Beach or Mountain Vacation-Which do you prefer?

Discussion in Travel started by suzeysplace • Jul 9, 2012.

  1. suzeysplace

    suzeysplaceNew Member

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    We love them both, however, I'm just curious if any of you prefer a beach getaway or a trip to the mountains? Why do you prefer one over the other and what are some of your favorite vacation spots?

    For our beach getaways, we love:

    Tybee Island, Georgia
    Panama City Beach, Florida
    Destin, Florida

    Those are our favorite spots among the ones we have actually experienced.

    For our mountain getaways, we love:

    Gatlinburg, Tennessee or anywhere in the Smoky Mountains
    Cherokee, North Carolina

    How about you?
     
  2. dissn_it

    dissn_itActive Member

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    We live in the Pacific Northwest so we are in the mountains all of the time. I grew up in Southern California so I think a beach trip would be awesome. It has been a really long time since I have been to the ocean. I have always wanted to get over to the Oregon coast sometime. They have some really nice vacation homes that you can rent that are right on the beach and they don't really cost that much more than staying at a hotel would.
     
  3. Mrs. Pirz

    Mrs. PirzExpert

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    I live in Miami so I see the beach very often. I would have to say a Mountain getaway although I have never had one. Probably what I should do next in my travels
     
  4. SEA81

    SEA81Active Member

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    That's such a hard question! I love the beach, probably because I live fairly close to the North Georgia mountains and can go there easier, but I love it there, too. I think it also depends on the time of the year. For example, I love going to the mountains in the fall, but spring/summer is more beach time.
     
  5. andrew320

    andrew320Active Member

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    I guess it depends on the season. If it's in the middle of the winter then I'll definitely select the beach, but if it's in the middle of autumn I'll opt for the mountain vacation.
     
  6. jovan107

    jovan107Active Member

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    Wow, I like both. I grew up in a tropical country and saw the beach everyday for 11 years. I live in NJ and the beach is great, but every now and then I escape to a mountain wonderland as I call it to relax and rejuvenate. I visit the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina at least 3 times a year. My children prefer beach getaways and before the summer is over we will be visiting Jamaica and Barbados. As I get older I prefer a different scenery.
     
  7. tjshort05

    tjshort05Active Member

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    Both would be nice! But if I had to pick one or the other, I would still go with the beach. I moved to Florida over 10 years ago now, but I never seem to get tired of it. I did have an amazing trip at Yellowstone National Park in the Rocky Mountains, and at the Badlands. It was one of my best trips ever. As for the beach, I've been to many in Florida now- Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Cocoa Beach, Ana Maria Island, Clearwater, Ft. Desoto, and more. I've also been to the Bahamas for a beach vacation, which was great too.
     
  8. Sandra Piddock

    Sandra PiddockExpert

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    I love a short trip into the mountains - say a cuople of days in the motorhome - but for a full vacation, I prefer a beach destination. We're in Europe, and we divide our time between the UK and Spain, so we have the choice of beaches and mountains. We enjoy short breaks in the Pyrennees, and our beach time is spent in the South of France, and the Spanish Costas. When we're in the UK, we enjoy visiting the Welsh mountains and the beaches of Cornwall and Devon.
     
  9. Waynefire

    WaynefireActive Member

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    I have to say I would really like to have Gatlinburg to be the best place to travel to. The mountains are a great place to enjoy yourself and see some great mountains.
     
  10. supergirl

    supergirlMember

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    Ahhh I've always been a beach person but maybe this is because I've not yet had the chance to climb a mountain or get away to a beautiful retreat. I bet it's peaceful. However, I am not one for cold weather and I think that it would be pretty chilly up there. I love to be able to cool down in the sea after a long day of playing volley ball or have the chance to go snorkelling and the likes.

    I think it's also a lot more expensive to stay up in the mountains.
     
  11. Parker

    ParkerWell-Known Member

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    I grew up in Southern California and I love the beach. I'm just not big on mountains. So even when I take a vacation, I still want to go to a beach or tropical area. I liking vacationing in the Caribbean especially.

    There are few places I still want to visit:
    --St. Lucia
    --Aruba
    --Bermuda
    --Barbados

    I do want to visit the location featured in the movie Last Holiday. Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. It was spectacularly beautiful. It's in the mountains, but I would definitely risk it. That place looks amazing.
     
  12. marvelz

    marvelzActive Member

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    I like travelling up the mountains with friends on dirtbikes, but I also like the beach to chill out and swim in the sea. It all depends on the weather for the beach. If it's too hot then it ends up not being very enjoyable. I suppose I like a mixture of both depending on my mood.
     
  13. novasparker

    novasparkerActive Member

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    I'm a beach girl. DOn't get me wrong...I love the mountains. I live 45 minutes away from the Great Smoky Mountains and absolutely LOVE going there for the weekend and enjoying the scenery and the activities (hiking, biking and the sort) but my heart belongs to the beach. Beore anyone can say that it's because the beach is just "Different" and that's why I like it more, I used to live an hour away from the beach for 5 years and miss it terribly. I love west coast beaches better than east coast beaches, primarily due to the sand quality.
     
  14. Cornholio

    CornholioActive Member

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    I live in FL so the beach is all around me; I prefer mountain vacations so that I can get away and do something new. We usually rent a cabin in the mountains of NC and party it up for a few days and enjoy the weather.
     
  15. MakingCents

    MakingCentsActive Member

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    I am definitely a beach person. I love the sun and the sand and the surf. Mountains can be fun because I like to ski but I would always pick the beach!
     
  16. niceness8000

    niceness8000Active Member

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    I live in Florida about an hour away from the beach. I have actually never been on a vacation to the mountains. The issue with beach vacations is that I need to be in an area that has things to do when I'm not at the beach - keep in mind that this is someone who can spend maybe 3 hours at a beach and then get bored. I guess I would prefer the mountain vacations since it would be new to me. But in the end, if there was not much to do in the mountains, then i would get bored as well.
     
  17. Kaybee517

    Kaybee517Active Member

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    I already live by the beach now and have in the past for a number of years. It's nice sometimes but I'm not so much a beach person and don't need a tan either so I'd be interested in a mountain vacation. I've lived in Colorado a drive away from the Rocky Mountains too but never took time to visit or camp out. I'd try traveling for a getaway to the Poconos or something nice and relaxing and romantic.
     
  18. hsandez

    hsandezNew Member

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    Having grown up in southern California we're a bit spoiled because we are about two hours a way from the beach, dessert and mountains no matter where we live. It's really great because we have a bit of all climates and when we want a change of scenery all we have to do is get in our car and off we go. Since I love closer to the beach I have to say I really love getting away into the mountains. Wheter it be Jullian or Big Bear there is nothing like the crisp, clean fresh mountain air. Also, anouther great thing to do in the mountains is go snowboarding when weather allows. I just love the feeling of how fresh the air is in the mountains.
     
  19. etc

    etcActive Member

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    i don't have any favorite destination spot since once I have visited a tourist destination I never want to go back, I want to visit and experience some other else. but I prefer beach.. this is why I do have a travel blog and most of what I've visited are beaches.
     
  20. kate23

    kate23Active Member

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    Wow, a lot of Floridians here! I'm a native Floridian too, I've lived on the coast of Florida my whole life and the beach is still my most favorite place in the world. I could spend all day, every day there. Swimming, boogie boarding, surfing, the sun, sand, searching for shells/sharks' teeth/dwiftwood/smooth glass, etc. There's so much to do.

    I love visiting the mountains too, I've been to the Smokey mountains in the fall when all the leaves are changing color. It's so beautiful and I would love to go back. Considering that I live so close to the beach, I probably would vacation at some mountains somewhere and go hiking and camping...but a vacation to a tropical place, like Hawaii or Australia or another foreign place is very tempting too... I've always said Hawaii will be my first trip outside of the continental US.