Winter is a great time to plan national park trips because there is still a broad range of room options available in popular parks such as Yellowstone and Grand Canyon. Although some of the iconic lodges are filling up during peak times, there is plenty of availability.
National park concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts offers tips for successfully planning a park visit and securing accommodations.
1. Be informed. Visit Xanterra’s web site at www.xanterra.com for general information on the parks operated by Xanterra as well as lodging descriptions, rates and availability. Another good source of information on national parks is the National Park Service website at www.nps.gov.
2. Be web-savvy. Rooms can be booked online at:
- www.YellowstoneNationalParkLodges.com,
- www.grandcanyonlodges.com,
- www.zionlodge.com,
- www.craterlakelodges.com
- and www.furnacecreekresort.com.
Booking online is usually the quickest way to secure a reservation. Travelers can check room availability too via Xanterra’s online reservations calendar.
3. Confirm that you have the full online picture. Some lodges will list various room types as part of drop down menus. If you do not click on the down arrow only one room type will be visible. And guess which room type is the first to show up as sold out?
4. Be flexible with your choice of lodge. Some of the larger parks such as Grand Canyon and Yellowstone feature multiple lodges in spectacular settings. While Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn and Grand Canyon’s El Tovar are best-known and tend to fill up first, other lodges offer history, comfortable accommodations and their own appeal.
5. Avoid the crowds. Regardless of which park you are visiting, consider traveling during the first two weeks of June, the last 10 days of August or the first two weeks of September.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
With winter’s essential wardrobe staples of galoshes and snowsuits, it seems hard to believe that spring break and the summer holidays are just around the corner. And while local amusement parks and day camps might seem like the obvious boredom-busters for youngsters, a Wildland Adventures family vacation just might be the ticket to both entertainment and enlightenment.
Wildland Adventures Family VacationsHaving earned the titles of “Family Travel Pro” and “Family Adventure Gurus” by National Geographic Traveler and Adventure magazines, the Seattle-based Wildland Adventures has created all-ages family adventure vacations to just about every destination in the world. And with special discounted pricing for children and teens, parents won’t have to worry about breaking the bank during the upcoming holidays.
To ensure a successful holiday, follow these tips from Kurt Kutay, founding president and director of Wildland Adventures, for planning the perfect family adventure.
1. Walk among the people. Following local footpaths through villages and farmlands opens windows to family life far different from our own. During your vacation, walk through the new land and meet people of different cultures.
2. Capitalize on everyone’s interests. When planning your family adventure, gather around the kitchen table and make sure everyone’s interest and ideas are included in the itinerary.
3. A good family guide is key. The best guides for family trips are parents or teachers who are familiar with young minds so they can deliver age-appropriate, interpretative information. Guides should possess the spirit of a child for fun, discovery and exploration.
4. Build anticipation. Provide pre-departure trip materials that include colorful, age-appropriate information about the destination. Some suggestions are laminated wildlife guides of animals they can expect to see or posters of the rainforest and other habitats they’ll visit.
5. Anticipate a peak experience. Plan activities in a walking itinerary that kids find personally rewarding: come across a waterfall or ruins or climb to the top of a castle or ancient temple. The trick is to make the journey as much fun as the destination.
6. Show the parents a thing or two. Involve activities that allow all family members to participate together – learn about yourselves, discover inner strengths or skills and do things you never imagined. Try out activities that parents might not be as adept as kids to reverse normal roles at home: kids can show their parents a thing or two!
7. Kids leading kids. Plan to invite young people from the local area to join in on the trip. Walking is a normal and daily fact of life in many cultures, and North American kids will more likely keep up the pace with other kids than adults!
To learn more about these or other Wildland family adventure vacations, visit http://www.wildland.com or call 1-800-345-4453.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
With plenty of energy still left after a day of skiing, Kim Han Fuller plays in the snow with Clay Brook Hotel & Residences in the background.There’s no sugar coating it. Sugarbush is one sweet ski resort for the whole family.
Our family ski experience there started with “May I help you carry your skis?” and ended with “have a great day!” I later learned the young men and women in the blue jackets are referred to as “Sugar Sherpas,” and it’s clear their role is to ensure you start and finish the day with a friendly greeting. This is just one of the many details that go into making Sugarbush Resort one incredible skiing experience for everyone from families to couples, skiers to boarders and first-timers to old-timers.
We visited Sugarbush on Martin Luther King’s birthday weekend after a blizzard dumped two feet of snow two days earlier. We anticipated crowds, and indeed we joined the exodus of skiers and boarders making “the big schlep” from the parking lot to the lodge. Yet with its campus of base lodges, ski school buildings and ticket sales locations, once to the base we were easily able to find a place to sit, stow gear and suit up, even with six of us.
To read more, visit EasternSlopes.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Good news for budget travelers, the National Park Service announced today that it will waive admission fees on 17 selected dates throughout 2011, encouraging all Americans to make a New Year’s resolution to visit a national park this year.
“Many people have made resolutions to spend more quality time with loved ones and to get outdoors and unplug in 2011,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “There’s no better place than a national park to help keep those resolutions. Parks offer superb recreational opportunities, making them perfect places to enjoy our beautiful land, history and culture, and nurture a healthy lifestyle.”
Salazar noted that with 394 national parks throughout the country, most Americans live within a few hours of a park, making them places for easy and affordable vacations any time of the year.
“In these tough economic times, our fee-free days will give families many opportunities to enjoy our nation’s heritage and natural beauty in meaningful and affordable ways,” he said.
The 2011 fee-free dates will be the weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 15-17), National Park Week (April 16-24), the first day of summer (June 21), National Public Lands Day (September 24), and the weekend of Veterans Day (November 11-13).
The first fee free days are centered on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday (January 15 - 17, 2011).
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
a guest article by B&B expert, Marti Mayne
“Aren’t you worried it’s going to be cold?” asked more than one person when I told them I was heading to Sunday River Ski Resort for a weekend of ziplining. For this acrophobe, cold temps were the least of my worries. One of the items on my “bucket list” has always been to conquer my fear of heights, and I was bound and determined to do it on this trip.
I packed my two daughters (Calli, 11, and Kim Han, 9) into the car and off we went with my husband Lincoln for a weekend adventure at Sunday River. We’re an avid skiing family, and a weekend of skiing fun combined with the novel adventure of ziplining sounded like the perfect getaway. The drive included rousing group renditions of “Zippity Do Dah” and Christmas carols on the radio; clearly, everybody was ready!
Read all about the zipline adventure on EasternSlopes.com.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Make your dream a reality in 2011 with Austin-Lehman Adventures.
A vacation in Africa evokes mystery, wonder and above all else, adventure. If you were to ask 100 people what their #1 dream vacation is, a safari in Africa would probably top the list. However, Africa is incredibly diverse and making a decision about where to go and what to do can be an overwhelming challenge.
In 2010 Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA) director, Dan Austin, spent months studying the available options in Africa. He traveled to South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana, exploring firsthand the diverse options. He met with dozens of lodge operators, did countless game drives, visited villages and got to know at least 10 different tribes. He ate Mopane Worms in Windhoek, Wart Hog in Pamwag and Eland in Katima. He hiked, drove, boated and biked his way across these 5 countries all to understand the best of the best.
Once he had a better understanding of the where, he went to work on the how and who. After talking with a dozen ground operators before leaving the states, he was very pleased to meet face-to-face with 3 of the best in all of Africa. He spent hours poring over maps and researching accommodations, all with a keen eye on value. Working hand in hand, the team worked together to come up with the following 3 diverse and exciting itineraries (see below) that highlight some of the best that Africa has to offer.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".