Absolutely no doubt about this. My two sons and I went on a raft trip down the Colorado River. Rather than becoming part of a trip with strangers, a number of dads and their sons got together and arranged for their trip with one of the river expedition companies. Three of the "crew" were doctors which was added insurance. The beauty of Grand Canyon and the thrill of going over the rapids simply cannot be compared. We also experienced a very rare treat, although we didn't quite think so at the time. We were in the Canyon when an enormous thunderstorm hit. Huge amounts of red earth flowed over the lip of the canyon, turning the river from turquois to ochre. Our experienced guides found us a landing with a small cave where we waited out the storm. There we were, fourteen 20th century men huddling in a stone-age cave! We traveled from the mouth of the canyon to Lake Mead, had a bus waiting to take us to Las Vegas where we spent the next few days and then off for home. If ever you have the chance, I very highly recommend this vacation.

I was on my boat and it lasted 13 months when I sailed from NYC to the Bahamas. It was special.

We made the great US adventure when our daughters were 15 and 11. Starting in Alabama, we spent three weeks on the road and saw Carlsbad Caverns, Meteor Crater (a personal favorite) both rims of the Grand Canyon, Tetons, Yellowstone, Badlands, and a whole lot of stuff in between. For those who think "it can't be done without a big SUV", we did it in a two-door Ford Escort, and we all got along great. Surprisingly little grumbling from the girls.

it says this post has 11 comments. I only "see" 3. wonder what's up? I think my favorite vacation was one particular Thanksgiving day in Moab. after a great hike we basked in the warm sunshine munching fried chicken, Db and I taking pulls from a Kendall Jackson Reisling and had probably the first conversation between our kids that was fulfilling on an adult level for all of us. everyone contributed, laughed and invented. we came up with some awesome ideas. probably should have pursued some of them. we had several years earlier made the decision to not do the traditional dinner on that day-

That picture looks like a beautiful dream!

Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i, 2010. My husband and I decided to ditch the group we were with (who wants to stay at a resort the entire trip?) and rent a car to check out the park. It was a last minute decision and we did things on-the-fly, which for two city kids unaccustomed to nature, means not very well. We arrived in the late afternoon and found a trail that took us down to the crater of an inactive volcano. Neither of us had ever seen anything like it, and we really wanted to go down and walk on the ground. We took our time on the descending trail--snapped pictures of Kīlauea, the active volcano, in the distance, and enjoyed how beautiful the setting sun looked. I thought it was great fortune that no one else was on the trail, so it felt like my husband and I could be alone and explore everything at our own pace. When we finally got down to the crater, we realized that the ground had a lot of cracks in it that were not visible from the top of the volcano. We had to be very careful with our footing--we also had to be fast because the day's light was also leaving. I realized then that if we didn't haul to the other end of the crater, we'd be in the dark. We tried to hurry, but in only a little bit, we were out of light and without flashlights. My husband thought it was hilarious when we resorted to using our cellphone lights to illuminate the little bit of land in front of us to avoid stepping on a crack. There we were--two dorks, holding hands, hopping left and right, using a cellphone screen to see in pitch darkness without a clue as to where the trail to go back up the volcano was in order to get out of the crater pit. Then my husband's cell phone died. He suggested we just sit it out and wait until the morning so we wouldn't risk stepping incorrectly and breaking an ankle. I reminded him that, at some point, using a bathroom would be necessary and I didn't have the advantage he did. I was really thinking I'd just have to suck it up, but then I heard a rustling in the trees and some sort of howl and I said screw this, I'm calling for help. I used the last bit of my phone battery to find the park ranger's website and called them for help. When they stopped laughing at my request for help, they finally agreed to send a ranger to the crater to find us. "Look for the light somewhere in the trees. It'll take a while, so just be patient," was their instruction. We sat down, held hands, and while the images of a werewolf-looking-thing sneaking up on us were playing in my head, I finally looked up at the sky. It was a sight I had never before seen. The stars were bright, scintillating, and completely clear. There wasn't a cloud in the sky to obstruct our view. I was mesmerized by their beauty. There were what seemed thousands in clear view--more than I thought it was possible to see at any given time. It was one of those moments where everything else in your mind vanishes, and you're left in awe at the beauty surrounding you. I experienced one of those rare, absolute moments of peace where nothing mattered except what was happening at that very moment. We laid on our backs and just stared at the sky in silence for almost an hour.

Then the park ranger came with a flashlight. We followed him out of the crater, back up the trail, and he drove us back to our car. It was kind of like the ride of shame. We sat in his backseat, dirty, sweaty, and disheveled. He told us that while other people had to be "rescued" before, we at least didn't try to climb up the way-too-steep volcano walls without using the trail like others had. Before he let us go, he took our names and information. I wouldn't be surprised if our info is on their "Wall of Idiots" right now.

Still, it was worth it. In the city, I've never been be able to see a view of the night sky the way I had since then. Even when we go out into the "country"--it just doesn't compare. After the ranger dropped us off, we just got back in our car and drove to the lookout point to see Kīlauea continue venting. It was like a live watercolor in the sky. Getting stuck in a volcano pit at night wasn't what we had intended to do, but it was perfect.

I was 21. graduated nursing school, worked for a few months, saved up $300, quit mid-summer, hopped in my car and picked up my cousin in NY. We drove to Colorado where I stayed for a few days and then travelled on by myself to meet up with friends in California.

This New England gal fell in love with the prairie and the desert during that vacation. There was so much sky I felt as if I was going to fly off the face of the earth! Land and sky, sky and land. You could even see bad weather forming miles away. It was so alien. I loved it. The beauty of the Painted Desert was just stunning. Mesas were awesome.

This was (obviously if all I needed was $300) before cell phones and GPS. Summer of '75. Somehow I survived using the good old Road Atlas and prayer. No car insurance, no health insurance, no job. I didn't doubt for a moment that once I landed in CA, and my vacation ended, I would be able to find a job with which I could support myself. That's exactly what happened. I wasn't even worried about a job if I ended up getting stuck in some other state - I knew that even if I couldn't work as a nurse (licensing reciprocity issues) I could get something that would provide me with enough to live on AND save.

Had a month long vacation exploring the United States...mostly by myself! It was an incredible experience. Definitely an adventure with some hair-raising moments :) I will never forget it.

Mine was 3 years ago. When I turned 50 I gave myself 30 days in the Colorado mountains elk hunting. Had a blast and it was great to be away from work for that long.

My favorite would be 3 weeks in the Philippines where I met my wife. It was like world turned upside down walking around Manila. So much Spanish architecture with Asian people walking around. Then to get away from the cities a tropical paradise awaits with snow white sandy beaches with the grains of sand as fine as baby powder. The most wonderful thing of all was the woman I went to meet. Turns out I spent 45 years looking for a person to share my life with and I found her half way around the world. I'm so glad I waited and so glad I took the chance for now I have a friend and partner for life.

LOVE Manitou Springs!

The last vacation that I took (excepting the occasional long weekend) was when I was a very young sailor, probably 40 years ago. I'm planning to remedy that as soon as possible.

I've been out for a bit and am back. To answer your question, that is easy:

Diego Garcia, BIOT. 1998. 6 weeks of paradise. It was a military TDY (temporary duty assignment). LOVED IT. Oh yeah, when they say use your 29 SPF sun tan lotion, they aren't playing around. Only 7 degrees below the equator and it is quite hot. Aruba, Jamaica...whatever...the Beach Boys obviously never went to DG.

Our favorite vacation was in Nashua last week where we met Dale and some other remarkable people. :-)
We had hoped to meet you too?

What a beautiful picture!

Minnie Puck! I have had many wonderful adventures. However, nothing compares to your night in the volcano!,,
I went down in the Ubehebe crator in Death Valley, but with much difficulty, came up the sane day.

Too many to choose from, like the global circumnavigation in 1977, or the jaunt through Australia in 2007, or the European tour of 2014 through England, Germany, Netherlands, France, Switzerland. Our best-documented trip was in 2009 through the fabulous American Southwest that several others here have also referenced. See my lengthy tweeted diary here: www.gamepuzzles.com/ipptrip09.htm -- lots of photos.

For me it would be a toss up between two different vacations.

First one was Hawaii in 1985. I was in the service and stationed there. My parents had claimed they were going to come visit all throughout my enlistment. Oddly enough when I was in HI instead of Korea in winter, or Okinawa in summer, they decided that was where they should come visit. Not only that, they brought along my grandparents as well. Saw the sights, and were awed by the beauty of the islands outside of Honolulu. A wonderful vacation all around. The last vacation my grandparents were able to take unfortunately, so bittersweet in some ways.

The second was Vegas in 2000. Wife and kids on that one. Flew out of NH through a snowstorm to land in NV with no snow in sight :) What we did was in the morning one of us picked something to do or see, in the afternoon someone else got to pick. We did that every day we were there, so that everyone got to pick stuff they wanted to do or see. The kids talked about that one for years. Everyone enjoyed it.

P.S. Took the long tour of the dam, well worth it. A very impressive piece of engineering and construction, especially since it was the 30s.

wife K and I went on a cruise in 09 from Vancouver
to Juneau to Ketchikan, to Skagway, back to
Vancouver and then by bus to Penticton, B.C. and
then to Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Butte,
Montana and Salt Lake City. . then we rented
an HHR and drove to Napa, SF, Carmel and
Monterey, to Yosemite and back to Salt Lake.
she had never seen any of these spots and
I had seen some -- bucket list for both of us!
film at eleven. . That Was A Trip!!! -- j
.

That Is One Gorgeous Photo, Kaila!!! -- j
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I can't choose one place or experience as a favorite. The company or lack of company (travel freedom) has a big effect on the experience, too.
The best experiences for me:

- Six weeks exploring Western Europe by train
highlighted by
-La Boheme at Vienna State Opera,
-wine tasting in Beaune (Marché aux Vins touristy but fun cave experience that led to an all night dinner with couples from Canada and Australia- we were all dying to speak English for a change) and Reims (Champagne),
-catching a midnight train in Dijon (like a scene from a movie, racing the moving train to the end of the platform and barely jumping on board)
-eating fresh baked goods every morning and fresh produce for lunch on the go in Paris
- finding the leather goods market in Firenze Italy at the perfect time to replace my companion's lost gloves
- in Dijon Museum seeing a 18th century painting of a merchant with a striking resemblance to me. Not remarkable, you say? My companion had told me on the flight from the US that it would happen.
- searching for and finding a unique coat of arms in Bellinzona
- soaring arches and dome architecture
- Michelangelo's David and Pieta
- Venice
- Lake Thun
- biggest disappointment, the Hanna and Barbera quality of the Sistine Chapel ceiling


- A year seeing Australia by car (part camping, part visiting new friends, some resorts) highlighted by: wine tasting in Hunter, Yarra, Bendigo, Pyrenees, Barossa, Clare, and McLaren Vale regions. Too many glorious experiences to detail. Australia is an amazing place with most welcoming people.

- A month traveling Thailand (including a populist political uprising)

- Five months experiencing Honduras (considering relocation there)

- Diving the Barrier Reef (and coming face to face with a 600 lb Grouper while solo snorkeling a wreck)

- Wine tasting (and buying) trip in Napa and Sonoma, staying at winery guest houses

As someone who'd seen most of the ConUS by the time I hit my teens but who's only taken a couple of trips to other countries, it would be a tossup between two:

- a spur-of-the-moment trip to Paris I took in early 1998 with a guy I worked with at the time - mostly because he'd stumbled onto RT airfares from Portland, OR and CDG for (get this): $350. I said "What the hell" and went along, basically backpacker-fashion. We emerged from the subway right next to the Louvre, picked the first hole-in-the-wall dirt-cheap hotel we saw, walked around all of the core sites for five days, then left. Sometimes you have the most fun when you plan little or nothing;

- the trips to Thailand I took in '08 and '10 with my girlfriend, who was born there. The '08 trip had an enjoyable political coup right in the middle of it, which required racing the army to the bus station to catch an overnight to Chiang Mai, which was the only functioning airport out of the country at the time (one of two warring mobs had "occupied" both of the Bangkok airports.) Serious political unrest works really well for dispelling the end-of-vacation blues, incidentally, 'cause it makes going home a really enjoyable thing. 8^]

Though I'm deeply regretting not having stumbled onto the practice in 1998 and earlier, by 2008 I'd become a fan of doing travel journals. So for that trip and the one in '10 I took notes at the end of every day, then fleshed them out and put them up at http://Travelpod.com. (Well, the first one's up, at any rate - the second one has been on a back burner for a long, long time but will eventually be ready for the table...)

http://www.travelpod.com/members/bahtman...

It's maybe fit subject for a separate thread, but I encourage any and all with a writing bug to do travel journals whenever you go on vacation. Not only can you allow friends and family to tag along vicariously, you too can read them years later and re-live details you would otherwise have forgotten. They're also useful for passing tips on lodgings, eateries, points of interest, customs to be aware of and hazards to avoid - to random readers.

Anyone else done travel-writing?

(P.S. - Duncan Scott's recent T-pod journal, and the one by a guy I've never met calling himself "Battlemonkey" - both are linked at the right side of my T-pod page - are must-reads.)
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I bet that NMA thinks that you are an artist as well.
That is a GREAT photo!