Vacation or Staycation?

[Richard in Smithville]

What are you planning this year? My family will be camping but not too far away. There is a fantastic Provincial Park about a half an hour away from Smithville on Lake Erie. Plus, it's around half hour away from Mum's where I have been collecting firewood since last year. Once we're set up, I run to Mum's and load up enough wood for the week.

The nice thing about the park is that it feels like you're in the middle of no-where but civilization isn't too far away if it's needed. No tv, no video games, no computer, and the cell phones are off and in the truck.

http://www.ontarioparks.com/ENGLISH/rock.html

[Hellrazor]

I don't take vacations in the summer since I take most of my trips in fall or early winter. The time I take off in the summer is usually DIY projects.

[pierhogunn]

My trip by myself, which I hope to make a yearly ritual is going to be tent-camping in Foscoe NC at Grandfather RV park ( with water, electricity, and even WIFI) while I host the Grandfather Mountain Games for Clan Gunn Society

That will be followed up by a nice overnighter at the Great Wolf Lodge that just opened up in Concord NC, just down the street from me and the fam.

Hope to make it LOML's first outing in a nice little bikini since her reduction

[Ed62]

That looks like a good family vacation, Richard. We're still deciding if we're going anywhere or not. If we do, it will likely be to Washington, DC. to see the memorial at the Vietnam Wall. We'll be taking in a lot of other things too, if we decide to go.

Ed

[crokett]

We already went to the beach. We go to Minnesota next month, the beach again in September then possibly Indianapolis at Christmas. Not sure on that yet.

[Knottscott]

Staycation is my favorite but we are also planning a couple of minor vacations too....already did the Niagara Falls trip... Hershey and Lancaster PA are next!

[Pappy]

I usually take a couple of weeks off around our anniversary. Mostly stay at home this year with our current financial situation. The boss will probably want to make a run to the coast for a day or 2 and I would like to get up to north Texas to see my oldest half brother and my aunt on my Dad's side.

I'm not close with my Dad's side of the family but my brother and I stay in contact on the phone and email. He is in his late 80's so I don't know how many more chances I will have to see him.

I haven't seen my aunt since I was a kid but have talked to her a few times over the last 4-5 years. She is about the only one left living that can answer some questions about that part of the family for me. She told me she has the original Baptismal letter for my Great Grandmother which includes her full Choctaw name and English name.

[dbhost]

If we leave Texas this year, with the economic stiatuion being what it is, I think we will go out to Oregon to see my folks, and some of my friends from high school...

Probably not though. More likely to head to West Texas and do some tent camping in the Guadalupe mountains...

Oh and FWIW, we vacation typically from November 1 through April 31. (the season, not the actual vacation time taken...) when it is cooler. Unless we go North or Northwest where camping in summer is pleasant... And typically the first two weeks of November LOML doesn't see much of me... I'm usually on the deer lease...

[docrowan]

Leaving out tomorrow for Gulf Shores, AL. My MIL has a friend who owns a beach house that she's offered to us for the week. My wife, two kids, MIL, and her father are all going. I'm only taking Monday and Tuesday off, but the rest are out of school, retired, etc so they're spending the week. So I get two vacations - a beach trip and several days of uninterrupted evening shop time. Whoo-hoo, not sure which one I'm more excited about.

[cwithboat]

Summer time for us usually means lots of time on our boat heading northwest into B.C. past Campbell River and Desolation Sound and up into the Queen Charlotte Strait. But not this year, we will stick around Puget Sound , north and south on the water for two or three weeks at a time. Economy, household chores and last years heart attack mandate this. Hopefully next year we will visit our friends up in the Broughton Islands (look it up).

[Kristofor]

Funny thing about staycations... We (several members of my family) were at the campground early on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend last year at a local county park (I'm sorry, at the local 3-Rivers Park District park since the counties not previously included in the name had self esteem problems). Anyhow, with gas prices higher than they are now the news floozy disparately wanted to tell the staycation story. Unfortunately she asked a question live that she hadn't asked before hand to the effect of "So you'd probably say that the high gas prices have impacted your travel plans and caused you to stay closer to home wouldn't you?" to which my father answered "No, we've been coming here for Memorial Day almost every year for the past 30 years"...

The economy is having some impact on how we spend our money this year (0% raise (for everyone)) makes a suprisingly big difference compared to previous yearly bumps... But, so far at least it hasn't significantly altered our vactions (Vegas, Florida, Dells, "Up North", and several state/county parks in the last year). Another couple years of increasing child/utility/tax/etc. expenses without some compensation/employment changes and it will start to put the squeeze on...

[Tom Slick]

I'm working the the SF bay area for the summer, my wife is staying behind to work, 3 hours distance between us. We'll probably hang out in San Fransisco a couple of weekends as "vacation."

[bigstick509]

We are planning a in state tour of local casinos this summer. At last count LOML has the count up to 11 casinos. In between we will be spending some time at the cottage and visiting other friends.