Readers Say

Readers share their favorite summer vacations ever

From trips to Colorado and Italy, here are their best memories.

Maui, Hawaii, has some beautiful natural scenes. Washington Post/Alex Pulaski

June 17, 2023

3 minutes to read

Summer means a few things: it could be a time when you plan a cookout, hit the beach, or reminisce about a favorite vacation. Over time, you’ve probably visited some wonderful destinations, whether they be tropical islands or mountains suitable for hiking. Even if you won’t be taking a trip anywhere this summer, you probably have some great memories.

We asked readers to share their past getaways from us, and we heard about some of your favorite escapes. You told us where you went and what made your time there special. Below, see a collection of readers’ best summer vacations ever.

“Colorado, any season, is great for vacation. You need at least one week, because almost everywhere in Colorado is so attractively beautiful. Whenever you ask someone why they love living in Colorado, nine out of ten times they’ll say ‘Because it’s just so pretty!’ and we absolutely agree. No matter where you are in the state, you’ll be greeted by incredible views of mountains, interesting rock formations, prairies and more.”
—Lexington residents

“Now spending my seventh summer in Yorkshire Dales and Coast. Here there is ‘right to roam,’ so [you] can spend [time] walking almost [the] entire coastline of [the] country along clifftops, ocean on one side, sheep to the other. Besides [the] beauty and seeing few other humans, I look forward to a few months without being forced to hear those leaf blowers, grass trimmers, [and] lawn mowers revving up almost every day/early evening. Been here since late April and not a rainy day yet. Perfect walking weather: sunny and [60 and 70 degrees].”
—Chris H., Rockport

“Sabering a bottle of champagne at a beautiful bar in Positano, Italy! I can still hear the crowd erupt[ing] with applause and feel the pulse of excitement and carefree la dolce vita attitude. There’s nothing like finding a local spot and being welcomed, especially in Italy!”
—Leanne D., South End

“For my 40th birthday in 2016, my wife and I traveled to Europe. She has always been confident in her ability to design a trip with a realistic itinerary and guaranteed travel/accommodation plans. Since it was my 40th, I was allowed to make a few stipulations. My only stipulations were that they we needed to visit a ridiculous amount of countries, and there would be no luggage, only a backpack each. This was way out of her comfort zone, but she came through and planned our best summer trip ever. We visited eight countries in 10 days, kind of a speed-dating for European travel, yet we still were able to enjoy each day and immerse ourselves in the culture of each country. Now that we have two children, we stick to the more predictable vacations, but the summer of 2016 is one we’ll never forget.”
—Chris B., Topsfield

“Most definitely Maui. Hawaii. Maui has some most spectacular natural scenery in the world. It [is] covered with lush green forests, mountains, valleys, and waterfalls. And Maui’s beaches are significantly less congested and more in tune with nature than those in Honolulu/Oahu. As such,
Maui offers a calm, relaxing atmosphere.”
—T.L., Bedford

“I have had a lot of great trips in my life — the reason I still work at 70+ [is] to pay for trips — but I would have to say, the best summer vacation ever was to Japan, China, and Hong Kong for a month in the late summer of 1986. We stayed with the parents of our Japanese student tenant for most of of the two weeks in Japan. They took us to the most interesting places in Tokyo and in the countryside where we saw no other gaijin. Traveling to Kyoto, Osaka, and Himeji on our own via Shinkansen and staying in a traditional (and cheap) ryokan was exciting. In China, which had barely just opened up to Americans, we experienced the last of old communist China — no cars, so no air pollution, no private businesses, a lot of very friendly people wanting to practice their English with us. We saw all the famous sites for two weeks, as we followed the crew filming Peter Ustinov doing one of his travel shows and saw them in many places. I wasn’t sure I would like Hong Kong, but it was beautiful and crazy, the polar opposite of the China we’d just visited.”
—Jane, Woburn