My sister recently did a river cruise in Europe. There were only 15 suites. They biked, played tennis and did sightseeing during the day, and sailed at night to different cities. They were able to visit cities without having to move from hotel to hotel.
3 Likes
I have always been firmly in the no cruises ever camp, but the European river cruises might be the exception.
2 Likes
…”making a list of which CC’ers I can vacation with, and which I cannot….”…. 
3 Likes
We like some vacations where we do a lot, and others where we just relax. We go to the Jersey Shire every fall…and that’s our relaxing trip. We have been on two other trips this year with lots more action…visiting museums, historic sites, seeing shows.
We like cruises too.
My husband is also an engineer, but he also can go with the flow…and relax.
We like all kinds of vacations and what we do depends on where we go. For European vacations I like doing lots of research ahead of time, figuring out where we’ll stay (typically 3 or 4 base camps over a 2 week period), things to do and places to go plus a few restaurant options. But I don’t plan our days unless there’s a popular site that requires advance reservations. Then we pretty much wing it when we get there so there’s room for spontaneity. We do a beach vaca every year where we basically are at the house or beach and maybe once we’ll head into town. And then a camping vaca which is all about hiking, kayaking, and hanging at our site.
Beach. Waves. Salt air. Good food. Family.
2 Likes
The river cruises are totally different. 190 people vs. 3000 people.
I enjoy travel in general but no camping (I am miserable without a regular bed, a bathroom and temperature control). I was very seasick on my one and only ocean cruise so I don’t think that’s for me. And while I enjoyed the ports on the cruise, I would have liked a bit more time to explore them in depth.
Traveling with my kids is great. They generally plan the trip and make sure it includes a lot of interesting things including an occasional “out of my comfort zone” activity. It’s always a good time. I enjoy walking, dining on local cuisine, museums, cultural sites, etc. I have no interest in shopping. Tours are better when it is just me and H as we are not as good at getting around on our own as our kids are. I don’t mind being in a group as long as we have some down time.
I do enjoy a beach trip, but not for every vacation.
1 Like
@deb922 I understand where your H is coming from. I don’t really need a lot of vacations and like being home. Not so much because my “stuff” is here, but because I can pursue my favorite activities, which are hiking and pickleball, on a daily basis. When we do take vacations they generally involve lots of hiking in the mountains with friends. I like to have a home base, preferably a decent hotel or air bnb, from which we can easily access multiple trails. Eat a simple breakfast, pack a lunch, and be on the trail all day. Return in the late afternoon, cocktails and hot tub, followed by a languorous dinner. Repeat. I haven’t gone on a pickleball vacation yet, but I hope to soon.
H also likes historical sites, museums, famous architecture. I get antsy and hate crowds. Neither of us are beach people. In fact, one of our family’s favorite quotes is Anakin Skywalker’s line in Attack of the Clones: “I don’t like sand. It’s course and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere.”
Not for me and mine but I’m glad other people like them.
I just remembered that we have friends (really better friends with my husband) that have an adventure travel company where they take a small group places like Machu Picchu, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the like. I asked my husband a few months ago if he’d ever want to go on one of the small group trips led by his friend and he gave me a resounding “Nope,” which was not surprising. So I’m sure he would not like river cruises either.
Planning is a pastime of mine, so once we pick a destination, I hit sites like Tripadvisor and destination-related “things to do” sites pretty hard. The result is that, long before we actually go on the trip, I have a pool of about 10-12 restaurants and another 10-12 activities (for a 1-week trip…) lined up. If I’m feeling especially punctilious, I’ll actually schedule all of them – scheduling the full week.
I understand that plans change, so the schedule ends up being more of a loose guide. I love the planning, and alllll the research and learning that go into it.
She does not want to know – she enjoys surprises. So I just kind of, while we’re on the trip, say, “So today, I’d really like to…” or “Wow, that restaurant looks awesome – wanna try it?” (I’ve read a hundred reviews, looked at a hundred photos, and half-memorized the menu…) and then just hope she agrees. lol
Here would be a sample plan / execution of plan, for giggles (but true):
9:00 – Breakfast // Slept till 10:00; missed breakfast, or just grabbed a piece of bread/fruit
10:00 – Beach 1 // Arrived at Beach 1 about 11:00, an hour late
12:00 – Lunch // Got bored with the beach by about 11:45… a little hot and tired… and ate. Almost back on schedule.
1:00 – Art gallery // Bumped into a shop on the way to the art gallery, and wasted some money.
2:00 – Beach 2 // We do go to the art gallery, but about 2:00 - 3:00.
4:00 – drink/nap // We make it to Beach 2 about 3:15, and stay until like 5:00. I’m snorkeling and she is napping on the beach. I am fried.
6:00 – dinner at House of Food // My skin hurts. We’re back at the hotel about 5:30, and have a drink. An hour later, after 2-3 drinks, my pain is ebbing a bit. So we head to House of Food about 6:30.
8:00 – Dancing at La Boom // We get home from dinner about 8:00, turn on the TV, have a nightcap, and fall asleep watching TV.
lol
I do something kind of like this but I don’t schedule much. I view it more like a menu. You obviously can’t eat everything on a restaurant’s menu in one meal, but you just pick the dish that looks the best to you that day and your whole group doesn’t all have to get the same thing or you might decide to share dishes or dessert. I view my trip menus like that. We might not all do the same things or we might share activities. Usually we do end up sharing most activities but it kind of depends on the travel. If we are with our grown kids often my husband and I will do one thing and they will do another. We don’t try to do everything on the menu and just pick what looks good that day ( might be weather dependent or mood dependent or something else), remembering that we might come back another time and check out other offerings.
2 Likes
I’m still dreading my 6-day trip to Savannah with my dad and sister in July. Good grief.
We mix it up between visiting family, friends and being on our own. When we are on our own and it is somewhere unfamiliar, we will look at smaller tours. If it is somewhere where we have been before, we usually plan our own sightseeing. I like historic stuff – I can wander around the Roman forum, Pompey, the Louvre, all day. DW likes more scenic hikes, which I also enjoy, but at some point, mountain and trees begin to look the same. I want a destination to hike to, can be natural or man made. We did an Alaska cruise with my parents several years ago and I was pleasantly surprised.
Wondering why?
The heat? Traveling with an elderly person? Different ideas of vacation style?
These things are so interesting to me. The why’s of what appeals or doesn’t appeal to you in a vacation.
Six days in Savannah seems like… a long visit? Add in the summer heat and humidity and I can understand the dread.
Here’s to hoping it will be better than you think. 
2 Likes
Make time to go out to Tybee Island and catch some ocean breezes. I really liked Savannah when we visited.
2 Likes
I hate hot weather. I get a bad headache and am generally miserable in it. The thought of leaving Maine at the best time of year for hot, humid weather is depressing. But I want to see my dad and this is the time he and my sister could make it, so I’m stuck.
2 Likes
Thanks for the recommendation! Dad is asking for ideas.
We will travel around the area, not stay in Savannah the whole time.
1 Like
I like wandering around, especially in residential neighborhoods to get a feel for how people live their everyday lives.
Never liked the beach or sitting by a pool. Always thought it was boring to just lay around in the sun.
1 Like