Westminster Travel Trips

Teenagers are adults-in-training. They crave independence, but they still require guidelines. Vacation planning can be a daunting task for any parent of adolescents.

Make your job easier – involve your teenagers in the planning process. Arrange a family brainstorming session and decide on a holiday that everyone will enjoy.

A vacation plan should take into consideration each teen’s likes and dislikes. A teenager who participates in science fairs may enjoy touring scientific exhibits. A history buff will enjoy museums. A budding musician might like a tour of Graceland. Ask for specific feedback. Teenagers sway from requiring guidelines and curfews to believing that they know everything – and insisting on doing everything their own way.

Here is a partial list of activities that you might want to use as a springboard for your initial vacation-brainstorming session:

* Laser tag

* Paint ball

* Arcades

* Amusement parks

* Theme parks

* Skiing

* Snowboarding

* Snowmobiling

* ATVing

* Skateboard parks

* Adventure tours

* Dude ranch vacations

* All-inclusive family resorts

* Horseback riding

* Mountain biking

* Whitewater rafting

* Hot air ballooning

* Kayaking

* Scuba experience

* Water skiing

* Jet skiing

* Houseboating

* Factory tours

* Farm vacations

* Mountaineering and hiking

Family cruises are frequently cost-effective. Everything is included – and parents can relax knowing that their teens are involved in nearby activities. Some cruiselines even sponsor special youth clubs. Recreational opportunities may include arcades, bungee trampolines, and outdoor movie theaters. Your teens can associate with other teens and participate in the family vacation – while retaining a degree of independence and freedom. Try to locate a cruiseline that provides walkie-talkies so that you can keep in touch.

If you decide on a land-based holiday, give your teenager(s) a feeling of autonomy, space, and privacy: consider reserving adjoining hotel rooms instead of a family suite. Don’t get frustrated if your teens want to sleep in! Instead, make use of the time to go shopping, swimming, or for a walking tour of the neighborhood.

Most teens nowadays are very internet savvy. Don’t isolate them from their friends. Allow them to remain in contact via cyber cafes, hotel guest-computer systems, or laptop computers. If they must leave the hotel to access a computer at a cyber cafe, insist on a buddy system. Teenagers should never venture out alone.

Not the hotel-room type? Family camps are like traditional summer camps for kids – but they have activities for the entire family. Some operate all summer. Others provide functions on selected weekends throughout the year.

Some teens will feel more comfortable if they are permitted to invite a friend. Of course, there will be budgetary concerns involved with such a holiday. Invite the other teen’s parents to pay for their teen’s expenses.

Older teens who insist on a vacation by themselves might enjoy a backpacking/biking escape – travelling with a friend and staying at hostels along the way. Hostelling is very popular in Europe, and what better way is there to experience a country than by bicycling through its countryside? Another activity an older teen might enjoy is a language immersion program abroad.

When the vacation has finally been arranged, the rooms have been reserved, and you are ready to pack, prepare a list of necessary clothing and accessories – but let your teens pack their own suitcases.

Utilize your vacation as a time to reconnect with your teenagers – both during the planning phase and the actual vacation itself.

* More travel articles, and hostel bookings: http://www.triple1.com

* Also visit: http://1000tips4trips.com – with over 1000 travel tips.

Small Belgium is an embodiment of the Old Europe with its cozy cities, small houses and quite life rhythm. It’s a country with great cultural heritage, architectural monuments, and delicious national cuisine.

Brussels is a capital of Belgium and with its population of about 1 million is a relatively big city. It’s a cultural and political center of the country. Brussels is called “main gates” to the country. Here cross all the main routs inside the country and abroad.

The name of Brussels means “marsh city”. The first settlement was founded here in VI century on the way between Cologne and Bruges. During Hasburg rule it was the capital of the Spanish Holland. In XIX it became the capital of the independent Belgium.

Nowadays Brussels is mainly a city of businessmen and diplomats, a headquarter of European Union and NATO, it an interesting place for tourists too. It’s luxurious, cozy and historical city. The center of the city can be divided into two parts – Upper and Down. Upper town is full of broad boulevards and magnificent buildings. In contrary, downtown presents a labyrinth of narrow medieval streets around one of the most beautiful squares in Europe – Grand Place.

Almost all the attractions are situated within four blocks. Here you can see one of the most unusual and discussed fountains of the world – “Peeping boy”, visit numerous museums devoted to the history, art or something else. Various shops offer the most traditional Belgian souvenirs – chocolate and lace.

Brussels is a bilingual city – both French and Flemish are in use. In fact the French is used mush wider, but nevertheless all road signs and signboards should be duplicated.

On the outskirts of the city raises Atomium – a sophisticated structure covered with the aluminium panels. From its top on approximately 100-meters height opens an unforgettable panorama of Brussels and its suburbs. This building was established for the international fair of 1958 and symbolizes the structure of atom.

City hall building appeared in XV century – it took almost 50 years. A century later Royal palace was created. Now it houses municipal museum. Saint Michael is considered to be a saint patron of Brussels – its statue crown the spire on city hall roof and the most respected temples in Belgian capital is Saint Michael’s Cathedral.

For booking a hotel in Brussels, please, go to Brussels hotels page.

For booking a hotel in any other city, please, go to Hotel reservation site.

New Orleans, a name synonymous with music, has recently been steeped in things other than music. The devastation triggered by Hurricane Katrina has caused untold grief and many lives have been lost and homes destroyed; indeed, an entire city was forced to come to terms with its mortality in a most brutal and fearsome manner, submerged under the fury of nature, and left hanging in abeyance, spirit, guts, heart and all.

The desolation and ruin brought about by Hurricane Katrina had hidden in it another fear, or whether a unique and vibrant city may be lost forever. Something not instantly perceptible, but truly invaluable in its own right had been swept clearly away in the floods – the soul of a city groomed by the voice of dissension. And it has been brought up before, this question of identity – is New Orleans really American? It was unique and stood completely apart, with nothing else quite like it in all of America. Everything, from the architecture, to food, music and culture, was original, and for those who love original, New Orleans is, or was, heaven on earth.

This is endorsed by the fact that it is truly a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities. The city’s history is dotted with invasions and subsequent settlements from the Spanish, French and American people. Perhaps this has something to do with its distinctive essence.

Many jazz junkies and artists alike claim that New Orleans is the home of jazz. And perhaps this is borne out by the fact that African slaves got together at Congo Square and made music. Jazz then came to be known as the voice of subversion. And perhaps again, this is what gave New Orleans its identity – a city of free spirits, carnivals and all things that stand for nonconformity, abandon and emancipation. The music that it gave birth to created it.

The first half of the 20th century witnessed a mood of great acceptance, unlike anywhere else in the region. Many jazz musicians loathed leaving their home – New Orleans – and venturing to other lands unknown, neighboring states though they were. Such was the spirit of tolerance in this city where diverse groups from equally diverse ethnic backgrounds mingled in harmony.

New Orleans gave America so much. And we can only hope that this great city will be able to recover.

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