Short Vacation or Long, Make Those Plans

Five days.

Between camp, sports, summer jobs and full-time work schedules, that’s all the time my family will have together this summer.

So how will my husband, three kids and I spend those five days? White-water rafting or a road trip? A glitzy beach resort or a cabin in a national park? A trip to Grandma’s house or a trip with her? Museum or mall crawl?

If your life is anything like mine, you haven’t had much time to think about what you will do for summer vacation, much less figure out when everyone can get away together.

It’s even tougher if you are trying to coordinate plans with grandparents, siblings or friends across the country.

Plus nobody wants to spend too much this year, and some of us are reluctant to fly (more because of the hassle than the risk, travel surveys suggest).

But we also are determined to spend time with those we care about most, enjoying the sort of nice getaway that can keep us going for months.

That time is all the more special to me this year because my oldest child, Matt, will be heading off to college 3,000 miles from home in the fall.

Before anyone could come up with another scheduling conflict, I made some reservations. I figured we had just enough time for a trip to Cape Cod (just a few hours by car from our New England home), where we could sail, bike and gorge on seafood. Now when things get impossibly frenetic, I can think about those lazy family days ahead of us.

Don’t wait too long to plan for this summer, no matter how busy you are or how tight the vacation budget is. Often the anticipation can be nearly as much fun as the trip.

To help you start thinking about summer vacation now, here is a handful of possibilities. Some are bargains.

And some, I hope, will lead you in directions where you and the kids have never gone.

* Think tropical beaches, frothy fruit drinks and swaying palms. No, it’s not too pricey, not in summer. Fourteen resorts on Aruba have banded together for “One Cool Family Vacation,” with free kids’ breakfasts and activities plus a host of other discounts. (Visit the Web site www.aruba.com/pages/1coolfam.htm.)

* In Miami, the newly renovated Eden Roc Renaissance Resort and Spa has rooms for $129 a night, free kids’ activities and a 55,000-square-foot spa and workout facility overlooking the ocean. Call (800) 468-3571 or visit www.edenrocresort.com.

* If you book a United Vacations package to Walt Disney World, you will get discounted air fare and you’ll save $25 to $100 a night on hotel rooms. Three-night packages (including Disney park-hopper passes and air fare) start at $689 per person from Los Angeles and San Francisco. Call (800) 328-6877 or visit www.unitedvacations.com.

* Choose from among 100 family vacation packages in the Caribbean. For the complete listing, log on to the Caribbean Hotel Assn.’s Web site, www.caribbeanhotels.org.

* How about crisp, clean air? Pristine mountain lakes and mountain-bike and hiking trails studded with wildflowers? Those who have moved to ski country for the snow say they stay for the summers. And summer is bargain season at ski resorts, where some mountain condos go for less than $100 a night.

In Winter Park, Colo., you will find a 50-mile network of mountain-bike trails (served by lifts), a giant human maze, Colorado’s longest alpine slide (3,030 feet) and a summer’s worth of outdoor programs for those with disabilities. Four-night Western adventures start at $399 per person for adults, $130 for kids 12 and younger, and include lodging and more activities than a family could pack into a week. Call (800) 729-5813 or visit www.winterparkresort.com.

* Wouldn’t it be nice to have a maid and cook to attend to your family’s every whim while you laze at the pool? You don’t have to win the lottery. In summer you can rent a vacation house in Montego Bay, Jamaica, with chef and laundress, for less than $1,500 a week. Meet friends or family and split costs. There are hundreds of similar options for staffed vacation rentals in the Caribbean as well as in the United States. Try Hideaways International travel club, which specializes in villa vacations. Call (800) 843-4433 or visit www.hideaways.com.

* Perhaps you could take a road trip to show the kids a new part of the country, or the place where you grew up. You could eat at old-fashioned diners and maybe even hit a state fair or amusement park.

* Maybe this is the summer to make your children’s dreams come true or cater to their current fantasy about what they want to be when they grow up.

Take the family to eco-camp at the Tiskita Jungle Lodge in Costa Rica, where you can check out bugs and lizards, swim, snorkel and ride horses. A nine-day, eight-night package including meals, camp, hotel and airport transfers and the short flight from San Jose to Tiskita costs $925 per person for adults, $745 for one child and $645 for additional children. Call (800) 345-7422 or visit www.tiskita-lodge.co.cr.

Your future marine biologist can go to dolphin discovery camp at Anthony’s Key Resort in Roatan, Honduras (a two-hour flight from Houston or Miami), where you can also snorkel and scuba dive.

The weeklong dolphin program for children ages 5 to 14 costs $600 and includes dolphin interaction, instruction, meals, room and other activities.

All-inclusive dive packages for adults start at $599. Call (800) 227-3483 or visit www.anthonyskey.com.

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Eileen Ogintz welcomes questions and comments from readers. Send e-mail to eogintz@aol.com.