What type of vacations do you hate, that others enjoy?

[2bagger22]

Rum Point is a good place. Drive through the island is ok but enjoy the long drive around it seeing the island and water. Wish I was there.

We stay on East End, so not a terrible drive to Rum Point. I stayed with friends on 7 Mile a few years ago and they had no interest in exploring my favorite places on the East side.

We had an incredible day today, threading the fine line with five kids under six and had a great dinner. All-timer.

 

[the24fan]

Anything Disney related.
Overpriced traffic jams at the rides.
Overpriced crap food
Wall to wall people
Just a complete money pit
Problem is...too many people everywhere decent. Makes it miserable for me who hates big crowds.

 

[Thunderlips71]

I like to get away from people. My favorite vacations are the ones that are in a secluded area where I can just drink, fish, cook and relax. Nobody around.

^^^This^^^ Once again, McLovin nails it.

I don’t like people, and people don’t like me. The masses are asses. Getting away from them is bliss.

 

[Tenacious E]

My view on all inclusive is definitely influenced by the Carnival Cruise I took 25 years ago. Yikes.

Perhaps I am not giving the ultra luxury ones a fair shake.

I guess my take is if you went to Beaches Negril in Jamaica and didn’t enjoy yourself, you are almost impossible to please.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

I plan on cycling across the United States in a 2027.

IMO the ultimate vacation.

 

[lucas80]

Unfortunately, I have been to both Branson and Pigeon Forge.

This. I have two former co-workers who love Branson. Every vacation is to Branson. 3-4 weeks per year. WTF can you do there? One guy golfs, so at least he has an outdoor activity. The other guy would come back and complain about how humid it was there and tell us he spent most of the time watching TV in his time share.
Vegas is a close second. It’s fine once, but repeat trips are a hard pass.

 

[KFsdisciple]

I am not one with nature… not a fan of camping ⛺️ in the wilderness. I like to explore and see new places but I’m spoiled I want a bed and air conditioning at the end of the day.

 

[3boysmom]

My view on all inclusive is definitely influenced by the Carnival Cruise I took 25 years ago. Yikes.

Perhaps I am not giving the ultra luxury ones a fair shake.

Good god. Carnival is the worst. A 3 or 4 day Carnival is like an Oasis property in Cancun. Spring break with a bunch of unsupervised 18 year olds.
Honestly, all inclusive is great for the right people in the right destination. There are options that will fit almost anything you want to do. But quite frankly if you’re going to one of the more affluent islands they likely aren’t the best choice. Mostly because they don’t have many if any and they are so expensive that they aren’t worth it. Kind of like traveling Christmas week. You’re going to pay double to triple the cost for no better experience.

 

[hydro2.0]

^^^This^^^ Once again, McLovin nails it.

I don’t like people, and people don’t like me. The masses are asses. Getting away from them is bliss.

In laws own a cabin in northern Minnesota. Lake front. Favorite place I’ve been try and get up there 2-3 times a year.

Fish
Beer
Quiet

 

[The Tradition]

Random non-political topic.... What types of vacations do you hate, that others seem to enjoy?

Currently in the Caribbean at a beach resort. I can't stand it. So damned boring. I'm good for about 3 days here. I can do one beach day, one fishing day, and on snorkeling/dive day. After that I get tried of the sweat, sand, and suntan lotion. I can roll around in the dirt and spray myself down with the hose and get the same effect during Midwest summers.

What say you HROT?

Big cities.

 

[ICWestfan]

I took my first cruise about 10 years ago. It was definitely my last cruise as well. The only thing I enjoyed were the port excursions/day trips.

I also loathe over planned vacations with too many to do items on the itinerary. You want to see me rage? Turn my vacation into a bataan death march then sit back and enjoy.

Our SIL is very itinerary oriented when going on vacation. They once planned a trip to Washington DC and they showed us the binder with their plans. It was down to the minute on places to go, things to see, when to eat, when to pee, and it was for the 5 days they would be there. The day they arrived is the day Reagan passed, and for the most part everything was closed/shut down. They did attend the funeral procession so there is that. We just wondered what it did to the SIL psyche.

Last year we spent 2 weeks in April going between Tybee Island/Savanah, Augusta, and Frankfurt, Ky bourbon trail. It was a lot of driving, but it was a great time. This year we did a week at an A-I in Riviera Maya. It was a great time, but I'm about done doing that.

 

[Hawki97]

I plan on cycling across the United States in a 2027.

IMO the ultimate vacation.

I need to get off my ass and get this done. Have your route planned yet?

 

[goldmom]

Good god. Carnival is the worst. A 3 or 4 day Carnival is like an Oasis property in Cancun. Spring break with a bunch of unsupervised 18 year olds.
Honestly, all inclusive is great for the right people in the right destination. There are options that will fit almost anything you want to do. But quite frankly if you’re going to one of the more affluent islands they likely aren’t the best choice. Mostly because they don’t have many if any and they are so expensive that they aren’t worth it. Kind of like traveling Christmas week. You’re going to pay double to triple the cost for no better experience.

I’ve seen videos of the fights breaking out on Carnival BEFORE the ship has cleared shore. But that’s only on the eastern US departures. People have said the Alaska cruise on Carnival is absolutely fine, but the demographics and the cost of an Alaskan cruise makes the crowd different.
I’m doing a ten day Mediterranean cruise this spring on Royal Caribbean and I’m just hoping it’s going to be okay.

 

[RicoSuave102954]

This. I have two former co-workers who love Branson. Every vacation is to Branson. 3-4 weeks per year. WTF can you do there? One guy golfs, so at least he has an outdoor activity. The other guy would come back and complain about how humid it was there and tell us he spent most of the time watching TV in his time share.
Vegas is a close second. It’s fine once, but repeat trips are a hard pass.

I love that area basically because we take the boat and a couple of jet ski's and then rent a VRBO with pool, hot tub, etc. Maybe play golf a couple of days and hit a couple of shows. Never once watched TV during a stay there.

Also love Turks & Caicos, Aruba, Fla, Yellowstone, DC, Oregon Coastline.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

I need to get off my ass and get this done. Have your route planned yet?

Somewhat. Combination of transamerican trail. Parks Peaks Prairies trail. And maybe bike non stop trail.

Pittsburg to Washington, D.C. can be done all on trail that use to be an old canal.

Leave Oregon in June and maybe hook up with Ragbrai and stop at home for a week in Iowa. Leaving around then gives you a good chance of mingling with other riders.

Mat Ryder cycled across the country and documented it all on YouTube using a combo of these routes.

I have made a lot of notes over the years. 60 days of biking. Hell you won’t even know what month it is after a while. That’s what I call a vacation. Nothing will matter. No place to be, no expectations, no responsibilities, no timetable. No nothing.

 

[Hawki97]

Somewhat. Combination of transamerican trail. Parks Peaks Prairies trail. And maybe bike non stop trail.

Pittsburg to Washington, D.C. can be done all on trail that use to be an old canal.

Leave Oregon in June and maybe hook up with Ragbrai and stop at home for a week in Iowa. Leaving around then gives you a good chance of mingling with other riders.

Mat Ryder cycled across the country and documented it all on YouTube using a combo of these routes.

I have made a lot of notes over the years. 60 days of biking. Hell you won’t even know what month it is after a while. That’s what I call a vacation. Nothing will matter. No place to be, no expectations, no responsibilities, no timetable. No nothing.

Very similar to how I’ve considered doing it. My thought is to start in OR on TransAmerican, divert to parks and prairies, cut through Iowa on RAGBRAI, rejoin TransAmerican to VA. Would be a blast.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

Very similar to how I’ve considered doing it. My thought is to start in OR on TransAmerican, divert to parks and prairies, cut through Iowa on RAGBRAI, rejoin TransAmerican to VA. Would be a blast.

I would love to roll by devils tower and Mount Rushmore. Traffic will be the determining factor. All routes go through Yellowstone, decision times seems to be after that.

 

[Hans81]

I hate camping.

I’ve been on a cruise and been to an all-inclusive, and I would rather not do either again.

Really surprised nobody has specifically said “Vegas”.

Now that you mention it, I’ve never been to Vegas, but wouldn’t mind going there once. Heard there are some good shows and could also visit Hoover Dam. Thoughts from others who visit the Vegas area?

 

[Thunderlips71]

My wife's family has a pretty rustic home on a lake in Maine. I actually enjoy going there. The lake is beautiful, and it's a cool break from the summer heat. The great part is Mrs Radley and her sisters have a routine that goes back to childhood, so they occupy themselves all day long. When the kids were little, they were also be occupied with all the other kids.

So I am left alone to sit in the shade, drink beer, and shoot shit with the other men. Swim or canoe from time to time. Sit around the fire pit at night. Occasionally we might all go on a hike or take kayaks down a river.

One night each year we cook lobster. Because it's a huge family it's generally around 20 or 30 lobster, and the elders cook them in giant vats outside. We've been going their for 35 years, and just last year - a cousin my age and I took over lobster duties because the others have passed away. I assume one day my son and his cousins will take over.

That sounds heavenly

 

[fsu1jreed]

I’ve only been on one vacation I hated, and that was an August trip to Kentucky lake. I didn’t plan it, I just hated it. Everything about I hated, except the double decker boat with a water slide we rented one afternoon.

Which lake?

 

[Tom Paris]

All inclusive anything (resort, cruise, etc). You pay a ton for watered down booze, mediocre food and fatties who run for thirds at the buffet. Give me a more expensive, more bespoke vacation any day.

I don’t care if that makes me a snob.

We loved the inclusive Scenic Danube river cruise. Mostly because on those ships there’s only around 200 passengers. Great food. If we had done the 2 week cruise I would have needed rehab after all the wine and alcohol I drank.

I will do another of those but have no desire to go on a giant cruise ship.

 

[stanzithemanzi12]

Ski vacations where the people literally want to ski 4 days in a row from lift open to lift close.

I don’t mind vacations that involve snow skiing, but I'm fine with 2-3 days with a day off in between, and I'm fine with 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and call it a day.

 

[BonzoFury]

Did one cruise. It was OK but no Thanks.

 

[Tom Paris]

Unfortunately, I have been to both Branson and Pigeon Forge.

I have no desire to go to Branson but we really liked our cabin in the mountains above Pigeon Forge. Very relaxing vacation last spring.

 

[prlyles]

I like to get away from people. My favorite vacations are the ones that are in a secluded area where I can just drink, fish, cook and relax. Nobody around.

Sounds like Ocracoke Island would be right up your alley.

 

[Tenacious E]

Which lake?

Kentucky lake

 

[BrianNole777]

Did one cruise. It was OK but no Thanks.

What cruise line?

 

[3boysmom]

I’ve seen videos of the fights breaking out on Carnival BEFORE the ship has cleared shore. But that’s only on the eastern US departures. People have said the Alaska cruise on Carnival is absolutely fine, but the demographics and the cost of an Alaskan cruise makes the crowd different.
I’m doing a ten day Mediterranean cruise this spring on Royal Caribbean and I’m just hoping it’s going to be okay.

It’ll be better in spring. We did our Mediterranean cruise on Symphony of the Seas in July and it was awful. Just mass humanity with kids running wild. The food was incredibly disappointing unless you went to the premium restaurants. But the cabin was nice. Thank god we got a balcony so we could escape there.

 

[Tom Paris]

Heading to the Outer Banks in 2 weeks. Off season=less people. VRBO house right on the Ocean in Rodanthe. We have a couple of events planned and some things that we might do, but we also want to leave some room for fun things we find once we arrive. Mostly just hang out, eat seafood, have some drinks and relax.

I can't imagine that I would like a cruise. I think it would be like staying in an ok very the top hotel, but you can't leave the hotel.

I also wouldn't care to go to popular tourist locations during the height of the season, or to attend the massive local festival. I don't want to fight crowds.

Again, I highly recommend European river cruises. Perfect combination of things to do and time to chill on the deck with a drink watching the shoreline for old castles, vineyards, whatever. You get your choice of 2-3 excursions and generally a couple hours to explore on your own before dinner. At least one evening concert off the boat also. Loved all of it.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Random non-political topic.... What types of vacations do you hate, that others seem to enjoy?

Currently in the Caribbean at a beach resort. I can't stand it. So damned boring. I'm good for about 3 days here. I can do one beach day, one fishing day, and on snorkeling/dive day. After that I get tried of the sweat, sand, and suntan lotion. I can roll around in the dirt and spray myself down with the hose and get the same effect during Midwest summers.

What say you HROT?

I've never been on a beach vacation but I can't imagine liking them that much. The good thing is my wife I don't think is really all that into them either.

If we're going on a vacation to just relax and not do a whole lot she and I much prefer cabin in the woods away from people.

 

[BonzoFury]

What cruise line?

Honestly, I don't recall. It was company-paid and almost 15 years ago. LA, Ensenada, Cabo. It was OK, just don't like the idea of being crammed on a floating hotel. I've seen too much nightmare crap on various cruise lines but realize it's all about booking the right one.

Ended up marrying the gal I took so it couldn't have been too bad. My boss and his girlfriend were a gas to hang out with.

 

[LuciousBDragon]

The vacations I remember the most are the ones where we had a good balance of activity & relaxtion.

Activity day
Beach or rest day
Activity day
Beach or rest day
Etc….

The vacations where it was all rest or all activity don’t stand out. For myself, I need that balance.

That being said, I maintain that it’s not where you go, where you stay, how you go, how you stay - it’s who you’re with.

Give me a tent in BFE with my friends any day or a big bed and a bottle of wine with the no pic.

 

[prlyles]

Again, I highly recommend European river cruises. Perfect combination of things to do and time to chill on the deck with a drink watching the shoreline for old castles, vineyards, whatever. You get your choice of 2-3 excursions and generally a couple hours to explore on your own before dinner. At least one evening concert off the boat also. Loved all of it.

We took our first European river cruise last year and enjoyed it. We have another one booked in June to do the Seine.

 

[Tenacious E]

The vacations I remember the most are the ones where we had a good balance of activity & relaxtion.

Activity day
Beach or rest day
Activity day
Beach or rest day
Etc….

The vacations where it was all rest or all activity don’t stand out. For myself, I need that balance.

That being said, I maintain that it’s not where you go, where you stay, how you go, how you stay - it’s who you’re with.

Give me a tent in BFE with my friends any day or a big bed and a bottle of wine with the no pic.

I agree with most of this. We did Italy last year and it was nonstop for 2 weeks. I loved it, but would have loved it more with a few chill days mixed in. But we didn’t have time for that. Memories are seared into my brain forever though.

 

[BonzoFury]

The vacations I remember the most are the ones where we had a good balance of activity & relaxtion.

Activity day
Beach or rest day
Activity day
Beach or rest day
Etc….

The vacations where it was all rest or all activity don’t stand out. For myself, I need that balance.

That being said, I maintain that it’s not where you, where you stay, how you, how you stay - it’s who you’re with.

Give me a tent in BFE with my friends any day or a big bed and a bottle of wine with the no pic.

The wife and I have a strategy. We do an annual winter trip around Super Bowl time (usually Mexico).

Then we do a week or extended weekend just before school gets out in May and one after it resumes in September. Great way to avoid the crowds. We front load our physical activity (parks, hiking, recreation etc) and as the week progresses become more urban. (food, music, sites, etc). The mix varies based on where we are, but it seems to work well.

 

[prlyles]

I agree with most of this. We did Italy last year and it was nonstop for 2 weeks. I loved it, but would have loved it more with a few chill days mixed in. But we didn’t have time for that. Memories are seared into my brain forever though.

Where did you go in Italy?

 

[BonzoFury]

Again, I highly recommend European river cruises. Perfect combination of things to do and time to chill on the deck with a drink watching the shoreline for old castles, vineyards, whatever. You get your choice of 2-3 excursions and generally a couple hours to explore on your own before dinner. At least one evening concert off the boat also. Loved all of it.

Any recommended carriers? My wife has been suggesting one of these for quite a while. Appreciate any suggestions

 

[prlyles]

Any recommended carriers? My wife has been suggesting one of these for quite a while. Appreciate any suggestions

Gate1 has a good selection.

 

[Tenacious E]

Where did you go in Italy?

Florence, Rome, and the Amalfi coast.

Flew into Rome and we hopped on a train to Florence. Spent a few days in Florence then back on a train to Rome. Spent a few days in Rome and then back on a train to Salerno, and from Salerno we had drivers for our place in the Amalfi coast. Stayed there about 6 days and we did side trips to capri, positano, Pompeii, and a vineyard. Had maybe 2 downish days in Amalfi. The trip was front loaded from a pace perspective. From the coast back to Salerno and then a train to Rome where we flew out. Hell of a trip.

 

[RonaldMexico]

I should say that I've never been on one because the entire idea is so unappealing to me that I don't want to spend a single dollar to do it, but cruises. The idea of being locked up in a small cabin for a week and given the drive-bye exploration of different places is just so unappealing to me.

Preach brother.