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

[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.