Travel Review: London and Paris

The Harrison Family of Collinsville, IL traveled with two teenage daughters (age 19 and 16) to London and Paris this past May.  The trip began with a 5-night stay in London at the Citadines Holborn which offers apartment style accommodations ideal for longer stays.  It is well located close to Covent Garden and the tube. A 3-day London Pass was used to hit all the city’s highlights and avoid waiting in ticket lines.  Their Shakespeare loving daughter relished seeing A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Globe Theater.  The updated version was full of energy from the actors and getting seats in advance instead of standing is recommended.  Other fun experiences included afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason and seeing an intimate production of Phantom of the Opera on the West End.  Other touring highlights included St. Paul Cathedral, the Tower of London, a special Egypt exhibit at the British Museum and all of the city’s history and architecture (especially the churches).   The Eurostar train was used to get to Paris where they stayed in a family sized accommodation at the Hotel Marignan near the top of the Champs Elysee.  They mentioned that the hotel staff was outstanding, their two room and two bathroom suite was very comfortable and the hotel had a very intimate feel.  Their time in Paris was well used and planned as we them prebooked entry into the Eiffel Tower at sunset, a private Louvre tour, a group Notre Dame and Gothic Paris tour and entry into the Catacombs.  They also ventured outside Paris to Versailles for a private tour of the palaces and beautiful gardens.  Overall a great trip filled with fun adventures, history, culture and more.

Travel Tip: Important Websites

Important Website Links for International Travelers

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information – This is excellent information for international travel published by the TSA. It gives detailed information on all aspects of international travel. Check with the Transportation Authority to keep up with regulations for carry-on items.

http://www.cdc.gov/travel/page/survival-guide.htm – Great information on staying healthy and safe while traveling internationally.

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go.html– The checklist is an excellent site for preparing for your vacation.

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings.html – This is the State Departments travel warnings site.

http://www.cdc.gov/travel/page/vaccinations.htm – Center for Disease Control list of vaccinations needed by country.

Trip Review: Southern Respite on Beaufort

This month Lauren and her husband Evan traveled to the small and charming Southern town of Beaufort, SC for
an anniversary celebration.  Located right in between Charleston and Savannah, Beaufort can also be a great getaway for families looking to vacation for more than just a few days away.  Beaufort is a small town with a big heart in the middle of the Low Country.  The historic downtown area sits on the Harbor River which provides lovely views and recreation.  It offers a family friendly waterfront park with excellent playground, plenty of good dining options and shops.  We really enjoyed kayaking and stand up paddle boarding around the river and its sand bars, frolicking dolphins and friendly locals.  We also visited nearby islands including the beautiful Hunting Island State Park with its hiking and biking trails, beautiful beaches, fishing pier, nature center and lighthouse.  We climbed to the top of the lighthouse for amazing 40 mile views and enjoyed its museum to learn its rich history.  The nearby town of Blufton is an artistic center with funky galleries and great dining options that we also enjoyed.  We stayed at a new inn called Anchorage 1770; a beautifully restored Greek Revival–style mansion that offers a rich history and sits across from the marshes and river.  The inn showcases two fully furnished patio decks, comfortable living room area and breakfast room.  It is appropriate for couples as well as families with rooms with two queen beds.  A yummy home cooked breakfast is included as well as afternoon snacks; free bike rentals and beach chairs and equipment for badminton, croquet and bocce ball.  Yoga can be organized as well.  The lovely and friendly staff make your feel right at home and can organize all the details for a relaxing stay.

Travel Tip: Emergency Road Kit

Trekaroo reminds us that whether you are planning a trip across the country or a drive across town, it’s always a good idea to have a well-stocked emergency kit in your car. Emergencies can happen anytime and anywhere. Having access to essentials can mean the difference between a little hiccup in your trip or a complete disaster. While everybody’s needs are different, most experts agree that these items should be included in your emergency road trip kit and kept in your car AT ALL TIMES.

Water: Always keep at least two to three 16 oz. bottles of water in your car at all times. A gallon is better, but takes up a lot of room. Not only will water keep you hydrated if you get stranded, but it can also provide a temporary fix to an overheated engine.

Flashlight: A large flashlight with extra batteries is a must for night-time emergencies. Fixing a flat or changing a tire at night would be impossible without a good flashlight.

Jumper Cables: At a minimum you need jumper cables, but it’s even better if you can buy a jumper box that produces its own charge. If you have one of these you won’t have to ask strangers for help, or risk being stranded if there is no one around to help you.

Fire Extinguisher: Unfortunately, car fires can happen. If you are prepared with an automotive fire extinguisher, you can act fast and contain a car fire before anybody gets hurt.

First Aid Kit: The size of this kit is really up to you. Some people like to have a mini hospital in their trunk while others prefer a more minimalistic approach. Most people agree that the basics you need are bandages, vinyl gloves, antibiotic cleansing wipes, antibiotic cream, medication such as Tylenol/ Benadryl/Advil, instant cold packs, scissors, tweezers, hand sanitizer, ace bandage, medical tape, gauze pads, etc.

Flares: If you are stranded on the side of the road, it’s a good idea to lay flares out to warn oncoming traffic. Flares can also be used to signal for help if you are stranded somewhere.

Rain Coat: Murphy’s Law always prevails and you may have to perform emergency repairs in the rain. Keeping an inexpensive rain poncho in the car will make the process a little more comfortable.

Cash: It’s always a good idea to have some emergency cash in your car at all times. Not every place takes credit/debit cards and you may find yourself out of luck if you don’t have some cash on you.

Snacks: Keeping a stash of non-perishable snacks like protein bars or nuts is always a good idea. You never know how long you might be stranded in an emergency.

Car Hammer: It has the ability to not only break glass with a small tap, but it also has a seatbelt cutter. This could literally save your life.

Disposable Cell Phone Charger: If your car battery dies, you won’t be able to use your standard car charger. Keep at least one disposable emergency charger, like Cellboost, in your car at all times.

Spare Tire & Jack: No brainer, right? You would be surprised at how many people don’t have a spare tire or their spare isn’t properly inflated. Make sure to check your spare before each road trip to ensure that it can do the job if you happen to get a flat.

Fix-a-Flat: Designed to fix small punctures in your tire and inflate the tire enough to get you to a safe place to replace or repair a tire.

Trip Review: Jamaica with Young Adult Children

The Neuman Family of Owings Mills, MD traveled to Jamaica with 3 young adult daughters (24, 21 and 20) to the all-suite Iberostar Rose Hall Suites in early January.  They stayed in two suites.  We use this property often for families with children, teens as well as young adults with equal success.  The family found the hotel to be spotlessly clean and well maintained.  Their rooms were modern and comfortable, but with some mildew issues.  Internet worked well in the rooms, but was spotty at the pool and didn’t work on the beach.  They thought the staff and entertainment was unbelievably great. Everyone was unceasingly friendly and very engaged, but not overly pushy.  They got people involved and made the vacation infinitely more fun. The entertainers are remarkably talented and even if some of the shows were hokey, they were all fun (although the family prefers the outdoor theater experience to this Iberostar’s indoor one).  The family thought the food was good. The four sit down restaurants on property were very good (they did not venture to the Iberostar Rose Hall’s restaurants next door which are included in their stay). They had no problems making reservations for one of the restaurants every night (the benefit of traveling just after the winter break which is great with college age children with longer breaks), but thought it would be nice to have more outdoor dining options.  They found the pools and lazy river to be clean and well-maintained and enjoyed the water sports, but were hoping for better snorkeling.  Note that Jamaica is a mountainous island where runoff makes snorkeling less ideal than a flat island like Aruba.  They found the gym equipment to be somewhat dated and tipping to be a touchy issue since it is supposed to be included.  They did see others tipping; so they also tipped extra where they thought the service was extra special or when extra attention would be beneficial.  Many all-inclusives are also time share resorts that have guests returning year after year.  These owners get to know the staff really well and tend to tip extra as a result.  Overall the trip was relaxing and fun for the entire family!

Travel Tip: Family Travel Games

Board games are a great way to introduce children to the love of travel as well as to new destinations, geography and cultures.  Here are some of our favorite geography style board games that are ideal for the entire family to play together:

10 Days In _____: Learning the countries and states in different land areas is no easy task!  With these fun, yet educational board games, you spend 10 days touring an area by plane, car, and on foot. You chart your course from start to finish, using only the resources available to you. The first traveler to make connections for the 10-day journey wins the game.  

Passport to Culture: Players travel around the world map depicted on the game board, with the goal of filling your passport with stamps. Along the way players must attempt to answer questions pertaining to the diverse peoples and countries of the world.

Ticket to Ride: This game provides players with intense strategic and tactical decisions. Players collect cards of various types of train cars they then use to claim railway routes. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who fulfill Destination Tickets – goal cards that connect distant cities; and to the player who builds the longest continuous route.

Map It: Players take turns placing randomly drawn location cards in the correct position around a given starting point. Is Bangkok north or south of Cancun? What about Mount Everest? Is it to the east or to the west of St. Petersburg? Get your bearings and try to outwit your disoriented opponents. Young minds and seasoned globetrotters alike can lose themselves in the fun of this great game of directions.

Travel Tip: Saving for a Disney Vacation

Having trouble saving money for your next Disney getaway?  You might want to consider the Disney Vacation Account program which lets your family budget for an upcoming trip and schedule automatic contributions into an FDIC-insured savings fund. Account holders can cash in their savings for a vacation at a Disney theme park, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney or at Aulani, Disney’s plush resort in Hawaii. Contributing to a Disney vacation account does not yield interest, but you do receive a $20 Disney Gift Card for every $1,000 you spend — the equivalent of 2 percent of the purchase, more than three times what banks offer! You can set up the account for a minimum of $10 and contribute at any frequency and any dollar amount that you want and up to five years in advance! There’s no penalty for taking money out early, and no fees involved along the way. Check out https://disneyvacationaccount.disney.go.com for more details.

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Trip Review: Turks and Caicos Paradise

Over winter break, Mindy and her family (two adults and two teens) stayed at the Ocean Club on beautiful Grace Bay in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.  They enjoyed it so much they said they would go back!  The facilities at Ocean Club’s sister resort, Ocean Club West, is also available to all guests with a shuttle in between (one mile down the beach).  Mindy found that both properties provided a relaxed and quiet atmosphere, lots of tropical foliage and good recreation and dining options.  Ocean Club’s 84 condos are newly renovated while the 64-unit Ocean Club West is more centrally located on Grace Bay and therefore closer to more shops and dining.  Their one-bedroom unit, with 1,200 sq. ft. and 1 ½ baths, was on the top floor with huge cathedral ceilings in the bedroom.  They had a large lanai, full kitchen, separate living room with DVD player (where the teens slept on a sofabed and rollaway) and a washer/dryer.  Their only complaint was thin walls (in combination with a crying baby next door).   Mindy loved the intimacy of the resort, the location at the quieter end of Grace Bay and the friendly staff.  Tennis, moving between the pool and beach depending on where they could find chairs after sleeping in, working out at the larger gym at Ocean Club West and riding around on the free bike rentals kept the family busy along with free DVD rentals and board games.  Water sports are available for an added cost (most resorts on Grace Bay offer free water sports, but have less recreation available) and some guests were smart to bring their own floats to relax in the pool and calm ocean.  Outside the resort they enjoyed a wide variety of excursions such as parasailing; chartering a boat one day for watersports (water skiing, tubing and snorkeling) and another day for fishing.  Being out on the water also allowed them to explore nearby islands (there are 40 in the Turks and Caicos of which only eight are inhabited!).  Families who love nature can enjoy a ferry to the Middle and North Caicos to explore caves, see tons of iguanas and the pink flamingo reserve.  They also rented a small car (a clown car, as they affectionately called it) which came in handy.  It gave them great flexibility to dine out at night, grocery shop and explore all around the island. As a British Overseas Territory, driving is on the left.  This was only a challenge in the roundabouts! The family discovered out of of the way places to eat, many of them on the beach, that served the freshest daily catch which included a lot of delicious conch.  The long wait to get through customs and passport control was a reminder to slow down to island time, but the weather was 82 and sunny every day!  Turks and Caicos continues to be developed as it gains in popularity, but is still a great destination for families looking for a safe and easy to reach destination (1 ½ hours south of Miami) with gorgeous beaches and ocean.  Most of the resorts here are condo-style (so you don’t have to eat out every meal) and available in all quality levels from basic to luxury.

Travel Tip: Sleeping on a Plane

It is the bane of travelers getting on a plane for both business and pleasure—difficulty falling asleep in a seat, especially in coach, and the attendant horrors of jet lag after landing. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can decrease brain performance by 20 percent, so it’s crucial to anyone crossing time zones to rest as much as possible during the flight. Washington, D.C.–based clinical sleep educator and RN Terry Cralle shared her tips for powering down (and getting at least a power nap) on a flight.

Plan ahead. The more organized you can be before travel in regards to packing, airport transporations and getting ready to travel, the less frazzled you are once you get on the plane.  Don’t wait until the last minute.

Meditate. Try out meditation audio apps which can help your brain relax quickly.

Pack lavender oil. Proven to help you sleep better.  Put a few drops onto your travel pillow, apply it to your temples and wrists once you’ve settled into your seat, and prepare to dream.

Ignore in-flight entertainment. Staring at a screen means that light is hitting your retinas, and telling your brain and body that it’s daytime, and sleep will be much tougher to achieve.

Make to-do lists. Write them down well in advance to keep your mind clear when it’s time to sleep.

Bring something comforting. Like a cozy scarf or your favorite pillow.

Cover your eyes.  Masks do work.  Absolute darkness prompts your body to produce melatonin.

Step away from the Scotch. It can mess with the quality of your sleep and is dehydrating.  Drink as much water as possible.

Bring earplugs. Helps block out engine noise and other noise around you.

Incorporate cardio. The more exercise you get (especially before a flight) will help you doze off more easily.

Bank sleep. Spend extra time sleeping or napping in the week before you depart.  It can help keep your immune system strong and also mitigate the bad effects of jet lag.

Trip Review: Star Clipper Adventure

The Blaudow Family from Neptune Beach, FL (two adults and two teen boys) thoroughly enjoyed a cruise on the Star Clipper over the winter holidays.  The authentic, tall sailing ship traveled round-trip from St. Maarten with stops in Nevis, Dominica, Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe, Antigua and St. Barth, mostly in small harbors that can’t be accessed by large cruise ships. It is a working tall ship and travels under sail whenever possible, giving you the real experience of sailing.  You can also climb the mast if you’re feeling brave (as one family member did)!   The Blaudows noted that the ship doesn’t have a casino, balconies or a fancy gym or spa, but the experience is so amazing, you won’t miss a thing.   In port, sports activities are available such as sailing, windsurfing, snorkeling and kayaking, weather permitting. The bridge can also be accessed if you’re interested on seeing how the ship is navigated.  The family enjoyed meeting so many interesting people among both the other passengers and crew including the president of the cruise line.  Excursion highlights included a zip line at Loterie Farm in St. Martin (the French Side), river tubing in Dominica, hiking in Guadeloupe and sailboat racing in Antigua.  Their cruise rate included shipboard credits that they used for an excursion, a great Thai massage on board and a nice bottle of wine. They also noted that the food was good and plentiful with vegetarian options at every meal. A pre-night cruise stay on the Dutch side of St. Maarten was comfortable in a spacious 2-bedroom condo at Princess Heights.  Overall the trip was a great success!