My | Fun and Educational Family Travel Tips

Having Fun in Yellowstone

February 27, 2008

As many of you know, I am planning a trip to Yellowstone for this summer. It is going to be a really long road trip for my family, but we plan on breaking it up and stopping at some other sites along the way. We are traveling from Indiana, so we decided to stop along the way at the Dakotas so we can see Mt. Rushmore and Badlands National Park. We are also going to be stopping at Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, and Devil’s Tower. From there, we will head to Yellowstone and we are planning a visit to the Grand Tetons and to Glacier National Park.

Well, life is interesting sometimes, as I was just contacted today by a man named Allan Wright. Allan told me about his company, which is named Zephyr Adventures and, interestingly enough, will be providing adventure-based family trips to Yellowstone and to Glacier this year. I can’t personally say much about the service, but Allan tells me that they have been in business for 11 years and I think it is worth checking out what they have to offer. If I see Allan while in the area, I will be sure to tell you all about him and his tours!

By admin | Posted in National Parks to Visit with Kids, a, and, breaking, family, long, my, plan, planning, road, sites, stopping, summer , the, trip, way , yellowstone | Comments (0)

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)

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)

Check Out My Article and Book

August 8, 2007

I thought my faithul readers might be interested in checking out this travel article that I wrote for another site. It is about my return trip after our family vacation to Disney – and how even the worse situations can turn out to be “hidden gems.”

I will discuss this trip in more detail later (complete with pictures!), but here is a little teaser for now – click here!

While we are on the subject of me bragging, take a look at this book I wrote for Remedia Publications. This is series of short stories that follow Jenna and her family through various national parks as she solves mysteries. Obviously, I put my travel experiences to work for inspiration on this one! If you want to see my name as author, you will have to get a copy. Or, you can visit this site where they have the book for sale and have listed me as the author. I also did several of the stories and questions for this product.

Although I do a great deal of writing for a variety of purposes, my favorite projects are educational materials and blogs such as this one since these materials help me teach someone in some way. Hopefully, there are plenty of you out there that are learning something with this blog because of the experiences I have to share.

Do any of you write? If so, what do you like to write about?

By admin | Posted in General Family Travel Tips, Getting to Know Me, article, checking, complete, faithul, gems, hidden, interested, my, readers, return, site , situations, the, thought, travel, trip, turn, worse, wrote | Comments (0)

Family Travel Roadtrip Tips – Be Prepared

August 6, 2007

One family travel tip that I learned rather early on was to always be prepared for the worse!

It seems like every time we go on a family vacation, at least one of our family members becomes ill. I have been the one to all victim, as has each of my kids.

My oldest, Jacob, seems to be the one that gets sick the mose often when we go on family vacations. He has a tendency to throw up at least once during the trip. Of course, he is not the only one that has ended up puking in the car.

When you are speeding down a highway, there really is no way to quickly pull over to the side so your child can throw up outside of the vehicle. Unfortunately for us, the only thing we had available the first time he threw up was a paper bag – it seemed like a great idea until the vomit seeped through just seconds after hitting the bag.

Therefore, I recommend always bring a plastic bag with you. A Ziploc bag is the best, since you can lock it shut and seal out the smell until you can find a place to stop.

Speaking of Ziploc bags, my twins were having a problem with diarrhea when we went to Disney World. Those bags were a life saver when it came to changing out underwear since we had to tote the soiled underwear around with us throughout the park (I will admit, a couple pair just ended up in the trash).

I know, the topic is disgusting, but kids have a way of puking and pooping at the worse of times! Being prepared will make it much less of a disaster when it occurs.

By admin | Posted in General Family Travel Tips, car when, early, family, kids my, learned, members, mose, my, oldest, prepared, puking, sick, the, throw, tip, travel, trip , victim, worse it | 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 Magic Show

August 3, 2007

The site that my family seemed to enjoy the most on our trip to Wisconsin Dells was the Rick Wilcox Magic show.

Now, I will warn you, this was the single most expensive attraction that we visited while at Wisconsin Dells. Part of the reason for the added expense, however, was that we purchased center row tickets for all six of us. The theater is pretty small, so I would imagine that sitting in a sit seat would offer just as good of a view and it wouldn’t be necessary to sit in the center of the theater.

We weren’t sure what to expect with this show. Seeing as we were in Wisconsin Dells, we were a little afraid of it being CHEESIE (bad pun intended). But, the show was actually quite entertaining and all of the children absolutely loved. It was definitely an expense that was well worth it.

Depending on the time of year that you visit the Dells, you will only have one or two chances each day to see the show. Also, I would recommend purchasing your tickets ahead of time. The theater was nearly full when we visited and we went in early June before the Dells are really in full swing.

In my opinion, this show is a must see!

By admin | Posted in Performances for the Family, dells, enjoy, family, my, the, trip, wisconsin | Comment (1)

Family Travel Isn’t Always A Joy

August 1, 2007

One of my fellow bloggers by the name of Joe (check out his site at www.fatheredfive.com) sent this cute little story my way. Check it out before reading any further.

While I certainly agree with the author that a vacation with the children is not a particularly relaxing experience, I have still have vacations with my family that I would consider to be first class. Would could possibly be better than bonding with your children and spending time with the ones you love?

Personally, I would never compare having my children with me on vacation as being as bad as losing my luggage, experiencing car trouble, or getting a speeding ticket. Are there times when I want to spend time alone with my husband? Certainly! But, I wouldn’t trade those vacation moments with my children for anything in the world.

What are your thoughts on children and vacations?

Shannon

By admin | Posted in General Family Travel Tips, bloggers, check, cute, fellow, joe, my, the, www fatheredfive com | Comment (1)

Wisconsin Dells and Devil’s Lake State Park

July 30, 2007

For me and my family, no vacation is complete without including some sort of nature aspect to it. While the trip on the ducks and on the speedboats had a certain amount of nature to it, it is not quite the same as getting out there and hiking. So, we decided to add a trip to Devil’s Lake State Park to our trip.

Getting around the state park was a little bit confusing, as there are a couple of different entrances to the park and they are a bit spread apart from one another. Not only that, I hadn’t really planned this leg of the trip too thoroughly because there wasn’t too much info on the Net.

At any rate, we decided to just drive around the park and see what would strike our fancy. There were quite a few visitors to the park and you have to pay for parking ($5), so be sure to bring some cash. There are two lines for entering the park. One line was supposed to be for people that already have passes, but we noticed that quite a few people were purchasing their passes from that line too (which was moving much faster than our line, I might add).

The lake is absolutely beautiful. The water is quite blue and the lake is surrounded by large, grassy hills. There are also several trails at the park. We took the trail to Devil’s Door, which is a huge rock formation. The entire trip was up a hill with stone steps naturally placed throughout the hill. Finding the right rocks could be a little confusing at times and the walk up the hill is pretty physical, but everyone managed it (including the 5 year old twins).

After seeing the rock formation and some other sites along the way, we had to walk back down the hill through another path. This one was also straight down and quite similar to the trail we took on the way up. Some of the rocks were a bit slippery, too, so if you take this path, be sure to watch out for the rocks and use a bit of caution.

Visiting Devil’s Lake State Park was definitely worth adding to our agenda. It only took about 15 minutes to get there from Wisconsin Dells, too, so it was pretty convenient as well.

By admin | Posted in Great Cities for Family Vacations, State Parks to Visit During Family Travel, and, aspect, complete, ducks, family, including, it , my, nature, sort, the, trip, vacation | Comments (0)

Wisconsin Dells – Photo Gallery 2 - Tours

July 24, 2007

I didn’t get a whole lot of photos of the Duck and Speedboat tours, since I didn’t want to risk getting my camera wet, but here are a few.

In this one, you can kind of see what the Duck looks like in the background. You will see these Ducks in town, too, as they will actually pick tourists up and take them to board a Duck ride if they are interested.