Lisa's Travels

Posts Tagged ‘family travel’

It is no secret that California is a great destination to take a family getaway. Family vacations are focused on enjoyment, though they are also about establishing nice and lasting recollections, that draw you and your children closer with one another. A mutual activity, especially a fun one with splendid surroundings or in an unfamiliar location, can establish family bonds. Your sons or daughters won’t remain kids for very long, so what better time than now to develop those connections while their psyches are so impressionable. Whether your choice is camping, theme parks, water sports, retail therapy, incredible dining or alternative things to do, California has a great deal to offer every person in your household.

It’s hard not to have a fantastic time when you have sand, sunlight, and coastline around. A number of the best beach fronts in the country are found in Southern California, no matter if you might be into idyllic scenery, comfort, or just simply a good time. I happen to be referring to beach locations like Manhattan Beach, Zuma Beach, or Santa Monica State Beach. Manhattan Beach is wonderful for boogie boards and surfing. Malibu is renowned for its fine-looking harbor. Santa Monica State Beach is among the most desired beaches in the Los Angeles region and an ideal beach for the family with a carnival setting on its sizable pier and exceptional gift buying.

If the family unit is into winter sports, California has your powder hankerings taken care of. A location that’s really recommended to most people is Alpine Meadows. It’s got 2,400 picturesque acres, high-speed ski lifts and awesome views of Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is the second-deepest lake in the U.S.. If you happen to be a boarder, make sure you have a look at Bear Mountain near Big Bear, 90 miles east of Los Angeles. But bear in mind, this place is more compatible for quick trips than a total ski resort family vacation. It’s oddly amusing to snowboard at a location which is a reasonably short drive to a sun-drenched beach. An additional great bet, located somewhere between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park, is Bear Valley, a very good family-friendly alpine resort. It features over 100 ski trails and there’s cost-free shuttle buses from the accommodations in the village to the chair lifts, and plenty of ideal areas to wind down or socialize. Whichever slopes you opt for, you will have a breeze in your face, the rush of shredding through powder, and also the peace of pure star-filled nights.

Naturally no family escape would be perfect without a visit to one of California’s renowned attractions. It’s difficult blow it with a destination that’s out there is to ensure that you make merry. California boasts the best roller coasters and shows anywhere. Clearly there is Mickey Mouse HQ it’s true, yet I have a hunch that one is already penned in your itinerary. Nevertheless, you also need to look into Knott’s, which can be a very good stand-in amusement park. Terrific thrill rides and attractions, good cuisine, and not too bad on your finances, this park supplies a whole lot of bang for your buck. Ghost Town, old-fashioned Boardwalk, Fiesta Village, and Snoopy zones offer plenty of different kinds of adventures for children of every age. For people with children who drop by California, you simply are required to head to one of these locations. Just strive to stay away from these resorts at the busier periods, to enable you to have more fun and spend less time standing in lines.

Finally, should you be into backpacking as well as the open air, then alas there are really just too many locations to note at this time. This state offers a variety of beaches, lakes, mountains, forested acres, national parks, and plenty of sunshine, and you can discover it all minus a resort if you want. Panoramic views are everywhere since there are impressive parks and hiking trails just waiting for you. Man made entertainment can be nice, except the grandeur of the outdoors supplies a family closeness life experience that is unique.

In case more detailed information is needed for your California family vacation, or your are just looking for California travel ideas, you should visit California vacations now.

I don’t know if you know this but I have been living in Guatemala for the last year and have been loving it. Since then imy husband and I have done as much as we can to get to know it which means a lot of fun family trips. But this time we didn’t want to go too far so I called some of my Guatemalan friends and for some advice and they had the perfect thing.

They suggested something I had never thought of: A nice picnic in the afternoon in one of Antigua Guatemala’s ruins. It sounded like a great idea so I ended up inviting them to come with us. Then there was the question, which ruins should we visit? That’s because there are around 6 or 7. We ended up picking one called San Jeronimo located on one of Antigua’s corners.

This is how the day went: After a regular Sunday morning we had lunch and I packed up my picnic set and off we went. We got there like 10 minutes after because everything in Antigua is less than15 minutes away in car. We settled up in one of its beautiful gardens and explored the place. This is not a very big monument but it is beautiful. There are lots of gardens and in some places you can still see murals from when it was a school.

My husband, my friends and I had a great time just chilling under a tree’s shadow, enjoying the view of the gardens, eating some snacks and listening to birds that were passing by. On the other hand my son had a blast exploring and climbing everything he saw, he also ran around like crazy. Plus he had a little adventure partner with him that was just as excited to be there. I’m glad to say that even staying close to home this turned out to be a relaxing yet exciting family adventure not so far from home.

These ruins belong to what used to be a catholic school in the early 1700′s and in the late 1700′s it was turned into the Real Aduana. Years later it was destroyed by earthquakes and was never restored because the city movet to where the actual Guatemala City is located. It was until 1990′s when the council for the protection of this colonial city started doing maintenance work to it. Oh, and I almost forgot I heard that this place is also rented for weddings and special events, how cool is that?

Marina K. Villatoro, lives in Central America – Costa Rica and Guatemala for the past decade. She has traveled all over these areas with her family and now she loves to organize vacations to Costa Rica and Guatemala. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip! Check here for free reprint licence: Exploring The Ruins In Antigua Guatemala.