Family Vacations

[raizin]

I'd like to hear stories of peoples family vacations growing up. Like were you went and what you did.

I've been saving up this year and have about $3000 and two weeks vacation saved this summer to take my family somewhere. I am thinking of Driving to yellowstone and doing things on the way, but plans can easily change.

[Fit of Rage]

My family did one vacation driving from Florida up to the Mall of America in Minnesota. We also did another up the east coast from Florida to Vermont. We visited some relatives on the way, stopped in the major cities, and visited colleges for me when I was looking. I doubt your kids are old enough to be looking at colleges, but that's another thing to combine into family vacations.

If you're driving from Seattle, I dunno how much interesting stuff there is on the way to Yellowstone, I-90 is kinda boring. If you're driving out to Yellowstone though, you can at least hit the Grand Tetons and explore Jackson Hole a bit. There are a lot of lakes around there that you and your family can do picnics.

[Twerp]

Vegas was the last trip

Saw shows, visited the various hotels, there was an amusement park with roller coasters a little ways away, collected the porn stars stat cards people were handing out, hung out at the pool. Would definitely do it again

[raizin]

My family did one vacation driving from Florida up to the Mall of America in Minnesota. We also did another up the east coast from Florida to Vermont. We visited some relatives on the way, stopped in the major cities, and visited colleges for me when I was looking. I doubt your kids are old enough to be looking at colleges, but that's another thing to combine into family vacations.

If you're driving from Seattle, I dunno how much interesting stuff there is on the way to Yellowstone, I-90 is kinda boring. If you're driving out to Yellowstone though, you can at least hit the Grand Tetons and explore Jackson Hole a bit. There are a lot of lakes around there that you and your family can do picnics.

When i was 17 i did a trip to Jackson Hole and we got to hike the Grand Tetons. Its a pretty cool place.

[Soup du Jour]

I did a long weekend trip to Yellowstone two years ago (yes from Vancouver). We went via Crater Lake (Oregon) and Craters of the Moon (Idaho). Crater Lake was amazing and Craters of the Moon was awful. This was the first year I had ever shown allergy symptoms so when we got to Jellystone they were kicked into high gear. Couple that with lofty fees, imo, people stopping to take pictures of deer (!), almost running over a Tauros (pokemon), stupid hicks that won't shut up til really late and the water being so cold I couldn't swim (I thought it would be mildly bearable) and we made it home by Sunday.

It may sound like I didn't enjoy myself. On the contrary, I had good company, I experienced some new places and I got to enjoy the open country, which is nice for a city boy like myself.

The things that I really enjoyed that you may or may not be able to replicate were:
- the vast country side and changing sceneries (thank goodness the prairies weren't involved)
- state roads. The interstates are boring as fuck. The state roads are more interesting for the driver (windy roads) and for the passengers (scenery). We took the #2 back through Washington and it was worth it. We also took a bunch of others that I can't remember.
- Montana. gorgeous state.
- good cheap eats. diners drive-ins and dives will help you out here (flavortownusa.com?)
- the company... I'm sure you will enjoy being with your family

You should also consider Glacier National Park. I hear it is one of the prettiest parks in America. If you're thinking of heading further east to Mount Rushmore, don't bother, it's a piece of crap.

You might also want to consider Banff, Alberta. Either way, it's what you make of it.

Just don't go through Idaho Falls. :fear:

[soup]

I love yellowstone :wub::
made this picture back then, even bought a T-shirt with bears on it and a cool sign




like this only better looking

[Da1andonly]

i hope you Drive safely

[Da1andonly]

also just to contribute to this thread:

when i was a kid my family went to germany, in fact to Hamburg (we ate hamburgers there as well he-he-he). We went with a ferry from Helsinki (that's the capital of Finland you hickies) called "Finnjet" - even though it was german. (?)

That ferry fucking sucked ass. I mean it was REALLY fucking terrible.

But i am too stoned to really type any more than this so you will just have to suffice.

thanks


edit: Found the edit button!! forgot what i was going to say though...

but anyway, this thread had nice stories so keep them going!

[Galleleo]

When I was still young we used to go on vacation every year, with a tent. We would always go for 3 weeks and I have been all over Europe. Ireland, Great Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Tsjech-Slovakia (it still was back then), Poland, Denmark, Zweden, Spain, Greece and we also went to South Africa. Those were all with the entire family, usually we would just drive down there and then when it came time to set up camp we would find a campground nearby and put up our tent then see what things we could do around there. If there was loads to do we stayed for a couple of days, if nothing we only stayed 1 night.

So we never really planned anything beforehand. I do remember one vacation pretty well. We were in Italy, near lake Como (or something like that). Our tent was somewhat near the bathrooms so we constantly had these twins walking by and giggling and what girls do and all. Later I went down to the swimming pool and those twins where there again, turns out they were German and they both had the hots for me. But I was 12 and I didn't know any German so that pretty much turned into a disaster. But we still had fun!

South Africa was incredibly impressive too. We know this guy who works in one of the townships as a doctor, so he showed us around in the township, a place a tourist normally shouldn't go. And that was really impressive to see, the poverty, people living in shacks and stuff. That has always been in the back of my mind. When we were in the Kruger park later we would constantly see the destruction that, most likely, one male elephant left behind, but we never saw a single elephant.

[Ilya]

we went to south carolina and florida

it was real fun

[Edify]

I've been to Universal in FL years ago when I was in high school with family. Uhh and I hear Yellowstone is the place to be, so you should go with that. Obviously plan up ahead. In general my family doesn't travel much since we got a dog a couple years ago. It's hard- having to stay in hotels where dogs are allowed, parks where dogs are allowed, bringing the dog everywhere, etc.

[Lizard Fuel]

I'm a bowler, so I try to go to a couple big events each year. Last year there was an event in Reno, NV so I flew out but ended up enjoying the extracurricular activities far more than the actual reason I went. I repeated this trip in 2010 with the same result. Reno and the surrounding area is fantastic, but definitely something to consider if you are a bachelor. (They have those really cool photo shops where u can get those rustic old western pictures of yourself!)

[Galleleo]

I've been to Universal in FL years ago when I was in high school with family. Uhh and I hear Yellowstone is the place to be, so you should go with that. Obviously plan up ahead. In general my family doesn't travel much since we got a dog a couple years ago. It's hard- having to stay in hotels where dogs are allowed, parks where dogs are allowed, bringing the dog everywhere, etc.

You don't have kennels in the US? We have always had two dogs and we just always put them in a kennel (usually the same one where we got them from) for the duration we were gone.

[Cops]

i go to florida once a year, sometimes twice a year depending on whether i have money or not. besides the past couple years my family hasn't done much traveling, my parents literally created staycation. i usually go to niagara falls with kolar once a year to gamble and get a cheap hotel, but we've done niagara too much that we'd probably go to vegas in the next couple years (niagara loses its novelty after the first thirty times). i'm moving to halifax nova scotia in may to june to learn french, get a university credit, and visit eastern canada. i'll eventually end up in britain over the next couple years, see my uncle and aunt who work at a university in bristol and then spend some time at their second house in southern france. going to europe will cost an exuberant amount of money but i'm hoping it's something i can work towards in the next few years, until then i'm content getting a $200 flight a year to florida and not paying much else besides that to stay at a 4 star resort. halifax should be awesome, i'd like to explore western canada after i see out east. b.c and alberta are the only provinces i'm interested in seeing out west, but given the oppurtunity i'd go north and see alaska.

by the way i'll be in florida for two weeks in july, i can't fucking wait for harry potter land. that shit looks amazing.

[kthx]

If you are going to Britain you should learn Arabic instead of French.