bamafam

My husband and I take turns planning our family vacations, and I'm on deck for the coming year. The possibilities are exciting, but also overwhelming! I thought I'd open it up for suggestions in the hope of finding ideas for destinations I might never have considered otherwise.

The basics:

- Two parents and a son who will be 8 at the time of travel. He's a good traveler and up for adventure (within reason).

- Due to school, we're limited to travel during spring break (usually a week in March), summer break and winter break

- Departing from the Southeast (Atlanta is our closest major airport)

- Using airline miles, so airfare is not a big concern

- Interested in: beautiful scenery, interesting architecture, ocean and beach, kayaking, mountains, hiking, local character, safety, history. However, we don't have to check all these boxes in a single trip!

- Not interested in: extravagant dining and shopping, nightlife, theme parks, staying within a resort for the entire trip

- A budget-friendly destination would be a plus. Our total budget for the trip will be about $3500. Since airfare is not a factor, we can stretch that further than we would otherwise.

What have ya got for me, travel gurus?

bamafam

I should add - we're fine with a destination in the U.S. too - it doesn't have to be overseas.

thursdaysd

I just got back from Patagonia - great scenery - check the South America board.

If you want Europe, Portugal and Greece are budget friendly and have lots to see.

go spend some time in a bookstore and see

thursdaysd

Sorry,

Go spend some time in a bookstore with the picture guides and see what looks good to you.

bamafam

Thanks, thursdaysd. My problem is that I spend too much time looking at pictures and reading trip reports as it is, and everything ends up looking good. No sooner do I settle on one place than another piques my interest. So I'm looking forward to hearing about destinations that others have particularly enjoyed.

Patagonia does sound very appealing!

november_moon

How about SE Asia? Lots of budget-friendly options there.

We went to Bali several years ago and loved it - would absolutely return.

beautiful scenery: Check - Bali has some absolutely gorgeous scenery

interesting architecture: Check - Bali is predominantly hindu in a predominantly muslim country, which creates an interesting mix. In the area around Ubud esspecially, the buildings are beautiful - artwork everywhere, nothing is to small or insignificant to be adorned.

ocean and beach: Check - Although the beaches aren't as good as some parts of the world, they are good and plentiful.

kayaking: Not sure about kayaking. We saw plenty of diving and snorkling though.

mountains: Check - the center of the island is quite mountainous.

hiking: Check - we didn't do any hiking, but we saw advertisements for guided hikes. We took a really great bike trip though.

local character: Check - the local culture is amazing. There are some resorts that seemed rather enclosed and bland, but if you stay in smaller resorts and local places, you will definitely be in the culture.

safety: Check - you have to take reasonable precautions, but crime is generally not an issue, esspecially away from the big party areas. The biggest issue, I think, is just being careful about water and making sure you wear bug spray in the mountainous areas.

history: Check - plenty of that too.

bamafam

Thank you, nov_moon!

criscollin

In november i was on Dominica.. it was amazing!
It's great place for parent's with the children.
If you go there , u will have vacation full of relaxation.

bamafam

Ah, Dominica...great suggestion, and an island I tend to forget. I have traveled extensively in the Caribbean but have never been there.

In conversation, a friend also mentioned either Vancouver Island or Cape Breton Island as options. I am dying to visit Cape Breton but wonder if the Vancouver area might be better suited with a child that age.

Bedar

No, don't go to Dominica. There have been a string of robberies and rapes there amongst tourists and foreign residents. Really too bad.

How about Venice ? I'm certain an eight yr. old would find no-streets and no-cars amusing.

dutyfree

If you are using air miles during peak times you may run into some problems as most of those seats are booked almost a year out.

From my own experience as a mom trying to travel during a one week school vacation, you need to remember that if you go overseas you will be losing several days with travel.

That said, I think that if you chose a place like London where there are many flights out of Atlanta to ,you would have a fabulous vacation.Its a short flight(less than 8 hours) and with the same language,wonderful history and things to do and see it would be perfect!The week can be easily filled over there with daytrips out of London too.

There is a wonderful series that I believe is still around called, KIDDING AROUND London. It is a great travel guide for children to use to understand what they are seeing and why in age appropriate language. The series also has books for Paris,Washington DC,etc.
My own son went for the first time to London when he was 8 and absolutely loved it!(Ironically he has lived/worked all over the world since those days because he loves to travel and immerse himself into other cultures.)

mahjarunner

How about Northern Italy, such as the Cinque Terre area (direct access to beach, plenty of hiking, boating as these are all old fishing villages, lots of friendly locals, good food, and stunning beauty) and easily accessible to Florence, Rome, and Milan by train if you need to have some bigger city action? We stayed in Monterosso del Mar in late May and early June before the serious crowds moved in and it was magical.

In the U.S. consider the San Juan Islands in Washington state - I.e. Friday Harbor, Orcas Island, etc. Lots of mountains, whale watching, kayaking, friendly people, ferry and boat rides, hiking, and natural beauty. They've even got wineries and a lavender farm. It's never super hot but its a microclimatic so usually much warmer than the rest of the state. I think summers are 70s. My dad used to live there and it is really a beautiful corner of the world.

Lastly, I think San Juan, PR covers almost all the stuff on your list. I've not been there but it's on my list...

bamafam

Wonderful ideas. Thank you all. Mahjarunner, the San Juan Islands have come onto my radar as well since my original post. That region looks to be gorgeous.

Bedar - did you mean the Dominican Republic? I just wanted to check, as I have always heard that Dominica is extremely safe.

Bedar

No, I meant Dominica. Google "rape Dominica". and you'll see for yourself. An old friend of ours was the subject of one of these attacks. She'd lived there for 11 yrs and, of course, no longer does.

Gardyloo

bamafan, did I miss where you said how long your trip will last? I know you said you'd have to do it during school holidays, i.e. a week in the spring, but if it's the summer, are you still limited to a week? Knowing the length of time available would help sort things out.

Now that said, I'd toss this idea out for a two-week (plus or minus) vacation, starting in early August.

Fly to Seattle in time for the Seafair festival weekend (first weekend in August.) Navy ships to be toured, hydroplane races on Lake Washington, the Blue Angels overhead. Take your son to the Museum of Flight for some time in the Shuttle Trainer, go on a ferry ride or two, maybe even take a day trip (on a high speed ferry) to Victoria BC. Go to a Mariners or a Sounders (soccer) game. Watch the salmon through the windows at the Ballard Locks fish ladder. Lots of grown-up things, too.

Then head to Mount Rainier and spend a day or two exploring the national park. Go midweek to avoid the worst crowds. Maybe consider staying at Crystal Mountain (a ski resort on the fringe of the national park) where the gondola ride will take you to a cafe with an eye-level view of Mt. Rainier.

Then continue over the Cascades from Mount Rainier (US 12) to Yakima and visit the Yakama Indian tribal headquarters for a buffalo burger or fry-bread. (The area also happens to be a premier wine-producing region, with numerous winery tours, if that's of interest.) Continue south on US 97 to the Columbia River. Stop at Maryhill Museum for a blast of fine arts in the sagebrush, overlooking the river, then continue west to Hood River, Oregon.

Spend a few days in and around Hood River - explore the Columbia Gorge with all its waterfalls and hikes, maybe go white-water rafting on the White Salmon River (Washington side) and don't forget to visit Herman the Sturgeon (10 feet long, 70 years old) at the Bonneville Dam hatchery. Take a day trip up the beautiful Hood River Valley to Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood. Don't forget watching (or learning?) the windsurfers on the river at Hood River - self-proclaimed "windsurfing capital of the world."

Move onto Portland for a day or two in that historic and very hip city, then, if time allows, head out to the coast (Cannon Beach, or, IMO better, the Cape Disappointment area on the WA side of the mouth of the Columbia) - lighthouses, big rocks and pounding surf, beaches to walk on...

Then back to Seattle and lose the car, or, alternatively, just drop it at Portland airport and fly home from there. (A one-way car rental will cost more, but if it saves a couple of nights' lodgings, no big.)

This would be a very enjoyable trip for your son and his parents, in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. LOTS of variety - mountains, rivers, deserts, Indian reservations, coastline, and a couple of dynamite cities thrown in for good measure.

bamafam

Wow, Gardyloo, thank you so much for the detailed itinerary. So many ideas to add to the list! We're not quite as limited on time in the summer - but probably couldn't do more than 10 days.

I can see we're going to have a hard, but fun, time making a final choice. Personally, I would love to go somewhere remote, idyllic and tranquil, but those qualities and an active small boy don't always mesh well.

sandals

Switzerland and then Southern France
What dreams are made of!

Travelutionist

I took my children to Ireland when they were 8. They loved it. So much to do and see outdoors. Friendly people, great food. They have asked to return as soon as possible.

bamafam

Thanks for the additional ideas. Ireland is a good possibility as well.