What other trips do you love to plan??

[lilpixie]

I know everyone on the Dis loves to plan trips to DL (as I am obsessed with DL planning) , but I wondered if the obsession carried on into other areas as well??
Last year I was obsessed with planning a trip to NY -- and people on these boards helped me with that also!
Now I am also obsessed with planning a trip to Hawaii! Anyone have any hints on that one???
I am currently planning our next trip to DL in October, but I have to have a few trips in the works
Anyways, if anyone has any great tips for Hawaii vacations -- please share!
(I hope it is OK to post about this here)

 

[Judy from Boise]

I plan all of my trips the way i plan for Disney, including daily schedules!

Trips i have planned to the nth dregree include
Vegas
San Antonio
Phoenix
British Columbia
Washington DC
Universal
Hawaii
Australia

Many of these multiple times ! I use google, trip advisor, expedia, tourism commision boards........lots of info out there.

 

[NannyPooh]

Where do you want to go in Hawaii, and when?
We spend a couple of weeks in Maui every year, and I am fairly familiar with that area!
We also visit Cabo San Lucas every fall, and we know that place by heart!
Disneyland, Disney World, Mexico, Hawaii - give me a little sunshine any day!
I used to work as a deluxe Tour Operator, so love, love, love to plan trips - mine and my friends!

 

[DangerMouse]

Where do you want to go in Hawaii, and when?

Maui . . . NOW!!!

I keep telling my dh that the "next" trip I plan will be our dream Maui vacation. He keeps wondering why we end up at Disneyland again.

 

[we3disneygo]

hey Judy from Boise ! do you have any tips or advise for Washington, DC ? we are going later this summer???? thanks! our trip to DL was a surprise and we are leaving in 17 Days!

 

[lilpixie]

About where we want to go ~~ We are really wanting to go to Maui in 2008.
I just want to make sure we don't go during rainy season! So, if you know the island, I would love any info. There is so much info about all the islands, it is overwhelming to me! I would love great places to stay, places to eat, things to do, best beaches/towns for Maui etc.
I have also heard great things about Kauai . . .
OK, the obsessive/compulsive trip planning is really sinking in again!
DH is like, can we make it to our October DL trip before you start planning again? Um, nope! LOL
thanks you guys

 

[mikayla73]

I definitely do all the research for all our trips. The cruise we went on, the trip to Jamaica, I found all kinds of info on line and I am now the queen of the vacaion information!! (Hey that kinda rhymes ) Even people at work are talking vacations with me now, especially Disney ones, but others too. I pass people in the hall and say how many and they will spout off the days til they leave. It is relaxing to me plan and read about where we are going. I don't do special daily itens or anything (yet), but if a question comes up, I probably have read about the answer.

 

[abby]

I plan everything, including camping trips to the point I drive everyone else mad........Oh well, it gives me something to dream of....

 

[Adi12982]

I, too, love to plan any trip. If I am spending money on it, I want to be sure we hae a great time and od my research. . . . I feel that not planning is a waste of possible great things to do/see. . .

 

[limace]

I love to plan and read about and anticipate trips, though I don't like to have a rigid schedule normally while travelling-except for Disney, where scheduling is the way to go. DH and I talk about doing some last minute travelling someday-like taking vacation time and not deciding where we go til the last minute, when we see what the best last minute special is-but I think I'd be bummed to miss out on the anticipation.

It's funny that I spend so much time planning Disney trips when I have been there before-more time than I spent planning our three weeks in Greece .

Oh, and Maui-have been there several times and it's been great. Very relaxing-we love to sit on the balcony with a book and a pina colada and make other adults take turns taking the kids down to the pool. We always stay in Kihei, which is condo central-nothing fancy, but it's pretty reasonable and a great central location for the island. Definitely stay some place with a kitchen, as food is very expensive on the island. If you're staying for longer than a few days, stop at the Costco near the airport for groceries, as the other grocery stores on the island are very expensive.

 

[Judy from Boise]

hey Judy from Boise ! do you have any tips or advise for Washington, DC ? we are going later this summer???? thanks! our trip to DL was a surprise and we are leaving in 17 Days!

I love DC, been there 4 times. My DD will be there next week without me !

My first tip is if you haven't all ready contacted your Senator or Congressman, call their local office today! They are the key to some of the best tours...but the tickets go fast.

On my top list of experiences are:

the monuments at night tour
Twlilight tatoo
The military band concerts (being Navy we try and do the Navy band at the Navy memorial)
The carousel at the Smithsonian castle
The American History museum ( I think this is closed)
The spy museum

I just love the city......

 

[we3disneygo]

thanks for the quick reply, were going in Aug. before school starts, staying in the foggy bottom area.flying out and taking the train home....17 hrs. and a 6 hour layover in Chicago...dh's idea.... were very excited.

 

[wendypooh22]

Oh Hawaii.... Hubby and I went there for our Honeymoon and I am already planning my big "40" b-day trip next year...

As for me, I love Las Vegas and go there almost as much as DLR

 

[AZMickeyfans]

We usually just go to DL and camping in northern Arizona. Oh and my inlaws in Ks but the only planning there is me saying "UGGH do we HAVE to go there again?"

 

[chrisn]

Oh man this is right up my alley. I have OCVPD. Obesessive Compulsive Vacation Planning Disorder. It's an illness, I'm addicted to planning. I research, research, research until I am pretty much a guru about anyplace we are visiting.

We have done Maui and Mexico (Playa) and we usually alternate WDW and a Caribbean/Tropical destination every year.

I post and read the forums when preparing for all upcoming trips. There is no better way to gather important info, tips and advice. I really think it give you an edge and helps you to make the best of your vacations. I do plan where and what we are doing per day but not a daily schedule. If we are at Disney, I feel it's important to plan daily. If we are on "island time," we try to be really loose about it but you better believe I know all about the place I'm in. I truly think it greatly enhances our special trips and it's half the fun for me also. I love to plan trips, I should totally be a TA!

 

[mystic_path]

I cant imagine not planning trips. Its great to find tips and tricks on travel. You learn other things along the way such as history etc. Ive planned my trips to:

Disneyland
Mexico
England
Germany
Hawaii
& after this june trip back to DL im starting on my 2 month Greece & Italy trip

 

[c&m]

Besides going to DL or WDW, we love Hawaii and New York, and keep going back. We have also visited Washington DC, which was also very nice -- highlight was visiting all the Smithsonian museums.

In fact, we're going to Maui end of August, before the kids go back to school. We are taking Hawaiian Airlines (we like to fly with them and the ticket cost seems to be always cheaper than other airlines when I book online). Check ticket prices online constantly (as the price fluctuates), and you'll be able to hit a great fare. Our tickets cost $335 each (but at one point, the same flights cost over $600). We are staying at the Hyatt Maui - heard good things about their pools and location on Kanaapali Beach. I also got a good rate (for Hawaii !) at that hotel. I have done research on Tripadvisor.com and have also use their Maui discussion forum to get travel tips and advice.

Last year, we went to Kauai in March, which was raining season. It rained most of the time, but it was WARM. I wouldn't go to Hawaii, esp Kauai, during raining season again. Since we're from the rainy pacific northwest, it was disheartening for us to go to more rain :-( On the up side, in Kauai we stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai for 3 days. It was AMAZING!!! We could have stayed there the entire time without venturing out as it is quite the resort with activities: koi fish feeding, lei making and shell necklace making for the kids, hula show, torch lighting ceremony, it's fun pool, lagoon, long pool slide, kayak rentals. The Grand Hyatt also had free laundry facilities. Then we stayed 4 days in a condo (Kauai Regency) that was new and really nice. It was then that we really explored the island.

If you want more details about Kauai, just let me know.

 

[zukeeper]

Talk about OCVPD, visit the Disney Cruise Line forum and you will see the light. We went last Aug and man - I had every tip and then some locked down from that board! I had my air freshener for the bathroom, my clothespins for the curtains, my windex wipes for the seaspray on the slider, my ambient noise machine, my ginger tablets, and then 2 or 3 more pages.

I came back with 4 signed pillowcases, a signed photomatte, and a signed mickey green canvas bag (my kids are so jealous of!) Lots and lots of characters and I wouldn't have returned with these practically free souveniers without planning tips from that forum. Love the DIS!

 

[Judy from Boise]

Can I ask you the best source for ginger tablets ? My parents are cruising to Alaska in august for their 50th, and I want to buy them some.

 

[AJA55]

Ooooooooo something right up my alley.

Hello, my name is Amy and I have OCVPD!

I am lucky enough to take at least two travel vacations and year. Spring and Fall. We have an envelope that we stick our hand into on our respective birthdays. Whatever state comes out of that envelope is where we celebrate the next year. Ok, we do fug on the spring time vaca so we end up some where with decent weather.

And yes Amy the mega planning machine gets busy. Library, books stores, visitor’s bureaus, message boards, articles that have been clipped out of magazines….. on and on. I make a list of places that sound great in the place that we’re going to visit. We usually pick out our favorites which leaves almost no days for the left over things to see/do.

This year was New Orleans and Fall will be Chicago (with DL in-between). And next year is somewhere in Texas and WDW (an every fourth year thing).

Past:
Connecticut
Savannah
Santa Barbara
Boston
Ireland
La Vegas
Washington DC
Maui
England
San Francisco
Spain

Heck planning is half the fun. And quite frankly we wouldn’t have found some of the things to do with out the research. Like the food history tour in New Orleans or the spring wild flowers in the mountains in Santa Barbara or loopy turn arounds in Spain.

Hi my name is Amy and I’m proud to have OCVPD !