I have been lucky enough to have gone on so many vacations, and all of them have been memorable. I guess I can run a highlights reel? This will be long though. Thanks for reading through to the end, if you do!
My parents took me to Disneyland every year of my life starting at 18 months old. I couldn’t even begin to pick out individual trips until I became a teenager and was actually part of the planning and even began bringing my friends. One time, a friend and I went on Splash Mountain 18 times in a row. The longest we waited in line was 10 minutes. It was April and raining so no one wanted to get wet. Yeah, I don’t get it either. I have amazing home videos with the characters, especially the Mad Hatter, over the years. For the 50th anniversary (17 July 2005), my mom and I got in line at 3am. We were already somewhere in the 2000s. Apparently the line started at 9pm the night before. We had to choose between merchandise and opening ceremonies. I still think I chose correctly, picking opening ceremonies, although we debated so long we did not get great spots. But, where we were, I actually got to see them wheeling Art Linkletter away in his wheelchair and I got to say hi to him. We thought we would be in crazy lines all day that day. The day before, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince came out. Everyone had the same idea: since we would be in lines all day, we all brought the book. Turns out everyone left after opening ceremonies and lines were walk on all day. But everyone was reading the book the few times we were waiting for something like a parade or fireworks or just resting. “How far are you? Don’t tell me what happens! Do you like it so far?” I was raised to respect books. This was the one and only time in the hotel room later that night when I got to Dumbledore’s death that I threw a book across the room. My mom, who does not read Harry Potter, yelled at me. I explained. She calmed down, and said, “….but still…”
Short story, same year. In 2005, cell phones did not automatically change time for daylight savings. You had to touch them to make them update. We were very tired that November after we got ready to go to Disneyland and picked up our phones and the parks were not open yet…..
My first international trip was in 1996, when my parents took me to Canada. I remember the car breaking down at Butchart Gardens (did I spell that right? I feel like there’s supposed to be a “d” in there somewhere….) and we had to wait for HOURS for someone to come get us. All we had in the car for a snack was Wheat Thins, which I did not like, but I was desperate.
My mom took me to Walt Disney World for the first time in 1998. We were there for 10 days in June. It was so hot, especially at the brand new Animal Kingdom Park. Who knew that just 9 years later I would be working at Walt Disney World and it would shape my entire adult life?!
Next international trip after that was in 2005 to France with my high school French class. I LOVE France. My French used to be pretty good when I was actively studying it. Now that I’ve been with a Puerto Rican for almost 11 years, it has suffered from lack of use and constant exposure to Spanish. But I remember staying with a French family for a week. I remember seeing a couple chateaux that were amazing. I loved Versailles. I can’t remember the name, and I could probably Google it, but I am specifically going for memorable here, so I want to go with memory, but I went to the last place that Leonardo da Vinci lived and they turned it into a museum dedicated to him and all of his inventions and that place was amazing. I also remember one of the dumbest things I ever did as a teenager was in the Loire Valley. We did not have the best supervision. My French teacher was amazing, may he rest in peace, but he treated us as adults, and without him with us, we went out to a bar and drank and got lost. We wandered around back alleys and were obviously American teenagers that had been drinking and had no idea where we were going. People kept approaching us. One girl was so wasted we had a hard time keeping her from getting into a stranger’s truck. We were lucky enough to be stopped by some nice young women who spoke French and English and had a cell phone (yes, current teenagers, not everyone had a cell phone in 2005, it was pretty rare, how DID we survive?). They called us a taxi and we got back to our hotel safe. I never truly felt like I was in danger, but looking back on it as an adult, we were lucky nothing actually happened to any of us. That is definitely a story I will share with my daughters to make sure they always think through the consequences of what could happen, that they understand how lucky I was that I did come home. One other memory I remember well is that we went to a restaurant and the only groups there were both American and we were ridiculously loud. Any other location that we visited in smaller groups it was noticeably quieter. Americans are very very loud. We have a reputation in other countries for a reason. This will trigger another memory in a later trip. But overall it was an amazing 2 weeks.
I was fortunate just after I graduated in 2006 to be able to go with my high school band (I played flute) to China as part of a cultural enrichment program they were attempting in preparation to be hosts to the next Olympic games. We went for 10 days. The only Chinese I knew was hello, how are you, and thank you. I still remember how to say those phrases and I have learned nothing more since then. I stuck close to my friend and roommate for the trip who spoke some Chinese, thankfully. We got to climb the Great Wall, visit the Forbidden City, go to a silk factory, and sing a song in Chinese along with our songs we played. I also rode on a bullet train. The whole trip was amazing.
For New Year’s Eve, 2006-2007 I went to New York City. We were staying at the Sheraton a couple blocks from Times Square. We watched everything on TV from our room, went downstairs 5 minutes to midnight, watched the ball drop in person, and went back upstairs and went to bed. To this day, I have no regrets.
I went to Fairbanks, Alaska a few times when I was engaged to an Army soldier once upon a time. I will say the hot springs in Chena are definitely worth a visit, but that will be the most memorable thing. No offense to anyone in Alaska, but I am not a fan of the cold, so Alaska is not my favorite place. I do, however, prefer everlasting night to never-ending day–as long as I have a heater. Also, I did learn to remember to pack my gloves in my carry-on when it is going to be negative 40 degrees when I land. Don’t look at me like that. Everyone has to learn once. I was like 19 or 20. Thinking ahead is not your strong suit at that age.
I spent my 21st birthday in Las Vegas. Before you imagine crazy parties, I went with my mom. Before you imagine an awful birthday, my birthday was awesome. It was not crazy, but it wasn’t boring. I drank, I gambled, we saw Phantom of the Opera, we explored all the hotels on the strip. I had an amazing time. My one regret is I did not take a picture with the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. I am still angry about this. And I can’t go back and do it now. It’s not the same. I’m not 21 and it’s not my first visit.
In 2014, I went to Boston and fell in love with that city and the history that sits right in the middle of the modern city that has popped up around it. I want to go back again so bad and take my husband and show him around.
With my husband, we’ve been to Puerto Rico 3 times. The first time was just a 3-day weekend to see his niece get married the first year we were dating. The second time we went for a week and I got to actually be a tourist, seeing El Morro and El Yunque and visit his parents in San Sebastian. I LOVE Old San Juan. I love history and this is about as old as you can get European-wise in the Americas. This was all before Maria hit. Everything was amazing and I loved it. I was also in the best physical shape of my life because I had been exercising to Insanity Max 30 for a solid 2 months. I need to get back in shape like that. In case you’re thinking it’s a vanity thing, it’s not. It’s a stamina thing. It’s hard to chase after a 2 and 3 year old with no energy. The third time we went was after my daughters were born and after Maria hit. I will say that the island was more depressing this time, specifically on the west side of the island. It’s been a couple years now, so things could absolutely have changed, but at the time, the town where my in laws live had like died. All the stores had closed. Everything had overgrown and looked abandoned as if everyone had moved to Kissimmee (which, no lie, they have…..they don’t call where I live now Little Puerto Rico for nothing). I’ve heard from others that have been since I went that it has improved, so hopefully it is getting better over time. But the point of that trip was for my in-laws to meet their grandchildren for the first time. They were 22 months and 6 months at the time. Mission accomplished. If I could just improve my Spanish….
My husband and I got to go to France in 2016 for the first runDisney race held at Disneyland Paris and we had an amazing time. We hit all the tourist spots in Paris. My French was rusty but it was there, although I did start every single conversation with parlez-vous anglais ou espagnol? Only twice did we actually meet someone where I had to muddle through my French and hope for the best. This was the first international trip that I planned all by myself. We stayed the entire 2 weeks at the Newport Bay Resort. That memory trigger I mentioned earlier? The first week and the second week were their normal tourists for the time of year, but the weekend was for the runDisney race and Disneyland was filled with Americans. There was a notable difference in the attitude and manners of the tourists. I am not downing Americans, I am one, but what I am saying is please, when you are traveling, be aware of your surroundings and how you are acting. As a group, you stand out a lot when you are not in your element and it is not always a good look when you are screaming, demanding, and leaving a mess behind you, which is what I saw as I was observing the difference before and after and during the race. Meanwhile, I was able to get us through all of Paris on the metro hitting everything on our list without ever getting lost and maximizing our time without ever feeling rushed. Drinking champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower at night was so romantic. I will NEVER drive around l’Arc de Triomphe. That was utterly terrifying to look down on (see picture below). It was also fun with my asthma, as yet undiagnosed with no inhaler, to get to the top of Notre Dame and be unable to breathe, knowing I just needed to sit for a minute to catch my breath, and have like 10 people trying to tell me to breathe in like 10 different languages that I didn’t understand and I couldn’t tell them I would be fine soon. I laugh now. I love how diverse Europe is since all the countries are so small and close together. I fell in love with Paris and all the history. 2 weeks was definitely not enough. Also, it’s true, the French take their food seriously. I ate at the Rainforest Cafe in Disney Village. As an American chain in an American locale with American fare, I expected subpar food. Those were the BEST onion rings I have EVER had. I can’t wait until my daughters are old enough to appreciate a vacation like this.
In 2017, after my husband proposed to me, we went to Hawaii for a week. We stayed at Aulani, which was amazing, and we had the most amazing couples massage I’ve ever had. Of course we went to Pearl Harbor, which was very sobering, definitely different reading about it in history class and actually being there. We went to the Pineapple Farm. But my favorite part was seeing Kualoa Ranch. I was obsessed with Lost when it was on and I can’t watch any Jurassic Park movie or any other movie or show that was filmed there without seeing the ranch in my mind now and wanting to go back. Hawaii was amazing and a week was definitely not long enough. Mahalo, Hawaii, for being so amazing.
In 2018, my husband and I got married, and we honeymooned on a Disney Cruise that stopped in Cozumel, Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and Castaway Cay. We saw ancient ruins in Mexico. I don’t know if you’ve caught on yet, but I love history. On the Cayman Islands, we took a bicycle tour of the island. I recommend it, but that will not be a repeat experience for me. I think my bottom still holds a grudge. But we got to hold sea turtles and take pictures. Just in case anyone has any animal rights thoughts in their heads, they were VERY protective of those turtles and we were carefully supervised the entire time. The location that had those turtles studies them. Turtles are a delicacy and they were being overhunted and the turtle population was dropping. Thanks to this sanctuary, they monitor the turtles and only turtles approved by this location are allowed to be used as food. All others are monitored and tagged for research and for nesting purposes to protect their numbers. Since this program started in the 60s or 70s (I forget when exactly) the turtle numbers have grown significantly and are still growing. In Jamaica we took a tour of a famous author’s house. You’re going to look at me again to Google, and I’m going to tell you again that we’re going by memory. I want to say it was the Bronte sisters maybe? Definitely that era. But the house was gorgeous and the view was amazing. And this is where we learned that what we thought was “Puerto Rican time” when my husband was always late to everything was actually “island time”. Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, was a lot of fun. We went on a jet ski, which was terrifying, so I’m glad my husband was driving. The cruise itself was a lot of fun. I can’t wait to take my daughters some day when they are a bit older. I at least want Keilani to be out of it’s a small world nursery to enjoy it.
I have had a lot more vacations than this and several of them were memorable for different reasons, but these are the ones that truly stand out to me. I could never choose just one vacation in this prompt. But I will say I love traveling with my husband and experiencing places with him. We have great times together. I love to travel and there are so many more places I want to go in the world. Hopefully you enjoyed reading about my travels as well.
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