Design the perfect trip

Mine is easy. Two weeks in China to adopt a daughter.

Woody, what is a Balata?

Malaysia. Not only does it look beautiful, but they've also got Supersonic Odyssey which looks absolutely rediculous.

^Corey you're such a tool :P

I would start by driving to my girlfriend's house, then the airport and taking her wherever she wants to go. Probably Paris.

I **MIGHT** go to an amusement park while I'm on vacation, but it would probably be a Disney park, if anything.

Disneyland/World are the only parks I can go to and not feel like I'm at a park, and that I'm still on vacation.

Most coaster-centered road trips result in too much bull**** drama and stress.

-Josh

So suddenly all the coaster people are too cool to spend two weeks doing coasters?

Lightweights. :)

I'd cram every park and coaster I could into those 16 days...

...either that or I wind up lost at some asian opium den. The whole time sampling the fine food, women and drugs of the region, only to wake up some time later and realize I was actually in the little cubby hole under the stairs in the basement talking to the various spiders that make residence there.

Either way, I'm cool with it.

Make mine Puerto Rico...the sun, the sand and a lotta J-Lo's distant relatives.

---

Jeff said:
There's a lot more to life than coasters, and I think if more enthusiasts realized that there would be fewer single enthusiasts.

---

That's why only every third vacation involves coasters for us (not that I mind). Now with Jr. on the way, perhaps fewer since we'll be sticking with the Jr. coasters at Tussaud's Legoland up the coast. ;)

But fortunately for me, an occassional coaster trip is not out of the question for my dear wife. She also doesn't mind my penchant for riding steam trains. Choo choo!

Redman822: Balata is a soft covered golf ball that some pros use. I have found them to be good for my game, since when I crush it 280 off the tee, it doesn't go so far out of bounds that I can't find it. Basically, the 4 B's are: BBQ, Brew, Boat, & Golf (ie. Balata). That's a solid week with the wife. I'm just fortunate to have a woman who loves all 4 of those mentioned + coasters.

My perfect vacation would probably involve coasters, but maybe one or two days' worth, not the whole thing.

I'm coming pretty close to the perfect vacation with my trip coming up in September. We're flying into Denver and driving to Las Vegas, then leaving from there. Not only do I get to spend more time in my favorite city (Vegas), I also get to explore a new city (Denver), drive through the Rockies and the desert (landscapes I've never seen before), see at least two national parks and stay at two really nice hotels (Bellagio and the Westin in downtown Denver).

No coasters, but then again I wouldn't go to Elitch Gardens unless I had a full two weeks in Denver. The only thing that could make it better is if I'd had enough cash for a convertible rental car...

Lots of options here. I'd probably head out to Europe, spend most of the time visiting all the great stuff and spend a few days at parks. First choice is France and Italy with stops at Paris Disneyland, Parc Asterix, Mirabilandia and Gardaland. Actually, I did this trip (minus the Italian parks, didn't have time) and it was loads of fun.

Next up, I'd probably hit Germany and Austria. There's some fun parks around there and I'd love to visit both countries.

For a 'states trip, probably something which included SFA, PKD and all the other stuff in that area, either heading up into New England or down south into Florida. I wouldn't bother leaving from the same airport I came into, either. We did different airports when we visited France and Italy. It worked out well.

Den, I'd recommend driving through Zion on your way with a stop-over at Bryce.

Sounds like a lot of fun! The Grand Staircase/Southern Utah is one of the prettiest places I've ever been.

Den, are you flying into and out of Denver, or into Denver and out of Vegas? Just curious, because you have so many options to take. If you are only making the drive once, then definately get off the interstate and explore southern Utah.

I was travelling from Veags to Denver when I made the trip. I logged less than 100 miles on Utah interstates and it was well worth the extra miles and time.

I would recommend heading south towards Moab once you reach Utah and enjoy Arches. Then take 191 south to 95. That heads northwest to 24. Take that to 12 south. 12 south will lead you to Bryce Canyon NP. Then 89 south to 9 west and you're at Zion NP. It's a lot of driving and some of it is extremely desolate (I got freaked out at times being by myself in the middle of nowhere). But the scenery is outstanding, especially for someone from central Ohio.

There are also plenty of beautiful treks through the Rockies. Definately take a side track off of I-70 at some point, it's worth it. Don't forget you can stop and hit a mountain bobsleds (don't know the official term) at several of the ski resorts and the new alpine coaster in Glenwood Springs. I know you don't have time for themeparks, but these things are great excuses to get out of the car for a little while.

The problem is, we don't have a whole lot of time... just two days to travel. We're staying in Green River, Utah the first night, and from Denver to there is 6 hours plus, so we have to make a six-hour drive, plus explore the Arches National Park, all before it gets dark.

On the second day, another 6-hour drive from Green River to Vegas. The interstate itself is a scenic drive, and we plan on stopping at any and every "scenic overlook" and rest stop available, so even though we'll be on the fast track, we'll see a lot of cool stuff. I'm really interested in the architecture of I-70 through the Rockies, too.

Oh, we are flying into Denver and out of Vegas, so it's a one-way trip.

I am trying to find the right time to ask my wife if we can ride the alpine coaster. ;)

Well I think I would have to head for Europe. I would start out with a trip to Disneyland Paris, that way I could get out of France as quickly as possible. Then I would head to Italy. I am very interested in the Roman time period so I would have to hit Italy and Greece. I am very interested in both of the ancient empires of the Romans and Greeks. Finally I would make a quick trip to England where I would visit all the political sites such as Parliament. Finalyl I would go to Blackpool pleasure beach and for the grand finally Alton Towers.

This should come out about right: 1 day travel to france, 1 day in Disneyland, 1 day travel to Italy, 3 days in italy, 1 day travel to greece, 3 days in greece, and 3 days site seeing England, 1 day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and 1 day at Alton Towers and 1 day going home.

At least the alpine coaster is just off the highway. It would be a great place to take a little breather after driving from Denver. Can't see it taking more than an hour and I think that's being super conservative.

When are you heading out here?

Since he didn't say anything about boats ...

Fly to New Zeland, spend a couple of days there, then cruise to Aussie-land for a few days, *maybe* hit that one big park there, then go back to New Zeland.

My camera would be begging for a breather after that trip ...

I'm going to hear someone say "g'day mate!" before I'm 30 ...

I figured out the reason I enjoy coasterbuzz and spending 10 minutes reading another coaster site begins to annoy me - for the most part, we all have a "normal" side to us, we just choose to repress it most of the summer ;)

Australia is the best! But New Zealand ain't too bad either. They've got some whacky things to do for fun in New Zealand. Can anyone say Zorb.

---

Woody said:

Moosh said it perfectly. For the 4th summer in a row, my family is getting 3 monster cottages at Indiana Beach and this year, we're bringing the boat. We stayed in the penthouse last season, but needed more room this year. I don't 'need' to utilize the coasters, everyday. Just the 4 B's: BBQ, Brew, Boat, & Balatas.

---

I got a big kick out of this, Woody, when I noticed you're from TEMPERANCE, MI. Look me up when you hit the Beach!

IBDave...Skyroom waiter, substitute bartender *** Edited 4/18/2005 10:07:38 PM UTC by IB*Dave***

Incidentalist - not until Sept. 12. Long time to wait.... :(

Gonch sez:

"So suddenly all the coaster people are too cool to spend two weeks doing coasters?

Lightweights!"

Don't you mean wusses? ;)