Vacation destination ideas?

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sandraladeda

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Hi folks. Hubby and I would like to book a trip at Christmas break to travel somewhere with our 3 children - 17, 15 and 12. We went to Australia 5 years ago and had a very memorable travel experience. We have done several hot resort vacations, like different areas of Mexico, and that is not what we are looking for.

Hubby and I have different ideas of travel. I am more cautious than hubby, and worry about things like safe water, safe travel, etc. He thinks I worry too much. Hubby travelled extensively as a young man, and of course did not worry about his safety too much - he was young, single, a big, well-built young man. I think travelling with your wife and children is different, and we need to take health and safety into account.

I am also deeply Catholic, and wish to travel somewhere that we can be sure of honoring the birth of our Lord at Christmas.

We are thinkng perhaps we can travel to a South American country, where we may have a good chance of finding Catholic churches along the way.

I am hoping for some advice on a good destination that will satisfy my husband’s desire for a bit of adventure and culture, while meeting my need for health, safety and honoring Christ at Christmas.

Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks!
 
 
If you want to go to a South American country but worry a lot about safety and food and water, the only countries that I could recommend would be Chile or Costa Rica (not really South American.) Maybe Argentina, although they’ve had their share of problems lately.
 
**You are ell within your rights to consider health and safety for a family vacation! Especially if you still take into account your husband’s sense of adventure. I sure hope he does realize that traveling with a wife and minor children is nowhere near the same as traveling as a young man:rolleyes:

I have not traveled anywhere other than our honeymoon to Florida so I can’t be much practical help. But I do have a few ideas/questions…

Are you determined to go somewhere warm?

Is cost a huge issue?

Have you been anywhere other than Australia/Mexico already?

What about talking to local travel agencies. The agents themselves often travel a lot and may be able to offer some good suggestions, especially when they realize you are thinking outside of the box and that they can get creative. I am sure they tire of booking trip after trip to Hawaii and Disneyland, lol. You would be performing an act of mercy by talking with them:D

I know I can definitely recommend AGAINST the island of St. Lucia, based on a family member’s experience. I know I can tell you that Canada is a beautiful country with lots of options, but cold in winter…

What about Europe? I know you can see a lot in a short time because of it’s size and train system.

Have you considered staying within the US? Lots to see and do…you’d never run out of options.**
 
I would recommend both Ecuador and Bolivia. I spent 3 1/2 months in Quito, Ecuador in 2004 and 3 weeks in Copacabana, Bolivia in 2007. Both were wonderful experiences with no problems. 👍

Quito has some wonderful old Catholic Churches (too bad I wasn’t Catholic when I went), the equator is just north of it, there is a high altitude rain forest also to the north, horseback riding on the mountains, and some great museums. I LOVED my time there.

In Bolivia I spent some time in La Paz as well as Copacabana. La Paz is a great big city fairly similar to Quito, museums, churches, that kind of stuff. Copacabana is a small town on Lake Titicaca. It is the most beautiful lake I’ve EVER seen, incredibly blue!(the water in my sig) There is a Catholic Church with the Virgin of Copacabana and a really nice hike up a hill with the Stations of the Cross and a view of the town and the lake at the top.

Traveling in either place is pretty safe, as much as any big city is. The main problems are pickpockets, so you keep a close eye on your belongings, but that is really it. Let me know if you want more detailed info on either one. 😃
 
Thanks for the replies.

ack - We went to Costa Rica 3 years ago at Easter, loved it!

Feanaro’s Wife - you live in my home town! I am just south of you in Calgary! Thanks for your support of my motherly need for safe travel! Honestly, my hubby would be happy to rent motorcycles and camp across the countryside, eating anything offered, no questions. He is impervious to fear of crime, natural disaster or food poisoning. When we travelled in Costa Rica, he had to rent a car and drive us over these awful roads up to Monte Verde - we were all desperately car sick by the time we got there (he is definitely the husband I need to get me to heaven!!)

KarenElissa - I am going to take a look at Ecuador and Bolivia right away. Thanks for the tip.

I have the number of a travel agent some friends used for a Peruvian trip a few years back. I am going to give them a call after I do a bit of research.
 
If you’re interested in overseas, I would suggest Italy or France or Spain – all very Catholic countries. I was on a Med. cruise several years ago and attended a mass in Marseilles, France. Knew exactly what was being said without knowing what was being said:D
 
sandraladeda said:
Feanaro’s Wife - you live in my home town! I am just south of you in Calgary! Thanks for your support of my motherly need for safe travel! Honestly, my hubby would be happy to rent motorcycles and camp across the countryside, eating anything offered, no questions.
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**Well, if I’d have known that then it would go without saying that you want to go somewhere WARM for Christmas. lol.

As for your hubby, in a few more years (unless you are blessed with another child) you and him can take vacations with just the two of you. You can opt for a little more adventure then!!! Just tell him to hold out until it’s just the two of you:D
**
 
i got to put in the self plug and say Texas.

maybe the kids are getting interested in college? well we have many you could walk around.

theres no need to worry about finding Churches.

the weather is quite bearable.

the history? the alamo, san jancinto, washington on the brazos

parks/forests? dont even get me started

random places? bluebell, breweries(usually very clean and have great museums), luckenbach, 6flags, moody gardens

scenary? beaches, piney forests, the hill country, desert, mountains, rivers, lakes, islands, plains(staked and regular)

museums/artsy stuff? houston and dallas are loaded zoos too
 
sandraladeda said:
Hi folks. Hubby and I would like to book a trip at Christmas break to travel somewhere with our 3 children - 17, 15 and 12. We went to Australia 5 years ago and had a very memorable travel experience. We have done several hot resort vacations, like different areas of Mexico, and that is not what we are looking for.
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Great to hear that you don’t want to go to a resort. BORING!!! How long do you have? Depends on what kind of weather you want. Have you considered Spain and/or Portugal? My wife and I drove around spain (down from Northern Europe) a while back. We drove all over the country and were in mountains, in the desert, on the coast…fantastic art, food… history… ah… one of my all time best holidays… Australia is great…especially melbourne!!!
 
Well, we did it! We booked our trip. Our destination? Peru!! We were looking at going to Argentina and Chile as well, but the cost was getting a little crazy! We’ll be in Cuzco for Christmas, and “Church” is on our itinerary 🙂
 
How about New Hampshire, almost always has a white Christmas and two great Catholic churches. Skying is always available and beautiful scenery. If you’re in Charlestown, NH St. Catherine of Sienna is a great little church.
 
Cliff_Jumper said:
How about New Hampshire, almost always has a white Christmas and two great Catholic churches. Skying is always available and beautiful scenery. If you’re in Charlestown, NH St. Catherine of Sienna is a great little church.
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hey, I live in Alberta Canada, I have had my share of white Chistmases!! 🙂 And I can see the Canadian Rockies from mt house, lots of great skiing an hour away! 👍

Actually, I prefer a white Christmas. But because Christmas is a good time for us to get our kids away for 2+ weeks, we are going to forego the white Christmas this year…

Mostly I will miss my relatives. I remember being in Australia 5 years ago at Christmas, and we were so homesick for family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!! Playing soccer on the beach seeemed a little strange for Christmas Day! But it was fun being in Sydney Harbor for New Years Eve!!
 
This may not meet your criteria but it is a bargain. Icelandic Air is offering roundtrip tickets to Iceland (from Boston and NY) including three nights in the Hilton for only $530.00. This is because of the cratering of the Krona, their currency. (Iceland’s main bank actually posted on their ATMs and web site that they apologized for any inconvenience but they would not be accepting any deposits or withdrawals until further notice! No kidding!! I pray that this is not our fate). The country is desperate for foreign currency. A meal that might have cost $100 is now going for under $20, says the New York Times.
 
my brother and his family love Costa Rica as a family destination, have been several times, and are now considering retirement there.
 
Rome at Christmas, I cannot imagine anything more beautiful, except Bethlehem.
 
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