MMR: The Best Vacation I’ve Ever Taken

After graduating from college and moving home, I started working. Since I was living at home, I had all this extra income…which I decided to spend on travel. I was raised in a family that liked to vacation, so I was brought up to enjoy going places and seeing new things. Now that I had my own means of doing so, and a friend who, at the time, had the means of doing so as well, I got to it!

Now that I’m living out in the real world again, and paying rent and such, my travel opportunities have become fewer and further between…for financial reasons. But I still do my best to get out of town when I can afford it.

Most of my travel has been domestic. International travel is pretty much even more expensive...and there's some cool places to see right here in this country. Since the beginning of 2008, I've done the following:

~Las Vegas, various weekends, probably like 8 times since 2008 began.

~Disneyland 2 or 3 times.

~Lake Tahoe 2 times (camping once, snowboarding once)

~Ventura/LA twice.

~Florida for a few conferences.

~Grand Canyon for a weekend roadtrip.

~Cozumel, Mexico for a week

~Sunriver, OR

~Philadelphia, PA and the surrounding area for a weekend.

~Chicago, IL for a Sharks Game

~New Orleans, LA for New Years

~The Midwest (Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, South Bend) for some baseball games and whatnot.

Not to mention pre-2008 trips with the family to Seattle, Portland, New York City, Washington, DC, and many trips to Hawaii. Yeah, I've seen my fair share of the country. So, which of these trips do I consider the best of all time?

Well, first we should probably look for what I look for in a vacation. First, the first time I go somewhere are always the most interesting...because there's loads of new things to experience and do. However, I also like to relax on my vacations, so lack of a firm itinerary would be best. Great food is a must, especially places to sample the local fare. There needs to be a great atmosphere, although thats a rather nebulous term, since atmosphere can mean many things (I love the tropics, and the vibe there...but I also love Las Vegas, which is completely different). They key is that a place has an atmosphere. In the end, it needs to be new, exciting, delicious, and interesting. It needs to have up times and some down time. It needs to feel like I've gotten completely away from my normal life.

So, yeah, based on these criteria, I'd have to say the best single vacation I've ever taken was when Bubba and I went to New Orleans for New Years to ring in 2009.

New Orleans is a city unlike any other. The French Quarter is always alive, vibrant. Music on the street corners. Street artists around Jackson Square. And cheap booze everywhere. Everyone is very friendly, and everyone is looking to have a good time. It's got a unique vibe, too, that I can't really describe, you have to go there. The food is also amazing. Cajun cuisine is amazing. The sauces, and the spices. Alligator and turtle meat are very tasty. The shrimp are to die for. The fish...mmmmmmmm. Amazing.

What made this trip special, though, were the extras. We were there for New Years. Watched fireworks explode over the Mississippi River after the Fleur de Lei dropped on top of the Jax Brewery. We went to the Sugar Bowl, and saw Utah destroy Alabama. Kinda awesome. We took a fanboat tour of the bayou, saw alligators in their natural habitat. We bought street art from a street artist on Jackson Square. We caught a Blues Traveler concert as part of the Sugar Bowl hoopla. I mean, we did all kinds of very specific New Orleans things...and they were all enjoyable. It made me desperately want to go back to New Orleans...something I still need to do.

So, don't get me wrong, every trip I've taken has been a blast. But this trip still stands out to me as one of the most fun, unique trips I've ever taken.