Purchasing a Family Vacation Vehicle

August 29, 2007

In light of my recent vehicle catastrophes, I thought it might be relevant to discuss purchasing a vehicle for family travel.

The vehicle we had to replace isn’t actually the one we use for family travel.  This car is actually my husband’s work vehicle.  My primary vehicle is a Yukon and this is also the one we use when going on our family vacations.

When selecting the Yukon, my husband and I had travel at the forefront of our thoughts.  Initially, we wanted to get a Yukon XL because it has more storage space in back.  The only reason we wanted this feature, however, was because of vacations.  After much discussion, my husband and I decided that this would actually be cumbersome for day-to-day driving and we would just get a cargo carrier if we needed more space.

When shopping for a family vehicle that would also serve as our family vacation vehicle, we had many things that we kept in mind.  These include:

  • Comfort
  • Durability/ease of cleaning
  • Having a DVD system installed
  • Safety
  • Good for vacations and for day-to-day living
  • Able to meet all of our vacation needs, including towing

We actually had a mini-van before purchasing the Yukon.  I am not really a fan of mini-vans because I don’t really care for the way they look.  But, it worked out well when the twins were young.  Now that they are five, we decided I could go back to having an SUV without much trouble.  This is great because we like to ride ATVs and we have a trailer to tow them.  So, we can now easily take them on vacation with us if we like.  In the future, we might get a boat as well.  Having towing capabilities will be handy for this too.

 For me, having the DVD system was a must.  In the minivan, I had purchased an add on system but didn’t much care for it.  With the Yukon, the system is built in.  I much prefer this system because it is higher quality and the kids get good sound from the car speakers.

 Regardless of what you are in the market for, be sure to do your homework to make sure you get a great deal.  We prefer purchasing slightly used vehicles because you don’t have to pay the new car sticker price but you can still get a car that is in great shape.  Check out the Kelly Blue Book value beforehand to make sure you aren’t overpaying and look at many dealers to make sure you get exactly what you want.

By admin | Posted in General Family Travel Tips, a, and, care, deal   we, discuss, family, great, higher, kids, mini vans, my, prefer, primary, purchasing, purchasing slightly, quality, selecting, serve, the, vacation, vacations when, vehicle, vehicle  , work, yukon, yukon   | Comments (0)

Making Your Stay at the Kalahari Educational

August 10, 2007

I spent a good deal of time telling you about some of the attractions you will encounter when you visit Wisconsin Dells, but I have yet to tell you about ways to make this trip more educational.

Some of the sites are inherently educational, such as the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory.  Other sites may not seem so obvious when it comes to education – and, even those that are obvious, can be expanded upon further.

Let’s start with the Kalahari Resort.  That’s right, even a resort can present many different educational experiences.

You can kick off the educational aspect of staying in a resort by doing a little math.  For example, you can tell your child how much it costs each night to stay at the Kalahari and ask him or her to determine what the final bill will be.  Don’t forget to add sales tax.  In addition, if you are charging expenses to your room, let your little accountant keep track.  Not only will this help hone math skills, it will also make your child feel like he or she is performing an important duty for the family.

The Kalahari also has an indoor and an outdoor waterpark. The water aspect opens up a whole bunch of different educational opportunities.  When you get back in the hotel room, for example, you can give your child a lump of clay and challenge him or her to find a way to make it float in the bathtub.  Your child will have a great time forming the clay into different shapes and trying to make it float in the water.  Next, challenge your child to put pennies on the clay and see how many pennies can be placed there before the clay sinks.  If you want to make it even more fun, tell your child that he or she can keep all of the pennies that the clay can hold before sinking.

Since there is an outdoor waterpark as well as an indoor waterpark, you can discuss the differences in temperature in the water.  When we were there, the water of the outdoor waterpark was quite cold since it is no in a climate controlled atmosphere.  This can lead to further discussions about oceans and the effects of outside temperature on the water temperature.

With an elephant being the symbol of the Kalahari, you might also explore learning more about elephants.  What does an elephant have to do with the word “Kalahari” anyway?  Try to learn more about the Kalahari desert and the creatures that inhabit it before going to the Dells.  That way, your child will have a much greater appreciation of the decorations at the resort.

More info: Massage degree

By admin | Posted in Educational Family Travel, a, an, and, aspect, atmosphere  , child, clay, climate, cold, controlled, elephant, forming, great, hone, indoor, math, no in, opens, outdoor, pennies, sinks  , skills, temperature, temperature  with, the, the water, the water  , time, track  , water, waterpark | Comments (0)

Last Minute Summer Fun

August 9, 2007

For many of you, the school year is quickly approaching.  I know that, for me, I have to return to work on Monday and my students return on Wednesday.  EEK!  Where has the summer gone?!

With so little time left before your kids are back in school, it is time to consider some last minute family vacation ideas.

Obviously, you aren’t going to plan some great getaway over the next couple of days and whisk your family off on a week long vacation.  Nonetheless, you can still have some fun before those last few days of summer vacation pass you by.

One great place to go is to a nearby zoo.  Zoos offer fun for kids of all ages.  From my experience, even teenagers can have fun at a zoo.  And, it gets the whole family out for the day while the weather is still great.

More than likely, there are some great museums within an hour or two drive from where you live.  Children’s museums are a great choice as they generally offer displays that are appropriate for infants all the way up to adults.  In addition, the displays are often changing, so it can be a new experience every year.

Having a great family vacation doesn’t even have to involve going somewhere.  You can plan a great day of fun in your own backyard and, if you want to give it more of a “vacation” feel, you might want to pitch a tent and let the kids stay outside.  Roast marshmallows, sing songs, play games and just enjoy each other’s company.  After all, isn’t family togetherness the best part of having a family vacation?

If you don’t have a swimming pool or know anyone that does, you might even want to consider renting a hotel room in a nearby city for the night.  Enjoy an evening of swimming and fun as you spend the day somewhere away from the same ‘ole, same ‘ole of home!

By admin | Posted in General Family Travel Tips, a, and, approaching  , days, eek  , family, getaway, great, ideas obviously, long, minute, monday, my, plan, quickly, return, students, vacation, vacation  , wednesday  , week, whisk, work | Comments (0)

Family Travel Roadtrip Tips – Make the Trip Part of the Family Vacation

August 4, 2007

I have done a great deal of talking about some of the wonderful places I have visited with my family, so I think it is about time I offer a few family travel tips for when on the road.

For me, the actal trip to the destination can be just as much fun as the destination itself.  In order to make the trip a pleasant part of your family vacation, you have to establish a certain mindset.

First of all, don’t try to push your way through as quickly as possible.  This only results in cranky children and irritated adults when the trip schedule is inevitably thrown of track.

I used to call my husband the “Pee Nazi” because stopping for a restroom break was such an ordeal.  “But, baby, I am making such good time” he would say.

Finally, he realized that going into the roadtrip with the understanding that we would have to stop along the way just made it easier on everyone.  Now, when we go on a family vacation, we even keep an eye out for fun stops along the way.  Stopping every few hours to take a restroom break, to grab a snack, or to see a interesting site has made the roadtrip aspect of our family vacations a great part of the trip rather than a hassle.

By admin | Posted in General Family Travel Tips, a, actal, deal, destination, family, fun, great, itself  , my, offer, places, talking, the, time, tips, travel, trip, visited, wonderful | Comments (0)

Wisconsin Dells – Devil’s Lake State Park Photo Gallery

July 31, 2007

Here are some photos of some of the great sites you can enjoy at Devil’s Lake State Park.  Here is a photo of the lake.  Check out the sailboat in the background!  This is where we first stopped off after entering through the gate.

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We then drove around a bit aimlessly until we ended up outside of the park.  We looped around and decided to go through the other entrance.  Here, we found a designated beach area with a rather large parking lot.  We were confused about where the trailheads we wanted were located, so we just got out and walked around.  It didn’t take long before we found the trailhead to the Devil’s Gate and some other sites.   Here is a large boulder we found along the way that the boys climbed up.

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And here are the boys exploring a rock formation that formed a bit of a cave.

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Along the way, you will get some great views of the hills.  Check out the rocks in the background.  Those are the “stairs” you will climb along the way. 

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You will also get some great views of the lake.

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Here is my husband and my two oldest boys walking down to the Devil’s Gate rock formation.  The twins are going down there too, but you can’t see them in the photo.

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Here is Kieran triumphantly standing in front of Devil’s gate.  Check out the cool view of the hills and the lake below.

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By admin | Posted in Great Cities for Family Vacations, State Parks to Visit During Family Travel, devil, enjoy, great, photos, sites, the | Comments (0)

Wisconsin Dells Photo Gallery – Tommy Bartlett

July 29, 2007

This is  robot located outside of the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory.  Look out for it, as the kiosk with the great package deals is located right next to it.

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Here is one of the exhibits inside the Exploratory.  This is an example of an exhibit that plays tricks on the mind - with the help of some carefully placed mirrors, my husband looks like he as no body!

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When you visit the Tommy Bartlett Show, you will walk up a path to where the seating area is located.  There are a couple of photo opps along the way, including this one…

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 And this one…

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Believe it or not, a nine year old boy is inside this giant contraption (on the left).  As the boy and the man on the right side walk through the loops, the entire contraption rotates.  Later, the man performs some pretty amazing feats on this one!

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This lady did some pretty amazing things up there!  This is just one example.

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This lady was quite amazing too!

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By admin | Posted in Great Cities for Family Vacations, Performances for the Family, bartlett, deals, exploratory  , great, is , it   here, kiosk, located, package, robot, the, tommy | Comment (1)

The Hidden Joys of Travel Blogging

July 18, 2007

One of the great hidden joys of blogging about travel is the friends that you can uncover.

Today, I received an email from a fellow travel blogger who said he happened to “stumble” across my blog.  To hear from my readers and to learn that they are getting something valuable from my blog is certainly satisfying.

My new friend also offers helpful information for travelin parents.  His latest entry attempts to dismiss some of the most common myths that parents harbor regarding travel, such as safety fears and concerns about taking a child out of school.  Check his blog out at Go Budget Travel.

By admin | Posted in General Family Travel Tips, blogging, friends, great, hidden, joys, places, the, travel, uncover, world   today | Comments (0)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Photo Gallery 3

July 13, 2007

Here are a few of the natural sites you will get to enjoy while at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Here is one of Cades Cove.

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Cades Cove is found in Townsend, Tennessee.  Just outside of Townsend is an access point to the Foothills Parkway.  Here is one of the views you can see along the way.

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You can also check out Tuckaleechee Caverns while in Townsend.  Here, you can enjoy a number of different cavern formations.  Taking pictures in the cavern without special equipment is pretty tough, but I kind of like the way this photo of a waterfall inside the caverns came out.

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By admin | Posted in National Parks to Visit with Kids, a, enjoy, great, mountains, national, natural, park  , sites, smoky, the | Comment (1)

Great Smoky Mountains Photo Gallery – Ripley’s Aquarium (Gatlinburg)

July 11, 2007

Since I have been doing all of this talking about some of the places I visited in the Great Smoky Mountains, I thought I should start sharing some photos of the sites I have been discussing.  I’ll start off with the Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg.

Here is one of my son (age 7 at the time) inside of the “aquarium” exhibit.  This one never fails to put a smile on my face:

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By admin | Posted in Museums for Family Vacations, National Parks to Visit with Kids, great, mountains, photos, places, sharing, sites, smoky, start, talking, the, thought, visited | Comments (0)

Great Smoky Mountains – Educational Ideas Part 6

July 7, 2007

After a visit to the Smoky Mountains, your child should have a great appreciation for nature.  That makes this the perfect time to discuss what you can do as a family in order to help protect nature. 

If you haven’t done so already, use this as an opportunity to discuss the importance of recycling.  Talk about deforestation and how animals are going extinct as their habitats are destroyed in order to make new goods that could have been made with recycled goods.  Ask your child to come up with a plan for the family for improving your recycling habits.  Not only does this help get your child thinking in a more worldly manner, it also gives him or her some ownership into the project.  By giving your child ownership, he or she will be more likely to follow through with the plan.

You can extend this concept further by asking your child to develop a plan that could be used by your entire neighborhood or community.  Who knows, you might be able to start an initiative that will get a whole group of people working toward better protecting the environment!

By admin | Posted in Educational Family Travel, National Parks to Visit with Kids, a, and, animals, appreciation, child, deforestation, destroyed  , discuss, extinct, great, habitats, importance, nature  , nature   if, order, perfect, protect, recycling  , talk, the, time | Comments (0)