occasional long trips or more frequent short trips?

[luvformickey]

Because of work/school schedules combined with living in AK and CA, we have only been able to do annual trips of 9-11 days. Ideally, I'd love to be able to take more frequent shorter trips to enjoy events like Food and Wine and Flower and Garden. Our trips have been in January the last several years...although we moved it up to December this year to enjoy all the Christmas festivities!

 

[SM101]

We're falling into a short trip annually and a longer trip every 2-3 years. A short trip is 4-5 days and we spend a lot more time in the parks; I'll go a little cheaper on a hotel. Longer trips (10-14 days) I get a villa so I have a kitchen and laundry in room; we spend more time at the resort, more time in sit-down dining, etc. We always fly down and rent a car while there.

 

[tink9702]

I like longer trips if there is plenty to do (Disney, European cities, Hawaii) & shorter trips for smaller locations (skiing, lake, small city). The trips I have the most trouble with are medium trips, that 4-5 day type trip. Somehow it's too much, yet not enough if that makes sense. I'm a big fan of 3 day weekends or 7-10 day trips.

 

[DSLRuser]

we tried doing 2 or 3 small 3 day trips a year. found it didnt work for us.

we have settled into 10 days every 2 years.

 

[alliecat523]

I'm about to head out on my 4th short trip this year. I live in the Midwest and fly down. Good flight/hotel deals and an AP make it affordable for us. I like leaving the parks wanting more. When I've done longer trips, I'm ready to go and not come back for a long while. Short trips keep the thrill and excitement for us.

 

[karly05]

I've been going once a year for 6-7 nights. I spend most of a day flying there, so it's not practical for me to do short trips.

That said - unless I lived in the Orlando area, I would probably always do longer trips, because I would have a hard time "skipping" things. Next year, I'm doing 7 nights instead of 6 and I'm already thinking "How am I going to do everything I want to do?" (It will be fine, I'll have plenty of time, I know, but....)

 

[peg110]

do you prefer more frequent short breaks or less frequent long trips?

I prefer the More Frequent LONGER trips.

Alas, I haven't won the lottery, plus the travel tends to be long (1K+ miles) since we bring the Camper and stay at the Fort. So we do generally opt for the longer trips less frequently mostly because of distance and budgets.

 

[DisMommyTX]

For us, airfare is free on Southwest thanks to credit card points and miles, so that is not really a factor. We upgraded to AP this year for the first time and have really taken advantage of it. I think the longer trips work well with the kids. It is so much work getting them packed and travelling, disrupting routine and all, that the short trips don't seem worth it. I love taking multiple shorter trips (F&W, F&G, birthdays) with just DH and I.

We also found that we prefer staying onsite for short trips up to about 4 nights. After that, we were ready for some extra space and non-disney food. Long trips (7-15 days)we are happier renting a condo or house, which is much more economical anyway!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Our travel doesn't warrant shirt trips....I don't fly, period, so it's drive or Amtrak....1050 miles one way by car or 38 hours by train...so, bottom line, we go twice a year for 7+ nights, rent points and stay in studios.....only way to go..

 

[peg110]

Our travel doesn't warrant shirt trips....

Hmmm... So you travel without shirts? I bet that is interesting on the trains! (Don't you love those typos?)

I don't fly, period, so it's drive or Amtrak....1050 miles one way by car or 38 hours by train...so, bottom line, we go twice a year for 7+ nights, rent points and stay in studios.....only way to go..

My DW doesn't do the flying thing either. She has but it's very extreme circumstances. So, a driving we will go.

I am not sure but it sounds like you have 2 short trips a year (frequent). I end up more with a longer trip (about 2 weeks including travel with Travel Trailer and Truck from NE Pennsylvania, also a little over 1K miles) to the Fort about every other year.

 

[hsmamato2]

either works.... we have enjoyed long trips yearly (8-12 days) but am considering some shorter trips twice yearly in the future.....

 

[pepe of ohio]

Hmmm... So you travel without shirts? I bet that is interesting on the trains! (Don't you love those typos?)



My DW doesn't do the flying thing either. She has but it's very extreme circumstances. So, a driving we will go.

I am not sure but it sounds like you have 2 short trips a year (frequent). I end up more with a longer trip (about 2 weeks including travel with Travel Trailer and Truck from NE Pennsylvania, also a little over 1K miles) to the Fort about every other year.

Yeah, I got to start proof reading.....I hate typos.....

Usually, 7 + nights per trip is my limit....I don't care for restaurant food all that much....not adventurous in that deal....I prefer our sub sandwiches we make for pool lunches with grocery store fixings..??plus the ice cold beer we keep....

Them years are catching up on us, mid sixties for us both, and the drive is becoming a chore....may revert back to Amtrak soon....no way would we pull a camper to Florida....we owned a motor home years ago and one drive down was enough for me.....not fond of the mountains at all, even by car I hate them....

We locally camp, down sized to a pop up, just to get out on weekends and eat and drink around the campfire...the good old days....

 

[peg110]

I am still fairly young (mid 40's) so the drive, while annoying is not totally terrible. I'd like it more if someone else would get behind the wheel. I tow a 27' TT and the DW said she would drive if we had a Class A (or similar driving RV) without towing. I told her that with our "life Style" we would still want a car at the destination and thus we would still need to Tow a smaller car. Ah well... Day by day.

 

[Shanti]

I'm a teacher and won't pull my 5th grade son out of school (even one day) for a vacation. I also have to share custody during holidays, so vacation times are restricted. We've been fortunate enough to explore a lot of Disney in the past few years, and are settling into a tradition of spending a week at Fort Wilderness every other March (the years I am with my son for spring break), a cruise during winter break, and a few weekends per year during slow season or special event time (like Halloween or July 4th). Think this will continue to be great for us, as we'll regularly get to look forward to a short weekend Disney trip during the work/school year, but also get the immersive feel that a week-long trip provides every couple of years. We're from Texas & usually fly Southwest, and I always watch for fare dips, which helps keep flight prices down.

 

[scdak]

Longer less frequent trips to WDW for me, simply because there are other places that I also want to enjoy in the US but time constraints and finances mean I limit my long trips anywhere to 2-3 per year, I make up for it will long weekends at places within a 4 hour range so I can drive.