Anonymous wrote:We’ve done Turks, DR, and Aruba the last 3 years during that week and I have to tell you- I’m over it. The resorts are too crowded, and we’re at high end places. It’s also such a premium price. I’d only do a whole house rental with chef from now on but this year we’re staying home.

I reached the same conclusion a few years back. I now enjoy staying home that week so much more. We travel about half as much as we used to (2 trips a year instead of 3-4) everything is just so crowded even at the high end places and prices have way outpaced inflation. And travelers are getting ruder and more entitled by the year.

My strategy is in July to just do a Google flight search from DC (all three airports search) to general areas…Caribbean, South America, Latin America, Europe (Spain and Italy can be mild), Africa…and search non-stop only and see what comes up and prices.

We always seem to find a place where the flights are relatively cheap compared to other places.

Went to Costa Rica and Curaçao the last two years…one year directly over XMas, the other 12/26-1/1.

Technically the US, but Puerto Rico!

Anonymous wrote:Go to Rio. Rio at NYE is a ball.

I was going to suggest Rio as well but there’s no nonstop. You could go to Sao Paolo nonstop though.

Go to Rio. Rio at NYE is a ball.

Anonymous wrote:We’ve done Turks, DR, and Aruba the last 3 years during that week and I have to tell you- I’m over it. The resorts are too crowded, and we’re at high end places. It’s also such a premium price. I’d only do a whole house rental with chef from now on but this year we’re staying home.

I'd like to buy a clue for $5,000

San Diego, Palm Springs and Joshua Tree.

We’ve done Turks, DR, and Aruba the last 3 years during that week and I have to tell you- I’m over it. The resorts are too crowded, and we’re at high end places. It’s also such a premium price. I’d only do a whole house rental with chef from now on but this year we’re staying home.