Hot Summer Days Are Here Again.. What are your vacation plans?

[MostHeather]

It was a long cold winter, but the hot hot hot days of summer are here again. Just thought I'd start a conversation and see if anyone has any terrific vacation plans in the coming months?
I'm looking forward to a couple of road trips myself. How about you?

[vangogh]

Vacation? What's that? I've heard this mysterious word vacation, but never believed it to be true.

My only planned vacation (or time off from working) in the next few months is when family will be visiting in late August. Nothing planned otherwise, though I could easily decide to go somewhere for a few days or a week if I find business slow. I'm more likely to just take a few extended weekends though without traveling too far. Road trips are always fun and the best road trips are the ones that happen somewhat spontaneously.

[tylerhutchinson]

Work, work work....... Nothing planned unfortunately. We had plans for a family vacation to the coast for a week, but decided to postpone. That week passed and what is normally great weather here (california) was raining and cold still. Hopefully if time permits we cna get it back on the books for end of summer.

How about you?

[tuitionsource]

Planned: Road trip from DFW to Daytona Beach. Stay a few days and then travel up the east coast to DC. Spend a few days there and back to DFW. Total trip about 3 weeks.

Now I am reading about gangs, violence, and riots on east coast beaches. What the heck is that all about? Do I need to change my plans?

[Spider]

Every day is a vacation! Play with the dogs my wife has to groom, visit SBF and see what I can stir up! Prepare my next Toastmaster speech. All this and big blue Texas skies.

Don't you just love life?!

[MostHeather]

VanGogh.. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! Even a weekend getaway qualifies as a "vacation". That's all we're planning on doing - one or two tank trips - a couple of times while driving weather is good.
TuitionSource.. That sounds like a long trip, but a great chance to see the country. I heard there was some violence in South Beach over the weekend, but not sure exactly what it was related to.. also caught wind that the Florida beaches have been awash with jellyfish, which would be a downer for an afternoon at the beach..

[vangogh]

I do take time away from work. I tend not to go on week long vacations in the summer though. I take time off around Thanksgiving every year. In the summer I enjoy Colorado.

[billbenson]

My first career of 22 years was pretty much 100% travel nationally and internationally. Going on a trip by air or car and staying in a hotel and I feel like I'm at work. Although the upside is I know the places I would like to go back to or visit if I did take a mobile vacation.

[KristineS]

Going to try and go to my favorite place in the Upper Peninsula for a long weekend. Had it planned last year and it didn't happen, so I hope it works out this year.

[AaronConway]

For seven years I haven't taken a vacation because I owned a retail store in a tourist town. Now that I no longer have the store and pretty much work a 9-5 job, every weekend is like a mini-vacation. I have promised my wife that we would take a couple long weekends and head to the beach (Maine coast). We won't plan them until the week we go to guarantee good weather. I haven't waited this long to take a vacation and have it rain on us the whole time.

Aaron

[greenoak]

none for me....we go to florida for 2 or 3 weeks in the winter..... here we have a lake cottage a few miles away... so have some nice times there...i would like a week sabbatical at home....

[Dan Furman]

we're doing a staycation this summer, because we put in a new deck / pool / hot tub. We might sneak down to Atlantic City for two days in the middle of it, though.

We also always do a fall cruise.

[MostHeather]

So there's actually a lot of great summer plans going on. That's fabulous!
Greenoak, you're lucky to have a lake cottage - we had one in our family and some of the best childhood summer memories were made there. I don't think I'd swim in the lake anymore, though. ;)
Kristine, I heard the Upper Peninsula is a great place to visit - I've always wanted to visit Mackinaw (sp?) Island, have you ever been?
Dan, Looks like the party is in your backyard, you lucky dog! What's your favorite thing to do in AC?

[Blessed]

We just got back from a whirlwind trip to Portland, OR and northern CA. My baby sister got married at Multnomah Falls on May 21st - that is a beautiful place. While in Portland we took an evening to visit Powell's Books - if you love books you owe it to yourself to go there someday - 68,000+ square feet of new and used books it was incredible (Kristine - I think you'd love it!) Then we drove to my parents in Santa Rosa, CA - did the Redwood forest thing, drove through a tree, went to Fantasy Junction in Berkeley/Oakland (Huggy - you'd like that place!) and drooled over a vintage Bentley and a few convertibles, I had fun driving my Dad's new-to-him Jaguar convertible (XKR?), we visited the Charles Schulz museum and met a blogger in Sacramento whose blog I've followed for a long time.

It was fun, now I feel broke! Hopefully we'll be able to do a weekend in Branson, MO this summer too. Otherwise we'll be staying around here. We're trying to get our house on the market and will be house-shopping soon.

[Patrysha]

No plans to go anywhere this summer. But we have tons of things to do here. There is river just down the street from my house and a beautiful waterslide within five minutes walk that they've just added a splash park too, plus the free bowling all summer, plus the free concert to end it off (though I'm not thrilled with the main act they brought out of mothballs this year...

Next summer will be a different story, but for this year I'll be putting in my final days at the day job to cover vacations for everyone else. My goal is to be able to quit the day job by the end of September whether hubby finds employment or not...which pretty much means my spare moments this summer will be working on the business to get there...

[huggytree]

going to South Dakota with the family in a couple of weeks.....we've been taking fancy Disney trips for 3 years in a row and the last one just got out of hand financially...i finally decided to take a 'basic' family road trip this year...ill be bored, but it will even out last years trip.....

i just e-mailed all my customers to let them know

i will be taking my phone with me and i may answer some calls during the day...i will mostly return calls at night...

i always try to pick a slow time, but the problem is every year that window changes....looks like when i return ill be buried again for a few weeks...i typically never book up more than 1 week in advance, but im already booked for after my trip......ill have to blow off all small service calls and work weekends to catch up...

i love 95 percent of being a 1 man company....but when it comes to vacations it just sucks...i make a good amount of money, but cant spend it because i lack the free time....

[KristineS]

Kristine, I heard the Upper Peninsula is a great place to visit - I've always wanted to visit Mackinaw (sp?) Island, have you ever been?


I've been to Mackinac Island a few times. It's a great place, I highly recommend it. Especially if you like fudge!

[KristineS]

We just got back from a whirlwind trip to Portland, OR and northern CA. My baby sister got married at Multnomah Falls on May 21st - that is a beautiful place. While in Portland we took an evening to visit Powell's Books - if you love books you owe it to yourself to go there someday - 68,000+ square feet of new and used books it was incredible (Kristine - I think you'd love it!) Then we drove to my parents in Santa Rosa, CA - did the Redwood forest thing, drove through a tree, went to Fantasy Junction in Berkeley/Oakland (Huggy - you'd like that place!) and drooled over a vintage Bentley and a few convertibles, I had fun driving my Dad's new-to-him Jaguar convertible (XKR?), we visited the Charles Schulz museum and met a blogger in Sacramento whose blog I've followed for a long time.

It was fun, now I feel broke! Hopefully we'll be able to do a weekend in Branson, MO this summer too. Otherwise we'll be staying around here. We're trying to get our house on the market and will be house-shopping soon.

So which sister got married?

Also, a 68,000+ square foot bookstore? You KNOW I'd love it. You'd probably never be able to get me to leave.

[Blessed]

So which sister got married?

My youngest sister - at 22 she knows everything... we'll give her a year or so of being married and see if that's changed any :) She married a Marine currently stationed in Hawaii and I know the first few days "home" weren't at all what she had pictured! Ah well, he's a nice guy and they seem to really care about each other.


Also, a 68,000+ square foot bookstore? You KNOW I'd love it. You'd probably never be able to get me to leave.

Tell me about it - the ONLY reason my other two sisters (the still un-married ones) were able to pull me out of there was because of a hot last minute job for a good long-time client that I had to get done, oh that and the store was closing for the night :)

[Dan Furman]

Dan, Looks like the party is in your backyard, you lucky dog! What's your favorite thing to do in AC?

Not a huge AC fan, but my family wants to go, so we'll all go for two days. I do like walking the boardwalk, and while I'm not much of a gambler, I can think of worse ways to spend an evening than playing some let it ride poker with glass of scotch (or three).

[Nicole Hurley]

Mexico in a week from tomorrow!! We are going to Cozemel, Playa Del Carmen, and Cancun... I can't wait to spend some quality time with my siblings and dad. We are spread through out the country now, and it will be so nice to all get together for a relaxing time. I know... I know... I'll be careful :)

[billbenson]

Love Cozumel (or at least had a great vacation there years ago). Wanted to go to Isla Mujeres (probably just for the name). Have fun. Its a pretty part of the world.

[MostHeather]

@ Blessed - That sounds like a fabulous time. Congrats on the new addition to your family. (Also, I'm new to the forum, so it's nice to *meet* you!)

@Patrysha - Enjoying the place where you live is always nice. We're lucky to have a lot of Metroparks with walking/hiking paths, picnic areas, and open spaces. They often offer educational programs and events like Farmer's markets and things like that. Also, the Zoo here is part of Parks system. Also, the lakefront is nice.

@huggytree - Enjoy your time away with your family. Will you be making multiple stops or staying at one place?

@KristineS - I will take your recommendation to heart and seriously try and make it there. I've been to Frankenmuth before and found their candies to be delish, so you Michigan folks know how to make your sweets!

@Dan Furman - Keep a positive attitude and maybe you can leave richer than you came. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. :)

@Nicole - Be safe and have fun.. and be safe!

[jamesray50]

I'm a beach lover and haven't been to the beach in at least 15 years. I'm going to Panama City Beach, Fl with my oldest daughter and son-in-law and their three children the 1st week of July. I am so excited. The day we get back to the city they live in, my youngest daughter will have a cesarean section. She lives in the same city as my oldest daughter. It's only 6 hours from me. I'll come home the day after the baby is born, her husband will stay home with her for a week. When he goes back to work I'll go and stay with her for a week.

My parents have been living with me for almost a year now. They are in their mid 80's and need help with daily activities. So I do all the cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, bill paying, running errands, listening to complaints about how I didn't do something right, etc. Although I love them dearly and I am glad that I can take care of them, I am really forward to the time off.