r/TrueChubbyTravel

This has admittedly not been something I've put much thought into with regard to my own family, as neither of my kids are in school yet. I know many others who plan their vacations around school breaks, but have up until now had the flexibility to just travel with my kids whenever. But with the oldest set to start this fall, I was reading over the terms around unexcused absences and thinking, oh crap, total freedom around our family vacations is definitely a thing of the past!

So - do you ever pull your kids from school for vacations? How often do you feel personally comfortable doing that? Or would you never do that? How flexible or rigid is your kids' school around parents doing so? It looks like our kid's school will be somewhat rigid about not allowing it, which I accept and will abide by, but I'm curious about how different schools and families handle this!

I would really like to meet families that have a daughter that is around 7-8 years old that would like to travel and vacation with our family.

We love to be outdoors. Some recent vacations include:

- Christmas in Maui
- Puerto Vallarta
- Costa Rica
- Disneyland
- San Diego Zoo
- Huntington Beach, CA - Boogie Boarding
- Yosemite - Mist Trail/Nevada Falls
- Tahoe - Skiing/Snow
- Boating - Wake Surfing

My husband and I are both engineers and work for a tech adjacent company. Our daughter is a chatter box and loves to make new friends. She is a Girl Scout and is on a swim team. My husband is an introvert and I am an ambivert. I love hanging out with new people but at the end of the day I can use alone time. In general, we don’t drink alcohol. We are not adverse to it but we find that we would rather save our calories and energy on doing activities.

We would love to travel aboard more and it would be great to have friends that can go with us. We aren’t looking to share accommodations but more to share experiences. The goal would be to build a life long friendships for our daughter.

Places we would love to go:
- National/Recreational Parks in the US
- New Zealand
- Thailand
- South Africa
- Japan
- Peru - Inca Trail - Machu Picchu
- China - Great Wall - 2030
- We are open to going anywhere really

Please reach out if you are interested. If there is enough of us I would love to create group so we can plan things together.

My family hasn’t hardly had any time to plan a summer vacation this year due to moving and many other things, so we’re a little stuck. Over the past couple of years, we’ve done Atlantis Paradise Island (twice), Baha Mar, and Hotel Xcaret Mexico. My son is autistic and obsessed with water, and the only thing he has asked for this summer vacation is to go to a really cool water park in a new country. My wife and I would also like to be able to have some relaxing downtime. We’re looking to maybe do a one-week stay sometime in mid-July.

Looking for a 1 night stay Sunday 5/17 in West or Central London. I’ve shifted my budget to be around $400-550 (£300-400).

Thinking of choosing from the following hotels high all fit into my budget and curious if people have any recommendations:

* Conrad London St James
* Como The Halkin
* Dorset Square
* Knightsbridge Hotel
* Kimpton Fitzroy
* The Kensington

We’re in the early stages of planning a splurge honeymoon to Kenya and/or Tanzania and the Seychelles. We love luxury, but we also are pretty conscious of our spending and try to make sure we only splurge where it’s worth it and get the best bang for buck. Typically, we don’t use travel agents. We’re points maximizers who love to book through credit card portals (or strategically transfer points) and genuinely enjoy the research piece. However, I’ve heard the advice to get one for a safari, at the very least, and also any big spendy trip (which the entire trip will be, at least compared to our usual spend). I completely understand why: the complications of logistics, figuring out which lodges to go to, getting special perks, and even getting access to some TA-only lodges.

We’re also frankly overwhelmed with wedding planning and want someone to tell us the exact best itinerary given our needs (e.g, dietary restrictions, interests, etc). This is particularly true for the safari portion, though more insight to narrow down our options in the Seychelles would be a nice plus. Moreover, I want someone who can figure out the best order of the trip, how to combine lodges and camps and hotels etc.

That being said, we do want to book at least some portions (likely Seychelles resort(s) and airfare) on our CC portals to use points or at least get ~8% back in points. I know this isn’t even possible for most safari experiences. But for where it is possible, I’m finding it hard to justify not doing that. Are there travel agents who will help design our entire trip but don’t have to book everything? I’m happy to pay an extra fee for this - though ultimately it may be financially better to just let them book it all. Is it a faux pas to ask about this? I’m just trying to understand the options here and what other folks have done. I know I may just want to bit the bullet and hand it all off to a TA.

Hi,
We are traveling to: 2 adults and 12 year old daughter.
FS Hong Kong Dec 25-29
FS BKK Dec 29- Jan 1
FS Chiang Mai Jan 1-4
FS Ko Samui Jan 4-8.

FS BKK is double the price but just realized we also will get a mandatory fee of $800 each (x3) for Dec 31 for a gala dinner. So total stay would be $8k for 3 night. We are not interested in going to a large gala dinner so now we are trying g to find another hotel for Dec 29-Jan 1. There are so many nice hotels in BKK, budget is $4k and no Mandatory dinners please. Any other suggestions?

Looking for ideas for chubby travel as an Australian considering the additional travel to get to Europe or North America (so not having to fly so far)

Have been through to Singapore, Japan (though hope to go again), NZ and are heading to Thailand and Sri Lanka next year.

I’m on my flight to Cancun uhhhh right now. We’re here for my husbands birthday. What are some higher end activities to book? We’re staying at the Marriott Cancun All Inclusive which seems ok. I tried to find a boat charter but most required more passengers or was 2k USD. I’m looking to spend at most 600 USD pp for a boat trip and at most 300 USD pp for anything else.

Saw a post in Fattravel yesterday about the best hotels for families. My list of places to go grew significantly after scrolling through all of the answers. To piggy back off of that, what are the best hotels you have ever been to with tweens? I have an 11 year old, 9 year and 4 year old. The 4 year old is happy doing anything. The older ones are great travelers and always enjoy our trips, but its harder to find things that are tailored to their age group. They're too old for a lot of the kid's club activities but too young to for some of the teen clubs. They love having a little independence, swimming, sports, summer camp style activities (like archery, manhunt, team challenges) and gaming. They still like arts and crafts and cooking, but don't want to spend all day doing these types of things at a kids' club. Their best trips have been ones where they've made friends with other kids or bonded with the people running the activities.

Trying to plot out the next few years of trip and would love any recommendations. I know this is a luxury travel sub but non luxury recs are totally welcome. I know its not super high end, but my kids just had the time of their lives at Club Med. Archery, trapeze, the nightly shows, and the other families made the trip wonderful. We're happy if they're happy.

I (30F) am looking to go on a last minute trip with my mom (65) this May during a break I have before starting a new job. We have at least 7 days but could stretch it longer if needed. No Savannah, Charleston or NYC. We enjoy sightseeing, good food and wine and are both active. Not looking to do anything that’s going to require a ton of planning (ie doing Europe on our own). We’re not really the “sit on a beach for a week” type. Open to US trips, European river cruises or anything else you think would be great. TIA!

I need to book one night in West London/North Central (a Sunday). Looking at budget luxury for the night ($400/£300).

Would love a tub, but know that is hard at that price point. Also would love early check in and late checkout, but only Hoxton Shepard Bush seems to offer that.

A couple of options I have come across:

* Melia Level junior suite - includes free standing tub

* Kimpton Fitzroy snug or Standard room - hotel looks beautiful. The small rooms and lackluster reviews on F&B scares me.

* Hoxton Shepard Bush Cosy room - Hotel closest to where I need to be. Flexible check in and checkout. Rooms do seem small though

Any other recommendations or thoughts on the above ones is appreciated.

Hi all — long-time lurker, first-time poster.

I’m planning my 40th birthday in Cabo with a fairly large group and am looking for recommendations for a strong travel agent or advisor who is experienced with group trips, room blocks, and luxury/all-inclusive resorts in Cabo.

I previously had a good experience with Sarah Lee Travel, so I reached out to them again. Unfortunately their turnaround time has been incredibly slow and for this Cabo trip, the group pricing/perks I was quoted were not competitive compared with booking directly through the resort — the direct rate was slightly lower and included better perks, including airport transportation. Totally understand that group bookings can be complicated, but I was hoping for someone who could help make the process easier and add value rather than just route us through a higher-priced option.

I know I could probably handle the bookings myself, but I’d really prefer to avoid the headache of coordinating a large group if there’s a great TA who can help with room blocks, perks, airport transfers, and overall logistics.

Would appreciate any Cabo TA recommendations, especially anyone who has helped with milestone birthday trips or large friend groups at higher-end all-inclusive resorts. Thanks!

hi r/truechubbytravel, i'm looking for ideas for a week-ish long vacation this july to celebrate my grad school graduation with my best friend! i'm looking for both location ideas and hotel/resort recommendations, this is the last summer i'll have to travel for a bit and want this trip to feel special :~) bc of my analysis paralysis over this trip i'm open to using a travel agent if there are suggestions within my budget range. you all are so much more traveled and experienced than i am, i'm looking forward to any insight you all may have.

• budget: between 750 - 1500 USD / night for rooms with two beds, (which i've found to be a major hurdle)

• location: coastal but not overwhelmingly humid within an 12 hour flight from southern california, i've been based in san diego for the past few years

• activities: we enjoy eating, shopping local things, spas, very moderate going out, eating, i'd mostly like to spend this holiday relaxing without too much excitement

Hi! Looking for hotel recommendations in Maui for a solo trip focused mostly on relaxation in July. Budget is around $1k–$1.2k per night. I do want to do a few activities while I’m there, but the main goal is to unwind and relax. Thank you!

Long-promised review of my Quark Expedition aboard Ultramarine to Patagonia

I LOVED it. And it was glitchy, mostly due to weather issues not uncommon in that part of the world at that time of year (their Autumn).

There were major glitches and a run of bad luck mostly due to weather. But, the first glitch at outset was self-inflicted and therefore fixable. This was the transfer from Buenos Aires hotel (Emperador) to airport for flight to Ushuaia. Because we were ferried by large buses to the domestic airport, we were unable to park anywhere near the checkin counter by airport policy. This necessitated a VERY long walk lugging all one’s luggage. EMPHASIS ON VERY. No help with luggage and there should have been. Note to Quark to arrange this next time. After boarding the plane via bus from gate to plane, it was determined that plane was not going to fly, so we disembarked back on the bus and thence to gate to wait for second plane which arrived eventually. After arriving in Ushuaia (gorgeous airport), we walked around town, then boarded Ultramarine in the fastest, no fuss process I’ve ever experienced.

Early on in the voyage at a glacier stop, scientists were helicoptered high onto the ice to take core samples whilst the rest of us zodiac-ed ashore to get close up looks at the foot of the glacier. Soon, the heretofore good weather turned very poor, sufficiently so that retrieval was impossible. Weather continued abysmal so those unfortunate scientists were stranded on the glacier for two nights and the best part of three days. And, so was Ultramarine and all aboard. We lingered in that fjord for longer than planned, then did unexpected side trips to other nearby glaciers and outlets which were fine but ultimately turned repetitive but who wants to complain about seeing too many glaciers. About this time there were unhappy rumblings amongst passesgers. I’m copacetic and still was happy, going with the flow (yes, I live in California). But Type A’s were getting downright fidgety.

With scientists safely retrieved, voyage got back in gear. But, as it turned out, we were back on track just in time to miss the good weather window for negotiating a very tricky strait of the passage to get into harbor at Puerto Natales where we were to transfer to the trip highlight of Torres del Paine National Park. After being stalled again, we sailed instead to Punto Arenos where we were anchored/docked for three days, much if the time stranded onboard as port officials determined winds were too strong to safely use zodiacs. Eventually, one group was ferried through a snowstorm bound for the park but they didn’t make it and returned to the ship. Another group went to Estancia Penitente, a sheep ranch for tours and grilled lamb dinner with all the fixings.

I continued to enjoy the voyage but it is the truth that many passengers were disappointed. It also is true that management did their very best to deliver on scheduled stops but the cards were stacked against them. Of course, bad weather in this part of the world is to be expected and Quark reminds everyone that the meaning of ‘expedition’ means things (mostly weather) happens. Remember five tourist hikers died in a blizzard in Torres del Paine last November.

This is what happened. To gloss over the particular notable events that altered the nature of the voyage does no good and is disingenuous. I understand there are lots of Quark fans (I am one) but, let’s face it, this voyage had a lot of kattywhumpus days. It was a perfect storm. To Quark’s maximum credit, passengers received a healthy 20% refund.

And I will sail with Quark again. They handled these difficult circumstances with grace and competence.

More details, photos and comments in a separate post.

Photo: Ultramarine docked in Usuaia, Argentina.

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