Places your family will love this fall

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I am going to take a couple of different vacations in July. One will be with my family, and the other will be with some good friends of mine. Believe me, I am starting to really feel the need for a break. It is not that I do not love this job, I do, but I am getting tired. But if you are thinking that you would feel more comfortable if you and your took your first vacation after all of this that is going on in the fall. Or maybe you are doing a big family family gathering this summer, but want to do a trip with your immediate family this coming fall. Either way, here are some ideas for you.

• Niagara Falls used to be the place where a lot of honeymoon couples would go. You will love looking at the beautiful colors were of fall. You might even enjoy looking at it from a helicopter. You might also enjoy riding were the ferry or picking apples.
• Or you might want to go to Colorado Springs and enjoy the beautiful mountains. This is a beautiful place to hike. This is also a great place to take in the fall leaves. You might want to go rafting on their Echo Canyon River. This is also the home of Focus on the Family.
• We’ve talked about Vegas recently, and what a family friendly destination it is getting to be. It will be hot in the summer for sure, but fall is a wonderful time to go. If you are looking for something to do outside of the city, you may want to go explore the deserts that are around there. You may also want to enjoy some water sports while you are there.

More fun adventures

 

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Who is ready to go on some kind of adventure? I know I am ready to do something fun after all of this mess we are going through lately. If you know what I mean, please read on.

• Do you and your family love going mountain biking together? Why don’t you go on a weekend long adventure in Scottsdale, Arizona. You’ll be riding through their desert. The trip will take you anywhere between three and seven hours. Don’t worry, there are plenty of nice resorts and other things to do in this area.
• Or do you like waterfalls? Ever dreamed of going down one like they do in the movies? New Zealand has a twenty-three foot waterfall you can go down if you are brave enough. And yes, they do offer guided tours.
• Do you wish you had been able to go through Boy Scouts\Girl Scouts? You can still go through some wilderness training. Not only will you and your family learn about the basics of camping, you will also learn how to make hunting weapons, and how to use traps and snares.
• Do you love looking out from the top of the world? At the CN Tower, they let you lean over the edge. Now, you are on ropes, and everything is safe just so you know.

Relieve stress while traveling

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Okay,, having a travel agent plan your vacation is not the only way to reduce your stress while you are on a trip. Let’s look at some things that might help you have great vacation.

• First of all, how’s your relationship with your parents or your in laws? Is it great the first couple of days, but after that things start going downhill? Do you feel like they still think of you and your husband as kids? You will want to think through these things before you go on any trips with them. Lay groundrules before the trip starts. Discuss who will pay for what. And discuss it up front if you know you are going to want sometime to yourselves from time to time.
• If you are going to a place you’ve never been before, how do you know your taxi driver isn’t going to take you the long way around everywhere you go? Do some research before you leave on your trip. Ask the people at the front desk of your hotel about the route you might want to take. And never be afraid to ask for the fastest route.
• You may be able to pass through security with no problem, or it could take a while. You always want to get to the airport in plenty of time. If things go well, and read a book. Part of any good vacation is getting some good rest in anyway.
• You want to make sure you have everything you need without packing too much. Take clothes you can mix and match. Are you going to a nicer hotel? You might not need to take things like shampoo and conditioner.

How travel agents help

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I think everyone is feeling a little stressed these days, and that might be the understatement of the century. No one is quite sure when things are going to open up.. Everyone is wondering when things are going to be normal again, or if they ever will be. Everyone is questioning whether we are going to have to have another lock down.

Anyway, in all of the uncertainties that we are facing these days, the last thing you want to be worrying about is your vacation. This will hopefully be a time of freedom for you and your family, and hopefully a time without a lot of stress. One way you can cut down on the stress is by letting a travel agent handle all of the arrangements. Today let’s look at some ways we travel agents can help you

• Problems can come up when you travel, that’s just an unfortunate reality, and sadly that may be even more true in the next little while. But travel agents will know exactly who to call when something goes wrong, whether you miss a flight or something goes wrong at the hotel.
• Travel is what we do for a living, so we are going to know what is popular, when the best times to go are, etc.. We will also try to get to know your interests and tastes and plan accordingly.
• Sometimes the least inexpensive option is not the best idea. Sometimes you simply have more expensive tastes. Sometimes the cheapest thing is in the wrong part of town. We can help you figure out all of those details.

More about Vegas and families

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I know that you might not think of Vegas as being the most family friendly, but this city is truly whatever you want to make it. They’re working hard to make it this way. And while some of what they have to offer in this city can get pretty expensive, you should be able to find pretty inexpensive hotels which may have cheap meals as well. At least it used to be this way.

• The first attraction we are going to look at today is their monorails. The Strip is only four miles long, but you might not want to walk everywhere. That can get old.. The monorail is a great way a to see the city, especially for those who are seeing it for the first time.
• Some of the pools here are not particularly family friendly. People are going to be drinking at the pools, even during the day. But the main pool at the Mirage is pretty casual and laid back. You will want to swim here.
• The Mirage also has Siegfried &Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.. Here is a place where you can see the big cats.

River cruises

River cruising is growing more and more popular. And why not? Yes, most river cruises are luxury, and you’ll pay a pretty penny for them. But a lot of these cruises are in Europe, and you are likely going to pay pretty much to see Europe anyway. And river cruises do give you a lot of luxury. And once you pay to get on, you usually don’t have to worry about money again, because everything is already paid for. Let’s look some more at what these cruises are like. First, let’s look at some of the basics about river cruising.

• You are not going to get many sea days like you would on an ocean cruise. They usually have excursions you can be part of each day. Everything is going to be completely optional, of course. But there is not a lot you can do on these ships. And often, even your shore excursions are already paid for.
• Sometimes you will be able to choose between walking tours and motorcoach tours. You will be exploring places like castles and vineyards and food tastings. Sometimes you will pay a little more for things like evening concerts and cooking classes, or even art classes.
• You are usually going to get to explore three countries in a week’s time, with some lines starting to offer longer itineraries. Almost always you will be are starting in some fantastic city you are going to have some exceptions with the Christmas markets and the New Year, these generally run between April and October.

Safe places

restorehe safe places to travel these days? Let’s look at some places you might want to go. While no country is completely safe, and you always want to use your common sense, these are some places you might want to try if safety is a big concern of yours.

• Australia is one of the best places you can go. And a lot of people love it. I think you pretty much want to go to Sydney because there is not much else in Australia. I know they have a great zoo. Sydney’s Opera House is there.
• Do you and your family love the Lord of the Rings? New Zealand is where all of that was filmed here. They have a Hobbit village and everything. I know that this is also a great place to go explore caves.
• Okay, I think this is talking about safe as far as low crime rates. This that I’m reading says that Italy is safe. I’m not sure where they are on the COVID-19 situation now. Obviously they have lots of great food. They also have a lot of beautiful art you will love.

Some great road trip destinations

Almost half of all Americans want to make their first trip out a road trip. So today let’s start looking at some places you might want to go on your first road trip after quarantine.

• You probably want to stay away from the Big Apple these days, but New York’s Finger Lakes are pretty nice. You will be a couple of hours away from all of the craziness of the big city. There are many small town up there around the lake which you will enjoy.
• I know we’ve talked about about Boston recently. But this really is a fun city to explore. This is a great place to take your children if they’re studying the American Revolution. And it is also a great city to go to for some culture. You can also get some amazing seafood.
• Do you want to see some beautiful mountains? You might want to try Assheville, North Carolina. They have a lot of interesting shops you will want to look through. I also hear that it is great place for breweries. You might also want to make your way up to Bristol, Virginia, which is another neat town. Y
• ou might want to go a little further south and make a trip to Atlanta/Savannah\Charleston. Atlanta has some fantastic museums. You will also want to go relax at some of their beautiful beaches, and indulge in she some of their marvelous cuisine.
• Do you enjoy country music? You might want to go to Nashville. This is where all of the big names in country music live and work.

And even more about Austin

Yesterday we talked about a lot different things you can do outdoors in Austin. Today I think we are going to move inside.

• Let’s start by looking at Alamo Drafthouse. This is a theater. But not only does it play current releases, it also plays the classics as well as Indie films. They also serve all kinds of food and drinks.
• They just call it the LBJ Presidential Library. But this place can give you a lot of insight into one of our more misunderstood presidents. You may even get a new perspective on the Vietnam not war.
• People who love books will probably enjoy the Harry Ransom Center. It’s a museum, library, and archive all rolled into one. Here you will get to see Gutenberg’s bible, and the first permanent photograph ever taken.
• Have you heard of the Broken Spoke? This is a Honky Tonk. And Willie Nelson fans are sure to want to come, because sometimes the man himself comes and plays here.

More places in Austin

Let’s get back to our discussion about what to see and do in Austin, Texas. It is a big city, and there are a lot of different things for families to do together.

• Today we are going to start with looking at their Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum. Charles Umlauf was a sculptor, and he and his wife donated their home and a lot of his work to the city of Austin.
• Do you love to look at flowers? You might want to try Zilker Botanical Gardens which is kind of the centerpiece of Zilker Park. A lot of people come to visit this beautiful place each year. This is a great place for those who love to garden themselves.
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is another beautiful place to visit. This place was founded by Ladybird Johnson when she was our first lady. They have many nice walking trails. And children will want to be sure to visit their children’s garden.
• Do you and your family like exploring caves together? You might enjoy visiting Longhorn Cavern State Park. You really should take a guided tour of this place, they have several that you can choose from.  You are sure to hear some of the place’s stories and legends on whichever tour you go on.
• Do you want to get out there and stretch your muscles? Try Lady Bird Lake Hike or Bike Trail. You can walk, jog, or bike around the one miles of beautiful lake.