13/09
I’m Going Where??? Part Two
To continue, Bert Martinez of Houston, describes how his worst family vacation turned into his best:
“We have five kids, so a family vacation for me is usually fill with screaming, kicking, and crying. And I’m not talking about the kids. Last year I was outvoted and the decision was made to take a Disney Cruise. Like a massive wave, the dread started immediately, I had visions of a Disney vacation with long lines, heat, cramped hotel rooms, massive crowds in a confined space, and of course, the premium price tag.
“We have a set of rambunctious twins (Pain and Panic – age 7), two teens (ages 13 and 17) so I was extremely concerned about keeping everyone busy without stroking out. Our oldest son wasn’t able to leave school to join the event and I was envious.
“Surprise! It was sheer joy, worth every penny, the best vacation ever. Why? Because it lived up to the hype. There was a family pool, a parents ONLY pool, a teenage-only area (supervised) that was secure and well-staffed, with tons of activities.
“Usually family vacations leave my wife and me exhausted, but not this time. We were actually rested and relaxed. And we want to go again this year.”
Sometimes even seasoned travelers and tourism professionals get a little nervous about heading off to places that don’t sound like they’d make the best of getaways.
Andy Hayes is a professional travel writer who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has been all over the world. One day, he took a different tack when it came to picking his next weekend trip.
“I was over in the U.S., and some friends wanted to go on a long weekend somewhere in a month’s time. So we threw a dart at the map.”
And you thought that only happened in the movies!
“So anyway, the dart landed on Oklahoma City. I’d never heard of it, and I started to think it would be a horrible trip. But we booked our tickets anyway, and as the weekend approached, we were all apprehensive.
“We arrived and it was roasting hot, sunny. The weekend was full of amazing hearty meals contrasted with poignant moments at the Oklahoma City bombing memorial. It couldn’t have been better, mostly because we were the only tourists and were treated like rock stars.”
Lesson: The next time you’re stumped about your next destination and are feeling a bit adventurous, throw a few darts.
By Lisa Rogak
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[...] albeit for well into four and five figures in some cases — and how one intrepid traveler threw a dart at a map and headed to Oklahoma City for a weekend as a result. His description of the trip — [...]