Help! I can't decide!

[MNNHFLTX]

Here's the situation--my husband and I are looking to go on our first "couples only" summer vacation ever (DS is in college now and will stay home to take care of the house and pets. Don't worry that he's being short-changed--he and I are going to Disney World and Universal Studios in May!) My husband pretty much leaves the planning/deciding up to me. Last fall I was convinced that we would do an Alaskan cruise, but after going on a cruise with my sisters and nieces in January, I'm just not sure I want to go on another cruise vacation so soon; it's not typically my favorite way to travel. So I am open to suggestions, with some caveats. We live in Houston which is HOT during the summer, so we prefer to go somewhere a bit cooler. Mountains are good, but any place that has some outdoor beauty to enjoy would be considered. Open to international travel too, but has to be able to be completed within 9 days. I'm considering Scotland, but I just can't decide.

Places we have already been: BC--Canada, Northern California, Southern California, Colorado Rockies, lots of places in New England, North Carolina/Tennessee, Arizona/Las Vegas/Southern Utah, Washington DC/Virginia, England/Ireland/Wales, Mexico, Missouri/Arkansas, New Orleans. At least those are the places I can think of right now.

I would love it if we could find some deals, but we're not opposed to paying extra if it is worthwhile.

Any ideas?

[Jillirose]

We are from northern MI and people come here from all over the world to visit. You didn't say what you like to do, but it's a golf and boating mecca, with many beautiful beaches,parks and shopping. Charlevoix, Boyne City, Bay Harbor, Petoskey and Harbor Springs are all destination small towns. And, Mackinac Island is a wonderful place to visit if you can. If you google Pure Michigan, you can preview some of the sights/activities. Sounds like you have a fun job ahead of you.

[SBETigg]

Scotland sounds fantastic. I was just looking at a friend's vacation photos and it's so rugged and beautiful. I would choose Scotland, or Ireland (but I see you have done Ireland). Or you could look into seeing Alaska without the cruise. I think I remember seeing a special on scenic train tours through Alaska. That might be something a little different.

[Katzateer]

If you decide to stay in the states, you ought to visit St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus, Cincinnati....if that part of the country interests you.

Caves, museums, shopping, zoos, lots of suggestions if you want.....

[MNNHFLTX]

If you decide to stay in the states, you ought to visit St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus, Cincinnati....if that part of the country interests you.

Caves, museums, shopping, zoos, lots of suggestions if you want.....

I grew up in Minnesota and spent extensive time in Chicago over the years. It never would have occurred to me to visit Indianapolis, Columbus, etc. Isn't it kind of hot in the cities up there in August? We were kind of hoping to escape that. You've given me food for thought though....

[Katzateer]

St. Louis has lots of great places to go and a lot of them are free. Indianapolis has the Speedway tour, shopping, a nice downtown, and south has some great state parks. Cincinnati has some fun places to go and some great dining too. Between Louisville and Evansville Indiana there are some beautiful parks and caves if you like. And of course Mammouth Cave in Kentucky and Gatlinburgh in Tennessee.

I was raised in Indiana, have gone to Chicago a lot, my brother has lived in St. Louis many years and we lived in Cincinnati area for 20 years.

We lived in Texas and it is so different from the midwest. Am enjoying the east coast now- had never been to all these big cities!!

Have fun planning your trip! If you decide to go to the Midwest I can give you suggestions.

[Scar]

If you want cool in August, how about Australia?

[Mickey'sGirl]

What about Normandy? Visiting the war memorials and beaches. So much history! You could rent a cottage and go out each day to see some pretty incredible stuff. Maybe fly into Amsterdam and catch a bit of that and then fly out of Paris. That would be an awesome grown up holiday imho!

[MNNHFLTX]

If you want cool in August, how about Australia?

We would love to go to Australia! It's a long-haul flight from Houston though and I'm afraid that travel (and jet-lag) will eat into much of our vacation time. We'll have to save that trip for when we have at least a couple of weeks to spend. Thanks for the suggestion though!

[MNNHFLTX]

What about Normandy? Visiting the war memorials and beaches. So much history! You could rent a cottage and go out each day to see some pretty incredible stuff. Maybe fly into Amsterdam and catch a bit of that and then fly out of Paris. That would be an awesome grown up holiday imho!

Hmm, that sounds kind of interesting. And maybe we could do a side trip to a certain theme park south of Paris?? I'm going to look into this.

[dnickels]

Glacier or Yellowstone National Parks. High elevation and up north so they should be a nice break from the heat. If you like mountains, hiking and great scenery those are two areas that are tough to beat in the summer.

[Melanie]

Beth, James suggests Austria. Vienna is one of his favorite cities.

[Mickey'sGirl]

Beth, James suggests Austria. Vienna is one of his favorite cities.

Mine too. Google Sacher torte. Mmmmmmmm.

[Kairi_7378]

If you want to stay in the states but want to stay "cooler," there is always Bar Harbor Maine and Vermont. Both are beautiful. We have also done several vacations to the Finger Lakes region in NY state. On our list of places to visit again someday is Niagara Falls.

[Tick-Tock]

Iceland. Icelandair is starting a nonstop Denver-Reykjavik flight in May, so going from Houston wouldn't be too bad. Somewhat similar to Alaska, and also lots of hot springs, geysers, etc. Whale watching and puffins. Almost everyone we met in Reykjavik spoke English, so it was easy to get around as a visitor.

[diz_girl]

Ditto for Mackinac Island, MI. A nice side trip is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I've heard that the Henry Ford Museum in the Detroit area is pretty interesting. Mackinac Island is beautiful and unusual because it doesn't allow cars (even the UPS guy drives a horse-drawn cart), but if you're looking for a lot of stuff to do, then it might not be your place. If you like relaxing vacations, then this IS the place. There is biking, hiking, going on horse-drawn carriage tours, visiting an old fort, and eating fudge. We stayed at the Grand and it was beautiful. But if you stay there, there is a dress code for the resort in public areas after 6 p.m., so you'll need two sets of clothes, one for daytime and one for evening. Staying there is a bit expensive, but the rate includes breakfast and a three-course dinner, plus they often have some deals, like stay two nights and get the third free. I really liked it and I hope to go back in a year or two.

And a ditto for the New England area. Bar Harbor and Acadia N.P. is great, as is Cape Cod. Both places can keep you busy for a week. When we were in Cape Cod in 2008, the temperatures were moderate, but it was unusually hot in 2010 (but not Houston hot) and many places don't have air conditioning because hot temperatures are so unusual.

[Scott C]

see mt rushmore thread...

scott c

[MNNHFLTX]

Some excellent ideas--thank you! I plan to keep many of them in mind for future trips also.

As of now, we've decided to keep the trip within North America. With limited time (and international airfares at $1300++) it seems to make more sense. One choice is the Pacific Northwest, with time spent in Seattle/San Juan islands/Vancouver and the Canadian Sunshine Coast. Another possibility is to do a Yellowstone/Grand Tetons trip (having been influenced by the other thread!) I have a feeling that's my husband's first choice.