Tell me about your EASY spring break trip

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:San Antonio was easy for us. However, I really think the deciding factors are not the location per se but the dynamics of the people and being realistic about what everyone can handle.

That includes adults getting along or not, children getting along or not, how flexible each person is, bedtimes and how changing them affects your actual kids (not how you think they "should" be affected or how you want things to work but what is actually true for your kids, which may vary by age, personality, etc.), wake-up times and changing those affects everyone, how much money you're spending if that's a source of stress if you think anything wrong is wasting money, how well everyone functions in cars/planes, and on and on.

Do you need more rules or fewer rules for things to go better? Strict bedtimes or leniency? Packed and time-sensitive itinerary or flexibility? More or less down time? More rooms/beds/privacy? Opportunities to split up if someone doesn't want to do an activity? Being realistic about all these things without any judgement is what has really made our trips much better and "easier."

To OP: I just saw your update about heath issues (I'm very sorry) so most of this may not apply to what you're looking for, especially since we walked all over San Antonio! But hopefully having realistic expectations and knowing you don't have to fit any one script to have a good trip will help you in thinking it over.

[Anonymous]

We went to the Florida Keys.
We flew Saturday afternoon so we were not up late packing and no one was grumpy from waking up at 5am.
We took an Uber to the airport so there were no hassles with parking or shuttles.
We had a direct flight and we let our kids watch a movie on the plane.
Each family member brought 1 carryon size suitcase.
We drove 90 min from the airport to our destination.
We booked a 2 bedroom condo on VBRO and ate groceries for most meals.
The condo had a nice pool and game room.
We didn’t book anything in advance and it was no big deal to get snorkel, glass bottom boat, and kayak tours arranged once we were there.
We brought our own snorkel gear and visited 3 state parks and 2 local parks - all with beaches.
The kids asked to have a “lazy day” at the condo pool and grill out for dinner the last day. Since we were in a condo, I washed our clothes and packed them clean to come home so I didn’t come home to a mountain of laundry.

It was very chill. The earliest we had to be anywhere was a 10am appointment to pick up kayaks and that was only 5 min away from the condo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:San Antonio was easy for us. However, I really think the deciding factors are not the location per se but the dynamics of the people and being realistic about what everyone can handle.

That includes adults getting along or not, children getting along or not, how flexible each person is, bedtimes and how changing them affects your actual kids (not how you think they "should" be affected or how you want things to work but what is actually true for your kids, which may vary by age, personality, etc.), wake-up times and changing those affects everyone, how much money you're spending if that's a source of stress if you think anything wrong is wasting money, how well everyone functions in cars/planes, and on and on.

Do you need more rules or fewer rules for things to go better? Strict bedtimes or leniency? Packed and time-sensitive itinerary or flexibility? More or less down time? More rooms/beds/privacy? Opportunities to split up if someone doesn't want to do an activity? Being realistic about all these things without any judgement is what has really made our trips much better and "easier."

To OP: I just saw your update about heath issues (I'm very sorry) so most of this may not apply to what you're looking for, especially since we walked all over San Antonio! But hopefully having realistic expectations and knowing you don't have to fit any one script to have a good trip will help you in thinking it over.

This may not be what you are looking for either, but I found a direct flight to Atlanta, taxi from the airport to Embassy Suites by Centennial Park to be very easy and great for kids because there is so much to do right there. Playgrounds, children's museum, very nice aquarium, World of Coke, pool at the hotel, college football hall of fame, splash pad depending on the season, carriage ride, ferris wheel. The person with health issues could probably get wheelchairs or scooters at the museums if needed, but I'm not sure. You can also take the streetcar to MLK stuff, but there will be homeless people on it.

[Anonymous]

Easies rent a beach house oceanfront in the outer banks, drive there and go to the grocery store. DONE!!!

[Anonymous]

Direct to puerto rico. Stay at a nice hotel with a good pool and beach/pool bar restaurant. We didnt rent a car, packed in carryons only. Buffet breakfast, lunch at the beach, walk to local dinner spots. Kids were in the pool or ocean for 10 hrs a day and loved it.

[Anonymous]

This was a few years ago, but our easiest spring break trip was to Atlanta. Short flight, great aquarium, good food, couple Braves games, easy and relaxing.

[Anonymous]

I wrote about my trip to the Keys, but these things are universal -
Direct flight
Take a cab / Uber to the airport
Fly at times that work for your family
Minimize the amount of things you need on vacation. I took 1 sundress and the rest was swim suits, rash guards, and running shorts.
Stay in an AirB&B / VBRO and get groceries- assuming groceries are close.
Put your kids in a different room from you so you can talk to your spouse and stay up later than the kids.
Get a place with a pool if the weather is nice. Let the kids swim after dinner so they fall asleep easily.
Eat simply - yogurt, cereal, sandwiches. This mom doesn’t cook on vacation. I may scramble eggs once or make a quesadilla for a kid to eat in the car.
Eat breakfast at home and pack lunches and snacks.
Go somewhere where most of the activities are free or low cost national/state/local parks within an hour drive.
Minimize the number of times you have to be on time for a tour or dinner reservation so you can let the kids sleep in or stop by something fun you weren’t planning to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was a few years ago, but our easiest spring break trip was to Atlanta. Short flight, great aquarium, good food, couple Braves games, easy and relaxing.

I'm the other Atlanta poster above. Bonus that it's cheaper to fly there than most other places, so it feels like there's less need for it to be perfect. Not as much $ at stake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:San Antonio was easy for us. However, I really think the deciding factors are not the location per se but the dynamics of the people and being realistic about what everyone can handle.

That includes adults getting along or not, children getting along or not, how flexible each person is, bedtimes and how changing them affects your actual kids (not how you think they "should" be affected or how you want things to work but what is actually true for your kids, which may vary by age, personality, etc.), wake-up times and changing those affects everyone, how much money you're spending if that's a source of stress if you think anything wrong is wasting money, how well everyone functions in cars/planes, and on and on.

Do you need more rules or fewer rules for things to go better? Strict bedtimes or leniency? Packed and time-sensitive itinerary or flexibility? More or less down time? More rooms/beds/privacy? Opportunities to split up if someone doesn't want to do an activity? Being realistic about all these things without any judgement is what has really made our trips much better and "easier."

To OP: I just saw your update about heath issues (I'm very sorry) so most of this may not apply to what you're looking for, especially since we walked all over San Antonio! But hopefully having realistic expectations and knowing you don't have to fit any one script to have a good trip will help you in thinking it over.

Thank you, PP. I’m now able to walk, and hopefully by next spring break will be stronger. I’m also now able to swim, which is generally helping me get stronger. I’ll keep San Antonio in mind, sounds great! Maybe for a little ways beyond next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was a few years ago, but our easiest spring break trip was to Atlanta. Short flight, great aquarium, good food, couple Braves games, easy and relaxing.

I'm the other Atlanta poster above. Bonus that it's cheaper to fly there than most other places, so it feels like there's less need for it to be perfect. Not as much $ at stake.

Me again. I forgot about the Puppetry Museum because we did not have a car on our latest trip, but that's really nice also. Half Jim Henson and half history of puppetry and you may be able to see a show. I don't remember exactly where it is, but I think you'd need a car/Uber if you stay at Embassy Suites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Direct to puerto rico. Stay at a nice hotel with a good pool and beach/pool bar restaurant. We didnt rent a car, packed in carryons only. Buffet breakfast, lunch at the beach, walk to local dinner spots. Kids were in the pool or ocean for 10 hrs a day and loved it.

This sounds delightful and easy indeed! Which hotel in Puerto Rico?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drove to Williamsburg and stayed at one of the "resorts" around that area that offer a few amenities. Got the springtime pass for Colonial Williamsburg / Busch Gardens for ~$125 per person that allows unlimited visits to either place for a week. Bounced back and forth between attractions, swam in a pool, played mini golf. Very cheap and really low key. We could do as much or as little as we wanted and had a short trip home.

We do almost the exact same thing at least once a year, sometimes for winter break and sometimes in the spring, and it’s just such an easy place to do as little or as much as you want. You can rent a timeshare condo through the hotel booking sites at a good rate and that gets you amenities like pools and miniature golf on site. As my kids get older, I keep expecting them to outgrow it, but if anything they find more to enjoy.

Can you and the other poster say more about what your family enjoys doing in Williamsburg? People keep suggesting it for an easy trip, but I don’t see the appeal yet. I don’t have fantastic memories of Colonial Williamsburg as a kid (as in, I didn’t love it), which is probably coloring my view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drove to Williamsburg and stayed at one of the "resorts" around that area that offer a few amenities. Got the springtime pass for Colonial Williamsburg / Busch Gardens for ~$125 per person that allows unlimited visits to either place for a week. Bounced back and forth between attractions, swam in a pool, played mini golf. Very cheap and really low key. We could do as much or as little as we wanted and had a short trip home.

We do almost the exact same thing at least once a year, sometimes for winter break and sometimes in the spring, and it’s just such an easy place to do as little or as much as you want. You can rent a timeshare condo through the hotel booking sites at a good rate and that gets you amenities like pools and miniature golf on site. As my kids get older, I keep expecting them to outgrow it, but if anything they find more to enjoy.

Can you and the other poster say more about what your family enjoys doing in Williamsburg? People keep suggesting it for an easy trip, but I don’t see the appeal yet. I don’t have fantastic memories of Colonial Williamsburg as a kid (as in, I didn’t love it), which is probably coloring my view.

Like the other PP, we stayed at one of those timeshare resort condos that we booked for cheap on Airbnb. The resort had a pool, arcade room, mini golf, and planned activities (e.g. the kids went off and did tie dye while we were in the bar). We did two partial days at Colonial Williamsburg. We just did a little each day and then spent the rest of the day visiting shops in Williamsburg or hanging at the resort. We did two days at Busch Gardens and stayed 5-6 hours each day. Went on a ghost tour one night.

Maybe my kids are easily impressed, but it’s what they want to do for every vacation (they’re 7 & 9). Makes me wonder why we spend so much to go to fancy places instead of an easy local spot.

[Anonymous]

All-inclusive in Mexico. Short direct flight, no cooking or cleaning or laundry. Pools, beaches etc right there - no internal travel.

[Anonymous]

For us it means a direct flight to Florida, a condo rental on the beach with access to a pool. Everyone has their own space and can mostly keep to their same sleep schedule.

We've done this in Sanibel, St. Augustine, Anna Maria Island, and Longboat Key. All were great and everyone came home relaxed and rested.

When we've done more active spring vacations and/or changed time zones, I've regretted it.