Family Trip Planning Blog | Best Family Trips | TripWiser.com

Boston Affordable Family Vacation

Are you planning to go on an affordable family vacation to Boston?  There are so many amazing sites and attractions in Boston and you will want to see them all.  Believe me when I say that you can do so without flying high on your budget! How? The Go Boston Card!!!

With the Go Boston Card, your family will get admissions to many Boston attractions that you have always wanted to visit, and all for a deep discounted price. What's even better is that the card is not only applicable to adults.  A child version of the card is available for children 3-12 years old at an even lower cost!  These Go Boston Cards are available in one-day and multi-day.  Whether you plan to stay in Boston for just a day or a week, there's a Go Boston Card for you. You purchase these cards prior to your trip to Boston by clicking here.

The Go Boston Card has more or less 60 participating sites, everyone in the family will each have the chance to see their personal must-see Boston places.  So go ahead and plan your day to day Boston excursion thoroughly and make sure you don't miss a thing.  As a parent, you would most definitely want to include a little bit of learning during your family vacations.  Take the family to any of the number of museums in Boston, like the Museum of Fine Arts, JFK Library and Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art, New England Sports Museum (ideal for the sporty family for its interactive exhibits) and the Boston Children's Museum. In addition to these museums are the historic sites like the Paul Revere House, Liberty Fleet Tall Ship Adventure, Salem Witch Museum (with narrations of the witch trials in 1692), and the Salem Heritage Walk.
Some tours are open only seasonally due to the weather conditions.  One tour that particularly earned popularity to the kids is the Boston Duck Tours, a former World War 2 part-truck part-boat craft ride that promises nothing but fun to the whole family.  The tour starts on the road where the driver points out popular landmarks and then the craft transforms to a watercraft to allow passengers to have a waterside view of Boston.  Then it is into the Charles River.

What's a family trip without visiting the fun stuff in your children's terms?  Visit their favorite animals at the New England Aquarium, Boston Common Frog Pond or the Franklin Park Zoo.  Or if your kids still haven't gotten enough of theme parks, there's Six Flags New England and Hurricane Harbor waiting for them with The Dark Knight Coaster (a Batman attraction) opening this 2008.

The Go Boston Card definitely will help you make this affordable family vacation to Boston a walk in the park.  All you have to do is enjoy the beautiful sites together with your family.

Kentucky Family Adventure Vacation

As the kids grow older, we all continue to look for the next great family adventure vacations.  Finding a new family vacation idea isn't always easy, so here are some great trips and vacation ideas.

Think outside the box, veer away from the usual kiddie attractions, and try something new.  If you're the type of family who loves outdoor activities that will bring you closer to nature, then a family trip to the Grider Hill Dock is must.   The Grider Hill Dock floats in the man-made Lake Cumberland in Albany, Kentucky and has attracted a great number of visitors over the years. Here is another opportunity to have fun in a peaceful environment.  Rent one of their houseboats (with 5 varying sizes to choose from) complete with bedrooms, baths, kitchens, microwave ovens, central heat and air conditions and everything else you might find essential in your homes.  Or you can book your accommodations in any of the lodging rooms the Grider Hill Dock offers. Visitors who prefer room accommodations over the houseboats can also enjoy activities in the lake by renting out Sea-Doo's, fishing boats or canoes, and double-decker pontoons with gas grills, top decks and water slides.

Fishing and camping are the two activities the Grider Hill Dock takes pride of.  Enjoy fishing with the some of the best and most experienced fishing guides in the United States, like the Sasser's Guide Service, Hollarwood Guide Service, Kentucky Trophy Fishing and more. Get those arm muscles ready for some heavy lifting for you're very likely to get rewarded with catches like 40- pound stripers, a school of bluegill or smallmouth bass. Camping at Grider Hill Dock will make you realize how much of a paradise Lake Cumberland is. Take deep breaths and make the most of the chance of taking in unpolluted air. The campsites have picnic tables, grills, toilet and bath sites, and developed R.V. sites.

Be sure to try the Grider Hill Dock Restaurant where they have custom menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner.  They serve a variety of your favorites from the regular skillet fried chicken to the more upscale aged prime steaks. Freshly-baked desserts are also available, but there's one specialty visitors always order - Laura Ann's World Famous Mile High Peanut Butter Pie!

Aside from the beauty of things within Lake Cumberland and the line of activities Grider Hill Dock has, other must-see attractions are in the area, accessible both by car or by boat such as the Scenic 76 Falls and Wolf Creek Dam. Other attractions within driving range worth mentioning are the Mammoth Cave National Park, Big South Fork National Park and Scenic Railway, The Borderlands Civil War Interpretive Exhibit, and The Rock House.

The trip to Albany, Kentucky is well worth it. You will surely give kudos to yourself for bringing your family to this Grider Hill Dock family adventure vacation.

Santa Rosa Family Adventure in Safari West

Cheetahs in Santa Rosa California?

Who would have thought you can have a family adventure vacation in the heart of California's wine country? Plan your next family getaway to Safari West and experience the spirit of Africa in Santa Rosa.

Safari West is not a zoo.  It is a wildlife preserve attraction open to visitors who want to have a different kind of encounter with exotic animals roaming around freely.  Safari West measures about 400 acres and is home to a large variety of birds and mammals such as zebras, giraffes, gazelles, cheetahs, African antelopes, and many other species.

The tour around the Safari West is just wonderful.  Starting with walking tour to the compound where the smaller animals are introduced to the visitors by a guide.  The kids will enjoy this part of the tour for they are given buckets of carrots to feed the small animals.  Continue on board authentic safari jeeps.  This jeep tour goes around the entire Safari West property with frequent stops as your tour guide explains the different origins and behaviors of the animals you see.

Accommodation in the Safari West is also available.  Choose between lodging in a safari tent (at $225/night) or a two-bedroom cottage (at $300/night).  Whatever you choose, you can watch the safari wildlife right in the comfort of your four corners.  The safari tents are luxurious, they are imported from Africa. These tents have hardwood floors, water heaters, bathrooms and verandas. The two-bedroom cottages are recommended for families for they can accommodate up to 8 people. These cottages have small kitchens and outdoor sitting areas. You have two options for your meals. You can either ask for a custom-made wooden table for your veranda and enjoy your meals surrounded by the wildlife, or you can go to the indoor dining of the Safari West surrounded with African murals and artifacts.   Either way, you still get to have the feeling of being in Africa!

Notes: Reservations for the lodging and the tour are required prior to your visit.  Be sure to pack cameras, umbrellas, hats and binoculars with you. You will definitely need these things on your jeep tour.

A visit to the Safari West will definitely put smiles to your children's faces. They will be glad to have been treated to an extraordinary family adventure vacation.

Molokai Ranch Family Adventure Vacation

Molokai is another great jaunt for the people who love the outdoors while on their Hawaii family vacation. The Molokai Ranch is located in and encompasses one third of the Hawaiian island Moloka'i.  (image by Jim Harper)

In Molokai Ranch, your children's cowboy and cowgirl fantasies will come to life as they experience authentic ranch lifestyle first hand. All sorts of adventurous outdoor activities are lined up for you and your kids to enjoy.  The Hawaiian cowboys, called the paniolos, act as your tour guide for the duration of your stay at the Molokai Ranch.  They host activities such archery, clay shooting and horseback riding, among other things.  They also patiently teach you horsemanship and rodeo skills during an activity they call the Paniolo Roundup. After which, you can relax and venture out with your family and the paniolos along the Great Molokai Ranch Trail.  Guests who wish to participate in the activities in the island can sign up at the Molokai Ranch. These activities are organized by the management of the Molokai Fish and Dive. Some of the activities include hiking, biking, scuba diving, sailing and sea kayaking.  If you wish to get a list of these activities, just ask a Molokai Ranch personnel.

The Molokai Ranch has constructed wilderness camps for visitors who wish to spend the night at the ranch.  If you wish to have a luxurious lodging, then there's The Lodge just waiting for you just a 30-minute drive from the beach. The rooms are huge, with plenty of space and fine furniture.

A family trip to the island of Molokai gives you a much quieter Hawaiian family vacation. The Molokai Ranch is a one-of-a-kind family adventure vacation.

Hawaii Family Vacation

Your next family vacation should be to Hawaii!

Take your children to the scenes of Lilo and Stitch for a family trip and show them the real meaning of ohana.  Your Hawaii family vacation can start with the third largest island in Hawaii, Oahu. The name Oahu means the gathering place, and true enough it is the most visited Hawaiian island.

The majority of Oahu's resorts lie in Honolulu for easier access to the famed Waikiki Beach.  Along with the number of hotels fronting the two-mile coast stretch of Waikiki Beach are tourism/travel related offices and facilities for the convenience of the thousands of visitors that crowd it every year.  The beauty of it being a tropical place is that it serves as one of the top family vacation ideas you can go to all year round. Despite the very developed and busy surroundings of Waikiki Beach, it still remains fresh and clean.  While you're there, visit the Diamond Head, perhaps, the most well-known volcanic crater in the world, and has been extinct for 150,000 years.  Located on the southeast coast of Oahu, just at the end of Waikiki Beach and overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean.

Finding accommodations that will fit the interest of your children is not a problem. There are a lot of hotels and resorts in Honolulu that have programs to keep your children entertained and happy. One of which is the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa in southwest Oahu and just 45 minutes from Waikiki, where they have a kids club, a program for teens at the spa and the much visited Reef and Ray Adventure in the ocean water ponds of the resort.

Most of the resorts like the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort, Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel, Moana Surfrider (a Westin chain) and more have very nice and very wide kiddie pools.   Some of these hotels, including the Waikiki Beach itself, offer a day of surfing lessons to adults and even young children.  Watch and be proud as your teenagers get the hang of surfing, and you'll hear the word stoked more often than you've ever heard it in your life!

An Hawaiian vacation is certain to be one of your best family vacation ever.  The hospitality of the people, the great hotels, activities your kids enjoy, and the beach.  You can count on your children thanking you for giving them one of the best family vacations ever!

Alaska Family Vacations

If you have been dreaming of taking your family for a trip to Alaska, but don't know what to do, try creating a family trip plan.  Of course, you would want to experience all that Alaska has to offer, but Alaska is HUGE! Here are some places, attractions and activities to consider for your great Alaskan family vacation:

1-Fishing:

Whether you want to do your fishing off the side of the road or on a chartered boat or seaplane, Alaska offers one of the most amazing fishing trips in the world. You can choose from fly-fishing, saltwater fishing, freshwater fishing or even ice fishing. The Alaskan waters being so abundantly inhabited will definitely secure you of big catches like salmon, trout and halibut. Popular fishing venues are the Auke Bay (Inside Passage), Buskin River (southwest), Anaktuvuk River (far north), and Bull Lake (south central) just to name a few.

2-Day Cruise:

Experience the mesmerizing beauty of coastal Alaska with spectacular mountain scenery, glaciers and wildlife. The family will surely be captivated by spotting the whales, orcas, sea lions, mountain goats, brown bears, kittiwakes, mures and more.  The day cruises are also educational (perfect for the kids and for the adults who are always eager to learn something new) as there are naturalists on board to guide passengers through. These day cruises usually take you to the Glacier Bay, Prince William Sound and Kenai Fjords.

3-Wildlife viewing

Take a guided tour and see rare species in their natural habitats undisturbed. A selection of wildlife viewing operators are available for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see in the flesh some of the most endangered species such as polar bears, bald eagles, blue whales, gray wolves, hunchback whales, lynx, moose and grizzly bears.

4-Hiking

Alaska has some of the most amazing sceneries in the United States.  If you're planning to take your family trip to Alaska in the summer, be sure to take the time to go hiking.  There are a significant number of companies all over Alaska that provide hiking and backcountry guided tours.  All Alaska Tours is one such company.

These are just some family vacation ideas for your travel to Alaska to give your family trip planning a little head start.

The Best Family Vacation in Club Med

Coming up with family vacation ideas for people with children of different age groups can be quite a challenge.  Good thing there's Club Med.

There are three Club Med resorts within reach for people in North America:  Club Med Cancun Yucatán and Club Med Ixtapa Pacific in Mexico, and Club Med Sandpiper in Florida.

A trip to any of the Club Med resorts is a breather for everyone in the family.  Parents no longer have to compromise their children's (and theirs as well) interests.  At Club Med, kids can have fun the way kids of their age should.  For a daily rate of only $40, children 3 and below can be brought to the resort's day care that facilitates such fun things to do like face painting, puppet shows, arts and crafts and more.  Equally entertaining programs are available for older kids to join such as trapeze flying, soccer, in-line skating and science activities.  The resort also prepares treats for the teenagers free of charge - jewelry making for the girls who love to dress up,  sound mixing, and graffiti work in built just for them.

Parents can now bask under the sun without worrying about their young children. There is even a center in Club Med, the Siesta Club, where highly qualified personnel to tuck their kids in for a nap, read them stories or watch a movie.

The rooms are even more child-friendly.   No more stressing about traveling heavy because the rooms are fully equipped with cribs, changing tables, bottle warmers and other baby essentials. Microwaves, blenders and booster seats are also provided.

A visit to Club Med truly is one of the brightest idea for a family vacation.

Family Trip to the Grand Canyon

Image:  Luca Galuzzi - www.galuzzi.it

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The Grand Canyon, is a sight you have to see to believe how magnificently grand it really is.  It is a colorful deep valley between cliffs carved from a landscape by the Colorado River.  Within the Grand Canyon lies the Grand Canyon National Park.  This is one of the oldest national parks in the United States and has been one of the best family vacation venues for years and years.

The Grand Canyon National Park has something to offer to the whole family. A trip to this vast area of the northern Arizona will give you a great number of things to do. You can take a day trip to the South Rim and absorb the beauty and majesty of the Grand Canyon.  Don't forget to bring your cameras when you do.  You would most definitely want to bring home this experience in still frames.

All sorts of tours are available for you and your family's comfort. There are guided tours via trains, planes and helicopters, depending on your demands. You might want to have your younger kids experience the mule ride tour.  This mule riding is definitely guided and will go about the canyon floor. There are two activities for the older kids and the teenagers to enjoy: hiking and rafting. Test your teenagers' survival skills hiking up 3,000 feet above the Colorado River to the Toroweap (also known as Tuweep), and seize the opportunity to get to know them even more with a parent-child talk over the best views in the rim. The rafting part of the trip is offered even to those who don't have previous whitewater rafting experience, but a minimum age (10 for motor trips and 12 for hybrid) is set for safety reasons.

A family trip to the Grand Canyon is one adventure to remember. Take pride and tell your friends that you have gone to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World!

Bahamas Family Vacation

Who says you can't take a family trip to paradise? Grab your beach wear and have your kids pack their shovel-and-pails for the Bahamas is just waiting for you and is ready to give you the best family vacation you've had in years!

It doesn't take a genius to say that a family trip to the Bahamas is a sure hit.  The equation is simple: perfect location ( less than a hundred miles off the coast of Florida) + perfect climate + perfect crystal clear blue waters + perfect   beaches = perfect family vacation.  With all the activities and entertainment that the Bahamas offers, you are sure not to have a dull moment in the duration of this trip.

How many places in the world give you the chance to swim with those adorable bottle nose dolphins? Swimming with these nautical mammals is something the little ones will never stop talking about.  There are three dolphin experiences you can choose from - The Dolphin Close Encounter, Swim with the Dolphins, and Open Ocean Dolphin Experience.

If you're a fan of Johnny Depp (or his characater, Jack Sparrow, in Pirates of the Caribbean) or your kids are of Peter Pan (or Captain Hook), or simply just find the idea of treasure-hunting appealing, then you should not miss going to The Pirates of Nassau Museum.  This is an interactive pirates-themed attraction located in the heart of Downtown Nassau, the capital city of Bahamas. Experience the world of 18th century cutlass wielding pirates at just $12 for adults and $6 for kids.

What's a trip to the Bahamas if you don't get to see its wildlife? Be sure to take a tour at the Ardastra Gardens Zoo and Conservation Center and get acquainted with over 300 birds, mammals and reptiles from the Bahamas and around the world.  Don't forget to bring your cameras for photo ops with these exotic animals in the tropical gardens are allowed.  Get ready to hear cheers and giggles from your children in every corner of this man-made wilderness - be it in the center's farm yard, while feeding the parrots or just watching the very famous Flamingo Show.

One of the most popular resorts in the Bahamas is the Atlantis Bahamas Resort.   Known for its Atlantis-inspired architecture and more, the water-themed attractions such as the shark lagoons and the pools with manta rays, water play zone for the kids, kiddie pool with slides and waterfalls, the gigantic aquariums....and the list just goes on.  As if those aforementioned are not enough, the Atlantis Bahamas Resorts added another attraction in 2007 called the Aquaventure. The Aquaventure is 63-acre waterscape that has more thrilling water slides with special effects such as smoke, fire and fog.

Given all these attractions and activities, the Bahamas is a trip that will definitely top your list of best family vacations.  It literally is a trip to paradise within your reach.

Anchorage Famiy Adventure

Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska, with almost 360,000 residents. It sits in the middle of the Chugach Mountains and the shoreline of the Cook Inlet.  Over the years, Anchorage has earned its bragging rights for the wide selection of hotels, attractions and shopping venues.   sure to take care of your accommodation needs very well ahead, especially during the peak season.  A lot of people prefer to check in at the hotels near the airport like the Holiday Inn Express for convenience.  Some, however, feel like they could get more of the Alaskan feel if they check in at any of the hotels downtown, which is just near the Alaska Railroad depot.  There are two downtown hotels that earned great property value, the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and the Anchorage Hawthorn Suites.

Anchorage has plenty to see and do.  A tour to such attractions as the Museum of History and Art, the Alaska Zoo, and the Alaska Native Heritage Center is an excursion for the whole family.  Home to the largest sea plane in the world, Anchorage offers bear viewing and fly-in fishing.  Bear viewing is highly recommended for visitors for Alaska houses more or less 98% of the country's brown bear population.  Throughout this tour, not only brown bears are visible.  You and your kids are also going to see some grizzlies!  The guided fly-in fishing is a world-class experience over some of Alaska's finest rivers.  There is also a 10-hour fly-in trip that will reward you with silver salmon, trout or grayling. Take the time to go for a stroll on the coastal trail, the National Recreation Trail.   Brace yourself for its super dramatic views.  Better yet, plan a day hike on the Chugach Range.  The Chugach Range is a fairly easy hike, just about 9 miles round trip.

Remember that Alaskan weather is  unpredictable.  All throughout your Anchorage family adventure, be sure to dress in layers to stay warm and dry.