Puerto Vallarta

A lovely place to visit for a care free get away is Mexico. Puerto Vallarta is where I went with my Grandparents and my best friend. The beaches are great. The sand is soft and white so you can play beach volleyball in your swim suit, or lounge on a beach chair under a palapa and read a book, or listen to music. The waves can get moderately high, enough to go boogie boarding or body surfing. Enjoy the thrill of catching wave after wave and riding all the way to the sandy shores.

Take pictures on the beach, or catch a bus down town and stroll along the malachon. The malachon is a walkway along the waterfront and is a hive of activity. In the day time, many vendors sell a multitude of trinkets. Stop at one of the stalls and take a look. Or stop at one of the many little restaurants and have a drink and some nachos. Meander your way to the amphitheater for some fun live shows. Performed entirely in Spanish, these street thespians are brilliant, eve if you don't speak the language. Wait for the church to strike eleven and bring out your dancing shoes, for that is the time the dancing starts at the many night clubs all along the malachon. Take your gal or find a guy to dance the night away with.

If that's not your pace, tour some of the elaborate churches and pay your respects in the house of God. Or visit a local market. They sell everything from silver rings to glass cups to pottery sinks to leather wallets. Try bartering with the local and walk away with the perfect gift to take home.

Feeling a little adventurous? Take a steamboat down the river for a tour. See all the cool plants along the banks in the tropics and come face to face with Iguanas, Pelicans and Crocodiles. I was lucky enough to see a baby crocodile, six inches long, black with buggy eyes. Or try para sailing and looking down on the city from way up in the sky. If 'up' is not your thing, try 'down'. Scuba dive or snorkel beneath the crystalline waves and witness the beautiful fish and coral.

Whatever you choose to do the weather is pretty good year-round. I went in the rainy season, it was warm and humid. The rain came in great torrential storms, but only lasted a couple hours and it was warm.

Puerto Vallarta is an amazing place to visit for the first time or the thirty first time. So enjoy the soft sand between your toes and the fresh breeze through your hair and enjoy Puerto Vallarta.

Types of Holidays

There are many types of holidays. Depending on circumstances, some may be perfect while others may be horrible.

If a family with small children are taking a vacation, the perfect trip will be fun for the whole family, such as an amusement park, something that will be exciting for the kids and also be fun for the adults.

A family with older children or teenagers might think about something a little calmer, like a resort on the beach or a cruise. This allows the kids to have some more freedom and independence while the parents still know where their children are. If that is too expensive, try going on a hiking trip, or going camping or sailing.

A young couples may want somewhere with lots of things to do together, such as festivals, shopping and nightlife. So they might want a resort that offers some of these things or a hotel in a town that is busy with activities and caters to tourists.

Older couples might be content with more laid back activities. A book and a beach may be all they need, or a golf course for the husband and a spa for the wife.

For the brave of heart there are adventure themed holidays. They could go spelunking ( cave exploring ), repelling or para -sailing or -gliding.

There are many locations and vacations all around the world. Each has it's own pros and cons. You need to take into account what everyone participating wants and will enjoy and find a middle ground that everyone will enjoy.

An Alaskan cruise was good for my grandparents and their couple friends. It was a bit foggy but they had a good time. My best friend however is going on a road trip to the Rocky Mountains with her brother. It will be a good bonding experience and and awesome adventure. Many families in the United States take road trips to the Grand Canyon. My family, living in Canada, drove across the country one summer.

You just need to pick something that sounds like fun for everyone and have a good time no mater what.

Travel relieves stress

In today's society family vacations are an essential stress reliever. Vacations give a person time to relax and unwind from the stress of school and work. They help to keep a family close and tight knit and give good memories for the future. Family vacations provide a hands on way to learn about and experience the world. These thing are important for people of all ages.

Vacations give time to relax and unwind form the stresses of school and/or work. The stresses of life affect the mind, body and soul. The mind does one of two things. Either it runs at a hundred miles per hour and cannot shut down, making concentrating on one task and sleeping difficult. Or it start to slow down, not really thinking about anything but worry, making concentrating on one task and problem solving difficult. It may also start with the former and meld into the latter as more stress is endured. The physical symptoms of stress are usually bags under the eyes, kankers or ulsers in the mouth and/or stomach, lack of and difficulty sleeping, tiredness, aches and pains. This wears the body down adding to the stress that is already there and weakens the immune system making it easier to become ill. A Stressed soul can lead to frustration and anger or sometimes depression. These examples are a bit extreme but milder cases apply to everyone.

Vacations allow a family to bond and share wonderful memories. By becoming a close knit family, trust, love and understandingare built. “They” say that raising teenagers is like nailing Jello to a tree, but if children love and respect their parents and vice versa, raising good, well-rounded people into the world will be much easier. People only have their memories when they grow old. Looking back at their time spent with their families and seeing fond and loving moments add to an already full and rich life.

Taking time as a family to get away from home is an exciting thing. Whether traveling to another country or across one's own, there is much to see and do. Families lear about different peoples and cultures and experience everthing first hand. From the climate to the festivals to the food. An excellent way to enhance real-world and cultural knowledge is by travelling to exotic places.

From becoming a closer family, to rejuvinating, to first hand knowledge, travelling as a family is an essential part of today's stress relief.

My Travel Tips

For all you folks that love travelling, I have compiled all of the tips and tricks that I have learned and gathered over the years.

Airports and Airplanes

• Never leave your bags unattended
• Always carry important info with you
  Go to your local thrift store and invest in a fanny pack or an over the shoulder purse large enough to carry your passport, boarding pass, any cards you may need and some money.
• Eat
  Make sure you eat a decent meal before lift off, especially for long flights.
• Wear comfortable clothes
  My favourite travel outfit is a pair of sweatpants, a long sleeve shirt and a tee shirt. Planes can get quite draughty.
• Pack a carry on
  Make sure that you pack a spare set of clothes, PJ’s.'s, a swimsuit ( if destination is appropriate ) and your toiletries. I always pack a book, some hard candies and munchies, and my music device.

Cruises and Hotels

• Always put your important information in the safe when you get to your room.
  Some precautions to take:
  • choose a number with significance to you so as you don't forget it. But don't make it something anyone could find out. If you gave your phone number or address to the hotel or cruise line don't use those numbers.
  • When you have chosen a suitable number and put your things in the safe, wipe the number pad down with a damp cloth.
• Unpack and organize
  This way you will waste less time trying to find things that you need and more time enjoying yourself at your destination.
• Put your suitcase or bag away
  Put the suitcase under the bed or in the closet. You will have more floor space and you can use your case as a laundry basket to keep soiled and dirty clothes out of the way.
• Buy groceries
  If you have a kitchenette in your hotel buy some simple items like cereal and milk, some fruit, bread and deli meats. Restaurants are not exactly cheap so even just having breakfast and a couple lunches is could save quite a bit of money. If you are on a cruise or all inclusive hotel, eat all you can!
• Room/Cabin for sleeping
  Your room/cabin is for sleeping, that's it. Go out and enjoy yourself, don't stay indoors and watch TV, go outdoors and read a book!

I hope this has been helpful to you, and that you have a safe and happy trip.