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.
No, it’s not the piles of laundry when you get home. It’s that moms rarely get a break. On vacation, just like at home, they’re the activities directors, psychologists, chefs and medics, among other tasks and all in unfamiliar turf.
We moms all know the dirty little secret of family vacations. No, I’m not talking about the piles of laundry when we get home, though that’s certainly no fun. I’m talking about how moms whisper on the beach, around the pool and on line at theme parks that family vacations are really no vacations at all for them, especially when young kids are part of the equation..
Taking the Kids recently teamed up with Travelocity in a poll about the importance of family vacations and together time. Here are some of the key findings.
You need a vacation now more than ever, and you shouldn’t feel the least bit guilty. In fact, you’ve got lots of company, according to a new family-travel poll for which I partnered with Travelocity.com.
It is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the travel industry’s websites are falling all over each other to tell you what they are doing to be green and how we can all travel greener. But really, it is little things — like carrying reusable water bottles or hanging up towels after you use them that can help make difference
Who says you have to spend hours in a museum? Sometimes, even an hour is enough—especially with kids. While in Manhattan, I stopped in late in the afternoon at The Jewish Museum especially to see one exhibit—Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H.A. Rey.
Spend some time in New York City — there are a lot of fabulous new productions on Broadway this year, including “Memphis” and “The Addams Family.”
Of all the things that could disrupt travel, volcano ash is at the bottom of the list. If you’re stranded here… visit a nearby national park or historic monument. Entrance fees are waived this week and there are all sorts of special activities.
The alarm doesn’t go off.Forget about our plan to leisurely stroll through Rome’s famous Borghese Gardens to get to the Borghese Gallery in time for our reservation to see the fabulous collections of paintings, sculptures, mosaics and bas-reliefs from the 15th to 18th centuries. Reservations typically are needed at this small gem of a museum.
Little things really make a difference.That’s why on vacation, just like at home, we should all do our part to protect the environment. It’s as simple as turning off the lights and AC when you leave.
The Associated Press reports that two more glaciers have recently disappeared from Glacier National Park in Montana. That’s so sad. I have very fond memories of our trip there in 1994 when the kids were still little.
So now Spirit Air is going to charge us for carry-on bags–as much as $45 a bag. In some cases, that might be nearly as much as a ticket might cost. It’s crazy!
The kids assume mom and dad have “no life” when they aren’t around but that is SO NOT TRUE. This past weekend, when we found ourselves kid-less on a beautiful spring Saturday, we hopped in our Subaru for an unplanned adventure in the countryside about an hour from our home in Connecticut..
My nearly 3-year-old son Matt was methodically smashing coconuts on the stone terrace next to the pool of our rented villa in St. Martin early in the morning just under the window where my sister and brother-in-law — still kid-less — were trying to sleep. We thought it was hilarious; they weren’t amused. My parents just wanted to enjoy the sunshine and the grandkids — Matt and his baby sister, Reggie.
So how does it feel that your kids are better traveled than you ever were?
According to a new Family Travel Survey from TripAdvisor , 75 per cent of travelers’ children have visited more than six states, compared to just 37% of their parents by the same age
I forgot my tiara and kept misplacing my wand. After all, it’s not easy being a modern-day Disney princess. You need to keep that tiara firmly on your head; you need to be kind to everyone — even annoying younger siblings.
Finally! And just in time for summer vacations–June 18 to be exact–Universal Orlando says that the much-anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter will open.
Since it started as a low-fare carrier at Kennedy International Airport a decade ago, JetBlue has called itself “New York’s hometown airline.” However, it almost decamped to Orlando. Thanks for staying Jet Blue!
This week, Disney announced that although it is only March, they have already given out the million free tickets promised to those who participated in the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” in partnership with the Hands On Network and designed to encourage families to give back to their communities through volunteer service.
The iconic pink Fairmont Hamilton Princess with spectacular gardens that overlook the water and well-stocked Koi ponds is THE place for a traditional English Tea in the oh-so-British-feeling Bermuda.
AAH… I’m in the midst of possibly the best massage I’ve ever had at Orlando Grand Lakes Ritz Carlton Spa—thanks to the feet of the massage therapist, who happens to be a former paratrooper, he tells me!
So how would a princess ask for a piece of cake? The half dozen or so princesses in training, their tiaras on their heads are listening attentively. “Ahem, Madame Chef, May I have a piece of cake,” Rose Petal (who apparently was a rose in the palace garden and then magically became a princess so she could be Aurora’s friend) instructs them
It’s hard work being a princess. You need to know how to curtsey and wave. You need to be kind to everyone—even annoying younger siblings. You need to wear fancy dresses and tiaras.
In a desert oasis beside a roaring river, the handsome young Chilean reaches for my hand to help me over the rocks. He smiles. “Gracias,” I say. It’s not a dream. The long-haired, 29-year-old Chileano is Max Vera, our guide on a challenging uphill hike along the canyon floor. We scramble over rocks strewn along a sandy trail, large “fox tails” and cacti that are 12 feet high with needles so sharp that local Indian women use them to sew and knit. We’re in the Atacama Desert in South America, walking along the River Puritama. Our goal: seven pools of hot springs.
Finally. I get to relax. After the extended family heads back to Denver and Connecticut, after my college freshman daughter and her friends head back to school, my husband and I head to Vail where we check in to the Arrabelle at Vail Square–a beautiful boutique hotel celebrating its second anniversary.
Sorry, Cinderella. Five-year-old Hannah Sitzman has forsaken all things princess to be a Winter Queen, she announces as she makes her way to the huge ice throne in a castle at the top of a ski mountain that took more than 75 tons of snow and two full weeks to build.
DAY 8 — Yes, a ski trip can work whether you are five, 19 or 60-at least for our family, at least at Keystone Resort that is the most economical and most kid-centric of Vail’s Colorado resorts.
DAY 6 — Ever since they were a young married couple in Indianapolis, Peggy and Jerry Throgmartin talked about buying a ranch. “This is my husband’s dream since he was seven, said Peggy Throgmartin. It took till the couple was in their fifties to make it happen—here at Vista Verde Ranch
Our 2010 Colorado winter adventure continues. DAY 5 — Think four wheel drive. Think four wheel drive on skis. I’m in the back country of the Vista Verde Ranch—some 560 pristine snow covered acres at 7800 feet above altitude—trying my hand at back country skiing.
The centerpiece of Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey Bay, CA is the massive Monterey Bay Aquarium . It’s an incredible structure which includes some of the largest fish tanks in the world and some of the most elusive creatures in our oceans
Browse through a selection of travel ideas for cities, countries, and unique regions that offer memorable experiences for every type of traveler.
Escape to the outdoors where lush parks, scenic trails, and serene natural retreats provide the space to relax, recharge, and experience the world in its purest form.
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