One of the great things about the new year is all the possibilities. You pull out a clean calendar with nothing but blank days and imagine how you’ll fill them. It’s exciting and at the same time, a little frustrating because there are so many places we want to see and so little opportunities once you account for work, school, activities and family obligations.
Still, that doesn’t stop us from dreaming, right? So here is our travel bucket list for 2018. Like last year’s list, we have it broken down by day trips, weekend getaways and traditional vacations.
DAY TRIPS
Day trips are pretty economical. You don’t have to splurge for a hotel and you might even be able to eat breakfast and/or dinner at home. There are a lot of cool places within a few hours of where we live.
NYC Hamilton Tour
Last year, Bella got to see her first Broadway show (Wicked). She’ll be seeing her second soon and on her list of shows to see is Hamilton. If I can score tickets for us when the next block is put up for sale (or win tickets in the Hamilton lottery), I’d love to pair seeing the show along with a tour of all the historic sights around New York City that have something to do with Alexander Hamilton. It would be educational and fun, like taking a field trip!
Ferry/Train Excursion
I feel like we see everything around us by car. This year, I’d love to explore the area in a new way. There are several Ferry and Train options throughout the year, including fall foliage trips and Boston day trips. I’d like to see if I can convince the family to take one of them, just to change things up a bit. Plus, I wouldn’t have to drive so much, for once.
Adventure Park
We are in awe watching our kids grow. They amaze us daily. Each year, they are becoming more and more adventurous, and I think 2018 is a perfect time to support their sense of adventure with a day out that focuses on conquering fears. An adventure park sounds like the perfect way for all of us to try something new and fun!
WEEKEND GETAWAYS
They say we live for the weekends, but we don’t always get to make the most of them. A weekend getaway is a great way to de-stress and re-energize. We’re not necessarily looking to travel far, but rather, just far enough to be out of the way.
Block Island/Martha’s Vineyard
I have this image in my head of all of us riding bikes along a sandy shore with a wooden picket fence and having a picnic lunch on the dunes. It sounds a bit corny, but I think finding a small island retreat that is accessible would make a perfect weekend getaway.
Under the Stars
I don’t know what it is. Maybe I’ve been watching too many science fiction films of late, but I want to see stars. Living near New York City, we can’t see many here at home. I want to go somewhere where we can get away from the lights and really see the sky at night. While I figured we’d have to head out west to one of the big National Parks for this, I’m intrigued by Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania. It is a certified International Dark Sky Park.
Shore Weekend
I grew up near the Jersey Shore. As a kid I loved heading to the boardwalk for rides, games, and snacks with my family. Back then, it was a night out. But we’d have to make it more of a weekend getaway these days relaxing on the beach by day and seeing how it lights up at night. Whether it ends up being in New Jersey, or perhaps somewhere in Delaware or Maryland, I could go for a shore weekend this year.
VACATIONS
Vacations are a necessary luxury, in our opinion. They are definitely tough on the budget. The trade off is that they are so much fun, educational, and create such great family bonding moments. We MUST go on vacation. It is that simple. Last year’s big vacation was a long road trip that had us spending chunks of time in different places. I think 2018 calls for a long stay in one place with lots to do.
WALT DISNEY WORLD
We’ll be making the most of our Disney Vacation Club membership with another trip to our happy place this summer. We’re all excited to visit the brand-new Toy Story Land opening this summer. We also want to extend our trip and take it at a slower pace. Disney has so many amazing things to see and do outside the parks.
A CRUISE
It’s been 3 years since our last cruise and we’re itching to go on another. We don’t have one booked for 2018, but it still counts if we book it this year even if we don’t get on the ship until 2019, right? We’re extremely tempted by the 50%-off deposit offer that Disney Cruise Line has for sailings between June 23, 2018 and May 31, 2019.
HAWAII (or other tropical paradise)
This is probably not going to happen, but I had to include it because it is always on our list. If we hit the lottery, maybe we can go to Hawaii and just relax on the beach… maybe learn to surf. This current cold snap we’re in has me dreaming of warmth.
So what types of travel are on your bucket list this year? How are you going to make those happen? Maybe like me, you want to go somewhere to see as many stars as possible, but perhaps you don’t want to camp out in the middle of the wilderness. A good travel agent can help figure out all those details with you.
If you need some expert assistance and advice, we recommend getting a quote from Aaron at Fantastic Memories Travel. Just fill out the form below. You don’t need to know every detail at this point. Just take that first step toward scratching off one of your bucket list items! He can even help you take advantage of that Disney Cruise Line deposit special!
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