I'm really into planning trips (and taking them!), and I love everything about the experience of going on vacation. Ever since I was a kid I was fortunate to have relatives in different parts of the country to visit, and when I was 19 I took my first trip abroad and got hooked on the experience. I keep going to Europe over and over again though I would like to see other parts of the world as well.

My next trip is to Germany from Dec. 26-Jan. 5. I'm meeting some British expat friends from Japan who will be home for the holidays in Berlin. Can't wait!

What are some of the best vacations and travel experiences you've had? What kind of traveler are you?

I'm an avid traveler, hubby & I love to travel & seek adventure, zip lining, rapeling, snorkeling, white water rafting, rock climbing, & sight seeing taking in & doing as much as we can. Soon we are heading to the Caribbean for 2 weeks later this month & next summer we are off to Ireland for several weeks. Ahhh vacations, I can't wait, they are the BEST! I love Hawaii been there numerous times, Alaska, St. Lucia, Aruba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Cancun, Bahamas, Vegas, Tahiti, etc.
On my bucket list is Australia/New Zealand
& sky diving somewhere! Enjoy Germany krampus!

Avid globe trotter here!


My traveling started in my childhood. My father is the CEO of a chemical engineering company that manufactures circuit boards for electronics. So the family did a lot of bouncing around between countries in Asia and countries in Europe. On average we only stayed rooted for about two years before packing up and moving to yet another location. When I became an adult and was on my own, the travel bug was still in my system and I take vacation trips about every year. Sometimes I go to Asia and sometimes I go to Europe. But I currently reside in the United States and I just love returning back "home" after a long relaxing getaway. There's just something about being able to chill out in your own living room and sleeping in your own bed!


This year come May, hubby and I will be going to Europe and sightseeing various countries. Not sure which stops we're going to take just yet but our tickets are already purchased and some of our hotel stays already reserved. It's going to be fantastic!

@evil- i am SOOOOO jealous! i got married in antigua over the summer and instantly fell in love with the caribbean! st lucia is next summer. also, so jealous about ireland! i WILL go there someday!

my travels haven't been extensive outside of the US... just mexico and antigua. i love reading about your travels, though. my husband and i have made it our goals to take a trip every summer

I have to say I'm jealous of those of you who grew up living all over the world! Pudgebrownie, that sounds like a fun trip to take! Where are you planning on going?

We normally go here and there within the UK. I got family in Liverpool and of course we'll be gallivanting around in London. But we really enjoy taking scenic routes, back roads, the path less traveled when we sight-see. Previous years we venture into neighbouring countries but I'm not sure if we'll do that this year. We'll only be out on holiday 2-3 weeks, which seems like a long time BUT time does fly when you're having fun..

I love traveling but right now, I'm trying to save as much money as possible so I think we will be sticking to local/US trips only for the next couple years.

I absolutely loved Greece and although we had some 'issues', Antarctica is amazing and we recently went to Belize which was great. And China was amazing partly because we were able to travel with people who knew the language.

For me, I like to visit the less touristy spots if possible, interact with locals, etc. Although there are a lot of things I'd like to see. We are also for the more active type trips. I don't want to go sit on a beach at some resort. Also don't put me on any tour bus or cruise ship! (although we had to do a ship for Antarctica but we got off as well)

I'd really like to go to Machu Picchu, Costa Rica, Italy (all over), Morocco, Spain, Turkey, Ireland, Viet Nam, Prague, etc. My list is long. It'll have to be a few years though before our next trip though.

I am like Nelie - I really love going to non-touristy spots...but unlike her, I also like cruises (mostly for the convenience factor...less work to plan, less stress if things go wrong, which makes the vacation more fun for me).

We're leaving in a little under a month to go on a 10th anniversary Caribbean cruise - two cities in Mexico, plus Honduras and Grand Cayman. Cannot, cannot wait. We're booked in spa class, so we'll have cushy beds and pillows and access to the saunas and lounge areas, and I fully intend to spend a LOT of my time reading on a heated ceramic lounger, sipping iced tea and watching the sea go by.

Last year we went with family to three places in Europe - Paris, Crete, and Santorini. Paris was too fast and big-city like for me, though I enjoyed looking at art. Crete was a true village experience, and probably my favorite part of the trip. Santorini was gorgeous and peaceful, and that was nice too.

Question for the frequent travelers - do you prefer to stay closer to home/take shorter trips that are more luxurious, or take longer trips that are more "roughing it"? A friend of mine chose, for her honeymoon, to stay in an inside cabin on a cruise so that they could get a longer trip and better destinations...my inclination is to get nicer food and accommodations, even if it means the trip is shorter or more local. Thoughts?

I personally rather 'rough it' somewhat. If I am visiting places, I'm not there to stay in the hotel, I'm there to visit the place. When we did our Antarctica cruise, we were only in our room when we slept.

The reason I don't really care for cruises is because you don't really get immersed in the culture which I enjoy. You are generally surrounded by a bunch of tourists It is a paradox to be a tourist but not to want to be around them. Also, I did a traditional cruise with a friend of mine many years ago where we went to key west and mexico. I love Mexico but the port we were in was heavily geared towards tourists because of the vast amount of cruise ships that stopped there and its not like I had enough time to really explore, get off the beaten path, etc.

So yeah, forget the luxury accommodations, I don't want them. I want the experiences, the sites, the smells, etc.

You have to make an effort on cruise ships to get away from the port if you want immersion. We never do the crazy "tours" from the cruise company - we just go exploring. It helps to get as far away from the port as possible - take a cab. All of our best cruise experiences were when we did that, instead of just keeping with the rest of the tourists. It's definitely possible if you make the effort.

My husband and I have been talking about taking a cruise for awhile now... but I'm not too sure. Honestly, the ocean's vastness and uncertain weather frightens the bejeezus out of me. Does the boat rock a lot, or is it fairly steady?

Also... I hate the idea of the scheduled meals. I'd like to have more freedom and lots of activities to choose from. How did you like it? Do you have any suggestions for trips to take?

I know what you are saying but still for me, its like 'i'm only here for one day!' and there always seems to be so much to do. My last trip to Belize, I was there for a week at the same place and I really loved it. I didn't feel it was too long, too short but felt a week was perfect.

I've never been the type to stay in one place for only one night although it has happened a couple times. I rather stay a few days, do a few different things then move on. I also like having a 'chill' day in a place I stay. Meaning, do tons of stuff for a couple days and then just have a casual strolling, shopping, etc day. It is nice.

I spent one month in Egypt at 21. It was great. Wish I had partied more but that's okay. Very cheap but a lot of fun. One of the best parts was flying from Vancouver, B.C. to London (then to Cairo) in the daytime. We flew over the arctic circle and it was incredible to see. I didn't realize how beautiful my own country was

The next few vacations will have to be more child-friendly. I would love to go to Japan (I wish I did when I was younger as I took 3 years of Japanese!), Greece, and France. I would also love to go to Australia for a few months when I'm much older (ie. kids out of the house!!)

You rarely feel the boat move significantly. They're so large that they moderate the motion really well. You notice when you get off land that you have "sea legs", but I never notice it on the boat.

I only cruise with lines that don't require you to have a scheduled mealtime. "Freestyle Cruising" is what they call it on Princess, other lines have different names, but essentially, it means that one or two of the dining rooms on the ship behave more like restaurants, and you just go, ask for a table for X people, and eat when you're ready.