The Sims 2: Bon Voyage is the sixth expansion pack for The Sims 2, developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Released on September 4, 2007 in North America, it introduced vacation travel as a full gameplay system. Sims can book trips to three themed destinations and, for the first time in the series, own property outside their home neighborhood.
Vacation destinations
Bon Voyage ships with three pre-built vacation neighborhoods, each with its own look, activities, and local culture.
Takemizu Village draws from East Asian aesthetics. Sims can practice yoga, soak in natural hot springs, visit zen gardens, and browse local markets. Community lots include the Takemizu Pagoda and Market, Lucky Shrine Park, Immortal Zen Garden, and the Takemizu Village Hot Springs. Two vacation homes are available for purchase.
Three Lakes is a mountainous woodland retreat. Sims can try axe throwing, log rolling, and roasting marshmallows around a campfire. A campsite, a resort, and a hotel sit among pine forests and blue mountain lakes.
Twikkii Island is the largest of the three, a tropical paradise with beaches, ancient ruins, and a boardwalk. Activities include paragliding, boat tours, helicopter rides, and sandcastle building. Community lots range from the Ancient Ruins of Numchuck to Seawater Beach Paradise. Three hotels, rental bungalows, and two vacation homes give Sims plenty of options for lodging.
Players can also build entirely custom vacation neighborhoods using any of the three terrain templates as a base.
How vacations work
Sims book vacations by phone or computer, then get picked up and flown to their chosen destination. On arrival they check into a hotel, choosing from available rooms at different nightly rates. Multiple Sims can travel together, and rooms can be shared or booked separately.
Time works differently while on vacation. Sims don't age, and work and school obligations are paused until they return home. A hidden vacation score tracks how much fun the group is having. Positive experiences (like strengthened relationships or finding something valuable) can lead to temporary bonuses back home, such as improved job performance or faster skill learning. Bad experiences can send the whole group home in a foul mood instead.
Tours and excursions
Local tour guides offer bookable trips, from helicopter tours and birdwatching outings to paragliding adventures. Each tour has a set duration and cost, and Sims encounter random situations along the way that affect what they get out of it.
Sims can also explore independently, hunting for souvenirs on beaches, digging for buried items, or browsing local shops. The more mementos brought home, the better the trip is remembered.
Local culture and secrets
Each destination has regional customs Sims can learn by spending time with locals. Special dances, legends, and traditions take patience to master but add depth to the vacation experience.
Secret lots are hidden within each vacation neighborhood for explorers to discover. In the mountain areas around Three Lakes, Sims may also stumble across Bigfoot. He can be befriended and even invited to move into a household, though he comes with his own quirks and limitations.
Vacation homes
For the first time in The Sims 2, Sims can own property on multiple lots. Vacation homes are purchased through the real estate menu on a phone or computer and cost roughly the same as houses in regular neighborhoods. Once owned, a vacation home can be customized however you like, saving on hotel bills for future trips.
Photography and jewelry
Bon Voyage adds a digital camera to every Sim's inventory. They can photograph each other, strike directed poses, and build a vacation photo album. Photos can be printed and displayed on walls or tables, or arranged into custom albums to flip through later.
The expansion also introduces jewelry as a separate accessory layer. Necklaces, nose rings, and other pieces can be assigned per outfit category or worn across all outfits at once.
Availability
Bon Voyage originally required The Sims 2 base game on Windows (XP, 2000, ME, 98, or Vista). A Mac OS X version followed on December 17, 2007 via Aspyr Media.
As of January 2025, Bon Voyage is included in The Sims 2 Legacy Collection on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the EA App. The Legacy Collection bundles the base game with all expansion packs and stuff packs in a single purchase. Bon Voyage was the sixth expansion in a lineup that grew to include eight total, from University through Apartment Life.
