EBTA 2014...Across the Atlantic we go!!!

[sweetlovin']

That's great that you take solo trips with your kids. How incredible is that for the kids??? Can you adopt me? I've always wanted to go to Africa.

I am a vacation junkie as well. I lovingly ditched my kids and toured Australia, New Zealand and Fiji this past summer.

I would like to head to South Africa to visit friends (that I met in Italy and Switzerland) and then head over to Kenya to do a Safari. Peru is the other country I really want to tour.

LOL! I can only afford my 3 kids as it is, I might not be able to afford them anymore. I always tell them they are expensive little people.

This summer, we are headed as a family (even years are family years) to Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Tokyo, Germany and Austria. We will be gone for about 6 weeks, but it should be amazing. Then my kids asked to head to Fiji for Thanksgiving, because they saw pictures and were bummed they didn't go with me. So, this year is more expensive than most years.

Scotland is a fun town. Edinburg was great and Gretna Green was fun to see. Of all the towns, I think York England was my favorite UK town. I loved the tiny little streets and hearing all of the history. Tuscany was by far my favorite Italian town.

Where have you vacationed? I love hearing about the places people have been

 

[MexiFinn]

Where have you vacationed? I love hearing about the places people have been

I've been to Finland and Sweden (I have family living there). And because I studied in Spain for a year, I was able to tour a lot of Europe. I visited many parts of Spain during the weekends. I also took weekend trips to Paris and Portugal. I spent the Christmas break in Barcelona, southern France and Italy before heading back to Madrid. Then for a month after school, I did the tour of Western Europe going from Italy to Germany to Switzerland to Austria to Denmark to Finland to Sweden to England to Paris (Disneyland Paris) before getting ready to finally head home.

I also studied in Costa Rica for 7 weeks and was able to travel that country as well.

All my other travels have been via cruise or in the continental U.S. For awhile there after my passport had expired, I was too lazy to renew it so I took that time to visit U.S. cities I've always wanted to go to but had never been...places like NYC, Boston, New Orleans, etc. Still on the list - San Francisco and Seattle.

And I usually get to Disney World once a year with my godkids. We will actually be there this month (leaving 4/17). Two of the godkids are a great age for the rides so we'll have great fun this trip.

That's about it. I could have cried when I read you went to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Australia and Fiji are high on my list...mainly Fiji. That has been a dream vacation spot for a long long time. One day I tell myself...one day I will get there.

 

[ab2008]

I've sent a request to the FB page

Because I'm still not sure about DH and if we are 100% going, I'm going to wait to sign up for the FE. We did it on our last cruise and my kids loved getting back to the room and checking what they got.

I'm excited to see more people joining us

 

[sweetlovin']

I've been to Finland and Sweden (I have family living there). And because I studied in Spain for a year, I was able to tour a lot of Europe. I visited many parts of Spain during the weekends. I also took weekend trips to Paris and Portugal. I spent the Christmas break in Barcelona, southern France and Italy before heading back to Madrid. Then for a month after school, I did the tour of Western Europe going from Italy to Germany to Switzerland to Austria to Denmark to Finland to Sweden to England to Paris (Disneyland Paris) before getting ready to finally head home.

I also studied in Costa Rica for 7 weeks and was able to travel that country as well.

All my other travels have been via cruise or in the continental U.S. For awhile there after my passport had expired, I was too lazy to renew it so I took that time to visit U.S. cities I've always wanted to go to but had never been...places like NYC, Boston, New Orleans, etc. Still on the list - San Francisco and Seattle.

And I usually get to Disney World once a year with my godkids. We will actually be there this month (leaving 4/17). Two of the godkids are a great age for the rides so we'll have great fun this trip.

That's about it. I could have cried when I read you went to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Australia and Fiji are high on my list...mainly Fiji. That has been a dream vacation spot for a long long time. One day I tell myself...one day I will get there.

What is cool about your visits is you lived among the locals and really got to experience the cities. That is awesome!!

Fiji is not as expensive to get to as you would think. Not sure where you live, but our airfare was $888 roundtrip and the kids were $700 from LAX. Yes I still have to get to LAX, but the roundtrip from ATL is $2500. So I save about $1500 leaving from LA.

I loved visiting San Fran. Great city I tend to not travel in the US as I do over seas. I haven't been to Costa Rica (and I had family living there for years) nor the cruise places. I will have been to a lot of them by the end of 2014, but I'm not a huge beach person. Fiji was nice because I went off the main island to Mana Island then got upgraded to my own private beach. They even gave me a golf cart to get back to the rest of the resort, it was too far to walk. I loved every minute of Fiji.

I was unable to get the same resort this time, but we are actually headed to a more remote island over Thanksgiving. I would suggest going in late Aug/Sept. because it is the start of their spring and not too hot for summer. Less expensive than most of the other seasons. I will say we saw almost no bugs and we were the in late July, but it was still their winter months. I was in pants in the night time because it got chilly. April/May I would also suggest, but the Australians and New Zealanders are on their breaks, so it tends to get more crowded over those months. At least, that is what I was told by the resort.

From Fiji, it is a 3 hour flight to Auckland. It's really reasonable. I am taking the kids in 2015, but I will use miles because we will fly into Tahiti then home from Australia. When you mix the to and from cities, it gets much more expensive.

 

[sweetlovin']

I've sent a request to the FB page

Because I'm still not sure about DH and if we are 100% going, I'm going to wait to sign up for the FE. We did it on our last cruise and my kids loved getting back to the room and checking what they got.

I'm excited to see more people joining us

I hope you are able to work it out and can join us I think it will be a fun cruise

 

[ab2008]

On the Roll Call, are we putting our kids ages now or when they are on the cruise?

 

[sweetlovin']

On the Roll Call, are we putting our kids ages now or when they are on the cruise?

It looks like most people put their child's age. I put Sams on there

 

[gilsan]

On the Roll Call, are we putting our kids ages now or when they are on the cruise?

I put the age of my daughter at the time of the cruise.

 

[sweetlovin']

I put the age of my daughter at the time of the cruise.

Sorry that is what I meant and didn't type it correctly. I put Sam's age at the time of the cruise.

 

[Keurigirl]

Wow, Bernadette, you get around!! LOL And I mean that in the best way. When I was growing up the furthest away we traveled was about 20 minutes, except for once, in 5th grade, when my mom's boyfriend took us to Disneyland (we drove). Well, I suppose that's a lie because I went to Disneyland with my parents when I was 4, but I don't remember that. That was the extend of my childhood travel. So as an adult I've tried to travel as often as our pocketbook lets us! We've got little kids still (they just turned 3 and 6) so we've stuck with Disney a bit too closely, probably, because they love it. But with the transatlantic cruise we're branching out a bit, to see how they do and then we'll know if we can start planning longer/further trips.

Before I had kids I was a wedding coordinator, and I did a wedding in Scotland. Since my airfare was paid I took a couple weeks and toured around. I LOVED Scotland!! I truly felt like I had gone back in time. I also had the pleasure of reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels while I was there, so I REALLY felt like I'd gone back in time. If you have not read those yet, pick them up! They're fantastic.

MexiFinn - you're not doing so bad yourself! When you come to Seattle I'd love to show you around town!

I put my kids ages as they will be on the cruise next year.

 

[gilsan]

Sorry that is what I meant and didn't type it correctly. I put Sam's age at the time of the cruise.

Is it just the 2 of you now?

 

[sweetlovin']

Is it just the 2 of you now?

It is just the two of us. We have too much going on 2013/14 school year and as it is Julie is over her unexcused absences. She can't miss those last three days of school. Sam is actually missing more school than Julie, but her school doesn't pay attention like Julie's school.

 

[sweetlovin']

Wow, Bernadette, you get around!! LOL And I mean that in the best way. When I was growing up the furthest away we traveled was about 20 minutes, except for once, in 5th grade, when my mom's boyfriend took us to Disneyland (we drove). Well, I suppose that's a lie because I went to Disneyland with my parents when I was 4, but I don't remember that. That was the extend of my childhood travel. So as an adult I've tried to travel as often as our pocketbook lets us! We've got little kids still (they just turned 3 and 6) so we've stuck with Disney a bit too closely, probably, because they love it. But with the transatlantic cruise we're branching out a bit, to see how they do and then we'll know if we can start planning longer/further trips.

Before I had kids I was a wedding coordinator, and I did a wedding in Scotland. Since my airfare was paid I took a couple weeks and toured around. I LOVED Scotland!! I truly felt like I had gone back in time. I also had the pleasure of reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels while I was there, so I REALLY felt like I'd gone back in time. If you have not read those yet, pick them up! They're fantastic.

I want my airfare paid for, but I'm afraid working would cut into my travels.

When my kids were your kids ages, we went to Disney World 3 times a year. It wasn't until I was 28 that I was able to take my first over seas trip as an adult. Luckily, my mom takes my kids for the entire summer (she call it Nana's camp) and I am able to lovingly ditch my little ones and venture off to new lands.

The first two even years my kids just picked resorts in Disney World they wanted to stay at and the restaurants they preferred. So when I asked in 2011, I said, "Ok where do you want to go for your 2012 trips." I was thinking they would say Grand Floridian or Beach Club, what I got instead was London, Disneyland, and Disney Cruise. I was laughing telling my mom it was my fault, I didn't phrase it well.

My mom is not happy this summer she isn't getting the kids. I am taking them with me. I got an earful about how she had all these cool adventures planned and she wanted them once we got back. I am very fortunate that I have a mom that is so willing to take my little people for the entire summer to play with them. Actually, I offered for them to go with me to Australia/New Zealand. But they said they didn't want to miss "Nana's camp" so they opted to stay home. Once they saw pictures, they wished they had gone.

 

[eeyora68]

I just booked we will be in cabin 6534 Traveling will be my dd 12,ds 7,dd 5 and myself. We would like to participate in FE.We will be at Disney World before cruise and after visit Paris and visit friends from previous cruise in London.

 

[sweetlovin']

I just booked we will be in cabin 6534 Traveling will be my dd 12,ds 7,dd 5 and myself. We would like to participate in FE.We will be at Disney World before cruise and after visit Paris and visit friends from previous cruise in London.

eeyora68 and kids

If you are on Facebook, there is a hopping group over there. It should be a very fun cruise!!

 

[tigger2on]

Welcome aboard!!!
Ummm we have a Facebook page???

 

[tigger2on]

Where in Toronto do you live? We use to live in North York, near York mills and Leslie. Bridgewater is very different. It is nice to have a short commut, but sometimes I miss Toronto so much more to do there.

sorry... I missed this one
I live in the west end .... near the airport. However my dd used to have therapy in the area you used to live so I know it well

 

[tigger2on]

So how many of us "mums" are traveling alone with kiddies? Anyone want to be table mates??? I am traveling with 3 on my own. Also anyone wanna be my Palo brunch date??

 

[eeyora68]

I was thinking the same thing.I want to go to Palo's and I love having table mates.

 

[sweetlovin']

Welcome aboard!!!
Ummm we have a Facebook page???

https://www.facebook.com/groups/148917538617224/