Oldfort:
I’d never leave them behind since a lot of the fun is being there with them. I was actually planning to skip Paris on the last family trip over there but while driving through France my D wanted to go to the Louvre so I steered the car to Paris and we went to the Louvre (and some other places in Paris). Of course I adjust according to them but they’re not big on the shopping either although we probably spend a little more time eating when I’m with the family than when I’m by myself. I’ve had to slow down a few times for them which is okay with me but I do that anywhere because I’m a fast walker.</p>
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Thumper:
I’d do the same thing. Although I’ve been to London a bunch of times I haven’t been to Harrod’s since I always prioritize something else higher but because it’s so famous I’d like to stop in there sometime when I’m there again to see what it’s about. If I was in Africa I’d like to see their co-op and market but I haven’t been to Africa. When in Israel I enjoyed walking through the bazaar area and it was fun wandering some of the stores in Mexico but not really to buy something or really ‘shop’ - just to see something different than we have here.</p>
<p>When I said I don’t like shopping I mean the shopping often done in department or high end or tourist trap stores. For example - the stores one finds in Paris, London, or the other big cities. I see little difference between them and a store here.</p>
<p>I love to travel anywhere!
That said, my expectation of the bed is in direct correlation with the destination. Big Sur hotel with crappy beds no matter what the view-never going back.</p>
<p>I prefer to be adventurous and go off the beaten path if possible. </p>
<p>For all except the last part, we’d be driving each other insane. Instead of nice hotels, I’d tend to prefer renting a cheap place good enough to crash in because I tend to be out and about when traveling. Staying in a nice hotel room IMHO would have been boring and a waste of time considering my purpose is to see the new area/region/country. </p>
<p>Also, I tend to keep a relentless pace when seeing sites while traveling. This was shown when I took a friend up on seeing Gettysburg this past summer. I was the driving force behind getting him to leave earlier for the long drive and then…the relentless pace to take a reasonable amount of time to see the electronic/panorama exhibit/museum and all the major monuments on a day trip which lasted close to 15 hours…not including the driving time. Was fun for the both of us as we saw practically everything and took plenty of pictures…but was exhausting considering the long hours, length of tour, and the hot summer temperatures. Would not be the type to leave after only 15 minutes…or even an hour barring severe injuries/medical emergency incurred by myself or more importantly, my friend. </p>
<p>I do agree that a sit-down dinner is important. However, it’s more for social/hangout reasons rather than fine fancy dining. I’m fine with cheap dinners so long as everyone is sitting down and relaxing after a long fun-filled exhausting day. </p>
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<p>Incidentally, we did end up leaving a mutual friend behind because she kept asking us to wait for her several times in the early morning so she could join us. Because summer is the peak season of Gettysburg…by 7:30 am…both of us were frustrated and I openly said…if we keep waiting for her…we may never make it there on that day. Within 15 minutes, we were in the car and on our way. </p>
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<p>Totally the opposite…I can always nap at home or at night. </p>
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<p>I do, too. Fascinating how prices for most items in China in the late '90s were a lot cheaper than the US…and yet certain items such as a 486DX2/66 computer was nearly double what it’d cost in the US during that period. Also, enjoy taking random bus/taxi rides around Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai…especially when the costs were so nominal and it gave me a chance to chat up some locals. </p>
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<p>Am a big museum person myself. Not a big fan of shopping for stuff unless it is absolute necessities or souvenirs with some sort of historical/cultural significance. </p>
<p>Do enjoy watching local TV…especially at the end of the day to see differences in TV programming/dynamics. It is even more interesting when you can actually understand 95%+ of the content.</p>
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<p>I actually went out of my way to sample local street cuisine…even with the risks of getting sick. For some odd reason, I was the only person in my entire China summer study-abroad group who didn’t fall ill from any food/stomach related illnesses despite having taken far more risks than everyone else.</p>
<p>I wish I could be one of those people that can fit everything in a small bag. I start with a small bag, but always end up with including a big tote with a few extras shoved in…just in case. Ugh.</p>
<p>I think planning the trip is part of what makes traveling and vacations fun. I like to think of all the options and then nail them down. Once we’re actually doing the plan though, I don’t mind changing it if something better pops up. I just feel good having an outline. I need a quiet, clean room but that can be a B & B. I’m a sucker for tripadvisor reviews.</p>
<p>I LOVE to see what the local’s are up to and a grocery store/farm market/flea market stop is always on the list. I like taking public transportation if possible but also like tours with just our group and a tour guide. I planned our whole trip to China where we used some tour guides and stayed in all kinds of interesting places ranging in price from $30 a night to almost $300/night. We took a sleeper car, trains and buses! </p>
<p>As a child we camped every summer and I loved it. Somehow the ground is much harder now…</p>
<p>Terrible over packer…prefer mid priced hotels - with comfortable beds - so I check trip adviser. At any destination H and I love to check out flea markets and swap meets, salvage yards and antique stores. This has lead to some rather difficult and interesting packing challenges for the return trip.</p>
<p>I know this might sound strange, but one of the best vacations I ever had was by myself. I had a free RT ticket on Southwest, and wanted to go somewhere I’d never been, so I went to the Pacific Northwest… Cannon Beach, OR in particular. H could not get time away. I was completely on my own schedule. Depending on the weather forecast I’d watch the night before, I’d plan my day accordingly. I stayed at an awesome boutique hotel, right on the ocean, did lots of walking on the beach (it was late September, so it was kind of cool), but also took quite a few day trips to many of the state parks for some hiking… again, depending on the weather predicted for that day.</p>
<p>The one day rain was expected all day, I headed into a larger local town and did some shopping, but again, I planned it the night before when I heard about the rain. I’m more spontaneous, but like to combine some people watching time with exploring time. I don’t do paid tour expeditions unless I’m in Europe and want to see some place that public transportation won’t take me to (such as the Highlands of Scotland, when we were staying in Edinburgh and did not have a rental car).</p>
<p>I’m also a planner, but I only plan certain aspects and treat my plans like an outline guide…rather than a step-by-step manual. However, I do tend to have little patience with potential/actual traveling companions who cause delays because of indecisiveness, get distracted by things that they could see/experience at home(i.e. US TV shows, bigbox stores*, etc) or because they’re extremely tardy(talking over an hour late or more here). </p>
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<li>Was really peeved at a few friends this past summer whose desire to visit a local Best Buy caused us to miss the last tour of the day at a venue that we were planning. I love to window shop at electronics stores as much as the next techie…but there’s a saying about “appropriate time and place”…</li>
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<p>One rule of thumb I try to follow is that if I’m going to a place where I am likely to get souvenirs, I try to carry the extreme basics in minimal clothing, backback, and if required, a laptop I can afford to damage/lose…even if it weighs close to 11 pounds with everything.</p>
<p>I got to go on two African safaris, with a friend of my dad’s as our guide (and he was a good chef!). It was just my parents, kids, the guide, and I on the trips. I never realized how MANY animals you’d see, as well as the diversity. Going around every corner there would be a surprise. I don’t think I’ll ever have another vacation as amazing as those.</p>
<p>I like to stay at nice hotels, but I’ll only pay discount prices for them. I like to pay low prices for luxury. I want to fly first class, but I won’t pay for it. I like a mixture of relaxation and seeing interesting sights on a trip. But the best trip I ever went on was a Rick Steves tour to Italy, and I could pretty much take those trips every month when I retire. Someone else to do all the planning and work, take you to all the best sights…what could be better?</p>
<p>When we camp we don’t have electricity (although sometimes make exceptions for our laptop if it’s available) and ALL cooking is done by hubby. He’s quite good over fire. </p>
<p>Hard ground? Not with Thermarest pads.</p>
<p>Our whole family enjoys the same type of travel and we always do everything together. Once we had kids the only trips we took without them were once a year on our Anniversary. A couple of times we even took them with us on those. We stayed domestic while they were growing up (have to count Canada as domestic as my hometown is on the border). Our favorite trips were 2 months camping out west and one month in Hawaii. The Canadian Maritimes ranks up there too - esp if we’d had longer than 3 weeks there.</p>
<p>The only shopping we do is for a souvenir magnet (we actually need a second refrigerator for our magnets) or for local markets with hand-made items. </p>
<p>Now? Our traveling is all related to college trips or family (except for our Anniversary trips). I’m itching to get “traveling” again, but the economy will need to improve before that can happen - or we sell our place here and get a Class B motorhome. The latter option would be tempting if real estate comes back. Our last non-Anniversary and non-college trip was back in 2008 I think (except for a quick couple day trip to Montreal with Grandma). Oldest is a sophomore in college. Our boys have been places (courtesy of Grandma), but our family has had to cut back due to finances.</p>
<p>That’s ok. Hubby and I dream of the future - and we still all got to shipwreck dive last year due to family being on the St Lawrence River. And college trips are sometimes fun too.</p>
<p>No matter what the length of the trip…I travel with ONE carry on size bag and a small tote. That is it. If it can’t fit in there, it doesn’t come on the trip. </p>
<p>I like a quiet sit down breakfast…honestly I don’t care what I eat the rest of the day.</p>
<p>Our family is more action vacation oriented. One summer we biked in Vermont for a week, another we kayaked in Alaska. One Dec. break, we took trains to a variety of European cities to visit friends & family who live there. We often go to half marathons in different locations for a long weekend. We usually meet alot of interesting people along the way. My fav trip was driving across the US after my D’s college graduation. We brought our bikes along. On driving days we would drive 6 hours. Then we biked 2 to 3 hours that afternoon/evening or did a longer ride the next day. It took us 3 weeks to complete the trip. My D said it was “more fun than she ever could have expected” and she selected all of the sites to visit and created the driving itinerary herself.</p>
<p>I am also a planner. My wife and I have to stay at nice hotels right in the heart of wherever we go because we move at completely different speeds. I need to be able to do things at the hotel or in the surrounding area.
I like a hotel with a decent workout area.</p>
<p>I like nice hotels, but sometimes feel uncomfortable in very upscale ones. The amenities are marvelous but I’d rather the staff ignore me unless I ask for something. If I stay at a Marriott or Hilton with good online reviews, I know I’ll find what I’m looking for.</p>
<p>I could do museums and tours all day long. I usually come back from a vacation pretty burnt out, so I try to save a day or two off to catch up on sleep and errands before jumping back into the fray.</p>
<p>Major travel annoyance - dh and I are incompatible travelers. He always acts surprised when I mention getting lunch, and often even breakfast, and responds with, “I’m not hungry.” I try not to say, “Well, that’s the important thing, isn’t it?” :D</p>
<p>My family tends to like to go-go-go when we are on action vacations (skiing, etc). I’ve learned to take time to relax, listen to music and meet up with them later after I’ve relaxed a bit.</p>
<p>I am a planner, but dont have to have every second planned. I like comfortable hotels, but resent the higher end ones that want to charge for everything that the more moderately priced ones provide for free. We were at a high end spa once that dint even have a coffee pot in the room. My DH had to bring me coffee every morning (we were near his dads and he went to very early religious services with his dad while I slept).</p>
<p>I too like to get a flavor for the “locals” when I travel abroad. Sometimes we stay in boutique hotels, which is fun, though now DH has a ton of hotel points so we tend to stay in chains. Am heading to Zurich in a few weeks. Any tips?</p>
<p>One more note about traveling. My mom and I love to sample local alcohol. She likes wine, I like beer. She’s always loved visiting wineries while traveling and now I get to join her. You meet the most interesting people there and we love talking to locals. </p>
<p>I’ve stayed at a few ACTUAR places and they’re absolutely delightful. Not for everyone though. My mom and I have developed a love for that kind of rural, community-based tourism.</p>
<p>My mom was a military brat who constantly moved. Even after her father retired, she always loved to travel in kind of off the wall places. Got my sense of adventure from her!</p>
<p>jym - I was in Zurich few times for work. No tips for you because it was not very memorable to me. It was clean and safe. I did go to the old town to walk around. One thing I did remember someone telling me was they could only do their laundry at a certain time, and sometimes they even to had schedule it. Yes, only tip - everything shuts down on Sun, nothing is open.</p>
<p>I am not a rustic person ,but my D has convinced me to visit the farm where she will be spending her third summer in Sweden . There are no flush toilets ,A/C , and my H and I will be sleeping in a TENT . This is only for 3 days ,then its hotels in Sweden and Paris after that .</p>