camping

Posts Tagged ‘camping’

The Travel Mama’s World Tour of the Web

Friday, September 16th, 2011

While web-surfing the other day I stumbled across something particularly funny or interesting or useful – I can’t remember what it was – but it was GOOD. And I thought, “Man, that’s good. I want other people to see it.” I thought about tweeting about it from @TravelMamas (and may have done just that) or posting a link to it from the Travel Mamas Facebook page. But then I got an even better idea…why not share my favorite web stories and videos with YOU, right HERE on Travel Mamas?!

Now, this isn’t a unique idea by any stretch. Other bloggers have been doing something similar on their sites for awhile, like Matt Long with his Landlopers Picks of the Week and Stephanie Schaeffer with her Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web. But it’s a good idea, and one I plan to copy. Starting now.

World Tour of the Web

Some of these things just got posted this week, but others have been around for awhile and I just happened to find them recently. In any case, here are my favorite stories for the first week of the The Travel Mama’s World Tour of the Web:

Q&A: TSA’s New Kid-Friendly Checkpoints – Overhead Bin
There’s been much excitement about children being subjected to less security pat-downs at the airport with the new TSA kid-friendly checkpoints. According to this article, however, it looks like kids under age 13 will just not need to remove their shoes. While this will make the lines flow smoother for parents and other travelers, if my kid is required to go through the ‘naked’ or ‘scatter’ scanners, I’m still insisting on a pat-down until the new technology is proven to be safe. Just last month I tried to take a photo of my 6-year-old getting a pat-down after I refused to let her go through the scatter scanner but the TSA told me I was not allowed to take any pictures. According to Christopher Elliott of Elliott.org, though, I should have been allowed to snap pics as long as I wasn’t disrupting official TSA business. The bigger news might be that the ‘Naked’ Scanners May Soon Be on the Way Out.

Roseanne Sings the National Anthem…Again! – Roseanne’s Nuts, on YouTube
This video clip brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. Remember when Roseanne Barr sang the national anthem years ago and she did such a terrible job that it tanked her career, inspired death threats, and incited President Bush to call her a disgrace? Well, she recently sang the national anthem again. This time she sang the song before a women’s college softball game in Hawaii and she did a very good job. It took an incredible amount of courage for her to overcome her fears of bungling the song again but she did it. What an inspiration!

Meal Day Plan for 5 Day Camping Trip – Family Trek
Now, I don’t know if I’ll ever be up for such a long family camping trip (probably not, two or three days would likely be my limit), but I dig this camping menu with its appealing dishes and easy-to-follow instructions. I asked Family Trek on Twitter how they kept the perishables safe and they said, “Coleman cooler that keeps ice for 5 days @ 90 degrees. That’s how it’s billed. Not 100% true but it did the job.”

Astrophysicist Shows Why it Takes So Long to Board a Plane - WBEZ91.5
A Fermilab physicist ran experiments with actual humans and an actual airplane to determine the best way to cut boarding time. Guess what? The airlines have been doing it all wrong.

Hoop Dee Doo Revue…Review! – The Disney Food Blog
I have wanted to go to the popular Walt Disney World character meal, the Hoop Dee Doo Revue, ever since I planned an elaborate WDW trip a few years ago. To get amped for the trip I purchased an old-school (2005) Disney DVD, Sing-A-Long Songs Campout at Walt Disney World, which includes clips from the Hoop Dee Doo Revue. My family wound up staying at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort instead of at our original choice, the Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, where this musical ho-down/barbecue takes place. So we never did make it to the Hoop Dee Doo. However, my kids (and yes, the hubs and I, too), love watching this video together. We even get up and dance during the square dance scene. This review confirms the Revue’s spot on my family’s Disney to-do list.

10 Beauty Products for Under $10 - Savvy Sassy Moms
This beauty product list has nothing to do with traveling, or even parenting, but mamas like to look good too! Plus, I’m always looking for a good deal so I’ll have more money to travel with!

What’s the juiciest story you found on the web this week? Please share in the comments below!

Photo by DuBoix, Creative Commons 3.0

5 Safety Tips for Camping with Kids

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Camping is a great family activity, but exposing kids to the outdoors can incur unnecessary safety risks. As a parent, you are responsible for teaching your children not only about the wonders of nature, but also about its hidden dangers. Anything could happen while in the wild, so here are five camping precautions to stay safe when camping with children.

Camping with Kids

Wear the right clothes.
Temperatures rise and there is no thermostat to regulate the outdoors. The only way to cope with the constant weather changes is to protect your kids with the proper clothes. Dressing in layers keeps children warm, while letting them peel off the outer layers when they feel hot. Also, bring lightweight jackets, hats, and caps in case it rains as well as hiking boots for rough terrain.

Always drink purified water.
Bring bottled water for you and your children. You never know what you could get from drinking water with contaminants. Common camper’s illnesses like diarrhea, stomachaches, and bloating come from drinking unclean H2O. Since bottled water can be difficult to carry, so consider packing iodine tablets instead. They dissolve quickly into the water and kill parasites, bacteria, and other contaminants.

Pack all your food.
While foraging for berries “survivor style” looks like something your tyke would want to try, it’s not really in his best interest. Wild berries are best left for bears. Bring all of your food with you, even if you are planning to camp for a week. Trail mix, granola bars, fruits, and breads are portable enough to carry to the campsite without being too much of a bother. And they are nutritious enough to keep you and the kids well fed and healthy during the camping trip.

Beware of poisonous plants and insects.
While you can apply topical treatments to cure insect bites, you can’t do much about poison oak, ivy, and sumac except to tell your kids not to go near any of these plants. Even before you get the tent and the sleeping bags ready, show your children photos of poisonous plants that you may encounter during the trip and tell them not to touch anything that looks like the items in the pictures. Insects, on the other hand, can be kept away with citronella-based repellents applied to your child’s skin. If all else fails and your kid contracts an insect bite allergy (noted by hives, swelling, and in severe cases, difficulty breathing) an antihistamine can help while you rush to the nearest hospital.

Teach children how to react to emergencies.
Whether we like it or not, children may get lost or eat a poisonous berry. When crunch time comes, you have to be ready to deal with health issues; in addition, your child has to know how to let you know they are in danger. Hang a whistle on a chain around his neck. Teach your child, when in danger, to whistle three times. This is the universal call for help. But tell him it is only for emergencies in order to prevent unnecessary alarm.

Belle writes for NDParks.com, where you can read reviews on state parks camping as well as about her family camping gear list.

What’s the biggest family camping fiasco you’ve ever experienced? Let us know in the comments below!

How to Camp with Kids

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Many parents, like myself, have romanticized memories of great family camping adventures in our own childhoods, but that was a long time ago and the little details about what made those trips so fun, escapes us now. If you are one of the millions of moms or dads who is considering a family camping vacation this spring or summer, one of the issues you might be curious about is how to make camping fun and interesting to your kids.

Fortunately, these worries are more about our own insecurities and less about our children’s ability to enjoy being outdoors, as a family. Kids love the outdoors – maybe in a different way than us adults, but it’s still a genuine and honest love. One of my childhood memories is the first time I saw a banana slug in one of the redwood forests. The great, majestic old trees were of little interest to me, but those huge yellow slugs were like aliens from another planet!

My kids were just as excited as I was, at their age, when they spotted this banana slug in Oregon’s Coast Range mountains

Memories like this, from my childhood, help me to slow down and let my kids exercise their own curiosities when we are camping. If they want to stop and skip rocks across a stream, or poke a mud puddle with a stick for twenty minutes, well, our hike to the falls or the rock formation might just have to wait.

Where to Go Camping
When we, as parents, think about camping, we usually have grand visions of the great parks like Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, or the Great Smoky Mountains. These are certainly awe-inspiring destinations, but your kids will probably be just as happy in your local county or state park and they will be even happier with less time spent in the car and more time spent at the campsite.

If you are new to camping, you might be surprised to find out that your city or county may manage campgrounds. These are usually great places to take the family camping, because many other people don’t know about them, either. This makes it much easier to reserve a campsite during the busy summer months, when more popular destinations are already full. You can find out if your city or county offers campgrounds by visiting the parks and recreation section of their website.

A tent site in one of California’s many state beach campgrounds

State parks are also great family camping destinations. Many of these parks are located near outdoor recreational attractions, such as lakes, which can provide your family with additional opportunities for fun and adventure. Many state parks also offer entertainment attractions, such as music and Junior Ranger programs, throughout the summer months. You can find out more about the state parks in your area by searching on your state’s name, along with the keywords ‘state parks’.

Gear You Will Need
If you are new to camping, the last thing that you want to do is to run out and spend a lot of money on camping gear. One of the benefits of family camping during these tough economic times is that it is an inexpensive vacation. Also, if you do not have a lot of experience camping as a family it is difficult to figure out exactly what kind of gear will work best for you.

A much better alternative, and one that is offered by many reputable outdoor gear stores throughout the country, is renting your camping gear. Renting gear not only makes sense from a budgetary standpoint, it’s also a great way to tryout different types of gear before you invest in purchasing for the long term.

You will need a tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads and a camping stove. It makes sense to purchase gear that you can also use for other family activities, such as an ice chest and camping chairs. When renting gear, plan to practice setting up the tent and trying out the stove at home – both to ensure you understand how everything goes together, and to check that none of the parts are missing.

Things to Do
Hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, or roasting marshmallows around the campfire – there are a lot of fun family activities that you can look forward to, on your family camping vacation. The campground’s web page will give you some specific ideas, based on the specific activities available. They will also provide a calendar of family events, like Junior Ranger programs, if available.

Card games are an easy and fun picnic table activity

When camping with kids you can never have too many games, for those down times when everyone is relaxing at the campsite. Our kids love to play Uno® and those memory card-matching games, which are easy to pack and can be played on a picnic table. Soccer balls, Frisbees® and an inexpensive horseshoe set or ring-toss game can also keep the kids busy, around the campsite.

‘F’ is for ferns!

Venturing away from the campground usually means hiking, which can sometimes be challenging with kids. One way to add interest to a hike is to make a game out of it. Start with the letter ‘A’ and challenge your kids to spot something that begins with that letter. After they see something, go to the next letter, and so on. The alphabet scavenger hunt is also a great way to fill up a family camping scrapbook, if you take a picture of each object that your kids discover. Plan on lots of breaks and bring along plenty of trail snacks and drinks.

Have Fun
Camping with kids can be as much fun for the parents, as it is for the kids. There are few things more satisfying than watching your kids explore and experience nature. This is where memories are made; catching their first fish, seeing their first wild animals, learning to skip a rock across the water – the things they’ll brag to all their friends about, when they get back to school.

Roy Scribner helps parents experience the great outdoors with their kids at CampingBlogger.net. He is a Travel Daddy to three children, ranging in ages from five to nine. You can follow him on Twitter at @campingblogger.

Do you have any camping with kids questions or a favorite camping location/activity you’d like to share? Please leave a comment below!

For more information on this topic see:

• Camping & Outdoor Pursuits

• Roar & Snore Campout the San Diego Wild Animal Park

• The Travel Mama’s Top 3 Hidden Gem Destinations

****

Tags: camping, fishing, games, hiking, marshmallows, swimming
Posted in Family Vacations, Travel Tips | 7 Comments »

Roar & Snore Campout at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

I’ll be honest with you. I wanted to attend the Roar & Snore sleepover at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (formerly the San Diego Wild Animal Park) because I was looking for an easy way to go camping with my daughter, not because either of us had a hankering to sleep near lions or attend hands-on encounters with animals. I had been toying with the idea of escaping suburban life for a camping getaway to reconnect with nature but I was daunted by the prospect. I don’t own any camping gear or know how to pitch a tent. I didn’t want to plan a camping menu and pack all of the food and other necessities we’d need. This program seemed like a manageable and unique way to experience camping with a child.

Campers sleeping near the lion enclosure may wake to the roaring of these huge cats in the morning

As members, my family has spent a tremendous amount of time at both the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and its sister location, the San Diego Zoo. The camping tents on a hill near the lions at the Safari Park piqued my curiosity during one visit. I learned the tents house Roar & Snore sleepovers. Participants are outfitted with a pre-assembled tent, sleeping pads, and camp chairs. Pricing includes all snacks, meals, activities, and crafts. For an extra charge, beds, wood floors, and electricity are available in the fancier Premium tents, but that seemed too posh to count as camping to me.

I suggested attending a Roar & Snore to my four-year-old daughter, Karissa. She was familiar with the idea of camping from bedtime stories like Curious George Goes Camping and Just Me and My Dad, about Little Critter’s father-son camping adventure. With my daughter’s enthusiastic approval, I signed up!

My daughter, Karissa (age four), in our tent

Settling In
Since I was leaving my husband and baby boy at home, I invited my friend, Vessa, and her son, Tanner (age four), to join us. The four of us checked-in during the late afternoon. We made our way to our assigned tents to explore our temporary digs. Each family got its own tent cabin, which slept up to four. Karissa and I had plenty of room to spread out, with our friends housed just next door. We unrolled our sleeping bags (purchased especially for this excursion) and donned the blue Roar & Snore t-shirts provided as part of the package.

Tanner Phillips (age four) peeking out of a Roar & Snore tent

Evening Activities
Due to our late start, we had to rush a bit to attend the first of several animal encounters. A zoo employee brought out an animal, like a great horned owl or a spring haas (a rodent that looks like a cross between a rabbit and a kangaroo). Then she discussed it at length before allowing everyone to get an up-close look and maybe even pet it.

At dinnertime, we were served a buffet of hot dogs, chicken, hamburgers (and veggie burgers for vegetarians), macaroni and cheese, baked beans, and an ice berg lettuce salad with fruit punch or water to drink.

Afterwards, it was time for a craft activity. Kids were given paper grocery bags cut into wearable vests to decorate with colorful paints. While the creations were hung to dry, the children ran wild, self-directing themselves to crawl, hop, and growl like animals.

Next, zoo employees led small groups on walking tours, giving campers a behind-the-scenes peek at animals like tigers, elephants, cheetahs, and lions.

A fellow camper, Jameson Cooper (age nine), carrying his wayward little brother Colston (age two) back to the barbecue

Nighttime Fun
After the animal walks, we reassembled to enjoy s’mores, popcorn, and hot cocoa or coffee. There were also grown-up beverages available for purchase. Vessa and I each enjoyed a cup of wine to take the edge off the whining that surrounded us. Most of the children were in the midst of major meltdowns by now because it was already later than 8:00 pm, past most of their bedtimes.

After the sun descended, it was campfire time. From the jubilant looks of it, this was the highlight of the event for most of the kids! The children donned their painted paper vests and paraded around a giant fire pit. Zoo workers stood guard around the fire for safety’s sake. Upbeat music played while the children were instructed to act like monkeys, elephants, snakes and more. They hopped, slithered, tooted, and growled in joyous, cacophonous circles.

Campers hanging out by their tents (Photo courtesy of San Diego Safari Park)

Time to Snore
Finally, it was bedtime. We got into our jammies and lined up to use the group bathrooms to ready for bed. Showers were available and some folks even used those. Toys, besides a favorite lovey, were not allowed but we did bring some children’s books to read. Karissa and Tanner took turns traipsing back and forth between the tents to say goodnight over and again. An orchestra of chirping crickets and croaking frogs lulled Karissa and me to sleep around 10:30 pm – after very long night for a little kid (and her mama!).

Here Comes the Sun
Around 4:00 am, we woke to the loopy calls of crazy birds. Karissa complained that it was too loud, but I convinced her to sleep some more. It felt as if we were at the center of a rock concert performed by nature’s creatures. Some participants with tents closest to the lions’ enclosure said they heard the sounds of lions roaring as the sun came up. Alas, we did not.

The first official wake-up call sounded at 6:00 am and breakfast was served an hour later. The breakfast buffet consisted of pancakes, sausages (and veggie sausages), scrambled eggs, and various breakfast beverages. Beware that coffee was served from the same large container as was fruit punch the night before. My daughter thought she was getting a cup of punch but instead burned her fingers with hot coffee.

After breakfast, we took part in more animal encounters and went on more walks to learn about animals. It was all very educational and the Safari Park staff went of their way to make sure we all got our money’s worth, but it proved to be too much for the kids in our party. After such a late night the evening prior, both Karissa and Tanner splayed out during one of the presentations and dozed off.

A San Diego Safari Park’s education department representative, Laurie Haven, showing a baby python to a group of fearless children

Summary
Did it satisfy my camping craving? Somewhat. Everyone enjoyed seeing the animals up-close and learning from the expert zookeepers, but I was seeking to connect with nature and with my daughter. Therefore, the high points of the sleepover for me were quiet moments away from all of the program’s activities, like pointing out the sparkling stars in the fiercely black sky to Karissa, and lying side-by-side in the tent with her as we listened to the rowdy sounds of nature’s nighttime chorus.

Would I recommend the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Roar & Snore to other families? Absolutely! It is a one-of-a-kind experience that you and your child will always remember. A year later, Karissa still talks about her “camping trip” with her mama. Whenever we go the Safari Park she asks if we can sleep in the tents again, this time with her daddy and brother, Leo, too. I tell her yes, we can, just not until Leo is at least age six. Although children of all ages (including babies!) can attend, I suggest attending with older children who have the attention span and stamina for the jam-packed schedule.

Do you have any questions, tips, or stories about the San Diego Safari Park’s Roar & Snore sleepovers? Please leave a comment below!

For more information on this topic see:

• Camping & Outdoor Pursuits

• San Diego’s Birch Aquarium: A Worthwhile Alternative to SeaWorld

• San Diego Zoo’s Best Beasts, Eats, and Treats

• The Travel Mama’s Top 3 Hidden Gem Destinations

Disclosure: The San Diego Wild Animal Park provided free Roar & Snore passes to my daughter and me. We paid for our own entrance to the park using our San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park annual membership passes.

****

Tags: camping, safari park, San Diego, Wild Animal Park, zoo
Posted in Family Vacations, Hotel Reviews | 9 Comments »

The Travel Mama’s Top 3 Hidden Gem Destinations

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

Travel bloggers are sharing their three favorite travel secrets in a game of Tripbase Blog Tag. The goal is to eventually compile an amazing list of recommended destinations. I am honored to have been nominated to participate by my friend and fellow travel blogger, Amy at The Q Family Adventure Blogs.

Shhh…here are my favorite hidden gem destinations…

Lerici, Italy

Lerici’s harbor

I discovered lovely little Lerici during a Disney Mediterranean Cruise in 2007. Our ship docked at La Spezia, from which most cruisers bus a couple of hours inland to Florence for its renaissance art or to Pisa for its leaning tower. Since we had just tackled Rome in a day, and because my husband and I were traveling with our then two-year-old daughter, Karissa, we avoided the long drive to these popular destinations and instead opted to take a short boat ride to lesser-known Lerici.

Picture-perfect cappuccinos in Lerici

The boat ride to Lerici afforded gorgeous shoreline views of Cinque Terre and Portovenere in the distance. We pulled into Lerici’s darling little harbor with its battalion of toy boats bobbing in the water and a castle perched on a hill overlooking the town. The rain sprinkling from an overcast sky provided the perfect excuse to duck into a café for cappuccinos. When the rain let up, we wandered the quaint cobblestone hillside streets, winding in and out of offbeat Italian clothiers and antique stores.

A tiny park in Lerici

We stopped in what may be the world’s smallest park to let our toddler run free for a bit before resuming our uncharted discovery of the town. We rewarded Karissa for good behavior with a spin on the town’s unassuming carousel before loading up on more cappuccinos and taking another boat to La Spezia for lunch. We could have found our way to the castle, I suppose. But, really, a visit to Lerici is not about seeing sites. It is about walking to where the road leads you and taking a new path as it appears. It is about enjoying the world as it unfolds before you.

Montpellier, France

Montpellier’s main square, La Place de la Comedie

Whenever I tell someone I lived in France during my junior year of college, they assume I lived in Paris. No, mes amis, I lived in Montpellier in the Languedoc region of Southern France. The lan-gue-what?! Not many Americans make a point to visit Languedoc – a region perhaps best known as being the worst for growing wine in all of France.

That’s me in front of the fountain, Les Trois Graces
(The Three Graces), during a return trip to Montpellier in 2004

But here’s what the French know. They know Montpellier is a cosmopolitan town filled with universities to which students from around the world flock. They know Montpellier’s very walk-able downtown is filled with shops with the latest fashions. They know the town’s large center square, La Place de la Comedie, is one of the prettiest you’ll find in all of Europe. The square is surrounced by cafes perfect for people-watching and is flanked by a gorgeous opera house at one end and the tree-lined Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, at the other. In the summer, the beaches just outside of town are filled with French and foreign tourists seeking sun and sand at a more affordable price than what can be found to the East along the French Riviera.

The modern architecture of Montpellier’s Antigone District

If you want art and monuments, go to Paris. If you want history, head to Normandy. For castles, the Loire Valley. For wine, Burgundy or Champagne. Skiing, Grenoble. Posh beaches, Cannes. But if you want to visit a French city with a youthful vibe and an international flair, where old world tradition and architecture collide with modern day…you must go to Montpellier.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), Minnesota

A misty morning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) is over 1,000 lakes in a million acres of wilderness located in Northern Minnesota. Motorized boats are not allowed. There are no hotels or indoor plumbing. This is what you do. Get a permit and choose a point of entry. Follow tiny squiggly lines on a map, trying to decipher if that clump of rocks ahead is the island in the picture. Paddle all day long in your canoe, stopping for a lunch of PB&J if you must, or fresh walleye if you’re lucky. Portage from one lake to another, carrying a forty-five pound pack on your back and a canoe on your head, back and forth over land and around un-passable rapids.

A mama moose and her calf in the Boundary Waters

I have seen a wealth of wildlife the few times I have visited the BWCA with my dad. I spied on a mama moose with her calf wading through the water, pausing to take sips from the lake. I paddled past a family of playful otters that popped their heads up and peered at us, as if to say, “Whatcha doin?!” I braved a shower of fluorescent green frogs leaping from mucky black mud and into my canoe. (Have I mentioned that I have a phobia of frogs?) I witnessed a bald eagle soaring above my head, pausing to listen to the “swoosh…swoosh” of wind whipping through its wings. I have seen snakes, mice, bunnies, squirrels, and birds of all kinds. My brother and my dad even had a showdown with a bear once, but that is their story and I’ll leave it for them to tell.

Minnesota’s State Bird, the Common Loon, on one of the many lakes in the BWCA

I have heard the haunting call of loons, which sounds like a cross between a wolf’s howl and a wind flute. It is at once the loneliest and the most beautiful sound in the world. Instead of having hollow bones like most birds, these prehistoric creatures have solid bones. This extra weight restricts their habitat to the large lakes of the North, where I have watched these magnificent black and white speckled birds take off from the water, flapping their wings furiously until their bodies began to slowly rise and skim the water, and finally they soared through the air.

Camping here takes planning. And the right gear (which, if you’re like me, and you don’t camp much, you can rent from an outfitter). And more planning. And some skills – like how to pitch a tent and how to hang up your food pack at night so you don’t attract bears. I have neither of these skills, but I can follow directions like a champ. I suppose I could go car-camping sometime. I could probably manage that. But after camping in the Boundary Waters, it would seem like cheating.

A typical Boundary Waters scene

For me, wilderness does not have cars or electricity or, for the most part, other humans. Camping means miles and miles of still water, trimmed by prickly triangles of pine, jutting up into the sky and back down again into the water’s reflection. It smells like emerald green, mixed with the sweet scent of crisp leaves slowly turning soft and sinking back into the earth. It’s a nighttime so black that the bright twinkling of stars in the sky are literally all that can be seen. There is no noise beyond the gentle lapping of water, the buzz of mosquitoes wishing they could enter your tent, and the footsteps of some woodland creature padding past your campsite, all punctuated by the sweet melancholy sound of loons calling out to each other, looking for reassurance that they are not alone.

You can download free TripBase Travel Secrets eBooks packed with hidden gems and travel tips like these from me and other travel writers. My story about Lerici can be found in the Italy Travel eBook (as an EDITORS PICK!), my story about Montpellier, France is in the WorldWide Travel eBook, and the story about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota is featured in the United States Travel eBook (as an EDITORS PICK!). TripBase will donate $1 for every eBook downloaded to CHARITY: WATER to provide clean drinking water to those in developing countries. Plus, the eBooks are FREE! So…what are you waiting for? Download now and make a difference!

What are your favorite secret travel destinations? Have you visited any of my favorite hidden gem locations? Please leave a comment below!

Here are my nominations for five fabulous bloggers to join in fun and share their travel secrets:

• Meryl Pearlstein, creator of Travel & Food Notes and Fodor’s New York author, who writes for Gayot.com and has written for New York Magazine and the Boston Herald.
• The Vogel Family, authors of A Wayward Journey, a blog about the adventures of a family of four as they peddle their way around the world on bicycles.
• Andrea Fellman, creator of Savvy Sassy Moms, a site that offers tips on travel, navigating motherhood, and more.
• Glennia Campbell, whose blog, The Silent I, is about family travel adventures, both foreign and domestic.
• Lisa Bergren of The World is Calling, a blog that chronicles the travels of the Bergren family.

For more information on this topic see:

• Camping & Outdoor Pursuits

• How to Travel Like a Local

• Learn Travel Secrets & Help Those in Need Get Clean Drinking Water…for Free!

• Top 10 Most Popular Travel Mamas Blog Posts – Year One

Tags: Boundary Waters Canoe Area, camping, carousel, castle, France, Italy, Lerici, Minnesota, Montpellier
Posted in Family Vacations, Grown-Up Getaways | 10 Comments »