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Wow! - so many cool trips. You guys are major travelers. The only places I've been others have mentioned for next year are Paris - can't go wrong there, love that city. And Costa Rica. We loved that trip. We stayed in a little place right near the national park in Manual Antonio for a week. Manual Antonio kind of has it all, so is a good destination if you don't want to do a lot of moving around.
My big trip in 2025 which I am super excited about is here in the good ole USA (A week (seven nights) at Glacier National Park). We are flying in and out of Kalispell, Montana, the closest airport to the park and renting a minivan. We're staying near the airport arrival night, doing four nights on the beautiful east side, doing one night up in Waterton Park, Canada (having tea at the Prince Edward Hotel there too), and doing our last night on the West side (about 45 minutes from the airport). As I want to get in-park lodging if I can I have to plan a year in advance. I will be booking on June 30th, 2024 at midnight mountain time for my July lodging and trying again a few hours later and into the morning if the website crashes and I hear it often does. I have some Plan B offsite lodging as a backup too (four nights already booked that I can cancel if need be that actually I'd be perfectly happy with). This will be me, DH, DS and DS's spouse (He's getting married next month). I was at Glacier as a five year old, but I haven't been to this park yet as an adult. We all just love the mountains and DS is super excited as he has movies and photos of my grandparents, mom, and her sister at the park back in 1956 and wants to do some of the same things. They still have the Red Bus tours in the same buses from back then and we'll book one of the three hour tours. They still at Medicine Valley have the tour boats from back then too (the oldest ones in the fleet that are really well maintained and we'll do a ranger guided tour on the same boat). Our ancestors did these things and we have the movies showing it. And me I love ranger programs and if we are onsite, I'll definitely take advantage of more of these things. Glacier having such a short season, and since we aren't campers anymore is a more expensive place to visit than so many other National Parks we have visited, and that's why I haven't been yet. We also will pay for DS and spouse and have each couple in their own room, so that doubles costs for us too. Right now though this is the one National Park on my bucket list that I haven't been to, and it's a big one on my son's bucket list. Plus our spouses love the idea, so it just sounds perfect. I'm super excited for this one.
The rest of my annual vacation budget will be for visiting relatives.
Two trips to Idaho Falls to visit my dad who is in an assisted living apartment there. My brother and his family and my niece and her family live there too, and we'll stay with my brother
A mini trip to Tampa / Orlando - just four nights - two in Tampa to see a favorite cousin who is in assisted living / my favorite nephew will join me for this and my nephew lives in Orlando. After that I'll spend two nights at his house, and we'll do a day at SeaWorld. This will be a solo trip -- DH, DS, etc. not interested.
A mini trip just an overnighter, but I'll fly to Detroit and rent a car to visit another cousin who doesn't drive who lives in Battle Creek. This is a solo trip too and I'll get a hotel for that, but just one night.
Seeing these family members is a joy to me and I try to see them annually. That's all part of my vacation budget too.
Wow! - so many cool trips. You guys are major travelers. The only places I've been others have mentioned for next year are Paris - can't go wrong there, love that city. And Costa Rica. We loved that trip. We stayed in a little place right near the national park in Manual Antonio for a week. Manual Antonio kind of has it all, so is a good destination if you don't want to do a lot of moving around.
My big trip in 2025 which I am super excited about is here in the good ole USA (A week (seven nights) at Glacier National Park). We are flying in and out of Kalispell, Montana, the closest airport to the park and renting a minivan. We're staying near the airport arrival night, doing four nights on the beautiful east side, doing one night up in Waterton Park, Canada (having tea at the Prince Edward Hotel there too), and doing our last night on the West side (about 45 minutes from the airport). As I want to get in-park lodging if I can I have to plan a year in advance. I will be booking on June 30th, 2024 at midnight mountain time for my July lodging and trying again a few hours later and into the morning if the website crashes and I hear it often does. I have some Plan B offsite lodging as a backup too (four nights already booked that I can cancel if need be that actually I'd be perfectly happy with). This will be me, DH, DS and DS's spouse (He's getting married next month). I was at Glacier as a five year old, but I haven't been to this park yet as an adult. We all just love the mountains and DS is super excited as he has movies and photos of my grandparents, mom, and her sister at the park back in 1956 and wants to do some of the same things. They still have the Red Bus tours in the same buses from back then and we'll book one of the three hour tours. They still at Medicine Valley have the tour boats from back then too (the oldest ones in the fleet that are really well maintained and we'll do a ranger guided tour on the same boat). Our ancestors did these things and we have the movies showing it. And me I love ranger programs and if we are onsite, I'll definitely take advantage of more of these things. Glacier having such a short season, and since we aren't campers anymore is a more expensive place to visit than so many other National Parks we have visited, and that's why I haven't been yet. We also will pay for DS and spouse and have each couple in their own room, so that doubles costs for us too. Right now though this is the one National Park on my bucket list that I haven't been to, and it's a big one on my son's bucket list. Plus our spouses love the idea, so it just sounds perfect. I'm super excited for this one.
The rest of my annual vacation budget will be for visiting relatives.
Two trips to Idaho Falls to visit my dad who is in an assisted living apartment there. My brother and his family and my niece and her family live there too, and we'll stay with my brother
A mini trip to Tampa / Orlando - just four nights - two in Tampa to see a favorite cousin who is in assisted living / my favorite nephew will join me for this and my nephew lives in Orlando. After that I'll spend two nights at his house, and we'll do a day at SeaWorld. This will be a solo trip -- DH, DS, etc. not interested.
A mini trip just an overnighter, but I'll fly to Detroit and rent a car to visit another cousin who doesn't drive who lives in Battle Creek. This is a solo trip too and I'll get a hotel for that, but just one night.
Seeing these family members is a joy to me and I try to see them annually. That's all part of my vacation budget too.
Idaho Falls is actually a pretty nice place, I liked it there!
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,755 posts, read 58,140,793 times
Reputation: 46252
Quote:
Originally Posted by IonRedline08
Idaho Falls is actually a pretty nice place, I liked it there!
Just booked a loop from BZN to include the Eastern ID State Fair in nearby Blackfoot. https://funatthefair.com/
Will incorporate local highlights, including hot springs, Pokie, Craters of the Moon, Tetons, Star Valley, Bear Lake, Thermopolis, and of course the Beartooth Highway and NE Yellowstone / Tower Falls area.
SWA is offering a 'Companion fare' for Aug - mid Oct, so booked a bunch of 'fly-drives' mini vacations. Leaving for another soon to do the Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio loop to catch the Derby and museums and music events in that small region. (These min vacations end up costing about $600 (total for 2) for air-car-fuel-food-lodging-entertainment.) Companion fares help a lot. as in Hawaii for $79 OW + bring a friend for $5.60
~6x / yr. SIL's been there since 1980, so they often host us, or arrange for one of the empty B&B's they service. Buy a weeks worth of groceries at Costco for $50 and enjoy Hawaii.
Just returned from another fly-drive early this AM (SW USA 'Super Bloom' wildflowers). The views from the commercial flight were spectacular last evening. Being a career night shift worker, I have a great appreciation for all the sunrises and sunsets I missed.
Just booked a loop from BZN to include the Eastern ID State Fair in nearby Blackfoot. https://funatthefair.com/
Will incorporate local highlights, including hot springs, Pokie, Craters of the Moon, Tetons, Star Valley, Bear Lake, Thermopolis, and of course the Beartooth Highway and NE Yellowstone / Tower Falls area.
SWA is offering a 'Companion fare' for Aug - mid Oct, so booked a bunch of 'fly-drives' mini vacations. Leaving for another soon to do the Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio loop to catch the Derby and museums and music events in that small region. (These min vacations end up costing about $600 (total for 2) for air-car-fuel-food-lodging-entertainment.) Companion fares help a lot. as in Hawaii for $79 OW + bring a friend for $5.60
~6x / yr. SIL's been there since 1980, so they often host us, or arrange for one of the empty B&B's they service. Buy a weeks worth of groceries at Costco for $50 and enjoy Hawaii.
Just returned from another fly-drive early this AM (SW USA 'Super Bloom' wildflowers). The views from the commercial flight were spectacular last evening. Being a career night shift worker, I have a great appreciation for all the sunrises and sunsets I missed.
StealthRabbit,
Sounds like a lot of fun and like some incredible deals for you!
I am so glad you posted. I had no idea that Southwest is now flying in and out of Bozeman (BZN). They didn't the last time we flew out there from St. Louis (STL) where we live, but that's going back a lot of years. For future trips that's something for us to look into for us (some travel around that area and visiting Dad in Idaho Falls). Southwest is the largest carrier at our home airport and the major credit card I use is a Southwest one to rack up airline points. Flying into Idaho Falls just gives me two choices, Delta and United, both which are almost always really pricey.
Will incorporate local highlights, including hot springs, Pokie, Craters of the Moon, Tetons, Star Valley, Bear Lake, Thermopolis, and of course the Beartooth Highway and NE Yellowstone / Tower Falls area.
We spent a wonderful long weekend in Boise a couple of years ago and visited Thousand Springs State Park which is near Hot Springs, ID. At the Devil's Washbowl just west of Tuttle, the Snake River aquifer passes under Hwy 84. You can see ruts Oregon Trail wagons gouged out of the rocks here. The aquifer runs roughly east/west and literally gushes out of a "thousand" springs in the area. In some parts of the park you can see a bunch of "waterfalls" shooting out of not the top but the sides of mountains. Very unusual. There's a box canyon that you have to see to believe. It's in the middle of what used to be flat desert scrubland and you can't see it until you're almost on top of it. I can only imagine what early settlers must have felt when they came upon this oasis after days/weeks of dry, dusty travel.
It was a quick and easy side trip - maybe 45 minutes, but memorable.
If your travels happen to be during a new moon there's a dark sky preserve north of Sun Valley. Haven't been there yet but Boise's only a 60 minute flight from home. One of these days.
Enjoy your trips.
Last edited by Gator Fan 79; 04-24-2024 at 11:24 AM..
Reason: typos
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,755 posts, read 58,140,793 times
Reputation: 46252
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathy884
StealthRabbit,
Sounds like a lot of fun and like some incredible deals for you!
I am so glad you posted. I had no idea that Southwest is now flying in and out of Bozeman (BZN). They didn't the last time we flew out there from St. Louis (STL) where we live, ....
Yeah, I didn't know SWA had added BZN until I had a friend ask us to join them in the Tetons. (16 hr drive)
Good to have other options, tho not fast or cheap. (but one flies for free! and each get free checked bags 2x 50#. (Camping gear and wild salmon to trade for beef)
St Louis!!!
Please do tell us what to do for mini-vacation there in Sept. 2024
Coming for this event:
The 2024 National Carousel Convention and Tech Conference
Meet Me In St. Louis
Our 2024 convention and tech conference, Meet Me In St. Louis will be held in the St. Louis, Missouri area on September 25 - 29, 2024.
I Flew to STL Last yr to attend the National ATHS (Historical Antique Semi Truck Convention) held in Springfield IL (York, PA this yr) in June.
Any good ideas for STL welcomed!
Missing our eternal member 'wanderer' from STL "Stepka"
A kindred spirit (homeschool mom who took her kids on a RTW adventure / field trip for a yr) BTDT.
Our 2025 vacay will be a cruise in early March, originating in Mauritius and stopping in Reunion, Madagascar and four cities in South Africa. I can hardly wait!
It's fun reading about all the marvelous travel plans our posters have in the works. Keep 'em coming!
.
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Please do tell us what to do for mini-vacation there in Sept. 2024
Coming for this event:
The 2024 National Carousel Convention and Tech Conference
Meet Me In St. Louis
Our 2024 convention and tech conference, Meet Me In St. Louis will be held in the St. Louis, Missouri area on September 25 - 29, 2024.
Any good ideas for STL welcomed!
My top two recommendations and these are ones that I'll be taking my out of town guests (12 of them) this coming May for my son's wedding (everyone is here five nights / four days) are:
(1) The St. Louis Zoo -- It's always rated as one of the top zoos in the country and entry is free, although you pay $15 for parking. I visit at least six times a year and it never gets old to me. St. Louis residents love the zoo and support it with tax payor dollars, which is why admission is free. Here is a weblink: https://stlzoo.org/
(2) The Gateway Arch which is now called the Gateway Arch National Park. Please note though that it's a city park with a cool midcentury monument that you can go inside that has a great little free museum, some movies you can see if so inclined, and a transport system that can take you to the top (only do this if you are not claustrophobic). It's a fun activity, though, and I'll do it with my guests. My son actually works as a tour guide here. The tour guides and rangers are great. If you want to get Tram tickets to the top, I highly recommend getting them in advance if you know when you'll be there as they do sell out. The monument is very worthwhile to go see even without doing the tram to the top. A few years back there were some major renovations to the inside of the monument and that's when it got a National Park designation. Also, I usually check to see if a Cardinals Baseball game is going on when I am planning to visit, as the Arch and Baseball Stadium use the same parking garage. If a game is going on, they charge $50 for event parking, but if you buy your parking in advance to visit the Arch (book a four hour window or so, but don't go before your window starts), it's just $10. Here is a link to the Arch website: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/index.htm If a baseball game is not going on, there is no need to do anything in advance for parking.
If I have college aged visitors, teens or grade schoolers visiting, not sure if you have any in that age group along, the City Museum is somewhere that I always take them that they are blown away by -- Think a McDonald's playland on steroids for big people - all kinds on tunnels and slides from floor to ceiling, underground, in an historic shoe factory -- very creative, artistic touches. I've never seen anything like this anywhere else I have ever visited. I skip this, though, with adult only visitors website: https://citymuseum.org/
Sometimes too I'll take my 20 something visitors to University City to eat at Fitz's, walk the mini St. Louis walk of fame, and take them to shop at Vintage Vinyl https://vintagevinyl.com/ (It's a pretty incredible record store and you don't see that many big records stores these days. Anyway this was a huge hit with my 20 something nephew last time he visited me, but he is big time into vinyl records)
Other attractions I really enjoy and could be a good fit depending on interests of my guests but that I would put behind our incredible Zoo and Arch are
-- The Missouri Botanical Gardens -- my dad is really into gardens and I've taken him here a lot when he has visited. He just loves this place. I'd just do this one though if that's something you are into. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/
-- The Museum of Transportation -- Note: This is not in any way the Henry Ford in Dearborn, MI. There are though some nice transportation themed exhibit and for railroad enthusiasts in particular they have tons of old railway cars you can visit an go thru. (If someone is a train enthusiast I think this would be really worthwhile.)
-- The Butterfly House (This is in West County - a good 1/2 hour drive from downtown) -- https://www.missouribotanicalgarden....utterfly-house This one has been a hit with everyone I've ever taken here. I'm done five or more butterfly house visits in other cities and countries and thought this one that's in my hometown was much nicer than any of the other ones I've visited. It's something you can cover in an hour or two so is a minimal time commitment and very well done. My sister-in-law who will be visiting me in September wants to go here again.
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These are two lessor known things that don't get a lot of hype that I think are really cool
-- A tour of the St. Louis Central library. These are limited in when they are offered. Regularly scheduled, Docent-led tours are available for individuals and groups under 10 people, on Mondays and Saturdays on a walk-in basis. Our Docents will greet patrons at the large wooden desk in the Great Hall. Tours begin promptly as scheduled. If interested I'd call 314-241-2288 to find out tour times as they often only do two or three tours. They are not continuous, so it's something you have to time.
The sad thing is that I toured the New York Public Library and the Chicago Public library and only after doing those did I do this tour in my hometown, which I actually enjoyed more than either of those other ones. And lol the St. Louis Central Library was modeled after the New York one.
-- Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (not Grant's Farm which is nearby and a different tourist attraction that's a tram ride and a mini zoo -- I'd do the Zoo or butterfly house instead)
There is what I thought is a really interesting ranger guided tour of this home (really interesting history - I learned a lot). This is a quick visit too, maybe just an hour. These run continuously throughout the day so are easy to hit.
Website: https://www.nps.gov/ulsg/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm
Let me know if you have any other questions or specific interest. IMHO there are tons of interesting things to do and see in St. Louis. Ive just listed my favorites. I work in IT right now but will be retiring in less than a year and a 1/2 and am actually thinking about being a Gateway Greeter volunteer lol.
Chinese New Year holiday likely will look something like this:
Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, back to Taipei.
Summer vacation likely will look something like this:
San Francisco, Miami, Lima, Cusco/Machu Picchu, Santiago (Chile), back to Asia
Sounds like a great time
We were in Taiwan and Japan for the Lunar New Year period this year.
Due to travel to Korea and Singapore in January, we probably won't make it back to Taiwan for LNY 2025, but never say never.
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