TPA - Prologue

Vacation planning was a simpler task before our children started to develop and express opinions.  Previously I only had to convince my tolerant wife that an itinerary that 6 different hotels in a 7 day ‘vacation’ is not as bad as it sounds.  Now I had a 15 year old daughter that was yearning for a vacation that did not involve tracking down the World’s Best Corn Dog or visiting an obscure minor league stadium because it is Chevy Chase bobble head night.

As this is the last Spring that we will where the kids will have the same school vacation – we wanted to embark on one more adventure.  The girls were promoting a beach vacation in the Caribbean or Mexico.  The boys thought that sounded worse than having to watch a season of “Say Yes to the Dress” and wanted  more amusement.  The impending college tuition bill for Jake had me thinking Staycation !

We ultimately ended up with a bit of a compromise that will hopefully provide a little bit of what everyone wants and a healthy dose of what they might not be their first choice but will ultimately be memorable and educational. 

The itinerary begins by taking the train down to Washington DC.  This checks off two things that we have always wanted to do with the kids and never seem to get around to it.  We will spend two days in the Nation’s Capitol and then fly to Tampa.  We will stay on the beach in Clearwater FL, fulfilling the girls wish to spend some relaxation time.  The final stop will be in Orlando – where we will stay on Universal and check off the thrill seeker portion of the wish list.  We then fly back to Boston after three days in Orlando.  So 9 days total – essentially three days each segment.

So in the end – we will be taking a train, plane and automobile in an effort to satisfy all the constituents.   I am sure it will be another memorable trip.