I think our best family vacation was to Seattle. Weather was beautiful, plenty to do, we stayed in a vacation rental apartment right in the heart of the city. Also, it was probably our last vacation before our daughter entered those pre-teen years, with all the attendant drama, so everyone was just happy to be together.
Two weeks in Arizona. Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Hopi Reservation, Canyon de Chelly, Painted Desert, Winslow, and Rock Art Ranch (the owner takes you into a long canyon with a river and leaves you to explore thousands of surfaces covered with native american art - unbelievable). None of us will ever forget that trip.
This question has sparked quite the conversation among the four members of my family, who currently live in three different time zones. But the top three contenders were our trips to LA/San Francisco, Arizona, and Quebec City.
So many: A trip to NYC when the kids were 7 and 5. My 5 year old was thrilled to walk out on the observation deck at the Empire State Building to find that it was completely covered in fog. “I’m in a cloud! I’ve never been in a cloud before!” We walked blocks in the rain because all the taxis were taken.
Yosemite, when the kids were 8 and 10. We’d hike all day, then shower and crash in our uncomfortable tent cabin at Curry Village. We made up a lot of off-color songs about how much better the Ahwahnee would have been.
Disney World, when the kids were 10 and 12. 12 year old was shocked that in pristine Disney, she actually got a mosquito bite.“Woah! These animatronic mosquitoes actually bite!” She also wrote out a legal contract on a napkin making us promise never to make her share a bed with her brother again. We honored this for every vacation after that.
Seattle, when the kids were 15 and 17. This wasn’t a vacation, but to help my parents move to a condo during a blistering heat wave. We slaved all week (my parents had packed literally one box before we arrived) and the kids still remember it as one of the best trips ever, sneaking junk out of the house and throwing it in a dumpster before my mother could see it and look through it, eating at the same Mexican place two nights in a row because my dad loved it and we were too tired to go anywhere else.
And yes, there were trips to Europe, beach vacations and fancy hotels in the US, but I think what makes a trip fun is family cameraderie and a shared experience of humor and, sometimes, misery!
Without a doubt it was our trip to Kenya… amazing in every way.
I asked my sons – heave heard from S2 so far – “I was probably the most excited after Australia, since it was a really unique experience and I was a teenager trying to feel cool and different. But the trip to Europe was probably the most impressive and eye-opening. It came at a time when I was starting to understand how big the world was, and it was really cool to see these iconic places and objects right around then.” This is the same S who went on to major in Russian Studies and IR and has been living/working in a former Soviet country for the past sixteen months (and told us last weekend he’s likely going to stay longer than the original two years he had planned).
We had gone to London, Paris, Rome and Germany in 2003 when he was 11. He’s my history buff and he ate it up. Got to show them where my family lived when we were stationed over there. Thanks goodness for DH’s frequent work travel, which gets us many FF miles.
We camped a LOT as they were growing up, including on a cross-country trip in our minivan. As adults, both guys continue to camp with friends (or us, if they are in the area) – which doesn’t surprise me with S2, but shocks the heck out of me with S1!
we’ve done tons of road trips throughout the states; but a favorite memory is sitting on the beach in florida in the evening watching a rocket take off from cape canaveral. That was super cool. We had extended our trip for that main reason and it was worth it.
@bgbg4us omg! So jealous! We went to cape Canaveral but didn’t get a chance to see anything launch. How I would have loved that!
Seconding @Happy1,
We took a three week trip when our girls were 8 and 11. The final destination was Kenya, but because we wanted to minimize jet lag so that we could fully enjoy the Kenyan activities and not have the girls sleep through everything, we divided the trip into three stages. From the west coast, we flew to NYC and did a bus tour of the city (two nights). Then we flew to Amsterdam and visited the Anne Frank house and the Rijksmuseum (two nights and the first night two of us slept for four hours and the other two slept for thirteen) :neutral: .
When we arrived in Kenya, we spent a couple of nights at a farm stay and took a day trip to Lake Nakuru National preserve which was nearby. At Lake Nakuru, we got our first glimpses of incredible wildlife. The highlight was when, as our guide was driving us around, he casually asked “Have you ever seen a gazelle give birth?” Um, no. So he stopped and backed up a few feet and pointed into the trees, where we watched… a gazelle giving birth!
Then we were off to the Lakipia Plateau where we stayed in a fancy tent with beds and a full bathroom. We ate five course meals in the dining tent and had to be escorted back and forth to dinner by a camp employee in the dark. We went on a walking safari, a night safari with spotlights, and visited an animal sanctuary where the last male northern white rhino was cared for (he died last year). We also got to radio track a lion. One night, while we were in bed, we heard lions roaring in the distance.
From there, we flew to the Maasi Mara where we stayed in an awesome private guest house that had a watering hole in the backyard. During the day, two young Maasi tribesmen gave us tours of the most incredible place on earth. I’ve never seen anyplace so breathtaking. The highlight of this part of the trip was when we were stopped in our open topped (about twice the size of a moon roof) vehicle to watch a cheetah. The cheetah started walking our way. It kept coming closer and closer and ended up jumping on the hood of the vehicle. The driver’s window was open and he slowwwwly rolled it shut and told us to be very still. in my head, I was coming up with ideas of what to do if the cheetah showed any indications it might jump onto the roof. My best one was that my husband should stand up and bend over with his back up against the opening, lol. Luckily, the cheetah just sat on the hood for a little while then jumped off and sauntered away. Unbeknownst to us at the time, our 11 year old snapped a photo of him and showed it to us after our heart rates got back to normal. The cheetah had blood on the fur around its mouth! So we were lucky it had a full belly!
In the evening, after our drive, we’d arrive to the guesthouse where a staffmember would be waiting to serve us cold drinks. Our daughters loved that! We’d clean up and then be served more five course meals while watching wildlife come drink from the watering hole outside our window.
Finally, we spent a couple of days on the coast enjoying the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. We went snorkeling and also visited a reptile research center that produced snake antivenin for the continent.
By far the most exciting and educational trip of our lives. Our girls were always good travelers, but they were beyond fantastic on this trip because of their ages (uninhibited and enthusiastically curious). They didn’t complain once and their enthusiasm made it so much more enjoyable for my husband and I.
We have traveled a lot as a family and the great trips far outnumber the bad.
Road trips with a mix of camping and motels were a hit. One was to all the Utah parks. Another was the same parks but we continued on to Telluride, Colorado to visit a family member. Another summer we drove from Ca to Yellowstone and the Tetons. One year we flew to Seattle and rented a mini van and took a long road trip that included the San Juan Islands allthe way to Banff and Lake Louise and everything in between.
We have also taken a couple of great sailing trips. The kids all got along as they had no one but each other. They settled into a routine of swim, dingy ride, reading and art.
Multigenerational trips- the biggest hit was a safari trip to Kenya. We were 12 of us and we had a private guide and flew from spot to spot by small plane. Like @LeastComplicated the kids loved the wildlife and the people. They loved having tea time every afternoon. It was a magical trip.
When my in-laws were younger we would do a multi generation ski trip every January. Another great multi generation trip was a river cruise in Europe. Hardest multi generation trip was Paris and South of France. Too many people to corral.
Worst trip I think goes to Disney World. I think it was combo of things but mainly I think it was the place the kids were at during that time in their lives.
H and I want to do a trip with our kids and their mates before any babies come along. We are thinking a sailing trip to Tahiti.
So hard to choose—had a wonderful trip of national parks in SW with H & the kids. Also loved trip to Mt Rushmore & Yellowstone &Teetons. With our S’s graduation from college, we caught the train LA to Seattle & then had a great road trip thru national parks all the way from WA to LA. Also lovely trip to DC & Williamsburg with the kids.
Tuscany, 2018. I have been lucky (???) enough to travel all over the world because of work and have been to all 48 continental states. Tuscany is famous for a reason. The drive between Siena and Greve in Chianti…no words. All our kids (including soon to be daughter in law) were with us. Magical.
no big exotic destinations to share, but my family has a lake camp (as they call them in New England) that we all gravitate towards. The kids all have nothing to do but swim and read and wander and make up these elaborate games and sleep and learn to cook (my mom) or build a dock (my dad). They canoe with their cousins and eat poorly and generally unwind. My parents sat everyone down several years ago to discuss plans to sell it (they are concerned it will be a burden since none of us live anywhere near it ) and my nephews started to cry.
They put it in a trust, instead.
I think our best trip was going to Machu Picchu and Iguazu Falls—maybe it’s because it’s the trip I worked the hardest to plan. The girls were thrilled and did yoga on the hilltop. I think the key is to find the best destination for the age of your kids. Beach or camping a couple of hours away when they were little was great. Extended family trip to Orcas Island probably topped Hawaii. Alaskan trip to rent an RV was amazing because kiddos were thrilled to keep journals of all their animal sightings. In high school, they were studying European history and art so Paris and London was fun. (BTW- we are a family that’s income isn’t high. We’ve taken most trips due to airline miles and careful budgeting. Others we have taken due the generosity of my parents.) My kids do have incredibly fond memories of going to their other grandparents property in east TX. No running water but lots of fun with family.