Vacations Blog

If you live in central Florida, you know that it is not 90 degrees for 12 months out of the year.  However, if you live anywhere else in the world, you’ll mistakenly assume that the “Welcome To The Sunshine State” signs are sincere and equates to tropical paradise even in the dead of winter.

You have only to visit Florida’s famed Daytona Beach between October and March to realize the error of your thinking.

While even northern tourists will find it much too cold to swim in the Atlantic during the colder months, the beach is still a great place to find fun and relaxation.

How can you possibly enjoy coastal Daytona Beach with all of your clothes on?

Take A Walk Along Daytona Beach

Take a walk.

Sure, it sounds cliche.  But kick off your shoes, roll up your pants, and stroll along the edge where the tide changes its mind over and over again and you’ll soon understand how long walks on the beach became a romance movie staple.

It feels good.  It’s relaxing.  It’s cheap and easy entertainment for the kids that makes for very impressive pictures to take home.  Time flies by and before you know it’s time for everyone to head to bed, the sun and wind having sapped your children’s will to argue.

If you get tired of staring at the endless stretch of white sand, rolling waves and disturbingly unaware birds, Daytona Beach pier and boardwalk area offers slightly more commercial attractions as well.

A small amusement park provides the opportunity to have yourself shot into the air at a freakishly fast speed via The Slingshot for $25 per person, per ride.  A two story strip mall (it is still Florida) offers tourist style shopping and Starbucks as well as several themed restaurants.

But perhaps the most unique experience at Daytona Beach that can be enjoyed year round is the sea chairs ride out over the pier and the water.

Daytona Beach Sea Chairs

It’s an old, rustic attraction that scares the crap out of some people.  But if you’re a fan of nostalgia and old fashioned charm, a tour along the skyline trolley is a true can’t miss.

And if you ride in December, for Pete’s sake, bring a jacket!

All pictures taken by Britt Reints.

 Wasilla, Alaska

Chugach Mountains near Wasilla

Wasilla, Alaska

Need I say more?  It is a place of awesome beauty.

But just in case you are wondering…

The best, Best Western because the setting can’t be beat and you can see the Governor’s home around the corner complete with float plane.

All a visitor can see is the box-like stores by the roadside and the beat up Mug Shot Saloon.Reminds me of Northern Exposure.

Matanuska Glacier

Looking for more to do? Take in a hockey game. Remember your lipstick–wouldn’t want to be mistaken for a pit bull.

Happy trails and remember to vote.

Mountains courtesy of National Park Service. 

Best Western Inn courtesy of Best Western

Aerial shot of Wasilla courtesy of  City of Wasilla (awesome site btw)

Lake Lucille picture from City of Wasilla.

Mug Shot Saloon picture from Bruceblog

Matanuska Glacier from Matnuska Glacier

Way back in early 2000, before my first child was born, my husband and I took a couple trips and knocked some things off our life lists, you know, before the kid arrived to change everything. When I was 5 months along, we went to Hawaii and played golf in Wailea. While 6.5 months pregnant, we played Pebble Beach (did I tell you my golf game was awesome when I was pregnant?). And at 8 months, we ate dinner at the French Laundry in Yountville, California.

Nowadays, there is a term for this kind of pre-birth couple bonding – Babymooning. And apparently it is a growing segment of the travel industry. The idea can be varied, from providing a relaxing environment for couples ready to conceive, to helping couples traveling in the second trimester of pregnancy enjoy a last fling before baby arrives.

Are you thinking about a quick trip before your baby arrives? Check out these resources for help in planning your getaway:

Babymoonfinder

Babymoonguide

Babymoonblog

Child of Leisure

Sun Valley, Idaho, is a great place to visit, whether you seek a romantic weekend getaway, or a fun-filled family vacation. My husband and I just returned from a quick trip last week, and even though we were only there a short time, we came up with a list of our favorite outdoor activities in Sun Valley:

Biking
Sun Valley, a planned resort community near Ketchum, Idaho, boasts miles of paved and unpaved bike paths, perfect for leisurely rides into town for ice cream, or an over-the-bar, single-track mountain bike adventure up one of the many trails in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. I rented a bike from one of the local shops and headed out with a group to conquer the Copper Basin – my personal recommendation? Go for a higher-end bike with multiple shocks. That single track can get a little bumpy!

Fly Fishing
The river runs right through town, and during the summer, locals hire out as guides to tourists interested in learning or perfecting their fly-fishing technique. My husband went out with Silver Creek Outfitters on the Big Wood, just above the Magic Reservoir, and enjoyed an afternoon of catching (and releasing!) rainbow trout. Although, he did add that it was a good thing the scenery was so beautiful, as sometimes the fish did not cooperate!

Horseback Riding
Just north of Ketchum, in Galena, Idaho, several outfitters offer guided trail rides ranging from 1.5 hours to all day. Our friends took their daughter up one afternoon and enjoyed a lovely trail ride with spectacular mountain views.

River Rafting
Alas, the water was very low in the Snake River when we visited, but early in the season, white water rafting is an exciting way to see the Sun Valley. With Class II and III rapids perfect for family adventures, and Class IV rapids for those seeking more thrilling rides, river rafting looked like a great activity. Next time we will make sure we visit in May and June, when the waters run high.

Ice Skating
That’s right, ice-skating. Even in the summer, the ice rink at Sun Valley Lodge offers open-skate, private lessons, and ice hockey. And for those of who would rather leave this sport to the professionals, Saturday nights during the summer, Sun Valley is host to The Sun Valley Summer Ice Show, featuring Olympic and World Champion skaters.

In between these activities, we also took in a tennis lesson or two, went swimming in the pools, and enjoyed a few retail therapy opportunities. Sun Valley also offers golfing, hiking, and other family activities. We are already planning a winter trip, with all the cold-weather sport options!

Girl’s Getaway and Camping don’t usually go together in the same sentence, except when you are talking about my girlfriends and Costanoa, the something-for-everyone camp experience located half way between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. Last month, I dragged my two intrepid girlfriends, Kim and Marie, with me for a weekend away from the boys and kids. Wow, what a great girl’s getaway!

We arrived on Friday afternoon to find our Pine Village Tent Bungalow all ready for us. A bit of a tight squeeze for three friends, it nevertheless offered us the opportunity to channel our inner 12-year old and pretend we were on a sleepover! That, and conveniently located comfort stations, allowed us to relax while still communing with nature.

As much as I enjoy lugging out my Dutch oven to cook dinner when we family camp at Big Basin, I was thrilled to visit the Cascade Bar & Grill for our meals. Wonderful local cuisine and wines ensured the three of us were well fed. After dinner, while my friends went back to our bungalow, I stayed at the lodge to meet up with a group of other travelers for a little Naked Eye Stargazing.

Saturday morning, we had our choice of many activities, including horseback riding, surfing lessons and yoga – in the end, we decided to join a hike to Franklin Point with a local tour guide. On the way, my friend Kim ooh’d and aah’d over the coastal flora and we took in the gorgeous views of the Northern California coast. We had to hurry back, as we had reservations for massages at the spa – well worth it, as the masseuses erased all of the week’s tension.

On Sunday, after check out, we headed out to Harley Farms Goat and Dairy Ranch for a “behind-the-scenes” tour of the operation, plus a special cheese tasting at the end. I also insisted we stop at the Pie Ranch Farm Stand to pick up pie, claiming this was much easier than actually picking our own berries at Swanton Berry Farms!

Driving back home over the hill, I reveled in the time spent with my good friends and the chance to get away from my everyday life in such a beautiful retreat. Already looking forward to our next girl’s getaway. Paris, anyone?

Photo courtesy of Henryk Kotoviski 

Every now and then women just need to get away from everything, and there is no finer medicine than a trip to South Padre Island. Even though this island is only a few miles wide, it is packed with beautiful beaches, every kind of water sport you can imagine, shopping, restaurants, and charters.

Before you go, it’s a good idea to do a bit of research. First of all you’ll need a place to stay! I recommend Suntide III Condominiums but for a full listing of what is available you can check Trip Advisor, just put in South Padre Island and you’ll have a multitude of choices.

What you do next depends on how you like to travel, whether you like to have everything planned and plotted out in advance or kind of just fly by the seat of your pants and leave it all to chance. Personally I do a bit of both, I do just enough research ahead of time to have an idea of what there is to do but I don’t set specific times or goals or plan an itinerary.

South Padre offers something for whatever mood you’re in, whether it’s lying on the beach sunning, sitting in the shade watching the ocean, learning to surf or snorkel, or chartering a boat for some deep sea fishing. That last one sounded kind of “manly”, didn’t it? You’d be surprised how much fun it is to go fishing – you never have any idea what you will catch. It could be a puffer fish, a shark, a swordfish, you just never know. And you haven’t lived until you’ve tried surfing! We used South Padre Surf Company and it was worth every penny – they are just great. However there are a ton of companies to choose from and you can find them as well as other activities and events at the South Padre Parade website.

I also recommend taking the time to read some warnings from those who have visited the area before; there are some very helpful tips at the Virtual Tourist site.

You really can’t go wrong by taking a trip to South Padre Island, even in the winter it is a beautiful area and the temperatures are mild enough to make it enjoyable. Do you have any tips or recommendations for someone wanting to visit South Padre?

Until next time . . .

Paige aka PJsTravelinTexas

If you’re looking for a little adventure, take a walk on the wild side. Wild as in untamed, natural, one of the best times you will have anywhere! Texas has more than 70 guest and working ranches – complete with chuckwagons and cattle – and they just love to strut their stuff for “city slickers”.

Scenic Bandera, just northwest of San Antonio, is home to a number of ranches. Nearby Boerne features Western adventure and relaxation on the banks of the picturesque Guadalupe River.

These ranches offer you a wonderful opportunity to step back in time; while still able to enjoy most of the modern-day comforts we’ve come to love so well. And it’s not about sitting on a horse all day either (although I’m sure that’s an option if that’s your preference).

While you will certainly want to research all of the Dude Ranches, a great first experience can be found at the Mayan Dude Ranch in Bandera, Texas. Just outside of San Antonio in the Texas Hill Country, the daily trail rides offer some of the most spectacular views to be found in Texas. But those views are nothing compare to the dining treats you will experience. From the Cowboy Breakfast cook-out to the Texas-sized steak at Hicksville (their little western town), you might find yourself having to unbutton that top pant button after partaking!

You can’t go wrong with this true Texas past-time. If you find yourself overwhelmed by technology and stress, this trip might just be what the doctor ordered. Have you experienced any of Texas’ working ranches? Do you have a favorite? Let me know, I’m always planning my next trip!

Until next time . . .

Paige aka PJsTravelinTexas

A friend of mine from Chicago viewed my photos of a recent trip online and asked me two questions:

1. Did you take all those photos?
2. Is this place in China?

My answers to both questions are “YES”. And not only you, but also Google has “told” me that this fairyland called “jiuzhaigou” is far less well known than Xi’an, Guilin or even Yangshuo. Besides, everyone with a most common camera is able to take pictures like ->>!

• Results 1 – 10 of about 587,000 for “jiuzhaigou”.
• Results 1 – 10 of about 1,100,000 for “yangshuo”.
• Results 1 – 10 of about 12,500,000 for “xian” .

Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟, means “valley of nine villages” in Chinese) Valley is located in Nanping County, 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) to the north of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province, which is the home to spicy Chinese cuisine. I believe Sichuan is the “California” of China in terms of the variety of travel resources. Being one of 166 UNESCO World Natural Heritages in the world, and one of 45 in Asia Pacific since 1992 according to Wikipedia, Jiuzhaigou was first found accidentally by woodcutters in the 1900s then became a nation nature reserve in 1978. In 1982 it became one of the first scenic areas under special nation protection. An easy way to interpret the status of “special nation protection” is to consider it as a National Park.

The Jiuzhaigou Valley we talk about today consists of three valleys: Shuzheng Valley, Rize Valley, and Zechawa Valley. It combines blue/green lakes, waterfalls, verdant forests, snow-covered mountains, and the folk customs of Qiang peoples. The roads to visit these three valleys were developed as a “Y” shape. To protect the environment, normal gas-consuming vehicles are banned in the park except of those of the local Qiang peoples who live within the park. The green transportation system is very convenient and has basic access to all the view points. Buy a map in visitor center and follow the bus route, it is self explanatory.

Admission fee: 220 RMB/person (two-day pass), shuttle bus: 90RMB/person/day in peak season (April to November). Half price other time.

How to get there:

1. By bus: there are buses departed from Chengdu city or Dujiangyan city daily. It is about 450 km from Chengdu city. Buses journey along the winding roads and the trip takes around 10 hrs in normal road condition. Cost: 120RMB.

2. By private car with your own driver: you can hire a private car with a driver if you want to tour around Sichuan province. The private car won’t remove the boredom of a long drive, but will provide you more flexibility. Cost: 450 – 700 RBM/day, from sedan to 4W drive.

3. By air: Huanglong-Jiuzhaigou airport is 88km away from Jiuzhaigou Valley. There are flights from 3 cities：Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi’an. Flight time is 45 – 75 minutes, depending on departure location. Cost: 980RMB (before tax) for Chengdu departed flights (over 20 flights per day in peak season), shuttle bus to the Valley is 45RMB/person, private car is 200 RMB.

Where to book your hotel:

1. Hotel booking sites such as elong and ctrip, similar to Expedia or Quikbook in the U.S.

2. Local travel agents: there aren’t many options for hotels on elong or ctrip, but local travel agents have many more resources and you can get better rate with them. The only obstacle will be language.

3. Your private tour guide: if you travel with a local tour guide, let him/her handle all the logistics. They can also get good rate for you.

In theory, you don’t need to book in advance since there are nothing except hotels outside of the park.

When to visit:

Water is the highlight of the park. We have a saying: Once you come back from Jiuzhaigou, there is no other water worthy of your visit. I did some research by clicking through hundreds of images on Picasa online public albums and checked the image information (camera, resolution, day time). My research shows that everyday is a best time to visit, but Oct. 15- 30 is the best time to see foliage, however the chance for rain is also higher, since fall is rainy season.

How to find a private tour guide：

I started by posting my itinerary on a few forums (in Chinese language) seeking travel buddies to share private car costs. A few days later I received responses and chatted with them to sync our travel plans. In the end, I found two other women who had booked a private car with a driver and wanted to share rides for the first day. Here are some additional suggestions:

• Check with your friends who are already in China. Even though they don’t know a private tour guide, they can share with you about the real China and help you prepare for the trip.
• Check with your friends who have been to China recently. My college professor called me after seeing my online shared album for Jiuzhaigou and I ended up sharing the contact information for the driver.
• Visit or call your local tour operators who run China tours. They might have some connections with local Chinese travel agents who run inbound tours, but the private tour guides are very likely too expensive since they want to sell you a group tour package rather than encouraging you to travel independently.
• Spend half a day while you are in to visit local travel agents and ask for private guides. Know the market price and stick to it and you won’t be taken for a ride. Don’t agree to pay in advance.
• Check on-line travel forums and communities. Active community members or forum moderators are always there to help you. But you need to describe your situation and needs in detail and leave your contact information if you don’t plan to check the boards. I recently met a girl who is an expert on the Tripadvisor Shanghai forum and she told me she spends “lots of time helping people”. Places to start: Lonely Planet Thorn Tree, TravBuddy and TripAdvisor.
• Use on-line Question and Answer communities. Yahoo! Answers come to my mind first. Nothing to lose when asking a question.
• Utilize on-line search engines. You will need the city names to do the search, in order to receive useful results. There should be plenty of information, but sometimes it is difficult to tell the quality. Ask to chat with them online or even a phone interview.

See more Jiuzhaigou Valley photos here. And let me know if you need an English speaking tour guide in Jiuzhaigou area!