The Washington Post's travel writers and editors discuss your travel stories, questions, gripes and more at live.washingtonpost.com. Here are some edited excerpts from a recent discussion:
Q: For decades, my extended family has met every other summer for a family vacation at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We rent one of the huge houses (10 master bedrooms last year) with a private pool. We rent a year in advance in order to find a house that fits that criteria. I'm starting to organize summer 2017 and I'm worried about going to North Carolina (LGBT family members) so I'd like to suggest a few alternatives for a vacation spot.
What we need is a place where the whole family (around 20 people from preteen to 60) can be together, a very large kitchen/great room so we can cook together and be together for some meals and a geographic area that has places/activities/restaurants that allow for an escape from the house when you have too much of the whole family. We like good restaurants but we don’t need a lively social scene. We could skip the ocean, but summer vacation means swimming for us so a private pool or hot tubs would be a bonus.
We come from states on both coasts so some of us drive and others fly in. Any ideas? I’ve never had to think beyond the Outer Banks so I don’t know where to start looking.
A: This is a tough one because OB X is known for its oversize homes with private pools. You could probably get a house in Florida, but not sure you want to go that far south in summer. Have you looked at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina? Closer to home, I'd try the Delaware resorts of Fenwick, Bethany and Rehoboth.
- Carol Sottili
Q: We will be travelling to Spain in two weeks and I'm now in panic mode regarding credit cards. We have chip and signature cards. Will those be usable in Spain (Barcelona and Madrid)? A friend indicated just to call our card company and have them add a pin, but my internet sleuthing tells me that the pin for chip-and-pin is not the same thing.
A: I wouldn't worry. Even though your swipe-and-sign card probably won't work everywhere in Spain, it's still enough to get by. I would consider calling your bank or financial institution and asking them to issue a chipped card. They can probably send it to you before your trip.
- Christopher Elliott
Q: How do I find Carribean and Mexico resorts that offer a good choice of fitness classes (especially water aerobics)? If I'm going to overeat and mostly sit and read, I want to be able to take exercise classes, too. Having to search the websites of hundreds of resorts is obviously not efficient, so how does one obtain this information?
A: I don't know of any website that would have that level of detail on Caribbean/Mexico resorts. But there are some that are known for fitness, including The Body Holiday, Le Sport on St. Lucia. Many Sandals resorts also offer water exercise classes.
- C.S.
Q: I'm attending a work conference in Bozeman, Montana, in the middle of August, and I'd love to tack on a few days for some hiking. Of course Yellowstone would be the perfect place, but I'm wary of crowds - any tips for managing a visit to Yellowstone during the high season, or do you have suggestions for an alternate park or forest that might have fewer visitors?
A: When we visited Yellowstone in August several years ago, I found that as soon as we left the main roads and the easiest trails, we were mostly alone. But, that said, you still have to get to the trailheads and you need to stay somewhere, so you will be wrestling the crowds. National forests abound in that area, although I've not been to them.
- C.S.
Q: We are leaving on a cruise December 1 out of Miami. Since we have time on our hands and have never driven the Eastern Shoreline we thought we might leisurely drive. Two questions, since this trip while overlap Thanksgiving, will we experience lots of traffic and fully booked hotels the week before Thanksgiving on North Carolina's Outer Banks or passing through the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, area? Second question, which city would be better for hanging out for Thanksgiving, Charleston, South Carolina, or Savannah, Georgia? We want to make limited reservations, just in case a Nor'easter is forecast and we decide to switch over to flying down.
A: Post-Thanksgiving traffic isn’t usually as awful because it’s spread out over several days. Once you leave the D.C. area, you’ll likely be fine. As for hotels in OBX and Myrtle, they may very well be booked over Thanksgiving weekend. Turkey at the beach has become increasingly popular. So plan in advance. I prefer Charleston, as it has a vibrant restaurant scene, but Savannah also has its charms. I’m sure you’re aware that OBX, and to a lesser extent Myrtle Beach, will take you far afield of I-95.
- C.S.
Q: I have an international vacation for two people scheduled in June - with one non-refundable airplane ticket and one frequent flyer ticket. A family member has become seriously ill, and we are trying to plan for the dreaded call. What kind of coverage might be available that would (a) refund my plane ticket costs if we have to cancel the trip outright or (b) cover our costs if we have to interrupt the trip and return home early? I would appreciate any advice on the types of coverage or terminology to use in seeing rate quotes.
A: I'm sorry to hear about your sick relative. I hope nothing happens before or during your trip. The problem with travel insurance is that it often has an exclusion for existing medical conditions. So you wouldn't be able to file a successful claim for someone you knew was ill. The workaround is a more expensive cancel for any reason policy, which, as the name suggests, would allow you to cancel your vacation for every reason and to get a percentage of your trip (usually 70 to 80 percent) refunded.
- C.E.
Q: My husband and I will be spending about 36 hours in Paris in October at the end of a trip. I'll be traveling for work so this is the only two nights of the trip that we have to cover hotel and cost isn't a huge factor. I would like something that feels a bit luxurious and is very central since we have limited time. We will come in via train to Paris Est and are flying out of CDG Saturday. We have been to Paris before and are primarily interested in walking around the city, eating, drinking wine and enjoying our two nights there. Any recommendations for specific hotels or neighborhoods to narrow our search?
A: Hotels in Paris can cost an incredible amount of money. Centrally located luxury properties include Le Bristol and Le Royal Monceau-Raffles. If you're looking for something a little more reasonable, Hotel Mansart is nice.
- C.S.
