Top Winter Vacation Destinations for the Family

Here are the top winter vacation destinations for your Family trip. Hopefully you would enjoy choosing any of these as your destination.

Winter can be seen as synonymous to cold, unforgiving weather, but it can also be seen as a great time to go to the mountains for breath-taking scenery and fun activities that the entire family can enjoy. The beauty of winter lies in what you choose to do during this time, so it’s a good thing there a lot of winter destinations that you can take your family to. Here are some of the best in the world:

1. Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia

A beautiful scene of Whistler Blackcomb

Offering 3,200 hectares of jaw-dropping scenery and terrain, these mountains in British Columbia is one of the winter destinations you should not miss. Ski lessons cater to all levels and all ages, but kids get a special Whistler Kids Snow School. Other attractions include the Coca-ColaTube Park, ice skating at the Olympic Plaza, zip trekking and snowcat tours.

2. Jungfrau, Switzerland

You can pay a visit to the highest railway station in Europe, for scenes that are guaranteed to take your breath away. After all, not many people can say they’ve been to the “top of Europe,” so this is a once-in-a-lifetime destination your family will surely enjoy. The Jungfrau ski region has a number of options for you to choose from – whether you’re looking for a skiing or sledging adventure. As a bonus, children ski free on Saturdays! The Snowli Kinderclub Bondmi is also the perfect wonderland for kids who are 3 years and above. I think in the list of top winter vacation destinations for the family, this one would be the most beautiful and attractive point. Many of us will desire to see the amazing beauty of Switzerland, especially in winter.

3. Lake Tahoe, California

Lake Tahoe has always been a favourite family destination, but even more so during winter when it transforms into a wonderland of adventures for all members of the family. Northstar at Tahoe gives thrill-seekers picturesque and adrenaline-filled ski slopes, while the kids can learn the basics at Kids School and have fun at the 2 adventure parks specially designed for kids. Other activities the whole family can enjoy include tubing, bungee trampoline, ice skating and pottery painting.

4. Aspen, Colorado

Up in the Rocky Mountains is Aspen Snowmass, which could be the perfect venue for your next family getaway. The Treehouse Kids’ Adventure Centre combines ski school programs with fun childcare facilities, making sure that you get everything you need in one go. While the adults are conquering the slopes, the kids can have the time of their lives as well.

5. Tremblant, Quebec

Nestled in the beautiful Laurentian Mountains is the Mount Tremblant Ski Resort, where family members of all ages can enjoy with spa treatments, dogsledding, tubing, Scandinavian baths and tours of the Quebecois villages. For skiers and snowboarders who want to go extreme, you can go down the slopes and feel a speed like no other and the rush of the mountain breeze. Just make sure that you get winter sports travel insurance beforehand.

For any of these winter destinations, getting winter sports travel insurance is important because it allows you to enjoy your winter adventure without having to worry about the unexpected. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

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I’m Julia and I’m very fond of travelling as well as photography. I`m very active and talkative girl who adores making new friends around the globe. Being also a travel writer at Globelink Travel Insurance, I’m trying to describe the most incredible travelling experiences in my stories.

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Family Fun and Adventure Activities in America

I don't know about you but I like nothing better than getting myself and my family outdoors and no matter what the time of year, there's nothing that beats spending time together having fun and keeping active in America.

As they say 'sharing is caring' so I thought I'd let you in on just a few of my family's favourite things to do when we're out and about so read on below and let's all hope that the weather cheers up soon.

Watersports

There are many beautiful lakes and rivers in North America, with a host of activities perfect for families. Our favourites are rafting or canoeing through the stunning mountain scenery on Lake Louise, sea kayaking past glaciers in the Alaskan wilderness, beating the heat by river tubing down the Virgin River in Zion, and surfing the coastline of Central America. A day on the water is sure to tire out the whole family!

Wildlife spotting

There are lots of fantastic parks and wilderness areas that are perfect for spotting wildlife. You can see wolves, caribou, marmots and grizzly bears in North America, while down south in Central America there are monkeys, toucans and sloths. Our favourite parks are Monteverde in Costa Rica, where the canopy of trees is a haven for hummingbirds and butterflies; and Yellowstone, which covers a huge area full of wildlife, thermal features and dramatic mountains. Wherever you go, the animal kingdom will always be a draw for the kids.

Camping

With endless wilderness and national parks, there are plenty of opportunities to pack up the car and head out into open space. Camping really gets you back to nature and sitting around a campfire, toasting marshmallows under the stars, is a family favourite. Our favourite trip is in Arizona, where you can explore Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon, as well as explore the Navajo Indian’s Monument Valley.

Horse riding

From cowboys to ranchers, America has a long history of life in the saddle. Although the era of the wild west has long gone, there are lots of opportunities to join in modern day cattle runs. Joining seasoned wranglers you can learn all about the environment and challenges of ranch life, as well as take you part in the team round-up. Our favourite spot for grand American adventures is in Arizona, where the family can ride through the amazing desert and mountain scenery before heading back for a hot-tub soak at the ranch.

Wild swimming

Wild Swimming

There is nothing so liberating and refreshing after a day hiking or horse-riding, as a quick dip in a swimming hole. Creeks, rivers, lakes and waterfalls are plentiful across North and Central America, and with the record summer temperatures, it doesn’t take much to convince the whole family to take the plunge! Some of our favourite places are Havaso Falls in Arizona – an amazing cascading blue waterfall, Sliding Rock in North Carolina – a 60-foot long natural rock slide that ends in a 7ft deep swimming hole, and Firehole River in Yellowstone, Wyoming. The churning rapids empty into a deep hole, with lots of kid-friendly shallow sections.

Hiking

Going for a walk may not sound exciting to the children, but get them out there and they will soon find out that there is more to hiking than meets the eye. A trek at sunset in the Great Dunes National Park, Colorado, offers the exciting opportunity to roll and slide back down 700 feet of sand, while the Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, offers a quarter-mile round trip through amazing cave scenery. Walking through the Rainbow Dome and Crystal Lake will fire up the creativity in any youngster.

Theme parks

Nature is wonderful, but we would be lying if we said that families could only have fun outdoors. There are some incredible theme parks across America - Universal Studios, Disney, Sealife… you name it. Most of the parks have been tailored to cater for families, with plenty of fun for the kids, but there is also lots to entertain the parents too (that is of course if you are not queuing for the rides with the kids!!).

Ruth Chapman loves taking the family out on adventures and her favourite thing to do at weekends is camp with the kids. Next year they plan to make camping the focus of the holiday and do a road trip through the Arizona parks.

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Easy Tips for Going to Airport

For the past several years, airports have seen a great deal of airline and security alterations. People who don’t like to follow rules also didn't like new rules and policies they met at airports. However, improvements in security and betterment in the processes is definitely something to be appreciated. Knowing the given easy tips for going to airport would help you making your visit successful and smooth without facing any hassles.

Tip 1: Be prepared for take-off. Before you arrive at the airport, print your confirmation codes and check-in online. This will reduce the time you are to spend at the airline desks or kiosks. Search airport parking for being sure that you know the spot where you will be parking and how long it will take you to get to the terminal from your car. Some airports offer reserved parking for travelers during the busy travel seasons as well.

Tip 2: Keep calm and carry-on.  Do your best to pack light. If you are taking a short trip and are able to meet TSA guidelines – do it. Not only will you save on the luggage fee that most airlines charge, you eliminate the chance of your luggage missing your plane. Lost luggage can be a big pain and it can take days before your luggage is found.

Tip 3: Don’t dress to impress. High-heels, fancy accessories, jewelry, and decorative belts are not the appropriate attire for an airplane adventure. Many stores offer travel-ready suits that are light weight and won’t wrinkle for business travelers. Wear comfortable shoes that allow you to walk comfortably and can easily slip on and off. Cut down on frills and you will be less likely to lose something in the security check and moving through the check faster.

Tip 4: Remember 3-1-1. Before you pack your luggage bag, take out a 1 quart plastic bag and remember the 3-1-1 rule. Any liquid that you bring on board must be in a 3.4 ounce or less bottle. All liquids that you have must fit in a 1 quart transparent and sealable plastic bag.  Each passenger can only take 1 bag filled with liquid. So remember, 1 person, 1 bag, 3.4 ounces. Have this bag handy so that you won’t have to dig through your luggage in line. Check the TSA regulations before arriving at the airport so that you can declare any special liquids (baby formula, medications, etc.). 

Tip 5:  Get ready for a snack attack. Airports offer a variety of meal and snack options for hungry travelers. Unfortunately, these options are often expensive and pricey. Cut down on calories and cost by packing light snacks.  We recommend carrot sticks, granola bars, and fruit leather. These snacks will give you the jolt you need to make it through the day without weighing you down.

The next time you’re preparing to visit the runway, keep these tips on the top of your to-do list.

This guest post was written by Freedom Travel, specializing in military trips and travel financing for military members. Freedom Travel takes pride in offering a wide variety of travel and militaryairfare options.

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Inexpensive Ways to See America Coast to Coast

American is one of the most amazing and beautiful countries in the world. The song “America the Beautiful” could not be more accurate. It truly has purple mountains of majesties, amber waves of grain and of course spacious skies that have some of the most beautiful sunsets you will ever see. If you live in America you have probably dreamed about going on a long road trip and seeing all the sites and national parks.  If you don’t live in the states then you have probably thought about visiting the great country sometime during your life. However, as we all know too well that regardless where you live traveling can be very expensive. This puts a damper on all our dreams of seeing this great country and other sites. Do not fear though there are plenty of tricks to travel cheap and still have the time of your life. 

Trains

That’s right! You can travel America like the good ole days! There are many train vacations that will take you where you want to go. You don’t have to worry about gas, traffic, accidents and get great scenery the entire time. Most trains are pretty well equipped nowadays with Wi-Fi and other fun things to make your trip more enjoyable. This is a great idea if you want to go coast to coast and have all the time in the world.

Travel Deals

You can’t watch television for five minutes without seeing or hearing a commercial for some kind of travel site. There is a reason for it though and it’s because they work! You can get some amazing deals on hotels or airfare with some of these sites. Some even offer week long trips with airfare for some amazing prices. The only downfall to it is that they have very specific dates and sometimes won’t work with your schedule.

Road Trip

Just like the good ole days with Mom and Dad you can load you and your family into a car and set off for the wide open road. In most cases it is still cheaper to drive places than flying everywhere. Surely, sometimes you feel trapped like a rat, and feel like you are never going to get there but if planned well you can have the time of your life. Make sure that you stop at plenty of site seeing places to break up the day and have some fun. Even if they are dinky little tourist traps you can still have fun with them and make some pretty unforgettable moments.

Guided Tours

There are plenty of groups out there that offer guided tours of just about anything and everything. Most of the time they are pretty affordable and you get to learn about all the historical markers and events that happened in some areas. If you are a big history buff then this would the perfect trip for you! If you are serious into looking at one of these you might want to make sure you do your research on the tour guide and maybe meet them first so you’ll know if you will like them or not.

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Les Miserables - An Interesting London Tourist Activity

Every night the crowds gather outside the Queen’s Theatre on Shaftesbury Theatre, London to see the Boubil and Schonberg musical Les Miserables Above them the famous waif stares along the Avenue in the direction of the much larger Palace Theatre where Les Miserables opened on the West End in 1985. 

The move to the smaller Queen’s Theatre in 2004 surely couldn’t have anticipated the huge demand that the recent smash hit movie of the show has created for tickets for the original stage version.

So each night the Queen’s Theatre becomes a hub of activity as audiences, who have planned ahead and already got their tickets, jostle with locals and tourists alike who arrive in the hope of getting some last minute tickets.

It is long time ago since I first saw the show. Originally it was much longer – an attempt to do due homage to the massive scale on which Victor Hugo originally wrote. But even though the show was re-written, once when it moved from the Barbican to the Palace Theatre and then again when it moved to the Queen’s Theatre, it still paints an impressive backdrop on which the intimate stories of the entwined lives of Jean Valjean, Javert, Fantine, Éponine, Marius and Cosette are told.

The huge boost in demand for tickets cannot have gone unnoticed by the show’s writers whose second West End production, Miss Saigon, is due to return to London after an absence of almost 14 years... it makes one wonder whether a two film deal was done and that the return of Miss Saigon just round the corner at the Prince Edward Theatre in Spring 2014 is timed to coincide with an announcement for the silver screen!

But however you see these two superb shows – in a cinema or on a theatre break to London – you can be sure that, like the crowds on Shaftesbury Avenue, you will be in for an experience that you will remember for a long, long time.

Author Simon Harding has been helping visitors to London enjoy  London Theatre for over 30 years!

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