Want to know more? Contact Tricia to start planning your Walt Disney World vacation! Don’t delay, this offer is only good through May 18, 2012.

In that vein, we thought January would be a great time to share some travel bucket lists–suggestions and inspiration for trips you might want to add to your list of dream experiences for 2012. Today’s list focuses on two of the best family-oriented adventure tours we’ve discovered. These are the once-in-a-life time memory making vacations that even your cynical teen will be bragging about!

Thomson Family Adventures Galapagos Multi-Sport Adventure

Have a budding biologist or botanist in your family?  What about an adrenaline junkie or intrepid explorer?  Naturalist, scientist, or adventurer, the Thomson Family Adventures multi-sport tour of the Galapagos Islands is sure to please.  Situated along the Equator in the Pacific, the Galapagos Islands are home to some of the world’s most unique  animal and plant populations, and are famous for their role in inspiring Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The eight day Thomson Family Adventures tour offers your family the opportunity to experience the Galapagos in a way few tourists ever do–up close and personal, as you hike, snorkel, swim, kayak, and camp your way through this World Heritage Preserve site.

Click for video clip of a recent Thomson Family Adventures Galapagos Islands Multi-Sport Tour

We love this tour for a few reasons:

• Action, action, and more action– Tricia and I both have sensory seeking children who don’t like to sit still, plus I have one of those teens who finds everything so “booooring” so out-of-the-ordinary activities like orienteering are perfect for keeping everyone engaged.
• There’s planned community service included.  Sustainable travel includes giving back to the communities we visit, and teaching our children these values by volunteering together is something we strongly support.
• Thomson Family Adventures has been dedicated to organizing family specific tours for the past 13 years. That means these aren’t “adult” tours with a couple of kitschy kids “activities” thrown in.  We trust parents to understand what makes a family activity worthwhile (and they do… they even manage to make their trips “educational” without the kids realizing it!). Family specific tours means you’re also traveling with other families; no single adults giving you snarky looks because your kids ask a million questions (that’s not just mine, right?)
• All Inclusive… easy to budget for with no last minute surprises and travel insurance included so you’re protected if “Life” happens.

Austin-Lehman South African Safari

Horseback Riding Austin-Lehman Adventure's South African Safari

I love nature and I love being physically active, but I don’t love the idea of camping out.  Although  I WILL rough it rather than miss out on a great trip, in truth, I don’t really believe  the words “sleeping bag”  should be used in the same sentence as vacation, no matter how much Tricia tries to convince me otherwise.  That’s why Austin-Lehman’s family-friendly South African Safari is right up my alley– adventure with the comforts of a real bed!

While other safari tours consist of you riding hours on end in a safari vehicle–something that is too sedate for my hyper children, regardless of how many exciting animals we’d see– Austin-Lehman’s tour gives you the opportunity to go cycling, kayaking, horse back riding, and bush walking throughout South Africa. Just the kind of active vacation my gang thrives on!  The eleven day tour takes you from Cape Town to the Sabi Sabi private reserve, with stops in Stellenbosch (wine country) and Johannesberg, as well as visits to Cake’s Point Nature Reserve, Table Mountain, Grootbos Nature Reserve, and Kruger National Park.

Reasons we love this tour:

• Interesting mix of activities, with something catering to the interests and abilities of everyone in the family.
• Offers a wonderful alternative to the typical family cruise vacation/reunion/destination wedding option.
• Consistently receive excellent feedback about their services and willingness to make sure your family has an amazing experience.

Interested in learning more about either of these tours? Email me or Tricia for details on the itineraries, tour dates, and to discuss scheduling.

- Shauntelle

What if you did something different this year? What if, instead of piles of wrapping paper and “Some assembly required” toys, you gave your family something lasting, something that they’ll talk about and remember and love for years to come?

This Black Friday (and Small Business Saturday!) what if you skipped the mall and got your family a vacation instead?

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

When was the last time the kids has this reaction to a toy?

When you book your surprise vacation through us, we’ll work with you plan a great surprise, whether that means sending your travel documents in a plain envelope you can pass of as just another bill, or in a wrapped package sent from Santa Claus!

Check out our Top Family Destinations for inspiration, talk about it over Thanksgiving dinner, then click here to make this holiday season the easiest you’ve ever had.

Cinderella Castle at the Walt Disney World Resort

The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Like everything else they do, Disney goes over the top to celebrate the holidays, with Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and the entire resort decorated in grand holiday style.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

Snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia and New Zealand. Just one of the exciting activities you can choose from when you book a 9 or 12 night South Pacific cruise on Royal Caribbean or Celerity Cruise Lines.

Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort

Relax with your family at an all-inclusive resort by Beaches. Spend your time and energy playing, not keeping track of your vacation budget.

Our #1 vacation recommendation is the one that’s crafted specifically for your family! No vacation is right for everyone, and we take the time to find out what you really want – whether it’s a warm-weather getaway or a skiing in the Rockies. Contact us to book your holiday getaway today – and ask about some of the amazing deals we can find for you!

Let's give families the gift of communication!

If you’re in central Illinois, I’d love to see you at the Loud Mommy 12 Days of Christmas: 12 iPads fundraiser! Loud Mommy is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose goal is to give iPads to children with severe autism who couldn’t otherwise afford one. These devices give non-verbal children the ability to communicate with their parents, teachers, and other caregivers.

Autism is a developmental disorder that can make it difficult to communicate. Some children with autism, like mine, have mild speech delays. Others are completely non-verbal. At best, they try to communicate in gestures, then get frustrated and scream when their parents don’t understand. It’s a bad cycle for everyone. The communications apps on the iPad allow these kids to communicate within their comfort zone, while giving the parents a chance at understanding.

The 12 Days of Christmas: 12 iPads Holiday Fundraiser is a craft and vendor fair held at the Shore Acres Clubhouse in Chillicothe, Illinois. Doors open at 10am, and we’ll be going strong until 4pm. We’ll have Christmas music, food, and I’ve even heard rumors of a visit from Santa Claus between 1-3pm! Be sure to check out the silent auction and stop by our booth for your chance to win a 2-night getaway to your choice of over 20 destinations (including Florida, Hawaii, and Mexico!)

Here’s my day trip planning list:

• Take the dog to the kennel – because he simply refuses to open the door, walk himself, and come home again.
• Catch up on laundry – because the last thing I want to hear at 6 am is “Mom!! I can’t find clean pants!”
• Make an extra batch of banana muffins – because I refuse to eat fast food that early in the morning.
• Double-check theme park hours, weather predictions, and make sure season passes haven’t snuck out of my wallet.
• Fill the gas tank – because I don’t like the smell of gasoline and coffee. I’d rather just load the kids and go.
• Charge the camera and cell phone batteries
• Go to the grocery store – if we’re traveling on Saturday, that means the normal weekend errands have to happen sometime. I’d rather do them on Friday than on Sunday when the stores are crowded and the produce is picked over.
• Work up my schedule for next week – because I know I won’t feel like it on Sunday!
• Get the dishes done and the kitchen clean – because I hate coming home from a relaxing day to a dirty house!
• Write up my Photo List – because while this is a family trip, it’s also research for a client!

We’ll start with a room at the iconic Grand Floridian resort. I’m a sucker for Victorian elegance, and this resort hotel doesn’t disappoint. I’ve arranged for a room overlooking Cinderella castle, so we can watch the nightly fireworks from our room instead of fighting the crowds.

After we arrive and freshen up, we’ll go downstairs for dinner at the Chef’s Table at Victoria and Albert’s. This is a full evening of culinary entertainment! Guests at the Chef’s Table are seated at a table right in the middle of the kitchen where you can watch and interact with head chef Hunnel and his staff as they prepare your 10-course meal. The meal is customized to your preferences and dietary needs, and changes seasonally. This experience alone would be enough to tempt me to fly to Florida for a special celebration!

We’ll spend the next day wandering Epcot’s World Showcase, enjoying the annual International Food and Wine Festival. This event features 29 international kiosks celebrating unique ethnic foods from around the world as well as special events including culinary demonstrations by celebrity chefs, concerts, and exclusive dining events.

Before you get the idea that all I ever think about is food, we’ll move on to Day two in Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Today, I’ve booked an unforgettable experience: the Wild Africa Trek. You may have heard of Kilimanjaro Safaris, where guests are driven through the African savannah in search of poachers. The Wild Africa Trek takes you several steps closer to the action. You’ll get to hike into the savannah with a tour guide and Disney Photopass photographer who will document your adventure, so you can just relax and enjoy this unique experience.

After our adventure in the wilds of Africa, we’ll find some lunch and go back to our resort to relax on the beach – or head back out to one of the theme parks for a few hours before heading down to the docks to board a private yacht for an intimate dining cruise around the Seven Seas Lagoon!

It’ll be an unforgettable weekend!

When you can't hit the road...

Just this morning, I was listening to an audio seminar from The World’s Biggest Summit taught by Welsh artist Michael Nobbs in which he discusses a daily ritual he calles “Elevenses.”  For Americans (or Yanks, as Brits call us) like me, it was interesting to learn the details of regular tea time, and to hear Nobbs explain the benefits he receives both personally and professionally when taking a regular mid-morning break.

The way he described “elevenses” was as a time to refresh, regroup, and regain the focus you may have lost after a busy morning.  It made me think of how I feel after coming home from a fun weekend road trip and it made me wonder… how can I bring that road trip state-of-mind into my daily life?

For me, the answer was music.  I love music and almost always have something playing in the background when I’m working or relaxing.  Certain songs immediately bring to mind memories from my childhood or thoughts of my favorite people or places… and of course, every road trip I’ve ever taken has had it’s own special soundtrack!

These days, you can make custom playlists on the website Playlist.com and today I created a special mix to share with you guys.  So if you’ve been hankering for a road trip but haven’t had time for a getaway, click on the player to take a mental musical getaway, a virtual road trip across America.

First, I should apologize. I’m late. I had planned to write a post yesterday about scheduling time to simply do nothing, inspired by the great hotels of Mackinac Island in Michigan. It didn’t happen. Yesterday was one of those days where nothing seemed to go right. The kids were bored and picking at each other, I was distracted with a dozen projects I needed to get done (including this blog post!), and my husband just wanted to watch the football game before going back to another work week. Not a good combination.

After our middle son rode his bike into a pond, my husband and I simply looked at each other and laughed. This day was going from bad to worse and we needed to call a halt. After getting our son cleaned up and into dry clothes, I announced “Ok, everybody into the car.” It was time for a day trip.

No, the blog post didn’t get written. The dishes and laundry are still sitting here, waiting to be dealt with. It was late by the time we got home. But more importantly, we reconnected. We slowed down and actually spent time together, listening to each other and laughing together. And that is far more important than where we went or what we did (or didn’t do).

Where would you go for a spontaneous day trip?

Aswan, Egypt Host for World Tourism Day Conference 2011 (image courtesy UNWTO)

Since today is World Tourism Day, it seemed appropriate to launch our Travel Tips series, and we thought we’d begin by answering the question: Why should you use a travel agent?

With all the online options for purchasing travel, we’re not surprised if you’re asking that question. We’re not gonna bore you with some spiel about a travel agent being a specialist with insider knowledge to all the places you might want to go because we think you probably already know that.

Your real concern is more like, isn’t a travel agent just an unnecessary middleman? Doesn’t it make more sense and save me more money to use Travelocity, Orbitz, or one of those services I keep hearing about on television? After all, they make it seem like coordinating your travel and getting the best deal is as simple as navigating the options on their search engine and providing your credit card number to seal the deal.

And it is that simple—sometimes.

Times When You Shouldn’t Use a Travel Agent

• When booking an advanced ticket, direct flight in the U.S. for a trip where you won’t need a hotel room (For instance, if you’re going to visit Grandma or your cousin Grover and you know you’ll be couch surfing at their place). You’ll avoid paying a service charge to the agent by booking direct yourself.

• If one of your favorite aspects of traveling is regaling your friends with tales of the awesome last minute deals you scoped out for yourself, you shouldn’t use a travel agent. Ditto if you truly enjoy spending hours researching and planning every aspect of a trip yourself. We could save you time and money, but you probably wouldn’t like it.

• If taking your trip for the cheapest price possible is your absolute top priority; travel agents do have access to discounts that a regular person can’t get, but suppliers of some of the cheapest ways to travel (like greyhound) or the cheapest places to stay (like a hostel or motel), don’t work with travel agents.

Whenever Missed Details Could Equal an Expensive Disaster

You should use a travel agent whenever a missed detail could become an expensive travel disaster:

• When you want to plan the trip of a lifetime (say your honeymoon or a surprise trip to Europe for your recent college grad) and you’re not sure where to start. It’s our job to keep up with the best travel packages to practically any where you want to go—AND we’ll be able to advise you on all those tricky, but critical details like immunizations, visa requirements , airline regulations, and important global security warnings. You know, the little things that make the difference between a dream trip and an expensive travel nightmare.

• When you need a last minute flight and hotel for the best price possible. We have access to discounted airline tickets that aren’t ever offered to the public, and we can book the best price for you without charging you a service fee if we book your hotel at the same time. (* If you need an airline ticket only, we can help you with that too, but we charge $30 for that service.)

• When you want the real scoop on a cruise, resort, or luxury hotel. With the combined experience of our personal travel, our clients’ travel, and our colleagues’ travel, we have the inside scoop on a wide variety of cruises, resorts, and hotels. This means we can warn you away from companies that offer great “bait” rates that will leave you disappointed when you see their less than ideal accommodations or experience their less than friendly service.

• When your time is at a premium. Planning a great vacation takes time and when you’re already busy with family and career obligations, finding that time can seem impossible. A travel agent can be a priceless resource when it comes to planning a trip with the least amount of hassle—and the great thing is, in most cases, a travel agent’s services are low to no-cost. An added benefit is that your travel agent is also your travel advocate, ready and willing to help you if you hit a snag (like a missed connection or a lost reservation) while you’re traveling.

When in Doubt, Ask

If you’re not sure whether a travel agent would be useful in planning your trip, the easiest way to find out is to ask. We (and any other reputable travel agent) will be happy to tell you upfront if you’ll save time or money in booking your travel direct and we may be able to give you tips on who to call to get the best result.

‘til next time, Happy World Tourism Day!

Shauntelle