It takes a lot of work to plan a family trip. Picking specific destinations, finding lodging, securing transportation, booking flights, scheduling visits with friends or family — all while trying to maintain some semblance of your normal routine, especially if you have younger kids, can take hours and hours.
In the press and hectic pace of everything, it can be easy to forget the bigger reasons families choose to travel with their children: to enrich their lives, expand their emotional and cultural horizons, and help them become better global citizens.
So it’s great to encourage kids to be involved in the planning and to participate in family activities — but what are some ways that you can really get your child curious about your travel destinations without adding yet another list of to-dos to a parent’s already-long list?
Here are some ideas for sparking the love of travel in your child on your next vacation. Continue reading →
Passports are changing. With international travel on an upswing among cruisers, getting a passport is on the to-do list for a lot of travelers. Lately, there have been a lot of changes and things you need to be aware of when getting ready to apply (or renew) your passport. Here, we’ve gathered six of them so the process is as smooth as possible for you. Continue reading →
Greece is part of my heritage. As a child growing up I was lucky enough to go to Greece every three years to visit my grandparents and uncle. My grandparents had to return to Greece when I was about five due to my grandmother’s health and my uncle went with them. My uncle eventually married and had children and stayed in Greece. When we went to Greece we would get to stay two to three months at a time. I really loved going there. The people were always friendly and went out of their way to help me even though I didn’t speak Greek very well. Most of our visits were to the beautiful island of Crete. We got to visit Knossos and, of course, the gorgeous beaches. We visited relatives up in the villages in the mountains.
I never really felt left out. The neighbor kids, who were taking English in school, were always happy to practice their English with me, and I got to practice my Greek. It was fun coming back every three years and pretty much just continuing on with those friendships, seeing how all of us changed over the years. As we got older, since some of my friends in Greece were older than me, they got married and had children. I loved being able to practice my Greek and by the time we left was pretty much able to hold conversations. Of course, not using it much when I returned to the States, I would forget most of it and have to relearn it when I returned to Greece! My father is of Greek descent but never learned the language. My mother taught Greek for over 30 years, which is where I learned it, but not speaking it on a regular basis you don’t get very fluent. I understand Greek a lot more than I can speak it, which surprised my mother sometimes when I asked questions about something she discussed with her friends on the QT by speaking in Greek (or so she thought!).
Greece is still my favorite place to visit as often as I can. I still find the people so friendly and willing to help those who don’t speak Greek. Most of the younger crowd know very good English and a lot of the business owners do too. It is still a very beautiful, culturally rich place to visit. Unfortunately the ability to stay for two to three months is not an option for me any more, but boy would I love to live there for that amount of time if not longer!
Greece, the birthplace of civilization, or so they say. Yes, there are many archeological sites, lots of museums but most of all beautiful beaches and scenic sites to see and adventures to explore. Greece has many islands, some more tourist-oriented than others. Each has their own history and sites. Santorini …Continue reading →
Combine the “must-see” sights of Denali National Park and Alaska’s glacier-clad shores with the seldom-seen wonders of the Yukon, including the historic White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad and colorful Dawson City. Holland America can make it happen with a Journey Host to enhance your overland adventures. Discover Denali Park …Continue reading →
