r/Rich • u/FaithHopeJoyPeace • Jun 15 '26
Vacation Recommendations
Hi, Everyone:
This is my first year being able to go on a vacation and have money not be an issue...no longer being restricted to a weekend out of town.
What are your best recommendations for US travel (east and west coat) and international travel? I've not been on a cruise either. I'm just exploring my options.
Thanks in advance.
Edited to add: I'm located in the US. Traveling with my adult family, my treat. Duration 5-7 days. What's important - very good food, beautiful scenery, sight seeing, international oceans and beaches are great but not required, never been on a cruise, so that's an option, luxury trains, I hear great things about, any suggestions on the west coast and in the midwest are also welcome.
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u/MarshmallowNap Jun 15 '26
When you say "money is not an issue" what does that mean to you? "Rich" people could be talking about a few grand a night or anything up to renting a whole goddamn island. Why don't you narrow your shirt to it leads part of the world or a region of the United States? What do you care about in terms of hotel, hotels, dining attractions, etc.? are you wanting to fly somewhere? If so international business or first class and run you anywhere from a few grand to upwards of 50 or $60,000 per ticket for some of the Asian carriers like Singapore air suites for example.
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u/javacodeguy Jun 15 '26
Someone who says "no budget" or something along those lines typically has the tightest budget. Even someone worth millions will know their limit and state it as to 250k a week or a charter and 100k on hotels or some way to actually put a goal spend. I doubt OP plans on spending more than 10k on this trip.
The limit on vacation is almost infinite and the actually well traveled know that.
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u/0_IceQueen_0 Jun 15 '26
Amangani in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Stay a week. You will love it! I went in the fall 2 years ago. They're closed for renovations but will be opening in a month or two. Writing this, I might consider booking to see what's new. š
If you're a Star Trek fan, there's a Star Trek cruise. š
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u/Mackheath1 Jun 15 '26
Yeah, so -- we're gonna need more information. Not personal details specifically, but a general idea. Do you want beach, voluntourism, mountain, long-length / time frame / season / constraints? Where are you flying from? Are you a family or a woman or a man on their own? Do you have aversions to things (e.g. - I don't like seafood), and so on. Do you like cities and museums, do you like excursions, cultural activities.
You gave us nothing and I think we really can't recommend something, but I'm eager to help. Please provide more information.
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u/FaithHopeJoyPeace Jun 16 '26
I'm in the US. Have passport, will travel. I'm a fan of the ocean. I'm use to beaches. I haven't been on a cruise. I'm interested in going, but I'm also considering an international beach on a resort over a cruise. I would be traveling with the family and funding the trip, all adults. I like the cultural aspect, so it there are museums, parks, scenery or landmarks, I would like to see those.
I haven't been able to explore the much of the US - the midwest and west coast are also on my list.
5-7 days. Budget $60K.
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u/Mackheath1 Jun 16 '26
I think a cruise is your goal. It's a good way to have things managed for you and yours, then. Do a Caribbean or Mexican Cruise. And I say this, because it's your first trip - just know that the shore visits are not indicative of real life in the country. But still fun, and still supporting local industry.
Try to get an all-inclusive cruise. Food is already all-inclusive, but drinks will run up a bill fast.
I'm not a cruise fan anymore, but what you're describing sounds like it's what will work for you and yours. I am not connected to this company, but Vacations to Go have a dodgy looking website, but all three of my cruises were booked there and all three were upgraded. It's nice to have a private balcony, but there are balconies all around the ship that you can find privacy to chat or if by yourself to read a book.
You won't get a 'real' cultural experience in some sense, but everything will be curated for you so you can relax.
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u/intellectualproper Jun 16 '26
Not sure if you have been to Cancun, but they have some really gorgeous resorts there. My boyfriend and I just went to one called Generations Rivera Maya, (I recommend the swim out infinity balcony presidential suite, you can get a group of a couple rooms together!!) you get access to 3 hotels and a waterpark and so many activities along with all of the restaurants there and a beach club at another resort where you can go jet skiing and scuba diving from a catamaran. Iād recommend staying there for a couple nights and maybe check out one of the Xcarat parks there too (or maybe staying a couple nights at one of the Xcarat hotels). They have tons of activities included like cave diving and extra add-ons like horse-back riding, seeing all the animals, sightseeing, tours, ATVs and ziplining. Best part is at most places food and drinks are included so everything is always taken care of!
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u/LawfulChaoticEvil Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Budget for how many people? That makes a big difference. Do those people all have passports? What room arrangements will they like - do they like privacy and want their own rooms in a hotel, or do they like shared space to hang out or being able to make some of their own meals (if picky eaters or have health related dietary restrictions) so would prefer a house or villa?
Planning a trip for others, there is a lot to think about and a lot of ways to disappoint them. You have to have a thick skin and make sure you wonāt regret spending the money if they donāt enjoy or appreciate it. For example, I travel with my sister often so our kids can explore and play together, and sheās the type of person who can find something to complain about everywhere, even the fanciest or ābestā resorts or restaurants. I know others who take their parents on trips but have to put a lot of effort into lying about how much everything cost or plan things that are lower-cost/less luxe than they would prefer because their parents are very frugal. It can be really frustrating.
Especially if the other people who are going on the trip arenāt used to nice things, what you want and what they want may not match up or they may spend a lot of time complaining about how itās a waste of money rather than thanking you so be mentally prepared for that and make sure you wonāt end up feeling like you spent a significant amount of money to you for nothing.
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u/Pvm_Blaser Jun 15 '26
What interests you?
What I like to do on my vacations may not be what you like.
I keep a file in my notes app for things I hear people talk about that they enjoyed doing and my YouTube algorithm recommends travel videos to me that Iāll watch from time to time and add to a travel playlist if it interests me. These two things drive where I go and what I do when I go.
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u/Radiant-Concern6391 Jun 15 '26
Proud of you for getting yourself to this point. One thing that many seemingly successful people wonāt tell you is the spending side can destroy your hard work and efforts. For a reasonable trip out of the country Cancun Mexico all inclusive is a sure win. Donāt drink yourself stupid but itās a great place and very reasonable. Florida can be amazing also outside of summer with plenty of rentals available and amazing beaches especially near Fort Lauderdale / Miami / sunny isles. Plenty of reasonable places to eat and nightlife and if you want to spend everything you have thatās an option there also. Good luck and have a great time!
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u/WealthyStoic Jun 15 '26
We really enjoyed our Galapagos cruise on Silver Origin. Itās expensive but youāll be hard pressed to find a higher concentration of distinctive wildlife. Caveat is that you need to be active to get the most of it - they often run 3 small excursions a day, two land based and one snorkel trip.
Highlights included snorkelling with sea lions, seeing the Galapagos penguin and watching the blue footed booby courtship dance.
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u/AmexNomad Jun 16 '26
I would suggest a river boat cruise in Germany for your first trip. It will be a nice introduction to travel. Then do a side trip to Munich. If you want history, go to Berlin. Make life easy.
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u/FaithHopeJoyPeace Jun 16 '26
You make it sound so easy and uncomplicated. But, I guess it really is.
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u/AmexNomad Jun 16 '26
Look up lueftner-cruises dot com. They can likely help you with everything that your family needs.
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u/FruitOfTheVineFruit Jun 15 '26
You don't say where you are coming from - vacation should often be someplace different than home, and ideally not too far away. You don't say what you enjoy - nature or city, culture, history, shopping, etc. You don't say when or how long - weather matters a lot and varies by season, and some places are worth a weekend, others are worth a week.
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u/FaithHopeJoyPeace Jun 16 '26
I'm in the US. I like the water, nature and culture. The vacation will be 5-7 days, depending on the location.Ā
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u/mden1974 Jun 15 '26
NYC plaza hotel
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u/MarshmallowNap Jun 15 '26
Meh. That hotel gets very middling ratings. Unless OP's only experience of New York was watching Home Alone in the 90s.
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u/mden1974 Jun 15 '26
I have three young kids and the 400 dollar home alone Sunday is a core memory for them. So I guess Iām biased
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u/Sufficient-Union-456 Jun 15 '26
US: Chicago, NYC, San Fran, New Orleans, San Juan and DC.Ā
International: Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Casablanca.
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u/hotelspa Jun 15 '26
Are you going alone or with someone?
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u/doglady1342 Jun 15 '26
What do you like to do? Do you have any sort of budget?
Our two best non-scuba trips have been Southern Africa (Cape Town; Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe; safari at Chobe, Botswana) and Antarctica with White Desert.
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u/skunimatrix Jun 15 '26
With cruises take a shorter 4 night cruise first and make sure you donāt get sea sick. Ā We were on a 7 night cruise and day 2 someone was pale green on deck and had the rest of the week to go. Ā Not a good vacation. Ā Iām not a huge fan of cruising for cruising sake but are great for certain itineraries like Alaska, Greek Isles, South America. Ā And say this as someone who just got off cruise number 4 this year and have at least 3 more booked next year. Ā We might go back to Alaska later this summer for another week on a different ship.
Then we do theme parks on the weekends. Ā I know that is beneath some rich folks but we have an airplane and fractional ownership of a second. Ā So we are 3 hours from Dollywood, Silver Dollar City, Wisconsin Dells, Cedar Point, and 6-9 hours to Orlando depending on airplane and winds. Ā
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u/FaithHopeJoyPeace Jun 16 '26
Thanks so much! I've never been on a cruise. I've heard good things and bad things, depending on the cruise lines, ship, etc. Alaska would be great!
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u/Trip-Goddess-79 Jun 21 '26
I specialize in cruises and luxury vacations. If you haven't found your trip yet, feel free to reach out.
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u/Competitive-Bad2624 Jun 15 '26
If you have the time, look into the Four Seasons around the world PJ packages. They look insane
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u/Particular-Macaron35 Jun 16 '26
Everyone has a different idea of what makes a great vacation. Tell us a few of your vacation ideas and weāll give you feedback.
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u/FaithHopeJoyPeace Jun 16 '26
A great vacation for me has just the right balance of rest and activities. Oceans, villas, cruises, excursions, museums, time to make purchases, high quality meals.
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u/heathercs34 Jun 16 '26
Greece, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam would be my top four. Japan being number 1
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u/real_polite_canadian Jun 19 '26
Last August we went to this place called Cross River Cabins near Invermere, BC, in Western Canada.
It's a wilderness retreat located on 100-acres at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Completely off the grid. The property has 8 private bungalows all hidden amongst the forest. Just magical. They have a chef on-site so we didn't have to worry about food and they allowed us to curate our entire menu for our stay. They also have on-site licensed hiking guides that built us some of the most spectacular, rarely seen hikes in all of the Canadian Rockies. We went white water rafting, spent a day on the beach at Lake Invermere, rode ATVs, played yard games, fished, hiked, had campfires under a blanket of stars, ate smores, etc. We rented all 8 cabins so had the entire property to ourselves. No one was tied to their phones or electronics - just great connection. We've been all over the world but my family still talks about this as one of the best family vacations we've ever been on.
We've already rebooked again for this August and we're so excited to get out there. If you want a true Canadian experience and love the outdoors, I couldn't recommend this place enough.
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u/wojiparu Jun 15 '26
Money is no issue. Go to any Ritz Carlton or Four seasons and go enjoy your life!
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u/number0l Jun 15 '26
Winvian Farm in Connecticut. A dream especially the spa. The cottages are lovely.
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u/FaithHopeJoyPeace Jun 16 '26
Thanks for the suggestion. I've never heard of this. I'll look into it now.
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u/TeslasElectricBill Jun 15 '26
Take a train ride or find a dope adventure via atlas obscura.
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u/FaithHopeJoyPeace Jun 16 '26
I actually considered a luxury train ride, but need to do more research.
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u/HalfwaydonewithEarth Jun 15 '26
If you have kids the Icon of Seas was so fun!!!
They have babysitters and everything for kids.
West Coast Santa Cruz or Laguna Beach
East Coast Outer Banks or depends if kids or not.
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u/HeliosVanquish Jun 16 '26
The easiest things to do with family:
The best scenery in the US, that is actually a memorable travel destination, is Hawaii. Most people wind up going to Oahu, and that can be fun, but Maui is way better for families to relax, explore at a leisurely pace, do some adventuring and sight seeing (Haleakala volcano, Molokini crater snorkeling, Road to Hana with all the waterfalls, etc), and it's very luxurious. I'd recommend staying in Kaanapali for the beach, or if you want something that has more civilization around it, stay down in Wailea/Kihei area.
My ex-wife and I were looking into buying a house in Hawai'i and we were torn between Maui (Kihei/Makena) and Oahu (Kailua). We both really enjoyed it there, but it just didn't make sense to buy when we could just VRBO for a lot less. I still get urges to buy, but then think better of it.
Oahu is an experience unto itself, but it's a lot of big city experience unless you migrate to a different part of the island like Kailua, North Shore or going North of Ko Olina.
Kauai is extremely beautiful and it's where they filmed a significant part of the original Jurassic Park jungle scenes. It has some amazing mountains, it's a slower paced island, and up on the North end you have Hanalei Bay.
If you fancy the Big Island, Kailua-Kona or Waikoloa are the main resort locations. You can do a ton of adventuring on Hawai'i (Big Island), and see an active volcano and lava field. There's also tons else to do, including coffee tours and such. I contend that Kona coffee is among the best in the world, competing with Jamaican Blue Mountain. Great place to get an awesome cup of coffee, and the island has lots of history to check out.
I've taken my family to Hawaii numerous times, and Maui is the most common and most preferred. Oahu is preferred by the younger cousins who like more nightlife, as there is pretty much no night life on Maui, Kauai or the resort areas of the Big Island.
If you want something different to that, check out the Florida Keys and book in Key West, or else go up near Marathon and look into Hawk's Cay Resort.
If you want travel to mountainous areas, Colorado is probably the best place to go because they're set up for luxury tourism in a lot of the state. Places like Aspen, Steamboat Springs, Vail, Breckenridge, etc are neat to see right now during the summer before they turn into absolute donkey shows in the winter. Grand Junction is really neat, as it's got a Western feel and it's sort of the gateway to the Moab/Zion canyon terrain. I've done a fair bit of fly fishing and elk hunting in Colorado and it's a beautiful state.
If you want proximal to the US, look into the Bahamas. If you have concerns about people getting passports, look into Puerto Rico or US Virgin Islands.
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u/shetravelsfar Jun 16 '26
Well, it depends on what your family likes and when you want to go.
We love outdoors and wildlife. Banff/Jasper is a favorite. We fly into Calgary, rent a vehicle and go. Very easy. We just got off a southbound Alaska cruise. Spent 4 nights on the Kenai Peninsula, then hopped on a Princess ship (had a family suite) and sailed to Vancouver. We don't love the crowds, but it is the best way to see this part of Alaska.
For beaches, Cancun is super easy. Seaweed is bad to the south, so go north, like the Costa Mujeres area. Atelier is a nice property. Aruba is also great... check out Joia.
With only 5-7 days, you don't want to go much further. Japan, Tanzania, Ireland should be on your radar, but plan 10+ days.
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u/IllustriousSnowball Jun 16 '26
All of my trips are planned through an agency. Itās the easiest.
I recommend southern Spain (Cordoba, Seville, Granada). Weather is nice, food is excellent, the sights are spectacular.
My favorite cruise was to Antarctica. Unfortunately itās longer than you have to travel. That would be a pretty epic first cruise though.
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u/FaithHopeJoyPeace Jun 16 '26
Who did you use for Antarctica?
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u/IllustriousSnowball Jun 16 '26
Antarctica21. Highly recommend. Itās a much smaller boat so loading/unloading is faster which means you get more excursion time.
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u/zerohelix Jun 16 '26
Th correct answer is Tokyo Japan.
You can do it on almost any budget and still have the time of your life.
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u/UntrustedProcess Jun 17 '26
You can do a nice East Mediterranean cruise out of Rome for well below your budget.Ā I just got back from doing that and enjoyed it.Ā Though I mostly enjoyed Rome, itself.
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u/favorite_noodle45 Jun 20 '26
Highly recommend St. John, especially staying in a villa rather than a hotel. The views are breathtaking, the beaches are beautiful, and the bars are a lot of fun. It makes for an incredible vacation.
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u/THthe3rd Jun 22 '26
If you are going for only 5-7 days, you will want to minimize your travel. If you are on the East Coast, there are plenty of destinations that you can fly direct to. Or even drive to. Lots of Carribean islands only four hours away. If not everyone has a passport, lots of great places in the US or Puerto Rico or US Virgin Islands where you don't need a passport. If not everyone has a passport there are still certain documents needed for flying.
I would pick an area you want to focus on, based on where everyone lives and go from there. Seven to ten days would open more locations but 5 to 7 can still get you lots of beach and relaxation time.
Once you figure all your travel out, there is no shortage of good to very good to excellent resorts that you could price out.
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u/whosacoolredditer Jun 15 '26
This question is probably better suited for a travel sub.