Vacations

[UWone77]

Just out of curiosity, where do you guys all Vacation at?

Any of you have a vacation home?

Any locations you guys are particular in visiting frequently?

[alamo5000]

You asking me?! LOL!

Are we talking international or domestic?

[Aragorn]

Vacation? Hang on while I google that word...

[MoxyDave]

My last vacay was 32 days in Europe. From Germany to Switzerland and Italy through France and up to Belgium. Rented a nice Audi Cabrio, drove all over ... it was glorious.

Most of the time though I just stay at home. There are plenty of things to do around here that require little or no money. Shit I'll take a few days off and just ride my mountain bike and swim every day.

I used to bank up all my vacation and never take it. The older I get the more I realize how important it is to get away from work. I highly encourage a European vacation!

I don't own a vacation house but I do have friends that let me stay at theirs. I also plan to pick up an RV sometime in the next couple years and visit all the National Parks.

TAKE YOUR DANG VACATION GUYS! LIFE IS SHORT!

[gatordev]

After moving back to the mainland back in 2005, I would plan a week back out to Oahu every summer when I was single and/or when I started dating my now wife. I would stay on the Windward side (where I used to live) and generally avoid Waikiki. It was always fun to go back because there was a lot of the island that I missed and I knew a bunch of the local places that didn't have many tourists or local eateries and could get Kama'aina pricing.

I haven't been back in a few years and now I seem to take my vacation days and do chores. Riveting stuff.

[EO3]

As far as in the States, in the summer my family tries to make it up to Torch Lake, Michigan, about once a summer, if not more. It's a gorgeous lake and beautiful weather in the summertime.

[UWone77]

I guess I should have clarified.

I'm looking at domestic. Reason I asked if anyone had a vacation home is our family likes to get together at least yearly, and some like to repeatedly go to the same spot, also looking at possible rental potential for the rest of the year.

[FortTom]

Domestic? I like the FL Keys. It's got that islander flair, while still being in the USA, where you don't have to sweat what your getting off of the menu, is actually something you would want to eat. Best times are early and late summer. You can pick one Key to stay at, and just travel east and west and visit the rest, or just pick a Key and stay there. If you travel to the Key's a few times, you will probably pick up on the fact that each one is different in one way or the other, and it's not just one long chain of the same thing. To much recreational stuff to mention.

FT[:D]

[alamo5000]

If I had to plan a reasonable vacation for someone I would have to ask what kind of stuff they like to do or what kind of experience they want to have. It also depends on when you go. I personally like a lot of off season travel in a lot of places but it depends.

I can think of a bunch of cool places to fit almost any bill or budget.

Just overall, if you don't go to South Africa at some point in your life you are missing out. You can go for really cheap. Let's say for two people, with airfare, you could probably go two or three weeks for $3000 bucks all inclusive, particularly if you go at the right time of year and hunt down a cheap ticket. (Houston has direct flights--- going from the West Coast might be a little more).

Specifically fly into Capetown, rent a car and start driving the Garden Route. About half way maybe 6 hours or so up the coast (if you don't stop) there is this little town called "George". If you want you can keep on going to Jefferies Bay and just explore by car. The entire drive from Capetown over is like the Pacific Coast Highway meets Hawaii meets Africa. It's absolutely beautiful, extremely nice, and everyone speaks English. All along the way there are so many small towns, look out spots, and just all around amazing things to see. Wineries, golf courses, you name it.

If you're not really planning on getting in the ocean or don't want to fight the crowds go during our Spring or our Fall. The mornings there will be crisp but it will warm up to the mid 70's during the day and there won't be very many crowds. You can find bed and breakfast all along the way for not much at all during those times.

You can go see all the wild game you want, get in the enclosure with the lions, take an elephant safari, or go hang out and watch penguins on the beach. I would also definitely say go see the Cape of Good Hope. They have a pretty good restaurant there with some stellar views.

If you are into golf or wine you can sneak that in there too. The whole area there is 'effin awesome. It's easily in my top two or three places and a really easy place to get around. You can eat at any of the thousands of places there, get fast food if you want, or just go to the grocery store and get really awesome fresh stuff. I didn't even plan. I just went. Ended up staying for 3 months.

There is plenty of stuff to see in and around Capetown, but if you go on that little road trip, that 6 or 7 hour drive can turn into two or three weeks with no problem at all.

Anywhere you go though it's a good idea to network around with locals before you go. They can give you lots of good pointers. That kind of thing will make it even more fun.

[alamo5000]

I guess I should have clarified.

I'm looking at domestic. Reason I asked if anyone had a vacation home is our family likes to get together at least yearly, and some like to repeatedly go to the same spot, also looking at possible rental potential for the rest of the year.

I can hook you up with some good stuff in or around Lake Tahoe.

Also Southern Utah is nothing to overlook.

People also rant and rave great things about Lake Powell.

[fledge]

You have the San Juans in your backyard! One of the finest places to vacation in the country.

Otherwise, limit the search to areas where seasonal temps are enjoyable.

Ski mountain towns have a glut of large luxury home rentals in off seasons, like mid-Sept, with deep discounts. Yet most most summertime activities are still available that time of year, like hiking, boating, fishing, etc.

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Considered a vacation home... decided against. Looked into a time share... ran away fast.

Wife and I enjoy the Smoky Mountains. We visit a couple times a year. Usually spur-of-the-moment getaways rather than a planned vacation which generally don't go as planned anyway. Sometimes ride the bike if the weather is ideal. Rent a nice cabin and chill for a few days. We usually stay at the same cabin community, sometimes even get the same cabin as a previous stay. While not a "vacation home" the familiarity sometimes feels like it. Management told me that repeat customers is a considerable part their bookings. Some of the cabins are quite large. I know one is 8 bedroom and 4 1/2 baths so I guess family gatherings are popular.

Kids keep up busy bouncing between Nashville and Savannah. The wife has family in New York and mine in California. So after all that... we need a little Smoky Mountain R&R. ;)

[Joelski]

OBX baby.

The Outer Banks are loaded with contract homes, rented by the week. You can find things that fit just about any travel budget, and if you have a large family, or combine 3, 4, 5 families, they have bigass places to accommodate that as well. We did the annual family/friends gathering for a week in Nags Head and then tripped on down the coast some more to the Wilmington area and visited Carolina and Wrightsville beaches and wandered old town Wilmington and the U.S.S. North Carolina WW II Battleship.

Coastal NC is hot, but not near the miserable, soul-burning, all-day swampass hot of southern Gulf Coast Florida in the summer (And fall, and winter and spring) The best thing you can do is find a town that looks good and hit the beat. We found all kinds of hole-in-the-wall, legit seafood places, pubs and sights to see without ever touching a tourist guide. Our weekly cost for the house was $900 (we had 5 groups), and hotel cost the rest of the time totaled another $550, both booked in Feb. of the year for lowest pricing. I'm not supposed to be in the sun much anymore, so the main attraction for me is eating and finding the cool kid stuff, like battleships to go check out. It was a good time.

[KW900A]

A buddy of mine has a house in Kitty Hawk. It’s a 5 hour drive from me, we go out there a lot to fish. Typically we take a week and we will go down for half, then my wife and his wife will go. Everyone gets a break from the kiddos that way. We also will go down as a family at least once a year. My wife and I have kicked around the idea of buying a place there as well.

That’s the ‘usual’ vacationing. Me and some guys at work like to take a few days and burn up the Hatfield McCoy trails over in WVA.

[BoilerUp]

I guess I should have clarified.

I'm looking at domestic. Reason I asked if anyone had a vacation home is our family likes to get together at least yearly, and some like to repeatedly go to the same spot, also looking at possible rental potential for the rest of the year.

So, possible investment property in a location that is attractive enough for the extended family (e.g., decent options to keep various folks entertained)?

Sedona, AZ comes to mind. Maybe Moab, UT. Several places in CO worth considering.

Or are you looking for a VRBO type set up you can habitually go to? There is a little slice of heaven in Eastern WA that I rent for about a week each year I could point you to, but I don't think that is what you are looking for.

[KW900A]

I know 3 people with properties they use as rentals as well. They all really like the income once you get over the hump, also renting through a company removes a lot of the headache associated with dealing with various renters. I can’t speak for VRBO. But they all just block off times they want to go so the place isn’t available through the rental company. One piece of advice I learned recently is do your research on rental companies if you go that route. My friend I mentioned earlier was with one company for the first 2 years he owned it and was struggling to get it rented, even in peak season. He just switched companies for this year and by the beginning of April he was booked through Labor Day. At a higher rate even.

[UWone77]

So, possible investment property in a location that is attractive enough for the extended family (e.g., decent options to keep various folks entertained)?

Sedona, AZ comes to mind. Maybe Moab, UT. Several places in CO worth considering.

Or are you looking for a VRBO type set up you can habitually go to? There is a little slice of heaven in Eastern WA that I rent for about a week each year I could point you to, but I don't think that is what you are looking for.

For the longest time I really wanted some property in Okanagan County. Fast forward to today, I don't ever see myself retiring here, especially with the left wing politics and the direction the gun laws are likely going to go. I foresee a ban in 2019.

Our 10-13 year plan is to move to North Carolina, Ohio, or Tennessee most likely. Our money also stretches a lot more out there. We'd like to have a vacation home in 2-5 years so we can start coordinating out there.

So far, we've been considering Charleston, Hilton Head, Asheville, and some others for potential vacation homes, obviously some are more desirable than others.

[SINNER]

We have a condo in OC Maryland that’s about 2 hours from our main residence. It’s a tourist town for 100 days a year but I rarely go there during the touron season. Wife and kids are there endlessly during the summer including 3 weeks straight in July/August.

No rentals after 1 year of endless headaches renting it. Trusted friends and family occasionally but not often. If I’m not close enough to you to give you the place for free, then you aren’t staying there. It has increased in value 4 fold from what we originally paid so the insignificant gains from rental income is not worth it. Endless small damage that occurred and missing personal items completely ruined me on letting anyone stay in a place we use. If I wanted a property for rental income it would be one I never stayed in.

[UWone77]

We have a condo in OC Maryland that’s about 2 hours from our main residence. It’s a tourist town for 100 days a year but I rarely go there during the touron season. Wife and kids are there endlessly during the summer including 3 weeks straight in July/August.

No rentals after 1 year of endless headaches renting it. Trusted friends and family occasionally but not often. If I’m not close enough to you to give you the place for free, then you aren’t staying there. It has increased in value 4 fold from what we originally paid so the insignificant gains from rental income is not worth it. Endless small damage that occurred and missing personal items completely ruined me on letting anyone stay in a place we use. If I wanted a property for rental income it would be one I never stayed in.

So will you let me stay there for free? [:D]

I hear you. In general, I don't like dealing with renters. However, this place we stayed in Hilton Head, older house, well maintained. They kept furniture tasteful, but not expensive ( you could tell it was a rental ) But I figured they attracted higher quality guests. We paid $3800 for a week, so that alone probably keeps the rift raff out. However, I know people with some discretionary funds are still pigs.

[SINNER]

Yup. Let me know when. My closest friend lives 15 minutes from there on 2200 acres too...Fill the Gator with weapons and shoot all day.

Funny part is the single worst renters we had were for Fireman’s week. Broke the sliders and the dishwasher. Asshole fireman. Lol

[Joelski]

Yup. Let me know when. My closest friend lives 15 minutes from there on 2200 acres too...Fill the Gator with weapons and shoot all day.

Funny part is the single worst renters we had were for Fireman’s week. Broke the sliders and the dishwasher. Asshole fireman. Lol

Dude, if you don't want something broken, keep it well hidden from firemen. [:D]

Sanctioned demolition: Cutting a doorway sized hole, right next to .... a doorway! Yep. That's municipal fire service!

[Former11B]

Just out of curiosity, where do you guys all Vacation at?

Any of you have a vacation home?

Any locations you guys are particular in visiting frequently?

I look at a vacation slightly different than traveling. I look at a vacation is a week or so away from work and the daily grind to recharge. It can be a place that you go to frequently, or semi frequently. Like for me and my family, we only live about an hour and a half, two hours max away from the South Carolina coast. Generally one or more of the family members will rent a beach house, so we will make a big thing out of it with a lot of family members down there. It is a familiar environment, and in our case, it is an a very low-key area, not very touristy.

Then you have traveling. I look at this is going to new places, whether they are exotic, adventurous, or what have you. We try to do some traveling every other year, generally due to the length and cost of the trip. We have been fortunate enough to travel to Italy, to France, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and all over the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, & seeing famous things like Yellowstone, the Tetons, Acadia National Park, Glacier National, etc etc

I guess it depends on what you want out of your trip

[UWone77]

I look at a vacation slightly different than traveling. I look at a vacation is a week or so away from work and the daily grind to recharge. It can be a place that you go to frequently, or semi frequently. Like for me and my family, we only live about an hour and a half, two hours max away from the South Carolina coast. Generally one or more of the family members will rent a beach house, so we will make a big thing out of it with a lot of family members down there. It is a familiar environment, and in our case, it is an a very low-key area, not very touristy.

Then you have traveling. I look at this is going to new places, whether they are exotic, adventurous, or what have you. We try to do some traveling every other year, generally due to the length and cost of the trip. We have been fortunate enough to travel to Italy, to France, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and all over the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, & seeing famous things like Yellowstone, the Tetons, Acadia National Park, Glacier National, etc etc

I guess it depends on what you want out of your trip

This is why I specially put "vacation" you and I have similar definitions of vacations/travel.

Just looking for a spot to park my butt away from home and work for a week or two type of thing.

Most of our travelling will be put on hold until our little one gets a few years under his belt.

[KW900A]

If Charleston SC is on your list, check out seabrook island. It is basically a gated private community on an island. We are friends with a couple that has a place there. Very nice, quiet and private. Family friendly and maybe an hour south of Charleston. Annual expenses there can be a tad high, but if that exclusivity and privacy appeals to you, check it out.

[voodoo_man]

I do cruises, specifically with Holland America and specifically to the lower Caribbean islands (Aruba, etc). Not just best bang for buck, best of everything.

We also do various beaches but that's once or twice in the summer.

Really depends on what you want out of your vacation. If it's rest and relaxation without a care, you won't find anything better than a cruise.

[KW900A]

I do cruises, specifically with Holland America and specifically to the lower Caribbean islands (Aruba, etc). Not just best bang for buck, best of everything.

We also do various beaches but that's once or twice in the summer.

Really depends on what you want out of your vacation. If it's rest and relaxation without a care, you won't find anything better than a cruise.

My wife and I went on our first cruise for our honeymoon and quickly became addicted. When the girls were born in 2015 it put a quick halt to that, but we are planning to go on another one in a year or so. Hive not used holland America, but have heard good things.

[Jerry R]

Brenda and I did a Caribbean Cruise a few years ago. A lot of fun. We are planning an Alaska Cruise next year for our 50th Anniversary. I've heard from several that the Alaska cruise is definitely one of the best. Hope so.

[KW900A]

Brenda and I did a Caribbean Cruise a few years ago. A lot of fun. We are planning an Alaska Cruise next year for our 50th Anniversary. I've heard from several that the Alaska cruise is definitely one of the best. Hope so.

You and me both. Everyone I know that’s been on an Alaskan cruise has loved it. I hope to get a chance to do the same one day.

[voodoo_man]

We may do an Alaska cruise but we'd rather do a St. Petersburg cruise first. Maybe a 15 day north EU 'viking' type that they offer.

But yeah, cruises, do it.

And don't cheap out. We went with a
Holland America because of the level of service, it's a little more and definitely not a party type setup, but it's excellent for food and relaxation.

We are going again in November to southern Caribbean. Can't wait to gain fifteen pounds.

[KW900A]

Our first couple were carnival, then tried royal Caribbean. Definetly liked RC better, but we will be looking for less of a party boat next time. We did learn the massive ships aren’t always for us. Also want to take the girls on a Disney cruise when they are big enough.

My in laws take a riverboat cruise every year. I think they have seen most of Europe via water now. Also something I’d like to do. They use AMA waterways.

[Former11B]

If Charleston SC is on your list, check out seabrook island. It is basically a gated private community on an island. We are friends with a couple that has a place there. Very nice, quiet and private. Family friendly and maybe an hour south of Charleston. Annual expenses there can be a tad high, but if that exclusivity and privacy appeals to you, check it out.


Daufuskie island is south of Charleston and also very remote and relaxing. Travel by golf cart, see the school house from Pat Conroy’s book “The Water is Wide” (he wrote The great Santini and Lords of Discipline)

And by all means if any of you come to SC, let me know!! I grew up on the coast, I can help!

[gatordev]

I don't know how you guys enjoy Charleston. Every time I've been there, I've been devoured by the noseeums. Mosquitoes I can live with, but those little things are just vicious.

[KW900A]

I went in September quite a few years ago. Don’t remember bugs, but nothing will compare to the time that we rented a condo in chincoteague for a couple of days. Skeeters were miserable, thick in the air and everything. Only vacation where it was actually so bad we didn’t hardly go outside. Only about 2 hours in the day fit to fish. Otherwise it was a sprint back and forth from the car to the door.

[Former11B]

I don't know how you guys enjoy Charleston. Every time I've been there, I've been devoured by the noseeums. Mosquitoes I can live with, but those little things are just vicious.

They’re programmed to eat out of towners

[gatordev]

I went in September quite a few years ago. Don’t remember bugs, but nothing will compare to the time that we rented a condo in chincoteague for a couple of days...

I grew up on the Chesapeake. There are definitely some pockets where no one is safe.


They’re programmed to eat out of towners

Apparently! I also had a miserable experience anchored out on a boat at Hilton Head.

[Joelski]

Chesapeake is pretty in the fall. Less man eating bugs too. Did a lot of fishing down around NAS PAX.

[KW900A]

We have been getting renting a place in cape Charles for a week the last couple of years, it works really nice being on the bay side. with high tide giving you calm water maybe a foot deep for probably 30 yards out, it’s been great for getting the girls used to ‘big water’. OBX is a bit rough for toddlers.