How many vacations do you take a year (not just to Disney)?

[emma'smom]

This is a spin on another post which asked about how many times you go to Disney in a year. I am curious how often other families go on vacation per year (even just for week-end trips), but trips where you stay overnight somewhere at least one night. How many times a year do you take family vacations?

 

[HenDuck]

It is a rare year that we don't fly somewhere. I can't go too long without traveling.

In the last 5 to 10 years, I'd say we've traveled on vacation at least once a year, often twice within a 12-month period.

The longest I went without traveling since I've been married (14 years) was 22 months, and I was pregnant and nursing for about 18 of those months!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

We go 4-5 times a year.

In Feb, DH and I took the kids to an indoor waterpark for 3 nights.

In March, DH and I went to Jamaica for 1 week.

Last week, DH and I stayed overnight at a hotel near the city nightclubs so we didn't have to worry about driving home after drinking.

At the end of the month my mom and I are taking the kids to an amusement park in Ohio for 2 nights.

In September DH and I are taking the kids to WDW for 10 nights.

In December DH and I are going back to WDW for 4 nights.

This is a busy year. But we're a traveling family. We all LOVE to travel and rarely go more than a few months without going somewhere.

 

[barkley]

generaly only one. we can't see spending a minimum of $100 for one nite's lodging plus whatever activity we'de be doing, food, gas and the like for a quick get away when we can save it for one long enjoyable vacation. the other issue is balancing weather a short get away is going to exhaust dh more than it's worth (any short get away around here is several hours drive each way).

 

[tribus121]

If money was not a issue we would prob go away more than we do but we try to go away at least once a year . I drive a charter bus and uasly get away for work once or twice more .

 

[shaylahc1]

We try to get away 2-3 times per year. Lately it's been one week at Disney, one week at the beach, and a long weekend trip to the mountains or to visit family in OH.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We don't consider one nighters to be a "vacation"--but since you include that I guess we go 2 or 3 times a year.

Our "vacations" are actually planned every 2-3 years though. Our last was March 2004 and our next is October 2006. But we've had a number of weekend trips since then. Be it in a hotel or not.

 

[JoyG]

This seems like a lot, but this year we will have had 6 getaways. Mostly it's to visit family on Long Island and Maryland so I don't really consider those vacations. I HAVE to visit my family!

February- San Diego w/DH for business trip
Easter Break-Maryland to visit family/do White House Easter Egg Roll
End of April- Long Island to visit family/ be in a friend's wedding
June-Orlando
Sometime this summer- a one or two day camping trip locally.
Thanksgiving-visit family in Maryland (spend every Thanksgiving here).



For the past 5 plus years we've been averaging Maryland twice a year and Long Island once a year plus one vacation somewhere else. So usually 4 vacations a year this year was a little more. In Maryland we stay with relatives but on Long Island we rent a house or hotel so I'm not a burden to my 94 year old grandma who will feel compelled to cook something if we're there!

Joy

 

[emma'smom]

Actually, that doesn't seem like a lot. We live in small town and when we moved here, we made a conscious commitment to ourselves (and our children) to enjoy the "small town life", but to expose our children to more cosmopolitan lifestyles as much as possible. I think we probably go away 8-10 times a year (if not more). We dont' have any family near us, so I do consider visiting family a vacation (as they are usually up for helping out with the kids a bit).


Dec/Jan- X-Mas/New Years at Grandma's (in Iowa)
Jan- San Diego (for work, but took DH and kids)
March- WDW
April- Quick overnight to Indiana to meet Grandma/Papa (2x)
May- Friend's wedding in Boca Raton (three nights with just dh)
May- NYC for my doctoral graduation (with dh and kids)
May- Memorial Day trip to Niagra-On-the-Lake winery tour (and waterprks for the kids)
June- WDW- 5 day surprise trip for dd4 (and dd1 in tow, of course)
July- NYC (for Dh's work) and then on to Philly for Sesame Place
July (coming)- Overnight at local chatauqua community (just to try it for the week-end)
August (coming)- two weeks at family cabin in upstate NYC
October (coming)- Hawaii (for work, but taking dh)

I guess we're not the norm.....hmm, maybe when the kids are older we'll have to stay home more because of sports/school activities. That's already happening a bit with dd4 (but not so much yet).

I also went to Atlanta for work (but don't count that as vacation since I went alone).

Just curious...sounds like lots of different perspectives on vacations!

 

[mommiepoppins]

disney
then to family reunion out of state 2 days
Koa and to a water park
nothing much else

 

[Hoosier Mom]

Well, before baby, when we were a 2 income family, we did a 7 night cruise every year, plus a 5 night driving vacation. We'd even plan our hotel stays around hotels that had jacuzzis in our room. Those were the days! Those were so fun to plan. Oh and the driving vacations always included a box of twinkies along. It's a tradition! Yum.

It's been 2 years since our trips. We are going to WDW in Sept with our 18M ds.

 

[kaysmommie]

We usually go for a week once a year and that s it becuase DH is frugal. I think a weekend trip to visit the beach or family would be good in addition to 5-7 days somewhere else. Were going to Disney for 8 nights this year but haven't vacationed in 3 years because of new baby and and out of state move.

 

[juligrl]

We have a cottage about 3 hours from home that we usually get to every other weekend or so, May-October, and for one long week in the summer. Although this year, we have yet to go as a mouse got in and it wasn't Mickey - we have to thoroughly clean the place before I'll take new baby up. We plan on going up for a "cleaning marathon" one day next week .

We do lots of weekend trips to Civil War battlefields. DH and I are both CW nuts and have been involved with reenactment groups for the past several years (and Gettysburg is only like 4 hours away...).

As far as "big" vacations. We're Disney lovers, so we want to try that every 3 years or so.

 

[laceemouse]

Generally 2 longer (7 to 10 day) trips per year. Usually one is to WDW. Any other trips are weekends, but not very often. Dh travels for work but we rarely go because work is not gonna pay for six people to fly, two hotel rooms, ect...

 

[Tigger113]

We do 4-5 depending on if we got out of country or not. Usually we go places for at least 3 days at a time since we live all the way down in GA! We go on 2 week or longer trips and 2 or 3... 3-6 day trips.

 

[lclark0621]

We go on vacations 4-5 times a year, generally at least a week at a time.

 

[blanq]

For us, generally 3-4 times per year. This year:

1. 10 day trip to Palm Springs, CA in March
2. 10 day trip to Door County, WI (with a stop over in Green Bay to see the Packers play the Falcons in a pre-season game) in August
3. 5 day trip to the North Shore, Lake Superior to see the fall colors in Oct.

We have been trying to stick to a budget this year, so our trips have been closer to home, not requiring as much air travel . It has been a couple of years since we vacationed at WDW and I am hoping that next year will be our year to see Mickey !

 

[momofbgtwins]

Generally about 10 times year. A week in March and September to Florida. A week in December to Aruba. A long weekend to visit sister in upstate NY, and we have a vacation home in VT that I try to get to at least 5 times a year - usually 3-4 days at a time.

We are lucky in that DH is the boss, and can take off when he wants, and that the twins are not yet 4yo. We will NOT be taking them out of school once they enter the first grade, so our wandering days will be cut considerably. I guess I'll be taking the kids more often to VT in the summer then.

We're enjoying it while we can! .

 

[kldmom2000]

We generally do one "real" vacation a year-every other year we do Disney for 5-6 nights (flying there and back) and the opposite years we rent a house on Cape Cod (driving distance for us) for a week.

We do a couple of weekend trips to New Hampshire or the Cape in addition to the one week vacation

As a kid, my dad had 6-8 weeks of vacation time and I remember driving all over creation (mom wouldn't fly) We saw so many things and visited so many places... I am married to a self-employed workaholic who HATES to go on vacation, so I'll take what I can get!!!

 

[disneynewbee]

We had decided that we would do Disney World and Ocean City Maryland every other year so in 03 we did the ocean, in 04 Disney, 05 ocean , and now 06 will be Disney. Our disney trips are usually 2 wks since we love it there and it is a long drive, the ocean is usually 1 wk since it is not that far and honestly I am bored after a wk. Me and dh have been talking that we enjoy Disney way more than the ocean so we will be making our 2 wk Disney trip yearly now. Normally we also do a few long wkends at the ocean also and a few one night trips to local amusement parks like Kings Dominion, Hershey Park, Six Flags, and a few other. We have a long wkend at the ocean coming up in 2 wks. I'm thinking about 3 wks for Disney next year splitting it with a cruise and then the parks but I'm worried about my 12yo dd who gets motion sickness quite easily.