One of the most important things to remember when you and your family go on a camping trip is your manners. Camping manners are more than just.
Posts Tagged ‘ Family ’
In addition to Eileen’s blog at TakingtheKids.com, helpful tips for solo or single parent travel can be found at CiaoBambino.com, FamilyTravelForum.com, and SingleParentTravel.net. By Wendy Wegner for PeterGreenberg.com. …
Summer Family Travel Hotel Deals. Hotels offer family travel deals for summer.
Are you planning a vacation holiday some time in the near future? If so, you might want to consider one of a number of hidden resorts which until recently few international travelers have ever heard about. These are cost-conscious mobile home communities which feature a lengthy list of amenities that are highly competitive with major hotel chains. While cost is a major consideration for most travelers, this is one of the attractive features associated with these new holiday resorts. But, price is not the only selling point that makes them attractive. The family oriented laid back style of these communities, increased safety and 24 hour security are also primary reasons why families traveling with children prefer them. One such resort where I have recently stayed is situated in Vilanova I la Geltru a mere 50km from Barcelona Spain. Not only is there a number of organized activities offered to guests, there is also plenty of freedom to do whatever you desire while there. I highly recommend anyone traveling to the Costa Dorada to consider staying with Paramount Places. I was amazed at the superior personal service, trans-portation, amenities and beautiful beach that was within a short walking distance. In short, if you are considering spending your holidays in Spain this year, then ‘Camping Holiday Spain’ from Paramount Places is well worth a look. Intense fun is waiting to be had for the whole family; both parents and children alike. All of this in a very safe and secure family environment.
When you think of a French camping holiday you may start to think of cold wet weekends away, you could not be so wrong, and with absolutely thousands of campsites in France, you have so many different ones to choose from, and whether you have your own tent, are touring with a caravan or a motor home, the choice of camp sites is endless.
If you were to pick an area of France, then you will not have any trouble in obtaining information on campsites in that particular province and in fact you would probably be spoilt for choice. But there is one place called Brittany that is one of the most popular destinations for a family camping holiday in France and this is due to sandy beaches, hidden coves, rock pools and the coastline that the children just adore.
Yet the Alps is a vast area waiting for the more adventurous camper with mountainous climbs, pretty villages and lakes to explore along with Chamonix, which is the highest town in Europe.
Then there is Paris, the capital city of France, which has everything a beautiful city can offer, and with several campsites around Paris, the closest is just a few minutes from the centre, you will also find others that are located near to Versailles and Disneyland Paris, let alone others near golf courses and fishing lakes.
And although most people end up going through the Rhone Valley without really much of a stop, it is well worth taking a detour either side of the river which is where you can find some beautiful countryside to explore, and in this area you will also be able to find some glorious wine produced on these slopes bordering the river, along with major towns like Lyon.
Most places will be able to provide hook ups for electricity from either 6 amps or 10 amps, plus many other facilities. And on a lot of different sites, rather just touring you can even hire out the caravans, chalets or mobile homes, but whatever you decide is best for you, this is a great way of touring through France.
As you can imagine, there are a vast amount of campsites with lots of different facilities, which you will find are rated with stars in a similar way to that of hotels, so the more stars a site has, the better it will be, although inevitably the more expensive they will be, especially in certain areas of France.
A camping site with one star is a basic site and there is no where near as many these days, due to competition from other campsites, whereas a two star camping site is rated for comfort and has some good amenities, then three star and four star campsites are of a very high standard, not only for the amenities and facilities they have to offer, but also for the quality of these facilities. For example, on a four star site you will often find top class restaurants that are even frequented by the locals for their phenomenal French cuisine, but also complete pool complexes and evening entertainment as a regular occurrence.
But apart from the typical camping sites available, you can also find places to pitch such as camping on farms, but lots of these do not have a wide range of facilities available, in fact some are so basic you will need to have all of your own facilities or they may just about have a toilet and hot shower for you to use.
One quick point, please do remember that it is only in authorised locations around France that you are able to camp and not in places such as woods, yet saying that, when travelling through France it can take hours or days, and we have seen many tired travellers putting up their tents on the grassy areas in the service stations alone the toll roads!.
Most people think of camping as purely a summer activity, but for an extremely reasonable holiday, which can be as low as 50 to 60 percent less in cost, you can go camping in the low season, and dependant upon the area of France you wish to go to, some campsites are even open all year round and still even have facilities such as indoor swimming available.
France can therefore offer you freedom and flexibility, whether you wish to stay in one place for the duration of your holiday, or why not try hopping from camping site to campsite, these types of holidays can offer you everything from excitement and family fun by the coast in places such as Brittany, through to the more sedate holiday staying in the grounds of chateaux in rolling countryside of the Loire valley, but for the more adventurous, you could even have a camping holiday incorporating adventures like kayaking in the Dordogne, or mountaineering in the French Alps
You will be able to get to see ancient ruins, quaint villages, monuments and scenery that you would never think possible in any country, but France has it all, and this is possible in many regions within only a few miles of where you have decided to stay, yet do not forget about the wonderful activities that are available to you on site, which sometimes makes it a hard job deciding on whether you want to leave!
Camping with your pet brings the whole family together to enjoy the experience instead of leaving the four-footed member of the family.
Business travel tips often focus on how to make the actual traveler’s trip easier. But what about the family that is left behind? Often times depending on the age of the kids, it can be just as stressful for them and your spouse. While you are planning out your next trip, take some time to plan out how you are going to spend quality time with your family both before and after the trip.
One thing to plan is something to do when you return so everyone can look forward to that activity and not on the absence. Plan for a trip to the zoo or some other age appropriate activity for your children.
Also it is a good idea to not let your suitcase sit near the front door. This way children do not associate that with you leaving. Seeing a suitcase near the door can trigger negative moods in children, so leave it in your bedroom until just before leaving.
This also goes for when you come back from a trip. Put your suitcase away right away and try to get back into your regular family routine as quickly as possible.
Help your spouse do any chores before you leave, like grocery shopping or laundry. Being a single parent for a couple of days can be challenging, especially when you are not used to going it alone.
Play with your kids before you leave as well. Before trips we are usually just focused on preparing for the trip itself and not on preparing the family.
Call often while you are gone. When on the road don’t forget to check in even more often then when you are in town. This helps maintain a constant reassurance that things are okay.
Today with advanced electronics you could even send videos and pictures of yourself to your family. In today’s world there is no reason you cannot stay in touch on a regular basis.
Often frequent flyer families tend to fall into a rut about travel and it may appear that all in the family accept the situation as is. But talk to your spouse and kids every once in a while to see how they are handling your absences and to see if there is anything that you could do to make it easier on them.
In some cases you might be able to even bring the family with you on your trips. If you have a late week trip you could stay and turn it into a long weekend with our family. This is a great way to break up the routine for them and you as well.
You won’t be able to do this very often, but see if you can do it every once in a while. It will take much more planning on your part, but in the end it is worth it.
Families are often the forgotten factor when talking about business travel tips. There is a whole industry focused on the traveler but not on the family. If you are a frequent flyer, take some time to focus on your family.
One of the best travel tips for people thinking of going on any kind of trekking or adventure vacation with friends or family is to first consider whether their personal enthusiasm for this style of holiday is shared by the rest of the group.
The following story of a family’s holiday nightmare in Thailand provides an example.
The family had enjoyed a few days of a beach resort holiday in Thailand when the husband suggested that they go off on a jungle experience, organized by one of the trekking and adventure tour operators. His wife was not enthusiastic but decided to go along with the proposal because she knew that this was something her husband had always wanted to do. Their seven year old son sounded as keen as his dad and their five year old daughter seemed happy enough with the idea too. The other family member was a two-year-old boy.
They booked up with a reliable tour guide and set off three days later, The seven year old had become even more enthusiastic and promised his mum that he would deal with all the nasty snakes and spiders for her.
After a grueling seven hour drive, during which time all three kids had been travel sick on several occasions, the family finally arrived at their destination, a lodge in the jungle.
They were greeted by a number of snarling dogs who looked as though they desperately needed a good meal of European children to fatten them up. Mum was immediately panic stricken but Dad and the tour guide reassured her that they were in no danger and the family continued safely towards on to the lodge.
This building was a large, wooden hut on high stilts with a straw roof. Immediately below it, there was a small lake that looked as if it should provide a perfect home for crocodiles. Inside the lodge, accommodation was about as basic as it can get.
Dad was more than happy with everything however and informed the rest of the family that anything more grand would have spoilt the back-to-nature experience. Mum was not amused.
Luckily, only one overnight stay in the lodge was involved. As night fell, the crescendo of jungle sounds increased. Mum laid awake becoming more and more worried about the children who were in the next room. Very soon the jungle noises were accompanied by the sound of the children crying. Dad got up to fetch them, returning with three very frightened children who spent the rest of the night in their parents room. It was just as well, because within an hour a new sound was keeping everyone from going to sleep. Mum and the children listened in horror to repeated loud bangs on the roof-beams accompanied by ear splitting screeches. Dad explained that the source of this noise held no threat for them. It was only monkeys, he informed them but his explanation did little to reassure the rest of the family.
There was little sleep for anyone that night except the two-year-old, who slept fairly soundly after the move to mum and dad’s room. Mum found it hard to believe that she slept at all and was relieved when the sun finally rose and shone its light into the room. She untangled herself from under the mosquito net and looked around the room that had seemed so menacing in the dark. But her relief was short lived and her scream awoke the rest of the family. There in the middle of the floor, only a few yards from where she had been sleeping, was a large, tropical spider. It wasn’t quite the last ordeal she would face before they left the lodge. Waiting for her in the bathroom were two gigantic tree frogs.
The long journey back to civilization was uneventful apart from further episodes of travel sickness. Mum refused to talk to her husband for the entire length of the journey. Back at the beach resort, the relationship improved a little over the remaining few days of the holiday but not enough for Dad to ever forget the best travel tip he had learned for a very long time: don’t take your family on a wilderness excursion unless they are genuinely as enthusiastic about going on one as you are.
It seems as if Vacation Rentals are becoming more and more popular. With the rise of the world wide web, you are able to communicate with a vacation rental owner anywhere in the world. Years ago your only option was to visit your local travel agent and book a hotel. There were no vacation rental directories or portals in the past. Now you can surf the web for the perfect vacation rental house. No need for a travel agent as you usually negotiate directly with the owner of the property. Since vacation rentals are slowly becoming the preferred method of booking a vacation, I decided to create an article to give renters some tips about finding the perfect vacation rental.
First, let’s define what we are talking about when we say vacation rental. We call it a vacation rental when a renter rents a property directly from the owner (or representative of the owner). The property usually has it’s own kitchen, living room, bedrooms, etc. They come in many shapes and sizes including condos, single family homes, townhouses, cabins, chalets, and more. Vacation rentals are usually near resort locations and activities such as theme parks, beaches, and skiing. A hotel or motel room is not a vacation rental!
What makes vacation rentals different from hotels? The comfort is the main difference. You have all of the same luxuries that you have at home. Most vacation rentals have kitchens and most of the other amenities that you have at home, plus many have additional amenities such as hot tubs, pool tables, etc. With larger groups there is definitely a cost advantage. A 3-bedroom vacation rental usually hosts more visitors than 3 hotel rooms. Make sure to keep this in mind if you do any cost analysis. Also make sure to include meal savings in your analysis since you may not dine out as often in comparison to a hotel vacation. These items alone could be substantial savings.
Imagine this scenario: Yourself and two other families pay a visit to a popular tourist destination. Your touring of the destination is complete for the day at about 3 pm. From 4pm – 6pm you dine together. It’s now 6pm with still some time remaining in the day. If you have a hotel, what do you plan to do? You can waste all of your money at numerous tourist traps (activities such as spending $3, to try to throw a ball into a bucket or $2 to throw a plastic ring around a bottle). With a vacation rental there is no need for that stuff! You can have family game night sitting in a nice comfortable home or take advatage of all the other amenities your rental has to offer. This is why it is important to learn about the amenities of the rental before you enter into a contract. As stated earlier some have hot tubs, pool tables, movies and many other activities.
Tips for Renters:
1. Bookmark as many “vacation Rental” websites as possible. This way when you are searching for a rental, you have all of the portal sites at your fingertips.
2. Always make sure to find out what items are provided and what is not provided by the owner. For example, in some rentals you may need to supply your own linens. It would be unfortunate to show up with no towels/sheets, etc.
3. Always book early. Many of the popular destinations get filled quickly.
4. Check for references if possible. The exception to this rule is if the owner is just starting out.
5. If you enjoyed your trip, try to negotiate a better price for next year. The owner would probably love to start filling his/her calendar for next year.
6. Make sure you have the owner’s contact information with you while on the trip. If there is an emergency, you may need to call.
7. Read the fine print and make sure to read all fine print on any leases or documentation that you are asked to sign. Also, read any fine print on the vacation rental web listing.
8. If you’re trying to save some money, scroll to the bottom of the list. Many vacation rental portal sites have hundreds of listings. Many times, the listings at the bottom of the list are just as good as those at the beginning. The listings at the bottom don’t get as many page views so you may find some better prices and some owner’s looking to fill a quick vacancy.
9. Make sure you ask any questions you may have before making a reservation. Questions about the amenities, pets, smoking/non smoking, handy capped accessibility, and cribs for children are some questions that come to mind.
10. Lastly, have fun on your vacation and please respect the owner’s property and follow all of his/her rules and regulations. Please remember this is someone’s personal property that you are renting.
About the author:
The author is in the business of assisting vacation rental owners in promoting their rental properties. He designed and owns the following vacation rental websites: Jersey Shore Rentals, Beach House Rentals, and Destin Vacation Rentals.
You are advised to plan French camping holidays well in advance. The rise in popularity among British families for French camping holidays means booking early is essential to avoid disappointed. Substantial numbers of British families are choosing French camping holidays for their summer break.
Days consist of lying by the pool watching your children play with newly acquired friends. When evening approaches the aroma of barbecues drifts around the campsite, all this complemented with inexpensive quality French wine. Enjoying your summer break is easy, here are six steps to make planning French camping holidays easy also.
1. When is the best time to travel?
If your children are below school age or you’re traveling as a group of friends, then months May, June and September are cheapest. Additional benefits of those months include quieter roads, resorts and campsites. When booking French camping holidays in peak periods, book early to avoid disappointed as popular campsites become full very quickly.
2. Selecting your Campsite
From Normandy, Brittany and the Loire in the north to the Cote d’Azur and Languedoc in the south, it is possible to camp in most regions of France . Choose a region that matches your interests, maybe an inland retreat, beach holiday or culture and sightseeing. For campsites, checkout the facilities available, the official rating and the number of pitches match your preferences. The local amenities will give you a good idea whether a campsites region can satisfy your interests.
3. Choosing your Accommodation
French camping holidays offer a variety of accommodation. Tents, mobile home and chalet style cottages are available depending on your preference and budget. If your children are teenagers, go for the larger accommodation where possible it’s well worth while having a little extra space. At most campsites bed linen can be hired, otherwise don’t forget to take your own.
4. Getting there by Sea, Air or Rail
The English channel makes getting to France a little more awkward. Most holidaymakers drive to their campsite taking either the cross channel ferry or the Euro-star through the Channel Tunnel. The ferry is slower but general cheaper and for convenience the Channel Tunnel takes only 35 minutes. Fly-drive or Motorail are alternatively options to driving all the way from the UK . In peak season book your channel crossing, trains and flights early or you may end up with more expensive traveling arrangements or no traveling arrangements at all.
5. Stopping En Route
The Cote d’Azur and Languedoc regions of France may take 12 hours to drive non-stop from the UK . In that case many holidaymakers on French camping holidays choose to stop En Route. There are hotels chains across France including Novotel, Ibis, Kyriad and Campanile who offer good quality rooms at reasonable prices.
6. Visit Disneyland Paris and the way home
The route of many journeys across France is via Paris . For a little extra expense consider a two day stay at Disneyland Paris. It is possible to stay at the Disneyland hotels, but money can be saved by staying at one of the many hotels very close to Disneyland . And finally, leave enough time to visit CitiEurope in Calais , it’s a vast enclosed shopping center where French produce at bargain duty free prices can be purchased.
Discover the charm, enjoyment and relaxation of French camping holidays for yourself next year. Plan and book early and you will not be disappointed.