Tag Archives: trip

Single Parent Travel: Camps Designed for Single Parents

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In a previous post, I talked about planning a vacation as a single parent. This post discusses some of the many places that offer vacations that have been designed for single parents and their children. Rocking Horse Ranch Resort Rocking Horse Ranch Resort is located in Highland, New York, about 90 minutes north of New York City. The 2010 weekend-long single parent camp takes place during mid-November, and starts at $615 (the cost of one adult and one child). The cost includes amenities and activities, including horseback riding, swimming, childcare, hayrides, talent shows, line dancing, bonfires, fitness center, and more. … Continue reading →

Single Parent Travel: Planning a Vacation on a Budget

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So you want to take a vacation with just you and your kid(s)? The first question you need to ask yourself is where you will go. Do you want to visit the beach? A major historical attraction? A city? Are in interested in going on a trip that is just for single parents? Will you be traveling near or far? If you’re like me, a major factor in deciding where you will vacation is dependent upon your budget. As single parents, we often do not have a lot of “extra” money for things like vacations to exotic locations. We are … Continue reading →

A Guilt-Free Vacation

Vacation guilt. For most of us indulging in that extra slice of cheesecake on our Caribbean cruise or neglecting to slather enough sunscreen on our children would be examples of vacation guilt. But for others, spending a week of vacation sipping tropical libations while lying on powder soft sand on an island in the Pacific instead of building homes for those less fortunate is what truly constitutes as vacation guilt. If you fall into the aforementioned altruistic category you may be thrilled to hear that you are in good company. In fact, you are in the company of so many … Continue reading →

“Mancations”

Travel agencies are full of brochures touting “girlfriend getaways” (you know, another name for an overdue trip to a spa with your best gal pals… or a chance to hit a few outlet malls with them), but rarely do you hear about “mancations” or a special vacation aimed totally at guys. Calm down ladies, I know what you are thinking… a mancation—isn’t that what your better half gets every Sunday when he plops in front of the television for a football-a-thon, leaving you to cook, clean and tend to the kids yourself—yes, well, we’ll leave those frustrations for another blog. … Continue reading →

A Family Ski Vacation–Already?

Nearly two feet of snow fell in Buffalo, New York this week (although some of it is melting) and our neighbors to the north (in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula) got blasted with blizzard-like conditions (more than a foot of snow coupled with wind gusts of 40 miles per hour) I guess it means it’s time… to break out the skis. I’m kidding. Well, half-kidding anyway. The majority of the United States is still experiencing fall-like conditions (we are only in the early stages of autumn after all), but the recent snowfall and bone-chilling temperatures (we had wind chills in the teens … Continue reading →

Family Travel: Fishing…A Chance To Catch More Than Just Dinner

Have you seen the weather report? Record-breaking temperatures are blanketing the southern part of the United States… and they have been creeping up to my neck of the woods (Upper Midwest). Yesterday we had highs in the 80s, which is virtually unheard of in October (typically, were gearing up for our first snowfall in October). To celebrate, we “playgroup moms” (moms from my daughter’s playgroup) decided to take advantage of the beautiful (and rare) weather. I don’t know how it happened, but we ended up taking the kids to a local fishing hole (it’s an old quarry that the local … Continue reading →

Sharing The Road With The Nations Worst Drivers

Despite the record-breaking gas prices, many families still plan to take to the highways this summer. If your summer road trip includes driving to the Northeast portion of the U.S.–beware. According to a new study, that’s where you will find some of the country’s worst drivers. Recently, GMAC Insurance administered a test – “similar to a traditional licensing test at the local DMV.” The written test measured basic knowledge of traffic laws and safety. Of the more than 5,000 drivers tested, “nearly 10% were unable to answer enough questions correctly to achieve a passing score of 70.” Test results showed … Continue reading →

Birthright Israel

For young Jewish adults between the ages of 18 to 26, the organization of Birthright Israel gives them the opportunity to visit Israel for free. The program is considered a combined gift from the local Jewish Federations and communities throughout the United Jewish Communities, Keren Hayesod and The Jewish Agency for Israel. What is the big deal about going to Israel? Because Judaism is such a historic culture, thousands of people visit each year. Many who visits decide to stay and make aliyah (to become an official Israeli citizen). Birthright is a 10 day program allowing individuals to explore Israel … Continue reading →

Wedding Travel Programs

I’m sure you are familiar with the special discounts hotels offer guests traveling to out-of-town weddings. Couples block off a certain number of rooms and their guests typically receive a 10% discount. Now the airlines are taking the concept and “flying” with it. American Airlines claims that they were the first airline to create a wedding fare discount. The company’s “Wedding Event Travel” program attempts to attract wedding guests to fly American to the destination of the celebration. The program offers discounts of up to 5% off American’s fares when ten or more passengers travel to a “wedding celebration, after-wedding … Continue reading →

“Leave Your Car at Home Day”

Today our city is celebrating, “Leave Your Car at Home Day.” With gas prices hitting record highs (some stations in our state have passed the $3 mark), this effort is not going unnoticed. The bus is offering free rides and others are bicycling or even inline skating around town. There is no question about it… the price of fuel is having an effect on just about everyone’s travel plans. According to AAA, nationwide the average price for a gallon of gas is $2.80. It’s one of the reasons I have seen (and I’m sure if you look around your city, … Continue reading →