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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 20, 2017 18:13:45 GMT
We have not gone on a "real" family vacation and I would like to start planning for/saving for one. I have no idea where to start! I didn't grow up going on vacations and DH and I have only gone on a trip once (on a cruise in 2001). I see a lot of pics from friends who go on vacation frequently and think it would be fun to go somewhere, but we have 6 people and a budget. Where are the best places to go with kids? How do you find the best deals? Are there times of year that are best? What else do I need to know? I would like somewhere with a nice beach and preferably other things to do as well. I didn't really like the cruise due to being seasick the whole time and I would also like to spend more time in the location that we go to, not just on the ship. Any suggestions?
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Post by jmad122 on Mar 20, 2017 18:18:39 GMT
It may depend on where you live. If you are within driving distance to the coast of Alabama, it may be an option. Good luck! It's fun to plan.  ETA: We will sometimes rent a house from VRBO near a beach. It's great for that many people. |
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Post by kristi on Mar 20, 2017 18:29:12 GMT
Our vacation planning starts with the school calendar & sports schedules. The time we can go then helps us pick a location (we prefer to travel to hot locations during the fall/spring.
We brainstorm areas of interest. Budget would be dependent on if we could drive or fly. I use Kayak & Expedia to get an idea of prices for airfare/hotels.
Pinterest & Trip Advisor are great places to research different areas & things to do.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 20, 2017 18:33:10 GMT
Spring break is probably the best time for us to go somewhere due to school and sports schedules.
The kids are currently almost 14, almost 12, 8 and 5.
We live in Minnesota.
I would love ideas for places in the US as well as places like Dominican Republic, Mexico, etc.
Trying to get an idea of how much we need to save for each option.
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Post by bc2ca on Mar 20, 2017 18:35:46 GMT
We have not gone on a "real" family vacation and I would like to start planning for/saving for one. I have no idea where to start! I didn't grow up going on vacations and DH and I have only gone on a trip once (on a cruise in 2001). I see a lot of pics from friends who go on vacation frequently and think it would be fun to go somewhere, but we have 6 people and a budget. Where are the best places to go with kids? How do you find the best deals? Are there times of year that are best? What else do I need to know? I would like somewhere with a nice beach and preferably other things to do as well. I didn't really like the cruise due to being seasick the whole time and I would also like to spend more time in the location that we go to, not just on the ship. Any suggestions? I have the BEST memories from our annual beach vacation when I was a kid. I was shocked to realize as an adult that our destination was only a 2 hour drive from home because I remember it as an all day trip to get there. By the time the car was packed and we were on the road, it was probably after 10 and we stopped half way at a park to run and play while mom & dad put out a picnic lunch. I now realize we couldn't check into our cabin until after 3, so we spent more time picnicing than actually on the road.  We were on a beach with a large tidal flat and spent all day making giant sand forts that we futilely tried to save from the incoming tide every night. If it was a daytime high tide, we build complex driftwood forts on the beach. We always took at least one day trip to explore parks within driving distance, but most of the vacation was spent playing & relaxing at the beach. I'd highly recommend Parksville, BC for a family vacation, but I'm sure you can find something closer to you. I guess what I'm saying is a vacation doesn't have to be an expensive destination, especially when your kids are young and you have to buy a lot of airfare. |
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,652 
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Mar 20, 2017 18:49:54 GMT
Practical matters: - are you flying or driving and how does that fit with your budget. If flying, airfare might help narrow down a location. If flying, need to factor in cost of large rental vehicle. If driving, need to factor in cost of gas and how much time is needed for driving (and potentially motels along the way). If driving, distance might help narrow down a location too. - if looking for airfare I like both Kayak and Google/flights. If you have flexibility for when you go - can look for best deals (maybe adding an extra day to vacation to fly on a less popular day). Google/flights is convenient to look at map if you have specific dates and want to look at cost to flying to multiple cities. If we know when and where we are going, I check flights every day typically. Prices fluctuate and sometimes can catch a good deal. - lodging - price out cost of rental (using sites like VRBO or AirBNB) versus hotel. Even if rental is more money, might make sense if you are able to keep more groceries on hand and cook some meals to save money. If looking at hotels, get one with fridge. - Time of year is likely dictated by your kids schedules, which is probably peak season. It's easier to find deals off peak, but that means you have to pull kids from school or you can't do normal beach activities if it's too cold. If you have a specific time of year you want to go, that might also help narrow down on location. Where to go? Depends on what you and your family want to do. If the beach, do you want a more natural, undeveloped beach or one with more tourist activities nearby? Solicit recommendations from friends who've been or start browsing TripAdvisor. Or pea opinions  Will probably be easier to start narrowing down once you have some of the basic questions answered like fly/drive or time. |
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anniebeth24
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,033
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Post by anniebeth24 on Mar 20, 2017 18:58:38 GMT
You may want to enlist the help of a travel agent. I don't normally use one, but when we were looking for an "all-inclusive type vacation somewhere in the Caribbean region" I just got absolutely overwhelmed by my internet searches. I felt like I had to know where I wanted to go and I had no idea.
The travel agent recommended a specific resort in Mexico that her own family had visited several times. Once I had that name, I was able to make comparisons against other areas and resorts based on amenities, prices, availability, etc. We ended up going to the place she recommended.
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ginacivey
Pearl Clutcher
refupea #2 in southeast missouri
Posts: 4,685
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Post by ginacivey on Mar 20, 2017 19:05:35 GMT
Beach? - gulf shores - destin
Mountains - Eastern Tennesse? not sure how that is after the wildfires or Colorado
Rivers? - Eagle River Wisconsin
Cheesy? Branson
City? Nashville
up for flying? an all inclusive in Mexico...many are family friendly
or the outer banks
gina
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Post by Darcy Collins on Mar 20, 2017 19:26:32 GMT
I'd stick to places you can drive to and rent a house/condo if you're budget conscious at all. 6 people is a ton in airfare. Even if you get a good deal, you're looking at $2,000 in airfare for domestic or Mexico - and it could easily be $3,000. And I agree with a previous poster, that if you fly, you're also going to be locked into an mini-van or large SUV rental which would run another $1,000 (assuming a week rental). Or you need to pick some place where you won't need to drive. That's just a big chunk of a budget, and could severely limit your housing, food and excursion options.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Mar 20, 2017 19:41:24 GMT
I'll also add, I think the absolute best time to travel with a family is end of May - if you're lucky enough to have an early school schedule and cooperating sports schedule. Our kids get out the week before Memorial Day - and that last week is limited in educational value - school party, class party, field day, graduation practice and ceremony (which I am fundamentally opposed for elementary school students). Some of our best priced vacations had us leaving the weekend before and skipping that week. You can get some great deals before the summer prices hit - but those days are over for us.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 20, 2017 19:47:44 GMT
I'll also add, I think the absolute best time to travel with a family is end of May - if you're lucky enough to have an early school schedule and cooperating sports schedule. Our kids get out the week before Memorial Day - and that last week is limited in educational value - school party, class party, field day, graduation practice and ceremony (which I am fundamentally opposed for elementary school students). Some of our best priced vacations had us leaving the weekend before and skipping that week. You can get some great deals before the summer prices hit - but those days are over for us. Unfortunately, we are limited in open time. School gets out the first week of June. Baseball starts in late April through July, then football starts. Then basketball. We just finished up basketball and have a few weeks before baseball tournament start, so realistically this would be the best time. I just remembered that we might be going to NYC in the fall for MIL'd retirement party. If we do that, we would probably have to put off another vacation until the next year but we will see. Either way, we need to start saving. |
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Post by annabella on Mar 20, 2017 19:48:29 GMT
I went to Cancun for 10 days Christmas 2015. air and hotel for 2 people was $1,716.37. I did not purchase the all inclusive package because I'm a vegetarian. There were restaurants along the strip with cheap $5 meals and a grocery store a couple blocks away. Excursions were extra and expensive, like $100 for day trips. I don't like going on vacations for short amount of time, I feel it needs to balance out the cost of airfare and I want to feel really relaxed there. Maybe you could leave your two youngest boys at home with family, and just take the oldest 2 since they will remember it better. My co-workers are all copying each other this year with vacations when one person tipped us all off to this great deal. See Norweigan airlines has large planes they don't use in the wintertime so they have cheap flights to Caribbean islands no one has ever heard of - from their website Martinique $59* One-Way from DC or Guadeloupe $59* One-Way. I made a mental note to do this next year. Or book a cabin by the lake, probably need to reserve it now for the summer: vacationidea.com/family/best-family-vacation-ideas-in-minnesota.html www.tripadvisor.com/HotelsList-Minnesota-Cheap-Resorts-zfp4063.html |
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Mar 20, 2017 20:09:24 GMT
Well I think Orlando is the most obvious choice for a family vacation. Everyone will enjoy and remember.
But its not cheap. Beach is another option especially if you haven't done that before.
I think National Parks would be fun with kids that age...
You could also do Washington DC, NYC, or Chicago. (the museums in Chicago are some of the best and most diverse, you will find something for everyone! )
I like road trips with a lot of stops. Last summer we hit Nashville,Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Springfield Mo, Current River in Mo. St. Louis and then Memphis. We had nature, culture, museums, friends, and a couple of colleges. We did that in about 10 days.
I grew up going to Colorado every summer. So I have fond memories of family vacations there. I also remember an epic road trip to DC from Kansas with 10 of us in the car. We also rented a winnebago and went to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico.
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,687
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Mar 20, 2017 20:25:22 GMT
A beach in the spring coming from MN, you're looking at flying or a loooooong drive so that right there might be your limiting factor. I know how sports/school schedules make it difficult. We've done Feb/early March (missing basketball tournament), spring break, and I'd love to do this Oct (ds doesn't play fall sports), not sure if we can pull it off. Usually we go in July as well. Some things we've done: Myrtle Beach, Spring Break, condo on the beach for 4, I want to say it was about $1000 for the week. Disney World, we only go every 4-6 years and we go big, I don't want to discuss what we paid for that  At least every other year we go to Gatlinburg TN (dh's family is there), that's pretty budget friendly, can usually get a pretty large cabin for $1000-1200/week Lake Michigan Beach (this is best in late summer), we have used hotel points but you can find condos on the beach or rental houses usually under $1500-2000/week You should also consider if this is a once in a lifetime, once in a decade, or once a year adventure. We prefer to take vacations once a year (some times more if we can use hotel points) so our vacations are less extravagant than some. |
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Post by 950nancy on Mar 20, 2017 21:32:24 GMT
We are heading to Punta Cana in June. We are taking 5 people (have to get tow rooms for that many people thought). The beach is one of my favorites and the people there are so very nice. We also love Jamaica and my all time favorite trip was Costa Rica. We rarely vacation inside the US unless it is a Disney or Vegas trip.
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Post by freecharlie on Mar 20, 2017 22:23:17 GMT
I'll also add, I think the absolute best time to travel with a family is end of May - if you're lucky enough to have an early school schedule and cooperating sports schedule. Our kids get out the week before Memorial Day - and that last week is limited in educational value - school party, class party, field day, graduation practice and ceremony (which I am fundamentally opposed for elementary school students). Some of our best priced vacations had us leaving the weekend before and skipping that week. You can get some great deals before the summer prices hit - but those days are over for us. Unfortunately, we are limited in open time. School gets out the first week of June. Baseball starts in late April through July, then football starts. Then basketball. We just finished up basketball and have a few weeks before baseball tournament start, so realistically this would be the best time. I just remembered that we might be going to NYC in the fall for MIL'd retirement party. If we do that, we would probably have to put off another vacation until the next year but we will see. Either way, we need to start saving. is your 14 year old going to be in high school next year? We are on spring break right now and my sophomore is up at practice with a game tomorrow. Sometimes you just have to look at game schedules and take a vacation. |
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Post by freecharlie on Mar 20, 2017 22:24:27 GMT
We are heading to Punta Cana in June. We are taking 5 people (have to get tow rooms for that many people thought). The beach is one of my favorites and the people there are so very nice. We also love Jamaica and my all time favorite trip was Costa Rica. We rarely vacation inside the US unless it is a Disney or Vegas trip. tell me a little about your punta Cana trip. Is it a good place for multi-generations? I assume you fly out of dia? |
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Post by cindyupnorth on Mar 20, 2017 22:25:18 GMT
Could you make the NCY trip a family vaca trip too??
There are lots of family vaca things to do around MN and WI. have you done the Dells? Stay at a resort in MN, Duluth, or even a long wkend in the cities and do a waterpark, science museum, MOA, etc, etc.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 21:50:02 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2017 22:30:00 GMT
We have 3 kids and we took them on a trip almost every year while they were growing up. Dh and I like national parks, state parks, hiking, nature and photography.
After all of the kids were nearly grown, we finally figured out our kids don't enjoy the same things we do. They were whiney, uncooperative and generally miserable. It was a total waste of time and money.
My advice to parents is take your kids on a short kid vacation. (Like 6 flags,water park, disney)
Then find a great babysitter and go where you want to.
You will have a great time and maybe even fall in love again.
We found a college student at church that our kids thought was totally cool ( and she had a cute brother )to babysit ....kids had the best time ever and were so happy they didn't have to spend days in the car and on the hiking trails.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 20, 2017 22:31:16 GMT
Could you make the NCY trip a family vaca trip too?? There are lots of family vaca things to do around MN and WI. have you done the Dells? Stay at a resort in MN, Duluth, or even a long wkend in the cities and do a waterpark, science museum, MOA, etc, etc. We've gone to a few of the water parks in Minnesota but nothing major. Went to Duluth last fall and are going next week for a few days, although I'm finding that most of the things we wanted to do last time but didn't have time, aren't open this time of year.  . The NYC trip would be a vacation although we would stay with the in-laws. I would prefer to drive so we have a vehicle when we get there, but not sure DH wants to do that. I would love to go to Mexico or somewhere in the Caribbean. But probably too $!$$ |
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garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,815
Location: So. Calif.
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Post by garcia5050 on Mar 20, 2017 22:35:13 GMT
We always book our family vacations last minute (some really good deals can be had that way). On our last vacation, we booked the SAME DAY. But I know not everyone would enjoy that (probably a huge majority). We found an all-inclusive deal at Dominican Republic resort. We had a great time, good excursions, all that. BUT, the beach was terrible. Mountains of smelly seaweed. One of our excursions was a dune buggy drive to another beach - and that beach was GORGEOUS. That's the problem with booking last minute. We didn't research too much, and just booked it - but this time, a nice beach would have really made the trip just a bit better.
So, if you are interested in the Dominican, make sure the beach at your hotel faces a certain direction.
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Post by freecharlie on Mar 20, 2017 22:35:51 GMT
Could you make the NCY trip a family vaca trip too?? There are lots of family vaca things to do around MN and WI. have you done the Dells? Stay at a resort in MN, Duluth, or even a long wkend in the cities and do a waterpark, science museum, MOA, etc, etc. We've gone to a few of the water parks in Minnesota but nothing major. Went to Duluth last fall and are going next week for a few days, although I'm finding that most of the things we wanted to do last time but didn't have time, aren't open this time of year. . The NYC trip would be a vacation although we would stay with the in-laws. I would prefer to drive so we have a vehicle when we get there, but not sure DH wants to do that. I would love to go to Mexico or somewhere in the Caribbean. But probably too $!$$ are there vacation packages going out of your local airport? Something like Apple vacations or something similiar |
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Post by Merge on Mar 20, 2017 22:40:34 GMT
Allow me to recommend the south Texas coast. Everything from Port Aransas south is lovely. Personally I would stick to the Corpus/Port Aransas/North Padre area. Plenty to do and not nearly as overrun for Spring Break as South Padre or the Florida coast. If you are driving, you could pass through San Antonio/Austin either on the way down or the way back, and spend a day or two there as well. If you fly, fly into San Antonio or Houston and spend a few days in one of those places, and then go south.
It's not tropical, but it's pretty budget-friendly, and Corpus has an aquarium, a battle ship to tour, and lots of great restaurants and shops, in addition to the beach (North Padre National Seashore is gorgeous). Port A is more artsy and has the galleries and such.
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Post by 950nancy on Mar 20, 2017 23:51:55 GMT
We are heading to Punta Cana in June. We are taking 5 people (have to get tow rooms for that many people thought). The beach is one of my favorites and the people there are so very nice. We also love Jamaica and my all time favorite trip was Costa Rica. We rarely vacation inside the US unless it is a Disney or Vegas trip. tell me a little about your punta Cana trip. Is it a good place for multi-generations? I assume you fly out of dia? We are staying at Secrets this time. It is all adult. We have stayed (twice) at the Iberostar Punta Cana and it was fabulous. There are four resorts (Iberostar) under the same company name and they vary in price. You have the pretty inexpensive one for families and it looks more like a hotel. Then there is one that is more expensive all the way up to really expensive and adults only. We stayed in the one that has rooms (8 in a building-Bavaro suites). It had an awesome pool, bar, and the food was pretty good too. The beach is amazing. Better than most other beaches we have stayed on. Shopping right on the beach and other hotels to the north. The beach is lined with the hotels, and you can go to the other hotels in the same chain (the cheaper ones) and eat at their restaurants (next door). Kids would love this place-lots to do and the resorts offer fun activities for young and old. We did fly out of DIA. They used to have a non-stop flight there, but that is no more. Several of my friends have gone and they loved it too. We did dune buggy rides, sailboat cruises, and lots of snorkeling. You can also take small non motorized boats out every day all included in the price. |
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Mar 21, 2017 0:00:05 GMT
If you aren't really in the habit of doing a family vacation, maybe you would prefer to start small before you embark on an international trip. (Reminder: for Mexico or the Caribbean, y'all are gonna need passports, so don't forget to plan for that several months ahead, along with the cost for them.)
Not sure where in MN you are, but maybe something like Mount Rushmore or Wisconsin Dells would be something to start with. Driveable, moderately priced especially if you travel off peak.
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ModChick
Drama Llama
True North Strong and Free
Posts: 5,234
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Post by ModChick on Mar 21, 2017 0:59:30 GMT
We have not gone on a "real" family vacation and I would like to start planning for/saving for one. I have no idea where to start! I didn't grow up going on vacations and DH and I have only gone on a trip once (on a cruise in 2001). I see a lot of pics from friends who go on vacation frequently and think it would be fun to go somewhere, but we have 6 people and a budget. Where are the best places to go with kids? How do you find the best deals? Are there times of year that are best? What else do I need to know? I would like somewhere with a nice beach and preferably other things to do as well. I didn't really like the cruise due to being seasick the whole time and I would also like to spend more time in the location that we go to, not just on the ship. Any suggestions? I have the BEST memories from our annual beach vacation when I was a kid. I was shocked to realize as an adult that our destination was only a 2 hour drive from home because I remember it as an all day trip to get there. By the time the car was packed and we were on the road, it was probably after 10 and we stopped half way at a park to run and play while mom & dad put out a picnic lunch. I now realize we couldn't check into our cabin until after 3, so we spent more time picnicing than actually on the road. We were on a beach with a large tidal flat and spent all day making giant sand forts that we futilely tried to save from the incoming tide every night. If it was a daytime high tide, we build complex driftwood forts on the beach. We always took at least one day trip to explore parks within driving distance, but most of the vacation was spent playing & relaxing at the beach. I'd highly recommend Parksville, BC for a family vacation, but I'm sure you can find something closer to you. I guess what I'm saying is a vacation doesn't have to be an expensive destination, especially when your kids are young and you have to buy a lot of airfare. Sounds like a beautiful memory. I love this. I love the idea of a "close" annual family trip like bc2ca remembers. We've done Maui twice and Mexico once for family trips and absolutely love Maui but isn't budget friendly for an annual trip. Boy the memories we've made though. Enjoy the planning! |
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Post by birukitty on Mar 21, 2017 1:06:14 GMT
My favorite spot of family beach vacations is St. John USVI. That stands for United States Virgin Island so you don't need passports. 3/4 of the island is National Park so it's not developed but protected and it is STUNNING! We've been twice as a family and stayed two weeks each time. We like to go the first two weeks in December because it's the last two weeks of low season and the weather is perfect. Anyway, there are tons of small beaches with white sand, turquoise blue water and the water is crystal clear. It's called the "Kauai of the Caribbean". It's a lush island, hilly and green. When we went we stayed at the wonderful Maho Bay Eco campgrounds, but sadly they lost their lease after 28 years and no longer exist. We went when DS was 8 and 13. He adored these vacations and didn't want to go home. I love this island so much I want to move there. Now of course there are plenty of airbnb's to choose from. You'll likely need to rent a jeep to get around but it's worth it. Airfare-luckily airfare is dirt cheap these days. I just bought a ticket flying from home (Maryland) to Poland and then from Amsterdam back to home two weeks later for $700.00! That's unheard of. I've flown plenty of times to Amsterdam and it's usually around $1,400.00. I have no idea what's going on these days but if you're thinking of a vacation that includes airfare now is the time to plan it and jump on it. I used cheapoair.com There is plenty to do on St. John. It is not the sleepy little island people used to call it. What I like-it's not full of shopping, bars, dancing, crowds, like St. Thomas. What it is-an ecological gem where you can take day trips anywhere-take a boat trip to the BVI's (British Virgin Islands)-for this you would need passports, or just a day sail for snorkeling and a picnic. But the best part is you can snorkel right off the many, many beaches that surround the island. Snorkeling is super easy. If your 5 year old can swim he/she can snorkel. What I did was get my son lessons at the indoor pool before we left for our trip so he could hit the beach running before we got there. It worked out perfectly. Check it out over on www.tripadvisor.com on the forum. The water is warm and so beautiful. It's also a safe island. You can leave your valuables (wallet, towel) and no one will take them while you are in the water. Not every island is like that in the Caribbean. You don't have to worry about being surrounded and hounded constantly to buy, buy, buy their wares like in Jamaica (I've been there and I hated that part). You can explore the entire island and be left in peace thanks to that. Whatever you decide I hope you have a great time and make lots of great memories. |
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Post by ahiller on Mar 21, 2017 1:31:49 GMT
If you are a member of Costco, you can get good deals through their travel site.
If you are flying, I would highly recommend getting some kind of rewards credit card and charging everything to it (and paying it off every month!) to build up enough points for some free flights. With 6 of you, that's a ton of money for airfare! We use the US Bank card and I think it is much better than using an airline credit card and redeeming through them. Or you could open a specific hotel credit card (Marriott, Hyatt, etc.) and save points to out towards rooms.
You can go to thepointsguy.com to see the benefits of a bunch of different cards.
For us, we've found that getting a condo and buying food/cooking majority of our meals is a big cost saver. We can usually handle the airfare/lodging costs but the food at a resort is SO expensive. If you want to go out of the country, I'd do either an all-inclusive or rent a condo.
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Post by ahiller on Mar 21, 2017 1:33:32 GMT
My favorite spot of family beach vacations is St. John USVI. That stands for United States Virgin Island so you don't need passports. 3/4 of the island is National Park so it's not developed but protected and it is STUNNING! We've been twice as a family and stayed two weeks each time. We like to go the first two weeks in December because it's the last two weeks of low season and the weather is perfect. Anyway, there are tons of small beaches with white sand, turquoise blue water and the water is crystal clear. It's called the "Kauai of the Caribbean". It's a lush island, hilly and green. When we went we stayed at the wonderful Maho Bay Eco campgrounds, but sadly they lost their lease after 28 years and no longer exist. We went when DS was 8 and 13. He adored these vacations and didn't want to go home. I love this island so much I want to move there. Now of course there are plenty of airbnb's to choose from. You'll likely need to rent a jeep to get around but it's worth it. Airfare-luckily airfare is dirt cheap these days. I just bought a ticket flying from home (Maryland) to Poland and then from Amsterdam back to home two weeks later for $700.00! That's unheard of. I've flown plenty of times to Amsterdam and it's usually around $1,400.00. I have no idea what's going on these days but if you're thinking of a vacation that includes airfare now is the time to plan it and jump on it. I used cheapoair.com There is plenty to do on St. John. It is not the sleepy little island people used to call it. What I like-it's not full of shopping, bars, dancing, crowds, like St. Thomas. What it is-an ecological gem where you can take day trips anywhere-take a boat trip to the BVI's (British Virgin Islands)-for this you would need passports, or just a day sail for snorkeling and a picnic. But the best part is you can snorkel right off the many, many beaches that surround the island. Snorkeling is super easy. If your 5 year old can swim he/she can snorkel. What I did was get my son lessons at the indoor pool before we left for our trip so he could hit the beach running before we got there. It worked out perfectly. Check it out over on www.tripadvisor.com on the forum. The water is warm and so beautiful. It's also a safe island. You can leave your valuables (wallet, towel) and no one will take them while you are in the water. Not every island is like that in the Caribbean. You don't have to worry about being surrounded and hounded constantly to buy, buy, buy their wares like in Jamaica (I've been there and I hated that part). You can explore the entire island and be left in peace thanks to that. Whatever you decide I hope you have a great time and make lots of great memories. Birukitty, we are heading to St. John/BVI for the very first time in a few months! We just booked it a few weeks ago. I'm really excited! |
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milocat
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,900
Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
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Post by milocat on Mar 21, 2017 1:48:27 GMT
I would love to go to Mexico or somewhere in the Caribbean. But probably too $!$$ All inclusive may not be as pricey as you think. By the time you figure in travel to and from, house/hotel rental, buy your own food and making it or eating out and entertainment at for another style vacation that can really add up. Plus if you're limited on time you are flying there not driving from your state to a beach state. And you if you are going in the winter/spring when it could be iffy weather for driving when you head out of your state that's no fun. All inclusive is one booking air and hotel, done, so easy! We've been to Puerto Vallarta the last 3 out of 4 of our winter vacations. Easier flight for us to go to the Pacific side. Booking the farthest out is the best for us. As it gets closer and things start to sell out prices just get higher. |
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Will probably be easier to start narrowing down once you have some of the basic questions answered like fly/drive or time.
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