Anonymous wrote:Falconry in Ireland
Jumping off a boat in Hawaii right as a pod of dolphins swam by
Holding and petting sting rays in grand cayman
Getting to Machu Picchu early and watching the fog lift around the llamas

Apparently it’s all about the animals for me!

Weird. Do sting rays actually want to be held and petted by humans?

One of my favorite things was taking my son to Harry Potter village at Universal in Orlando. He was the perfect age and a big fan of the books. We bought him the robe and the wand and he just had this smile of delight standing for a pic in front of Gringott's bank where the dragon was blowing fire. It really felt magical and I'm so glad we did it.

Helicopter ride in Kauai
Whale watching tour in Alaska and seeing one up close
Holding a Koala bear in Sydney
Seeing a lion with a huge mane up close in Kenya
The train ride to Grindelwald nd the lake - unforgetable.

Snorkeling with manta rays in Hawaii.

Witnessing the 2017 total solar eclipse out in the middle of nowhere. Like being on another planet.

Visiting Hadrian's Wall with our history-loving kids.
Staying in a BnB on a Norwegian fjord.

Kayaking the Bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico.

We were in the middle of the great migration in Tanzania and as far as you could see there was hundreds of thousands of zebra and wildebeest all moving in the same direction.

Cage diving with great whites in South Africa

Anonymous wrote:Went to Cap D'Adge as part of our honeymoon. I won't say what kind of trouble we got into.

Nudist colony?

A day of kayaking in Myrtle Beach that included a couple of hours of playing and swimming on sandbars off the coastline. It was the first time all my kids were old enough to do something like this and it was just a magically easy and wonderful day with no meltdowns, no caretaking, and lots of fun. Up until then family vacations really felt like a lot of work in place other than our home, but this was the first time we all just enjoyed the whole experience from start to finish.

Anonymous wrote:I was on a business trip to Buffalo, NY, and had an afternoon free. On a whim, I took an Uber to Niagara Falls and did the Maid of the Mist boat tour by myself. It was October or November. I got absolutely soaking wet and had to buy Niagara Falls cheesy clothes at a gift shop, but it was utterly exhilarating and such a fun way to break up a business trip and do something for myself, which I never do.

love this

Anonymous wrote:Did a group tour of that included camping in the Grand Canyon about 30 years ago. Instead of sleeping in the tent we slept on top of the tour van ( it had rails) it was so amazing falling asleep under the stars, beautiful and so peaceful. Dunno if I’d enjoy it now I’m 50 quite as much lol

Love this. In my wayward teens I hitchhiked to Yosemite and got there in the dark. We fell asleep on the ground in sleeping bags (no tent) and when I opened my eyes at dawn an amazing view of El Capitan appeared like magic.

Anonymous wrote:I was on a business trip to Buffalo, NY, and had an afternoon free. On a whim, I took an Uber to Niagara Falls and did the Maid of the Mist boat tour by myself. It was October or November. I got absolutely soaking wet and had to buy Niagara Falls cheesy clothes at a gift shop, but it was utterly exhilarating and such a fun way to break up a business trip and do something for myself, which I never do.

Ours was a family trip in 2021. Made of the Mist after all the stress and uncertainty was exactly what I needed. I love Niagara Falls and have revisited a couple times.

For me, the best thing is to look for private accommodation and not stay in hotels. In the cities, you're right in the middle of things and for my summer vacation, it has to be a private house with its own pool. I don't like the crowds in hotels. In private accommodation you are freer. You don't have to stick to meal times, you can still go to the pool in the middle of the night, you're not lying by the pool with hundreds of strangers,...
I prefer private accommodation, at least when I'm planning my trip.