A little secret about me, I was an avid fan of the show Destination Truth before it was cancelled. Partially because Josh Gates and his crew tours some really eerie sites, but mostly because he is lucky enough to get paid to travel to some great destinations that I can only dream about. On one of his shows, he did a segment on Chernobyl where he
went on a ghost hunt. I starting wondering "Is it possible for you and I to go there?" So, the answer is yes!  You can go with a tour, but expect to pay for mandatory insurance when you do and a full security screen that must be completed at least two weeks in advance.  There are a few companies that do day tours to the sites including the 30 Km Exclusion Zone as well as the almost buried Kopachi Village. One such company is Tour Kiev and there is a full description on their website of what they offer.
http://www.tourkiev.com/chernobyltour/ 
 
If you are thinking of going more extreme, like I was, you might want to try the multi-day trip and stay at one of the local hotels. If you are wondering what I mean by extreme, here is an insert from their website to give you an idea:
"In order to fully understand and feel the most special matter of the Chernobyl zone – namely, a radiation – it is recommended to order a personal dosimeter-radiometer Terra-P. It will make ‘visible’ a radiation relief you travel at, constantly inform you about the radiation level of your place, and in the end of the trip show you your exact irradiation dose received. As Sergii Mirnyi says, "To go to the Chernobyl zone without a dosimeter is like going to the usual tour with your eyes blindfolded."  You can rent the reliable personal dosimeter for $ 10 per day"
https://chernobyl-tour.com/travel_en.html

OK, so it might be a little unsafe. It is certainly sad for the events that led to this place becoming a ghost town and maybe even very creepy, but it would sure make a "guess what I did on vacation" story that trumps all your friends.

   A couple years ago, a few friends, my sister's family, and my family decided we all wanted to do a group vacation together. Well as fun as this sounded when we were all excited discussing our dream trip of kicking back on the beach with a cocktail in hand, the reality is that you have to be pretty brave to travel with different personalities on a 7 day adventure.  So you say, "we always have a great time together, we would be fine" and while that is probably very true,  having a blast every once in a while during a night or even weekend get-away can turn into a bloody nightmare when you find yourself stuck with someone that turns out to be a nightmare travel companion. 

  We realized that our friendships were more important then taking any risks of problems so we decided the most important thing was going to be making it as low stress as possible in terms of keeping the activities all in one place and not making a lot of impromptu trip decisions when we were there.  Any trips away from the resort needed to be pre-planned and pre-paid.  When you have so many different tastes in hotels, food, entertainment, and party life, the best thing to do is find activities  that can hit a bit of everyone's preferences.  All-inclusive resorts in this case are one of the very best answers and a true friendship saver.

   The hard reality of vacations is that money is probably the first thing to cause a rift. Whether it is between husband and wife or one couple being in a tight spot and feeling the pressure of the remaining group to spend more then they are comfortable with.  This is exactly why an all-inclusive can keep your friendships intact.  Believe me the upfront cost is more expensive and can seem almost unreasonable thinking "I would never spend that kind of money if we just wing it", but you will, and you do.  You might save a little on the pocket but you may lose more in your relationships with animosity. Now I am not saying you can't travel to a non-inclusive with your best buds you have always known and would live with, I am talking about that group of your newest best friends or even some family reunions.  This way each person can book the room that fits their budget, you can all eat at the same place without fighting over the tab,  put your pocketbooks away during the trip for the most part, and enjoy all the entertainment you want as a group or even splitting off.
​
  We chose to go to Turks and Caicos at the Beaches Resort since we were taking the kids along.  I also love Sandal's Resorts but that is a resort for couples only, no kids allowed.  Our rooms ranged from the beachfront 3 bedroom (not mine of course) to an inside second floor room.  The grounds were as secure as could possibly be so the kids had a bit more freedom. We had great food, lots of drinks and fun at the pool bar, a few of us tried the inclusive diving, jet-skis, kayaks and even sail boards. All meals were included and they have a non-tip policy so you leave your wallets at home.  Food 24/7 and a good variety of options. In the evening they offered activities for both the kids and the adults so those that wanted to go went out and those that did not relaxed in their room with a good book. No driving, no fuss.  There are several all-inclusive resorts especially in Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean.  All of the families and the kids talk about this trip to this day and yes, we all made it out as a group.  Sure there were a few hiccups as there is with any big group travel but no one ever had to worry about overspending once we arrived. Remember, movies make it look easy to travel together and heck, even Gilligan's Island they all were stranded together and hardly argued, but that is TV, not reality!  Make sure where ever you go as a group you at least try to stay in the groups budget if you can't do an inclusive. Great friendships are hard to come by and it is never worth causing someone to feel out of their comfort level. 

Looking for a concert-among-concerts, on a budget? Join the fun at Brokechella in San Francisco on April 18-19, 2015 with an awesome lineup of bands to check out. 

Brokechilla was created in response to the frustration on crazy, out-of-control priced concerts. While some single artist concerts are running a minimum of $100.00 for a nose bled seat, Brokechilla is charging $10-$20 for admission to the event. What? Yes, a whole day event! Brokechilla started out in a coffee house and now has outgrown its first venue and has taken over the music scene in size and popularity.

Brokechella is the considered to be the concert that is gentle on your pocketbook. The experience offers a great lineup of bands at rock bottom prices.

Info according to their website: This year, BROKECHELLA is back to 590 Santa Fe Ave, in the heart of Downtown. We’ve got 4 stages, a World Initiative, comedy and variety stage, a bigger than ever vendor fair, more puppychella, giant jenga puzzles, and so much more.

  Comic-Con is an outrageous outing made of all things comics, science fiction, and movies. This event started in 1970 when a group of fans all came together to put on the first comic book convention in Southern California. Even if you are not a big fan, attending one of these conventions will make you one or at least make you appreciate the energy of the fans. 


This is a great outing for the whole family, if you can handle large crowds and standing in a lot of lines. We stood in line three hours for tickets to the Masquerade Ball and then had to come back a few hours later and stand in line for an hour to just to get into the ballroom. Important to note,  this was one of the smaller lines. Here's a tip, you don't even have to go inside or buy the expensive tickets while waiting with your fingers posed over the buy-it-now option on your computer screen only to find out they sold out in five minutes last year, because just sitting outside and people watching is an event in itself.  Of course, I am not suggesting that it is not better inside. It is. But a lot of the activities are outside of the Convention center. You can see some of the most elaborate costumes walking by as the people stay in character from the vantage point of one of the restaurants that face the strip and the Convention Center. We were in awe at the amount of work that goes into one single outfit. We found everyone approachable for pictures and information. 

What I do recommend, if you are wanting to brave the fan storm, is that you do your homework! Download the Comic-Con app that tells you who, what, and where everything is. Then pick your top two items to do every day and prepare to stand in line chatting with all types of folks. While in line, you can people watch and visit. Bring snacks. What ever you do, bring snacks!  Because you really have to leave the convention for good food, it takes away of your time inside. Then again, you can people watch from some of the nearby restaurants as well.

Biggest tips I wish I had known: Wear comfortable shoes at all times. You will walk, walk, walk. Know the schedule before hand and come prepared to stand in long lines, be patient, maybe bring a good book or buy one autographed while you are there. Check the bus schedule! That is the most important. They start and stop at different times. We were on the red route about a mile away and after walking all the way there at midnight with tired kids after the masquerade, we found out they picked up in front of the Comic-Con starting at 11:30 pm.  Yep, that just happened. We had to walk all the way back. Last, always know what limited edition item you want to buy and get in line early for it. They sell out quickly and the lines are insane if you wait too long.  Look for the one thing that would make your trip worthwhile if you could score, and concentrate only on trying to get that. But don't be disappointed if you don't get one. You can always find it later on eBay.


The big granddaddy of them all is the one in San Diego, which is scheduled for July 9-12  2015.  Not to worry if you can't make it all the way to California, there a mini-cons all around the country to enjoy. The local one we attended made a great introduction, and the best part was watching the kids just stare gape-mouthed at all the creativity from the fans. To be honest, it was not just the kids, we were all in awe.

 For dates and locations of Comic-Cons near you check @ http://www.upcomingcons.com/comic-conventions
For the granddaddy of them all, check out  http://www.comic-con.org/frontpage

 As a person that is deathly afraid of sharks--and I am not just talking that I am fearful of them when I dive in the ocean, I get that creepy feeling a shark is following me and hear the Jaw's theme song in my head when I swim in lakes--So if you are like me, fearful of sharks, this is one of those adventures that will either help you overcome fear or solidify it. 

  I decided to try and overcome my fear by diving in a shark tank at the Epcot center of Disneyworld. Very cool experience. But let's be realistic, I was diving with Disney. They let us know, before we dove, that the sharks were very well fed and that they were Disney sharks so, of course, they were friendly and would not attack. I chose to believe this bit of humor and did the dive. Honestly, this was a lot of fun.  I may have had a false sense of calm thinking that the Disney dive-masters would not put us in a situation where all of the cherub-faced kids pressing their noses to the tank from the glass would end up with a horror photo of me becoming lunch. The dive itself was amazing! I highly suggest this adventure for a family activity. First, they give you a quick briefing with your small group (they only take a few divers per day). Then, you enter the water and swim around with the sharks and other sea life while waving at the kids gathered around the glass. This might be one of the more expensive activities in Florida, but if you are a diver, this is worth every penny.

For those looking to be in the actual ocean, there are a few diving companies that cater specifically to shark-cage dives. One such tour is the Shark Diver in California and Mexico. Now, this is the real deal. Out in the ocean and no pre-feeding of  the sharks to make sure that the sharks are so full you do not look appetizing to them. I love the fact that they are shark conservationist and do not just do shark dives. They claim you can see up-close Great Whites or Tiger Sharks if that is what you are looking for.  For me, I will stick with Disney for a while.

Check out Epcot shark dive for a chance to dive with Disney. 
or
http://www.sharkdiver.com/ for a chance at the real deal.

 Chicago may be known as the windy city and, if you have ever been there, you know just how much of a wind tunnel it can be. However, that is not the only reason it is known as the Windy City...  Rumor has it that Chicago also coined that term because their politicians were said to be long winded and full of hot air. 

Chicago is a city with lots of history and many fun, unique things to do. You can spend a week there and still not do it all. From Navy Pier to arguably one of the best science museums that I love to go to when I visit, The Museum of Science,  you cannot possibly be lacking things to do.

So, on to what this post is actually about... Weird Tours! Chicago has such a vast and colorful history that it is no wonder someone creative came up with a "weird" tours company there. We are so excited! They have a unique list of tours available that changes monthly. Perhaps you are interested in a blood, guns, and a valentine's tour?  This specific tour is described as a crime and ghost tour lasting three hours.

One of the tours that caught my interest is the "True crime and serial killer tour".  I use to read a lot of true crime books and they would scare the heck out of me.  I can't imagine how walking the real thing would be, but I am willing to try it out when I go. This month, they have several other options as well, including a ghost history tour as well as a roaring 20's adventure. For adults only, they have a few uniquely named tours as well, like "The red light tour".   The best part about these tours is that they change so often that you can see a few different ones when you are in town. They offer private tours and bachelorette parties as well. 

The list of  weird activities available is pretty long, so check out their website for what will be available when you will be traveling there. These tours look like they sell out, as we found when looking over the available tours. Be sure to book early so you don't miss out when you are there.

http://www.weirdchicago.com/