By Amy Platt,
LIParentSource.com
Now that it's so cold here, I am constantly having dreams where I am sitting in a lounge chair on a sunny beach somewhere, drinking a cold fruity drink, reading a book.....and then I wake up in the middle of the night to a kid crying (or coughing, or yelling, or doing anything but sleeping) and more often than not am snuggling deeper into my blanket to avoid the shocking cold that will hit me the minute I get out of my bed.
Like me, families across Long Island are having the same dream and thinking the same thought - are we going to go on vacation this year? Where? It's tough to travel with kids and I try and talk to people who have been anywhere that they considered "family friendly" before planning a vacation, then try and figure out if it will work for our travelling-challenged family. Sadly enough, in the 5 years that we've been parents, we've gone on one vacation. Although alot of fun, but was anything but relaxing (note to self for next time: when you go on vacation with your family and two kids ages 4 and under, you WILL need a vacation from your vacation when you get back!). We've put together some great travel resources we found that will help you while planning your next vacation.
WeJustGotBack.com
- Their slogan is "Travel advice you can trust, from families who have been there". How could you not trust that? WeJustGotBack.com is an authoritative online guide to family trip planning that features reviews of kid-friendly hotels and resorts, expert planning advice, readers' travel tips, destination insider guides, vacation deals, and more. From the tip sheets to the insider guides, WeJustGotBack.com is a must if you are planning a family trip. Reviews are written by families who have actually gone on these trips with site users posting comments about their own experiences. Search by location or type of trip or view tip sheets on anything from flying with kids to crowd safety to packing.
ParentClick.com
Travel With Kids - Again, only the best for you - reviews submitted by ParentClick.com readers across the country that have actually taken these vacations and stayed in these places. Find travel tips and checklists that only parents would think of, like closing up the house before you leave, information about airport security checkpoints and activities to keep kids busy while traveling. Read travel reviews of places like London, Hawaii, Grand Turk, Lake Tahoe and more or submit your own review of where you've been so other parents can make informed decisions.
Orbitz Parent Panel
- This brand new part of the redesigned Family Travel Page is dedicated to making travel research and booking easier for families. The Parent Panel is made up of 20 Orbitz employees who have kids of all ages and extensive experience within the travel industry. This great resource guide for families includes age-appropriate vacation ideas (cruising with kids), seasonal travel insight (ready for a ski trip?) and hot topics and great parental travel debates (such as utilizing resort provided nannies/babysitters).
Like
LIParentSource.com
, Orbitz knows that different families have different needs and they are aiming to provide each family with enough information to enable them to make the right decision for themselves. This interactive forum is designed to engage and offer relevant advice for traveling families and welcomes reader comments, questions, topic suggestions and customer feedback. Another bonus is the special offers section for family travel!
Enjoy your planning and enjoy your trip, when you get back, let us know about it - where you went could be our next vacation!
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Amy Platt is a Plainview native who now lives in Syosset with her husband Craig, two young children and dog. In 2006, Amy & Craig launched
LIParentSource.com
, an online guide that centralizes resources for Long Island families. Through
LIParentSource.com
, they are able to offer support to Long Island families by providing information on various family related topics. Visit
LIParentSource.com
for great information helping parents throughout Long Island.