The kids are all grown up and out of the house. It’s time to think about year-round vacations! It certainly isn’t time to mope about the empty nest because now you can start planning to take vacations when other people’s kids are in school.
No more thinking about kid friendly places. Now you can plan late night entertainment; you can go during different seasons; you can explore more museums or archaeological sites; or do some wine tasting – things that just weren’t possible with the kids in tow.
Maybe you still want a beach vacation, but now you don’t have to go during spring break or school holidays! Think about it: warm Caribbean hideaways, Australian surfing, Moroccan beaches, or diving in the Seychelles. There are beaches all over the world for year round vacations!
Warm tropical beaches are great destinations at almost any time of the year. But there are a few things to consider when you’re planning that beach getaway. While winter cold in the north makes those Caribbean beaches very enticing, it is also high season and costs more. Summer is cheaper, but there are all those families, and it is hurricane season. Maybe you can opt for fall and spring, but check when spring break is so you aren’t caught up in that.
Think about it: No more exploring the world via Disney’s Epcot Center. Now you can really explore the world. Anywhere you choose to go will be more colourful and more fun in person than Epcot can make it.
It pays to do a little research if you’re going to the popular vacation venues such as national parks or beaches. It sure would be nice if you could go someplace on shoulder (cheaper) season and avoid some of those crowds and prices, wouldn’t it?
Cancun will be full of spring break rowdiness, but venture inland in Mexico. Stay in Merida and make the loop around the Mayan Ruins.
How about New York City in winter to see the Christmas window displays or to celebrate New Year’s Eve and watch the ball drop? OK, you won’t avoid crowds on that one, but wouldn’t it be fun? Attend plays and explore those museums more thoroughly.
Go to Europe in the fall and enjoy long leisurely dinners with no kids. How romantic is that? Take culinary classes. Or go in the spring and visit gardens that are just coming into bloom.
Go to explore the Pyramids in Egypt in January or February when it’s not so hot.
Take an African safari in late September or October to see the Wildebeest migration.
Go wine tasting in Australia or New Zealand in March, our late winter, but their end of summer, just when their harvest is coming in.
The possibilities are endless. You just have to develop a different mind set. Start making your list for year round vacations.
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