What Was Your best Vacation?

[martyb]

2 weeks vising a friend in Panama!

 

[Ally]

I envy all of you. We haven't really gone anywhere exotic. We hope to when we retire. I think my husband would agree with me that our two best trips were with our grandchildren. We love being with them and seeing them discover new things. So our best two trips with them (and our daughter) were to the Seattle down through the Oregon coast area and to Disneyland and Southern California.

 

[rescueme]

We hope to when we retire.

If it's a time constraint, then I understand. Otherwise, don't wait till retirement to travel, if that is truly your desire and on your "bucket list".

DW/I have traveled around the world for the last 15+ years, much of it before retirement (at least me - retired for four years; DW still employed).

Time is finite. If travel is your "dream", don't wait till you retire to do so.

Just my $.02...

 

[Sossy]

St. John in the Virgin Islands - specifically Maho Bay cabins. Also cherish the memories of a few camping trips to various parks. No phones, no crowds, no pollution. Peaceful & beautiful.

 

[Danmar]

OK we have heard about the disappointments. What about the best vacations ever? I think mine would be the one where we picked up a new car in Germany than drove it through Northern Italy. Stopped in Salzberg, Venice, Tuscany, Lake Como, and Porto Fino. Part of the fun was getting to know and drive a really neat car in really neat places.

Since OP I would have to change this to a great trip to Turkey last summer for my 60th birthday. Spent a week or so in Instanbul then a week on a crewed private boat(25metre wooden sailing boat called Gulet) cruising the islands of the Aegean sea. Had brother, daughter, and other friends with us. Had a great time. Expect will be able to improve on this over time as we have some great trips planned for this year.

 

[Zoocat]

Best trip ever, can't imagine topping it: two weeks on safari in Tanzania. Ngorogoro Crater. Camping in the Serengeti. Elephants, giraffe, zebras, lions, cheetah, wildebeast, hippos, etc etc. A nature lover's dream come true.

 

[travelover]

Best trip ever, can't imagine topping it: two weeks on safari in Tanzania. Ngorogoro Crater. Camping in the Serengeti. Elephants, giraffe, zebras, lions, cheetah, wildebeast, hippos, etc etc. A nature lover's dream come true.

East Africa was my favorite trip, too. Truly the kind of stuff I dreamed about seeing as a kid.

 

[Ally]

Rescue me, both my job and my husband's are the kind you can't take more than 5 days off, or you come back to all kinds of problems that make your vacation not all that enjoyable. Not to mention we both get calls during vacations to make decisions concerning major issues that have come up. I really couldn't enjoy a major trip as long as I am working.

 

[Gone4Good]

My best vacation so far was our rafting trip down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. The experience was beyond words. Interestingly, I've seen the entire 180 miles of the canyon from the river, but still haven't seen it from the rim. Something left to do.

My runner-up 'best vacation' is probably a trip to Morocco. Everything was so completely different there that it reminded me of the whole reason I travel.

Hawaii (honeymoon), and Paris (first international destination) deserve honorable mentions.

And although not technically a 'vacation' I'd trade all of the above for the last 347 days we spent touring the US in an RV.

 

[Gone4Good]

Rescue me, both my job and my husband's are the kind you can't take more than 5 days off, or you come back to all kinds of problems that make your vacation not all that enjoyable. Not to mention we both get calls during vacations to make decisions concerning major issues that have come up. I really couldn't enjoy a major trip as long as I am working.

Although a challenge, that work schedule isn't insurmountable. If you plan around holiday weekends, 5 business days out of the office becomes a 9 or 10 day trip. That's not enough, in my opinion, to get to Asia or southern Africa, but it is more than enough time to spend in Europe, Central and South America, and even Northern Africa.

I recall finagling a half a dozen trips a year, both foreign and domestic, with no more than 5 days out of the office at any one time. And yes, I also recall participating in a conferences calls while on vacation, like outside of Saint Bavokerk Cathedral in the Netherlands, which was pretty annoying. But I'd still rather have had that call there, than in the office.

Oh, and another bonus of that Grand Canyon rafting trip . . . absolutely no cell phone or blackberry service. "Sorry folks, I'm going to one of the few places on earth where I'll be absolutely unreachable. Once I disembark the only way for me to get out is by rescue helicopter. I guess you'll just have to live without me for a week like big boys and girls. Too-da-loo."

 

[ATC Guy]

DW and my honeymoon to Maui. Kanapaali Beach. Best time of my life, most relaxed I've ever been.

 

[W2R]

None of my best vacations have involved traveling.

 

[kcowan]

Has anyone been to MostTraveledPeople.com? It helps you realize how tough it is to choose.

 

[braumeister]

My best vacation so far was our rafting trip down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. The experience was beyond words.

For a pure vacation, I would agree. We had such a wonderful time doing this in 2002 that we did it again in 2009. The first time we didn't know anyone else in the group, but the second time we went with some friends and that made it just that much greater. Absolutely the most relaxing, refreshing week ever.

When you're down in the Canyon, there are no cell phone signals, no internet, no distractions at all. We might even do it again one of these years.

 

[brett]

Italy or Greece

 

[unclemick]

The ER part 1993-2005 where I opened the back door and went out on the back deck/run over Lake Ponchartrain - year round.

heh heh heh - post Katrina bought a house on a hill above the wide Missouri - way above. . Vacations when I worked always seemed too short.

 

[LightningDawg]

Rome, Italy with my two college age daughters.
Beautiful country. Fantastic trip. Great father-daughter memories.

 

[chrisaukcam]

Re Best Vacation

When I was released by my former employer I put back part of the severance package for a family vacation. My youngest son graduated last year and so to celebrate raising 4 kids and our empty nest we rented a house in South Carolina by the beach. So we set up a family vacation for the crew, their spouses, and kids. Had a good time with everyone. I think it is something we all will remember.

 

[LauAnn]

Wow, tough to decide. There have been so many great ones -- Rafting through the Grand Canyon; canoeing in Canyonlands; hiking in Switzerland; travelling by mule to the 5 High Sierra camps in Yosemite; cross country skiing in Yellowstone, storm chasing in Tornado Alley. They all rank amongst my best.

 

[LauAnn]

If it's a time constraint, then I understand. Otherwise, don't wait till retirement to travel, if that is truly your desire and on your "bucket list".

DW/I have traveled around the world for the last 15+ years, much of it before retirement (at least me - retired for four years; DW still employed).

Time is finite. If travel is your "dream", don't wait till you retire to do so.

Just my $.02...

Totally agree!

 

[Gumby]

Hard to say; we have had many memorable vacations. If I had to pick one, I would have to say our trip to Peru in 2003. We set up a private trip, through R. Crusoe & Son, that was truly fantastic. They took care of us from the moment we landed until the moment we left. We had a private van for the young wife and me, with a guide/interpreter and a driver just for the two of us. We went to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu, staying in the best hotels and seeing all there was to see along the way.

I would rate our 2007 trip to Italy as number 2. We spent two days in Milan and then joined a hiking trip put on by Country Walkers around the lakes on the border of Switzerland. It was a group of 9 Americans and 2 Italian guides, We hiked several miles every day, while our bags were transferred from inn to inn along the way We stayed in Orta San Giulio, the Isole Borromei and Bellagio. It was truly a special trip.

Luxury travel, unusual journeys | R. Crusoe & Son

Country Walkers | Walking and Hiking Tours and Vacations, Adventure Travel

 

[Dances With Fire]

Maui= 2 weeks in Paradise. Whale watching, (first time to ever see one) snorkeling, and the road to Hana...Priceless.

Glacier N. Park= Hiking the back (Bear) country...Felt like I stepped back in time 100 years +.

Acadia N. Park= Kayaking the coast and eating lobster. Great Adventure.

Just to name a few and yes, we feel very blessed....(Ditto on don't wait until you retire.)

 

[robbridg]

It would be hard to pick just one. Climbing Mt. Rainer was a life revealing trip. 2+ weeks in Alaska kayaking, backpacking, sightseeing was an amazing trip. 3 weeks in Tanzania and Kenya on my own was an incredible adventure. Safari and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro are 2 experiences I'll never forget. Trips to Tailand, Tahiti, cruise through the lower Caribbean were also fantastic. A week long canoe trip in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota can't be beat. Nor can a week plus in Isle Royale National park. Been there 4 times.

SanFrancisco / Yosemite are on tap for this year.

 

[FinanceDude]

Are we talking scenery or fun? Cuz I got stories if we define "best" as "fun".........

 

[Gone4Good]

Just got back (yesterday) from a caving tour in Mammoth Cave National Park where we donned miner's helmets and coveralls and crawled around off the main trails; through 'keyholes' barely the size of my chest, 'canyon walking' over precipices, shimmying under giant rock formations, and scrambling over boulder strewn inclines. Pretty neat.