Places to Visit

The Traveling Bucket List

November 26, 2021 By Anne

There are so many things to do when you’re traveling; it can be hard to know where to start. It’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time! One way to get started is with a bucket list of places that you want to see or activities that you want to try out. This blog will cover some of the most popular bucket lists for travelers today.

Photo by Visit Almaty from Pexels

Safari Trip

There are many reasons why you should go on a safari trip. One of the main reasons is that there are so many beautiful creatures to see all over the world, and it’s important to show your children these animals in person instead of just reading about them. There is so much more information out there than what we read in books or watch on TV shows, which makes going on an African safari one of the most rewarding experiences for everyone involved!

Shark Cage Diving

For one thing, it is thrilling to be near sharks. Sharks are thought of as ferocious animals that want to eat humans for food; however, this is not always true. Many people enjoy watching documentaries about sharks and learning more about them because they are so mysterious. Just like any animal in nature, though, some species of shark will attack if provoked or threatened by a person, while another species may swim away without showing aggression at all! So when on your traveling bucket list, try finding an experience where you can encounter these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat rather than just seeing them through glass windows on land.

Snowboarding

What are the benefits? This is a question that many travelers ask themselves, but it’s an activity everyone should partake in. Snowboarding allows you to connect with nature through exciting activities like sliding down snowy hills at breakneck speeds or pulling off some seriously stylish tricks on your board. It also helps build balance and coordination, both of which can help prevent accidents while traveling. And finally, snowboarding has been shown to boost creativity.

Mountain Climbing

Mountain climbing is a great way to get some exercise. It will make you feel alive! The best part of mountain climbing is it makes for an unforgettable experience, especially when you are with your friends or family members with this blackened grouper filet recipe. You can see the beauty our planet has to offer and appreciate nature more completely because of this view! Not only that, but you also increase self-esteem by conquering something that seems impossible at first glance. That’s why everyone should do it once in their lifetime!

Bungee Jumping

Bungee jumping is a thrilling and heart-pounding activity that you should definitely try at least once in your life. Bungee jumpers plummet towards the ground from great heights, with only an elastic rope preventing them from meeting their demise on impact. This extreme sport will make you feel like you’re flying through the air and give you bragging rights for life! You can choose to go bungee jumping either as a tandem or solo jumper by using harnesses attached to both ankles while wearing helmets, goggles along safety belts.

In conclusion, your traveling bucket list is something that you can look forward to in your lifetime. It will make the memories of seeing different places unforgettable and memorable.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Summer is Coming: Holiday Fun the Whole Family Will Enjoy

May 5, 2019 By Anne

Now that May is officially upon us, we can safely start to plan our summer holidays without feeling premature. There are still some great deals out there, after all, and particularly if you plan on vacationing in August rather than the middle of July.

Image via: Pexels

The only problem with these family holidays is, of course, the endless moans about being bored unless you’re constantly keeping your kids entertained.

While it might be tempting to just hand them an iPad each and call it a day, you’d still like them to experience the kind of summer you used to have as a kid; you know, the one where you laid by the river for hours, getting slightly sunburned and eating ice cream all day.

Luckily, there are ways to accomplish this without having to ruin your own hours of relaxation this holiday. Here is a handful of fun family activities that will keep your kids entertained and give you the cookie points you need to enjoy a full afternoon without any nagging.

First: Relaxing the rules a little

A part of leaving work busy work-mind behind means that you should also try to leave your busy parent-mind behind slightly. Of course, you’re still the parent and in charge regardless of any holidays, but it’s good for everyone to feel that the rules are a bit more flexible once in a while.

Allow your children to go to bed a little bit later, for example, let them have that extra ice cream if they want it, and try to wake up in the morning without having an agenda for the day. It gives you that sense of freedom you crave in your everyday-lives and makes the whole holiday-vibe a lot nicer.

Wake up a bit later, spend the entire day by the pool and go to bed a few hours later than usual – it will make it feel a lot more like a holiday.

Next: Spending the afternoon in a boat

It’s summer, after all, and you’re not going to feel like you experienced it fully if you spend every waking hour in the hammock with a book – however tempting it may be. Try to find some family fun that you will enjoy just as much as the kids; being out in the water is definitely one of those and it’s something your kids will remember as they grow up.

You can start by checking out some local boat rentals or even a yacht Miami rental site if you have some extra money to burn. That way, you might be able to make a proper boat trip out of it and the kids will definitely have something to tell their friends about when they’re back home.

Try to think about everything that you enjoy doing that the kids will also enjoy – and that will get them to spend some of that energy they’ve got bundled up. Go on a hike, for example, see the scenery and give them a sense of adventure at the same time.

While watching movies and browsing the web are great activities for when you’d like to unwind, your children will definitely get restless and rowdy with time; get out there, experience the surroundings together, and they’ll be soundly asleep so that you can enjoy the evening a bit.

Anne

Family Trip to Vero Beach, Florida @verobeachcvb

March 18, 2019 By Anne

Spring Break is here or will be here shortly depending on where you live. Florida has some wonderful places to visit and spend time in the sun. I recently was asked to visit Vero Beach with my family.

We were asked to stay at The Disney Vero Beach Resort and had a fantastic itinerary set up for us. We were not able to make it down to Vero Beach until Friday evening. We got to the resort and settled in around 9:30pm. The resort staff was very helpful as Disney employees always are. My partner and I hit the lounge after the girls layed down. It was right across the hall from our room!

Vero Beach Sunrise

We woke up early to see the sun rise. It was so pretty to see right over the beach. Then it was off to Goofy’s Beachside Character Breakfast with Donald and Goofy.

We gathered later to head over to the Vero Beach Museum of Art. The director took us on a tour then took us over to the children’s Art Zone. The Art Zone has many hands-on activities that encourage children to play and explore. They have a magnetic wall with colorful geometric shapes and a chalkboard wall for the kids to make artistic creations. Another wall is an interactive sketch aquarium, which was my favorite part of this interactive children’s exhibit, lol. The kids were each able to color in a sea creature then it gets scanned into the computer and magically it appeared on the wall!

Every piece of the Art Zone has been designed with kids in mind. The adults explored the rest of the museum. This was my favorite piece.

Learn more at their website at www.VBMuseum.org.

We had lunch at Mulligan’s Beach House. We sat beachside and enjoyed the beautiful weather, the ocean, music and delicious foods.

We then drove over to the McKee Botanical Garden. The McKee Botanical Garden has 18 acres of tropical terrain bursting with activity. I thoroughly enjoyed the gardens. I miss my South Florida landscape, so this gave me a chance to reminisce. The kids had a blast exploring and checking out all the flowers and plants. McKee’s has a new program called, Garden Discovery Backpacks. Each backpack is filled with exploration tools, guides, journal and an activity guide. There is even a small gift for the children to take home.

I would to have all of this in my backyard.

I am looking forward to coming back to explore more. Learn more at www.mckeegarden.org

We hit the pool for a while and relaxed in the sun before dinner.

For dinner we drove over to Waldo’s Restaurant at Driftwood Resort. Oh my the views were amazing! Right on the beach!

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to relax after a long, fun filled day.

Sunday morning we woke up and headed downstairs to the Disney’s Wind and Waves Grill for breakfast. Then we headed to the pool. The pool had a fun waterslide, jacuzzi, mini golf and a play area. W

It was a fun filled weekend in Vero Beach. I am looking forward to going back. Thank you VisitIndianRiverCounty.com.

Anne

Florida Mushroom Festival at Ravine Gardens State Park

January 21, 2019 By Anne

Lion’s Mane Mushroom

Last weekend we took the kids to the Florida Mushroom Festival at Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka, Florida. The park is absolutely beautiful! We got there just in time for a wild identification walk throughout the park to spot different mushrooms growing in the wild.

There were two of these suspension bridges.

Oyster Mushrooms

Cats on the trail!!

My daughter and I.

It was an absolute beautiful day!

For upcoming events check out Florida Mushroom Festival on Facebook and Ravine Gardens State Park

Anne

Australian Ambitions – A Guide to Getting the True Down Under Experience

January 21, 2019 By Anne

It only takes travelling abroad to understand that most non-Australians? Don’t have much of a clue what the deal is Down Under. But it’s not totally uncommon to meet people from another state who have no idea of the wonder and excitement to be found in your state. If you’re weighing up which country to hop to this holidays, pause those plans and look in your backyard for inspiration. Here’s our guide on what the true Down Under experience should be.

Road trips

Australia is a huge country, which means it takes a while to discover it all on the road. This presents a great opportunity to take out a few weeks driving to all destinations and checking out each unique Australian state. There are many roads and recommended paths you can take, but many start in South Australia by visiting the wineries and enjoying the high life in serviced apartments in Adelaide CBD. From there you can take Nullabor Plain and head to Western Australia, and then on to the rest of this Great Southern Land.

Diving

Diving in Australia needs to be seen to be believed, and Finding Nemo was only a hint of what is waiting out there. Cairns (Queensland) is the logical place to dive in Australia, but you may be surprised to learn that other pockets in Australia also have great clarity and unique sea life beneath the water. Byron Bay (New South Wales) is another great place to explore on the diving front. If you wanted to make a trip of it, you can hire a charter boat and visit a few hot spots in a weekend or week. If you are unqualified, you may need to have a dive master on board to make sure the dive is safe and above board.

Beach hopping

So many people think all Australians spend their weekends surfing, like something out of Summer Bay. For many this is true, and it can be for you if you spend a couple of weeks beach hopping along the coastal line. Each state in Australia will claim they have the most pristine beaches, and the truth? They are all unique and perfect in their own way. Perth (Western Australia) is quite renowned for their beaches, and Melbourne and Sydney have beaches that are built into the city hotspots (Bondi and St Kilda).

Landmarks

It wouldn’t be a true Down Under experience without a visit to those quintessential Aussies landmarks. If you think they are too touristy for you, remember that they are famous for a reason, and quite breathtaking when you are standing in front of them. To name just a few, the obvious callouts have to be:

Adelaide: Adelaide Central Market, Glenelg and Adelaide Botanic Gardens

Sydney: Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Bondi Beach

Melbourne: Queen Victoria Markets, the Laneways, Federation Square and the MCG

Brisbane: South Bank and GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art)

National and animal parks

The wildlife and natural beauty of Australia makes up the full picture of Down Under. Whether you live in Australia or not, chances are you have not visited and seen all the famous Aussie animals. We’re not just talking about koalas and kangaroos either. There is also Quokkas (Western Australia) and Tasmanian Devils (Tasmania) to be seen. If an active holiday sounds right up your alley, you’ll find a stunning collection of National Parks like Kakadu, Uluru and Litchfield (Northern Territory).

There is so much to be discovered in the Great Southern Land, and can be accessed and enjoyed all year around. Adelaide is a great destination to kick off your adventures, before setting off to see it all.