Photo: Flickr User GothPhil
Way back in 2006, I almost went to New Zealand. My husband had a 6 week sabbatical scheduled from work and I had the guidebooks for Australia and New Zealand practically memorized. Then, I got pregnant. When we first received the good news, we figure we could still take our trip, as long as we went early in the pregnancy. Unfortunately, the day I went in for my 7 week check up, morning sickness started. It lasted for 9 miserable months. Funny thing about morning sickness, it doesn’t always make an appearance in the morning. In my case it was all day, every day, and I lost 30 lbs in my first trimester. Needless to say, our trip to Australia and New Zealand was canceled. 5 years later, I still stare at those guidebooks sitting in my closet and dream of the trip we have yet to take.
Photo: Flickr User AnthonyCramp
Blog For New Zealand
This week, travel bloggers across the globe came together and blogged about their own experiences in the land of Kiwis in an effort to boost tourism in the wake of the earthquake that hit Christchurch this past February. Trekaroo wanted to contribute to the cause and since none of us have actually been to New Zealand (a stat that I hope to change in the near future), we figured we would share the stories of those who have visited with our readers. Here is a small sample of the amazing stories written about New Zealand this week. Many more can be read by either following the hashtag #Blog4NZ on Twitter or checking out the Blog4NZ Facebook page.
- The Vacation Gals have a great post about RV travel in New Zealand and Driving Across Arthur Pass with Kids on their site.
- Sharing Travel Experiences put together a great Foodie’s Guide to New Zealand.
- Vagabond Quest shares 10 Spectacular Natural Wonder’s in New Zealand’s North Island.
- The Mother of All Trips dreams about Taking Kids to New Zealand.
- The Traveling Canucks take us on an incredible Photo Tour of New Zealand.
- Travel Plus Wine shows us 7 Crazy, Outrageous Things to do in New Zealand.
Do you have an outing that you would like to spotlight this week?
Perhaps its a post about a vacation you just took or a day trip that you think our readers should know about. Or maybe its a post about the vacation you are currently planning and going to book through Trekaroo! Link up something fresh from your blog using the Mr Linky below.
PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.
Step 1: Pick a recent post (past couple of days)
Step 2: Under “Name” write: “Title of your blog post (blog name)” – blog name in parenthesis
Under “url” paste: the link to your blog post (not your home page)
Step 3: Grab the Spotlight Thursday image and link to this post so your readers can see who else is playing along this week.
We want to be sure that everyone who participates in Spotlight Thursdays gets their moment in the spotlight so blogs that don’t link back will unfortunately have to be removed.
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Welcome to 
Lately, the witches have been crafting their best potions, goblins have been looking for some new hiding spots, and ghosts have been checking out their favorite haunts. Its seems as though things tend to be a bit more spooky in October. So where do families go to find all things spooktacular in their neck of the woods? Well if your family calls Florida, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, or Pennsylvania home, then we have got some great lists for you! Trekaroo’s own Superoo extraordinaire, Lydie, has put together some great lists of Spooky Festivals and Attractions for Kids.
Read about how Disney World does Halloween, where you can glide down a haunted zipline, where to ride a ghost train, and who hosts a haunted safari coach in Spooky Festivals and Attractions for Kids in Florida and 13 Fall Festivals and Halloween events on Florida’s west coast.
Explore massive corn mazes in the dark, prepare your lungs for a good scream in a haunted graveyard, and put on a costume and explore a museum in Spooky Festivals and Attractions for Kids in Northern California .
See how the West Coast version of Disney celebrates the spooky season, get spooked by Freddy Kruyger in a popular theme park, see giant pumpkins made of Legos, and walk through mazes on a haunted ship while reading Spooky Festivals and Attractions for Kids in Southern California .
Make your way through a “Megamaze”, enjoy some spooky family fun down on the farm, and take a ghost tour in Spooky Festivals and Attractions for Kids in Massachusetts .
Have a good old fashion boo at the zoo, check out a freaky forest, and trick or treat under the sea in Spooky Festivals and Attractions for Kids in North Carolina .
See how your friends on Sesame Street celebrate Halloween, ride a roller “ghoster” in a chocolate lover’s town, and attend Ghost Haunting 101 in Spooky Festivals and Attractions for Kids in Pennsylvania .
Do you have an outing that you would like to spotlight this week?
Perhaps its a post about a vacation you just took or a day trip that you think our readers should know about. Or maybe its a post about the vacation you are currently planning and going to book through Trekaroo! Link up something fresh from your blog using the Mr Linky below.
PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.
Step 1: Pick a recent post (past couple of days)
Step 2: Under “Name” write: “Title of your blog post (blog name)” – blog name in parenthesis
Under “url” paste: the link to your blog post (not your home page)
Step 3: Grab the Spotlight Thursday image and link to this post so your readers can see who else is playing along this week.
We want to be sure that everyone who participates in Spotlight Thursdays gets their moment in the spotlight so blogs that don’t link back will unfortunately have to be removed.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Welcome to
Oregon is known for being, at times, a bit eccentric. From the days of the early settling of the Oregon Territory, unique characters came out West in search of opportunity in logging, mining, and fishing jobs along the coast. Some of these folks settled in the remote parts of the Rogue River Canyon, and it wasn’t the easiest area to access. Well, the US Postal Service has always prided itself on its ability to deliver the mail, and they didn’t want to make the Rogue River Canyon it’s exception. The solution? Jet boats. Since 1895, there has been uninterrupted mail service up the Rogue River delivered via jet boats. Right about now you might be thinking to yourself, sure, this is interesting, but why is it being discussed on a family travel website? I will tell you why- because families can hop on board these mail boats and experience a wild river in a way like no other!
Photo courtesy railtravelcenter.com
The Oregon coast has always been renowned for the dramatic beauty of its coast, and Gold Beach is a great place families to set as home base while they explore the southern reaches of the shoreline. The mouth of the Rogue River happens to be located in Gold Beach, as well as Jerry’s Rogue Jets, the people who deliver the mail upriver. They have 64, 80, and 104 mile round trip excursions available that include lunch or dinner, depending on what time of day you take the excursion. Normally, powered watercraft are not allowed on a federally designated Wild and Scenic River, but these special mail boats are the exception, and a great way for families see a truly wild river up close and personal. Wildlife is abundant in this area, and bear and bald eagle sightings are even possible! This is truly one of those unique and memorable opportunities that shouldn’t be passed up.
Note: I received no incentive to endorse the mail boat tours. I just remember them from when I was a kid traveling up the Oregon Coast and always thought it was such a cool experience that I thought I would share it with all of you!
Do you have an outing that you would like to spotlight this week?
Perhaps its a post about a vacation you just took or a day trip that you think our readers should know about. Or maybe its a post about the vacation you are currently planning and going to book through Trekaroo! Link up something fresh from your blog using the Mr Linky below.
PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.
Step 1: Pick a recent post (past couple of days)
Step 2: Under “Name” write: “Title of your blog post (blog name)” – blog name in parenthesis
Under “url” paste: the link to your blog post (not your home page)
Step 3: Grab the Spotlight Thursday image and link to this post so your readers can see who else is playing along this week.
We want to be sure that everyone who participates in Spotlight Thursdays gets their moment in the spotlight so blogs that don’t link back will unfortunately have to be removed.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
This week I would like to Spotlight a place that I recently visited for the very first time, Millennium Park in Chicago. When I was in the Windy City ten years ago, this fantastic urban oasis didn’t even exist and now its a thriving part of Chicago’s urban culture. One of the center pieces of the park is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, a outdoor concert venue showcasing many different artists and genres through free concerts. Its great place to spread out a blanket, have a picnic, and enjoy a night of music as a family.
One can’t spend time in Millennium Park and leave without great appreciation for the incredible art and architecture the park exhibits. From the grand beauty of the Millennium Monument in Wrigley Square to the 110 ton elliptical wonder bean that is Cloud Gate, your family will have reflecting on and around these treasures.
No trip to Millennium Park is complete without a splash around the Crown Fountain. Two 50 foot glass block towers project faces of Chicago citizens. Its especially entertaining when the faces seem to be spraying water out of their mouths. Kids love splashing in the shallow pool between the two towers but don’t let the little ones have all the fun. Kick off your shoes and have a little splash time yourself!
Do you have an outing that you would like to spotlight this week? Perhaps its a post about a vacation you just took or a day trip that you think our readers should know about. Or maybe its a post about the vacation you are currently planning and going to book through Trekaroo! Spotlight your posts here by following the instructions here and filling out the Mr. Linky Form below.
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Trekaroo knows how hard bloggers work at researching, composing and promoting their posts. I am constantly finding new travel information and ideas on amazing blogs throughout the cyberworld. In an effort to bring all this great information to our readers while providing bloggers with a new platform to show off their work, we are launching Spotlight Thursdays. We want people to link their travel or activity posts to the Trekaroo Blog once a week so our readers can get a chance to see what they are all about while discovering new ways to spend their quality time with their children. Posts can be about anything from a grand tour of Europe to a day at the local zoo. Not a travel blogger? No problem! Just make sure your post is activity related and we are happy to have you join in the fun! For more details on how to join in on the fun, click here.
And now, for our second Spotlight Thursday…
One of the things I love about visiting large cities is checking out their parks. It is always so refreshing to find a large patch of green in a place so dominated by asphault. San Francisco has Golden Gate Park and New York City has Central Park, but did you know that Phoenix has an amazing city park as well? Its called Papago Park and it should be at the top of your list of places to visit next time you are in Phoenix with kids.
Papago Park is home to the Phoenix Zoo (you can read all about the Phoenix Zoo in our Best Zoos in the West post) as well as the Desert Botanical Gardens. The gardens are a great place for children to discover desert flora at its finest and a great spot for families to stretch their legs as they stroll through 50 acres of Sonoran splendor. There are great educational programs onsite for preschoolers, school age children and families.
The sandstone buttes that dominate the landscape of the park provide wonderful scenery and fun hiking opportunities. One trail leads to Hole-in-the Rock, a great spot to take in views of Papago Park and the surrounding city. Bike trails, fishing ponds, and even the pyramid shaped tomb of Arizona’s first governor can also be found in Papago Park. It truly is a great place to take the kids.
Do you have an outing that you would like to spotlight this week? Perhaps its a post about a vacation you just took or a day trip that you think our readers should know about. Or maybe its a post about the vacation you are currently planning and going to book through Trekaroo! Spotlight your posts here by following the instructions here and filling out the Mr. Linky Form below.
Let’s see where the spotlight shines this week!
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
