Wow! Lots of great ideas! We (especially H) typically like to “active” trips. I think sitting on the beach would just about do him in. When we went to Maui we did a lot of active activities like snorkeling, kayaking, etc…
@stardustmom Florida keys sounds like a possibility since we’ve never been there. Costa Rica is also on my list but I’m not sure my D in Seattle would like such a long flight.
H and I are retired so our only time constraints would be how much time each D could take off work (I’m assuming a week).
I would love an Alaskan cruise or a trip to Belize. I’m thinking it’s going to be hard to find something everyone will be happy with.
Alaska cruise with time in Seattle area prior. Check out the city sites then boat it up to Victoria BC (there is a 2 hour fast ferry) for a few days. Then hop your cruise. Summer in the Pacific Northwest is glorious. Sunny and pleasant (does not rain between July and September). Victoria is a gorgeous city with a European tour.
DItto above- did the alaska cruise with family last year and loved it. ALso just did Tucson, Phoenix, Sedona Grand Canyon and loved that too. Did Aruba several years ago. That was reall fun for warm weather!
When we’ve planned family trips, we brainstorm a bunch of places that we’d all like to visit, then the 4 of us will list our top 5 choices independently, and then we look for overlap.
You mention Costa Rica. Do THAT. We like active trips too and CR was one of our best trips ever. Lots to do in nature. Boats with dolphins, zip lining, animals at the beach, yoga. I’d go back in a heartbeat.
We do something similar to @doschicos . The kids (22 and almost 27 now, and 28 yo SIL) choose 4 or 5 destinations and then H and I look into them and make the final decision.
Our favorite family trip was Thessaloniki and Prague a few years ago. The kids like beaches so we spent a day at the beach on the Aegean Sea. This year’s trip will be to Croatia with a day trip to Montenegro.
If you would like a warm destination in the US and you like the beach, I recommend the Outer Banks in NC. It’s strictly a beach destination (no cultural activities) but it’s fun.
Alaskan cruise was a definite favorite for our family.
New Orleans was very fun–we took a cooking class while there.
The Keys can be very hot during the summer.
Asheville NC is fun–rafting, hiking, Biltmore house and great food.
OP - you could brainstorm many places with your family, and choose a few favorites. Visit whatever is place #1 to you and H, and promise to get to the top choices of your Ds in the next few years. There are so many places that would be great to visit!
What I (and my d and our family) like about a family cruise is that there is so much to do on a ship and each can do their own thing, catch up as a group (or smaller group) for special time. We have done 2 multi-generation cruises. Our “always together” time is at the dinner table, in the main dining room. One of my favorite memories of our first multi-generation cruise was when I was doing my afternoon meditation walk, headphones on, when I saw my d (then 13, now nearly 30) sitting with her great grandmother, the two of them laughing like schoolgirls. When I stopped by to say hello, my grandma was helping d with her (mandatory) homework, and my grandmother had my d in stitches as she described homework from “the old days” - a very special bond between them emerged on that trip (they also roomed together).
Perhaps each family member could suggest a cruise destination they’d be interested in experiencing, and share a couple of highlights of the destination. After all have shared maybe one (or more) would stand out as the “that’s it!” -
While it’s true that an Alaskan cruise isn’t particularly a “warm” cruise, the ship we went on had a retractable roof, creating a solarium so the pools were usable. The visuals were out of this world. I would do one again in a heartbeat.
We had an amazing multigenerational family trip to Eaton’s Ranch in Wyoming for my parent’s 50th anniversary. We LOVED it. My kids still want to go back.
You mentioned an Alaskan cruise but also said you would prefer something warm. I know there are no guarantees on weather but when I did my Alaskan Cruise (early June) it was 74 degrees in Juneau, I rented bikes and was still hot riding around in just a T Shirt.
Once you share what’s important to your family, it will be easier to make suggestions. Remote destinations or access to nightlife… relaxing or exploring as much as you can, etc. What time of year do you want to go, how long and how soon? What do you like to do together?
Central/South America is very easy to get to and time zone changes are minimal. Most awe inspiring destination we’ve gone to is Machu Picchu in Peru. It’s breathtaking if you spend a night or two in the small town to avoid the crowds.
Costa Rica is an amazing nature destination. It’s not a sandy beach destination and avoid booking an all-inclusive or resort packages. We’ve not been to Belize but I think it has great mix of beaches and jungles!
Quebec City, Sedona or San Francisco & Monterrey would be great for a week.
We’re probably one of few that didn’t love the Alaskan cruise. It was nice and the naturalists did a great job of pointing out the wildlife. We had a tough time with motion sickness. The ports were so filled with cruise ships that unless you booked VERY expensive excursions, there wasn’t much to do. (We did a land trip to Alaska a couple of years prior that was phenomenal. Our highlight was a seaplane trip that flew us over glaciers, fishing for salmon and bear viewing. It was incredibly inexpensive compared to the cruise ship excursions.)
We did the Grand Circle this summer as Emptynesters. It’s beautiful but travel times are way too far to stay in one place. Google may say an hour but it easily takes twice that. Getting reservations close to these National Parks may be difficult to acquire for this summer.