I'm playing it safe and boring. DS is in a "climb everything like a monkey or run like the wild" phase. I had to buy him one of those toddler restraint things for this trip. Never thought I'd be that mom.
I don’t have the money to wing it! We have to know where we’re going to save.
Maybe that will be my life someday!
I'm just perpetually saving for travel since that's pretty much my #1 priority after housing and food. Trust me, it's not like if I wanted to spend 10k on a trip next weekend without saving ahead of time I would be able to do so haha. I base my trips on how much money I have and not the other way around. Since I'm pretty open to traveling just about anywhere I rarely say I must go X place at X time. If you asked me 5 years ago I would've had no clue the countries I've made it to over the past 5 years, I just look for flight prices using google flights map which is a great feature that I recommend everyone use. You just put in the airport you're starting from then you can click on cities on the map around the world and see how much a flight will cost. Plus I hoard credit card points for flights.
Post by dreamcrisp1 on Jan 3, 2020 20:12:30 GMT -5
We are doing the following this year:
Portugal in March Malta in April Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Russia in June/July Germany in December
My goal has always been 30 countries by 30 and I’ll be 30 in October! 6 to go! I will do it. I am so close.
I have a 4 month old but he’s already been to Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Canada since being born. Hoping we’re building a little world traveller with all these trips!
I'm playing it safe and boring. DS is in a "climb everything like a monkey or run like the wild" phase. I had to buy him one of those toddler restraint things for this trip. Never thought I'd be that mom.
The kind that keeps her child from disappearing or running into traffic?!?! I wouldn't have gotten one of those so I didn't have to put my beer down to watch him or anything (lol), but if I had had to go to Disney with my long distance sprinter I am sure I would have gotten one!
We are doing a Disney cruise that leaves from here in February and we’re going to LA at Easter. That’s as far as we’ve gotten. We need to go to PR at some point. My H wants to do NY again, so maybe there later in the year.
I don’t know why but I’m not into huge trips right now. I’m feeling the 5-7 night range within the US. Having a dog with health issues is probably part of it.
Aw. I'm sorry. We put our cat down a year ago and we're going to get a dog - my first! But we're putting it off until after our trip. I can't even imagine what that adventure will be like, or what travel will look like after. We always took our cat to our vacation house, and plan to do the same with a dog. But for actual trips we had a cat sitter, and that's a lot more complicated with a dog.
So far a week in Grenada for our 10 yr in March. A weekend in Atlanta (without dd) to visit friends and spectate the Olympic Marathon Trials at the end of February . A girls weekend in CO in May. The last half of the year is up in the air for a variety of reasons.
Nothing at all exciting planned for the year...only a road trip to St. Louis in May for my nephew's graduation. Last year was kinda big for us...Disney for the whole family in May and then I went to Scotland with my mom and sister in November.
H will be going to Japan, Korea, or India for work in May. There's a very small chance I will be able to go with him but we won't know for a while.
Next year we are hoping to go to Alaska, and then 2022 is our 20th anniversary so we will plan something big for that.
We're going ton Anguilla in March for some sun and relaxation. Our big trip is in June - London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brugge. In August, DH and I are doing a kid-free trip to Boston (for a wedding) then adding a few days in Nantucket.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
We just got back from a 2 week trip in December and I am currently pregnant, so we probably won’t be doing any big trips. We will probably go down to Whitefish, MT a couple times but that’s about it, but I did just get an email about cheap hotels in Canmore, so I am debating that.
I get the planning ahead to stay inside a National Park. We’ve done day trips instead for smaller NP, but for Yellowstone we need to stay inside. That might be our big trip for 2021 though. The kids did well (9 and 7) at Volcano National Park, but still being a bit goofy on the trails next to the steam vents. So I think another year would be better for them maturity wise. I know it’s possible to take younger kids, but a toddler age kid on those boardwalks next to hot gaseous liquids would be my nightmare. They would be fine- it’s more my anxiety that would be better off waiting!
I really want to a do a road trip of national parks, but I think we're a solid 8 years away from that. DS2 is a little nuts and only 2 at the moment. I'm looking forward to being able to do stuff like that with them though. I really enjoy hiking and being outside.
I don’t have the money to wing it! We have to know where we’re going to save.
Maybe that will be my life someday!
I'm just perpetually saving for travel since that's pretty much my #1 priority after housing and food. Trust me, it's not like if I wanted to spend 10k on a trip next weekend without saving ahead of time I would be able to do so haha. I base my trips on how much money I have and not the other way around. Since I'm pretty open to traveling just about anywhere I rarely say I must go X place at X time. If you asked me 5 years ago I would've had no clue the countries I've made it to over the past 5 years, I just look for flight prices using google flights map which is a great feature that I recommend everyone use. You just put in the airport you're starting from then you can click on cities on the map around the world and see how much a flight will cost. Plus I hoard credit card points for flights.
I had no idea this existed and now I'm going to go look at it! We're not set on any specific place for this summer. I just want to get away for several weeks. Barcelona and Montreal were both fairly reasonable, but I'd love to see other options.
We’re trying to buy a house this year, so we’re pushing back the Hawaii trio we originally were planning. We were going to visit my family in San Diego and then my girlfriend in Oahu for a week, but honestly I’m not sure when we’ll get back to Hawaii again and I’d rather spend more time there and maybe do some island hopping without skimping on outings/tours/etc. So, plan for now is:
April: St. Augustine for spring break to see my grandmother May: weekend road trip to upstate NY for our 10 year anniversary (thinking Mohonk Mountain) July: 10 days in San Diego with my aunt and uncle- day trip to Disneyland. August: camping in Acadia for 4 nights.
It’s basically what we did this year, but with my grandmothers being on opposite coasts and unable to fly I feel like this Florida/California trip schedule will stay the same for a while.
Post by Shreddingbetty on Jan 4, 2020 0:18:19 GMT -5
Paris in 2 weeks by myself, will be going for a week, I found a 2 day conference so part of my trip will be paid for by work. This summer our usual Europe trip, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands to visit my friends and family.
I'm playing it safe and boring. DS is in a "climb everything like a monkey or run like the wild" phase. I had to buy him one of those toddler restraint things for this trip. Never thought I'd be that mom.
The kind that keeps her child from disappearing or running into traffic?!?! I wouldn't have gotten one of those so I didn't have to put my beer down to watch him or anything (lol), but if I had had to go to Disney with my long distance sprinter I am sure I would have gotten one!
I got a preview of what he is capable of at 15 months when I took him to Sesame Place. It was the first time I ever felt anxiety that I might actually lose my child. He ducked under the toddler height railing bar while we were waiting in line and was about to run into the crowd. I would have no way to chase him due to the railing. We kept him home from Sesame Place for the rest of the season but I didn't want to leave him behind for Disney. I want to see him experience the magic, just safely tethered to my hand.
We were supposed to do a Europe trip this July, London, Scotland, Paris, Croatia but I am pregnant and due end of June so that’s not happening. We may go out east or possibly to Florida. A weekend trip to Montreal but nothing too big I don’t think.
We are in New Zealand for 3 weeks right now. This is probably our biggest trip of the year.
In February we’ll go to Busan for 4 days for Lunar New Year.
In March we will go somewhere for a week for kids spring break, I am pulling for Thailand but DH is going to want Vietnam.
we’ll go to the U.S. for the month of July. May do a couple of weekend trips there, maybe Chicago.
We have yet to pick a place for a week in early October for kids fall break but it will probably be somewhere beachy in the Southern Hemisphere. Bali is a family favorite.
I’m pretty sure we have decided on Hawaii fo next Christmas.
We are going to NYC in April. I got round trip tickets for both of us for $22 using miles. I'm pretty excited about that. MIL wants to go to Pittsburgh to do Mr Rogers stuff so we'll go for a long weekend. Our big trip this year is Cambodia and Vietnam for 3 weeks in November. It will be DH's final continent. We'll probably do a few long weekend backpacking trips on the North Shore and maybe a road trip over the 4th.
May: weekend road trip to upstate NY for our 10 year anniversary (thinking Mohonk Mountain)
Mohonk Mountain House is one of my favorite places! We went there on our honeymoon and have been back to celebrate our 5th, 8th, and 11th anniversaries. If you do go, and you're up for a challenging rock scramble/hike, try the Labyrinth Trail. It was challenging but so much fun!
Our kids are 2.5 and 12 weeks. We’re closing on a house in March and BIL is getting married a 5-6 hour car ride away in May. So I’m guessing I’ll be lucky to get to the grocery store.
I’d love to go somewhere warm in November or December, but I’m not sure it’ll happen.
What are you, Superwoman? LOL My rule with a newborn was "No one is going anywhere. No one leaves."
I have barely left the house in the last three months, especially since it’s cold/flu season. We take DS to swim Sundays and I take the two to music class Mondays. That’s seriously the only time that I leave the house. It’s so sad. Ha
Post by nightandday on Jan 4, 2020 10:14:43 GMT -5
This year we have two big trips planned. In April, we're going to Sedona and the Grand Canyon and in August, we're going to Argentina. We haven't booked anything yet for that, but we're planning on visiting Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, and Mendoza. If anyone has any recommendations, please pass them along!
I'm just perpetually saving for travel since that's pretty much my #1 priority after housing and food. Trust me, it's not like if I wanted to spend 10k on a trip next weekend without saving ahead of time I would be able to do so haha. I base my trips on how much money I have and not the other way around. Since I'm pretty open to traveling just about anywhere I rarely say I must go X place at X time. If you asked me 5 years ago I would've had no clue the countries I've made it to over the past 5 years, I just look for flight prices using google flights map which is a great feature that I recommend everyone use. You just put in the airport you're starting from then you can click on cities on the map around the world and see how much a flight will cost. Plus I hoard credit card points for flights.
I had no idea this existed and now I'm going to go look at it! We're not set on any specific place for this summer. I just want to get away for several weeks. Barcelona and Montreal were both fairly reasonable, but I'd love to see other options.
Yes it’s a great option. For my solo international trip every year I typically like to keep my flight under $500. So I just put in different airports to start from since I live by many and then peruse the world to find the best options.
There’s also other good search functions like you can put in a time frame and then search "Africa" and it’ll give you flight options to major cities. Or you can put in things like "long weekend" and it’ll give you flight options. I used to use kayak a lot and I still do sometimes but google flights is great if you want to just explore different destinations and time periods.
May: weekend road trip to upstate NY for our 10 year anniversary (thinking Mohonk Mountain)
Mohonk Mountain House is one of my favorite places! We went there on our honeymoon and have been back to celebrate our 5th, 8th, and 11th anniversaries. If you do go, and you're up for a challenging rock scramble/hike, try the Labyrinth Trail. It was challenging but so much fun!
This is exactly what I wanted to hear!! Definitely taking that suggestion for the Labyrinth Trail, we go hiking with the kids all the time so it would be nice to do a challenging one without them! Thanks!!
I have a few one-night trips planned for bike/cycling races/events. This is pretty normal. A couple I'll go to with a friend or teammates(s). My cycling team does a 2-3 day training camp at a mountain cabin; I may go to that.
I am looking at a bigger trip in late summer maybe to Idaho or Vermont. Now that Delta lets bikes fly free it opens up a lot more events I can fly to without it costing more to get my bike there than for my plane ticket. I can fly almost anywhere on Delta direct.
Mohonk Mountain House is one of my favorite places! We went there on our honeymoon and have been back to celebrate our 5th, 8th, and 11th anniversaries. If you do go, and you're up for a challenging rock scramble/hike, try the Labyrinth Trail. It was challenging but so much fun!
This is exactly what I wanted to hear!! Definitely taking that suggestion for the Labyrinth Trail, we go hiking with the kids all the time so it would be nice to do a challenging one without them! Thanks!!
The spa is also fantastic. We splurged for a couple's massage the last time we were there and I've never felt so relaxed in my life. You're going to love it there!
I get the planning ahead to stay inside a National Park. We’ve done day trips instead for smaller NP, but for Yellowstone we need to stay inside. That might be our big trip for 2021 though. The kids did well (9 and 7) at Volcano National Park, but still being a bit goofy on the trails next to the steam vents. So I think another year would be better for them maturity wise. I know it’s possible to take younger kids, but a toddler age kid on those boardwalks next to hot gaseous liquids would be my nightmare. They would be fine- it’s more my anxiety that would be better off waiting!
When we were in Yellowstone last summer, we saw a small child fall off the boardwalk in one of the geyser areas! He had been trying to balance on the ledge of the (rail-less) boardwalk and fell. I was terrified I was going to witness something awful, but luckily he was fine. He fell on ground--fragile ground but at least not a thermal feature. Definitely scary, and the boardwalks are narrow, many aren't enclosed and can get slippery when wet with rain or dew.
Most of our vacations are to national parks, and if you don't plan far in advance, you may not get in-park lodging, which is super important to me. That's why I plan far out (typically booking lodging about 6 months out because that's when we know when my parents are able to watch our dog, but many people book NP lodging even a year+ in advance). Last year, I booked Yellowstone lodging in late Dec. for a July trip and hardly anything was left because reservations opened the previous May. I like doing sunrise/sunset and stargazing in the parks, and so it's important to me to stay at in-park lodging when they have it, or if not, very close by.
One of my hobbies is planning trips and I know with being a teacher, it's always going to be summer for the big trips. We've known for awhile where we'd love to take our ten-year trip to, and as we don't have a ton of disposable income, it's important to have an idea of how much we'll need saved for the trip so we can start a saving plan far in advance. I'd love to be able to book a last-minute big trip, but with the money, plus needing to line up care for our dog, that just isn't going to work for us. It is what it is.
We’ve been to Acadia twice now, and the kids really surprised us on the last trip with how well they hiked and climbed some pretty decent trails. We’re itching to do more national parks in the future with them but it seems so overwhelming with needing advance passes to some and in park lodging, any resources for where to start? What was your favorite so far?
Just booked 5 days in Puerto Rico in February! I can’t wait. We stayed local for Christmas this year, so I’ve been going stir crazy. Can’t wait to get out of the city and onto the beach!
2-4 local camping trips Camping for Memorial Day at Hershey Park Camping for a week near Knoebels and some other attractions in the summer A week in Duck, NC in the summer A week at Disney World in october
Mexico City (spring break) Sacramento (seeing family) Portland (seeing family) Albuquerque (work) Montreal Lisbon/Porto (work and vacation) The Netherlands (seeing family and friends)
Most of our vacations are to national parks, and if you don't plan far in advance, you may not get in-park lodging, which is super important to me. That's why I plan far out (typically booking lodging about 6 months out because that's when we know when my parents are able to watch our dog, but many people book NP lodging even a year+ in advance). Last year, I booked Yellowstone lodging in late Dec. for a July trip and hardly anything was left because reservations opened the previous May. I like doing sunrise/sunset and stargazing in the parks, and so it's important to me to stay at in-park lodging when they have it, or if not, very close by.
One of my hobbies is planning trips and I know with being a teacher, it's always going to be summer for the big trips. We've known for awhile where we'd love to take our ten-year trip to, and as we don't have a ton of disposable income, it's important to have an idea of how much we'll need saved for the trip so we can start a saving plan far in advance. I'd love to be able to book a last-minute big trip, but with the money, plus needing to line up care for our dog, that just isn't going to work for us. It is what it is.
We’ve been to Acadia twice now, and the kids really surprised us on the last trip with how well they hiked and climbed some pretty decent trails. We’re itching to do more national parks in the future with them but it seems so overwhelming with needing advance passes to some and in park lodging, any resources for where to start? What was your favorite so far?
With kids, Great Smoky Mountains might be a good one. It's the first park I ever went to. There is no in-park lodging (unless you want to hike way up a mountain to get to it, lol) but there are so many VRBOs and AirBnBs and cabins nearby (as well as regular hotels in the town of Gatlinburg). It's a free park, lots of family friendly trails, the town of Gatlinburg really caters to families and kids as well. It's also close to the Blue Ridge Parkway if you like scenic drives. This one was a pretty easy one to plan and I think doesn't need such advance booking because no one can stay in the park anyway and there are so many accommodations in gateway cities.
I really really loved Grand Tetons. Combining that with Yellowstone was an amazing trip. You CAN stay in gateway cities if you can't get in-park lodging or don't want in-park lodging (none of the lodging in Yellowstone has TV, Internet, and many don't have cell service. I didn't mind it, but not sure if you want to do it with kids or not). I'd do Jackson for GT if you don't want to stay in the park, though we really loved Colter Bay in the park. For Yellowstone, it's so massive that you'll probably want to move around. We did two nights at Canyon and two at Old Faithful. If you want to say outside the park, you could do Gardiner, MT up north and then West Yellowstone which is kind of near the OF region.
If you want in-park lodging for Yellowstone, go through the Xanterra official website and check back often if you can't get what you want right away. It's free to cancel reservations so stuff opens up all the time. It was a lot easier to get the in park lodging for Grand Tetons. That would probably be my suggestion for two parks you hit up close together that both just have insane beauty, amazing wildlife, cool thermal features, etc.
For all my national park planning, I typically start with the official NPS website for each park. They are a gold mine of great info. They will also link you to the official websites for any in-park lodging available. After that, I like checking out the Trip Advisor forums for each park; local experts are great on answering questions. If there are guide books for the region/park like Moon or Fodor's, I also buy them or read through them at Barnes & Noble. I keep a spreadsheet of hikes we want to do and info on each hike, for Yellowstone and Tetons I also kept a spreadsheet of all dining options, where they were, and the hours they were open.