Best vacation or trip you've taken

[Deleted]

When I was 17 I traveled around Europe by train with my BFF for 2.5 months.  It was a wonderful experience - my first independence, new cultures and foods, beautiful architecture, managing my own budget.

Even though it was great I think that every trip I've done with DS and DH since then have been the best - it's just nice for all of us to be together without being distracted by work or school or chores. In a few weeks we are going camping at the coast with my mom's group, hubbies and kids.  DS will have a blast and we'll enjoy it because he does.

So what's been your best trip?

[Deleted]

One week in Bora Bora. Far, and expensive, but worth it....

[Deleted]

I can't pick just one.  Sorry.  Top 3, in no particular order:

1.  Last year's cruise to Alaska.  We had beautiful weather, we learned so much, the dreadfully-expensive small ship style was exactly what we wanted, and there were extreme activities for me (snorkeling in 42-degree water, hikes that seemed to be straight uphill over logs and through brooks) and level hikes, kayaking and skiff excursions DH and I could both enjoy.  We returned relaxed and happy.  We're booked again for next year.

2.  Our honeymoon in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Miserable weather (October), amazing history, went to places we'd dreamed of visiting and thought we'd never see.

3.  Croatia.  Zagreb was interesting but Dubrovnik was heaven- that rare combination of natural beauty and fascinating history.  We kayaked around the city walls and had a room at the Hilton with a balcony overlooking the Adriatic.

[milee]

Guess I just like to travel because I'm hard pressed to pick one.  They're all good.  <img width="18" height="18" alt=" " src="http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png" text="">

[thyme4change]

We spent a week in Chicago, stayed downtown, with the kids when they were really young.  It was our first "grown up" vacation, and our kids crushed it.  They were awesome and we had so much fun.  I knew they were going to be great travelers and we were going to have many more awesome trips to come.  Since then we have gone to Denver, Utah, San Diego, Disneyland, Boston and Los Angeles, and we have big plans to come.  They are all great.  My husband is a great trip-planner, and we have the money and energy to do what we want.  I love vacations.


Another favorite vacation is when we took a boat down through the Grand Canyon.  We will do that one again the day my son turns the minimum age of 12.  

[swamp]

So many. 

In HS I wnet to France with the French Club. Paris, Monaco, Nice, northern Italy, Geneva. I would love to go without 30 of my closest friends. 

Skiing in Rossland BC. Then golfing a few summers later.  Landed in Calgary, rented a convertible, and drove through the Rockies all by myself.  

In college, a bunch od us road tripped on spring break to a friends house in Dallas. Real mexican food, spent time on her boat on lake texoma. 

Went to Boca raton FL in college for a swim team training trip. Got there a few days early and visited a friend. Got to go themOrange Bowl and the Christening of the yachts at the Miami Beach Yacht Club. 

Disney with the kids. 

Im surei can think of more. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

It would probably have to be the trip to Turkey that I took with TD several years ago.  Nearly 4 weeks roaming the country and we flew into Istanbul with a single reservation for a hotel.  Planned the rest of the trip on the fly, just wandering to whatever place seemed interesting.  We managed to hit the Silk Trail, see ruins, sun and boat on the Mediterranean, we took a hot air balloon ride at sunrise over Cappadocia and gawked at all the jewelry at the Grand Bazaar.  We watched them make Turkish carpets and got into a massive negotiation for them, and walked away with 3.

[Peace Of Mind]

My exDH and I went with friends to the Bahamas.  We flew there in a small plane and gambled, ate, drank and had a ball.

We (ex and I) also had access to the company plane and pilot when the company wasn't using it and flew to Amelia Island.  We got to ride horses on the beach which was always a dream of mine. 

Another time ex and I went to Longboat Key.  We rented a boat and the waters were just gorgeous!  We found a really nice restaurant that had the largest lobster I ever saw.  I polished that baby off all by myself and have loved lobster ever since.  As a kid you could get lobster like chicken for really cheap in the Philippine Islands but I didn't like it then.  Mom was so disappointed!  She told me that one day I'd realize how sad that was.  hahaha  She was right. 

As kids we were coming back from the Philippine Islands on one of the largest ships the military had and it was it's last voyage.  We were on that ship for 21 days and stopped at all the cool places like Hawaii.  They also had these program directors that were there just to entertain kids and they had everything you could want to do.  It was a floating kids paradise with the most amazing food ever.  We also got to sit at the Captain's table a couple of times.  We got hit by a Typhoon and all my brothers were barfing the entire time.  I was the only one who didn't barf.  Now I'd be the first one barfing.  That ship was rocking in those huge waves and now I get motion sickness really easy.  Getting old sucks!

My DH now isn't near as much fun as he was but I'm happier with him.  Weird. 

[zibazinski]

College summer trip to London, Paris, and Cairo.

[busymom]

Hawaii when I was in my late teens.   

[simser]

Argentina last year. 2 weeks by myself.

I'm pretty sure it's my favorite so far because its the only one I planned and got to go on without anyone else bitching in my ear... I'll let you know how my next solo trip works (hopefully to Australia in December 2014 but only if I can get off enough sequential weeks to make it worth it).

[toomuchreality]

Cancun 2005 with my BF for 2 weeks. The first week was on hotel row and was great.
The second week was at the Moon Palace and it was FABULOUS! I can't imagine anything better. It was so good that when it was time to pack and come home, all I could do was cry, so he ended up packing for me.

When I was a kid our family went to Yellowstone. Old Faithful really was faithful then and there were tons of bears! One almost got in our car because my sister didn't roll up her window, when my dad told us to. It was pretty exciting!

I've always loved going through the Redwoods in California, and the beach in Oregon too. Good ol camping was fun when I was little. Now I prefer a hotel.

Wonderful memories, for sure!

[toomuchreality]

Jun 5, 2013 19:43:41 GMT -5 simser said:

Argentina last year. 2 weeks by myself.

I'm pretty sure it's my favorite so far because its the only one I planned and got to go on without anyone else bitching in my ear... I'll let you know how my next solo trip works (hopefully to Australia in December 2014 but only if I can get off enough sequential weeks to make it worth it).

Just curious- How long would you go for?

[steph08]

Jun 5, 2013 19:45:28 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Cancun 2005 with my BF for 2 weeks. The first week was on hotel row and was great.
The second week was at the Moon Palace and it was FABULOUS! I can't imagine anything better. It was so good that when it was time to pack and come home, all I could do was cry, so he ended up packing for me.

I have looked at the Moon Palace resorts before, in case DH ever gets a passport and wants to go.  . So they are really as good as they look?

[HoneyBBQ]

Jun 5, 2013 18:55:51 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

I can't pick just one.  Sorry.  Top 3, in no particular order:

1.  Last year's cruise to Alaska.  We had beautiful weather, we learned so much, the dreadfully-expensive small ship style was exactly what we wanted, and there were extreme activities for me (snorkeling in 42-degree water, hikes that seemed to be straight uphill over logs and through brooks) and level hikes, kayaking and skiff excursions DH and I could both enjoy.  We returned relaxed and happy.  We're booked again for next year.

2.  Our honeymoon in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Miserable weather (October), amazing history, went to places we'd dreamed of visiting and thought we'd never see.

3.  Croatia.  Zagreb was interesting but Dubrovnik was heaven- that rare combination of natural beauty and fascinating history.  We kayaked around the city walls and had a room at the Hilton with a balcony overlooking the Adriatic.

Can you pm me the ship and cruise? I'm interested in that and we've been considering an Alaska cruise now that we are in Seattle.

[HoneyBBQ]

Probably when I spent 2 weeks backpacking and hiking in New Zealand. I freaking love that country.

We did one of the most famous one day treks (walks) in the world called the Tongariro Crossing:


And another fabulous backpacking trip called the Kepler great walk:


If anybody is a hiker/outdoor person and hasn't been to NZ I highly recommend it!

[simser]

Jun 5, 2013 19:46:46 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Jun 5, 2013 19:43:41 GMT -5 simser said:

Argentina last year. 2 weeks by myself.

I'm pretty sure it's my favorite so far because its the only one I planned and got to go on without anyone else bitching in my ear... I'll let you know how my next solo trip works (hopefully to Australia in December 2014 but only if I can get off enough sequential weeks to make it worth it).

Just curious- How long would you go for?

I get 3 weeks paid vacation in a year (use it or lose it). I'd like to do all 3 together- minimum. Possibly taking a week or two without pay or as comp time. I have a weird work thing where it'll be a busy year and then level off around October so it would be the year to try it (which also may be why I would have some comp time). However, when I took my 2 weeks for Argentina it was by manager approval only to take over a week.

[Sharon]

DD and I went to Fairbanks Alaska on a college visitation.  While we were there we took a tour up the Dalton highway, which follows the Alaska pipeline, up to the point of the Arctic Circle.  We went at the end of March so there was daylight but it was still cold.  We walked on the frozen Yukon River, saw people using sled dogs as a mode of transportation.

We spent one evening at the international ice carving show.  Those sculptures were absolutely amazing.  I have never seen anything like it.

The college was great.  If DD hadn't changed her major that is where she would have gone to school.  The college also had a wonderful arctic museum.  We spent several hours there.

[Blonde Granny]

We were full-time RV owners.  We traveled for 2 years around this beautiful country.  On a dreary rainy or cold day, to be able to pull out our travel books loaded with pictures brings back wonderful memories.

[Deleted]

Jun 5, 2013 19:19:26 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

It would probably have to be the trip to Turkey that I took with TD several years ago.  Nearly 4 weeks roaming the country and we flew into Istanbul with a single reservation for a hotel.  Planned the rest of the trip on the fly, just wandering to whatever place seemed interesting.  We managed to hit the Silk Trail, see ruins, sun and boat on the Mediterranean, we took a hot air balloon ride at sunrise over Cappadocia and gawked at all the jewelry at the Grand Bazaar.  We watched them make Turkish carpets and got into a massive negotiation for them, and walked away with 3.

Turkey was one of my favorites too, thanks to you! [img]http://images.proboards.com/new/grin.png[/img]

Only 3 rugs? We bought 4 and we were only there for 2 weeks! [img]http://images.proboards.com/new/wink.png[/img]

[Deleted]

There have been several and I've enjoyed them not only for the scenery or cultural experience but also because of who I was with.

We celebrated DH's 50th in Egypt and I'm glad we went when we did! The Egyptian museum was plundered a year later; a casualty of the Arab Spring. It was certainly seething when we were there but I didn't think we would see a revolution until Mubarak either died or attempted to hand off the presidency to his son. Today I would still go to Alexandria or the Sinai but not Cairo other than the airport.

The trips I went with my mom. Sea Kayaking in Alaska, Cycling in Western Ireland and Goat Packing in the Wind River in WY. I'm so grateful that I had that time with my mother before she passed away so suddenly.

Backpacking in AZ with my friend in the Catalina Mountains and Havasupai. The world is a different place when you're carrying your own gear.

My solo Cheater's Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon. Hiking the Canyon is always an interesting experience but doing it alone and at your own pace adds a different dimension.

I've been very, very fortunate and have had so many wonderful experiences, I could write a short book!

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Turkey was one of my favorites too, thanks to you! 

You were the one I messaged my tour guide, right?  I blanked on that for a minute.  The 3-4 days we used him, he had us going ALL the time.  This guide also took us to a restaurant where I had the best lamb shanks....ever.  I've been trying to recreate that recipe since then!

Only 3 rugs? We bought 4 and we were only there for 2 weeks! 

One of the rugs was a wool Hereke, apparently they are no longer being made.  The third 'rug' is a silk rug that I hang on the wall.   It could fit in a small hallway, but there is no way I want anyone to walk on that.

We went in for one rug, came out with 3.......nearly $6000 later.  But all of them are beautiful, hand knotted works of art.

 

[Regis]

Myrtle Beach.  Not because it was the most exotic place I've ever been but it's the only vacation we've taken as a family where we scheduled absolutely nothing prior to leaving other than the condo we were staying in.  Being able to do what we wanted when we wanted was great!

[Deleted]

Jun 6, 2013 10:56:54 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Turkey was one of my favorites too, thanks to you! 

You were the one I messaged my tour guide, right?  I blanked on that for a minute.  The 3-4 days we used him, he had us going ALL the time.  This guide also took us to a restaurant where I had the best lamb shanks....ever.  I've been trying to recreate that recipe since then!

Only 3 rugs? We bought 4 and we were only there for 2 weeks! 

One of the rugs was a wool Hereke, apparently they are no longer being made.  The third 'rug' is a silk rug that I hang on the wall.   It could fit in a small hallway, but there is no way I want anyone to walk on that.

We went in for one rug, came out with 3.......nearly $6000 later.  But all of them are beautiful, hand knotted works of art.

 

Yep, that was me. I don't think we had the same guide but we used the same tour group. I think our guide's name was Ancil...something like that. I've got his card at home.

With respect to the rugs, we had already bought $2k of rugs in Egypt and spent EU 600 on two used Persian rugs after setting up home in Bonn. We SWORE we weren't going to buy any...and then wound up with 4 .
Our coolest rug is made from four different colors of wool, no dyes at all. It's never supposed to fade. Nice neutral colors that go with anything.

Second coolest is a rough little kilim that I bought for $50 from a Kurdish weaver in Izmir. The town has let the refugees set up in a park and sell their wares. The look of delight when I gave her the money was priceless.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

The Hereke rug is used in the living room, as it's dark.  For some reason, it's the dog's favorite place to eat his dog biscuits.  The lighter rug is in our bedroom, as the background is cream.

My silk rug is the most unique IMO.  If you mount it one way, it is one color.  But if you flip it over, the color changes.  I had a hard time figuring out how to mount that on the wall because I did not want it modified in any way to destroy any integrity of the piece.  I finally found a quilt clamp to use, which while it's ok, it's not the best.

I think you had the same tour guide that we did, the name's familiar.  I'd have to check out his card and it's at home, with the rest of the souvenirs from that trip.  That man was not an inexpensive tour guide, but there is no way we could have seen what we saw and learned what we did in the amount of time we had in the area.  I think it was well worth the money.  I want to say that those 4 days cost us about $1000, but it included everything from the time he picked us up at the airport until he dropped us off.  The only thing that we didn't do, that I wanted was to stay in the cave hotel.  That would have added about 50% to the price and I didn't want it that bad.

[toomuchreality]

Jun 5, 2013 19:51:48 GMT -5 steph08 said:

Jun 5, 2013 19:45:28 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Cancun 2005 with my BF for 2 weeks. The first week was on hotel row and was great.
The second week was at the Moon Palace and it was FABULOUS! I can't imagine anything better. It was so good that when it was time to pack and come home, all I could do was cry, so he ended up packing for me.

I have looked at the Moon Palace resorts before, in case DH ever gets a passport and wants to go.  . So they are really as good as they look?

Ugh. I wrote a whole big reply, then lost it.

I seriously thought the Moon Palace was the absolute best place over-all that I have ever stayed.
It has two lobby's with buses that shuttle people between them. I can't remember how many swimming pools, restaurants and shops. Miniature golf as well as a deluxe full golf course. And cocktails/beverages everywhere. Oh, a spa and nightly entertainment. They also have their own water treatment plant, which was a big plus in my book. Super nice staff too. Private beach was well maintained. You can get a golf cart (and driver) to pick you up and drop you off, if you don't feel like walking. It was Heaven!

I've heard the other Palace hotels (Sun Palace etc.) are nice. But I've never been in them. They don't have all the amenities and privacy that the Moon Palace does. The Moon Palace ships food and stuff to the other hotels daily.

I loved it, and could go on forever. So PM me if there's something else you want to know.

I'll probably never get back there. But I sure would like to!

(I didn't get a passport. I took birth certificate etc instead. Didn't have any issues.)

[toomuchreality]

Jun 5, 2013 22:21:53 GMT -5 simser said:

Jun 5, 2013 19:46:46 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Just curious- How long would you go for?

I get 3 weeks paid vacation in a year (use it or lose it). I'd like to do all 3 together- minimum. Possibly taking a week or two without pay or as comp time. I have a weird work thing where it'll be a busy year and then level off around October so it would be the year to try it (which also may be why I would have some comp time). However, when I took my 2 weeks for Argentina it was by manager approval only to take over a week.

Holy Moly! That would be some vacation!

I hope you are able to take it!  

(No one bitching in your ear makes a huge difference! Doesn't it?)





→ I'm having trouble posting today. I keep getting errors/possible forgery of something like that. Then I lose everything I wrote.    Is anyone else having issues?

[toomuchreality]

Jun 6, 2013 11:53:22 GMT -5 Regis said:

Myrtle Beach.  Not because it was the most exotic place I've ever been but it's the only vacation we've taken as a family where we scheduled absolutely nothing prior to leaving other than the condo we were staying in.  Being able to do what we wanted when we wanted was great!

I really enjoyed Myrtle beach.  We went there as a family, as well, several years in a row. And didn't plan ahead, except accommodations. It was great!
Like you said, not exotic, but still a good time.




I like this thread....

[Deleted]

I wanted was to stay in the cave hotel.

@the Walk of the Penguin Mich,

We stayed at a cave hotel (there are several) the price wasn't too bad. I thought the baloon ride was too expensive!  We had other friends who had gone to Turkey the year before and said it was o.k. Of course they rented a car and drove themselves so maybe the baloon ride wasn't exciting enough for these dare devils!

ETA:

My silk rug is the most unique IMO. If you mount it one way, it is one color. But if you flip it over, the color changes. I had a hard time figuring out how to mount that on the wall because I did not want it modified in any way to destroy any integrity of the piece. I finally found a quilt clamp to use, which while it's ok, it's not the best.

We bought a silk rug as well for the same reason as you.

I asked an Iranian rug salesman whom I really respected how best to display a silk prayer rug and he said he sews a leg from an old pair of jeans to the back of the rug.

I bought some duck canvas cloth and hand sewed it to the back and it works pretty well. The only thing I don't like is the fringe has to fall forward. And you need to rotate them to keep the color consistant e.g consistant fading.