Wanting a unique family place to travel outside North America - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Wanting a unique family place to travel outside North America
Hi!
After this Christmas with the relatives, I realized one thing... I want to spend next Christmas elsewhere
Where would you suggest to go outside of North America, that would be interesting for a 6 and 11 yr old and us parents? We aren't couch potatoes, but not the extreme thrill seekers either.
Any ideas????? Another 3 mths of winter to start to dream.....
I don't have any "unique" ideas.... but there are so many places I want to visit both in N America and abroad; so- I'll be curious to others responses....
When leaving the country; top on my "wish" list is China among oh so many other places....
I have thought about Singapore or Peru (although this one isn't on my real top of the list). Hubby wants to go to Costa Rica.
I need some ideas and places the extended family can't follow us too Also difficult with kids that age trying to find a "safer" place to go.
One of our favorite places to go to is the Bitter End Yacht Club (www.beyc.com) in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands. If you love going to the beach, boating of any sorts (or if you want to learn about any type of boating) or day trips to nearby islands, snorkling, etc., then this is the place to do it all! All of the above is included at no additional charge (and also includes meals) if you are on a package which I think is at least 7 nights. Good Luck making your decision.
If you are looking for a long plane flight (lol) come on over to Sydney Australia. There are so many wonderful things to do there and if you stay until New Year's then you can witness the most amazing display of fireworks EVER (check out last night's on google - AWESOME).
If the flight is a little daunting maybe you could try Hawaii. My kids were 18mths, 7yrs and 9yrs when we went and they all had a ball. Have fun!
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Well, my #1 suggestion would be somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, since I hate winter, and they are in summer in Dec. My personal suggestion would be South Africa. It is so fun - it has beautiful beaches (Mossel Bay along the Garden route is flat out gorgeous) and also the animals and reserves that shout "Africa!" It has some beautiful parks that you can in day trips (Pilanesberg is amazing!), which might be better than an entire safari trip which might be hard on little ones. Good luck picking a destination!
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Australia is the number one place I want to go to, but I have to wait til dd is atleast 10 yrs old so she can handle the flight. If we get some extra big money, that is THE place I want to go to.
Africa doesn't appeal to me right now. I think because my bil works down there and we just parted on not great terms
Did a cruise this past April, and dh didn't like it
We are sorta looking at the British or US Virgin Islands.
Costa Rica is big on our list and if anyone can help me with this, I would appreciate it. The trip though is about 14 hrs and of that, the flight is only about 6 hrs, and the other part is waiting in airports So need to find some more direct flights if possible. Also, I find it isn't the easiest to research, although lots of people go down there.
Keep the ideas coming... we are going to the Maya Riviera this April. I am trying to work during dd is in kindergarten so I can save to go.
Not surprisingly, I can recommend Europe (since I live in Germany )
Christmas, and winter in general, is a great time to visit Austria and Switzerland, especially if you like to ski. But even if you don't - the snow-covered Alps are a breathtaking sight! They have lots to do for kids, too (like sleighrides). You could combine it with Southern France and/or Northern Italy (which we did during our last vacation). If you like the "snow theme", Scandinavia would be another option. Finnland especially has tons of things to do that time of year, and Stockhold (Sweden) is one of my favorite cities in the whole world!
Maybe this helps! I realize that if you're looking for sun and warmth during your vacation, Europe in December just isn't for you. In that case, well, I'd go with a Caribbean cruise
If you're looking for relatively unique (no place with tourism facilities is totally unique), I'll toss out some of my bucket list destinations. I love mountains and historic sites, so Peru (Macchu Picchu), the Swiss and Austrian Alps, the Himalayas... The Galapagos Islands (though you have to cruise to get there, so many DH won't think it's a great idea)... New Zealand is another - such a variety of terrain, climates and environments!
Unusual warmer-weather European destinations (at least, to most Americans) include Sardinia, Malta, and Corsica. I don't think anyone's mentioned Greece (they're probably pretty happy to get dollars these days). Actually, I'd be hard-pressed to choose between a first visit to Greece and an extended visit to Tuscany and vicinity.
Anyway, have you looked at Adventures by Disney? It's on the expensive side, but it may also give you some ideas for destinations.
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Unusual warmer-weather European destinations (at least, to most Americans) include Sardinia, Malta, and Corsica. I don't think anyone's mentioned Greece (they're probably pretty happy to get dollars these days). Actually, I'd be hard-pressed to choose between a first visit to Greece and an extended visit to Tuscany and vicinity.
Dave had some great ideas - however, I've got a couple remarks. Right now, I'd avoid Greece. With their economic situation as it is, you never know what might happen (people going on strike, maybe even riots - the population is rather unhappy over there at the moment). While it's an amazing destination in general, I'd just wait a few years.
About the warmer-weather part... well, if you go during the winter, even the southern parts of Europe aren't really that warm. You may even end up getting snow - and that's really no fun in a vacation destination that's primarily geared toward summer visitors (i.e. beach, pool, outdoor activities...).
Hope this is helpful despite the slight negativity It's just good to know what to expect.
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Also difficult with kids that age trying to find a "safer" place to go. 
So need to find some more direct flights if possible. Also, I find it isn't the easiest to research, although lots of people go down there. 
It's just good to know what to expect.
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