Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Jul 10

Welcome back for the summer holidays - and if you are running out of ways to entertain the kids - then we have some help for you here!

There are always plenty of ideas of kids entertainment.  Some parents prefer to pay for a theme park or other activities like rides and zoos, whereas other tend to take them in a more creative direction with making things, playing close to home, wildlife skills and family time.  So we really get a wide range or articles here - and hopefully you will enjoy those given below in this summer carnival.

Lets start with the best thing a mother or father could have when it comes to traveling with kids: A planner. Here, Bill Tyler helps you decide which type would be best for you with: How to Pick the Right Mom Organizer - obviously they work just as well for dads!

And filling the Summer Holidays with just such a plan is Alejandra Halvorssen with Summer Plans, Again for this school break!

Next a lovely little photojournal of the next step in a regular: where Theodora and her 9 year old bring us: Round Halong Bay by Junk with yet more great photos.

And why not take a leaf out of Phillip Lopez book, and plan to take your kids on one of these 10 Amazing Religious Pilgrimages. Not only will they be away from all the regular holiday-makers, rides and cotton candy - they will be experiencing a different culture and learning the respect of the old ways - they don’t need to be religious to follow a pilgrimage, but it is certainly a great experience for anyone.

Now, we come to the creative things for the kids to pass the time. Lets start with these 2 quickies from Joleen Parker; first up is Festive Flip-Flops « Jobie’s Crafts, then have some fun decorating your Summer Fun Tote « Jobie’s Crafts - just try not to get confused by all the ad’s in the posts……

Then finally - feast your eyes upon Olivia Davis seemingly endless list of things for the kids to do: Kids Summer Activity List: 100 Creative and Cheap Summer Activities For Your Kids. Maybe even getting the kids to spend time talking abut the list in the first place could kill another 3 hours!

Enjoy yourselves as much as the kids!

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 10

Summer is here again - and the sun is shining!

And just about the time of year when you are planning your summer vacations and short weekend trips - and also the time when the kids want to be out in the sunshine but you still have regular chores to do and need to keep them occupied!

So first off we have a short one for the journey to start the trip on the right foot, so Host Bee helps us with her Tip Tuesday - Easy Travel with Kids on Board!. Phew, step 1 complete!

And to add to this - for journeys, airports, bus stations or just while you just need some rest yourself try Wendy’s inspirational ideas for Summer Worksheets. Add to this with this short article - with ideas that could keep the kids quiet for hours - Rachel gives us her idea for a Fun Activity Box.

Mike Vogt steps in next with his twist on 10 Great Mission Trip Ideas, for an adventure that is totally different to anything else you might have planned.

Next up we have 2 stories about holiday adventures already in the making: First up is this little one from Michele Hays: Sundays with Sparky - Sparky’s excellent Strawberry Adventure, followed by Roger Elmore’s ideas for the 10 Best Amusement Park Resorts from his experiences.

And finally, a very helpful article from Sandrine Berges about her journeys with a special little person and how to overcome any difficulties with some forward planning with her experiences of How to get an autistic child onto a plane and out again..

So, I hope you can all use these stories and tips to make you vacation even better - and to make sure that you enjoy your trip as much as the kids!

Send me the photos!

posted by Travel Cat on May 26

It is really easy these days to get information on any type of travel - so why not try something completely different! 

Imagine being in the absolute middle of nowhere - places that noone else you know has ever seen. places that aren’t even on your friend’s list of places to see this year - or in the next 10 years - like shark-watching 10,000 miles east of Australia, or watching a hit movie just miles from the Antarctic?

You want this?  If so - you need to get yourself on a cargo ship.  You can find them heading out around the world every day of the year from almost every big port in the world!

Now I know that doesn’t sound appealing to everyone - but the things you see will certainly be ‘once in a lifetime’.  Imagine the adventure of being 3 months at sea! Or sailing through the Panama Canal - and out past remote uninhabited Pacific Islands.

The Ultimate Vacation?
It could really be a vaction like nothing you have ever done before - or are likely to do again!

Of course it doesn’t have to be that long a time away, and you can choose some routes that are a lot closer to land and stop of at some pretty nice looking destinations along the way.   And you don’t need to stay onboard for the entire journey - you can hop off at any port along the way and just see where life takes you.

Those less adventurous might want to know exactly where they are going in advance - but that’s OK too - as the ship’s cargo has to go from A to B - that’s the whole point of them crossing the oceans in the first place - so you can guarantee a definite stopping point at the end - whereas you can’t always guarantee a stopping point in the middle!

Maybe you would prefer a trip from the UK to Australia like in the pioneering days of exploration - thankfully there is luxury these days, and it only takes around 84 days rather than the 6 months it probably took the average passenger a few hundred years ago!

Or maybe the 2 month trip from South America to the Far East, the 35 day trip from the US to the Mediterranean, or even the 7 day voyage around the British Isles checking up on all the lighthouses!

The Result:
Well, rather than telling your travel stories like everyone else - ‘when I was in Mexico…..’ or ‘when my family went to Hawaii’ - you can start your story with how many continents you cruised past, or how many miles you traveled in 1 day!

It will certainly be like nothing you have ever experienced before.  The people you will meet, the countries you will encounter - and the extreme weather you could get to witness first hand!  Imagine writing a travel journal of your voyage - just like Darwin did!

It might be worth trying out a few shorter boat journeys before you settle for something long-haul - as if you get seasick, this might not be the vacation for you!

Of course, check that your travel insurance covers your whole journey, and your passport is valid for the whole time you are away - and your vaccinations are current for all countries you might stop off at on the way.  Bad weather or maintenance could land you at any time in any country - so be prepared!

If you are still interested, then visit GeoCities Freighter for other peoples experiences on Cargo Ships and read their tips before booking your own once-in-a-lifetime ‘mega-cruise’. 

posted by Travel Cat on May 10

Wow - the sunshine has been fantastic this month, and the talk of the big summer vacation is increasing!

But what has everyone already been up to?  Rather than waiting until July and August, many of you are just heading out there anytime and enjoying yourselves.  So let’s hear about some of them so far…..

Jennifer Miner starts of this bunch of articles with her great little story about a family trip to one of the most child friendly spots in Florida.  Take a look at the article and photo’s right here: Universal Studios Orlando Animal Actors on Location Show.

Dee Andrews then comes along with her little story of technology!  When travelling to some of the more remote places in the world - you have to remember that you can’t have all the modern trapping at your finger tips - and what you might have to do to get it there!  So do enjoy My Travails in Gaucin as a warning for your own travels!

This third article is only short - but what a great game!  I’ve never heard of this, but it certainly sound like something that would pass the time - so join Tom Ranieri to read about The Ultimate Travel Game.

One more about a glad-it’s-over car journey from Laurie Thornton with her Tips for Happy Car Trips at And A Mommy In A Pear Tree. She makes it cound so easy!

And finally Sarah Travaglio finds out what it’s like on the other side of the fence once she started traveling with her young son on a plane!  She was one side and now she is the other: Traveling with Kids « Miss Capa Tosta.

Let me know your plans for the next few weeks - and maybe even feature your own articles right here!

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posted by Travel Cat on Jan 1

Due to some great solar activity at the moment - the Aurora Borealis should put on a great show for your January holidays!

Anywhere in the North could have the chance of seeing these eerie green or red wavy Northern Lights filling the night sky, although popular sites in Iceland, Canada, Norway and Russia tend to publicise their displays more.

They occur throughout the year, but you cannot really see them when the sun is in the sky, so winter is the best time - and some of the winter scenes are the best for photography.  However, anytime up until March should still offer you a glimpse of these mysterious celestial light shows!

They can occur in short bursts several times throughout the night, or can last for several hours depending on a host of other factors - with viewings around midnight resulting in the best shows!

What Are They?
As with most things awe inspiring, they have quite a boring origin.  The lights are created by particles in the ionosphere that become ‘excited’ by solar energy in close proximity to the Earth magnetic fields.

The same phenomenon occurs in the southern hemisphere - creating the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights - and there have also been auroras on other planets!  However, a vacation for this January sort of rules that last one out!

Anyway - it doesn’t matter how they get there - you just need to see them for yourself, they truly are amazing.  Just search online for some images of them then imagine how much better it would be to be standing under then yourself!

Where To Stay?
Taber Holidays in Scandinavia offer trips into the Arctic Circle to see the northern lights.  They offer more than 10 different January holidays to see the displays including boat trips that also visit whales, icebergs and even include dog-sledding!

Or look at the trips to Iceland and Lapland that Discover the World offer this winter.  They offer a choice of 3 day trips to a variety of lodges and hotels.  Simply choose your destination for a virtually guaranteed light show!

Or visit with a little niche company in Canada: Alta-Can Aurora Tours.  They offer inside viewing of the northern lights for your comfort with professional photographers, toilets and hot drinks - as well as a whole host of additional experiences you can become involved with during the daylight hours.

This is obviously only a taster of what you can experience - so get looking at the pictures, then think about visiting the arctic circle yourself - but wrap up warm!