Three of the Best Family Vacation Spots in the USA

July 23, 2010 by VacationGuru  
Filed under Family Vacations

The most enjoyable vacation spots are those that have something for the parents and for the children as well. There are many family-friendly vacation spots around the country that offer enjoyment for kids and adults alike. Check out some of them and have the best family vacation ever:

Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.

Enjoy the Black Dog tall ship cruise on New England’s coast or let your kids get a kick out of the interactive tank at Waters of the World Aquarium where they can pet different kinds of marine animals. This island is also home to six towns booming with activities and restaurants.

Squaw Valley, Calif.

If you want a taste of adventure, this vacation spot is perfect. Here, you’ll experience outdoor sports such as fishing, parasailing, river rafting, and skiing. Stay at The Village where your kids will have fun at the the Adventure Center. They have large ropes courses there, as well as a climbing wall, bungee trampoline and a miniature golf.

Palm Beach, Fla.

Palm Beach is home to miles of pristine beaches, as well as outdoor recreation activities such as sailing, snorkeling, and fishing. You may also take your kids to the 23-acre Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park which houses about 1,700 animals.

Family vacations are meant to be enjoyable. If not, then you’re better off playing video games with your kids at home. If you are planning a family vacation, check out these family vacation spots and have a memorable and exciting experience.

5 Tips on How to Buy Cheap Airline Tickets

An important aspect of planning a vacation is the procurement of flight tickets. This is especially made challenging if you are on a tight budget. To help you purchase the cheapest air tickets, read the following tips:

1. Be updated on promotional fares from major airlines. Watch out for their ads and act quickly since these promos mostly run on a limited-time basis. Start up airline companies sometimes have their own promos so keep tabs on them as well.

2. Schedule your flight on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. These are the days when it’s cheapest to fly so make sure that you plan your flight flexibly.

3. Look for airlines that offer travel packages. Ask airline representatives if their package includes a rental car or hotel reservation along with the airline ticket.

4. Compare air ticket prices. If you are doing your research online, check more than one site and compare their rates.

5. Book early. Especially for holiday flights (around November-December), take advantage of advance-ticket discounts by making a reservation 21 days ahead.

Buying the cheapest air tickets saves you enough money which you can otherwise spend on other things during your trip. The trick is you have to play it smart and familiarize yourself with the system of some airlines.

Dreaming of Italy Vacations

July 9, 2010 by VacationGuru  
Filed under Vacation Travel, featured

Come to think of it, Italy does sound like a good place to go on vacation. Everything about Italy just exudes relaxation (though it also screams “glorious food,” “great wine,” and “art,” sometimes) that Italy as a vacation destination is a no brainer. Planning Italy vacations are quite fun as well.

Perhaps the best thing about going to Italy on vacation is the never-ending list of activities that you can do. Whether you’re backpacking alone, bringing your significant other with you for a romantic vacation, or hauling the entire family to let them experience a truly wonderful European city, Italy has accommodations and activities – at the risk of sounding like an infomercial for Italy – for every budget.

Want to eat great food and experience something not quite ordinary? Why not try a cooking vacation in Italy? You enroll in a cooking class in Italy, go to market to buy fresh ingredients, learn how to cook them, and you eat the results for lunch or dinner. You eat, you go around the city, you learn a bit about the culture – isn’t that the reason why you go to a foreign country? Some even have kid’s programs so you can take your kids with you.

And if cooking vacations are not for you and art and history are more your cup of tea, fret not because as you may well know, Italy has tons of museums. Italy is art country. You can spend your entire vacation visiting one or two museums a day and you will still not be finished. In Rome alone, your itinerary is filled. You can give the National Museum and Vatican Museum a big chunk of your vacation time because these places are huge. Apart from those there are also other museums, catacombs, ruins, you name it. I’ve always felt the entire city is a museum and I mean it in the best way possible. You may also want to drop a coin at the Trevi Fountain to ensure that you will one day return to Rome. And that’s just Rome. One cannot miss Florence, or Venice, or Naples and all the museums, architecture, and history that they have.

Perhaps you simply want to immerse yourself with the Italian lifestyle and have a “real” vacation. You can rent a villa, interact with the locals, and simply live the life they live, bike around if want to go somewhere. You can have food, culture, and the good life that you expect while being immersed in the Italian way. Many people have done this and loved it. Careful though, you may never want to leave.