Tiny Travelers Welcomed with Open Arms

April 13th, 2008 Posted in Reptile Pets

Traveling with your kids is getting easier than ever before. In recent years the travel industry has experienced a boom in family travel and rather than assuming that parents will only take children to family oriented sites such as the Disney theme parks, Busch Gardens, or colonial Williamsburg, destinations across the country are opening their arms to tiny travelers. Statistics from the Travel Industry Association, a national non-profit organization in Washington, D.C., indicate a steady increase since the year 2000 in the number of leisure trips composed of adults with their children. Despite travel scares due to 9/11, 2001 actually saw an increase of 6.6 million trips with children, the largest increase from the 2000 to 2006 period. Travel with Kids (in millions of trips) Year Trips 2000 183.1 million trips 2001 189.7 million trips 2002 196.4 million trips 2003 195.2 million trips 2004 200.7 million trips 2005 206.1 million trips 2006 208.3 million trips Source: Travel Industry Association Hotels More than ever hotels are catering to guests who bring their children along. To be expected in Disneyworld, the Orlando Hilton offers a babysitting service, childrens menu, cribs, Disney character breakfast, high chairs, in-room, kids movies, in-room, on-command games, and childrens outdoor pool. Perhaps more surprisingly, children are also well accommodated in four star hotel chains such as the Four Seasons and the Mandarin Oriental. Four Seasons hotels throughout the world boast such amenities as: child-size bathrobes, complimentary baby toiletries, childrens menus in restaurants and in-room dining, and childrens activity information. Additional amenities subject to availability include: items to childproof guest rooms, cribs and/or rollaway bed(s), complimentary coloring books, crayons, toys and board games, complimentary use of baby equipment (diaper genies, bottle warmers, strollers) and childrens DVD and videotape lending library. There is also babysitting service available with 48 hours advance notice. The Mandarin Oriental hotel chain offers almost identical childrens amenities to the Four Seasons with the addition of: slippers, baby bumpers for all cribs, baby duvets for cribs, and baby bottle sterilizers. Going even further to satisfy parents and entertain children, the Mandarin provides youth activities at a variety of locations. The Mandarin in Miami offers a Mini MO Kids Club where children have the opportunity to make friends and participate in a variety of activities reflecting the hotels Asian heritage including: origami, learning to count in Mandarin, and designing their own decorative fans. Yoga classes are offered for children aged 5-11. Teenagers can participate in the Brickell Tennis Club, take belly dancing classes at the spa, or get a manicure and pedicure complete with sparkle nail polish and gemstone embellishments. Some hotels offer free stays for very young children, and though it is less common, you may also find offers for children of all ages. The Radisson Martinique on Broadway in New York City offers free hotel stays to all children under the age of 17. In Holiday Inns worldwide, children under 19 stay free when sharing a room with parents and children eat free when ordering from the kids menu with an adult. Transportation May Leung, a travel agent in Seattle, has worked in the industry for over 30 years and has run her own travel agency for the past twenty years. In the past 10 years she has noticed an increase in the amount of trips that families take with their children by plane versus by car. “The families are more willing to spend the money to fly to their vacation destinations,” May says. “In fact, I have quite a few clients (young parents) that are willing to buy a seat for their infant/toddler which is between 10 % - 50 % of the adult fare. In North America, airlines do not charge for children under 2 years old if they are traveling with their parents on their laps.” At the airport children will be asked to go through metal detectors. According to the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) website, medications, baby formula and food, breast milk, and juice are allowed in quantities larger than the regulation of three ounces and do not need to be stored in clear plastic bags, but will be subject to search. Trains are another travel option. They can be a more inexpensive way to travel than airplanes and your children might view it as a fun adventure and opportunity to take another form of transportation. On Amtrak, children aged 2-15 usually ride for 50% of the adult full fare. Destinations There are so many places to go in the United States, but where to begin? Travelandleisure.com and CNN Headline News has polled both travelers and residents about their likes and dislikes of Americas top 25 cities in 2007. The top ten family vacation cities were as follows: Orlando Washington, D.C. San Diego Honolulu San Antonio Charleston Denver Minneapolis/St. Paul Seattle Boston This list shows significant changes from recent years. New York has fallen from the number one spot in 2004 to number 19 in 2007; San Francisco was four, and now ranks number 14. Orlando and San Diego are the only two cities that were in the top five in both years. The family travel section on Expedia, a travel website, also lists 10 top family destination picks. Orlando, San Diego, Boston and Washington D.C. are featured as part of their top ten as well. Expedia also lists top family hotels according to a variety of categories: Amenities, Budget Friendly, Condo-Style Hotels, Location, All-Inclusive Resorts, and Pet Friendly. Las Vegas, which came in as number 25 on Travel %26amp; Leisures list in 2007, has traditionally been thought of as a den of sin: a place for bachelor parties, shotgun weddings, partying along the strip, and gambling. Now it is a hot spot for anyone and everyone. With fine dining establishments, some of the countrys coolest clubs, and swankiest hotels, families are also welcome and now even catered to in Las Vegas. On their official travel website, http://www.vegas.com/, more than 40 attractions for kids are featured in and around the city: Adventuredome is Americas largest indoor theme park Gameworks is a video playground created by Stephen Spielberg Others including: an aquarium, observatory, Zoological-Botanical Park, childrens museum and IMAX theater. New Orleans came in at 22 on Travel %26amp; Leisures top family U.S. cities list. Like Las Vegas, this city has long been famous for jazz music, Bourbon Street, and wild Mardi Gras celebrations where party-going visitors have annually flocked to the city in search of good music, good food, and a good time. In an attempt to revitalize tourism after hurricane Katrina, New Orleans official tourism site, http://www.neworleansonline.com/, urges families to come to their city because of a wide range of offerings for children. An Audubon Zoo Aquarium and park, Earth Fest, Swamp Fest, and horseback riding are just a few of the featured activities and events. The site even has a three-day suggested itinerary for families and a list of tips for families that plan to attend to Mardi Gras. Advice It is important to consider the interests of both you and your children when traveling so the entire family has an enjoyable trip. Lissy Goldberg, mother of three from Montreal, says that her children aged 9, 8, and 5 all travel very well. Portable video games and dvd players help to make plane rides smoother and cots and adjoining rooms are a necessity when staying in hotels on family vacations. “When the kids are kept busy with activities we find that is the right mix. Costa Rica was great because there is so much to do. Tourism is their number one industry so they have tons of activities. Zip lining, surfing schools, rainforest, horseback riding, beaches……. The people are wonderful,” Goldberg says. She also mentions that for a family traveling on a budget, a hotel with a pool and waterslide is an easy and fun trip. It may seem daunting to plan a trip with your children, but, do some reading, pack up and go! Involve the kids in your trips plans and, they will be even more enthusiastic feeling they have had a hand in making decisions and are informed about what lies ahead. There are endless options to explore. Safe and happy travels!

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