All expenses paid? :)

Well -- if it was MY kind of vacation .....

London, England -- take tours around the City (including some of the Ghost Tours!), visit the British Museum for a whole day or two; see the shops and the flea markets and then drive out to Windsor Castle and Eton (nearby where I lived years and years ago), then visit Glastonbury and the countryside.

Fly to London, spend time there, then cross via the Chunnel and rent a car and drive around Europe.

I would head WEST!!! See the grand canyon, the giant redwoods, Yosemite national park, mount rushmore, the rockies......so many beautiful places right here in the good ole USA

How many days?

If I lived in New England, I wouldn't want to go anywhere. One of my favorite places in the world is Blantyre in Lenox, MA.

I know South Africa is a longer flight than you'd like, but I think your family would absolutely love that experience.

Ditto Ideefixe but more specifically, I would get a Eurorail pass and go to Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
If you have to stay in the US, I would go to the Grand Canyon.

Do you have to fly? I would take a train trip across the country if I had enough time. Great with kids, because they can get up and walk around, play games, sit in the lounge observation cars, etc.

If the time were more limited, with kids that age, I would go to Washington DC by train, tho I must admit that wouldn�t be the best time of year to be there. Pretty hot, and close to the 4th. But that is exactly what we did last summer, at almost exactly that time, and it was fabulous. Rented a house which was wonderful and cheaper than hotels.

Anywhere in the world with that travel time limitation, I guess I would pick Germany or England.

I would do Paris, Prague, Vienna, Berlin and Budapest. These cities are absolutely beautiful!

It probably doesn't fit your 10 hour flight criteria, but I would love to take my 12 & 13 yr old nephews on an African safari. I'm always looking & day dreaming about the tours offered by companies like Adventures Abroad.... I'd love to go to Kenya... see the 'big 5' in their natural habitat.... maybe with a side trip to see the mountain gorillas....

I would fly to Vienna and then take the Greenways to Prague.

Here is a link that might be useful: Greenways

This is fun to see everyone's ideas. The Greenways idea looks really neat. No votes for Switzerland? That is what we're thinking at the moment. Oh, I see bumblebeez included Switzerland.

Here is the real story. DH works for an amazing company and he just received his 20th-anniversary gift, which is "a trip to a 5-star resort anywhere in the world." Pretty amazing, right? So we're thinking about this as an opportunity to go somewhere entirely new (to us) that we may not have thought about visiting before. We have to go in late June, and probably for about 10 days.

We have been to London, and have taken the Chunnel from London to Paris. We just went to Venice and Florence last year. We have been to Yosemite and Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. Have been to San Diego and San Francisco and Big Sur and Monterey, LA, etc. We definitely want to go outside the US for this trip. And, we have a tropical island vacation already planned for Feb., as well as our usual beach vacation in Aug., so we don't need another beachy trip in June.

We thought about the safari idea but I think we want to wait until our youngest is a bit older. I definitely want to do that someday, though.

So right now we're looking at Switzerland, 10 days, maybe 2 different locations. Alps, lakes, fondue, chocolate... Anyone been there?

The summer I was 16, my father retired and he packed us all up and we drove across the US for 2.5 months, my parents and seven kids, aged 22 to 7. I second homebodymom--take the kids west.

The redwood trees, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Seattle, up to Canada to Calgary and Banff and Vancouver.

Much though I'd like to go to Europe and visit tons of museums, I think many kids would appreciate the natural wonders out west a bit more.

Or you could drive west a bit from where you are , hit Niagara Falls and then head north to Quebec and Montreal. Visit there and then head east to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia (Anne of Green Gables territory!)

Switzerland is pretty great--fondue in June might not be so amazing. But the Alps and the high meadows are breathtaking.
The Italian Lakes are also very lovely. I'd vote for Europe, since it's paid for by someone else. Switzerland is really more about the outdoors than museums.

Sue, I love Switzerland.

We went to Zermatt (my first stop was at a cafe for Fondue). Loved Zermatt. Our weather was beautiful and the Matterhorn was spectacular. We took the Glacier Express to St. Moritz ( I don't know why, but I wasn't impressed with St. Moritz) but the train ride was fun (although long).

We spent time in Zurich and took day trips to surrounding cities. It was amazing. Every place we went was magical. We hired a driver and he introduced us to places we would never have seen otherwise. I highly recommend you do this.

One day trip I really liked was to the Chamonix. Beautiful and charming (this might have been out of Geneva...my memory is on vacation).

I don't know if you'd have time for a Rhine Cruise, but if you did, you could catch one out of Basel, Switzerland. They are very short cruises, but we really enjoyed it; however, we weren't with kids.

I cannot recommend Switzerland highly enough. We loved it enough to go back several times. I wish I could remember the hotels we stayed in because they were all very nice. I do remember we stayed at the Baur au Lac which I would recommend.

We don't travel any more because of our aging cats, but if I did, Switzerland and a Rhine cruise would definitely be one of the first trips I'd take!

I've been to Switzerland multiple times (my sister & her family live there) and would highly recommend it. Beautiful scenery, great hiking & outdoor activities, and the different languages in the various regions might be interesting for the kids. I vote go to Switzerland.

If you are willing to spend more time in the air, my vote is for New Zealand! It is the most amazingly wonderful place I've ever been. The kids will love it. If you can do both islands, cool. If not, head to the South Island and concentrate on Queenstown environs and the fiordland. The Southern Alps are incredible and there will be skiing and lots to do that time of year. Bungee jumping, anyone? You can go to where it started.

If not (10 days might not be enough), Switzerland is beautiful and a Rhine cruise is a must, especially if you can go on one that takes you past all the castles. Did that as a child and still remember it!

I've been to all the places you mentioned, including Switzerland. My favorites are Lucerne and Lugano. The Lake areas with towns of Como, Menaggio, Bellagio, Veranna and Lugano. These are not far from the Rhine and/or St Mortiz, so a few days here and there.

I have also travelled all over Europe multiple times, so I would choose Turkey, Greece, or Egypt. Those are some places I have always wanted to visit. I am not sure how long the flights would be. Have a great time wherever you choose. What a wonderful gift!

Egypt or Jordan. I want to see the buildings made out rock and I'd love to meet a camel. Wonderful people live there. Very friendly!

I'd go to the Galapagos. Actualy, that will be my next big trip - hopefully in 2011. My sister and her family went to Switzerland when her kids were the same age as yours. They had a wonderful time. I'm jealous!
Lisa

Time is ticking on getting to see the Galapagos, I am told... Too much tourist interference.

But nevermind about that, SueB: Where does your husband work and are they HIRING?

LOL!

Hmmmm...this may be slightly "beachy", but in Hawaii...ULTRA beachy may be the ticket!

5-star Resort you say??
On Maui, the Four-Seasons has hooked me for life!!
Mobils only 5-star rating in Hawaii. We stayed there in June 2009, after DD's HS Graduation. Check thru the site-link for their pics, videos, etc.

The place is simply STUNNING. Also check Tripadvisor.com, and search "Four Seasons Maui" for Hotel reviews. I have a review there, among the hundreds of drooling ones!

Faron

Here is a link that might be useful: Four Seasons Maui...

faron, Hawaii is under consideration. I thought we'd decided on Switzerland but DH is having a hard time deciding. A friend suggested that we come up with several ideas and pull one out of a hat. We may have to do that! We still need to figure out how much time we have, too. DH needs to decide how much vacation time he can take. If we can do at least 10-14 days, I think Hawaii would be great, but I don't want to go that far if we have only, say, a week. So... lots of discussion still ahead.

Is Hawaii very hot in the summer? I need to look that up...

Oh, Hawaii would be great! As far as the weather, it is pretty consistent year round since Hawaii doesn't have seasons the way we do in the north. Expect 80s and low 90s during the summer. Definitely hit Maui, but I also liked Kauai and the big island of Hawaii.

I was in Hawaii in the first half of June for our honeymoon. It was fabulous. DidnâÂÂt even need air conditioning in Maui because of the wonderful breezes. We also spent part of the 12 days on Kauai, and love that as well.

That was 25 years ago, so things have changed, but Maui had at that time more activities and night life, while Kauai was a more restful, relaxing place.

But both were amazing. I would love to go back! I would have suggested Hawaii, but with your 10 hour flight limit, I thought that would not work for you.

Just wondering, have you asked the kids to do some research and think about where they would like to go? I am guessing at least one of the older kids is studying or has studied another language in high school - how about someplace they could use that skill?

I am not thrilled about the 12 hour flight, but DH seems to think it's no big deal. So far, we have one kid who is voting for Hawaii and another who is voting for Switzerland, and one who doesn't care. Both boys speak Spanish pretty well by now, but Spain really hasn't been on our radar. Oh, and DD says we should go to Korea (she is adopted from there) but we're going to wait 2-3 more years for that (she's not quite 10).

The other reason I'm hesitating on a beach-type vacation is because we're already going to Nevis in Feb., and we spend a lot of the summer at our beach cottage, so I'm looking for a little variety! I know, it's a rough problem to have...

Les-
We were on Kauai & Oahu for our honeymoon in '87!
I remember driving up to Princeville (Kauai) and thinking...WOW, I've got to come back here!!!

Sue-
Yeah, the flight is a long one, unless you want it broken-up on purpose?
We went from Fargo to Chicago, then 9 HOURS (to the minute! United flight #1, daily to Honolulu) from Chicago to Oahu. There's also a direct (United) flight from Chicago to Kahului airport on Maui too. Then...rent a car like we did, and you're off to the Four Seasons!

Side of pool area:

Looking out our room towards the entry circle, and the Pacific!!

Faron

Faron, my DD and her DH just flew in to Maui this afternoon. They're not staying at the 4 Seasons, but I guess the place they're at is 4 star anyway. Your photos make my heart ache...I NEED a tropical vacation!!

It looks fabulous. I was thinking we'd have to go 6 hours (from Boston) to CA, then another 6 hours to HI. Somehow, 9 hours from Chicago sounds easier. I also looked at room rates for the 4 Seasons.... yikes! This trip is "all expenses paid" but there is a limit. We have 5 in our family so we can't all cozy up in one room -- we need two. Plus airfare...

Anyway, if we do decide to go, I'll be asking lots of questions, Faron.

I've got a review on Tripadvisor.com. Search for "Fargoguy", and it'll take you to my March 2010 review.
I posted ~6 pix there too, on my review, if you look off to the side of the page.
Click on a pic, and another window opens with my pix there.

Pesky-
So cool! What area are they staying??

Faron

Sue, see if you can find a house to rent, or a suite rather than two rooms. Much easier, and often a house rental is cheaper than two hotel rooms.

When we went, we flew from Chicago to LA, had a couple of hours layover, which was a nice break, then back on the plane for another 4 hours to Maui. Coming home we flew straight back. I much preferred the split flight, but we didnâÂÂt have anyone but the two of us to worry about. Might be harder to keep the kids happy with the layover thing.

Ah, Faron, wasnâÂÂt it amazing? We stayed at the Maui Marriot, which was lovely, had a room overlooking the beach. The hotel we stayed at in Kauai is no longer there - it was being torn down the next year. I believe it was the Sheraton. But another great place, with an amazing view.

We did a helicopter flight on Kauai, and saw the sunrise at Haleakela. We will likely never get back, but the memories are still rich; I am so lucky to have been there even once.

Les/Pesky/Sueb & all!-

Yeah, it's hard to beat Kauai!
ESPECIALLY THE NORTH SHORE/Princeville area.

The place I'm DROOLING to see on Kauai (if we get back there on our 25th in 2012!) is the heavily remodeled St. Regis Princeville!!!
G*D that place looks amazing, and the views/coastline are unparalled! When I first saw the area back in '87, I knew it was a special place...
The reviews on Tripadvisor are almost 100% in the "OMG" category...Look thru the reviewers that posted pix too. Some very nice shots!

If I win the lottery...THAT'S where you'll find a "retired Faron"! Well....splitting time at the Maui FS too!

Les-
Believe it or no...we didn't get to Haleakala! DD & DW weren't that interested @ getting up @ ~4am! We went snorkeling @ the Molokini crater just W of Maui tho...that was cool!

Faron

Here is a link that might be useful: St. Regis Princeville, Kauai HI...

How about Iceland? I am serious. It's 6 hours from Boston. You can see the northern lights, Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa, volcano and glacier tours, puffins and whales ...

Here is a link that might be useful: Iceland Tourism Board

Just thought I'd check in a report that we are going to Switzerland! We'll go for 10-11 days and spend half the time in Geneva (with day trips to Chamonix, Zermatt, etc) and the other half around Interlaken. I've got the travel books and now enjoying daydreaming about our plans! (Not going until June.)

All this talk about Hawaii is making us think... hmm... maybe next Feb. vacation!!

Have a wonderful time! I am sure it will be amazing. But yes, I would put Hawaii on the list for sometime!

Hey that's stud!

You ARE required, now that you've had all this GW-advice, to post many pix of this upcoming trip!!

Yes, Feb. is a good time to get out of the Northern-U.S. to warmer climes! Do ya mean Feb. 2012?!
Oct. 2012 is when I hope to get back to the Maui FS for our 25th!

Faron

Yes, possibly Feb 2012.
We're going to Nevis in Feb 2011!! :)

Well....wish I could say I've been there...but have just the place for ya in Nevis!

Givin' ya ONE guess what I'm hinting at......hee-hee!
;-)

Faron

Here is a link that might be useful: 4S Nevis

Way ahead of you, Faron. :)

Whoa!
Does that mean you're stayin' there?!

Faron

Yup! I know, it's crazy, but our travel agent actually got us a great deal. Can't wait.

That's SO stud!!!!

You'll have to check Tripadvisor.com (if ya haven't....) for reviews/tips. I'm very happy for you guys!
Remember...lots of pix required here!
If it's even HALF as good as Maui's FS, you'll LOVE it!

Faron

Had to drag up SueB's "Vacay" thread....

Has She left yet?? I think it was any day now?!

Pix are EXPECTED Sue!!!!!! ;-)

Your 4S Paris pics were drool-worthy!

Faron

Leaving in 13 hours!!!

Will definitely post pics. Can't wait. Leaving behind about 2' of dirty, messy snow and ice on the ground. Yippee. (Though it is, believe it or not, 65 degrees in the Boston area today.)

65 degrees?!?!??!?!!?!!?

WTH?

We thought we were warm here in Fargo, with temps in the upper 30's and low 40's lately!
Make sure that camera is charged...;-)

What airline are ya flyin'?
Maybe we can track you on Flightstats.com?

I'm SOOOOooo excited for you guys!

Faron

Tropical...I LOVED Club Med as a kid!!! The instructors were fabulous and oh so friendly! I learned to surf,wind sail,kayak and para sail. I wish we could afford to take our kids. It was so carefree not having to deal with money and just go and do stuff. The food was amazing and eating in a big ole open buffet meeting people from around the world was so different than the US. Everyone chatted as best they could with each other. This was back in the early 90's so you'll want to ask around and find out if it's still as good as it was.

I'd rent a villa on St. John, USVI. No question!

Okay, just had to pop back in and say I'm not looking for a place to go any more! This trip to Nevis was already planned; we are leaving tomorrow. The trip I was asking about a while ago is a separate trip, which we decided did not have to be a "beach/tropical" trip since we already had the Nevis trip. So we are going to Switzerland in late June: 5 nights in Geneva, 5 nights in Interlaken, 1 night in Zurich.

It is fun to see all the different recommendations, though!