Where To Next?

While we are still in the thick of baby-land where sleep is way too limited and I can't be away from my wee one for more than a couple of hours due to being the main food source, we are now using our telescopes to see out the other end of the tunnel. Well, at least we think we know where the other end of the tunnel is, and we are planning accordingly until proven otherwise.

Since our littlest is 9 months old now, and we often book trips roughly a year in advance, we are now making plans for when she is a full fledged toddler and I hope to not be the tethered food source and sleepless nights are a thing of the past. Fingers crossed! This will be a game changer for our life at home, but also open the barn door and allow us to take some different types of trips away from home.

In other words, I'm in a phase of planning and booking lots of trips, and as I think about where we hope to go, I'm also super curious about where you want to go.

Here are some trips I very much hope to take in the next year or two:

• Summer trip to London/Scotland - this family trip is already booked thanks to great British Airways sale from last year + using Club Carlson and Hyatt points. All of the hotel nights are in suites at a very reasonable rate.
• Check out the (new to) SPG property in Vail once renovations are completed this year and do some skiing with my family. I also hope to visit the SPG property in Telluride once it is built in a couple of years.
• Take a separate mother/daughter weekend ski trip as it will have been a two year gap between these type of trips for Little C and me and I think next ski season will be the one that we will enjoy many of the same runs.

• Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii - this one is now all booked using Hyatt points, Diamond Suite Upgrades, and American Airlines miles and it should be an excellent family adventure. Here's a hint for which flight option we secured on the way home...

• Head to the Andaz Papagayo in Costa Rica without kids - this property is such a great value on Hyatt points as a Category 4, and I've been dying to go for years. Now that Southwest operates a Houston - Liberia route, prices across the board to fly there are more reasonable from our area. I hope this can be a trip for just Josh and me roughly a year from now - which will mean close to 3 years will have elapsed between "couples only" trips. Thank goodness we did it up big when we had the chance!

• Return to the Hyatt Ziva Cancun or another Hyatt all-inclusive with the girls. While I want to try out another location, I had such a great time in Cancun it will be hard pressed to pass it up. Right now this type of trip is just perfect for us and I cannot wait to go back.

• Go to a Christmas market in Europe with Grandma and/or Little C, preferably in a fancy seat. I would love to do a long weekend trip to Europe, stay in a fancy hotel (on points), have some room service breakfast, fly there in a fancy seat (on miles) and experience the Christmas markets in Germany, Austria, etc. that I have drooled over for years.
• Experience Iceland, maybe even on a low cost carrier. I'm intrigued by WOW air and their prices that can drop to around $100 one-way to Iceland or Europe, so while I am craving a "fancy seat" trip to Europe, I also very much want to try out one of these cheap seats.
• Take a last minute trip. I want to again experience the thrill of jumping on an opportunity for a last minute trip because of a great deal, a great opportunity, etc.
• Travel somewhere with my parents - and not just so there are more hands to help with the kids. My sister has been the lucky one who has in recent years been able to travel with my parents, but I also hope to coordinate to go somewhere with them and actually be able to travel with them instead of just use their help to wrangle my kiddos.

• Travel more with friends and family, especially the ones that have children. We had just started to travel more with our friends and family members who have kids around Little C's age when we decided to expand our family and that type of travel coordination took a back seat. However, there is no question that we are now in that phase of family travel where our kids are happier if there are others around to play with. Plus, I love the idea of sharing a bottle of wine and talking with other adults while the kids sleep play past their bedtime.

• Take my first real trip with Little S. We have already taken a half-dozen trips with Baby S, but in a couple years she will be ready to be a real participant in travel. I took my first big solo trip with C to Disneyland when she was almost 2 1/2 years old, went to Hawaii solo with her at 3 1/2, and to Europe solo with her at 4 1/2, so I know it is just a matter of time before Little S can be as engaged in trips as her big sister, and I can't wait to find out her favorite activities! Hopefully they include airplanes, room service indulgence, exploring, swimming, and adventure.

I made the conscious choice to not keep up my frenetic travel pace when Baby S joined the family, and while I don't regret it for one minute, it will also be exciting when we turn the page to the next chapter for our family and again find our new normal.

Okay, enough about me. I would love to hear what is on your current travel planning board!