A New Vacation Destination

We do trips to San Diego sometimes for vacation...there's so much to do and you don't have to worry about plane fare. Just the museums down at Balboa Park alone are fun. There's the zoo, Sea World, the Children's Museum, Lego Land, the beach...tons of great things to do...

-M

I am so sorry for your losses. Your family does need some time to grieve.
Look into renting a house or condo or cabin in the mountains or at the beach or in another state that you want to visit.

I understand not wanting to go back to New York right now. I am sorry for your loss.
I recently went to Washington on vacation without my son. Once there I realized he would have liked it. There are lots of beautiful sight seeing places there. There are some of the worlds largest trees, lots of roadside waterfalls and plenty of rainforests. We stayed at the Rain Forest Resort Village. It is an RV and Campground also. It is located in Lake Quinault. In the campground the Worlds Largest Sitka Spruce Tree is there for your viewing. Down the street is Merriman Falls which is a beautiful roadside waterfall where my now husband proposed! The Quinault Rainforet also has lots of other rainforests, hiking trails and waterfalls. If you fly into Seattle, you can visit Pike Marketplace (home of the flying fish)! You can see Mt Rainier. We did a lot of driving once landed in Seattle. If I can give you any more info, please email me at ____@____.com this helps.

Hi E.: I'm so sorry for your losses. I lost both parents in less than 2 years and it is so hard. How about checking into the Disneyland hotel for a couple of days and enjoy the park from opening to closing? If you are tight for money, how about just day trips to Disneyland/Knotts/Sea World etc. It's family time and being together that's important, not a formal trip. All the very best to you. M.

Hi E.,
So sorry to hear about your loss and your decision is totally understandable.
My husband and I discovered the joy of renting other people's time shares. There are great websites such as: www.tradingplaces.com, redweek.com, where you can rent other people's timeshares for a week. The prices run from $200-$1200 depending on your destination. With this you can have a two bedroom condo with two bathrooms, and a full kitchen so you can prepare all your meals which helps to cut some of the cost. Our last trip was to Hawaii for my parents' 40th anniversary. We got a dual master suite timeshare and airfare for four for $2000.
There are multitudes of destinations, and sometimes just visiting their site can give some great ideas.

E.,
I have a great destination. Southern California! No airfare or hotel to worry about. Just use your home to sleep. Go out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Plan day trips every day. Go to the beach, Disneyland, Newport, go into Hollywood, Santa Monica. Take a boat over to Catalina. Just be a tourist in your own backyard.

People come here from all over the world and we leave in droves. Kind of funny.

If you like the outdoors the Grand Canyon is spectacular and it's less than a days drive or a very short flight. Also, Yosemite (it's hard to beat Half Dome and El Capitan) and Kings Canyon (where the Giant Seqouia's are) are awesome too. San Diego also has some fun stuff like all the museums or the big Air Craft Carrier the USS Midway that you can tour and there are so many hotels down there it's pretty easy to find a good deal.

Hi E.

I am so sorry to hear of your losses. My grandmother passed away a year ago so I can semi-identify with you.

In answer to your question: What about an all-inclusive hotel in Mexico or somewhere? It all depends on your budget...I know you're trying to save. Another idea is exploring what CA has to offer: San Diego, San Francisco, Yosemite, etc. My husband and I are hoping to tackle some of our home state rather than spending so much more money on seeing all the others (not that we don't want to). Good luck!!!

E.,
I would recommend a couple of places depending on what you like to do. Zion National Park in southern Utah is absolutely beautiful and you really don't have to spend a ton when going there. (If you are willing to camp out its even less expensive) Its about 2 hours away from Lake Powell. Many people aren't familiar with this National Park and it is a shame as it is phenomenal. Or try McCall Idaho. GOod luck and hope you have fun no matter where you go!

Hi E.

I grew up in So Cal and spent a lot of time in California camping...in RVs, tent cabins, cabins (without TV, radio but comforts of home like running water, bathroom and kitchen) and traditional camping and backpacking. There are so many places in California. Some of my Favorites and fondest memories to this day are...Mammoth (Lake Mary or Lake Mamie), Hot Creek, Bishop Creek, Zion, Yosemite, and of course beach camping is always easy and fun for those who are not so brave to totally rough it! If you've never been camping and don't have the Gear REI has a rental department and are very helpful.

I agree with what one of the other mothers said. Stay in California. We have the best places to visit in all of the states. Whenever my husband and I are on vacation we soon miss our beautiful weather and things we can do at home. Camping is always fun too! Start a new tradition this year. Go up and down the coast of California. Get a "things to do in California" book and discover all of the inexpensive things that you can do! Santa Barbara is really nice. Just think of what you have already saved...4 airline tickets!
God Bless and enjoy eachother! That is the most important thing you can do as a family. With busy schedules, work, school, friends, telephones...reconnect as a family and have fun finding the finer things in life! Most of those things can be free! A cookout at a local beach, an art festival at a beach( San Clemente)...

Take care,
A. M.
President, GEM Bebe
www.gembebe.com

I am sorry to hear about your loss! But on a positive note, it sounds like you are laying a good foundation for your daughters by making the effort to plan family vacations to spend time together! Have you ever thought about renting a motorhome and doing a roadtrip? I live in O.C. as well, and I took a roadtrip with my Grandparents about 4 years ago before I was married with 2 babies, and you would be amazaed at how the rest of the U.S. lives! People are SO NICE, and down to earth. It is incredible, and you could go online and map out your course and that way you could stop several times a day at places that would please everyone! Even though gas is expensive, you still wouldnt have to shell out for a hotel, and you can hit Costco before you leave, and replenish snacks and stuff along the way at grocery stores. Might be something different for you guys????? Or if you really want to do an inexpensive trip, what about renting the motorhome and getting a camping spot at a beach somewhere? (no driving=no gas spent) Pack the bikes and the rollerblades, BBQ and do some bonfires, etc. Depending on what beach you camp at, there might be a cute little town nearby to walk to for dinner one of the nights, etc... Or if you hate motorhomes,
what we always try to do now when traveling with the kids is definately stay at Embassy suites! Room for you all, the kids can sleep on the sofa/pullout bed so you and your husband can have some privacy in the next room. Also the complimentary cocktails in the evening are great,(We tip them well and still save a bundle on that alone :) lol as well as the full breakfast the next morning that is included with your stay (a savings of $50 per day easily!) Even though you want a change from N.Y, Chicago is REALLY fun, there is the Art museum, as well as the American Girl doll store, the Zoo, Awesome restaurants and shopping, and all kind of events (outdoor, street fair stuff) going on in the summer.......just a thought. I hope any of this might help. Enjoy your family time!