Riviera Maya, Mexico

I just returned from a FABULOUS trip to the Riviera Maya. This is the area, just south of Cancun on the Yucatan Pennisula. My husband and I went for a quick 4 night trip to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. It was wonderful; beautiful weather, great beaches, yummy drinks and food....ahhh, totally relaxing. We stayed at the Iberostar Lindo Paraiso Beach. This is a 4.5 star resort and is a part of the Iberostar Paraiso Beach complex. There are 5 Iberostar Resorts on this property ranging from the 4 star Iberostar Paraiso Beach to the 5 star, adults-only Iberostar Grand. This is a fantastic property, well managed with wonderful service. The Lindo shares restaurants with the Maya, but nothing was ever crowded. The pools and gardens are gorgeous and there is TONS to do for families; playground, kids program, lazy river(see picture above), wave pool, etc.

We also took one day to explore the Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza. As part of our excursion, we were taken to a natural sink hole, where we were able to swim. REFRSHING! Then off to the ruins. Our guide, Serg, was amazing. His family was part Mayan and you could tell how much he LOVED sharing the stories of the ancient Mayan. It was facinating. This also made for a great combination of beach/sun and a little adventure.

This was a great vacation!

Family Lanes for Airport Security

Do you often find yourself getting the "eye roll" from other travelers at the airport, as they see you walk up with your children? They are now going to have Family Lanes for Airport Security. Check out this article:
http://travelwithkids.about.com/b/2008/11/12/family-lanes-for-airport-check-ins.htm?nl=1

Great Disney Deal!

Walt Disney World just announced a WONDERFUL deal for travel Jan- June. Stay 4 nights in a Disney resort with park tickets, get 3 free. I just priced it out for Spring Break and the cost for 7 days was incredible. If you want to go to Disney, this is a GREAT time to go! Email me for more information: tracy@creativetraveladventures.com

Walt Disney World

I just returned from Walt Disney World in Orlando. It was a GREAT vacation! My kids loved it and everything was MAGICAL.....the Disney way! The above photo is from Breakfast with Chef Mickey, an absolute must! We were able to hit all of the parks as well as Downtown Disney. I learned so much from talking to people while I was there....a lot of hidden secrets to share with clients!

A Great Birthday Present!

Walt Disney World just announced that it will give FREE tickets to guests on their birthdays in 2009! What a double bonus for those people with twins!

New Airplane Harness for kids

I recently read about a new safety harness for kids to mirror those of carseats. I have heard so many complaints from clients about lugging huge carseats through the airport so their kids can be safely "strapped in" on a flight. This is SO much easier. Check out the website at: http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is truly an up and coming destination for lovers of the Caribbean! This past May, I stayed at the Dreams Resort, Punta Cana. The Dominican Republic offers a variety of resorts on various parts of the island. Dreams was a fantastic place to stay. The only downfall being it is far from the airport. If you are traveling with kids, that last hour on a bus on bumpy roads can be a killer after a long plane ride! However, once you walk into their beautiful open-air lobby, grab a drink from the bar and look out at the beautiful grounds; you will forget the bus ride! Dreams has a fantastic kids program full of activities and complete with a pirate ship and water slide in their Kids Area! Their staff bends over backwards to entertain and your kids will not be bored!

The island has several excursions; ranging from adventure to cultural. You can visit the historic city of Santo Domingo, where Christopher Columbus first landed. I would highly suggest the Zip Line tours. My friend, Suzanne, and I went and had a ball! There was even a very young girl, age 3, that went and LOVED it! I asked her father why she wasn't scared. He said, "We teach our kids fear. I try to introduce her to things, so she won't be afraid. You should see her surf!" Such wise words. I came home determined to take my kids at the first opportunity!

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

This past July, I joined a group of travel agents on a FAM trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with Funjet Vacations. A FAM trip is a "familiarization" trip for travel agents to learn about different destinations in order to be more informed for you, the customer. I was there 4 days and saw 14 resorts. We were also allowed to play tourist one day by taking an excursion to Las Caletes, pictured above. I have to say, there are not many trips that I do not like. I am so easily enthralled with new destinations and the people I meet and the places I visit. I loved Puerto Vallarta. Being by the beach with mountains is such a beautiful combination. The people were very friendly and service was great. There are varied resorts to meet all budgets and interests. Additionally, the 100 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, the Riviera Nayarit is booming with new resorts, marina and golf courses. This is definitely a destination worth visiting.

I have entereded the blogging world!

I suppose I never imagined that people would truly care what I had to say enough to read my blog. However, I find myself as an expert in traveling with kids and people actually ask me for advice. What a novel idea! Traveling is one of my greatest passions and loves in life. Being able to combine travel with THE greatest love of my life; my husband and kids brings immense pleasure! I hope you learn a little from this blog and feel inspired to see something you've never seen before, experience someplace new and watch the look on your child's face when they first ride a horse, raft a river, see an ocean, a mountain, a wild animal, or anything new and different. These simple pleasures are what makes lifelong memories. Thank you for letting me share my memories with you!