Tell us about your travel style

[Kirby]

Lots of people at work discussing planned summer vacations and I was struck by the variety of trips.  Lots of different locations, but I was struck by the different style/goals of the trip. 

Some were pure relaxation - a beach, cool drink and a good book.  Others were more sight-seeing trips- Trips to a new location where the main goal was to see something new and try different restaurants.  Some of the sights were destinations such as museums/historical sites, but others were simply to wander around a new town and get a sense of the location.  Still others were more adventure travel - going to a location mainly to hike, cycle, ski etc   Finally a few were big on road trips - trying to see as many different locations as possible in the time.

So what is your usual style of travel?  When you go on a trip is it mainly for relaxation or exploration?

 

 

[Parsnip Totin Jack ★]

Preference ranked:

1 relax at beach or mountains

2 drive with no real destination; just to see stuff

3 new places to explore and see stuff

[ChrisL]

TBH most of our vacation time is spent visiting family on the east coast.  The few vacations we have taken for us were purely relaxation. 

[jsharr ★]

I keep most of what I need in my backpack.  So I grab two pairs of Scout pants, a couple of class B t shirts, one more pair of under wear and scout socks than the number of nights I am glamping, my overnight kit and toss them in my back pack and I am pretty much ready to roll.

My tent, chair, sleeping bag, pillow and camp towel stay in the back pack, along with my mess kit.   I add backpacking stove, etc as needed.

I travel in the front seat of the van or bus most times, but not sure what it will look like now I am no longer Scoutmaster.  Will probably just drive a car load of Scouts once I start glamping again.

When I travel for fun, I like down time.  Books and libations are my style and I can do that in the mountains, on the beach, wherever.    We tend to find a VRBO house or condo to use as a base and then do a few day trips and have a few lazy days.  

I think I prefer the mountains more than the beach

 

[BuffJim]

I take 3 trips a year. 
 

1) 4-5 day trip with my daughter. I do most of the planning. Could be a flight or a drive. Usually to an urban area. Trips have included Toronto, NYC, Chicago, New Orleans, Montreal, South Beach, New Orleans and more. Usually plan one or two excursions like a museum, tour, baseball game etc.  

2) Week long trip with BuffCarla. Usually car trips where we explore a region of North America. Hudson Valley, Tennessee, Maine, Virginia and North Carolina. Also 3 cruises in last 6 years. Next up is Quebec next year, subject to change. 
 

3) Solo week car trip. Either to the beach or the mountains. New England, Adirondacks, Delaware or Maryland beaches. Going to Rehoboth De in September. 
 

I stay in hotels or motels. More upscale withBuffCarla and my daughter. I’m fine with a lesser place. I enjoy them all. Hope to expand once I retire. 

[MoseySusan]

It’s changed for us. When the kids were school aged, we spent weeks on the road visiting historic and scenic sites, riding bikes or walking around empty downtown streets after hours or on Sunday mornings. Now we like relaxing and trying different things. 

[Gump]

Exploration. Vacation should end with being exhausted. I can rest up at work.😁

[TrentonMakes]

About half of our vacations over the last six years or so have centered on visiting family.  Either way there's very little relaxation... we're going to see and do stuff.  We usually end up estimating how far we walked each day.  I remember an 8-mile day in Chicago... logged a lot of miles in Montreal too.

[Scrapr ★]

Prior to our son WoScrapr & I went to the Caribbean to sun & dive. When Kasey was 8 we bought a house in Bend (part work, part play) That expense put the kibosh on traveling.We had a lot of fun there. Once Kasey graduated HS we picked up a Volvo in Sweden & drove it across Northern europe to Paris. That taste of Europe hooked me. WoScrapr really wanted her own Volvo trip but passed before we could get there. That experience put a bug in me to go back. And realizing that time is short on this earth I am almost possessed on seeing as much of history as I can. Next trip is Ireland, Scotland & Paris in Sept-Oct. With a special surprise....

The lovely Sara with an h & my style is to mostly wander. Maybe 1 attraction a day then walk. One of our fav stays was a rooftop apartment in a town a bit outside Paris. Friendly people. We were out walking on some trails & school kids were out on a day trip. Maybe 8-10 y/o. We got to talking & they loved practicing english with us. And they were amazed we were in their small town. The sommelier at the LGS that was a prepper. Or eating a pastry in the town square that was really good...then looking over at a storefront that has 4 or 5 awards for pastries. 

[Longjohn ★]

I like to travel by bike. Wanted to find a partner that wanted to do the same but 70+ year old women who like to bike tour are scarce. Judie can sit at home and feed the cats and we will probably go to the beach and to visit her daughter in Texas.

[dinneR ★]

Bikepacking, climbing, hiking. The bigger the adventure, the better.

[groupw]

WoW’s employers jacked her around on her PTO this year. Before the wreck, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with some of my vacation time.  The time off took care of that!  
We like road trips and long weekends out of town. We have been visiting family on our most recent trips. Hoping for a trip back to Nebraska in the fall. 

[maddmaxx ★]

Mostly day trips now.  

[Ralphie ★]

1 hour ago, maddmaxx said:

Mostly day trips now.  

I prefer that too. I usually do enjoy most vacations      once they commence, but I am too cheap to plan any. 

[petitepedal ★]

September will be my first vacation since the trip to GroupW, the crane migration and the start of covid...otherwise it has all been a long weekend up north or a day here or there...or..shoulder surgery...prior to that the Great Adventure or the Katy trail 

[Further]

My range has shortened, I sometimes carry a chair out in the yard, under the big maple trees 

[Zephyr]

I am good relaxing for about an hour, then I need something to do.  I am self entertained and sort of prefer just doing my own thing rather than a group thing.  Most of my travel vacations involve day hikes, bike rides, dives, walk-abouts.. etc.  Mybwife likes to relax so I sometimes try to keep busy but not wander too far

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

I spend most of the vacation time I get relaxing at the 'Big House'. 

[Bikeguy]

8 hours ago, Kirby said:

So what is your usual style of travel?  When you go on a trip is it mainly for relaxation or exploration?

Our style has changed over the years. 

When we were first married, we did day trips to many places.   Some of our day trips were LONG days.   One of the longest...   a 6hr drive to Cedar Point to ride roller coasters for most of the day,  Then a 6hr drive home.  

Then we took 2 weeks of in June for years.  We would pick places to hike, and explore.  Each year WoBG, our grandson, and I would take turns selection a place to visit.  Then  I'd plan the trip.  Each day we had LOTS of stuff to do.  We rested when we got back to work.   When we were in a taxi being driven from downtown London to Heathrow.   The drive asked, "What did you see?"   WoBG told him.   Then he asked "How long have you been here?  A month?"   Nope... 10 days.  He could not believe all the stuff we did and/or visited.    Yeah we rested when we got back to work.  

In 2013 we stopped taking 2 weeks off in June and switched back to day trips.   Most are 4 to 5 hours total.  The dogs can't hold it in much longer than that.  

[Shu Fang Bastard ★]

I travel commando style.  Meaning, I don't wear undies.

I don't know why I do this.

Couch

[shootingstar]

I view sightseeing (urban style) and outdoor hiking/snowshoeing (in wilderness)  and cycling, as also sightseeing but seeing/exploring new things in different environments.  I consider sightseeing by bike on a bike path in Europe not so much different than walking around in the foreign city/town, except one method is travelling faster and seeing different vistas/from different vantage pts.

This is what I was like before dearie, with dearie and hopefully several trips/ times after dearie.

I don't like the thought of spending a pile of money for hotel(s), plane and just sit somewhere for 4-5 hrs. each day, to relax to chill.  I consider that as something I can do easily at home.  So for me to spend $200-$2,000 to relax, I'd rather experience part of that trip/vacation seeing/experiencing something I've never seen before/learned something or experienced it in a totally different way.

for instance going to Rockies which is only 100 km. away, I dislike the idea of wasting $xxxxx, just lying around and not getting up and leaving the hotel street to enjoy/see different things every day.  AFter all, the area is a different experience for each of the 4 seasons, depending what you do. The same view looks very different in winter, spring, summer and fall.  At least in the northern climates.

I'm not a true beach person...lying around on the beach for long. After 1-2 hrs., I get bored. 

Life is short. There's alot to learn /new things to see.  Even when I visit Toronto to spend time with family.  It is also about revisiting or exploring areas of the city where I once lived for 18 yrs.  The city changes each time.

 

[bikeman564™]

Usually up north, w/ the bike

[BR46]

Most of our trips involve a race track and racing. Before we retired all of our vacation was used up on racing events. Sometimes leaving from work and driving through the night to make it to the track on time. 

Now traveling to and from the races will include stopping along the way for mountain biking, brewery and distillery tours and sampling. 

We also travel by motorcycle occasionally. 

 

[MickinMD ★]

Mine are mostly sight-seeing vacations.  I'm thrilled to see, touch and enter the Pyramids of Egypt, the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itsa in the Yucatan, the Parthenon, the walls of Troy and streets of Ephesus in Turkey, the Biblical Sites and Fortress of Masada in Israel, the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, etc. etc.

Consequently, I tend to like cruises with daily stops at new places, including river cruises, or the "If today's Tuesday this must be Belgium" tours where you cover a lot of ground over a week or two.

 

[goldendesign]

22 hours ago, Kirby said:

So what is your usual style of travel?  When you go on a trip is it mainly for relaxation or exploration?

We go to see and do. On most vacations, I need a rest when we get back. The idea is we're visiting places we probably won't get back to so do the extra effort to see all you can without compromising our efforts.

We just got back from a 12-day vacation to Vancouver and Alaska (cruise). Our trip was 4 full days in Vancouver, 7 days at sea, and a travel day. We visited all the main city sights in Vancouver, Westend, Yaletown, Gastown, and Chinatown. Walked the entire seawall around Stanley Park, watched the sunset on Sunset Beach, shopped at Granville Island, visited two museums, hiked Grose Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge park, a morning at Queen Elizabeth Park, and an entire day road trip up the Sea to Sky Highway including two trail hikes, the Sea to Sky Gondola, and dinner in Whistler in the Olympic village. 

We relaxed on the sea days on the cruise but went straight back into the uber-touring when we hit ports. On the cruise, we did a private boat tour into Tracy Arm Fjord, a helicopter ride across the mountains landing on the glacier ice fields where we hiked and took a dog sled ride, White Pass railway trip into the Klondike, a Sea plane ride to an inlet for more hiking and wildlife spotting, and probably the lightest day was a Lumberjack show and first nation village tour in Ketchikan. It was marvelous, we also slept very well every night. Hell, I did a full hour and a half in the gym on the ship every morning before the day's activities. My 5yo was a super trooper and loved every minute of it. On the sea days and most nights, she was partying it up at the kids club on the ship too!

[Parsnip Totin Jack ★]

Traveling in style - when son of Parsnip was four, he and I flew to Boston for a cousin’s wedding. My parents, driving through Boston anyway, picked us up at Logan and we went straight to the church ceremony. Son and I wore suits and got a lot of thumbs up looks. He flirted with the gate agent and got us moved to seats up front

[12string]

On occasion, we'll vacation downashore.  We're good for no more than one day sitting on the beach.  Even that requires getting up and swimming, walking, etc.  Even on sightseeing trips, that many people consider "active", we have to take some days for hiking other activities.  Just got back from 3 days at an amusement park.  Probably walked 20 miles.  If we were staying any longer wee would have brought bikes.  We'll do a couple weeks in Vermont, beautiful lake, nice to sit on the lawn and read.  For a few minutes, then we have to hop in a boat for skiing, or swim, or head off on bikes or hiking.......

We just really suck at sitting still.  It's more relaxing to move.

[az_cyclist]

We do different types of trips, sometimes with our friends and sometimes with family.  Some cycling if I can work it into the plans. Sometimes hiking.  With friends visiting local microbreweries will be included. 

[Dottleshead ★]

On 6/29/2023 at 8:02 AM, Parsnip Totin Jack said:

Preference ranked:

1 relax at beach or mountains

2 drive with no real destination; just to see stuff

3 new places to explore and see stuff

It’s tough to top this

[BuffJim]

@Parr8hed could teach us all a thing or two about vacation style. 

[Dottleshead ★]

In general, my wife and I travel the shoulder seasons.  We do so because there's no reason to leave western Washington in the Summer.  It's why you put up with gray and drizzle a lot of the rest of the year.  Winter time just too many holidays, etc.  I mean there's a heck of a lot of outdoor activities one can do on the weekend or weekdays.  We usually plan one or two vacations throughout the year but as we approach retirement we've scaled that back to once a year for financial reasons.  This year we are going back to Orcas Island for 6 days so there will be a lot of eating seafood and walking the beaches and day trips to the other islands.  You bet we'll bring our bikes.  So not looking to scale the North Face but not looking to catch sand fleas lying on the beach either.

[Scrapr ★]

1 hour ago, Dottleshead said:

In general, my wife and I travel the shoulder seasons.  We do so because there's no reason to leave western Washington in the Summer.  It's why you put up with gray and drizzle a lot of the rest of the year.  Winter time just too many holidays, etc.  I mean there's a heck of a lot of outdoor activities one can do on the weekend or weekdays.  We usually plan one or two vacations throughout the year but as we approach retirement we've scaled that back to once a year for financial reasons.  This year we are going back to Orcas Island for 6 days so there will be a lot of eating seafood and walking the beaches and day trips to the other islands.  You bet we'll bring our bikes.  So not looking to scale the North Face but not looking to catch sand fleas lying on the beach either.

word to the wise on Orcas. We have heard that Buck Bay Oysters property is sold & this might be the last year in operation. I think you mentioned going there. You might make a point of stopping by. we  will be going by for sure

[shootingstar]

10 hours ago, goldendesign said:

We go to see and do. On most vacations, I need a rest when we get back. The idea is we're visiting places we probably won't get back to so do the extra effort to see all you can without compromising our efforts.

We just got back from a 12-day vacation to Vancouver and Alaska (cruise). Our trip was 4 full days in Vancouver, 7 days at sea, and a travel day. We visited all the main city sights in Vancouver, Westend, Yaletown, Gastown, and Chinatown. Walked the entire seawall around Stanley Park, watched the sunset on Sunset Beach, shopped at Granville Island, visited two museums, hiked Grose Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge park, a morning at Queen Elizabeth Park, and an entire day road trip up the Sea to Sky Highway including two trail hikes, the Sea to Sky Gondola, and dinner in Whistler in the Olympic village. 

We relaxed on the sea days on the cruise but went straight back into the uber-touring when we hit ports. On the cruise, we did a private boat tour into Tracy Arm Fjord, a helicopter ride across the mountains landing on the glacier ice fields where we hiked and took a dog sled ride, White Pass railway trip into the Klondike, a Sea plane ride to an inlet for more hiking and wildlife spotting, and probably the lightest day was a Lumberjack show and first nation village tour in Ketchikan. It was marvelous, we also slept very well every night. Hell, I did a full hour and a half in the gym on the ship every morning before the day's activities. My 5yo was a super trooper and loved every minute of it. On the sea days and most nights, she was partying it up at the kids club on the ship too!

Former home city is featured here or the area near VAncouver:  Search Results for “vancouver” – Cycle Write Blog (wordpress.com)

[Dottleshead ★]

1 hour ago, Scrapr said:

word to the wise on Orcas. We have heard that Buck Bay Oysters property is sold & this might be the last year in operation. I think you mentioned going there. You might make a point of stopping by. we  will be going by for sure

Oh crap! Thank you for the heads up but disappointed. We are going in September