Travel Tip
Cruising Safety From USA Today: Cruising continues to be one of the most popular vacation pastimes, with an average of more than 10 million Americans enjoying a cruise every year. One of the concerns that many people voice when considering a cruise is safety. Cruises are generally quite safe, but since they are effectively a small town at sea, there are always things that beginners and cruise veterans can do to keep themselves safe.
Step 1 Pay close attention to your safety briefing. Most cruise lines give a mandatory safety orientation on the first day, often before the ship leaves. Do not view this as an inconvenience, but rather as an important introduction to the ship. You will be instructed what to do in case of an emergency. Become familiar with the path you must take from your cabin to your emergency grouping area so that you can follow it when necessary.
Step 2 Take care of your health. Use your own restroom facilities instead of public ones as much as possible to avoid exposure to contagious illnesses. Carry antibacterial wipes or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Begin a multivitamin regimen before you begin your cruise.
Step 3 Wear appropriate shoes. Cruise ships are generally quite stable, but it is important to wear shoes with rubber grip soles, particularly when walking on the deck. Women should wear low heels if they wear heels at all. Do not go about barefoot, even when going to and from the pool.
Step 4 Leave valuables at home. Every cruise has at least one dress-up night when guests are encouraged to come to dinner in formal attire. It is tempting to bring jewelry from home to celebrate this event. However, it is wiser simply to dress up and leave jewelry and other expensive items at home. Wearing and displaying valuables on a cruise can make you an obvious target for theft or assault. Your cabin will have a small safe, but many crew members will have the codes to override it for passengers who forget their own safe codes. If you must bring valuables with you, visit the boat’s administration desk for information on using the boat safe.
Step 5 Keep your money out of sight. Unless you do a lot of gambling on board, this is easy on the ship, where most transactions are done with your room key as a debit card. However, when you leave the ship, be sure to keep your money in a traveler’s money belt, under your clothes. Keep a small amount of cash in a pocket for convenience, but if you decide to make a purchase, go somewhere out of sight to access your money or credit cards.
Step 6 Do not travel alone. This applies to both the cruise experience itself, and traveling anywhere while on the cruise. Single travelers are most likely to be the victims of violent crime, sexual assault and theft. The buddy system is your first and best line of defense.
Step 7 Drink in moderation. Alcohol is freely available on a cruise ship, at meals, at bars and at the casino. However, the most common crime on a cruise ship is sexual assault, and it most commonly happens when the victim is intoxicated. Drinking in your cabin is allowed, so if you plan to have more than a few drinks, it is best to do so in the safety of your room.
Trip Review
The Kaplan Family from Philadelphia were wowed by their Alaska adventure this summer. 
Their trip started with a few nights in Vancouver before they embarked on a seven night Inside Passage sailing on the newly renovated Celebrity Millennium. After the cruise, they overnighted in Anchorage before training to Denali on the Alaska Railroad. The trip ended in Fairbanks. The family, with two children ages 12 and 11, were thrilled with every element of their trip and were enchanted by the vastness of Alaska and all that it has to offer. Remarkable and amazing were used most often to describe the trip. Highlights varied by family member, but included a trolley tour of Vancouver, dog sledding on a glacier out of Juneau, the Deadliest Catch boat in Ketchikan (where the bathrooms are really clean and they saw lots of eagles!), whale watching in Icy Straight and a wildlife tour of Denali where they spotted caribou, grizzlies and dall sheep. They even enjoyed the hokey Cabin Dinner Theater at their hotel, the McKinley Chalet, where they knew one of the actors in the show! The family also really enjoyed their first cruising experience. They thought the naturalist was terrific, thought the food and kids/teen clubs were quite good and housekeeping even made sure they got up early to see the Hubbard Glacier. Overall the trip was relaxing, enjoyable and educational. They hope someday to return to the Land of the Midnight Sun and look forward to cruising again in the near future.
Travel Tip
Not sure what to pack? Check out the Universal Packing List at http://upl.codeq.info/ to help your family customize your packing needs for any type of trip and for any kind of weather.
Trip Review
The Horn Family (2 adults, 2 college students and a teen age 14) from Philadelphia spent their summer vacation on Prince Edward Island, Canada. 
Since mom is an English college professor, they chose the island as it’s the setting of the book Anne of Green Gables. The family flew into Halifax, Nova Scotia and drove to Charlottetown, a scenic 4 hour drive. Their GPS came in handle for this drive. They stayed in a 3 bedroom cottage at the summer only beachfront resort of Dalvay by the Sea on the east end of Prince Edward National Park. They enjoyed many of the Anne of Green Gables related tourist sites and stayed active using the hotel’s kayaks and bikes. They really liked the beach facilities inside the park and also explored the region on a guided kayak tour. The island, known for its pastoral scenery and lush farmland, was a lot bigger than the family expected although it’s Canada’s smallest province. They finished their trip back in Halifax and stayed at the Marriott Halifax Harbourfront Hotel. They liked being right on the harbor which was nice for walking and sightseeing. They drove down to Peggy’s Cove and Lunenberg which they said was worth the trip. Despite running out of time to see Cape Briton Island, the trip was an overall success and enjoyed by all.
Travel Tip
Security-line times are notoriously unpredictable, but two American airports are making it easier to plan exactly how far in advance to arrive before your flight departs.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (atlanta-airport.com) and Denver International (flydenver.com) airports provide real-time updates on their Web sites, refreshed every 15 to 30 minutes. Hartsfield-Jackson will even send the updates directly to your PDA or cell phone, through its Trak-a-Line program. It’s worth noting that the TSA also publishes security wait times on its Web site (tsa.gov) for 450 commercial domestic airports, but the data is less reliable, as it’s compiled over a four-week period prior to your departure date—and does not reflect actual conditions.
Trip Review
Lauren and Mindy’s father, Ed and Mindy’s 13 year-old son, Max traveled to Israel this summer. 
The main reason for the trip was to attend a friend’s Bar Mitzvah and catch up with many other friends, but the two also had a chance to experience and explore Tel Aviv and Jerusalem together with a lot of military history included. The trip was a wonderful experience for Ed after more than 40 trips to Israel, but a nearly 15 year absence. It was a first trip for Max appropriately so after his Bar Mitzvah late last year. The pair started their trip by relaxing at the Dan Acadia, a beachfront resort in Herzliya just outside Tel Aviv. Many family memories of this resort made this stay very special. From here they ventured to the Palmach Museum for the history of Israel’s underground military movement. Their stay in Tel Aviv was at the Carlton Hotel located beachfront along the pedestrian-friendly promenade. A great place to stroll. A private guide (and friend) took Ed and Max to the Ayalon Institute in Rehovot (a secret ammunitions factory) and to the Yad Lashiryon Museum (Armoured Corps) near Jerusalem which maintains an international display of over 200 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles from around the world. Their final hotel, the King David in Jerusalem, also brought back many memories for Ed and they really enjoyed the Old City view from their spacious room. They hired a taxi driver for the day to visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial, The Western Wall and Mount Herzl and also visited the Dead Sea. They returned to The Wall and met up with another of Ed’s grandsons, Jake, who was traveling with a Birthright trip. Overall the trip was a great success with Max meeting and hanging out with many children his age which he can stay in touch with through Facebook and grandpop catching up with his many Israeli connections and watching his grandson absorb the Israeli culture and history for the first time.
Travel Tip
GoVoluntouring is a new website that connects organizations that need volunteer workers with vacationers who want to offer their time and skills to bridge cultural divides, support endangered species and similar endeavors. GoVoluntouring’s search filters offer detailed options by calculating variables such as age, fitness level and religious affiliation to help your family find the volunteer vacation that best suits your interests and needs. Volunteers can help disabled children with equine therapy, help out in an animal shelter or volunteer in a women’s shelter. For more information, visit www.govoluntouring.com or let The Family Traveler assist in finding a great vacation that also allows you to give back to local communities.
Travel Review
Lauren recently returned from three weeks in Europe where she visited her 15 year-old daughter, Anna in Tallinn, Estonia. Anna is near the end of her fabulous year on the amazing Rotary Youth Exchange. Estonia is a small, but well educated country with a fragmented history. Anna showed Lauren the charming Old Town in Tallinn and the quaint university town of Tartu. Then together they thoroughly enjoyed a 12-night cruise sailing from Istanbul to Barcelona on the Crystal Symphony. The cruise sailed to Kusadasi, Turkey; Athens and Mykonos, Greece and Taormina (Sicily), Sorrento and Rome, Italy. The ship is graceful and somewhat simple in decor, but the service from the staff was over the top. They quickly got spoiled and appreciated the effort of every staff member to make sure this luxury sailing experience was the best possible. The ship is ideal for families as well. Supervised programs for children and teens run during the summer and school breaks. The ship also features a comfortable pool deck, excellent spa and gym, movie theater, great library with DVD rentals and lots of guides books about the places you will visit; art, dance and computer classes; casino, theater with nightly shows; lecture series and beautiful cabins with spacious bathrooms with double sinks and full size tubs. Food service is excellent and the two alternate dining options are included. The highlights of their time in port were a VIP tour of the Coliseum in Rome, visiting the amazing ruins at Ephesus in Turkey on their own and the new Acropolis Museum in Athens where they used a private driver to take them around the city. They also got to see Istanbul through the eyes of two Rotary Youth exchange students which was very special. The low light was getting their backpack stolen in Barcelona. Even the most seasoned traveler can let down her guard for 30 seconds and become another crime statistic. Heed their warning. Unfortunately their camera was in the backpack; therefore no pictures of this very special trip…but they will keep the memories in their hearts forever.
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Travel Tip
We love travel products that help keep your children entertained while traveling and are always happy to promote products that are creative and educational as well. Check out TravelKiddy (www.travelkiddy.com) which offers a unique adventure in a bag for families on the go. A bundle of toys, activities and crafts are carefully selected to challenge and engage your children for extended periods of quiet play. The kits are designed to encourage creativity, develop fine motor skills, spark the imagination and foster learning. Activity kits are age appropriate for toddlers, age 3-5 and age 6-9. The Travelkiddy website also offers other activities, games and toys for a variety of age groups including your tweens as well as adorable suitcases, backpacks and travel accessories.
Trip Review
The Wolf/Tarnoff family from Philadelphia (with two teens ages 16 and 14) traveled to London and Liverpool for spring break. 
Worried about anyone being bored proved to be a passing thought thanks to careful planning beforehand. With their London Pass in hand to avoid long ticket lines, they managed to visit The Royal Mews, Churchill War Rooms, London Tower and Crown Jewels, Globe Theater, a boat ride on the Thames and got a goody bag at the Beatles Store. Mom was surpised how the War Rooms really held the teens’ attention especially with the authentic set-up of the rooms. Audio tours were also appreciated allowing them to tour at their own pace. In the West End they saw Sweeny Todd, a fantastic production that mom loved even more than the original. They also went on theLondon Eye –nice but they thought a bit over rated. They also visited mom’s home during a college year abroad and crossed Abbey Road. Visits to the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum were slightly arduous, but well worth the experiences. This family of Beatles fans thought Liverpool was fantastic. Dad loved hanging out in the Cavern Club, where the Beatles were a featured act in the early 60’s. The Beatles Experience and the Albert Dock were also enjoyed. Their private Beatles taxi tour was informative, friendly and personal. The guide, who managed to tell them things they didn’t know about The Beatles, even let them stop to have their son’s hair cut by the barber on Penny Lane. There was never a cheesy feeling to the tour. They stayed in London at the Crowne Plaza Kensington, where they were upgraded to the club level and the Hard Day’s Night Hotel in Liverpool. A great trip for everyone! Mom happily discovered that when kids are speaking with British accents they don’t complain because they have to sound proper and polite!
