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Travel Ideas!

Explore our unique Travel Ideas to create your own crazy family adventures! We search out the odd, the fun, the unusual, and the very best vacation ideas so you can theme your next vacation.

Travel ideas are posted a few times a year. Check back or enjoy browsing our extensive archives for other great ideas. 

In-A-Day activities

Family Tours London

7/28/2014

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On our last trip to London, we checked out a few of the recommended tours for families. Depending on the ages of the people going with you, some of these tours might be a good alternative for your group.

Bicycle Tour through London- Since I like to get in any exercise when I am traveling, I was looking forward to this tour. We met at the Waterloo station underground in the old abandoned part that is now scattered with graffiti. Not the type just done to tag, but some real artwork. I would have to say that this may have been the most interesting part for me. It was amazing, and I would have loved to have spent more time down there. As for the bicycle, once I got my footing the pedaling was easy. The bikes were very comfortable and well kept. The only draw back we had is that we were in a very large group, and going through busy streets made one of our riders very nervous. We kept falling behind and we only had one tour guide in front. On the ones I have been with before, we have had one in front and one in back for stragglers if there were too many people. I really enjoyed seeing a lot of the places by bike. Our guide's knowledge was the biggest bonus. If there was one thing I would recommend for this, it is more than one guide. Of course, the price is very cheap, so it may not have been doable for the company and I understand that, but if they had more, then one it could have been nice for one of the guides to show us the Bangladesh community and art work more instead of leaving us to roam for a half hour. There are tons of things to see and learn about there. All in all, I would absolutely take this tour again and I rate it highly, but only with people that are very comfortable on city streets. BreakAway bike tours is not #1 on Tripadvisor for nothing.

East End Walking Food Tour: 
 Now, just because I showed you some pictures above, you might think "Hey, we can just do this on our own." DON'T!  This tour company has the way in and out of each place as well as so much more to offer. You might get lucky to locate one or two of these stops, but the whole experience is what makes this an amazing tour. Everyone in our group came away extremely happy. So, what is this tour? If you have read my blog for a while, you know that I LOVE ghost tours and food tours. This particular food tour was one of my favorites. I know that is surprising since it was in England, (not a diss since my mother was raised there and cooks like a Londoner, but we did not love her for her cooking skills.  Most things she prepared tended to be bland by American standards and boiled, except her curry. So don't blast me for that comment, please) the reason it made one of my favorites is that the host was very engaging and friendly. It also was not just a food tour. She reveled us with history lessons of the places we toured and the food we would be eating.  If I am being completely honest, it may have also been because it was the food tour with the most stops and full food samples I had been on to date, plus the food has come a very long way from the food of twenty years ago. Lots more spices are used now. 
Even if it had not been for the food (I know right? Why leave out the food?), the
tour itself was very informative. We received architecture info, saw one of the sites of a Jack the Ripper victim, sat in one of the oldest authentic pubs, and experienced the art work of the East End. In our group, we had some fun and interesting people to visit with along the way. But back to the food...It was delicious and filling.  DO NOT eat before hand. Of all the food tours we have taken, this one filled us up the most. Eight stops! I don't want to spoil it for you, but lets just say we started the morning with a bacon sandwich made in-house (the bacon and the bread) and ended with one of those desserts you keep thinking about when you get back home. A chocolate and salted caramel tort. 

 Harry Potter Walking Tour- According to a few websites, Muggletours  is the #1 walking tour for Harry Potter fans. We were instructed on where to meet and had only a little problem finding it since there are so many exits out of the subway and we unfortunately took the wrong one. That was on us. The gentleman who met us was an actor and was engaging in his stories of the locations we went. He entertained the group along the way with facts and then a quick response of "10 points for what ever house you belonged to" to keep it competitive. He also gave us a test of questions to determine your house. Lucky me, I had Gryffindor. We walked around London and mostly saw places you would have seen in the film. Unless you are a true fanatic, a few of the places you may not recognize (I didn't).  All in all, this was a enjoyable stroll in which he threw in other locations and facts along the way from other movies and historical events. We ended with him doing a little magic trick for the kids in the group. My biggest disappointment is that we did not see platform 9 3/4 like we had when we did our last black cab tour (You can read about that in our archives). They did, of course, state that we would not see it on the information before we booked so it would be unfair to hold that against them. I understand it is a walking tour and hard to get to.  I thought I had already seen it so it would not bother me, but I ended up thinking that a big piece of the experience was missing by the kids not getting pictures pushing the cart into the wall. Silly, I know. So, take that for what it is worth. It is a lovely day out regardless with a fun guide and an excellent value.

The video is not of the sites but of the streets we rode on to let you decide how comfortable you would be.   As I said, I loved it, one of the others were a bit too nervous.


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Morgan's Wonderland- Special Needs Theme Park

7/21/2014

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Picture
Although we have covered Morgan's Wonderland on our special-needs page, I felt this amazing place needed a wider audience since it truly is a wonderful location.  If you know of a family with special needs, make sure and let them know about this phenomenal theme park built for those with special needs.

Ultra-Accessible Family Fun Park  Morgan's Wonderland.  Have you heard of this wonderfully magical place? Located in San Antonio, Texas, Morgan's Wonderland was the world's first accessible family fun park and was created to accommodate people with cognitive and/or physical disabilities and/or other special needs. Encompassing 25 acres, this theme park is for kids of all ages, adults, and their families to enjoy fun, adventure, and exploration. Morgan's Wonderland even "features locator wristbands and  touch screen display monitors so parents can keep track of their children". 

Guests with disabilities are admitted free of charge and everyone is able to bring in their own food. Family members have a few packages to choose from, but a current day pass is $10/child (ages 3-10) and $15/adults general admission.
With an amazing park like this, there are too many highlights and unique features to mention, but we will try. They offer Braille signage, service animal rest areas, a butterfly playground, a wonderland express, catch and release fishing, accessible rides, walk and roll wheel chair stroll paths, and even a Sensory Village.

Learn more at
www.morganswonderland.com  
Photo provided by Morgan's wonderland

Our special needs page
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British Air: Business Class vs Economy World Traveller Plus

7/14/2014

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Flying on British Air to London from Phoenix is in my opinion one of the best ways to travel to that location. Mostly because, from my home city, it is non-stop, but also because they have some of the best customer service and I have found their planes to be clean and as comfortable as a long flight can be. We decided to try Business Class one way and Economy World Traveller the other just to check them both out. Bang for your buck... The Economy World Plus Traveler is a great bargain.  I would not want to imply that it is a better way to travel because Business Class is, by far, the most relaxed and spoiled way to go. I would have reviewed the First Class, but it was a bit to rich for my pocket book.
So this is what I found:

Business Class:  At boarding, we were able to board early. The flight attendant handed us a choice of water, orange juice, or champagne. Score!  We got comfortable right away with the comfort amenities they offered us; A cozy blanket, semi-noise cancelling headphones, an eye mask and earplugs, a complementary Elemis kit including the things for a female like a toothbrush, lotions, face cream and, for the guys, a toothbrush and shave staples.  We had a storage space for shoes and a purse to keep them safely tucked away and not underfoot as well as an adjustable TV for each person.  The best part, in my opinion, is that they were semi-private pods that laid completely flat. The bed had a electric adjuster above that made it completely flatten out. I was able to get a good rest and be relaxed when we arrived. The food was a step up from the Economy Plus and served in sturdier containers. If you do not get enough food, they have a special area that you can munch on things like yogurt, nuts, and candy the rest of the flight. The meal was tasty for both the dinner and breakfast. Not five-star, but lovely. As an added bonus, all drinks are included. Yes, that includes alcohol. If I could travel this way every flight overseas, I would never mind long-distance flying again.

Economy World TraPlus:  Not a bad alternative at all!  The upgrade price can vary, but ours was about $400 per person. Some flights can go from  $600 and up. Each seat may not have been semi-private, but as a person who hates travelling a long time with my feet straight down, I fell in love with their foot rests that partially reclined.  Amazing improvement on how I felt during the flight. This is also a wonderful addition for those a little older... Like me.  Circulation on long flights can be very bad. Leaving your legs dangling that long especially if you fall asleep in one position can be a health hazard. Having a parent who actually had a stroke on a long flight from sleeping an entire international flight, I am very, very conscious of how bad it can be and I will admit, I am a little frightened about it. (On a side note, always get up and move around every hour, if possible. Wear compression socks if you are at risk),  The seats were a bit wider, according to their website, and you did not feel as if you were in a cattle call. Only two seats per row on the flight that I was on. We were not offered early boarding, but did have a nice choice of water or orange juice when we took our seats.  The blankets and headphones as well as eye masks were the same, but we did not receive the Elemis pack. Did I mention I love Elemis? So I did miss that. Dinner was the same as in Business Class, so that was nice (in plastic containers) but the breakfast was not the same. More of a prepackaged dull meal. I did not really mind since we were getting off.

Note: We were offered an upgrade to First Class for $795.00 during our online check in. It was a bit out of our budget for two of us this trip, but next time I might take them up on it to see just how much more pampered it might be.  Be aware they only offer it to you online and not at the check-in desk.


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"The Talk"  Visiting the Show

7/8/2014

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If you are looking for a fun ladies trip you might want to consider seeing a taping of  "The Talk" in Los Angeles.  A group of us ladies went on a thirty-six hour get-away to see a live taping. Getting the tickets is not easy, but it is doable if you give them enough notice.  They were very receptive to our larger group of eleven women, possibly because one of our ladies can be very persuasive and is super-friendly.  Ever since our trip last year to the Price is Right, (You can see that post in our archives) we have become pros at the overnight jaunts.  What I liked the best about this show was that it was stress free. Unlike the Price is Right, where everyone wants to... Come On Down... Everyone here is just hear to watch the show (and maybe get a glimpse of themselves on television that they TiVo'd).  The taping  is a "live" performance that "goes live"  about a half an hour or so after you leave.  We got there about an hour before the filming started, made our way through the check-in and purse check, and then, after a quick restroom break, we sat in the lounge until we were called.  In the lounge, we were able to take lots of pictures of the cutouts with us in them and then we were escorted through the back lot  (which was pretty cool) and were given instructions, including no photography, which is why I have none on this post. 

We were there for about an hour and a half for filming which is usually an hour but WE WON A GIFT CARD! A $100 Wal-Mart card. Score!  The conversation was lively and I got to sit in the front row by luck. That reminds me... You MUST wear color for this show or they will not pick you to sit upfront.  I enjoyed all of the hosts and their interaction, but I think I was most impressed with Sharon Osborne.  She looked amazing with her trademark red hair and she is quite funny. Her cheeky comments made my day.
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