A summary of our current plans for 2012 travel adventures.
Now that I have finished reminiscing about our 2011 Travels, it's time to start the planning for 2012. We have a couple of trips in the works that we are really excited about and hopefully will also be able to sprinkle in a few short jaunts throughout the year.
First up is a trip to Paris for spring break in March. The last time that my husband and I were in Paris was on our honeymoon nearly 17 years ago. I fell in love with the city and can't wait to explore it further with my kids. We will be staying for 9 nights and we already have a long list of things that we want to see and do. I have even agreed to a daytrip to Disneyland Paris so that the girls can compare the park to its North American counterparts. Apart from revisiting my all-time favourite museum (the Musée d'Orsay), strolling Paris and eating as many French treats as possible, I'm most excited about visiting the Palace of Versailles. We had intended to visit on the previous trip but a strike by museum workers kept everything closed until the final day of our stay. Hopefully we will have better luck this time. There is also a possibility that we will take a day-trip by train to Geneva to visit friends that have returned to Switzerland after living in Canada for several years. Just a little over 8 weeks now until we jet off to Paris – the countdown has begun!
Arc de Triomphe – Paris 1995
The other big trip for the year will be our summer vacation on the east coast of Canada. We will be spending 7 days in Newfoundland which I'm very excited about as neither the girls or I have ever been. A week is nowhere near enough time to see the province so we are going to confine ourselves to the city of St. John's and the Avalon Peninsula maybe going as far afield as Terra Nova National Park. En route to Prince Edward Island, we are going to spend one night in Halifax, Nova Scotia as Katie is interested in visiting the Dalhousie campus (not sure how I got old enough to have a kid thinking about universities!). We will then return to Prince Edward Island where we will be renting a cottage at Kindred Spirits Country Inn & Cottages once again. This will be our 7th visit to PEI but the first since 2006. Katie, in particular, is very excited to return to the place that she has so many great childhood memories about visiting. We will wrap up the vacation with 2 nights in Moncton, New Brunswick so that Emma can see the world-famous tides of the Bay of Fundy. Four provinces in 2.5 weeks – should be exciting!
Kindred Spirits Country Inn & Cottages – one of our favourite spots in the world
We will certainly be planning some weekend trips and day trips here and there throughout the course of the year in order to keep things lively. The girls and I intend to head to Chicago early in August so that Emma and I can sightsee while Katie attends a Harry Potter conference. Katie has also expressed a desire to spend her 16th (yes, gasp) birthday in New York City in October so we may be making another trip to the Big Apple this year as well.
I love the planning stage of travel and I'm currently living with a pile of guidebooks and magazines around my desktop as I research our 2012 destinations and make some decisions about accommodations and activities. We have so much to look forward to in the upcoming year as we head out to explore the world near and far.
What does your family have planned for 2012? Leave a comment letting me know where you will be traveling – I love to travel vicariously through others too!
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Steve
That sounds like a really great set of plans for 2011. I’m jealous about Paris, but I’m really jealous about the Bay of Fundy. For some reason, that’s made it’s way near the top of my “want to see” list.
I can’t tell you where we’re going to be yet this year. You’ll have to live vicariously through other people for now. I’ll give you the same notice the rest of my family usually gets. About seven days.
Lisa Goodmurphy
The Bay of Fundy is amazing – we were there with Katie in 2002 (the year before Emma was born). Went to the Hopewell Rocks were you can walk on the sea floor at low tide and then come back later to see just how high the tide has risen – so cool!!
Seven days notice?? You’re missing out on the anticipation!! I’m sure you have some ideas – you just aren’t sharing yet!
Stuart
Lisa, I wish I loved the planning as much as you sound like you do! I’m more into the experience and the planning’s is more of a necessary evil. 9 days in Paris sounds great, a good length of time to relax and explore. At the World Travel Market there were reps from Siene-et-Marne very keen to promote the diverse attractions there aside from the obvious like Versaille. There’s a link to their site from our 10 ideas for 2012 or get in touch and I can email you.
Susan Crawford
Wow Lisa, sounds like great plans. My husband and I were in Switzerland in May 2010 and fell in love with the country – so beautiful and so much to do. We want to get back with the kids when our youngest is a little older. And PEI is one of our “little pieces of heaven” – we were there last year and stayed at Susan Robinson’s – you should connect with her – she and Kirstin are hands down the most hospitable and gracious hosts. And they always take us somewhere we haven’t been (even though I’ve been to PEI many, many times).
The World of Deej
Great adventures ahead…I look forward to hearing what you think of Disneyland Paris after your recent trip to WDW. I personally love Disneyland Paris, and enjoy most of the rides there better than our versions here.
It will also sound a bit weird, but take time to visit the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Lots of famous people, but it’s just a really neat experience…I think so anyway.
Look forward to tagging along on the adventures!
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Stuart – Thanks for the info – I will definitely check out your post and get in touch if I need more details.
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Susan – I couldn’t agree more about PEI being a little piece of heaven. I’m definitely hoping to meet up with Kirstin and Susan when we are there. I’m also hoping to connect with Geoff while we are in St. John’s. It will be like a mini law school reunion on the east coast. 🙂
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Deej – you are the first person to ever recommend a cemetary to me – I will definitely look into it! Thanks!!
walkingon travels
I am expecting a whole lot of photos of pastries, crepes (just the sweet ones) and other little treats to go up on your FB page as you wander through Paris. It’s my turn to eat vicariously through you! I can’t wait to hear about Versailles too. It looks so beautiful and is definitely on our list.
Lisa Goodmurphy
@walkingon travels I will definitely be eating the treats – I just might need a nudge to remember to take photos of them! 🙂
Jessica
I can’t wait to hear about your trip to Paris, especially Disneyland. My boys loved riding all the rides they know so well from here, but experiencing them in French.
Lisa Wood
Oh I love the idea of travelling to Paris for 9 days…the culture and the amazing tourist attractions (plus their food!) would be so fantastic.
We have so many places we are so keen on seeing this year – our bucket list keeps on growing. I love the idea of showing our boys everything that we have been dreaming of and talking about for so long!
Looking forward to following your journey in 2012.
Cheers
Lisa
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Jessica I’m excited about experiencing the Disney rides in French too – especially Small World!
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Lisa I’m looking forward to reading about what you and your family get up to this year as well. Reading about Australia is making me ache to plan a trip there – it’s just so far!!
Laurel
Sounds like you have an amazing year planned. I’m Canadian (from Calgary) but have spent so little time in Eastern Canada that it’s embarrassing. Looking forward to reading about your adventures.
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Laurel Canada is such a big country that it’s hard to see everything. We have the opposite problem – we’re embarrassed that our kids haven’t seen much of Western Canada apart from a day in Vancouver prior to an Alaskan cruise. There’s so many places that we want to see it’s just hard to fit everything into school breaks!
Camels & Chocolate
You had me at DISNEYLAND PARIS. I am an unabashed Disney fan. And your girls are mighty lucky–I went to Florida for all my Spring Breaks growing up…they get Paris?!? Awesome lifestyle for a kid.
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Camels & Chocolate – if you asked my girls then they would probably say that you were lucky you got to go to Disney all time! 🙂 They are quite excited about Paris though!
Becca@R We There Yet Mom?
Paris sounds wonderful, but I am most excited about your sumer travels – I went to PEI for a few days when I was a bratty 13 year old (very pouty and didn’t take advantage of being there). I would give anything to go back!!
We are going to the beach for the summer, some local places here in Texas for Spring Break, and maybe a trip to Washington DC of I’m lucky!!
~Becca
Anwar
The trip to France sounds amazing. 9 days in the spring will be a lot of fun. I’ve never been to a Disney land outside of the US, but it would be interesting to hear how they are different.