Great non-Disney trips

Orlando and WDW is definitely our 'go to' place. We do a LOT of travelling throughout the year. Some is paid by others; some is paid by me. My son's father is buried in Arlington and I work for a Military Survivors support organization and we hold a National Seminar in DC every Memorial Day weekend. From 2005-2011, we went to DC on my tab -- as survivors. Since 2012, I've worked for the organization, so most of the travel and attendance expenses are on my employer and I WORK the event; but my son gets to do the activities with the kids as a survivor. DC is a wonderful place to visit with young and old. Museums, Zoo and Monuments are all fascinating. And with the public transit (subway and bus) they have, you NEVER have to drive anywhere on your own.

We also enjoy taking a week during the summer and going to Colorado Springs area. This is where my family vacationed every year as I was growing up and I want to share those same experiences with my son. For me, this is a very relaxing vacation. Since I know the area fairly well, we can just wake up each morning and decide what to do that day. There are a few must do's while there (go up Pikes Peak; go down into Cave Dwellings; visit Ghost Towns, Garden of the Gods), but none require much advance planning.

Last year, we went to Alaska and got up to the Arctic Circle. My oldest daughter and her husband are stationed (Army) up there, so it was great to visit for a week. We would love to go back, but it's a very expensive trip.

This year, we have our Cruise and WDW in November; then, next year, right after school is out and we return from DC, we are planning a trip to Hawaii. Will be staying on Maui; but doing an excursion to Oahu so we can visit Honolulu and Pearl Harbor for a day. If all goes well, we will also stay with my sister in Los Angeles on our way back and do Disneyland for a week!!
 
Orlando and WDW is definitely our 'go to' place. We do a LOT of travelling throughout the year. Some is paid by others; some is paid by me. My son's father is buried in Arlington and I work for a Military Survivors support organization and we hold a National Seminar in DC every Memorial Day weekend. From 2005-2011, we went to DC on my tab -- as survivors. Since 2012, I've worked for the organization, so most of the travel and attendance expenses are on my employer and I WORK the event; but my son gets to do the activities with the kids as a survivor. DC is a wonderful place to visit with young and old. Museums, Zoo and Monuments are all fascinating. And with the public transit (subway and bus) they have, you NEVER have to drive anywhere on your own.

We also enjoy taking a week during the summer and going to Colorado Springs area. This is where my family vacationed every year as I was growing up and I want to share those same experiences with my son. For me, this is a very relaxing vacation. Since I know the area fairly well, we can just wake up each morning and decide what to do that day. There are a few must do's while there (go up Pikes Peak; go down into Cave Dwellings; visit Ghost Towns, Garden of the Gods), but none require much advance planning.

Last year, we went to Alaska and got up to the Arctic Circle. My oldest daughter and her husband are stationed (Army) up there, so it was great to visit for a week. We would love to go back, but it's a very expensive trip.

This year, we have our Cruise and WDW in November; then, next year, right after school is out and we return from DC, we are planning a trip to Hawaii. Will be staying on Maui; but doing an excursion to Oahu so we can visit Honolulu and Pearl Harbor for a day. If all goes well, we will also stay with my sister in Los Angeles on our way back and do Disneyland for a week!!

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your story. Was wondering about the event in DC. Is that just for survivors of those who died while on active duty? I admit I don't read all of the mail very carefully; but I don't remember hearing about this. Was wondering if maybe it was because my husband was retired when he died.
 
Hello,

Thank you for sharing your story. Was wondering about the event in DC. Is that just for survivors of those who died while on active duty? I admit I don't read all of the mail very carefully; but I don't remember hearing about this. Was wondering if maybe it was because my husband was retired when he died.

The organization is TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors). All of the support services are for Survivors of all service members...actve, guard, retired, vets...no matter cause of death...KIA, accident, illness, suicide, homicide, etc. Most support is geared towards those whose loved one served post 911. If their service ended pre 911, we still have supports available, but may not be as broad. I don't want to break any disboards rules, so if you want more info, pm me. Happy to share.
 
I'm a single parent to one DD, who is now 11. WDW was our first trip alone without anyone else. DD was 3 at the time and we stayed for 4 nights. I was hooked on WDW after that. WDW has remained our most frequent destination with 5 trips with just her and me, but we have branched out too. We just got back a couple weeks ago from a 7 night Disney cruise on the Fantasy. We've also traveled to Boston/Cape Cod and Oahu. I took my parents along for the Hawaii trip as I had business meetings to attend for 2 of our 8 days and needed someone to watch DD.

DD has autism and bipolar disorder so traveling can be exhausting, but it can also be extremely rewarding. :)
 
I noticed some of you checked out the link to my blog post. I hope the itineraries are interesting/helpful. I really enjoy writing them, it just takes a while to get one done. I added a new itinerary over the weekend and plan to do one more plus a few more trip reports. If anyone would like to do an itinerary or trip report, please send me a message. I would like to include many of the destinations y'all have visited.
 


I love traveling and thank god my son does too. By the time my son was 1 years old he had been to Nashville, Cincinnati, Louisville, Chicago, Milwaukee, Orlando, and on a cruise to Mexico, Roatan, and Belize. He is now three and has been to Richmond, VA and D.C. Unfortunately, my son was a runner when he was two, so we stopped taking trips (other than in-state camping trips) for safety reasons (and my sanity ;) At three, he is a much better listener ande is potty trained so we are ready to start doing more trips.
 
Only two trips so far - both 4 weeks. The first trip we stayed in California, spent two weeks at Anaheim, visited San Diego, and spent another two weeks in Santa Monica. It was our 'test' trip lol. This year we were a bit braver and flew to San Francisco, Orlando, Las Vegas, and back to LA for a few days. My kids are (now) 12, 9, and 9. It has taken me a while to get the confidence to go away by myself with the kids and also to save up the money.

Next trip we will visit NYC, Washington DC, Niagara Falls as all 'must do'. If money permits I would like to revisit the GCNP, San Francisco and see New Orleans but I suspect we might have to give that up. Of course we will spend a few days at Disneyland!

Than other trips will have to be closer to home as all the kids will be at adult prices with airfares, so no doubt we will hit SE Asia, Pacific Island cruise, Hawaii (can get fairly cheap deals from Oz).

Of course if money and time were no issue I would visit (almost) every country in the world. Travel is such a lovely thing to spend money :D
 
I've been a single parent since DD12 was a year old. We've traveled a lot but not always just the 2 of us, especially when she was younger. We've taken trips with my brothers and their families, with my friends and many many times my mom or one of my nephews joins us. When DD was younger, other than the occasional trip to WDW, we kept it local. We live in MA so we have easy access to beaches or mountains and we spent many vacations at Storyland in the White Mountains or on the southern coast of Maine.

Now that DD is older, we've started to branch out. In the past 4 years we've also been to Maui and Oahu, driven the CA coast from SD to SF, Disneyland, NYC, DC, FL Keys, Hershey Park, Amish country and Portland OR. We're going back to Hawaii summer of 2016 and I'm hoping to take a cruise in 2016 as well. I've been on several cruises but DD hasn't been yet. I think she'd like it but hesitate to go with just the 2 of us, not sure if it will be awkward or boring for me without another adult or for her without another kid along and I'm a little hesitant to explore some of the islands without a larger group. If we do a short Caribbean cruise and it goes well, we'll add Alaska to our future trips wishlist.

I'm saving Europe for when she is a little older and better able to appreciate a sight seeing/shopping vacation over our current trips which involve a lot more doing than seeing.
 
I'm hoping to take a cruise in 2016 as well. I've been on several cruises but DD hasn't been yet. I think she'd like it but hesitate to go with just the 2 of us, not sure if it will be awkward or boring for me without another adult or for her without another kid along and I'm a little hesitant to explore some of the islands without a larger group. If we do a short Caribbean cruise and it goes well, we'll add Alaska to our future trips wishlist.

I just did a 7 night cruise on the Disney Fantasy with just DD11 and my niece, who is 16. I'd invited my niece along so DD would have someone other than boring, old mom to hang out and chat with, but honestly, I shouldn't have bothered. DD had a great time in the kids clubs and actually spent very little time with her cousin, who was having a blast hanging out with other teens on her own. I joined a Facebook meet group for the cruise ahead of time and met some fun people through that. There were so many things going on that it never bothered me not having another adult traveling with me. We stopped in St Maarten and St Thomas, in addition to Castaway Cay. In St. Maarten, I arranged for a private tour which allowed us to see a lot of the island and I didn't feel uncomfortable at all. In St Thomas, we just exited the ship and grabbed a cab on our own. I didn't feel unsafe or nervous. If you don't want to do that, you can always book the port adventures arranged by Disney so you'll have a group you are exploring with.
 
I just did a 7 night cruise on the Disney Fantasy with just DD11 and my niece, who is 16. I'd invited my niece along so DD would have someone other than boring, old mom to hang out and chat with, but honestly, I shouldn't have bothered. DD had a great time in the kids clubs and actually spent very little time with her cousin, who was having a blast hanging out with other teens on her own. I joined a Facebook meet group for the cruise ahead of time and met some fun people through that. There were so many things going on that it never bothered me not having another adult traveling with me. We stopped in St Maarten and St Thomas, in addition to Castaway Cay. In St. Maarten, I arranged for a private tour which allowed us to see a lot of the island and I didn't feel uncomfortable at all. In St Thomas, we just exited the ship and grabbed a cab on our own. I didn't feel unsafe or nervous. If you don't want to do that, you can always book the port adventures arranged by Disney so you'll have a group you are exploring with.

Good info, thanks!
 
I've been a single mom for 4 years now and travel as much as we can. We have been to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge twice, Walt Disney World 3 about to be 4 times, Mrytle Beach, white water rafting and kayaking on long weekends. I am in the process of planning a fall trip to NYC and road trip out west for next summer. The hardest part of trips for me has been the driving. I don't travel with another adult, so I have to make sure that I don't try and overdo the amount of time I am driving in one setting. If we have the time and the money, we are going to be traveling somewhere. The trip we all want to take in the next few years is the ABD Peru/Machu Picchu trip. It is on our bucket list and I hope to make it happen before my oldest graduates.
 
Racking my brain for a Disney alternative for next year. Disney just makes it SOOOO easy! We just got back from a week long beach vacation with extended family, and she had a blast with her cousins, but I just kept thinking about how much more work it was as opposed to Disney. It makes me hesitant to try anywhere else. I'd love to do a DC/Williamsburg trip but I think she's still a bit young to appreciate it.

I'd also love to do the Outer Banks, or Sanibel island, but then I stress over getting from the airport to the islands, finding a decent place to stay, etc.

Also, as an AP holder I like to get Disney trips in to get our money's worth.
 
I'd also love to do the Outer Banks, or Sanibel island, but then I stress over getting from the airport to the islands, finding a decent place to stay, etc.

This was the idea behind the blog I started...post trip ideas with specific itineraries on where to go, how to get there, where to stay, where to eat, etc. I've sort of fallen behind. I've only posted information about our trip to Arizona/the Grand Canyon and our trip to Florida/the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I'm working on an itinerary for a short trip to Houston (since that is where we live), but I haven't finished it.

I've never been to the Outer Banks, but I do have a single mom friend who has been to Sanibel Island (along with quite a few other places). I'd asked her if she wanted to write some itineraries, but I didn't follow up. If anyone who has visited these places wants to write up what they did, where they stayed, etc., I'd be happy to post for everyone to see!
 
Racking my brain for a Disney alternative for next year. Disney just makes it SOOOO easy! We just got back from a week long beach vacation with extended family, and she had a blast with her cousins, but I just kept thinking about how much more work it was as opposed to Disney. It makes me hesitant to try anywhere else. I'd love to do a DC/Williamsburg trip but I think she's still a bit young to appreciate it.

I'd also love to do the Outer Banks, or Sanibel island, but then I stress over getting from the airport to the islands, finding a decent place to stay, etc.

Also, as an AP holder I like to get Disney trips in to get our money's worth.

I agree! I want to go to Myrtle Beach next summer since we haven't been been to the beach since she was a baby (she'll be 4 in Sept.) and she asks about it. It's just easier with Disney. I thought about Puerto Rico, but I need to see how it'd work with passports not being needed, but what I need to carry for her. Not trying to get detained or questioned to prove she's mine. LOL! But then a U.S. territory, I shouldn't, but worry anyway.
 
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We usually just do Disney, as it is the place my kids are happiest. But, my DD and I did a trip last fall to Sea World and Busch Gardens, with just a quick Downtown Disney pit stop for dinner. But, we do an annual trip to Indiana to visit family. We stopped in Nashville on the way and enjoyed a little Music City last week. I haven't gotten brave enough to take my son on a plane yet, so we stick to driving distance only (he is on the Autism Spectrum). Chicago is on my list for next year, but that is a lengthy drive from Atlanta. Passports are in progress for our cruise, so maybe that will change going forward....
 
I live in the UK and have merlin annual passes which are basically passes to several theme parks, sealife centres and legoland visitor attractions across England and also include the London eye and the London dungeons. It saves so much money as once i've paid for the annual pass all the attractions are then free to enter for a year and there is always something to do with the dd's throughout the year.

We are also lucky to be able to visit Europe and have spent vacations at Disneyland Paris, Spain, Italy and Majorca as its quite inexpensive to travel to these destinations from the UK.

However, WDW is my favourite place to be in the world. :)
 
Bumping to see if anyone else has done any non-Disney trips in the last year they can update us on... Not sure when we'll be able to get back to the world so looking for some other ideas.
 

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