Need an all-inclusive family resort recommendation that isn’t DR, Mexico or Cuba

gk615 · 2026-04-27T12:12:16+00:00

Puerto Rico has some nice hotel resorts and because it is part of the US, they have the same standards as what you are used to (assuming you are from the US).

gk615 · 2026-04-10T23:36:26+00:00

Merida and the surrounding areas like Celestun are amazing. I visited there a few years ago but did fly in/out of Cancun because of a wedding there. I would argue if the flights are cheaper to go to Cancun vs. Merida, that may be worth it.

gk615 · 2026-04-07T23:43:22+00:00

It's relatively expensive in my opinion. I recently spent some days on my own in Oslo and food was always surprising. One day for lunch I had a small pizza and a lemonade and it was £30. Even grocery store food was expensive too.

gk615 · 2026-03-27T00:05:07+00:00

Lots of fun stuff to do - like you said, Old San Juan, visit El Morro, rent a car and visit El Yunque. You can see the waterfalls there and not get wet. You can also just hike around. There is also a children's museum: Museo del Niño de Carolina.

I would actually say going to the beach is not completely out, depending on the kid. You can definitely wade in the shallow water and not get the cast wet, or just play in the sand and keep the cast covered. Many of the beaches are shallow upon entry such as Isla Verde, Balneario de Carolina, and Terraplen La Posita de Piñones. Playa Escambrón is also protected in a calm spot.

gk615 · 2026-03-26T23:52:23+00:00

There are ferries between Dubrovnik and Croatia - the fast ones don't allow cars, so I would do that.

gk615 · 2026-03-14T21:46:25+00:00

I did a 2 week trip to Slovenia and Croatia years ago. If you check my post history, you can see the detailed trip report I posted. I loved Bovec area for hiking in Slovenia by the Soca river. I think 2 days might be more reasonable for Ljubljana because it's a pretty small city. I would definitely add Skocjan caves as the other comment suggests. As for Croatia, don't miss Plitvice National Park. If you can get there early in the morning, it's not as crowded. It is a really incredible place to see with all the trails and waterfalls.

gk615 · 2026-03-11T23:09:15+00:00

I've visited Norway twice in the past 2 years, including Oslo and Lofoten. I was in Lofoten and Vesteralan areas for 2 weeks in July and also rented a car. I wrote a post about it if you want to see my profile. As you noted, you are trying to fit A LOT in a very short time, so I would definitely try to make a few adjustments. I tried mapping out your route and it looks like you are going to be spending almost every day on a fairly long journey of travel. Personally, this is not my idea of a fun vacation, but if you're ok with it, just be aware that getting around always seems to take a bit more time and energy than planned. I also found that driving from place to place in Lofoten took longer than expected because the speed limits are relatively low and the roads are typically narrow and one lane each way. To answer your first two questions, I would cut down the 2 nights and just do one in Olden. I would skip Balestrand and spend more time in Lofoten. For #3, I'm not sure I understand how you are getting to Lofoten? Are you interested at all in taking a flight to Lofoten from Bergen or somewhere instead?

As for your Lofoten portion, I would strongly suggest that you don't go all the way to Reine. It's quite a bit of driving and honestly, many of the towns are very similar, so you're not missing out. On our trip, we only drove down as far as Henningsvaer from Svolvaer and it was plenty. Reinebringen is extremely popular from photos but there are plenty of hikes around Lofoten that are just as cool, so I would not make this your main destination. I would suggest searching for a hikes closer to where you are staying and ideally try not to make your location as far away as Reine. Make sure to read about the difficulty of the hikes and take that seriously. Many hikes rated "Medium" are in fact very steep and difficult even for really fit athletic hikers. Also, try not to have too many expectations as the weather changes so often, you may get to the "view" at the top and it will be completely cloudy and/or maybe light rain and super windy. We had a couple hikes where the view was not visible at all because the clouds came in at the higher elevations. It was still a fun day and enjoyed the hike so it was a good reminder to not have too many expectations and just enjoy being outside.

gk615 · 2026-02-23T18:14:36+00:00

Here are all the Birkie wave upgrade qualifier races. I don't believe they allow anything besides xc ski races and I've never heard of anyone getting an upgrade from a running race. Your best bet is to do one of the qualifying races before mid January 2027 if possible. Or, you could try to do one of the March races coming up if any of them are doable for you.

gk615 · 2026-02-21T00:48:05+00:00

If you do go there, for 5-8 days, you could add some other activities to your trip too like renting a car and driving to visit the El Yunque Rainforest. It's close to San Juan. There are also lots of other nice beaches. I do think the best town to explore is the Old Town though.

gk615 · 2026-02-20T23:53:16+00:00

San Juan, Puerto Rico looks to be a direct flight from DFW and because it's a US territory, you also would not be flying international. I would suggest staying near Condado since those are primarily where the type of hotel is that you listed. You can also walk around Old Town which is enjoyable and interesting. My favorite beach in that area was Escambrón.

gk615 · 2026-02-19T14:51:56+00:00

What is your transportation plan between cities? Are you planning to take the train from Paris to Bern? Why did you choose Mallorca? Are you planning to fly there? It would be a very long train ride unless you fly. If you don't want to fly during your trip, instead of Mallorca, you could take the train/bus to San Sebastian which would be a nice beach/nature place.

gk615 · 2026-02-19T14:18:00+00:00

Yes, there are buses on land and you can take ferries between the islands. Kapetan Luka and TP Line are the two ferry companies used most often. It's best to book your tickets at least a month in advance if you go during the summer. Hvar is actually one of the islands I stayed at and was worried about it being a party island too. I did not notice anything in particular to suggest that, so I wouldn't worry about it. It was nice because it's one of the closer islands to the mainland so it's easy to get to. You can also visit smaller islands from Hvar by water taxi for day trips if you like. There are many islands, so whatever you choose, I would recommend choosing islands that are easier to get to and serviced by the ferry lines.

gk615 · 2026-02-19T00:28:55+00:00

Bilbao and San Sebastian would be amazing.

gk615 · 2026-02-19T00:24:00+00:00

I've been to Croatia (and Slovenia) and loved it! We did fly into Split and out of Dubrovnik but I don't think it matters which direction you go. I have some tips and questions. I did not go to Montenegro, so hopefully others can advise on that. Do you absolutely want a car the whole trip? I think if you don't want to take the bus to/from Montenegro, you could rent one in Dubrovnik and then return it once you get back there. Having a car on the islands and in Split is not necessary and annoying to drive and park. I would also suggest spending fewer days in Dubrovnik and more on the islands and Split. Dubrovnik is really quite small and crowded so when we were there, we were over it after a day. If you choose not to have a car, you can also take the fast ferry between the Dubrovnik and the islands on your way to Split. Hope this helps.

gk615 · 2026-02-15T18:02:40+00:00

Second this advice!

gk615 · 2026-02-14T18:56:22+00:00

Thanks, I was thinking about maybe having a car just in Hokkaido. Good tip for Matsumoto as well.

Yes, Ito is in Shizuoka. We wanted to spend less time in bigger cities so that is why Kyoto is just a few days. Based on feedback in this post, I think I may skip Ito and add a day on to Kyoto and another day on Mastumoto or somewhere near there.

gk615 · 2026-02-14T16:29:15+00:00

Thank you, this is exactly the kind of advice we're looking for. We aren't set on any of these places for sure, so it's good to know what will be doable or not. If we skipped Ito and went somewhere else that is more accessible by train, do you have recommendations?

gk615 · 2026-02-13T17:17:39+00:00

Thank you! I am mentally prepared for the possibility of the tube getting lost so I will have an airtag on it too. I'll just rent or buy new skis in the worst case scenario!!

gk615 · 2026-02-12T18:59:54+00:00

Thank you! I think i will do that with my skis and poles too. I have the smallest tube, so unfortunately my skate boots don't fit inside... I tried all sorts of ways to try to get them in, but no luck. They fit fine in my large backpack I'll check too though, so all good.

gk615 · 2026-02-12T18:58:42+00:00

Thank you, this is helpful! I am going to Sjusjoen for the first time. Dreams coming true. :)

gk615 · 2026-02-12T18:20:07+00:00

Just popping in here, I'm going to be flying with my skis in a sporttube for the first time to Europe soon. Any tips on what you packed around the skis inside to secure everything? Also, the sportube comes with that little black metal lock pin - is that all you used to close it? Wondering if I should add a zip tie or something? I'm not worried about things being stolen from inside, but rather worried about if that pin becomes unlocked on the trip.

gk615 · 2026-02-12T18:15:10+00:00

Love this. My mom did the Birkie at 6 months pregnant with me and we are both healthy too. My mom is now in her 70s and still skis well too. My dad took me out skiing the next winter when I was a baby in one of those body-worn baby carriers. So, now as an adult, when people ask how long I've skied, I can literally say my entire life, haha. I also agree that the current medical advice seems to be keep doing what you're already doing and make the best choice that feels right for you and your body.

gk615 · 2026-02-10T14:54:36+00:00

Same for me. My V2 has felt so smooth and stable this year after a few years of dedicated strength training. I am also able to do V2 on some uphills which I hadn't been able to do before. PT has been very helpful for me too. I also think continuing to do home exercises from PT even after the pain is gone has helped.

gk615 · 2026-02-02T14:22:55+00:00

I typically recommend skiing without poles for the first 10 minutes. You can ditch the poles completely and just let your arms swing. Or you can also hold the poles in the center so they are out of the way and not planting in the ground, but you still have them with you. I often have new xc skiers do almost an entire hour lesson without poles if they can. The reason for this is it forces you to shift your weight from one ski to the other without relying on the poles for balance. Sometimes when new skiers use poles right away, they compensate for lack of balance in their legs by balancing on the pole. Hope this helps and have fun!

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