Top 5 Family Vacations to Give as a Gift (she: Kim)
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Top 5 Family Vacations to Give as a Gift (she: Kim)

ByKimberly w/Get Away Today

Surprise! It’s Kimberly from Packed with Fun, the official blog for Get Away Today and I’m back on “Or She Says” for my “real” final post of the year. When Mariel asked if I wanted to share my top 5 family vacations to give as a gift, I was so excited to post about it. Vacations are the best and it can be difficult to narrow down a destination that everyone will love.

I put together my list of top 5 family vacations to give as a gift based on places that families can all enjoy together and where our agents have been finding the very best deals.

http://www.skiutah.com/passes/passports
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Save Money in New York City- 5 Tips for Families (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

Hi, it’s Allison from Tips for Family Trips! Last summer, I finally(!) visited New York City for the first time to celebrate my 40th birthday. It was a family vacation and we wanted to do it right, so we planned obsessively to find the best attractions, hotels and transportation for a price we could afford.
New York City is expensive, but it’s an exciting and truly American city that most of us want to see at least once. My family had a wonderful trip and we’d love to return. Hopefully it won’t take me another 40 years!
If you’ve been to New York City, I hope you’ll share your own favorite places and money-saving tips in the comments!

Adirondack Park
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Adirondack Park for Families (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

Happy August from Allison at Tips for Family Trips! I know that many of us are getting into the back-to-school groove, but I can’t let the summer slip away without sharing one more top vacation destination – Adirondack Park in New York.
August is one of the best times to visit the Adirondacks because temperatures are cool and comfortable, while the park’s many lakes are just right for swimming and canoeing. If you love colorful autumn leaves, then fall in the Adirondacks is unbeatable.

Lake Placid, a two-time Olympic host city, is located in the Adirondacks, and my family had the opportunity to visit this lovely town last June. Here are some of the fun activities we recommend in Adirondack Park.

http://www.skiutah.com/passes/passports
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Tips for Visiting Utah’s Dinosaurland in Vernal (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

Hey there! It’s Allison from Tips for Family Trips and today I’m sharing my tips for visiting one of Utah’s most under-rated vacation destinations – Vernal. The Vernal area is Utah’s Dinosaurland, and if you haven’t been there lately, you might be surprised to find how much the area has grown and how many fun activities there are. Vernal is located about three hours’ drive from Salt Lake City, so for us, this was an easy weekend getaway.
Here are our recommendations for a fun weekend visit to Dinosaurland in Vernal:

Our Alaskan Cruise Review

Our Alaskan Cruise 2014 ~ Grand Princess

ByMariel

Have you been to Alaska?? I’m so happy to say that I FINALLY have! Alaska has always been one of those places I’ve longed to go, but had to weigh it against a warm (and cheaper) vacation on the beach. But, after a series of beach vacations, the looming hot Utah summer, and a not-quite-swimsuit-ready body, it was a great time for a change… somewhere I had never been before. So, for our 14 year anniversary (yay!), Dan and I packed our bags and took off on an Alaskan cruise. We just got back last week. It was soooo awesome. I bet you didn’t even know I was gone, right? The OSSS behind-the-scenes team rocks it, I tell ya!

Dan and I try to do a non-kid vacation at least once a year. Sometimes it ends up being less often, but that’s definitely our goal. Thank heavens we have fantastic mothers who are so sweet to take care of our babies, while we’re gone. It’s such a nice break and soooo good for us.

Oregon Coast for Families

The Oregon Coast is a No-Fail Family Vacation (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

It’s Allison from Tips for Family Trips! Today I am excited to share a destination to which my family could return every summer – the Oregon Coast. The Oregon Coast is a beautiful place to cool off and unwind, and there are lots of fun and educational activities for all ages. You can rent a beach house and use it as a base for your entire vacation or road trip down the coast, spending every night or two in a different beach town. I have done both.

Charming towns and beaches can be found along the entire Oregon Coast, but my experience is on the northern coast, which is a scenic, 2-hour drive from Portland. Most of my recommended cities are fairly close to each other, making it easy to choose a base and enjoy the activities in most of them.

Family Vacation Inspiration

15 Family Vacation Ideas ~ Your Kids Will Love These!

ByMariel

Tis the season for thinking about family vacations. Can you believe summer is so close?? To my kids, summer means ‘no school’ and ‘family vacations!!’ And, that pretty much sums it up. They love getting in on the planning and they look forward to our vacations all year. This year, Dan and I will be skipping out on the kids, and heading to Alaska. So excited! The kids are feeling a little ripped off, but we planned a couple cabin rentals and we’re hoping in the fall, we can take them to see my brother in Connecticut, and tour the Revolutionary War sites, since that’s what we’ve studied in homeschool this year. But, we’ll see.

Do you have anything fun planned? It can be big or small, far away or right in your hometown… what’s important is the FAMILY part. I love those vacations where it’s just US. Just the fam. My kids have to hang out with each other… the husband has to hang out with me… There’s bickering and eye rolling, but despite all that… GOOD MEMORIES.

http://www.skiutah.com/passes/passports

10 Reasons to plan a Black Hills Vacation (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

Hi, it’s Allison from Tips for Family Trips with a fun summer road trip idea for families. We’ve been to Orlando, San Diego, Disneyland, the Oregon Coast and other fun destinations in recent years, but the trip that my children still rave about is our Black Hills vacation in South Dakota. It’s the road trip that rivals Disney World.

The Black Hills offers an unbeatable combination of fun family activities and natural beauty that are equally enjoyable for kids and adults. Here are my Top 10 family attractions in the Black Hills.

attractions for families at balboa state park

Top 10 attractions for families at Balboa Park in San Diego (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

It’s Allison again, and I’m here to share with you my family’s love of Balboa Park. It’s one of my family’s favorite destinations in San Diego. It is located near downtown San Diego and is the largest urban cultural park in the United States. It is home to 15 museums as well as performing arts venues, gardens, playgrounds and the San Diego Zoo.

If you’re planning a trip to San Diego, I recommend spending one full day at the zoo and another full day enjoying other attractions in Balboa Park. Here are my top 10 attractions for families at Balboa Park.

taking your baby to disneyland
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Tips for Taking Your Baby to Disneyland (she: Kim)

ByKimberly w/Get Away Today

We are what you might call a “Disney family.” We have been to Disneyland too many times to count, but this last time was a little different for us – it was our first Disneyland trip with a baby! We had our son, Liam, last May and as crazy as it may sound, we couldn’t wait to take him to Disneyland! At just nine months old, we loved watching him experience so many things for the first time. It was an adventure and tons of fun to see how he would react and interact with the attractions, shows, characters, scenery and people. Since we were traveling with a baby, I was very aware of all of the other babies on vacation – and there were MANY – some as young as a few weeks old. Although I’d been to the Disneyland Resort so many times before, this trip was quite different. Because we’re seasoned Disney travelers, we were pretty well prepared and had an idea of what to expect, but still had a few surprises. I have compiled my best tips and tricks that made our baby’s first Disneyland vacation a stress-free and fun-filled one. Hopefully it’ll make taking your baby to Disneyland a whole lot easier, too!

disneyland vacation countdown chain
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Disneyland Vacation Countdown Chain (she: Adelle)

ByAdelle Belnap

Are you planning a family trip to the Magic Kingdom this year? Well then you’ll love this Disneyland Vacation Countdown Chain tutorial and free download that I created to make the time counting down to your vacation full of magic at home! These magical countdown chains include special activities that you can do before your vacation to help the time fly by. You can make one for your whole family, or one for each child – there’s a Mickey version and a Minnie version, just for fun.