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Kirk Creek Campground

The central California coast in winter is tepid, mild and lacks fog, which is quintessential to California's coast in the summer. In winter, expect some rainy days, but if you plan your trip right, you can visit on a mild weekend when the sun shines. Sunset magazine released the top 10 California campgrounds and rounding out no. #6 is Kirk Creek Campground in the Los Padres National Forest in Big Sur. This pristine campground is located near Big Sur, which is also a little artist's community. You can drive up Highway 1 and find numerous galleries and some fantastic restaurants including the Post Ranch Inn's Sierra Mar, which offers four-star cuisine. Please beware it's expensive. If you want to camp, make sure you get your reservations well in advance of your trip. Most state and federal campgrounds fill up fast, especially in the high season.

Winter with the Dolphins in Clearwater Beach

Ready to escape somewhere warm and beautiful, but do not want to leave the states? Try a trip to Clearwater Beach, Florida, which is famous for being the winter marine sanctuary for dolphins. Make sure you plan an visit to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium that offers 3D full-length motion pictures as well as the numerous sea and marine life exhibits. Clearwater is sunny, warm and tropical nearly year round and the climate is considered mild and temperate. The beach has been named Best City Beach by America's Top Family Beaches and is one of the most popular in the state of Florida. You can enjoy water activities, including fishing, boating, swimming and playing in the sand. It's a wonderful winter retreat and offers numerous places to lodge including private and franchise hotels and resorts. So plan to shop, play and enjoy the weather.

Tips to Stay Dry While Traveling

When traveling in winter time, you will want to bring a few extras with you in your bags or carry-ons. These tips will help keep you comfortable on your trip in cold or wet weather.

Umbrella -- always bring a travel-sized umbrella no matter where you go. In springtime in places like New York City a sudden shower will leave you drenched as you try to hail a cab. If you don't bring it with you then you are forced to buy it, and in a big metropolitan city that means paying $15 for something you can buy for $6 at home. Make sure it's small and compact and fits easily in your purse.

Poncho -- if you're going to be outdoors in a tropical location where it rains a lot or in a place that is generally known for rain, bring a poncho and an umbrella. If it's windy, an umbrella will not keep your clothes dry. A poncho enables you to freely walk around without concerns about getting soaked. For example, in Disneyland a poncho will keep you dry if it suddenly rains in winter and the same goes for Walt Disney World where it is famously wet and tropical.

Windbreaker -- if you're traveling some tropical and warm, you won't want a full coat. You will get too hot and still get wet. Bring a thin windbreaker you can easily stuff in your bag and pull out on a wet, tropical day. Make sure it has a hood to cover your head so you don't get wet. REI sells some fantastic windbreakers in all different sizes and colors. A durable windbreaker never goes out of style and lasts a lifetime.

Mojave National Preserve

In keeping with ideas and places to stay dry and warm, another great place to visit especially in the spring when the wild flowers blossom is the Mojave National Preserve located in Southern California. This 1.6 million acre park is comprised of sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, Joshua tree forests, and carpets of wildflowers in springtime. The preserve is located between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and many visitors come to experience the serenity and solitude. It has been suggested that when the wind blows across the sand dunes, you can hear "singing" made from the sweeping, haunting sounds. Wild fluctuations between day and night temperatures suggest you wear layers to be easily peeled on or off during your visit. The Mojave National Preserve is just another reason California as a state has so much diversity in geography and opportunities to experience nature at her finest.

Death Valley National Park

Did you know that Death Valley, California is one of the driest places in the United States? Right now California is dry overall, but when the rain starts and you want to escape the damp, take a trip down south to visit Death Valley National Park. Death Valley is one of the hottest, driest superlative deserts. Much like other national parks such as Yosemite, the park houses some amazing natural sights including streaming sand dunes, snow-capped mountains, multicolored rock layers, water-fluted canyons and three-million acres of wilderness. Visitors can join a park ranger on guided tours through historic mining sites, canyons or salt flats. Visitors can also venture out in groups to places like Scotty's Castle or stop in at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to find out about other park features. You can find lodging near the four park entrances at the east, west and Furnace Creek or Scotty Castle entrances. The best and coolest times of year to visit are in the winter and early spring.

Mardi Gras World

Visiting New Orleans during Mardi Gras with small children is not recommended, however during other times of the year you can visit Mardi Gras World, just a ferry ride across the Mississippi from Canal St.  This warehouse and float builder is a place for you to try on costumes and masks as well as view enormous sculptures used in celebrations past. Check out the Audubon Insectarium, Aquarium and New Orleans Zoo while you are visiting the Big Easy. There are also many “haunting tours” for those not faint of heart.Just take a stroll and recognize some familiar places from recent and classic Hollywood films sure as Fantastic Four, Green Lantern and A Streetcar Named Desire. Be sure to take in a jazz or zydeco show at one of the many music venues. Jackson Square, a plaza in the heart of the French Quarter, is a fun spot for families to explore. 

 

Having Fun with Fish

The Waikiki Aquarium recently opened the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Exhibit. Showcased in a 4,400-gallon tank are marine life from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Kids will be able to see table corals, Hawaiian Morwongs, Masked Angelfish, Bandit Angelfish and Japanese Pygmy Angelfish to name a few. If you want a more hands on approach, and what kid doesn’t, there are interactive touch screens and graphics in the exhibit as well. Open daily from 9am to 4:30 pm or visit the website at www.waquarium.org.

 

The Beverly Garland in Universal City, CA

The Beverly Garland in Universal City, provides easy access to Universal Studios, Hollywood Bowl, Kodak Theatre, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. The best feature is the Kids Suites.  These rooms include a living area and a kingsize bed and a separate area with bunk beds, a flat screen TV and small desk just for kids. Besides the pool, which is always a hit with families, there are tennis courts and a playground on the property.The hotel provides free shuttle service to Universal Studios.

 

Emerging Destinations

Several tour operators are focusing on families and travel to exotics like Borneo, Thailand and Cambodia with Asia Transpacific Journeys. What a great way to learn about other lifestyles and traditions! Did you know that Fijians are among the best babysitters in the world? Almost every resort in Fiji offers some kind of complimentary kids program with activities like snorkeling, spearfishing, crab hunting and other excursions. If the parents want a night on the town, babysitting services are approximately $4 an hour, which is pretty inexpensive!

Adventures by Disney has added a Greece itinerary for 2012 and cruising the Mediterranean is always a popular way to visit European countries.

Speeking of cruises, families are cruising more and more. Whether it is tracing your heritage in Europe, Asia or South America, cruising with your family is a great way to discover new places and still feel comfortable that your kids will find something to eat. Why not try cruising on American rivers or try the Inter-Coastal waterway or small ship cruising up the New England coast?

 

Tips on Tipping

The mysterious tipping process. How do you know when, who and how to tip? Different occasions have different tipping ideas. You can use the following information to help you decide how to tip when you're on vacation.

Cruise Ships -- You can now pre-tip per a specified scale before you get on your cruise ship. Some passengers don't like this idea. They want their servers to earn their tips and give more or less dependent upon good or bad service. Tips on cruise ships go to: cleaning and maid service, head steward, table service waiters and waitresses and head waiters, and chefs. You can expect to pay roughly $350-$450 in tips on a weeklong cruise. If elect to tip more then you may pay more. 

Resorts and Lodges -- Tips should go to your bellboy or girl. Recommended tip per piece of luggage is $5 each piece. Now a bellboy who does nothing more than remove a piece of luggage from your trunk, give him or her a $1 per luggage. 

Restaurants -- You can tip your waiter or waitress the standard 15%. If they do an exceptional job, 20% is always a generous tip. In California, an easy trick is to simply double the sales tax to come up with your tip amount. 

Spas -- Recommended tip for spa service is the same as restaurants, 15%. Spa services are generally pricy in the first place, so if you drop it to 10% you are still likely to be giving your service provider a healthy tip. Unlike waiters and waitresses who barely make minimum wage, spa providers make a decent income outside of tips. So a 10% tip still helps and keeps your services to an affordable level.