<p>With other couples, we have found it best to do something together in the morning, break off into individuals, couples or girls/guys in the afternoon and then regroup for dinner. </p>
<p>There are some wonderful places to visit domestically that you could do well within your budget and have room for some really splurge meals and/or fancy B&Bs as well. </p>
<p>How about Portland, OR, with trips to the Willamette wine country, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, and a drive along one of the most spectacular coastal areas in the world? </p>
<p>Or spend a few days in Seattle and then ferry up to Victoria BC - two beautiful and charming cities with plenty to do in and around. </p>
<p>Another place I think should be on everyone’s Bucket List is Yellowstone National Park, and then take one of the most breathtaking drives imaginable over to Cody, WY and visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West which is affiliated with the Smithsonian and an absolute gem of a museum. </p>
<p>Depending on your tastes, preferences and time, you can add on to or combine any of these suggestions. Try using TripAdvisor for further ideas and suggestions - and have fun planning! </p>
<p>Miami…being in Ohio in the summer isn’t exactly a cakewalk. There are plenty of less hot and humid places on the planet.</p>
<p>To the OP…what about San Diego? It is a great city with plenty to do. Plus there are any number of day trips that can be taken from there. It is one of our favorite vacation spots.</p>
<p>@busdriver11 what’s a mileage run?</p>
<p>We’ve been to San Diego several times and loved it but i think we want something a bit more exotic. Those Rick Steven’s tours look interesting, busdriver! I was also wondering what Amsterdam would be like in the summer. Anybody been there?</p>
<p>Amsterdam is a great place to visit anytime except perhaps the dead of winter. Days are long and the city is very compact so easy to get around. It is crowded however. I can just picture the Van Gogh museum and how crowded it will be during the summer. You would need to reserve your entry time for Anne Frank House in advance for sure which is not the case other times of year. We found that Amsterdam has pricey hotels and some of the smallest rooms I’ve ever stayed in. It is easy to go day trips from Amsterdam to the Hague and other places. </p>
<p>I was thinking about this thread and so it is challenging to plan a vacation for a group as everyone might have different ideas about how to spend time, what is priority, some like to eat dinner early, some like to eat dinner later. Some like to go into a zillion shops and others not at all, some have specific sights they want to see whether historic, art related, religious related and so on. . One of the above posters had good suggestion about how to spend time so all six are not necessarily joined at the hip. </p>
<p>One of the reasons I suggested an Alaskan cruise is that a cruise offers a lot of options. You don’t have to spend time worrying about restaurant reservations and accommodating lots of different needs. There is entertainment for those who want to be entertained, casinos for those who want to gamble, spas for those who want those services, plenty of places for a snooze or to curl up with a good book. The Alaskan cruises offer spectacular scenery, and because of the destination there are presentations by naturalists, national park personnel and so on about glaciers and wildlife. We took northbound cruise from Vancouver but you can also cruise from Seattle and airfare is cheaper because in U.S. A day or two in either city in advance of cruise would be ideal. DH and I absolutely loved Vancouver. We had no time to add extra tour time in Alaska but would love to do again.</p>
<p>Another cruise destination would be Bermuda. I’ve not done that one but you can leave from NY not sure about Boston and then you can spend a day or two in NY as an extra. </p>
<p>“what’s a mileage run?”</p>
<p>@mom22039, that is generally when people book a flight with as many miles as possible, as cheaply as possible, to collect as many miles as they can for minimum cost. In our case, it’s more of a mileage qualifying run than a mileage run. Every year we frantically fly Delta as much as possible to get our elite status, because we fly all the time and I really, really like to be upgraded. I cannot put into words how much I loathe sitting in the back in a center seat for a very long flight. But I’m a cheapo and I’d never pay for first class myself. So on this trip we should get about 26K qualifying miles, which is a lot, plus the bonus of our company paying for the flight. I don’t like to pay for flights either, double cheapskate!</p>
<p>Wailea Maui, using VRBO million dollar condos. </p>
<p>I know I keep going on about the Rick Steves tours, EPTR, but they are so good. I always think of tours as being hordes of obnoxious people and bratty kids, all crammed into a tour bus with a frantic and incompetent tour operator. But these guys have it down to a fine art. Our main tour guide was an amazing historian who would regale us with history that was fascinating. I am not a museum person, really can’t stand them. I get bored and distracted…look over there, squirrel! But the local guides brought everything to life, I actually wanted to learn about art history and wine tasting, and so many things I never cared about. We were hanging on their every word. Our guide of the coliseum in Rome is on many of his TV specials, and she made everything so real for us, people were actually crying during her tour (myself included). If you think you might be interested, you might look at their reviews online and listen to other people on this forum.</p>
<p>One thing I love is their “No grumps” policy. You actually sign something that explains that things won’t always go as planned, situations can change, and they will make the best out of every situation…and you agree not to ruin everyone else’s time by whining and complaining about it, you just enjoy the adventure.</p>
<p>If you plan to cruise in the summer in the Atlantic…be mindful of the hurricane season. </p>
<p>To the OP…what about Maui?</p>
<p>I’m guessing Maui is expensive? One of the couples has been there but I will take a look at it. Thanks!</p>
<p>busdriver, I did most of that Basque country tour last year sans group, with my D, who was living close to the Pyrenees in France. In her town I rented a car, and drove the local area including up into the mountains. But we trained to St. Jean de Luz, a delightful little town for a few nights of walking the coast. The museum in Bayonne is very good. Went on to San Sebastian for 3 nights, which was gorgeous, and again great for walking. For a day trip we took a bus to Bilbao, and saw the Guggenheim. The building is great, the restaurant a delight, the art not so much, unless you’re a big fan of modern art. But interesting to see a Spanish city. Tapas eating, or Pixtos, as they are called in Basque was a hoot, and crazy fun. The contrast between France and Spain was fascinating. All Basque country. </p>
<p>Sorry, return to regular programming. One reason I said this, is that much can be done with a little obsessive research and an adventurous spirit. </p>
<p>I’m guessing Maui is expensive? One of the couples has been there but I will take a look at it. Thanks!</p>
<p>That sounds like so much fun, @great lakes mom! I would love to do that. I really hate doing research and planning for a trip, and I think the next major one I go on, I’m going to start a thread and have you experts tell me what is best!</p>
<p>EPTR - I love Amsterdam and I’ve been there twice in the hot summer months and both times I felt the smell was annoying. It had the same odor as Venice in the summer so I suppose it has something to do with the water in the canals. (It is almost like a sewer smell) Maybe earlier in the summer and with a nice breeze…</p>
<p>Yes, yes, yes to a few days in San Sebastian and Bilbao. Don’t forget about Quebec or Vancouver as potential vaca spots.</p>
<p>I think Rick Steves tours are about the only kind of tour I could tolerate. I highly respect his opinions and his research, his travel books are great. But, I think they expect everyone to be ‘hikers’ somewhat. Not sure a couch potato wants to go on a Rick Steves tour. You’re going to wear your shoes out on one of those tours. Plus, you are supposed to travel really really light, like backpack with wheels or something. I could be wrong.</p>
<p>Not quite that extreme, coralbrook. I didn’t see anyone with a backpack with wheels on the tour. We each took a 20-21 inch suitcase with wheels and a backpack or laptop case. Pretty much the same stuff I travel with if I’m going to be gone a day or two weeks, that can be carried onboard a larger aircraft. Most people had similar bags, some a bit larger. You need to bring bags that you can roll along a cobblestone street for a few blocks, or carry up a few flights of stairs. I don’t know why anyone would need more, it’s not like you’re bringing a suit or a ball gown with you. They stay at each hotel at least two nights, so you aren’t constantly moving.</p>
<p>As far as conditioning, most people on our tour were in their fifties or early sixties, in moderately decent shape. We had one obese lady, and a couple in their seventies, one who had balance problems and the other who had recent knee surgery. They all worked harder than the rest of us, but seemed to have plenty of fun, and they did keep up. The couple probably shouldn’t have come though, it was a little much. You should expect to walk a couple of miles most days, Europe has tons of steps, that’s for sure. The more athletic people supplemented the tour with fast walking days on the off days, and climbing up the Duomo, and things like that. Definitely not overly athletic people, but people who were willing to walk. I actually lost a few pounds, even though I ate way too much pizza and pasta and drank too much wine. There is A LOT of wine on the Rick Steves tours!</p>
<p>So if you’re an elderly lady with a walker who needs a porter to carry your massive bag with the ball gown in it, these trips are not for you. If you can get off your butt to see some of the most fascinating sights ever, and aren’t totally sedentary, this is a great trip.</p>
<p>thumper,
“Miami…being in Ohio in the summer isn’t exactly a cakewalk” - Why are you answering me, I do not have any questions. I never travel in Ohio for my summer vacation. Yes, summer is the cheapest season for the reason - it is the worst one to travel. Resorts are practically empty. We are talking about traveling, not staying in airconditioned office and home and go outside to swim laps in a very cold pool. OP will evaluate the heat indurance of the group and decide. Here we a sharing our experiences, I have no idea about ages and health conditions of the OP’s group. That is why I have mentioned that it was very hard for us to travel in a summer when we were in our mid. 40s. I would definitely advise against going to Bermuda in a summer, huge mistake. But maybe people like it very hot, sweaty, feeling melting…some do.</p>
<p>Bermuda is actually very nice in June. I have been several times. Once in March (weather was inconsistent and a bit cool), April (same as March), and in june when the weather was gorgeous.</p>
<p>If everyone is 55 or over you could look into Road Scholar tours. They have a huge variety, and they cater to different activity levels. <a href=“http://www.roadscholar.org/”>http://www.roadscholar.org/</a> We are off to a trip to Ireland and the UK Saturday (I did all of the planning) and already I’m thinking of another trip involving less travel and staying perhaps in a VRBO place on the West coast of Ireland or in Northern Scotland. </p>