What is the best vacation you have taken??? Educational or not. I need a vacation and I am sooo very tired of never being able to afford one. How do you do it?? Even camping gets expensive.......
I'm not quite sure what you call expensive, to some of us it's $200 to others it's $1000. We're a very economical family that even brings food along on a 18 hour trip because of what it costs anymore to eat out. Plus we'll even drive all the way thru the night just to save on 1 hotel and only stay at 1 on the way home. That said our family's favorite vacation was to Upper Peninsula Michigan. We had a pop-up camper at the time and stayed at a Tahquamenon State Park. We mostly went to places that were free up there. But we did take one day to go to Mackinac Island (but made sure to go online and get 2 of our children free on the ferry over). We rented bikes and biked for two hours all over the island. The children said that was the best vacation and so do hubby and I. We did buy them each a little ($7) souvenir. Plus we also ate there, but made sure to check to see what was the best buy. We make our pennies count. Vacations are an important part of being a family, however you decide to spend them and however much you decide to spend on them.
We went to Gatlinburg in the off season and stayed at a great hotel, Zoder's, for only about $85/night. We visited the Park a few times, walked the shops, swam at the hotel, and we saw a show and went to Wonderworks and the aquarium. You could skip the extras and just enjoy the pool and the beautiful National park (free) and it would be a great vacation. We had an awesome time hiking and just being together. The hotel was great--you could walk to everything on the strip, free breakfast, free wine and cheese in the afternoon, free cookies and milk in the evening, indoor pool.
The best vacation we have taken was when I was working, too. We spent a little over $1000. We drove to the Black Hills in South Dakota. We were able to see the Badlands, the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Monument, Bear Country, Reptile Gardens and a cave that was like walking inside a geode. On the way home we took the Laura Ingalls-Wilder route and stopped at her homes along the way in De Smet and Walnut Grove. It was the best vacation ever. I still can't believe we ever spent that much, but I also can't believe how much we got to do for that budget. Planning well is the key. We chose an area with the maximum number of things to do and see in the closest proximity. We also got a hotel with an in-room microwave. We shopped at the local Walmart and bought steamable bagged meals and veggies. My second fave getaway was much less expensive. We went canoeing.
Hands down the best vacation for our family was Walt Disney World - kids were 8, 6, 5, and 3. We saved and saved, so for us it was NOT economical in the least, but my kids still rave about it 2 years later. Totally worth every penny. Planning is key - I spent 6 months + making everything absolutely perfect and taking advantage of discounts. As homeschoolers, we're more flexible with dates (e.g., going during low season & in Sept, there's even a free dining promotion) so you can get a good price. Really there's something for every budget; I wanted this vacation to pop, so we splurged a bit! Bonus, Epcot & Animal Kingdom are pretty educational!
We do a lot of camping which can be expensive. There is this place about 2 hours away from our house which we go to and love but its like a resort and it winds up costing us an arm and leg. We like to go because the kids run all day from rafting, to playing dodge ball, kick ball, and swimming. We do cook the majority of our meals since we have a full kitchen. But the gas alone to pull the camper is outragious. I think we get about 9 miles per gallon. Plus I drive another truck and pull 4 dirt bike behind so we can go riding at least one of the days if not more. I would like to be able to take my children to Disney. They are 11 and 12 years old and i feel like our window of opportunity with them is dwindling away. Unfortunately I am stuck with the school vacations because i drive a school bus for our local ps. They are not in favor of vacation days since we only work 180 days a year. Who wants to go to Floriday in July or August.... Any ideas?? Beside winning the lottery
SANDY COVE!!! it's a Christian conference center in Maryland. They have an AWESOME program. And one week is Homeschool Week. The first year we went, they had Todd Wilson speaking. And there's SO MUCH to do, all of which is included in the price (except for what you make in the craft building). You can camp or stay in the lodge. We camped twice, but stayed in the lodge the last time. Big difference is that when you're at the lodge, you don't have to worry about cooking. I mean, all I had to do was stand in line! We went for three years. I'd love to go back again!!! www.sandycove.org
Our all time favorite vacation is Disney. It's expensive, but like ERI129 says, planning makes a difference. If school schedule is an issue, I'd choose spring breaks over summer. Crowds will be high, but temps will be better. Went once in July, it was terribly hot. Our second was Floydfest music festival in VA. DD loved hula hooping to the music. Most festivals let you carry in water and snacks. Many also have free tent camping included. There are many different venues, so you can search for your favorite, whether it be Christian, bluegrass, jam band... When budgeting for a vacation you need to deduct what you would normally spend at home for items such as food, water, gas and electricity. You can unplug electronics and turn down the water heater. This will help you save even more on utilities while you are gone. We usually on eat 2 meals a day when on vacation. Carry some snacks like nuts to help tide you over between meals. I'm not a big eater, so I will often share a meal with one of the kids for most meals or order from the child's menu if the restaurant allows. We buy the cheap bottled water for vacations. To help save on ice in the coolers, we freeze milk jugs with water to put in the coolers. Also, keep an eye out for the bulk ice dispensers to replace melted ice coolers.
We go for an overnight at Splash Lagoon in Erie PA. They have a deal where you get the hotel (just an econo lodge) and then 4 tickets to the park for 2 days and it cost around $150. It is from Sunday to Monday but I think they have other deals too. I think Great Wolf Lodge has some packages too. You can check on the ILoveNY website. They list some deals that are out there. Just search by the date or area you want to go to.
My favorite vacations are to Walt Disney World. I LOVE Disney!!! I went to Disney with my grandparents in 1972 and fell in love with the Magic Kingdom. When I started having kids myself, I begged my husband to take us to Disney. He finally agreed to it in March 2001 as my birthday present. We had so much fun as a family. We stayed at the Grosvenor Resort (now the Regal Sun Resort). It is one of the Downtown Disney Hotels, meaning they are on Disney property but not owned by Disney. It was a magical vacation. My kids loved it!!! We loved going to Disney so much, we went for 10 years straight! We stayed at most of the 7 hotels in the Downtown Disney area, before actually letting friends talk us into staying at Port Orleans. Our last 3 trips have all included a stay at Port Orleans and the dining plan during "free dining promotions" during September. Disney vacations are not cheap by any means, but with careful planning can be done even on a budget. If you are on a budget, go during the off season. It's much cooler and the crowds are much smaller too! Don't get park hopper tickets. Don't add the water park fun and more option to your park tickets. Don't add the Non Expiring option to your tickets. All of these options make the price go up tremendously. Disney is offering "free dining" for September again right now. What about going over Labor Day weekend? Disney is an investment in family memories!!! If anyone has questions I'm a self-proclaimed Walt Disney World expert....LOL!
We did the 10 day no expiration when my son was still child's rate and have made 3 trips on the tickets and still have 1 day left. Well worth it if you live close enough to go every year or 2. We stay on the Disney Ft Wilderness campground - twice tenting and twice in the pop-up. Last time we went we only spent about $1200 for 7 days, and used 3 days from our 10-day ticket. We even did a dinner theater and the Not So Scary Hollloween Part.
LOL, I'm with you Mouseketeer! I am totally hooked on Disney! I am convinced its the best place on Earth =) I've also been 10 times, but only once with my 4 kiddos (the others were when we had only one, then with 3, for a family reunion, and when I was a child) I am really hoping that we can go back next mid-January (my favorite time of year to go - great weather, no crowds, low season prices). I'm already planning it out; planning & getting ready can be almost as exciting as the trip itself! We go all out for like 3 months before the trip, having disney movie nights and disney themed activities. Doing Disney right requires a bit of research; there's some great books out there with tips and stuff. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge Resort, which we loved, and they bumped us up to concierge complementary! Sorry! I could talk Disney all day, I actually get a little teary eyed remembering our trip! I can't wait to go back!
My family has done the Very Merry Christmas Party, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, almost every character dinner offered at Disney, Blizzard Beach, Winter Summer Land golf course, and were even picked to be extras for a filming of the annual Christmas Parade which just so happened to be my son's 13th birthday. There isn't much that we haven't done at Disney.
Those of you that have been on here long enough to remember Heidi, she just got back from Disney and wrote about it on her blog. She really would agree with you all. Me, on the other hand.... The last time we went to Disney (only time with the three kids), Phillip was very little, and got sick. My parents had paid for it (they are "Snow Birds", so were down there), and were a pain in the neck about the whole thing. I'm in no big hurry to go back!
I hate to have to admit that we also had a Disney "sick" trip. Our second day in the parks Nick started getting sick in the middle of the day. That night during the fireworks he was really sick, and Marissa started getting sick too. After returning to our hotel, we spent the rest of the night tending to our sick kids. We decided to go home the next morning. It turned out to be the flu. Ethan got sick when we got home. We each came down with it one after the other. But we had 1 awesome day at Disney. That was our shortest Disney trip.
Generally for camping we spend about $800 everytime we go. I know its a lot. We talked to the kids tonight and told them they need to choose between camping 5 or 6 times a year or selling the camper and start saving to go places like Disney. We got hit really hard this year. We had major damage to our house last winter which will take us a few years to pay off. ick.... Then some strange way we have to pay on our taxes this year. double ick.... So this year we are pretty much not able to do anything. But I definately have the itch to go.....
I'd like to go and spend a night down at King's Island this year. Not too far away, we could go during the week. Part of it is that Rachael will be gone after this year.....
I'm not letting my Dd12 read this thread. :lol: A few years ago she was asking about Disney (we have family who go every year). I told her that she would never go to Disney while living with us, but she could start saving now to take her kids.
I think the best ones we have taken are camp ones. But If you are really budgeting ahead of time I would go for a 3 star hotel with a free breakfast feast! One near a beach so you can go wandering during the day or just enjoy peace ad quiet. Bring meals from home to save more money and if you look you can find a place that has what you want near it ( low cost good food places). Research the area you want to go to, then find what your costs need to be, and work back wards. That's what I do for our ladies retreats lol!
