RSSJan|30|2008
The Secrets to Wonderful Family Vacations
Posted by Noemi as Family, Tips
Has this ever happened to you? You spend a lot of time and effort planning for the perfect vacation for your family. You spend a considerable amount of money. You might even shed some blood and tears. (Ok, now, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit.) When the time finally arrives and you get to your destination, everything does not seem to meet your expectations. You end up getting disappointed and the mood permeates the whole vacation. I certainly hope that you have never had this experience but sad to say, many people have. So how do you avoid this? How can you have a wonderful time with family? Here are some secrets to the best family vacations.
Take a trip down memory lane
Travel back in time with the whole family. If you have …
Jan|26|2008
Why Do You Take Vacations? (Part 2)
Posted by Noemi as Family
In the last post, we focused on the health benefits of taking vacations – both physically and mentally. Here are some more reasons that I think taking vacations are beneficial to everyone in the family.
Vacations provide the opportunity for play and fun
You may be thinking, “You think?” Yeah, I know it is pretty obvious but think about it, sometimes, the obvious is not that obvious to us. Swamped with the mundane tasks of our everyday lives, sometimes the humorous and the fun sides of life tend to be overwhelmed. This is particularly true for those parents who work really hard and children who are pressured to do well in school. Haven’t you noticed that when on vacation, everyone tends to be more lighthearted and thus more open to fun and playfulness? I have noticed this …
Jan|24|2008
Why Do You Take Vacations?
Posted by Noemi as Family, Travelogger
Family vacations are a must – I think we all would agree on that. Yet have you ever stopped to think about why families should go on vacation together? Are there really sound reasons behind going on trips as a family or have we merely gotten used to the idea of doing so? I was thinking about this yesterday and I wrote down some notes on why I think family vacations are important. Here they are.
Family vacations are good for the health
I am talking about both physical and emotional health here. We all know that our daily lives are permeated by stress. This is especially true for the parents who have to juggle all sorts of responsibilities day in and day out. Now this stress does not remain solely with the …
Jan|22|2008
How to Save on a Skiing Trip
Posted by Noemi as Destinations, Family, Resorts, Tips
It’s that time of the year again – thick snows make it the perfect time to take the whole family skiing. If your family is the skiing kind, you know very well that a skiing trip can cost you an arm and a leg. This is even truer if your family is composed of 4 or more people. Yet that does not have to be the case all the time. I ran across a blog entry in Away.com which gives families tips on how to save on a ski trip. You might want to check it out here. Here are some of the tips that I thought would be worth sharing with you.
Pay only for the essentials
The prices for ski resorts skyrocket because of additional perks that they offer. If you are not going …
Jan|21|2008
Learning on Vacation (Part 2)
Posted by Noemi as Arts & Culture, Eco-Friendly, Family
Does the idea of learning while on vacation appeal to you? Maybe not – that is, if you are thinking in terms of traditional classroom education. Yet as I mentioned in my last post, most every vacation can be a learning experience for anyone, as long as you keep an open mind.
The second kind of learning on vacation that I mentioned in the last post is more for families with children. I am talking about homeschooling. Just because you have children does not mean that you cannot follow your dreams and travel for extended periods of time. This is when homeschooling comes in handy. You can take your kids with you for months on an end and still keep them up to date when it comes to their schooling. This would even be …
Jan|15|2008
Learning on Vacation
Posted by Noemi as Arts & Culture, Family
Yes, going on vacation usually means getting away from it all but who ever said that going on vacation means you cannot go on learning? As a matter of fact, going on a vacation can be an educational experience – both for the parents and the children. This idea is actually starting to become popular and more and more people are considering vacations as a way to enhance themselves and learn more about the world, life, and themselves as well!
Generally speaking, there are four types of learning while on vacation. They are as follow:
-Informal learning
-Homeschooling
-Escorted tours
-Classroom vacations.
This post is the first in a mini-series that will be tackling the concept of education vacations. Who knows? Your next family vacation could actually be a learning experience for everyone!
Informal learning
I would say that this is the most popular way of learning …
Jan|10|2008
Preparing for a Do-Good Vacation
Posted by Noemi as Adventure, Family
Going on a volunteer vacation is something different. It certainly is far from the typical luxurious vacation that many of you may be used to. As such, it is no simple matter to just decide that you want to take your family on one. Before you make the decision, here are some things that you should consider in order to prepare for a volunteer vacation.
Make sure the whole family is into it.
This is perhaps one of the most important – if not the most important – steps. As parents, you could merely “force” everyone into the idea. However, that could defeat the whole purpose of the trip. It would be better to explain to everyone the rationale behind it and then reach a consensus.
Do research on your destination.
Just like with most any other vacation, …
Jan|08|2008
Doing Good While On Vacation
Posted by Noemi as Announcements, Around The World, Arts & Culture, Eco-Friendly, Family
Why do we go on vacation? If you are anything like me, the primary reason is to enjoy myself and to have a change from my daily life. I suppose that this is the main reason for most people to go on trips, yet have you heard of family volunteer vacations?
This is an alternative type of vacation for families who want to do more on their break than merely enjoy themselves. What happens is that the trip is meant as a get away from the mundane daily life of the family and aims to help other people who are less fortunate at the same time. The way I see it, volunteer vacations targets a lot of things:
-the family gets to experience something new
-the children learn about other ways of living
-the children experience how it is to …
Jan|07|2008
Discover Vietnam with Handetour
Posted by Jen as Asia, Travelogger, Website
It is always a pleasure to visit other countries with such a preserved culture and environment. Vietnam is one example. From the cyclo rides around old Saigon to the water performance puppet shows in Hanoi, there is something for everybody to enjoy. Handetour, which specializes in tours across Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, knows just how to help you appreciate the nature and wonder of Vietnam without having to worry about anything else.
While there is adventure in exploring the sights on your own, being guided with a tour also promises an excellent Vietnamese experience. In fact, Handetour provides a wide array of tour packages that cater to whatever kind of adventure you want to have in Vietnam!
If you want to explore Vietnam as a whole, you will probably enjoy Handetour’s classic tour packages. They range from 6 days to 22 days, depending on what kind of Vietnam you’re after. …
Jan|04|2008
Baras Beach Resort – Your Own Private Island
Posted by Noemi as Around The World, Asia, Destinations, Islands, Resorts, Travelogger
Well, it depends on when you plan on visiting. During our stay, there were only a few visitors so most of the time, it felt like it was ours. Actually, they only have 8 cottages that they rent out so even if they are fully booked, there are still relatively few people on the island.
You may be thinking that it is quite a long way to travel – perhaps yes, but the island and its surroundings are worth it. In fact, most of the people we met there come from Europe, Australia, and the US. Based on our experience, the travel is well worth it!
What can you expect in this island? The most basic of amenities, to be sure. You have running water, electricity for several hours, the freshest food cooked right in front of you, and …
