Traveling With Kids to Historical Destinations

Do you avoid family site-seeing adventures that involve cathedrals, museums or other historical sites because you are worried about your kids' behavior? Never fear - these tips will make traveling with kids to these destinations a survivable - and perhaps even enjoyable - experience.

1. Begin by setting clear expectations for behavior, including the consequences for misbehaving. Also lay out the basic ground rules for the day. Some standard rules include using inside voices and no running. Try rewarding good behavior by giving kids a small gift shop budget at the beginning of the day. Each time they misbehave, they have to hand over a quarter. At the end of the day, they get to spend whatever is left.

2. All kids have a limited attention span so set a time limit for the trip - generally around four hours is maximum time. Take this into account as you plan the day to avoid missing the "must see" exhibits.

3. Look down. The floors in historical buildings, cathedrals and museums are often adorned with beautiful, intricate designs that capture and fascinate kids and adults alike. My favorite example is the Sistine Chapel. The walls and ceiling are covered with breathtaking masterpieces that held my kids' interest for exactly 45 seconds. Luckily, they noticed the fantastic geometric designs on the floor and spent the next hour finding shapes and patterns throughout the entire chapel.

4. Plan a scavenger hunt through the museum or cathedral. We use color/object hunts almost everywhere we go. They can be as simple as finding something blue to the complex find a blue flower on a hat. Vary the complexity based on the age of the child and, where possible, make each child find something individually. Add learning to the day by bringing along small notebooks and colored pencils. Have kids record scavenger hunt items, interesting facts and include pictures of favorite sites. The journal becomes a memory book of the trip.

5. Research kid/family friendly activities and events. One good example is found at Westminster Abbey where they feature a wonderful family tour and children's scavenger hunt that offers a chocolate reward for completion.

6. Make sure you include some kid-friendly fun along the way. After a long morning at a museum, spend a few hours in a local park. If the museum has a snack bar, take a break during the tour for a snack. Squeeze in a trip to the local zoo or aquarium in the middle of the trip.

7. Involve kids in the planning process. While not all museums have a hands-on room, there is sure to be something of interest. Let them pick at least one thing to see or do at the museum and try to do it late in the visit so you can push for good behavior throughout the rest of the trip.

Use these tips and you will no longer have to avoid taking the kids to interesting historical sites, cathedrals and museums.

Want to find out more about traveling with kids, then visit Jenny Untermeyer's site filled kids travel gear, family travel tips and more.

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Top 4 Travel Social Networks - Summer Vacations Get Social

With Summer officially upon us, experts are forecasting that holiday travelers will increase over 17% this year in comparison to 2009. According to Glen MacDonell, Director of Travel Services, "While financial markets continue to have volatility related to the European debt crisis, the landscape of the U.S. economy is in a much different place than it was one year ago. It is encouraging to see such growth this summer as Americans take to the road to visit family, friends and great vacation destinations." To help aid in your summer vacation planning, below are four great travel social networks.

1) TripAdvisor attracts 35 million monthly visitors and boasts 15 million registered members. It is one of the largest travel social networks in the world with over 35 million travels reviews from real travelers around the world. In addition, members have uploaded over 2,000,000 candid vacation photos from over 100,000 destinations.

2) Dopplr is a great resource for assisting you in planning your next trip. Members can share their personal or business travel plans with their connections and receive notifications when your trips overlap. In addition, the site offers tips for enjoying your travels to cities around the world as well as travel advice from other travellers.

3) Wikitravel is a free worldwide travel guide created and edited by its members similar to Wikipedia. Currently, the site contains nearly 24,000 destination guides and articles from "Wikitravellers" from around the world.

4) TravBuddy is a free community for people who love to travel and explore destinations. This is perfect network to find other individuals to join you on your journeys. In addition, travellers can stay in touch with friends and family by chronicling their trip in a travel blog.

Brian Rice is the editor of B2C Marketing Insider. B2C Marketing Insider aims to provide a balanced view of the current marketing landscape based on industry news and trends, as well as real-life experiences.

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Traveling With Children

Traveling with children can be a challenge, but with careful planning your
family can have a hassle-free trip. Your odds for having a successful trip will
be better if you don't set your expectations too high and if you involve your
kids in planning your vacation.

Here are some additional travel tips:

PACKING

When you pack the car, put the children's suitcases on top. Kids often need
to get into their suitcases to retrieve something. By having the suitcases on
top, you won't have to repack the car every time your kids need their things.

Don't forget to pack essential items such as sunscreen, pain reliever,
calamine lotion, bandages, hats, sunglasses, or umbrellas. The gift shop in
your hotel will charge quite a bit of money for these items if you should need
to buy them during your trip.

HOTELS

In order to keep your young children safe at your hotel room, you should
bring along some child-proofing items. Plastic outlet covers, doorknob covers,
and plastic ties for tying up drapery cords and electrical cords will give you
peace of mind while you are living in your home away from home.

It is a good idea to bring your child's nightlight from home. Children won't
be scared in unfamiliar surroundings with the glow of the nightlight for
comfort.

CARS

My mother taught me a great trick when she went on a trip with my family
to the beach. She brought a bag of new toys with her and she handed them
out to my kids during our car trip. She gave them a new item about every two
hours so they would have something to play with. You might try giving your
children small items such as puzzle books, stickers, cards, stuffed animals, or
crayons.

Pack each child a sack filled with snacks for the trip. This way you won't
have to stop at a convenience store every time they get hungry. Make sure you
pack healthy foods and include some small bottles of water.

AIRPLANES

Allow yourself plenty of time for check-in. When your kids travel with you
everything takes twice as long.

Make sure that your children eat a substantial snack before they board the
airplane. The pretzels and drink served by the airline might not be enough
food for a long flight.

SOUVENIRS

Give each child a set amount of money to spend on souvenirs. Let them
buy what they want even if you think the item is silly. This is a good lesson in
budgeting.

Buy each child a small scrapbook before the trip. Take the scrapbook along
and your kids can unwind at the hotel in the evening by pasting momentos into
their books.

Bon voyage!

Renee Kirchner is a parent, educator, and freelance writer who specializes in writing for children and parents. Visit her fun and informational blog for parents and their kids at http://www.family-friend.blogspot.com and find out more about Renee's writing services offered at http://www.lieurancegroup.blogspot.com or email her at renee.kirchner@usa.net to discuss possible writing projects.

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Tricks to Make Travels Memorable

If you are running low on practical travel tips there is plenty below.

Hole punch all of your information for your trip and make copies of anything you'll need, organize it by what you will need chronologically, and place it in a slim, bright, lightweight soft side plastic binder. You avoid messily digging through your baggage this way since all info is in one convenient location and not scattered everywhere.

Everything in your wallet needs to be photocopied so do it the minute you see a copy machine. Keep one set in your luggage and the other one leave it home. Cash is not included here.

Make sure your will and personal papers are all in order. This will come in handy in case the unfortunate should happen and your family needs to locate your safe deposit box keys or insurance paperwork and will. Do not travel without lining your pockets with coins first. A used film canister works very well for this purpose. Unexpected payphone calls along with train or bus rides require lots of dimes and quarters.

You will not hear a peep from tent campers assigned to cook if you remembered to bring a griddle. Being a small portable gizmo cooking stuff like hotdogs as well as pancakes or eggs plus lots more is no hardship. There is also the option of eating out at a nearby fast-food joint or ditching the cumbrous propane stove.

Familiarize yourself with the travel destination prior to going. Transport info is always helpful so do not focus on tourist attraction particulars. There is info regarding distant travel locations and dress standards in place online but a local could also give you a heads up on such things. Should your research reveal that locals are not as warm you might have a better time touring Walt Disney World.

For trips requiring special gear and clothing put them away in a duffel bag so they are ready to bring anytime you need them. One trip might call for a ski bag filled with ski related items from gloves to thermals to goggles to socks to sweaters. Some biking shorts with a couple of sewn in pockets are suggested if you are donning a long dress. Large pockets mean ample space for keeping various vital documents and passports while traveling.

Put other vital personal effects somewhere equally safe but for the pockets line them with Velcro for added sturdiness. Women travelers can do the same thing with regular slips or camisoles. Shy away from pumped up events like the Harley gathering at Sturgis Michigan if you are a guy.

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Travel Tips for Your Honeymoon

Congratulations on getting married! Once the wedding ceremony and reception ends, the real celebrating begins as you and your new spouse embark on your honeymoon getaway! You have chosen a destination far from home, in a country you have always dreamed your honeymoon would be. Here is some advice you should take for planning your honeymoon:

• Find out if there are any newlywed discounts anywhere you plan to go. Do research on any special honeymoon packages for newlyweds. Some hotels cater especially to newlyweds. Oftentimes, hotels and restaurants partner with each other to offer honeymooners a free breakfast or dinner. Take advantage of discounts for newlyweds. Do not be afraid to ask if discounts exist at places you plan to visit. You just got married; you should now be wise about your money and not ashamed of it!

• Plan for the weather. Depending on the season, it might not be wise to choose a tropical destination that has a high average of rainfall in certain months. Find out when hurricane season is and try to avoid going to a place that is affected by it. June 1st to November 30th is hurricane season for the Bahamas. If you are interested in going to an Asian location in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, know that the most typhoons in 2011 will occur between May and November. If you cannot avoid bad weather because your wedding is on a specific date for a sentimental reason, then plan your activities according to the kind of weather you might have to face. For instance, if it is probably going to rain the majority of the time you are going to be on your honeymoon, then you obviously should not plan to go hiking or mountain biking. Also, hurricane season obviously means surfing lessons are out of question.

• Get visitor health insurance. Not many people think about travel insurance for their honeymoon, but you should know that the healthcare coverage you might have will probably not cover you if you are in a different country. Many people do not realize that, while they are on vacation abroad, they are actually uninsured. If by any chance you become sick or injured during your honeymoon, medical bills could be extremely expensive without visitor health insurance. While planning for your honeymoon, you might not even factor in the chance of you or your husband becoming ill or getting hurt. However, the possibility exists and it is best to be prepared. The insurance plan does not have to cost a lot and could cover as little or as much as you choose.

Whichever country you plan on going to for your honeymoon, remember to have a wonderful time with your spouse. The honeymoon marks the beginning of a lifetime of memories, and it will be the first of many happy vacations as a married couple, and possibly eventually as a family if you plan on having any children!

Read more information about visitor health insurance at http://www.nriol.net and enjoy your honeymoon!

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Essential Traveling Tips

Travelers going abroad are strongly recommended to sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program or a similar government program. This program will be able to contact the traveler when necessary. If there is a crisis in the country where the person is visiting or a family emergency, it would be vital to get notification as soon as possible.

Information Resources

Always familiarize yourself with your destination. This will help you to get maximum enjoyment from your trip and avoid any potential dangers. When bringing lots of luggage, you will also need to be aware of various restrictions for taking certain items to other countries. Before packing a liquid or sharp item in your Aspire V83, make sure it is allowed by airline authorities. It may also be helpful to look at jeep luggage reviews and other top quality luggage reviews to find a strong bag that will protect your belongings properly.

Consular Information

The consular program is divided into three main components: Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings, and Country Specific Information. Various sheets are provided by your state/country that hold information on road safety, unstable areas, security and crime conditions, and essential tips.

In some cases, a government may issue a warning to a country if they have no diplomatic relations with them. Other reasons may include terrorist activity, dangerous conditions, and civil unrest.

How to Obtain Travel Information

Travel alerts, travel warnings, and country specific information are made available at the official government website of your state or nation. Alerts can also be sent via fax by dialing the appropriate number. If you are part of a travel program, your embassy may be able to reach you over telephone in case there is an emergency.

Essential Paperwork

Before leaving for your trip, remember to check all your paperwork to make sure everything is in order. You will need a valid, signed passport and any visa documents that are required by your destination country. In some cases, you may be granted an automatic 30 days upon arriving to a country, so obtaining a visa will not be necessary if you are only staying for a few weak.

Give copies of your visas, passport data, and travel itinerary to your friends or family prior to leaving. This will help them to be able to contact you if there is an emergency. Consular personnel will also be available 24 hours each day to provide emergency support to their citizens.

This tip is so simple; you can implement it immediately and start seeing results you want! But it doesn't stop there. You can actually take this a step further and increase your understanding using another simple technique. The problem is, I don't have the space here to share it. It is, however, on my website.

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Safe Travelling Tips

Anyone that has been robbed will tell you that they could have minimized their losses if they only did .... This article will give you the reasons they would state and will also give you some tips that will keep you as safe and prepared as possible. Remember; preparation is everything.

1. Having a hidden wallet is something that is very useful. Pack it away safely so not in you back pocket. Maybe you have a chain or alarm string that you can attach to it. (You don't have to be a skater to have this.)

2. Take only 1 credit card and if you are only going on holiday, preload it. That way if you get robbed or lose your wallet, you will only lose a preset amount.

3. Always have the most important telephone numbers on you and in your hotel/bungalow/apartment. You will need the numbers of family to contact, your credit card company to block your card, your insurance company and your hotel.

4. Leave a copy of your travel insurance at home. This will save you a lot of problems if you lose the one you have with you. With the technology these days it is no problem to email or fax it to you when you need it.

5. Have your basic medical info on you at all times. If you do have an accident this is the first thing they will look for in the hospital. At least state your blood type and allergies. Although most doctors and nurses will be able to read English, it might be a good idea to also have it in the native language of your destination.

Being prepared is everything. People that are prepared will not be in half as much trouble as people who are not prepared. If you follow the tips from this article you will be off to a good start.

My name is Naithan Weigh and I'm currently staying in Koh Samui, Thailand. My only source of income is the internet. If you want to learn more cheap travel tips take a look at my other article. If you want to know how I make my money online than go to my blog [http://makemoneywhiletravelling.wordpress.com]. There I also give out some good travelling tips.

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