What's the best vacation you have ever had?

Top 3, in chronological order, because I enjoyed them all.

Costa Rica, visited volcanoes, rain forest, and the beach. I could go back and repeat the exact same itinerary and enjoy it just as much as the first time, but there’s way too much more to explore.

Alaska Cruise. Seeing the glaciers and mountains was spectacular.

Paris and Rome. Ok, technically I was working, but not many people get to say that on their first trip to Europe that they drove themselves. :) what made it extra special was that we spent 6 days in Paris, so I had my wife airline over to meet me.
 
Ryanb said:
Value wise, it’s pretty hard to beat a cruise. Lodging, food, entertainment, you name it, all in one.
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I've heard it said that it's a gilded cage -- that floats. :)
 
Did a bareboat charter in Greece May 2018. Me, wife, two other couples picked up a 43' 3 cabin sailboat in Laviron, Greece and had a week to sail ourselves around the Cyclades islands in the Mediterranean.

Typical schedule... leave around 9 AM, sail for 3 hours to the next island, lunch and a swim + explore in a less populated anchorage, tied up by 3pm at the marina in town. Take showers, have a couple boat drinks with the other cruisers and go out to dinner. Repeat
 

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Flying from Toledo to Jacksonville Florida in the Cherokee six. Me, my husband and friend. Family was getting married. I had my pilot certificate as did my husband. Neither of us wanted to give up controls but we did. Epic time. View of the mountains not many see. Yes we east coast people have mountains not as good as the Rockies but still nice.
 
Easy Three and a half weeks driving around Europe in 2001. Hit France, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Even managed to get a flight in with a friend in Belgium.
 
Ryanb said:
Value wise, it’s pretty hard to beat a cruise. Lodging, food, entertainment, you name it, all in one.
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As long as you don't mind hanging out in close proximity to 5000 of your closest friends. :sosp:

dell30rb said:
Did a bareboat charter in Greece May 2018. Me, wife, two other couples picked up a 43' 3 cabin sailboat in Laviron, Greece and had a week to sail ourselves around the Cyclades islands in the Mediterranean.

Typical schedule... leave around 9 AM, sail for 3 hours to the next island, lunch and a swim + explore in a less populated anchorage, tied up by 3pm at the marina in town. Take showers, have a couple boat drinks with the other cruisers and go out to dinner. Repeat
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Now you're TALKIN'! Captain of my own little cruise ship, hanging with close friends. I've done both BVIs and ST Martin, either is a blast. Boats, beaches, bars, booze, and babes. Hard to go wrong there!

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Bill Jennings said:
As long as you don't mind hanging out in close proximity to 5000 of your closest friends. :sosp:



Now you're TALKIN'! Captain of my own little cruise ship, hanging with close friends. I've done both BVIs and ST Martin, either is a blast. Boats, beaches, bars, booze, and babes. Hard to go wrong there!

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Does Mooney still make shirts? Too soon? :)
 
Golf in South Africa followed by 11 day safari in Tanzania (Tarangirie, Ngorogoro, Serengeti, Lake Manyara) in May 2019.
 
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Solo one-month motorcycle trip to Caniapiscau, QC. You've probably never heard of the Caniapiscau, but its billed as the loneliest road in North America. When I left, I spoke maybe 5 words in French, and by the time I was done I could carry a basic conversation.
 
Stateside.

Yellowstone, twice.

4 days on Martha's vineyard, with Walter Cronkite giving us the tour, to include the rebuilt bridge at Chappaquiddick.*

Foreign:
Spent a couple of weeks in Old Mexico back when I was 6 or so... Came back and couldn't speak English for two weeks.

*Walter was my godfather. He knew my pop better than my uncles did.
 
Stateside: Went on a fishing trip in Colorado with my father in law who is also one of my best friends. We fished McPhee reservoir in Cortez from which you never know what you'll pull out. Caught coconino salmon and cooked them on a grill. After a great day of fishing I called my wife and she told me that I had made E-6, which in ATC in the AF at the time was the most difficult rank to obtain.

Foreign: I have had numerous "vacations" sponsored by uncle sugar but the best was after I retired. I flew to Scotland to visit a friend of mine who as a former A-10 pilot was on exchange with the RAF flying Tornadoes. We, along with another AF pilot friend, did an extensive road trip visiting almost all the distilleries and castles in Northern Scotland - Braveheart country. I peed in Loc Ness.
 
Ryanb said:
Value wise, it’s pretty hard to beat a cruise. Lodging, food, entertainment, you name it, all in one.
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While I tend to agree as being all in one. Cruises are all about selling extras and tipping. It's obnoxious. Try an all inclusive resort like Iberostar in Mexico. You get your lodging, ALL offered food, ALL offered drinks, entertainment, and water sports. Heck we went to Sandals once and they even include water skiing and scuba! I know I'm anti cruise just couldn't see the value BUT what is good about a cruise is you see multiple places so that way you know where to go visit for a real vacation. Hahaha

Not to mention the last cruise I got off I became sick on the way home. Yuck. Now I will also say the night time dinners on a cruise ship are top notch...stay away from the buffet food it's nasty.
 
simtech said:
While I tend to agree as being all in one. Cruises are all about selling extras and tipping. It's obnoxious. Try an all inclusive resort like Iberostar in Mexico. You get your lodging, ALL offered food, ALL offered drinks, entertainment, and water sports. Heck we went to Sandals once and they even include water skiing and scuba! I know I'm anti cruise just couldn't see the value BUT what is good about a cruise is you see multiple places so that way you know where to go visit for a real vacation. Hahaha

Not to mention the last cruise I got off I became sick on the way home. Yuck. Now I will also say the night time dinners on a cruise ship are top notch...stay away from the buffet food it's nasty.
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Things have likely changed since I’ve been on one. The last cruise we took was probably 8-10 years ago for my parent’s anniversary. It was on one of the smaller Royal Caribbean ships, Majesty of the Seas IIRC, so I don’t remember the crowds being overbearing, but I’m sure that’s changed with these new massive ships that float several thousands of people. Haha.
 
simtech said:
what is good about a cruise is you see multiple places so that way you know where to go visit for a real vacation.
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My feeing about cruises is they can be enjoyable but the opportunity to visit several places with only unpacking once is a great way to see where you might spend a week or more for a better vacation.

Cheers
 
I’ve only been on 3 cruises. The most recent one was last February. I love them. We did a Royal Caribbean and there was so much to do. I like a mix of vacations. Sometimes I just want to lounge around on a beach and sometimes I want to get out and explore. We just came back from Dublin last month. Fantastic city and lots of cool sights.
 
No way to rank them, but here are some at the top of my mind:

- Any XC in an airplane (only 3 so far - I'm a new pilot)
- Hiking Southern Alps (South Island NZ)
- Carnival in Brazil
- Hiking NorCal Coast
- Every CYCRTM (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Yacht_Club_Race_to_Mackinac)
- Skiing Taos NM, Whistler BC, and Lenzerheide Switzerland
 
I spend two weeks a year and have for the last 20 years of so in the BVI, next trip in may with old military buddies that have never been on a Bareboat...that experience is something that cannot be described...I will leave them to fly home and then crew a boat north to NYC for a friend in the charter business around the first of June. I always say the best vacation is the one I am going on...actually leave tonight for London and talking the QM2 back to NYC next Tuesday out of Southampton and back just in time to take off for Thanksgiving...I keep thinking I still go to work but my employees tell me otherwise.
 
Dang. We've had some really nice vacations. Probably our two Alaska trip last summer (2018). We did one week on land that I put together and then a week on a south bound cruise to Vancouver. At Vancouver we then jumped in a car and drove to Seattle as my wife has always wanted to go to Seattle. Only bad part was not seeing even a sliver of Denali; low overcast and rain that day. :( The rest was fantastic. Got to watch an hour of whales bubble feeding. We even had sunny weather in Seattle for the weekend.

We got to the end of two weeks and were bummed we had to head back. Probably because we did that trip without the kids. :D
 
Ryanb said:
Things have likely changed since I’ve been on one. The last cruise we took was probably 8-10 years ago for my parent’s anniversary. It was on one of the smaller Royal Caribbean ships, Majesty of the Seas IIRC, so I don’t remember the crowds being overbearing, but I’m sure that’s changed with these new massive ships that float several thousands of people. Haha.
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Ill let you in on my my last and final cruise experience. This story isn't what made it my final but it didn't help.

On a carnival cruise ship somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, my wife and I are sitting on a divided up bench at the back of the ship. Its an adults only area that we liked to frequent as no kids are around. Well, this couple is sitting next to us and I had fallen as sleep. My wife wakes me up with a frantic knock to my arm and with a disgusted look on her face. I look to my left and this chic is picking nasty huge chunks of nasty thick crusty skin off her heal. When she go up I looked at the floor and there was, I kid you not, a PILE of her nasty crusty skin and even left a good bit on her seat! She had to be from Alabama as that is where we departed from. Was straight up nasty! I took a picture of it so Ill have to see if I can find. It was gross and the fact she just left the pile was beyond me. Ugh I feel sick now.
 
We just got back from the Seychelles celebrating our 20 year anniversary. What a gorgeous place.

I also enjoyed my flying vacation this year. Went to Florida for a week to get my tailwheel endorsement in a Cub and Stearman.

Honorable mentions:
Long weekend in The Hague. The Dutch people are so nice. Gouda cheese is awesome (btw, Americans says Gouda wrong). And windmills are fascinating.
Long weekend in Prague. I could live off of trdelniks.
Oregon - I wish I could live in Tillamook and eat fresh ice cream non-stop.
 
- South Africa (including Kruger)
- Australia (up and down the east coast)
- Any Caribbean vacation
- Gulf Shores/Pensacola are great with the kids

We're going to Cabo for Christmas and looking forward to it, should be fun.
 
simtech said:
I took a picture of it so Ill have to see if I can find. It was gross and the fact she just left the pile was beyond me.
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Spare me...;)

Yeah that’s disgusting. Most people don’t have any couth at all.
 
Lots of great trips here.
One not mentioned but another great one is Yellowstone in the winter after most all visitors have left. A few permits are issued to guides who take multi night guided snowmobile rides through the park. They stop just outside the park for hotels overnight.
 
Solo roadtrip I took post-deployment for which I bought an F250 and a truck camper and hit the road for what was supposed to be 8-10 weeks. Cut it short at 6 weeks to return to active duty orders. Total tally was something like 20 national parks west and north of Texas up to the Canadian border. In retrospect, should have held off on the orders and stayed out for the entire trip.

2nd best vacation was either of the 2nd or 3rd jet ski trips to Bimini from Miami. Looking forward to doing that one again soon.
 
FORANE said:
Lots of great trips here.
One not mentioned but another great one is Yellowstone in the winter after most all visitors have left. A few permits are issued to guides who take multi night guided snowmobile rides through the park. They stop just outside the park for hotels overnight.
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Oh I definitely need to look into that.
 
jordane93 said:
Moorea, French Polynesia. Next big vacation will be Seychelles pending my successful interview and her finishing the police academy

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THIS for the win!!!

I know how much these cost! It's a carp-ton. I really would LOVE to see this "in real life"! How many people have experienced this? Not many, I'd wager. It's on my bucket list.

For us; it's just Florida in the winter for a couple of weeks to get out of the frigidity that is Minnesota during the winter. It was 4 degrees F yesterday when I got up. It was November 12th! That is January cold in November. All of the ponds are frozen; and even the nearby Lake Waconia is somewhere just south of 50% frozen over as of this afternoon.

I digress; we are trying to stay somewhere different along both coasts of Florida every year. It's always great, no matter where we've gone.

This year it's Disney World (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios; we did Epcot last year "just to see"). Of course I have aggressive plans to conquer each park in a day. Wish me luck!
 
For those familiar with Barry Schiff of AOPA Pilot, I went on the Pilot's Tour of the Middle East he organized back in 1995, to Israel and Jordan. We had a group of about 50, all pilots or their companions, mostly American but several other nationalities represented. This featured not only all the usual touristy stuff, but amazing aviation activities. Most important was the group flight from Jerusalem to Amman. The was the first day in the existence of those two countries when any aircraft took off from one and landed in the other. This was the time of newfound peace, and those flights were prohibited until that day. A group of Jordanian pilots came to Israel first, and we met with the President. Then basically every general aviation aircraft in Israel--about 40--participated in a loose formation flight which took about two hours. We were greeted by King Hussein, who gave everyone a pen and pencil set which I still treasure. Had dinner with the prince, did some sightseeing, and we repeated the flight in the other direction the next day.

Everyone got to do other flights in Israel. I did one from Jerusalem to Masada in a 172, landing at the airport by the Dead Sea, elevation minus 1200 MSL, lowest in the world, and it was awfully hot.

This was the trip of a lifetime, and I doubt I'll ever beat it. Stayed in touch with some folks for a while. The Peace Flight,a s it was called, was commemorated in this video:

Jon
 
StevieTimes said:
THIS for the win!!!

I know how much these cost! It's a carp-ton. I really would LOVE to see this "in real life"! How many people have experienced this? Not many, I'd wager. It's on my bucket list.

For us; it's just Florida in the winter for a couple of weeks to get out of the frigidity that is Minnesota during the winter. It was 4 degrees F yesterday when I got up. It was November 12th! That is January cold in November. All of the ponds are frozen; and even the nearby Lake Waconia is somewhere just south of 50% frozen over as of this afternoon.

I digress; we are trying to stay somewhere different along both coasts of Florida every year. It's always great, no matter where we've gone.

This year it's Disney World (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios; we did Epcot last year "just to see"). Of course I have aggressive plans to conquer each park in a day. Wish me luck!
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Honestly for what you’re paying to go to Disney, Moorea probably isn’t that much more. It helps that I don’t have to pay for a plane ticket and I get a pretty good discount off of hotels and rental cars. If I didn’t have the travel benefits, there’s no way I’d be able to afford it!
 
simtech said:
Hiking to the bottom of the grand canyon and staying at the bright angel campground. The next day up to Indian gardens and the next day made it out.

We want to go back and do a rim to rim hike.

Of all the resorts and places we have been the grand canyon was just truly outstanding. We did not stay in a tent and slept under the stars. Waking up in the night to see the star lite sky was amazing!
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When I was 18-21 years old, I spent a bunch of time in the Grand Canyon and flew for Grand Canyon Airlines later. It has always been one of my favorite vacation spots. The day after I graduated from High School, I drove from California to the Grand Canyon with a buddy and stopped at some friends' house in Ridgecrest. We had no reservations or money, so we slept in my van and ate PB&J sammiches.

I remember that trip mostly because I hiked from the water's edge to the top of the Bright Angel train in one hour flat! Many years later, I took my wife and kids there to hike the trail again. We arrived late at night and woke up early to see the sunrise over the canyon. It was pretty awesome. My wife said "Yeah, so, big ditch!"
 
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1) racing motocross in the fire/police games in Boise ‘08/Reno 2010 with my dad. Getting to not only participate but to enjoy the camaraderie, and share it with him is something I’ll always remember.

2) attending the Reno Air Races in ‘17 and getting to see the world’s two fastest unlimited racers go at it for the entire gold race, possibly for the last time. Nothing like the sound and feeling of a Merlin at 120+ inches...
 
2007, Bellanca Viking hitting some national parks on way from w Texas to Vancouver Is
Advise if link fail. If you click on one photo you are offered a Slideshow (think ugh, lengthy home movies)
 
Hard to pick. I've done England, Oahu 4 times, the Big Island once, Cozumel, Playa Del Carmen, the Bahamas, St. Thomas, St. John (USVI), Tortola, St. Maarten, the Caymans, pretty much everywhere in FL, NYC, DC, Rockies, Smokies. We did an Eastern Caribbean Disney cruise the week of New Years and Oahu over the week of the 4th this year, and I loved both. Disney is a step above the other cruise lines. The benefit to Hawaii is that there is so much to do, and you can island hop and experience totally different climates and activities.
Pali Lookout, Oahu
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Bill Jennings said:
As long as you don't mind hanging out in close proximity to 5000 of your closest friends. :sosp:



Now you're TALKIN'! Captain of my own little cruise ship, hanging with close friends. I've done both BVIs and ST Martin, either is a blast. Boats, beaches, bars, booze, and babes. Hard to go wrong there!

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My wife's dream vacation!
 
mryan75 said:
The one I go on every year: Anguilla.

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Nice landing! Before I became a pilot, we did a commercial jump from St Maarten to St Barths. I was lucky enough to be chosen to sit right seat.

Our pilot landed and turned off at the exit, without having to back taxi! Of course, not being a pilot, while I loved the landing, I didn't have a clue about the level of skill required to accomplish it.

As we were walking across the ramp to the small "terminal," there were two old guys in rocking chairs.
"You come in on that flight?
"Yes."
"Best pilot in the Caribbean!"​
 
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