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Post by Merge on Jul 21, 2017 12:13:58 GMT
Our family is doing a trip together instead of presents this year. Four people, including two teenage daughters. Anywhere in North or Central America or UK/Europe is on the table. We don't like to sit on the beach or ski. We do like cultural/historical sites, and don't mind cold weather, but aren't looking for arctic temps and heavy snow.
Where would you go?
ETA: Did NYC for Christmas a couple of years ago.
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Post by lesley on Jul 21, 2017 12:22:30 GMT
How long a trip are you planning? If you're also going to be away for New Year, I would suggest Edinburgh. The Hogmanay and New Year festivities are fabulous.
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Post by gar on Jul 21, 2017 12:25:38 GMT
Obviously the wonderful UK - too much cultures and history to begin to list, stunning scenery and a warm welcome, not to mention all the traditional food we enjoy... but I have a feeling you've been to the UK before?
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Post by gar on Jul 21, 2017 12:26:04 GMT
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Post by Merge on Jul 21, 2017 12:35:41 GMT
Oooh, we have not yet been to the UK. Is the weather terrible that time of year? We're looking at being there over New Year's and we have Scottish heritage, so that would be of huge interest to us. I'm thinking we will be traveling 7-8 days, so we could probably do both Edinburgh and London during that time?
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Post by gar on Jul 21, 2017 12:41:41 GMT
The weather is as always unpredictable but most likely to.be damp and a bit grey. We rarely have snow.
I have to say New Year in Scotland would be great 🙂
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jul 21, 2017 12:42:44 GMT
Costa Rica was one of our time favorite family trips. There's tons to do - white water rafting, ziplining, hiking, horseback riding, mountain bike riding, etc.
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Post by shanniebananie on Jul 21, 2017 13:13:17 GMT
We took a Christmas Market tour through Austria, Germany and Switzerland one year in December. Absolutely magical!
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TankTop
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1,871
Posts: 4,876
Location: On the couch...
Jun 28, 2014 1:52:46 GMT
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Post by TankTop on Jul 21, 2017 13:14:42 GMT
I would do a place that is typically too hot to enjoy. Maybe the Grand Canyon?
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Loydene
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,639 
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Post by Loydene on Jul 21, 2017 13:16:50 GMT
How about a Panama Canal cruise? Culture, history warmer weather ..... all rolled into one. And, while you can have family dining and fun, you don't have to be a herd of turtles all day every day!
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,140
Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on Jul 21, 2017 13:17:40 GMT
I'm going to be biased as well and suggest southern Germany. It can be cold here at Christmas, though we haven't had snow the past couple of years. The Christmas markets are gorgeous here in Munich, but I also love those in Nuremberg and Salzburg, which are only an hour or two away - they do close on Christmas eve though, so you would need to come for the week leading up to Christmas, rather than Christmas til New Year.
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PaperAngel
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,843
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Jul 21, 2017 13:20:14 GMT
Our family, including a teen, also vacations during the holidays (& exchanges gifts either before or after the trip). We enjoy exploring cities, trying new restaurants, attending sporting events, etc. My favorite destination in the US is San Francisco & in Europe is Lisbon. Best wishes...
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ginacivey
Pearl Clutcher
refupea #2 in southeast missouri
Posts: 4,685
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Post by ginacivey on Jul 21, 2017 13:22:43 GMT
i'd go to garmisch- partenkirchen bavaria (Germany)
ski the zugspitze
ice skate at the garmisch olympia stadium
it's just 2 hours to salzberg or go southwest to switzerland
that's where i'd spend christmas
gina
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Jul 21, 2017 13:23:15 GMT
Oooh, we have not yet been to the UK. Is the weather terrible that time of year? We're looking at being there over New Year's and we have Scottish heritage, so that would be of huge interest to us. I'm thinking we will be traveling 7-8 days, so we could probably do both Edinburgh and London during that time? I visited both this summer for the first time. We spent less than 8 days between the two, and there was certainly tons we didn't do, but I got a great introduction to both. I could move to Edinburgh tomorrow; I loved every second of it. We took the sleeper train between London and Edinburgh, which was a lot of fun - we don't get to do things like that here! |
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Post by peano on Jul 21, 2017 13:26:21 GMT
Our family is doing a trip together instead of presents this year. Four people, including two teenage daughters. Anywhere in North or Central America or UK/Europe is on the table. We don't like to sit on the beach or ski. We do like cultural/historical sites, and don't mind cold weather, but aren't looking for arctic temps and heavy snow. Where would you go? ETA: Did NYC for Christmas a couple of years ago. We went to New Orleans on Christmas Day last year and stayed until New Year's Eve. We had a fantastic time. Weather was mild but not super hot and humid. Waited everywhere to get in (restaurants, Preservation Hall etc.) but DS was able to wander down the street to listen to impromptu music being played and since you are able to drink on the street, it made waiting less painful. We didn't do a ton of sightseeing but you could if you wanted to. My only disappointment was that Tulane was closed and we weren't able to do a college tour. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 21, 2017 13:26:27 GMT
I'm going to be biased as well and suggest southern Germany. It can be cold here at Christmas, though we haven't had snow the past couple of years. The Christmas markets are gorgeous here in Munich, but I also love those in Nuremberg and Salzburg, which are only an hour or two away - they do close on Christmas eve though, so you would need to come for the week leading up to Christmas, rather than Christmas til New Year. Yeah, unfortunately, we're in school through the 22nd, so actual Christmas-related stuff will be hard. |
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Dalai Mama
Drama Llama
La Pea Boheme
Posts: 6,985
Jun 26, 2014 0:31:31 GMT
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Post by Dalai Mama on Jul 21, 2017 14:08:45 GMT
My family (DH, me, two teen boys, Mom, Dad, DB & DBIL) are heading to Panama for Christmas. Want to join us? 😉
DH, the boys and I went to Costa Rica earlier this month and did a side trip to Granada, Nicaragua. I highly recommend both and my parents say Granada was gorgeous around Christmas.
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Post by emelle64 on Jul 21, 2017 14:20:29 GMT
Last Christmas my daughter had significantly longer holiday break than my son so she and I went to Costa Rica for a week with some friends and then we travelled by bus and met my husband and son in Nicaragua on Dec 22. In total my daughter and I were away three weeks but we had two weeks in Nicaragua altogether. We had spent Christmas previously in Costa Rica with the kids. My husband I had been to Nicaragua but not in a long time. We had an absolutely lovely holiday. Nicaragua is very different than Costa Rica and far less tourists visit there. But it was amazing and we did all kinds of cool things. My kids were 21 and 17 at the time.
Emelle
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valincal
Drama Llama
Southern Alberta
Posts: 6,225
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Post by valincal on Jul 21, 2017 14:25:52 GMT
We took a Christmas Market tour through Austria, Germany and Switzerland one year in December. Absolutely magical! I'd love to do that one day! |
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GiantsFan
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,704
Site Supporter
Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
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Post by GiantsFan on Jul 21, 2017 14:28:26 GMT
Just marking my spot. Thanks for asking the question Merge. I don't know if I can get away during Christmas but before or after would be OK.
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Post by Merge on Jul 21, 2017 14:29:22 GMT
My family (DH, me, two teen boys, Mom, Dad, DB & DBIL) are heading to Panama for Christmas. Want to join us? 😉 DH, the boys and I went to Costa Rica earlier this month and did a side trip to Granada, Nicaragua. I highly recommend both and my parents say Granada was gorgeous around Christmas. Oooh, Panama sounds like fun. As an aside, I'm hoping to get up close to your way next summer. Now that we have the place in Maine as a launching pad, I want to drive from there up to NB and visit PEI. But I think you're in Newfoundland? Longer trip. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 21, 2017 14:30:39 GMT
Just marking my spot. Thanks for asking the question Merge. I don't know if I can get away during Christmas but before or after would be OK. Yeah, I should have clarified - we're traveling during Christmas break from school, but we're in school through the 22nd so it will really be on/after Christmas and/or around New Year's. The Christmas markets in Germany and Austria are on my bucket list, but it's not going to happen for this trip. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 21, 2017 14:31:39 GMT
Last Christmas my daughter had significantly longer holiday break than my son so she and I went to Costa Rica for a week with some friends and then we travelled by bus and met my husband and son in Nicaragua on Dec 22. In total my daughter and I were away three weeks but we had two weeks in Nicaragua altogether. We had spent Christmas previously in Costa Rica with the kids. My husband I had been to Nicaragua but not in a long time. We had an absolutely lovely holiday. Nicaragua is very different than Costa Rica and far less tourists visit there. But it was amazing and we did all kinds of cool things. My kids were 21 and 17 at the time. Emelle Nicaragua has never occurred to me as a travel destination. What was your favorite part of the trip? |
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Post by Merge on Jul 21, 2017 14:32:23 GMT
Our family is doing a trip together instead of presents this year. Four people, including two teenage daughters. Anywhere in North or Central America or UK/Europe is on the table. We don't like to sit on the beach or ski. We do like cultural/historical sites, and don't mind cold weather, but aren't looking for arctic temps and heavy snow. Where would you go? ETA: Did NYC for Christmas a couple of years ago. We went to New Orleans on Christmas Day last year and stayed until New Year's Eve. We had a fantastic time. Weather was mild but not super hot and humid. Waited everywhere to get in (restaurants, Preservation Hall etc.) but DS was able to wander down the street to listen to impromptu music being played and since you are able to drink on the street, it made waiting less painful. We didn't do a ton of sightseeing but you could if you wanted to. My only disappointment was that Tulane was closed and we weren't able to do a college tour. We live in Houston, so we've been to New Orleans several times. It's a great city! |
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Post by Merge on Jul 21, 2017 14:33:19 GMT
Our family, including a teen, also vacations during the holidays (& exchanges gifts either before or after the trip). We enjoy exploring cities, trying new restaurants, attending sporting events, etc. My favorite destination in the US is San Francisco & in Europe is Lisbon. Best wishes... Lisbon! That's never occurred to me, either. What did you like best? |
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,992
Location: Houston, TX
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Post by smartypants71 on Jul 21, 2017 14:35:35 GMT
We always spend the week between Christmas and New Years in Santa Fe. It's so pretty that time of year and the highlight of the trip is NYE dinner at Geronimo.
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Post by ~summer~ on Jul 21, 2017 14:42:35 GMT
Paris
Barcelona
San Francisco
Costa Rica
NYC
I've also been wanting to go to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico
Also one of my favorite trips was to the small beautiful walled city of Siena Italy
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Post by ntsf on Jul 21, 2017 14:48:41 GMT
san francisco has many great museums and sites to see. mild, maybe raining. redwoods, alcatraz.. and fewer tourists.
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Post by Merge on Jul 21, 2017 14:55:22 GMT
We always spend the week between Christmas and New Years in Santa Fe. It's so pretty that time of year and the highlight of the trip is NYE dinner at Geronimo. That's been in the back of my mind. What do you find to do there? We're not skiers. |
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Post by auntkelly on Jul 21, 2017 15:10:27 GMT
Our family travelled to Spain a few years' ago over Christmas vacation. The weather was fabulous-very similar to Houston in December.
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