A Thailand/Nepal combination trip? I really wish we had more opportunities for travel in Asia.

[bugabean]

I want to go see Canadian polar bears in a tundra buggy. I haven't done it, but it's so much cooler than anything I have done that I'm saying it anyway.

[travelingturtle]

I agree with spending half of your vacation doing something really active and the other half being lazy on a beach. It'll be a while till you could easily do either of those again. Other vacation activities I miss now are staying up late and just wandering aimlessly.

[GilliC]

Antarctica. In addition to nearly two weeks on the ship, it took about a week to get down to Ushuaia, because of all the buffer time I added in case of flight delays (thank heavens, since a snowstorm grounded one of my flights in another country). Plus I got to explore Buenos Aires and Tierra del Fuego beforehand. And aside from the cost, I don't think they even allow kids on the expedition ships until they're at least 10.

I also loved our Indian Ocean trip. Seychelles and Madagascar were both incredible, and I could have spent over a week in each one! Seychelles so pretty! Lemurs so cute!

[frlcb]

We loved our Baltic trip, driving through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. My mom and I did a round the world trip that was awesome. And my trip to Chile and Easter Island was spectacular. I have actually really, really enjoyed every trip I have taken to South America. And dh and I did 2 weeks in SE Asia 2 years ago and it was great , Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

My dream is to take our kids on a year long round the world trip. It won't happen anytime soon

[Deleted]

Thanks so much for the suggestions! Frlcb, your trip in SE Asia is pretty much what I have been thinking about, but H isn't convinced. We are both interested in Africa as well. I love the adventurous suggestions from you guys and I will have to look up some of the places to see what I think of them.

[allibally]

Jun 14, 2012 11:35:35 GMT -5 frlcb said:

My dream is to take our kids on a year long round the world trip. It won't happen anytime soon

Ahh. There are so many awesome blogs about round the world trips with kids. Such a neat experience. I'm reading on now where they sailed from California/Mexico to the different Islands in the Pacific. They have ported in Australia for awhile now.

Hope you get to do it someday!

[Deleted]

I just looked up a trip to Antarctica that would cost like 25000€/person... While we have the time to do that trip, I'm not sure we have the money for something that extensive

[mrsukyankee]

I would do two weeks in India travelling by train all over (I can give you the name of a great Indian tour group), followed by a week in Thailand on a beach.

[Wanderista]

I also can't really pick a "best" right now. It's hard for me to come up with places that I disliked going to, I tend to love most places and to see the positive sides when traveling.

I did love going to Maine/New Hampshire/Massachusetts/Vermont as a young adult in the summer with my mom. That's easily done with kids though.

I have a lot more of the world to see before I start trying for babies. I'll want to travel a lot with any future children but it will likely involve lots of gentle beach holidays at least at first. Part of why we're going to Egypt is that I definitely want to go there for the first time before I have any children. Also, if I get comfortable with traveling adventurously and with seeing more of the world, then I will probably be more willing to bring a child to places that are a little bit more off-beat than where I went as a kid.

I haven't been there but if I were in your shoes, I'd join the others who say Africa. I'd really love to go on a safari in Botswana and to see Victoria Falls in Zambia. Namibia, indeed, looks really cool and friends who have been to Mozambique have posted gorgeous photos. I would look at something in that region.

SO really wants to go to Bora Bora, so that's another place that I would consider.

[Deleted]

For those who suggested Africa and safari type vacations, do you know a reputable travel agency or tour group? As I know absolutely nothing about the countries there or where we should avoid, I would want an agency to do most of the planning. Any recs?

[Deleted]

Jun 15, 2012 3:36:56 GMT -5 @publius said:

Jun 15, 2012 1:53:07 GMT -5 @myblue said:

I just looked up a trip to Antarctica that would cost like 25000€/person... While we have the time to do that trip, I'm not sure we have the money for something that extensive

That seems really high. Check out G Adventures. 2 weeks around Antarctica for $5k a person. GilliC knows when they run their sales, and according to her if you book at the right time you can get it for around $3,500 a person.

What was even worse is that the price didn't include getting to the departure point! I will check out G adventures as well.

[Deleted]

Jun 15, 2012 3:57:51 GMT -5 @publius said:

What's your budget. We've done the bare bones, public park accommodation at Kruger in South Africa and the 5 days we were there cost about $750ish for the both of us. It would have been more had we needed to rent a car (we went with South African friends and used theirs), but not terribly much more so.

Next time we want to go upscale. We've got a connection with Robin Pope Safaris in Zambia, so we'll probably use them. They've got a good reputation.

I'm not sure about the budget yet. We wanted a big trip in 2014 so we would have time to save for it. If it were a really expensive vacation, we would probably just limit our vacations in 2013 to save money. I'm trying to figure out what would be normal for a trip and then making a budget around that.

[sushisamba]

Jun 15, 2012 3:35:33 GMT -5 @myblue said:

For those who suggested Africa and safari type vacations, do you know a reputable travel agency or tour group? As I know absolutely nothing about the countries there or where we should avoid, I would want an agency to do most of the planning. Any recs?

We did our honeymoon in South Africa and Botswana and I would definitely recommend that as a pre-baby trip. We used the agency Go 2 Africa and they were fantastic. It wasn't a group tour or anything, but they planned and arranged for everything. As it was our honeymoon, we did a more luxury trip, but I think they can work within most budgets.

With three weeks you could see so much, including safari and relaxing beach time, as well as touring around some of the countryside. I've also heard Namibia is gorgeous, but we didn't have a chance to do that.

Other trips that come to mind are Australia, South East Asia, and India.

[GilliC]

Haha! I seem like the pro at going to exotic places on the cheap!

This is the trip I did with G Adventures:
www.gadventures.com/trips/antarctica-classic-in-depth/XVAESX/2012/
I was traveling solo, so I had more flexibility because I could book into any cabin class. I originally wanted a triple, because it was cheaper, but the space sold before I made up my mind, so I ended up in a twin for around $4200. There was at least one couple on our ship who stayed separately, because it was so much cheaper to book into a shared same-sex triple or quad (and the twin cabins are almost all twin beds anyway).
I actually did the first sailing of the season, because it's cheapest. It's colder than mid-summer (but it was still around 0C most days), and you can't get into all of the landing points because the ice hasn't melted. However, I loved it because there was still so much snow! I was talking to some of the staff, and they said that November was their favorite time of the year, because when you think of Antarctica, you think "white." I loved taking photos of penguins in the snow, because it felt so iconic. The thing is -- they can't nest in the snow, so they're standing around waiting for the snow to melt so they can breed. If you go for the penguin chicks, you have to wait until the rocks are all exposed. I was happy with the dramatic white landscapes and didn't mind that it was too early for penguin chicks.

If you're really flexible, for the early-season trips, you can actually hang out in Ushuaia for a while and wait for last-minute deals. They sell off the remaining spaces for $2000-4000.

As for the Kruger safari, I wrote up the details here:
blog.megdesk.com/inexpensive-safari/
Sorry the photos are gone. My blog had technical issues, and I've never been motivated to fix it. Excluding airfare, our trip cost around $300/person for 3 days.

[fernane]

South Africa..Capetown and cape point, wine country, seeing the penguins, hiking in the mountains, and plenty of safari time in Kruger!

[elenetxu]

Ours doesn't sound fun at all, but we loved it!
We took the train from VT to Washington, DC where we spent a couple of days exploring the city and the museums.

[tricolore]

Not sure if you'd include it on your Africa must sees (if you're thinking safari), but we spent just over 2wks in Egypt and had a great time. Because we're super cool and hip, we watched about (no kidding) 40hrs of The Teaching Company dvds on Egypt, so had a great frame of reference. Seriously. Sounds geekish beyond measure but I love the guy who gave the lectures (a UNC prof, I believe).