5 Summer Vacations Your Kids Will Love
Vacation season is fast approaching. All you have to do to verify this fact would be to have a chat with any kid in school. This includes those big kids going to college. Now you want to plan a family vacation, but you don’t want the run of the mill vacation to slap travel insurance on. Here are a few ideas to help make that vacation something unique and fun for everyone.
Go back to your childhood and live in a tree house
Time to forgo all that hotel shenanigans. Tree houses provide an exciting experience. Tree house resorts are slowly cropping up across the states.
These tree houses of vacation love are more than just a box in a tree though. Most vacation tree houses have all the amenities that your home has. They just happen to be in a tree and include a spectacular view.
You will need to provide your own super-secret entrance password though. You might also have to let girls into your tree house of testosterone. See how easy it you can let that adulthood go.
Play cowboy on a working ranch
Play cowboy with your kids. You might be surprised at how much fun you have working on a ranch. You might feel a bit odd slapping on some chaps and learning how to throw a lasso. You are not the first to do this, nor will you be the last. Besides, what better way to tucker the kids out than by making them chase animals around all day?
Best of all, when the day is done you will have a nice quiet evening to enjoy. Your travel insurance agent might not like the idea of you playing cowboy, but the kids just might love it.
Travel by rail
Cars and planes are not the only way to get to your destination. Traveling by train is often one of the last things people consider for their travels. Trains take away the stress of 3oz bottles of fluid and bumper-to-bumper traffic. You can enjoy all the splendor of Mother Nature without dropping four letter words of anger in front of junior.
Rock the houseboat
The mighty Mississippi offers a great time for some leisurely travel. The best way to enjoy this grand river will be on a houseboat. Not only can you enjoy a leisurely stroll down the river, but also you can enjoy swimming, fishing, and hidden alcoves of water fun. You just might get bonus points with the kids for that Tom Sawyer accent as well.
Visit some old lighthouses
Lighthouses are offer a unique history. Some lighthouses will even allow you to stay in them for a night. What better way to spend a day on the ocean than entrenched in some nautical history? You might even enjoy the towns that come with these beacons of boating safety.
There are plenty of unique vacations that you would be proud to put traveler insurance on. All it takes to find these amazing wonders is a bit of looking. Sea World is so yesterday; tree houses are what the cool kids do these days. Time to get off that duff and start planning that unique vacation! Just don’t forget to protect that trip with a bit of travelers insurance.
Photo via emdot
Cutting Your Travel Costs for More Souvenir Money
Vacations are great times of excitement. Just the mere act of planning a vacation can be highly exciting. There are ways to not fall victim to the tourist trap and lose all that hard-earned money. Time to cover a few ways put more money in your pocket for touristy trinkets. Just don’t forget to insure that trip with some travel insurance.
Off-season is high bang for the buck
Cruises are often cheaper in the fall and winter than in the spring and summer. You will want to make sure you don’t book a cruise through spots prone to hurricanes during this time. People seem to think winter means it is time to hibernate. This is a great time for you to take advantage of this hibernation situation.
Hotels in Hawaii are often twenty percent cheaper in the winter months. The money you will save on the hotel will fill up your luggage with an abundance of Hawaiian shirts. You will be the envy of the office on Hawaiian shirt day.
Plan early. Like, a year or more early.
Spring is upon us. Time to start planning that cruise for this winter. It might feel crazy planning that cruise now. There are many early bird specials for those who plan early. Better yet, plan your cruise for next year. Just because it is a year out does not mean it is not a perfect time to book.
These early bird specials carry over to travel arrangements as well. Flights can come at a discounted price to those who book so far out. The travel industry is changing and now giving the best deals to those who book early.
This all comes with a bit of caution. Booking a trip over a year away could end up decimated by natural weather. You might be going to wine valley only to find six months after booking your trip the area gets rocked by an earthquake. This is more reason to buy that travel insurance. That bit extra you spend on travel insurance could save you thousands when Mother Nature decides to cancel your trip for you.
Pack, pack, and pack again
Time to pack your luggage repeatedly. You might have a fabulous shirt you bought just for this vacation. That sexy shirt might have cost you all of $5 at the local store. Yet, forgetting that awesome shirt could cost you another $25 while on your trip. If it helps, make a list of all the clothing items you plan on packing.
This philosophy carries over to all your electronic gizmos and doodads. You already have a nice expensive camera in your possession; you don’t need a second one. Spend that $200 on something fun like shot glasses that you will never use! Pack all your vacation items several days before your trip. This will give you a few days to triple check you have everything you need.
Vacations don’t have to strain your wallet. These few tips can save you boat loads of cash in the end. Don’t forget to buy some travelers insurance to protect that trip your booking for next year. Mother Nature can be cruel, but travelers insurance can lighten her destructive blows. Now get planning, you have some trinkets to go buy!
Photo via katclay
Cruise Tips for Couples
Going on a cruise can be one of the most amazing romantic getaways that a couple can have. It can be a great way to leave the kids behind for a few days, forget your worries, and just relax.
A cruise can also turn out to be pretty miserable, if you don’t plan correctly. You can wind up frustrated not only with the cruise line, the ship’s crew and even yourself, but with your partner, as well. And the last thing that you want to do is spend your entire time on the cruise bickering with your partner.
Fortunately, there are some things you can do to make sure that you and your partner have an awesome time together on your cruise:
Get travel insurance. Seriously. Don’t put your investment at risk. If you miss your departure, you don’t want to be out thousands of dollars just because your flight came in late or because your cab got stuck in traffic.Unpack together. If you spend a few minutes putting things away, you’ll make sure that you both can find what you need, and that nothing important gets left behind in a drawer or cubby hole.Set up a routine in your cabin. Figure out what kinds of activities you’ll be doing together and what kinds of activities you’ll be doing separately. Make sure that you have plenty of time together, as well as time to pursue your own interests.Figure out communication. You might decide to use walkie-talkies to communicate. Know that they won’t always work on the entire ship. Leaving notes for one another in your cabin can help, too. Post-It notes are especially handy for this kind of communication, although they’re not necessary.Try not to stay up too late on your first night. You’re probably going to be at least a little exhausted. Take it easy, and save the serious partying for the second night and beyond. Face your first full morning on the ship fresh.Make shore excursion, activity and tour reservations early. Many of these kinds of events fill up pretty fast, so you’ll need to make sure that you’re on the list for the ones you want.
Photo via yummiec00kies
