Travel destinations

[GeneralZed]

This year it will be my job to plan a trip with my family in summer, but unfortunately I have no idea where to go and what to do there. My personal wish is to go to an island in the caribean and lie down on the beach. The rest of my family wants to go somewhere and get the car and visit places. So I thought of going to the USA, but the towns are very stereotype and me and my sister are now old enough not to go to disney land. Now I ask you guys, what place would you recommend to go in the USA? And what about outside the USA? And what is your favorite destination?

 

[The Fjonis]

oops, sorry, double post. Ignore

 

[The Fjonis]

You seem to be in the classical situation - the kids want to relax / remain stationary, and the grown ups want to travel and see things. Not always easy to combine, especially if you don't have all that much time on your hands. You could settle with a compromise, though - perhaps travelling around a bit for a while, taking plenty of long stops (staying in the same place for a day or so) and then settling down in a nice place for the rest of the time. Personally, I think it quickly gets boring to stay at the same place all the time, and I love going around and seeing how the natives live - you know, get away from the most crowded tourist places and seek out "the real thing". But that's just me, I guess.

You have the upper hand now, though - you can plan a trip the way you want it, and then use your Incredible Convincing Skillzorz to make them accept what you want.

 

[Whomp]

I would presume you want warm weather which is the southern states.
Florida has great weather but personally I would consider the west coast.

I think you can hit Arizona with Sedona, Scottsdale, Canyon Ranch Spa in Tucson even Guaymas, Mexico (Baja of Mexico) which is 4-5 hours from Phoenix/Scottsdale and has great beaches (they filmed the movie Catch-22 on these beaches) and plenty of great seafood.
San Diego (incredible weather and beaches) is a 5 hour drive from Tucson. Rosarita, Mexico is 2 more hours from San Diego and you can even consider Cabo san Lucas, Mexico (but fly there).
Las Vegas is 4-5 hours from Phoenix. You get to cross the Hoover Dam (Grand Canyon is close) as well.
In Utah, Zion National Park is beautiful.
This is the most scenic part of the United States IMO.

 

[Whomp]

Aha. Now I see you'll be here this summer. Hmm...avoid Arizona and Florida. Really hot and really hot and humid.

One of my favorite places during the summer is along the Michigan shore. South Haven and Sleeping Bear Dunes are great places for the family.
http://www.nps.gov/slbe/
http://www.southhaven.org/

Boston and Cape Cod are probably my two favorite places during the summer.
New Yorkers and Philadelphians head to the Jersey shore or Hamptons on the weekends.

In Chicago, summers are a blast as everyone busts out. Festivals, beaches, baseball games (even if you don't understand the game Wrigley Field is a gas and lots and lots of girls).
http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/
Calendar of events
Neighborhood Festivals
Milwaukee has Summerfest in late June-early July and there is music for all tastes.
http://summerfest.com/home.php I will be at Tom Petty and The Black Crowes July 1st!

San Franciso is a really neat city with lots of cool places close by to visit.
Although I've never been to Charleston, SC I've heard it's a great place to visit.
Montana sounds pretty cool but I've never been there either.

 

[Timko]

A couple of years ago I went with my girlfriend to Rhodes town (on the island of Rhodes) in Greece. Great weather so half the days we relaxed by the pool/sea, and the other days we went sightseeing. Some nice walks, nice places to see, nice boat trip, nice food. Good stuff.

Edit: The flight would certainly be quicker/cheaper too.

 

[Grisu]

It depends whether you like hot weather or not. Most people would advise against South-Wester-US in summer. I went there in August and I loved it (but then I like heat and hate cold, so it suited me just fine).

Another great destination would be San Francisco which is a great City to visit, and there you'll have no problems with heat

If you're not totally fixed on the US maybe Canada would be a nice alternative. I have personally only visited B.C. and I loved it (though the mountains might remind you a bit too much of home, just without a restaurant on every hilltop )

Or maybe Mexico? You'd be able to do both, lie on the beach and explore the surrounding area...

 

[WickedSmurf]

I am yet to leave Europe, but the places I've been to here which I can recommend are Rome, Greece and Portugal. All depending on what it is you want to do of course.

 

[Steve Thompson]

If you're from Switzerland, you might like northwest Montana and Glacier Nat'l Park? If you want something totally different, there's California and Florida. Don't go to places like Alabama or Kansas or Detroit, unless you want the worst possible experience America has to offer... California and Florida have lots of beaches as well as lots of other places to visit like the Everglades and Sierra Nevada mountains. Don't go to Los Angeles, it sucks, San Diego is better.

Of course, if you live in Switzerland, you could easilu travel to other Euro countries and have a great time! Why the hell fly across the pond?

 

[GeneralZed]

Thanks for the tipps, dudes! I'll see if I plan a travel to south west of the USA and somehow go to Mexico.

I want to go to the USA, because it's been a looong time ago since I was last time there, when I was or something, and thats quite 10 years ago :-/. I went to Las Vegas but couldnt play and to the Disney Land. But some weeks ago I watched a tv show about the USA and Mexico. I quite thought it was a nice place, because it's damn different from Siwtzerland here and I want to see something new. Nevertheless, I still will talk to my family accepts my suggestion, if they want to go far far away or to stay in Europe. Stay tuned for more infos

 

[WildFire]

Go to Nags Head, North Carolina. Beautiful beaches, great people and great food. Plus, within like 100 miles there is a lot of stuff you can do, including wave runners, para sailing and ATVing ;D

 

[Drewcifer]

North America still has large areas of primeval wilderness. The two I know best are the Adirondack State Park in Upstate New York and the Boundry Waters National Park/Quetico Provincial Park on opposite sides of the Minnesota/Ontario border. They are wonderful places. Don't let the word "park" fool you, they are all the size of a small country. Quetico is literally on the edge of civilization.

Avoid Gary, Indiana; it is the worst place in the US.

 

[stormbind]

Because I'm terribly boring, the best places I ever visited were ancient relics - like Roman towns in England - because they make me think through the eyes of ancestors which is interesting and can be romantic. As a result, ancient civilisations rate highly on my list of target destinations but I prefer places that are still lived in; not museums.

I would also love to try island-hopping

 

[Riesstiu IV]

Avoid Gary, Indiana; it is the worst place in the US.

Listen to Drewcifer. The entire city looks like some dystopian bombed out industrial center from a fiction novel. Also it smells terrible, even if your just passing through. But if one ever go by the city make sure to see the large sign from the west (entering Gary) on Interstate 90 - "The Gary Sewage treatment district welcomes you”.

 

[Steve Thompson]

Wildfire made a pretty good suggestion: Nags Head, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Not as crowded as some beaches in Florida, but I haven't been there a while now...

 

[Damnyankee]

This year it will be my job to plan a trip with my family in summer, but unfortunately I have no idea where to go and what to do there. My personal wish is to go to an island in the caribean and lie down on the beach. The rest of my family wants to go somewhere and get the car and visit places. So I thought of going to the USA, but the towns are very stereotype and me and my sister are now old enough not to go to disney land. Now I ask you guys, what place would you recommend to go in the USA? And what about outside the USA? And what is your favorite destination?

Nova Scotia, take a four day cruise up there. A lot of fun activites, I had a ball.

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

Bangkok. It's cheap, and the mass transit is good.

 

[ManOfMiracles]

The Lake Erie islands on the north side of Ohio are a nice place to go in the summer. South Bass Island has a party reputation. Kelley's Island is much quieter and very beautiful. Both have wineries. If there are younger ones in your family who still want to do the amusement park thing, Cedar Point (home of some excellent roller coasters) is just a few miles away in Sandusky. It is also a short trip over to Cleveland (Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, pro sports, big-name entertainment, theatre) from the islands. You can also easily reach Blossom Music Center (summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra and outdoor rock concert venue) and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park which is one of the most-visited national parks in the US.