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    Ideas for Holidays: Romantic Weekend Getaways in the US
    Friday, October 09th, 2009 /

    Romantic weekend getaways can be a second honeymoon or just time away with your loved one. When you don’t have the time or money for a long trip, try one of the following.

    Luxuriate Together
    Spending time at a nice hotel is the most obvious and common romantic weekend getaway, and with good reason. It is wonderful to be waited on and relax in a hot tub together. The best hotels for this will have a pool, a hot tub (preferably in the room) and even a lounge where you might be able to go dancing.

    In Michigan , this might be the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island . This is where they filmed the Christopher Reed movie, “Somewhere In Time.” There are no cars, so you’ll have to see the island together by horse carriage.

    Romantic Weekend Getaways – Outdoors
    If you both enjoy the outdoors, you may want to consider a camping weekend. Whether you want to really rough it, and put on the backpacks, or just rent an RV and find a beautiful park to visit, this is a great way to have some quality time together. Wherever you live, there are great outdoor destinations within a few hours.

    A great example is the Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area, near Safford Arizona . There are two hot spring pools to soak in, and millions of acres of desert to explore. My wife and I loved collecting beautiful rocks together, and sitting around the fire with fellow campers each night. We also enjoyed regular soakings in the hot springs .

    Doing Something New Together
    It can be very romantic to share new experiences together. Even when things don’t go as planned, you are creating common memories that bring you closer together. Why not try something new this weekend?

    An example of this could be mountain biking in Moab , Utah . If you live near Seattle , you might consider a guided climb up Mount Rainier together. If you are near the coasts or the Great Lakes , you could take a charter sailing or fishing trip together. Amtrak has some great scenic routes you could travel in a weekend.

    Are romantic weekend getaways expensive? Sometimes, but the only requirement is that they are romantic. There is a way to get away no matter what your budget is. Why not start planning now?

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    Family Vacation Ideas: US Holidays with a Theme
    Friday, September 18th, 2009 / admin

    Themed holiday vacations are a fun idea to plan for your family. One of our most memorable vacations was our “Cowboy and Indian” vacation. We took our sons through the West, stopping at tourist sites along the way. We stopped at Dodge City to explore the cowboy side of life, and then made our way to Southern Colorado to explore the ancient ruins of the cliff dwelling Pueblo Indians. It is hard to choose only four family fun options, but I chose those I thought my grandchildren would enjoy the most.

    Of course, the first to come to mind is a Disney-themed holiday vacation. Who can resist the thought of being in Florida during the cold days of winter and enjoying the sites and sounds of Disney World? This is a favourite of children and adults alike. The sheer number of attractions will make it hard to decide which to visit first. You have the Magic Kingdom , Epcot Center , Universal Studios, MGM studios and even the Disney cruise liner. The ship has all the Disney characters on board, so this will be a delight for any Disney fan. Disney World is not the only attraction in the area; the Kennedy Space Center is also nearby. Inside Disney World, you can stay in a hotel that has a monorail train to take you to all the attractions.

    Are you thinking of a winter holiday vacation in sunny Southern California ? You will find many attractions and they are easily worked in around your available time. The San Diego Zoo is a popular attraction with adults and children as well as Sea World. LegoLand is also found in the San Diego area and is a big hit with the little ones. If you’re looking for theme parks, go north just up the road to the Anaheim and Los Angeles area. There you will find Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain , Universal Studio, and California Adventure Theme Park . After taking in what sites and attractions you wanted to see, take a day or two to just relax and soak up the sun on the many beautiful beaches on the coast of Southern California . Drive a little further north up the coast and visit historic San Simeon and the beautiful city of Carmel . Take a tour around the area on the 17-mile drive in Monterey California and stop for a moment just to see the beauty of Pebble Beach Golf Course. There is something for everyone in the sunny state of California .

    One of the best themed family vacations we had was our historical trip to the East Coast. We wanted our sons to be immersed in the colorful history of our Country. We had some fun times, stopping in Hershey Pennsylvania . We visited Hershey Town and stood amazed at the light poles in the shape of candy kisses. We visited historic sites in Virginia , including George Washington’s home. In Virginia , southern hospitality shines through. It is always a pleasure to visit. Washington D.C saw us picnicking in the park, going up the Washington Monument , visiting all the Presidential Memorials, and even touring the White House. Being a history buff and full of patriotism, the highlight of my son’s trip was our visit to the sacred land of Arlington Cemetery . The Smithsonian is an experience that no one should miss. There are so many different buildings and sections in the buildings that it was difficult to cover them all in the limited time we had. It will be a memorable family vacation and can instil in your child, a real love and patriotism for their country.

    National Parks and Monuments is another wonderful themed vacation the whole family will enjoy. Those “must see” attractions could include Yellowstone National Park to see Old Faithful go off, or a trip to the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. The Grand Canyon is a natural wonder that everyone should see at least once in his or her lifetime.

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    Discount Travel Ideas – Learning How to Bargain
    Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 /

    This discount travel idea came into being because traveling can be quite expensive relative to most people’s incomes. Unless you’re fairly well-off, you won’t be able to travel as much as you would like until you master some discount travel techniques. The art of discount travel is more then simply a few tricks. It is an overall strategy that you can, and should, apply to every element of your trip.

    For example, you should explore charter flights and last minute deals, etc. to get the cheapest possible airfare. Once you arrive in a foreign country, you should meet some locals and establish where the cheap places to eat and stay are. Discount travel involves a lot of small things that when applied together result in big savings, and allow even those on moderate budgets to travel more and more enjoyably.

    An important discount travel idea to use if you want your money to last while you are in a foreign country is that of bargaining. In most foreign countries, and especially those of the third world, bargaining plays a big part in everyday life and you will find yourself continually overspending if you don’t participate in it.

    Most North Americans are terrible at bargaining, which is not at all their fault. Bargaining simply does not play much of a role in our everyday transactions except for large purchases like buying a car, and maybe to a lesser extent a house. Most of us aren’t used to it and we certainly aren’t used to haggling over small everyday items.

    The first thing to understand – and a great discount travel idea – is that in the third world, everything is negotiable, and usually very heavily negotiable. When you start to bargain, you’ll soon see that the type of bargaining that goes on in other parts of the world is very different from the North American style. People often start with figures that are double or more their desired amount.

    The first step in bargaining is to not be in any kind of rush to get in a taxi, or in a hotel room, or to purchase your item. Take the time to ask around, and if you can, find some locals who will (hopefully) give you an idea of a good price. The second thing to keep in mind is you have to be willing to walk away, or at least good at pretending that you’re willing to walk away. Oftentimes you’ll find that by simply showing a lack of interest and willingness to avoid the transaction the price will be lowered, without any need for specific bargaining on your part.

    Once you get the hang of bargaining you’ll find it rather easy, and in some cases fun. The main thing to keep in mind when you’re in a foreign land is that your status as a North American will usually label you as rich to locals, even if it doesn’t seem that way to you. If you don’t want to get charged double – or more – for every single thing you do while traveling you’ll have to get used to the idea of bargaining. This is a key idea in the overall strategy of discount travel.

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