Vacations Blog

When in Hawaii do as the Hawaiians do. In this case that means charge a bunch of tourists a hefty sum and then dump them in the ocean.  It was worth it.

This photo is from a snorkeling expedition off the coast of Maui.  That’s a sea turtle.

“Dude? Dude? Focus dude… Dude?”

See?

“Saw the whole thing, dude. First you were all like “whoa”, and we were like “whoa”, and you were like “whoa…”"

And that’s how it happened.  No Snorks were harmed in the writing of this post.

“RIGHTEOUS. RIGHTEOUS.”

Photo by Whit Honea

For more family-friendly travel photos visit DeliciousBaby’s Photo Fridays.

Quotes courtesy of Crush

It’s time for another rousing edition of Travel Around the Internet! Brace yourself.

Here are just a few of the items that have shuffled across our inbox lately:

Disney Cruise specials and kids sail free!

Marriott wants to Twitter, email and Facebook you to Hawai’i! By all means, let them!

Read More »

I don’t know why I’m telling you this.

Perhaps because I am a really, really good person who is able to put my own selfish desires aside for your best interest.

Or maybe I’m hoping that you’ll reward me in the future by, maybe, offering to take me to Hawaii with you, for example.

I’m going with the idea that I am a really good person who you would gladly reward with a trip to Hawaii even if you don’t know me.  Because in my head, that makes total sense.

Anyway – let’s talk about getting you (and a friend) a free trip to Hawaii.

Of all the travel related internet happenings going on right now, the one I am most excited about is Marriott’s “Tweet Yourself To Hawaii” Sweepstakes.  (Now, before you click that link, let me warn you that this website has autoplay sound.  Which I loathe.  But keep your eye on the prize!)

And that prize is…

A vacation for two to Hawaii from Marriott!

Each week, Marriot Hawaii is giving away three island vacations.  The vacation packages include:

• Roundtrip airfare for two to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines from any of its ten U.S. West Coast gateway cities – Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego
• A five-night stay at one of the following Marriott resorts in Hawaii: JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club, Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa or Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
• Rental car, courtesy of Hertz
• Selected island activities and attractions

(In order to take advantage of this prize, you’re going to have to get yourself – and a friend - to and from one of the ten U.S. West coast gateway cities.)

All you have to do to enter is go to the contest web site and login to send a tweet about the contest.  A tweet is something you do on Twitter.  Twitter is some place where you should be following me.  You can get additional entries by submitting an email entry and connecting to your Facebook account.

The contest runs from the week of August 24th through October 23rd, and you can enter again each week.  If you win, you must take your vacation by December 20, 2009.  Oh, the burden!

Go to the Marriott Hawaii Tweet Sweepstakes website to enter.

And remember who loved you enough to tell you about it.

Photo credits: lazlo-photo on Flickr.

It’s time for another rousing edition of Travel Around the Internet! It’s like exciting.

Here are just a few of the items that have shuffled across our inbox lately:

LAST CHANCE! If you have a kid, a camera and access to water you could win a $500 Best Western gift card at Babble Playground. The contest ends tomorrow so get that kid wet, stat!

Read More »

Shopping for beach toys on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk.

Initially the trip was planned with only economics and convenience in mind. You can get to Delaware in about five hours from New York City (assuming traffic and a rest stop), and only spend three quarters of a tank of gas on the drive down. It’s also considerably cheaper than Virginia Beach during the high season, which is generally late spring through Labor Day. And Rehoboth Beach not nearly as unpredictable as Myrtle Beach. What’s more is that Rehoboth Beach is much tamer than it’s neighbor Ocean City and has substantial appeal for families looking for an affordable getaway during tight times when every penny counts. Read More »

When our kids were small, there was no question about who paid for stuff. Air fare, entrance fees, food, lodging, and “Can I have it’s,” all subsidized by dear ol’ Mum and Dad. We made sure the budget accounted for that, so we tended to head toward less exotic destinations, which were less expensive to achieve. A trip to Maine, where we stayed with my family. A long weekend in Utah for some epic skiing. Road trips over to San Diego for three or four days. And we went camping a lot.

Me and the kids in Maine in '98.

When our son entered the military, and it was just me, my husband, and our daughter, we were able to branch out a little more. The three of us took a trip to Vancouver, BC, we spent a week driving up the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to San Francisco, and we spent ten days in Hawaii.

My husband, parasailing in Hawaii in '03.

Then our daughter moved out, too, and my husband and I indulged in a couple of lovely vacations, just the two of us. A trip to Maine, where we stayed in the Old Port section of downtown Portland. A long weekend in Oregon. And, this summer, our Epic Road Trip to Yellowstone and surrounding destinations.

Me and my husband in Maine, '07.

Lately, my husband has been waxing nostalgic. The kids are grown, and we don’t spend as much time with them as we used to. We see them less often (as in, a couple of times a week – they each live within a few miles of us), and we have fewer opportunities to make family memories. So we’ve been talking about planning a family vacation, with our now-grown kids, and their significant others.

Read More »

What would you do from this balcony, hmmm? Relax? Drink?

I did the same, but with a slight twist.

See, we all have hobbies, one of mine is music. And talking about music. And local music.

Because I like music? No. I hate it. Can’t stand the thought of it. Read More »

Yes, yes…I know.

Picking up hitchhikers is not always the safest of ideas.

But she doesn’t look like that mustached-stranger [usually named 'Kenny'] our Mom’s always warned us about, right?

And what better way to learn about the real Hawaii.

I drove.

She answered.

Read More »