Recently in Vacation Ideas Category

People always ask me for summer family vacation ideas and I have plenty but many might not fit what they are looking for.  It's important to ask yourself what you are looking for in a family vacation.

For instance, does your family love action adventure?  If so, consider white water rafting - you can choose your rapids according to challenge and it is a great "family building" activity.  You might also like zip lining which is offered at many resorts in the US and abroad. 

My daughter is now a teenager.  I have hung on to every single second of her sweet elementary school personality that I could and now I have to let that go and embrace her journey to adolescence.  OK maybe not embrace, how about reluctantly accept?

I have heard horror stories of the drama to come and had a few of my own as a teen so I am more than a little anxious about the years ahead.   I see glimpses of the dark side already - the emphasis on friends, the eye rolling, the "you just don't understand" retort.  And I also see how important it is that we get to spend time together - just us.  That goes for each of my kids. 

The City of Light is nothing if not romantic, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some alone time. Paris has it all: fashion, food, glamour and grace. But none of it means anything if you can't embrace all that Paris offers. On a recent business trip to Paris, I opted to spend a few extra days in one of my favorite cities - a "personal vacation", which I had come to forget even existed. Many heads turned when they would hear I'd be in Paris by myself. "Alone? In Paris? What are you going to do?!" Anything I wanted to do!

The first rule of solo travel: don't rule anything out. While Paris does exude romance, the city does have many other qualities that are perfect for seeding a single woman's soul.

When I say I am planning a staycation, I feel a little depressed.

Not because I don't like the idea of a family vacation at or near home but because it reminds me of the recession. 

The term staycation came out of a time of economic crisis.  It was supposed to make us all feel better about staying home because we could not afford our usual vacation.   It's like trying to dress up Brussels sprouts by calling them little cabbages.  Then again, "staycation" sounds a heck of a lot better than "no-cation."