Moving Forward [Vacation Read]

Ok, so August has been set as the month for vacation.

Things we need to do (and for which we need everyone to put in their opinion or else you don't get one):

1) What specific time in August? First 2 weeks? Last 2 weeks? Last 3 weeks? Write down a timeframe that would work for you.
Barba: I can take 3 weeks off max in one go, I'm fine with either first three weeks or last three weeks of August, I can adapt.

2) Where do we want to go? I'll add a Poll Function for this to the thread, but please explain your decision within your reply as well.
Barba: I would prefer Hawaii > Carribean > Florida > South America > rest (in that order). I have no problem with Europe as well, but I think the group gets limited based on where we go.

3) How do we want to go about lodgings? Name options, set preferences, organize information.
Barba: When we did look into places, I actually really liked the ability to rent a vacation house as a group. These houses can range from 4-6 people to 10-12 people so depending on our group, we should be able to find something fitting.

4) Extra's. Anything else you want to discuss in the group.
Barba: Who wants to visit Canada prior or after the actual vacation for a day or a weekend? Depending on where we decide to go, for me I think it would just be booking my flight through Toronto and it wouldn't increase my costs too much and allow me to be there for a day or weekend.

I only picked August because it was at the end of my summer break. I wouldn't mind it being either the last two weeks/three weeks.

i say bahamas 3 day all inclusive is pretty cheap and everyone can drink :D

I agree with Hanky. The flight is cheap, the surrounding is really low-budget, you have to be 18+ to drink, and it's nice and sunny.

I don't really know anything about the different islands though, so I would like to do some research before I decide on the Bahamas

I also know of a few people who have gone to all-inclusive at Dominican Republic and said it was nice and it is a few hundred cheaper if we have problems with money.

I'm fine with any place in the Carribean. But let's see about more people's input. I do believe that for the people from Europe, it'd be a tiny bit silly to fly to the Bahamas for a 3-day weekend. Intercontinental flights jack up prices. But it's a good option as a destination for me, would just have to look into times/length/dates.

Bahamas is forever connected to Scrubs though, someone better be willing to order a matching Tiki-necklace (read: whole group!).

Three days is definitely not enough. I plan to spend my entire life with you guys. Who said anything about leaving?  

a lot of places give group rates if we have a lot of people so we should get a list of people who will go so we can maybe get a group discount

***Vacation Preference***
California -> Hawaii/Caribbean -> Florida -> Europe -> South America

I have 2 weeks of vacation time I can take, so anytime in august is fine with me. I am flexible and can take the two weeks back to back wherever.

I think California has some really cool places:
Anaheim - Google/Apple
Los Angeles - Six Flags / Museums
San Diego - Seaworld / Beaches
San Fancisco - Golden Gate Bridges / Night life
Nappa - Wine Tasting

When it comes to Hawaii / Caribbean I am indifferent. I do not really know much about either place. I expect you can beach / Snorkel / Jet Ski and enjoy the warm weather.

I've been to Florida a bunch of times
Fort Meyers - Beaches
Tampa - Bush Gardens / Clearwater Beach
I have not been to Miami or West Palm Beach however.

I would love to visit Europe, however I am concerned at the price. I will be buying a house in a few days and I think that this year it just would not be a good option for me to take a trip overseas. Next year though I would love to plan or prepare for one.

I don't really know much about South America and never really had an interest in visiting.

***Travel Accomodations***
My dad suggested the following link to me for really nice hotels / timeshares to rent.
https://www.starwoodvacationnetwork.com/category/timeshare-owners/timeshare-owner-mystarcentral/

I am not sure what we will do for lodging. A house can be cheap, but there are pitfalls with that. Cleaning Dishes, Number of available bathrooms, # of available bedrooms. No real personal space.
If we go with Hotels should look into 'all inclusive' or something where you can get meals so you don't get charged like $5 for a bottle of water.
Will we need car rentals or will public transportation suffice?

I will try to elaborate more on this topic later. I just want to see some more replies come in first.

Another great website for travel accommodations I forgot to list:
http://www.resortvacationstogo.com/

I don't know about you guys, but I'm the type of traveller that likes to just chill and not do a lot of stuff. Seeing different amusement parks, and museums, or taste wine is nice, but I'm not into it. Like, I just want to be lazy, have food, enjoy the weather, explore nature, take pictures, be with friends, talk about life, and just be a hippies all day.

Vacation Preferences
When: I don't have a preference to when we go on vacation. I get PTO from work so I just have to schedule the two weeks in advance.

Where: My preference is somewhere in the US, followed by random Caribbean Island, followed by Europe. I unfortunately am not a fan of beaches, I just don't find much appeal in them. I don't mind spending a day or two on the beach laying around, but I much rather explore and learn things. If I'm in a new place I want to see and experience as much of it as possible rather than staying in one location. All my choices are picked as a combination of spots with beaches, as well as places of interest I would like to see.
-US: This is my first choice due to the same reasons as Heal mentioned. We are most likely going to put a huge chunk of the money we saved into renovating/furnishing. Most of the choices would be stretching our funds. There's also the issue of communication (see logistics post for more). That being said, here are my choices for US vacation spots:
1)California - As Heal mentioned, lots of things to do here. Could even road trip up/down the coast and hit all the beaches/attractions.
2)Hawaii - Nothing but sea all around, which means beaches everywhere. My mom recently went on a cruise around Hawaii and brought back a stack of pamphlets and there's a lot to do here. Other than the traditional surfing/snorkeling/parasailing bit, you can also check out the volcanoes/rainforest/Pearl Harbor. And who doesn't want to get lei'd?
3)Florida - I've been to two places in Florida. Orlando is great for your inner child with Universal Studios/EPCOT/Disney World. Fort Meyers is a quiet place with beaches you can relax on. Another place to consider would be Miami with it's nightlife and beaches.
Other places worth mentioning:
4)South Carolina - Went to vacation a long time ago to Myrtle Beach, plenty of things to dothere as well. Along with a boardwalk to walk up and down and window shop.
5)Virginia - I really enjoyed Virginia Beach when I went down there for vacation. Same deal as Myrtle Beach, but with an added bonus of being about an hour away from Williamsburg (Colonial Williamsburg/Busch Gardens).

-Islands: I can honestly say I didn't do any research yet. More to come when I look into the various islands a bit further.

-Europe: A bit out of the price range for me (and probably most of the people coming out of North America), but Europe definitely has the most places I want to visit. Lots of historical places of interest I would love to cross off my bucket list. First two choice also have beaches along their coastlines.
1)Greece - Athens and the Temple of Athena!
2)Italy - All the art museums in Florence, Colosseum, Vatican City.
3)Germany
4)England
5)France - I've been to Paris before, but I would love another chance to visit it. A week is not nearly enough to see everything there.

Post reserved for logistics section (which I will finish when I get some sleep).

Can we get a headcount for those all still wanting to go?????

p.s. Hawaii gogogoogogogo!

i still need a place to go this summer