We (well my wife) are planning a family vacation during Christmas. We have always done our family trips during the summer, but with our senior likely heading off to college next summer, we want to do a big trip in December. Problem is that we’ve never planned a December vacation.
Some general guidelines and info:
Boys will be 18, 13, and 11. They typically like tropical/beachy (Hawaii, by far, has been our go-vacation in the past), but open to different things.
We likely will have a week to 10 days.
Open to international (we live in southern CA).
Would probably like to keep the budget to no more than $25K to $30K all in, but can increase for some special stuff.
This is pretty much all about the boys, so no need for anywhere with good wine or food.
TIA.
Tom
Manhattan is super fun during the holidays. In addition, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens has a great holiday train show, with the historical buildings being made out of plant material. It’s not the beach, but it is 180 degrees from what you can’t do in So. Cal. then.
facing a similar question, and have found the following ideas for a 10-12 day trip.
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norway / thomso (ice hotel/reindeer/northern light). opposite of warm
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qatar / oman - beach, desert, very safe mideast countries
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barcelona, granada, malaga - history, food, beach
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tokyo / hokkaido - food, sking
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phillipines island hop - like hawaii but all se asia vibes and less polynesian vibes. food
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not for me (b/c i recently went), but u can go for a cruise in Antarctica. if they’re avid travelers and that would be their 7th continent.
Air France and Air Tahiti Nuit are are having a big winter sale - very cheap flights to Tahiti.
(Air Tahiti Nuit and of course Air France also fly direct LA-Paris, and Paris is wonderful for Dec & New Year’s, although of course not Tahiti/LA weather.)
Be sure you’ve given adequate consideration to just staying home. Perhaps having the relatives drop in . . . .
I’ve heard Hawaii is beautiful that time of year. Perhaps not very “traditional”, but lots to offer including great weather.
Manhattan is great for the holidays, but very crowded. Paris would be my choice, but no one in my family would agree to that.
Can I be adopted? I can easily behave under 18 
Thanks all.
I’ve passed the info along to the wife.
Costa Rica?
Last year we did Australia and New Zealand from LA for December and it was pretty epic. Our trip was from 12/12-12/29. You’re going in their summer so it won’t be cold.
We started with a 2 night stay in Oahu, then a direct flight from Oahu to Auckland. Explored the northern half of the island for 3 nights, then 3 nights in southern part of the island.
Then flew over to hobart Tazmania, which might be one of my favorite areas of the world I’ve ever visited (Maria island is so cool, totally remote, only accessible by boat, no stores/residence there, just wild animals). Then spent the rest of the time in sydney. Then sydney back to LA.
Sydney, Hobart, and northern island of NZ have great beaches.
With only 10 days you probably don’t want to burn lots of days flying or recovering from jetlag. Perhaps visit a different Hawaiian island than your usual; they each have a different vibe and different tourist activities. Christmas would have only slightly cooler temperatures than your usual summer vacation to Hawaii.
I see you mentioned Costa Rica downthread. Costa Rica is very accessible, lots of activities to fill each day, and it doesn’t consume too much more travel time or cause major jetlag issues. Coffee plantations, wildlife (tucans, macaws, frogs, insects, monkeys, crocs, turtles, sloths), beach activities, rain forests, and much more. Lots of ways to have a fancy vacation in Costa Rica or to have a rustic vacation. On our trip there we visited 4 different areas of Costa Rica (east coast, west coast, mountains, and a less-visited peninsula on the west coast) and enjoyed each for different reasons.
We did an extended family trip with 16 ppl for Christmas in Costa Rica and everyone enjoyed it. My “boys” (now in college) still talk about it. We rented a boat one day, went fishing another day, zip lining, just swimming in the ocean and watching the sunset every evening. We were on the Nicoya peninsula and flew into San Jose and out of Liberia so we were able to also spend a few days up by Tamarindo. There is tons to do and see there.
Some great recs. Thanks all.
Right now, Costa Rica is in the lead. My wife is getting more details.
We have done Hawaii for so long that there really isn’t anything new.
The farther locations sound great, but seems like more time is needed.
We are not really skiers and generally not cold weather fans (soft living in OC).
Finding out less options for Christmas vacations and cost more.
this 100%. Especially the more tropical it is, the pricier it’s gonna be.
I looked at Kauai for Christmas break, it was $1500 RT from LAX and then $1000+minimum for rooms. At that point I’m heading to asia
We head to Costa Rica. We fly into LIR (Liberia), rent a 4-wheel drive car from Vamos Rent-A-Car, and head to Playa Hermosa. Playas del Coco is close and offers more activities for the kids. Both beaches are close to the airport (less than 20 miles). If you are in to volcanos and have a few extra days visiting the Arenal volcano area offers a lot of outdoor activities. We always rent the Red Sunset house when we are there. It is a few miles away from the most activities but it offers a lot for the money. Patrick Hughes, the owner lives nearby. And the rental comes with an amazing full breafast. http://redsunsetcr.com/.
A slight wrinkle.
My wife realized the passports of our three boys have all expired. We plan to apply for new ones/renewals tomorrow.
From Todd’s horrible experience with passports, thoughts on chances of us getting their passports by Dec. 24, using expedited service?
We are not completely sold on Costa Rica, but that is the place we decided on, and will have to cancel tomorrow to get a full refund.
So, questions for the group:
- Pretty minimal risk we don’t get the passports by Dec. 24?
- Worth the worry and time and cost for Costa Rica? We could always do a domestic vacation and then do a bigger one next year.
With expedited service, you should have all passports back in time. My wife renewed online and it took 2 months.
As for Costa Rica, we love visiting. We have been there a dozen times since the 80s. We have found plenty to do. We have zip-lined, whitewater rafted, canyoneered, visited thermal mud baths near volcanoes, visited wildlife refuges, visited and hiked waterfalls and tropical rain forests. Spent time on the beach and bathed in the hot springs near La Fortuna. Tour a tour across the border to visit Granada, Nicaragua and took a boat ride on Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America. I have probably forgotten a few things but suffice it to say, we find plenty to do there.
The State Department is currently saying 7 to 9 weeks processing time when using expedited service. However, that doesn’t account for any delays caused by a government shutdown. Everything I’ve read says applications and renewals will still be accepted and processing will continue but there’s no assurances it will be at the “normal” pace. Note that you will have to apply in person so that may also add some delay.
Thanks guys.
Starting the expedited passport process today. We have until Friday to cancel the hotel.
All signs are pointing to keeping the travel plans.
All your comments have been helpful, so thanks for that.