GTKY: Best Trip You've Ever Taken

[vivela]

I have the travel bug SO BADLY right now, which a bit inconvenient for several reasons. Help me daydream! 
What is the best trip you've ever taken and why? Was it the location? The experiences? The travel companions? 

[cattuccino]

Probably one of our trips to Turks and Caicos. Absolutely gorgeous islands! Not long flights to get there, such a friendly community and not super touristy (compared to my experiences in Florida, Aruba and Myrtle Beach).

One of my favourite excursions we did there was a sunset tour followed by seeing the glow worms that are there - it was like fireworks in the water, soo neat! The glow worms only come out after a full or new moon, I forget which....but it was awesome.

Also the food and rum punches there are amazing.

[vivela]

New Orleans really sticks out to me. The thing that struck me about that trip was that I can't remember one moment of feeling stressed or frazzled. The food was incredible, everything we went to see was totally worth the time and so much fun, we spent a night bar hopping of course, and DH and I were just able to totally relax.
I have a long list of places I want to see, but it is hard to resist not just planning another trip back to New Orleans!

[frecklesnbrains]

Oh I have no idea! I love to travel. Here are a few of my favorites:

Kauai
Glacier National Park
Yellowstone
Rome
London
Coast of Maine/Acadia
Zion National Park

Places I really want to go to but haven't yet:
Iceland
Caribbean (trip cancelled thanks to Zika)
Alaska
South Africa
New Zealand
Bora Bora/Tahiti

[2dogs2kids]

vivela love New Orleans! We went 4 years in a row because we love it so much. Such good food, so much fun and super affordable!

[birdhut]

I student taught in New Zealand for 6 weeks and got to see so many beautiful sights! Loved it.

For our honeymoon we went to the Bahamas which is also beautiful and we had a lot of fun at the resort but the town was a bit scary!

[woodengirl07]

I'm one of those people, lol, but DH and I had a fantastic trip to Disneyland last February. We love Disney a lot and I cannot wait to take my daughter.

[txmommy14]

We went to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico a few years ago....it was fantastic! I really want to go to Europe or leave the country other than the Bahamas/Mexico, but I'm guessing that'll be a while!

[packerfan4life]

My favorite trip was a 2 week trip we took to to Europe - Paris, Nice, Rome, Florence and Naples. It was super hectic but so much fun. Plus it's when H proposed!

Lately our trips have been more local. Zion is one of my favorite places and is one of the most gorgeous places I've ever been. I also love going to the Tetons.

Places I want to go:
Bryce canyon - only a few more weeks!
The Netherlands
Australia
Glacier National park

[mladerri]

I have family in France so growing up my sister and I went to France every summer for a month. My grandparents passed away a few years ago and it's strange to me that I haven't been back since ds was born. I need to take him and baby soon.

I love Europe (especially Italy and Amsterdam) but I'm a beach girl. We took a babymoon to st marten and it was amazing. French speaking island with beautiful beaches. I also love Mexico. Give me a beach and I'm a happy girl! I really want to visit Tahiti and Thailand.

[athn64]

For DH and I, it was probably our honeymoon to Mackinac Island. And that's mostly because it is the ONLY trip we've really taken that 1. lasted longer than a day or 2. Didn't include other family.

For myself, I studied abroad in Italy for a term my junior year of college. It was a lot of fun, and we had time off frequently enough that I got to travel and see Rome, Venice, Capri, and a couple other places. I also got to go to Eurochocolate my last few days over there. Would go again.

[mladerri]

athn64 what is eurochocolate?

[athn64]

Mar 2, 2016 23:14:47 GMT -5 mladerri said:

athn64 what is eurochocolate?

It's an international chocolate festival. One of the biggest, if not the biggest, in Europe. Chocolate for miles. Yum.

www.eurochocolate.com/perugia2015/eng

[sandandsea]

We go on a trip every year in lieu of anniversary gifts so we've had some great trips.

Top was Bora Bora for our honeymoon. This was back in 2003, so I've heard it's been built up a lot since then, but it was so peaceful and relaxing and a great, quiet, trip. We spent our days on the beach and catamarans at our resort and the water was so clear and clean!

Second was probably Australia. We spent time in Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef/Cairns. It was amazing, the scuba/snorkeling was the best we've seen, and swimming causally with reef sharks was definitely a memory!

Third and best repeat trip was Hawaii. Hawaii is our jam - tropical, relaxing, lots of things to do, water activities, etc. We've done the cruise to all of the islands and have been back to Maui with DS. It was a great trip with a 1.5 year old and we plan on going with the 2 kiddos probably next year when DS 2 is about 1.

We've also done a few cruises with the top being the southern Caribbean out of Puerto Rico. The food in PR was amazing and we loved visiting the southern islands.

The easiest and most affordable is always a week in Mexico at an AI resort. It's easy and last summer we went with my family (parents, sibs, nephews) and it was fun for everyone. We always do a day long sailing trip with snorkeling too and find that the service in Mexico is top notch.

Most wanted place to go - Europe. I really want to go to Italy and Spain and do a Med. cruise. It's just such a long trip from the west coast that we haven't done it yet. And we're obviously tropical beach vacation types so I haven't felt like forgoing that yet.

[frecklesnbrains]

This thread is giving me an itch.

Have any of you discussed plans for trips you will take as a family when this little one arrives?

My family has rented a beach house in Delaware in August, so if everything is going okay then that will probably be our first real trip (requiring a flight, more than likely). After that DH and I are discussing taking baby to Yellowstone next summer. There are loads of short hikes and even backpacks that we could do. I'm really hoping baby has the temperament to like being carried for hours. We'll see...

[nitecheese]

Mar 3, 2016 7:26:48 GMT -5 frecklesnbrains said:

My family has rented a beach house in Delaware in August, so if everything is going okay then that will probably be our first real trip (requiring a flight, more than likely). 

I grew up in Delaware and my dad and step-mom live in Lewes. I've spent every summer on the DE coast. LMK if you want any recs for places to eat, etc.

And now I'm homesick.

As for vacations, DH and I had a freaking FABULOUS time in Ashville, NC a few springs ago. We loved everything about it. If teachers' salaries weren't among the lowest in the nation, we'd move there in a heartbeat. 

I loved Megeve in the French Alps. It is a beautiful resort town with lots of lovely little bakeries, picnic spots and hiking trails. 

I also am a sucker for Toronto. I have never had a bad experience there. 

[Kevinmac]

Oh my gosh, it's difficult to pick one. I can't!

We fell in love with Kauai. We did an airplane tour, went snorkeling and went on tubes through the old irrigation ditches of the sugar plantations. We also took my BIL so ILs could go on a trip alone. We originally did it to help them, but then when BIL died we realized how lucky we were to have gone on a trip with just him.

We loved Costa Rica as well. We stayed at a great resort. We loved zip lining through the rainforest and this water slide built into the side of a volcano.

I also studied abroad in London and was able to see so much of Europe. My friends and I went away almost every weekend. It was easily the most carefree six months of my life.

[littleducky]

The summer we got married, DH and I spent 7 weeks in Europe. He had a family reunion in Switzerland in August so it was part fancy honeymoon stuff, part traveling with his various family members, and part the two of us traveling around in hostels. I was a teacher and he was in grad school at the time, so we had the flexibility to be gone for a long time. Here's where we went (and our order of places didn't make the most obvious sense at times - we were trying to travel on overnight trains to save $$ on hotels), but I don't remember how long we spent in each place:

Fancy honeymoon part in Greece - a few nights in Santorini, followed by a week on a sailboat in the Dodecanese Islands in Greece, two nights in Athens
Paris
Munich
Venice
Berlin
Luzern
Cinque Terra
Florence
Rome

[bighair12]

I went to Thailand for a month with my friend in my mid-20's. It was amazing. We traveled the whole country by bus starting in the north. It was amazing to see the country.

MH and I went to Oahu on the North Shore when DD was a year. It was our best vacation together. We have bad luck when we travel together. Our honeymoon to Cancun was terrible due to tsunami warnings. Then we went to Fiji for our baby moon with DD and we were there for 10 days. There was a typhoon for most of the stay. And traveling back from that country was a nightmare.

[frecklesnbrains]

nitecheese, we'll be at Bethany Beach. I'd love some recommendations! I went there once before, eons ago, with college friends when I lived in Philadelphia. My family chose it this year because my sister just moved to Wilmington, and my brother is in Baltimore. Previous years we have gone to the beach in North Carolina (my mother is there and my sister was until her recent move).

bighair12, H and I were just fantasizing about a trip to Thailand over dinner last night. Amazing beaches AND hiking - sign me up!!!

[athn64]

To answer about trips with the new LO. DH has to take all his vacation time for paternity leave (we'd rather he not have to take unpaid leave) so there will be no big trips with the kids this summer

[sandandsea]

We are planning a week away in early August with both boys. I think we will do Santa Barbara with bike rides, beach, and zoo since its drive able for us. We went with DS at 6 months and it was great. Next year we are thinking Hawaii when LO #2 is almost 1.

[babyzebra]

We're planning on going on a Disney cruise as a family some time after LO is 6 months and DS will be around 3. It will be either really awesome or a complete disaster!

[sandandsea]

Mar 3, 2016 11:52:31 GMT -5 babyzebra said:

We're planning on going on a Disney cruise as a family some time after LO is 6 months and DS will be around 3. It will be either really awesome or a complete disaster!

This is on our list too, but we are going to wait until #2 is PT since cruises have weird pool rules for kids who aren't PT.  I want to do Aulani too, but probably after LO#2 is 4 or so and really appreciates Disney stuff.  We've taken DS to Disneyland the past 2 years and he's loved it so I think that will continue to be an annual tradition for us since its also driveable.

[sandandsea]

Mar 3, 2016 9:11:57 GMT -5 bighair12 said:

I went to Thailand for a month with my friend in my mid-20's. It was amazing. We traveled the whole country by bus starting in the north. It was amazing to see the country.

MH and I went to Oahu on the North Shore when DD was a year. It was our best vacation together. We have bad luck when we travel together. Our honeymoon to Cancun was terrible due to tsunami warnings. Then we went to Fiji for our baby moon with DD and we were there for 10 days. There was a typhoon for most of the stay. And traveling back from that country was a nightmare.

Thailand and Fiji are on my list too!  They look amazing!

[2dogs2kids]

I'd have to say Jamaica. We go 1-2 times a year. We stay at sandals or beaches AI resorts. We love the brand. Expensive but totally worth every penny. Plus we love the culture when you leave the resorts. I love that the flight is short and direct and we can fly JetBlue. I also love that their airport has VIP service that is pretty cheap and totally worth it. We are total Jamericans.

This year we hope to go to Turks and Caicos in October for DS second bday. We would stay at beaches resort but we may end up back in Jamaica because it is so much cheaper and I personally would rather go on 2 cheaper trips than 1 more expensive one.

[babyzebra]

Mar 3, 2016 12:14:37 GMT -5 sandandsea said:

Mar 3, 2016 11:52:31 GMT -5 babyzebra said:

We're planning on going on a Disney cruise as a family some time after LO is 6 months and DS will be around 3. It will be either really awesome or a complete disaster!

This is on our list too, but we are going to wait until #2 is PT since cruises have weird pool rules for kids who aren't PT.  I want to do Aulani too, but probably after LO#2 is 4 or so and really appreciates Disney stuff.  We've taken DS to Disneyland the past 2 years and he's loved it so I think that will continue to be an annual tradition for us since its also driveable.

See this is why I like you guys so much.... I didn't even think about that! I'm going to look into their pool rules so that we won't be majorly disappointed.

[Kevinmac]

We were just talking today about where to go in February. Originally it was going to be Disney, but today we tossed around a couple places in Mexico. I have no idea what traveling with a 7/8 month old will be like, but I like hearing that so many of you have done it and plan on it again.

[sandandsea]

Mar 3, 2016 12:59:04 GMT -5 babyzebra said:

Mar 3, 2016 12:14:37 GMT -5 sandandsea said:

This is on our list too, but we are going to wait until #2 is PT since cruises have weird pool rules for kids who aren't PT.  I want to do Aulani too, but probably after LO#2 is 4 or so and really appreciates Disney stuff.  We've taken DS to Disneyland the past 2 years and he's loved it so I think that will continue to be an annual tradition for us since its also driveable.

See this is why I like you guys so much.... I didn't even think about that! I'm going to look into their pool rules so that we won't be majorly disappointed.

 MIL is a cruise fanatic so they've been dying to cruise with us for years.  We did it once in college and we went to Argentina (FIL's home and family) with them for a couple of weeks and I need a break.  We have very different travel styles. I like to research and plan everything ahead of time so we get the most out of the trip, while they're more prone to sitting in the hotel room debating what to do.  I told DH I'd consider doing a cruise with them in the future (own cabins, meet for dinner, different excursions during the day, etc.), but it would have to be after LOs can use the pools.

[sandandsea]

Mar 3, 2016 12:59:04 GMT -5 babyzebra said:

Mar 3, 2016 12:14:37 GMT -5 sandandsea said:

This is on our list too, but we are going to wait until #2 is PT since cruises have weird pool rules for kids who aren't PT.  I want to do Aulani too, but probably after LO#2 is 4 or so and really appreciates Disney stuff.  We've taken DS to Disneyland the past 2 years and he's loved it so I think that will continue to be an annual tradition for us since its also driveable.

See this is why I like you guys so much.... I didn't even think about that! I'm going to look into their pool rules so that we won't be majorly disappointed.

disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/onboard-activities/pool-restrictions/