Spring Break - Hawaii or..... ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this what passes for well traveled in Florida? If so, I’m surprised. Every kid we know in the DMV has been to far more places than OP’s family.

These types of passive aggressive condescending responses always crack me up. Never change, DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Being relatively sure of upgrades makes the long-a$$ flight situation bearable.

I'd highly recommend the Big Island. Specifically: night snorkel/dive with rays, general snorkeling, Volcanoes nat'l park (you can stay there), hiking, and star gazing at the observatory at Mauna Kea on a night where they have a program going on (take very warm coats, it's cold as heck up there), a luau (yes, touristy, but also fun). We loved staying at the Mauna Lani. Great snorkeling right off of their beach and petroglyphs on property.

[Anonymous]

Big Island, Iceland, Finland, or Chile (Atacama or Patagonia).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this what passes for well traveled in Florida? If so, I’m surprised. Every kid we know in the DMV has been to far more places than OP’s family.

These types of passive aggressive condescending responses always crack me up. Never change, DCUM.

PP here. What? It’s just the truth. No offense intended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this what passes for well traveled in Florida? If so, I’m surprised. Every kid we know in the DMV has been to far more places than OP’s family.

These types of passive aggressive condescending responses always crack me up. Never change, DCUM.

PP here. What? It’s just the truth. No offense intended.

She says, wide eyed and innocent!

Lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since covid, we've been living large on travel. Doing 2 or 3 international trips each year, to pretty cool locations. We're in the whole "life is short, we both work insane hours, DS is going to college soon and is the kind of kid who is never coming home again, so why not just have fun" stage. DH and I did a lot of travel before DS was born, and now we're enjoying showing him the world. It's by far my favorite thing we do.

Spring break is in mid-march. DS is 14 and loves travel, loves to eat new food, has unending energy to walk, and is just generally a good sport about whatever we're doing.

We live in a beach town, so aren't interested in a beach or "relaxing" trip. We've been to Europe several times with DS, and Europe weather is not great during March. So I think Europe is mostly off the table for this particular trip. South America is also off the table for us. And I think Oceania is too far for just a week (though Australia is one of my favorite places ever).

We've done a bunch of big cities in Europe. We did South Africa (safari and Cape Town - my favorite trip). We've done a bunch in Canada, and taken him to Japan - which he adored. Just to give a flavor of how and where we like to travel.

We've had a bunch of friends rave about their trips to Hawaii. A few years ago, Hawaii was on DS's short list for a long time. So I was assuming we'd go to Hawaii this year. But it feels like none of us are super excited about it now. It seems very expensive, far to get to, and maybe pretty touristy? But I just don't know that much about it. I've been assured that the best parts are not a beach/relaxing place, but are active and outdoorsy.

I should add that DH travels so much for work, that we can typically get upgraded to first class - which makes a lot of these distant locations more viable (and a lot cheaper!!)

So where else should we go that's not continental US, probably not Europe (unless somewhere with good weather), not South America? Or is Hawaii really that amazing that we should do it?

First world problems, I know!

Yeah, COVID has definitely made exotic and international travel significantly more affordable and attainable to the middle class. Glad you’ve been able to finally taste a flavor of the finer life, OP, though everything in travel has been substantially downgraded as a result of COVID. Today’s Four Seasons is like yesterday’s Holiday Inn. It’s a wonderfully delicious parallel to the COVID-induced degradation of the stock market. Reddit-reading, robinhood-wielding retail investors that have dirtied the entire investment landscape.

In any case, I digress; if you cannot afford to make it all the way to Australia or New Zealand for spring break (fantastic fall weather there, so you’re really missing out), Hawaii is a great compromise. DH and I have been 40+ times and to every island. Would recommend the Big Island right now, especially with an adventurous teen. Incidentally, we took our DS to Morocco last spring break and it was very well received. Spent time in Marrakech, Casablanca, Fez, and Rabat. Weather was lovely. If beaches are a must, consider Tenerife or Seychelles.

This is a weird comment. I did not get the impression that OP was "middle class". They were traveling a lot before their DS was born, and doing 2-3 international trips a year now. That doesn't sound MC.

OP seems like a quantity over quality personality. Married to a road warrior FF miler who probably books countless trips and unnecessary flight connections to maintain elite status in order to fuel seemingly luxurious personal travel. Been to Europe (probably backpacking it), Canada, Japan and other easy destinations where it is very possible to experience on a shoestring budget but nowhere to any place that is consistently expensive (e.g., Hawaii, Bora Bora, Antarctica, Maldives, etc….). Plus, nowhere on the planet is too far to travel for just one week. That’s MC thinking for sure…flying coach, lots of connections, checking bags, dirtbag hotels, can’t overcome language barriers.

DH and I are flying business class to Singapore in January from D.C. Leave D.C. on a Tuesday morning, arriving in SIN on Thursday evening (25 hour flight / 1 stop). We stay for 5 nights and leave Tuesday morning, arriving at IAD on Tuesday evening (22 hour flight / 1 stop). How is five nights anywhere somehow too short? Jet lag isn’t even a thing when you have a lie flat seat for 16 hours and arrive in the evening and can go right to the hotel and sleep. Then we still have four full days for plenty of fun.

OP isn’t the jet-setter she makes herself out to be.

I know I said no SA, but Galapagos is intriguing. I will look into that. I talked to Dh last night about this thread and Hawaii and I think we both agree we’re not that excited by it. Iceland is on our list, but we want to go in summer, not cold season same with the ideas for places like Norway. Portugal and Spain could be okay, though they have not been our favorite places to travel, but maybe they need another look from us. Not Mexico - have been to a lot of Mexico and do not enjoy. I’m interested by Morocco. Dh has been a couple times but I’ve never been.

This is always so hard every year!

Ghana is the obvious choice. Spring break marks the tail end of the dry season, the country is relatively safe, some direct flights to Accra from the US, and Lake Volta is an experience not to be missed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this what passes for well traveled in Florida? If so, I’m surprised. Every kid we know in the DMV has been to far more places than OP’s family.

These types of passive aggressive condescending responses always crack me up. Never change, DCUM.

PP here. What? It’s just the truth. No offense intended.

It’s not representative of kids in the DMV. You just live in an UMC bubble.