Adventure Starts Here.
Every journey brings you closer to new places, to people you love, to family, and to yourself. Let’s make your next escape unforgettable.
Let’s have some fun on vacation or at home this summer—safely of course. Here are some summer safety tips for parents and kids — at the beach, on a boat, on wheels, or around bugs.
The sun is warming us with brief guest appearances through the clouds, and the cool river water running though the deep canyon is not too high but not too low. The conditions are perfect for a day of whitewater rafting on West Virginia’s New River Gorge National River with River Expeditions outfitters.
This ship is such a big deal for The Big Apple that Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand for the christening earlier this month, noting that New York City welcomed nearly 600,000 cruise ship passengers in 2012. The ship celebrates its NYC connection with bright Peter Max art of the N.Y. skyline and Lady Liberty on the hull. And you can’t beat sailing right by the Statue of Liberty either!
Eileen’s interview with First Lady Michelle Obama on staying active on family summer vacations ran on ABCnews.com
Eileen is guest on Rudy Maxa’s radio travel program, talking about her exclusive interview with the First Lady on tips for staying active on vacation.
lLarning about the flag starts in Baltimore with a visit to Fort McHenry (walk among the canons and peer into barracks that look as they might have during the Battle of Baltimore). Then on to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. to see the actual flag in all its glory.
That’s also the idea behind the Bahamas People to People Program. Visitors are paired with locals of similar interests who might take them to church, running in Nassau, on a boat ride or a kayak in Grand Bahama Island or to dinner at their home. There is no charge.
Welcome to the Abacos Islands in the Bahamas —a chain of some 120 tiny islands, home to just 14,000 people and a mecca for boaters, fisherman, snorkelers and divers. Today we’re at Munjack Cay about 40 miles by boat from the town of Marsh Harbor with Lincoln and Marcus Jones who have brought us and some other guests here to cook the fish we’ve just caught.
First Lady Michelle Obama suggests letting the kids lead is one way to get everyone more active on vacation this summer. The first lady told Taking the Kids exclusively, “The key to getting kids moving is to find something they enjoy, and join in!” For the First Family, that includes biking.
What began with programs for school kids in the Bahamas in 2000, now attracts cruise ship passengers and other visitors for workshops in Junkanoo costume making. And what amazing costumes they are, put together with thousands and thousands of strips of brightly colored crepe paper adorned with feathers and gold and silver buttons.
There’s certainly plenty of that here in Nassau, the Bahamas capitol just 179 miles east of the Florida Coast. It is just 21 miles long and seven miles wide and a bridge links Paradise Island to New Providence Island—Nassau’s other name.
Sail racing is the island of Anguilla’s national sport dating back to the early days of the 20th century when Anguillan men on their way back from working in sugar cane fields in the Dominican Republic would race their schooners home. In fact, the unique design of the racing boats here evolved from fishing boats that would fish as much as 40 miles off shoe
Ava Thompson is the chief family officer for the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism—that means she helps families decide which island best suits them and what to do when they arrive. She explains that Grand Bahama Island, home to about 55,000 people, is a nice mixture of city (Freeport) and laid-back island feel.
At the first TMS Family Travel Summit in Orlando (May 3-5, 2013), Eileen and other bloggers did a panel on How to Pack for Family Vacations. Published by Conde Nast Traveler.
You’ll have your pick of thrills — wet and dry — this summer when nearly 200 new rides and attractions open at more than 80 theme parks, water parks, family fun centers, zoos, aquariums and museums in the United States and Canada, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.
If you’re on board the new Norwegian Breakaway, you—and baby—and grandma might all be joining in special “Guppies’ activities—maybe finger painting with special paints or using chalk or crayons made out of vegetables. “We want those younger families whose kids aren’t in school,” said CEO Kevin Sheehan –especially during times of year when there aren’t school breaks.
That this ship is home-ported in New York is such a big deal that Mayor Bloomberg was on hand for the christening. “New York is the number one cruise capitol in the Northeast,” he said welcoming 587,000 passengers in 2012—growing 32 per cent just in one year. “Breakaway will add to those numbers and it will be our pleasure to show them the greatest city in the world,” he said
We all know that kids seem to grow up in a blink of an eye (It seems as if my youngest who is graduating from college this month was just starting preschool!) That’s why families shouldn’t feel guilty about taking time—or money– for vacation. We’ve only got a certain amount of time when our kids are mesmerized by princesses or dinosaurs, when they think playing with mom and dad is the best time ever.
Talk about kid vacation heaven — Caribbean style. “They really cater to the kids here at Curtain Bluff observes Dr. Tania Spenlinhauer, here in Antigua from Maine with her husband and three kids, including Brady, for her sister’s wedding at the resort. That the small (just 72 rooms) all-inclusive resort offered so much for the six young grandchildren was a big factor in why the family opted to gather here, they said.
Check out these fabulous video shorts our partner Kyle McCarthy of the Family Travel Forum put together while at the first ever TMS Family Travel Summit in Orlando May 3-5, 2013: