Last Updated: 11/03/09
|
 |
 Visit the Holiday Travel Center
Share Your Holiday Trip Report!
Get Our Best Travel Deals and Tips
 What Are Your Holiday Travel Plans?
 Where can you enjoy a homemade turkey dinner -- in Paris? Which cities in Germany have the most charming Christmas markets? And what's the ultimate way to beat the Thanksgiving airport rush? Just ask our members! We've searched through hundreds of member trip reports to find these eight real-life travel tales, in which our members share their holiday travel experiences and tips. What's it really like to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year's on the road? Read on to find out -- or better yet,
tell us yourself.
 Magical Christmas Markets
"Rothenburg is, by far, one of the most visited and most captivating cities in all of Germany. They set up their Kristkindlmarkt in the town square and all surrounding alleys adjacent to it. The trip here is purely nostalgic for Caryl and me, as we have been here many times. While there, we stumbled (not really) upon a city band performing on the steps to the Visitor Center and even though it was below freezing and windy, we stood there and enjoyed listening to all of their repertoire, even if we didn't know one tune.
"The Market was replete with stands offering gluhwein, a hot mulled red wine to warm the body and soul. We also took a 25-minute carriage ride wrapped in blankets with a U.S. military family with two delightful children. We returned to the ship, cold but happy, and were greeted with gluhwein as we boarded." ~ray lewis
Read More: Christmas Markets on the Rhine
Holiday Shopping Spots for Travelers
A Trip into the Past
"When we arrived, it was truly breathtaking to see the glistening, snowy little town of yesteryear all trimmed for Christmas with carolers, horse and carriage rides, and Santa. Many of the little stores that we visited were visions of what my great-grandparents might have been accustomed to at Christmas time. Cut evergreens adorned many doorways and you could see candles and Christmas trees in the windows of the little shops. The smell of evergreens, Christmas foods and special treats drifted out to the streets as you passed. The fudge shop was one of my favorites!" ~Billy Stein
Read More: Trip Back in Time to Metamora, Indiana
Midwest Deals and Features
 New Year in Aruba
"Topping off our day was New Year's Eve! After another wonderful dinner we went back to our room and awaited midnight. The day before, a barge loaded with fireworks had been moored just off shore between the Divi and Tamarijn Resorts. We lined up a bunch of chaises to face the fireworks where the palm trees would not block the view. Steps away from the fireworks, again, they were everything we had hoped for. No disappointments for us." ~Arubalisa
Read More: Tamarijn Aruba All-Inclusive
Visit the Aruba Message Board
A New England Holiday
"I write this from Exeter, New Hampshire where last night at 6 p.m. there was a parade to welcome in the holiday season. Up here the stores didn't open at midnight on Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact, they have regular normal hours and open at noon on Sundays after church. The parade route was along Main Street, where most parades go. It had the usual parade stuff: a Grand Marshal, fire trucks, Brownies, Boy Scouts, floats and the color guard. Selectmen marched and Miss New Hampshire waved from a convertible.
"I watched the parade from my cozy room at a country inn overlooking the bandstand, taking in all the beautiful lights and watching all the people enjoying themselves. ... I contemplated my Christmas list from the third floor and mapped out my shopping route as I looked out at the shops lining the north side of the street. I figured I could find something for everyone on my list just in this tiny town. And I was right. Where in Eastport could you find a marshmallow launcher or a hand-turned exact replica of Harry Potter's magic wand? There is a chocolatier for those on my list with a sweet tooth and a store that sells a Homer Simpson chess game." ~Laurie Pitcher
Read More: Sing in Harmony: New England
New England Deals and Features
A Thanksgiving Feast in Paris
"In Paris, I went to a restaurant called Bojangles on Thanksgiving because I wanted a regular Thanksgiving meal and to be around Americans and speak English! We met so many nice Americans, whom we exchanged emails with. The restaurant is small (everything in Paris is small) and is decorated with African art. The food was excellent. I don't think I have the words to describe how good the food was. I have never had Soul Food at a restaurant this good anywhere in the U.S. The food was like my grandmother cooks; it was so good it almost brought tears to my eyes.
 "The menu on Thanksgiving was: Waldorf salad, one glass of rum punch (excellent), turkey and dressing (excellent again), sweet potatoes, string beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, fresh homemade rolls and peach cobbler or sweet potato pie for dessert. The price was 30 euros and I also got a bottle of wine which was 10 euros." ~ Chi-townGirl
Read More: Partying in Black Paris
Europe Deals and Features
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Share This Page:
E-Mail
Print
RSS
Save
|
