Vacation this fall, winter, or spring? Or not...

So my staycation sucked. I guess it could have worked, but really I want to be away from home, be pampered, and see water or something else but this area. Our finances aren't bad right now, so we've teased the thought of doing something fun away from home, and bringing our 16 year old son with us.

We've thought of the cruise thing. They are inclusive, in that that include room, board, and lots of food. I like the sea to boot. The problem is that the local cruises out of Baltimore and Norfolk are not cheap. Its cheaper to fly down to Fort Lauderdale and sail out from there. I've found a couple Royal Caribbean cruises that are six days and five nights that seem very affordable. Then tack on the $10/night per person per day fuel surcharge and the cost balloons.

We are also looking at renting places in out of season locales. Go to the beach or non-skiing mountains in winter, find a nice hotel, house, or bread-and-breakfast and you can get incredible deals. Think $500/week for everyone! However, I'm hesitant. I want to be able to hit a pool, run outside barefoot, and feel the wind on my face. I'm afraid this will turn into another staycation experience. Bleah.

Or maybe I ought to just wait until Pycon and bring the family. Then we can stay at the hotel a few extra days and see Chicago properly. I really did like the pizza there, and the architecture was to die for.

Finally, we might just not do a vacation, or send the kid off by himself, perhaps on a school trip? That would be the responsible thing. Our finances are still not in perfect order.

Hrm...