What was your best holiday and why??

furrypig

Always looking for new ideas and inspirations on trips away and holidays.

Would love to hear what your best hols were, where and why. Hopefully I will get some fab money saving ideas at the same time!!:j

Thanks in advance for all your ideas to cheer me up on this rainy day in Surrey!!;)

LesD

Not sure if this will help you FP, but our best holiday was 6 weeks in Australia at the end of 2005.

Met up with No. 1 son who was backpacking, flew out No. 3 son for part of the time and concluded the trip with No. 2 son getting married on the banks of Pittwater, north of Sydney, just down the road from the 'Home and Away' beach!

Also spent some time up on the Gold Coast and was able to get as far as the security hut to the 'I'm A Celebrity' set location! As they say, it's not so much a rainforest as an old banana plantation!

My only advice for anyone going that far is to check out the Emirates flights. We got good prices and the three leg itinerary via Dubai and SE Asia means 8 hour flights rather than the tiring 12-13 hour one-stop ones.

danny210583

not really a money saving holiday but me and my girlfriend went all out to the bahamas and stayed in the alantis on paradise island.it was just of this world the best experience of my life.

gingin_2

Mine was a week in Las Vegas, driving through Mojave desert to San Francisco staying at a resort in the desert inbetween.

As a child I was lucky enough to go on a tour starting in Calgary driving through the Rockies, finishing up in Vancouver, would love to do that again with my children but in a motor home rather than cars and hotels/ motels.

puffinmuffin

Mine was the three weeks we spent driving around New Zealand this year, Something amazing to see wherever you went! saved loads by getting motel rooms with kitchenettes and not eating out every night.. OH and i also had a fab week in Miami, that was the best until NZ. I don't really bring the MSE attitude on holiday with me!

chalky_bertie

Mine was when we went on a weeks cruise to Alaska. It was great and the scenery was really lovely. Saw some whales bubble feeding about 100m from the beach and got some stunning photos. MSE idea - drink as little as possible on the boat then you won't have a huge bar bill.

Joint 1st was also a 3 week holiday round New Zealand in a campervan. Breathtaking. MSE idea - Stay at TOP10 holday parks which can cater for both motorhomes and cars as most of them have cabins etc for hire.

These will both be eclipsed (i hope) in January when we go to Antarctica for 10 days. MSE idea - save up!

Counting_Pennies_2

Australia by far!

I had six weeks travelling to HongKong, Cairns (Port Douglas), Sydney, Fiji (wow!) and home.

It was fantastic.

Half of me wonders if this was because we didn't go through a tour company, arranged everything ourselves, and met up with a relative whilst in oz.

I think sometimes if you go with a package tour, the trips feel forced because you are herded to a certain extent, and you don't have complete choice over where you go to and the standard of accommodation.

Having said that with a 2 1/2 year old, I plan to take package tours because of the ease travelling with this age group. If you have a similar age group I can highly recommend Mark Warner.

Voyager2002

South China: because I met and travelled with the woman who is now my wife!

Anyway, there is a lot to see and do; Hong Kong with its islands and beaches, city life and wonderful food; Yangshuo with its beautiful scenery and laid-back cafes; Guilin county with mountains and rice terraces; and did I mention the food?

Other than that, my best holiday ever was Colombia: Popayan for the spectacular Easter processions, together with the music festival and a range of art exhibitions; followed by the bus ride over the mountains to Tierra Dentro and a week walking there, visiting caves with prehistoric paintings and old churches.

I also had a wonderful (and not at all expensive) time in Istanbul, which must be one of the most interesting, and most spectacular, cities on the whole planet.

Becles

A week in a caravan on the west coast of Scotland!

Scottish school are off in the summer for all of July and the first two weeks of August. If you go during the last 2 weeks of August, the prices are cheaper and it's not as busy in the tourist spots.

Why was a cheap week in a caravan so good?

My ex had left me in the January. I'd spent a few months on benefits that didn't cover my outgoings (didn't get mortgage help), and then started a job in May. I was tired and a bit depressed due to the stress from the marriage break up, financial problems, adjusting to becoming a single parent to 2 small boys aged 3 and 5, and going back to work after a few years as a SAHM.

Work said I could have a week off in the August, so the caravan in Scotland was the cheapest break I could find. Packed the boys in the car and off we went.

Everyone said I was mad for driving all that way by myself, but it did me the world of good. My mobile didn't work, so I was out of touch for a whole week. Was lucky enough to have lovely warm sunny weather all week. We did basic things like visiting castles, playing on the beach and going for walks.

Came back with my batteries fully recharged and the confidence to take on the world and win Can't put a price on that!

Norma_Desmond

I have two recommendations; touring around Italy was TOTALLY magical.....and for the second it was visiting Pembrokeshire for the first time a few years ago; we ended up re-locating and buying a ruin of a house here because we just couldn't get the place out of our minds!

scotgirl

Not so much a holiday but I spent 10 months a few years ago in New England, East Coast USA. In Autumn (or fall) it is absolutely beautiful.

I was going to suggest a 10 day holiday touring the Highlands and Islands of Scotland as my favourite moneysaving holiday but actually I think it probably cost more than a week in Spain!!!