Dec 31st, 2009 at 2:30PM: I never saw myself as a cruise ship sort of traveler until MSC Musica made me a changed woman.
I'm the person who lived for two years in N'Jowara, The Gambia in a room at the back of an empty shop house without running water, window panes or electricity. Until my MSC Musica cruise, my extended boat travel was five days on the Niger River in Mali, first perched on feed sacks in a ramshackle wooden ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
familytravel posts
Cruising the Greek Isles on the MSC Musica: Best trip 2009
Dec 31st, 2009 at 2:30PM: I never saw myself as a cruise ship sort of traveler until MSC Musica made me a changed woman.
I'm the person who lived for two years in N'Jowara, The Gambia in a room at the back of an empty shop house without running water, window panes or electricity. Until my MSC Musica cruise, my extended boat travel was five days on the Niger River in Mali, first perched on feed sacks in a ramshackle wooden ...Rafting the Smith River in Montana: Now is the time to plan
Dec 29th, 2009 at 9:30AM: Rafting the Smith River in Montana requires planning ahead and a permit. Without the permit, you're not going. Obtaining one is simiilar to acquring a permit for a private rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. A lottery system says who goes and when a trip can happen. Not everyone wins.
The application process for 2010 begins in January permits closes the end of February for trips starting mid- ...At Fells Point, Maryland ghosts reside year-round
Dec 21st, 2009 at 3:30PM: Even though it's almost Christmas, and Halloween is long gone, it's not the end of haunted travel. Fells Point, Maryland is one of those towns where ghosts and their stories don't go on vacation until the next season of fright delight. In Fells Point, the ghosts are woven into the town's lore all year long.
Located on the waterfront as a section of Baltimore, Fells Point, founded in 1763, is one ...Gadling gift guide - family travel and kid friendly products
Dec 11th, 2009 at 8:30AM:
Long gone are the days when a kid could be kept entertained with a coloring book and 2 crayons. Of course, part of the higher demands from kids has something to do with the gadgets we adults surround ourselves with.
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In this Gadling gift guide, ...First snow: Eight winter activities for budget friendly fun
Dec 10th, 2009 at 9:30AM: With the first snow comes thoughts of winter's smorgasbord of budget friendly travel options. Fall festivals and foliage tours are long gone. What was missed has been moved to next year's got to go agenda.
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The first snow is a reminder that winter, like ...Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloons: Where to see them inflate and balloon history facts
Nov 25th, 2009 at 4:30PM: Starting this afternoon and on into tonight the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade character balloons will be inflated at Central Park West and Columbus Avenue on 77th and 81st Streets. The public is able to watch the process between 3:00 and 10:00 p.m. From what I've read, arrive closer to the end to get the balloons' full effects.
The balloons, that take trained volunteers to safely maneuver them ...Kid-friendly cruises: A resource to find them
Nov 23rd, 2009 at 11:30AM: One of the best features of the MSC cruise I took with my 17 year-old-daughter and 7-year-old son this summer from Venice to a Greece was the kid's club. It wasn't that I wanted a place to dump my son--we took him on every shore excursion, but when we were on the ship, it gave him a chance to play with other kids and use up energy. He has a lot of energy.
For anyone taking a cruise with a ...Midwest turns Wild West : Bull riding for the whole family
Nov 19th, 2009 at 12:30PM: In northwestern Ohio where the land is flat, flat, flat and family farms dot the landscape in a scene of bucolic sedateness, the Midwest turns wild west on Saturday nights from October through May. Off State Rte 29, between the Indiana border and Celina, a town with a population of 10,000, is Mack Arena, a non-descriptive rectangular building that one might blow right pass without noticing. Only ...Bourbon, beer, wine, and equines in Kentucky's Bluegrass region
Nov 17th, 2009 at 12:00PM:
My desire to take advantage of flight deals and see new places often takes me to destinations I might not have otherwise considered. An $89 round trip flight from Chicago to Louisville, for example, is how I ended up discovering that there's a lot more to Kentucky's Bluegrass region than horses.
Louisville
The Louisville airport is larger than Lexington and receives more daily flights, ...New family friendly blog aims to make travel much easier
Oct 30th, 2009 at 2:00PM: This week, Hilton and their Homewood Suites brand unveiled SuiteTrip.com. The site is filled with family friendly travel tips and advice, and writers come from some of the best family travel sites on the web (you'll notice two familiar names if you regularly read Gadling). Other writers come from The Vacation Gals, Trekaroo and Travel Savvy Mom. For me (as a dad and a writer), it is refreshing to ...Vintage candy making in Maine
Oct 26th, 2009 at 6:00PM: Ever since 1915, Haven's Candies has been making hand-crafted candy in a traditional way, much like the company's founder Herbert Haven and his wife did when they first started making candy in their kitchen. They sold their confections from the parlor of their house on Forest Avenue in Portland, Maine.
Now there are three Haven's Candies locations. The company's flagship candy making facility, ...
Ten tips for choosing the right haunted house
Oct 24th, 2009 at 5:00PM: When picking out a haunted house to go to for Halloween fun with kids, it helps to know your child. Even then, it may not be a guarantee of a good time. When we headed into the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney World a few days before my son's 6th birthday, I envisioned a shriek or two followed by chortles of glee--the mark of a delicious and welcome fright.
After all, his sister loved that ride ...Vintage trains across the U.S. pair autumn days with history
Oct 3rd, 2009 at 10:30AM: A few hours trip on a vintage train in the fall is a chance to experience American history surrounded by color brilliance. As trains pass along the edges of small towns and waterways, under canopies of leafy branches and across mountainsides, passengers are treated to stories of commerce, adventure and natural history.
With the push west, railroads connected one part of the U.S. with another ...Nativo Lodge offers New Mexico State Fair Package
Sep 12th, 2009 at 2:00PM: New Mexico's State Fair kicked off Friday and to celebrate, the Nativo Lodge is offering a special package. For $129 per night, families of up to four people will receive accommodations (with one king or two double beds), daily breakfast, four one-day passes to the Fair, and one parking pass.
The Nativo Lodge offers spacious rooms decorated with Native American touches. The property features a ...Travel Read: The 10 Best of Everything for Families
Aug 26th, 2009 at 9:30AM: With summer coming to a close, don't despair. Use Labor Day's respite from work as a time to set your sights on future travel. Pouring over the pages of National Geographic's 10 Best of Everything for Families by Susan H. Magsamen is an eye-candy path to an ideas bonanza. Having future travel goals can help one feel better about being back to work or school.
When I leafed through this book, it ...Drag out summer after Labor Day: 12 ideas
Aug 25th, 2009 at 10:30AM: So what if it's almost the end of August, kids are heading back to school in droves, and Labor Day is almost here?
There are ways to drag out that summer feeling with easy-going, inexpensive travel. Pick places that you haven't been to before to heighten a sense of adventure -- something that summers are made for.
Here are 12 ideas to get you started into dragging out summer--at least until the ...Michigan travel: Great destinations for a good cause
Aug 5th, 2009 at 11:30AM: With Michigan's economic news sounding about as grim as economic news can sound, Sarah Aldrich has written an ode to seven of Michigan's small towns. Her recent post at Intelligent Travel captures the essence of each of the towns she adores. Reading Adrich's missive reminded me of various friends of mine who have vacationed on Michigan's shores. Everyone of them came back with stories about a ...Ohio State Fair just got cheaper
Jul 31st, 2009 at 12:35PM: If you're looking for travel deals, try a state fair. If any state fair is like Ohio's, it's looking for ways to entice people to come by offering discounts and deals, particularly on food.
According to this Toledo Blade article, the "staycation" folks are the ones the Ohio State Fair is courting. As a result, this particular fair is a coupon clipper's dream. Many coupons found on the fair's ...Take your family to the Millennium Broadway Hotel
Jul 31st, 2009 at 12:00PM: The Millennium Broadway Hotel is located right in Times Square, in the midst of the hustle and bustle, the giant cartoonish structures, and the center of the Broadway theater scene. If you want to take your kids to New York City and stay right in the heart of the entertainment, Millennium Broadway has a darn good deal for you. The "MB Loves Times Square" package starts at just $199 (pre ...Best vacation day: Slide Rock
Jul 28th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Friends of mine recently returned from a trip to Arizona with news of a hands-down favorite day that pleased the whole family. Slide Rock State Park near Sedona made the parents, a 16-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl happy at exactly the same time. Amazing. For anyone who has traveled with an age range of children of both sexes, an activity that fits everyone's desires and ...
