About.com Family Vacations

Christmas Markets

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:40:02 +0000

The tradition of Christmas markets began in German and Austria, but nowadays cities in many other countries in Europe -- from Spain to Scandinavia, England to Eastern Europe -- also stage these markets, often in a charming setting.

The ambiance is picture-perfect: twinkling lights, the smell of gingerbread and roasted chestnuts, Christmas music playing...

Christmas markets make great outings with kids, and the shopping ops are huge of course, especially for items such as traditional foods and hand-made toys.

Our Guide for UK Travel has rounded up Christmas Markets All Over Europe, in the latest "blog carnival" in our Travel Channel.

*Photo: Bernhard Lang/Getty Images.

More Holiday Season festivities: Christmas trains, holiday lights, Christmas windows...

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Christmas Markets originally appeared on About.com Family Vacations on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 04:40:02.

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Polar Express Train Rides

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:12:27 +0000

Kids love train rides, and every Christmas dozens of decorated trains pull out of the station with kids, hot cocoa, and Santa on board. Some are “Santa Specials” or "North Pole Express" trains, with Santa and elves along; some are special "Polar Express" trains, that re-create the experience of the classic children’s story.

Book early for these train rides! Some are so popular that the trains start running long before Christmas: the Grand Canyon Railway's Polar Express, for instance, makes its first run to the North Pole in early November.

Polar Express train rides | more Christmas Train Rides | Polar Express Photos - Grand Canyon Railway

*Photo courtesy of the Grand Canyon Railway

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Polar Express Train Rides originally appeared on About.com Family Vacations on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 22:12:27.

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Cheaper Thanksgiving Travel Flights

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:41:04 +0000

Travelocity, the giant travel-booking site, has been crunching numbers about airfares for Thanksgiving travel, and has this advice: if you can be flexible with dates, you can save big bucks.

The costliest flight itineraries ($459 on average) are for departure on Nov. 22 and return Nov. 29, or for departure on Nov. 25 and return on Nov. 29. If you can shift your dates to depart Nov. 26 and return Dec. 1, that figure for average fare drops to $280.

At Travelocity.com, when you're searching for airfares, use the online "Flexible Dates" tool to help the system find cheaper alternative dates.

Of course, families are generally limited in their dates by schooldays and work constraints. Still it's good to be aware of how dramatically a fare can change if the date shifts a day or two.

Other farefinders offer some kind of flexible date function too: be sure that whatever site you're using has this feature!

Also be aware that not every airlines shows up in searches at farefinder sites. For Southwest Airlines, for instance, go to Southwest.com for their fares. Check out some other tips for finding airfares.

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Cheaper Thanksgiving Travel Flights originally appeared on About.com Family Vacations on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 19:41:04.

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Family Travel Deals

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:40:15 +0000

Speaking of deals... check out a new format for Family Travel Deals. The current bunch includes Club Med's Seven Days for the Price of Three, Kids Stay, Play, and Eat Free at Dreams Resorts, Orlando deals, a promotion in Curacao, a Jamaica all-inclusive with your own vacation nanny...

There's also a new page for Disney Deals.

Check out other ways to save money, too, like Affordable Getaway Ideas, and Free Things To Do.

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Family Travel Deals originally appeared on About.com Family Vacations on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 09:40:15.

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Free Cruise on Disney Cruise Line

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:15:35 +0000

Here's another Disney promotion-- and it looks pretty good. Families who take an Adventures By Disney "family adventure" (an all-details handled kind of holiday, with itineraries in Europe, Australia, Costa Rica, Wyoming, Mid-Atlantic, and more) -will get a free three-night Disney Cruise to the Bahamas. Sweet. Read more...

Free Cruise on Disney Cruise Line originally appeared on About.com Family Vacations on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 23:15:35.

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Kids Ski Free

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:00:22 +0000

Skiing and snowboarding are expensive, especially for families, when parents have to shell out for three or four or five lift tickets, (not to mention lessons); and when kids grow out of their equipment every year.

No wonder that "kids ski free" are three words we like to hear -- especially in recessionary 2009. Check out "Kids Ski Free" opportunities, in several different flavors.

See also:

Ski resort choices for families - by region | Family Ski Resorts - A to Z | More money-saver tips for family skiing

And on the topic of "free": a bunch more Free Things To Do With Kids.

*Photo courtesy of Steamboat Springs.

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Kids Ski Free originally appeared on About.com Family Vacations on Saturday, October 24th, 2009 at 12:00:22.

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Halloween Around The World

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:31:51 +0000

A round-up of Halloween celebrations far and wide: Family Vacations is just one of over 700 sites at About.com, and this week our Guide for Hotels has a "blog carnival" about Halloween festivities: from Dracula's haunts in Romania to Pumpkin Parade in Japan, Halloween in the UK, France, Italy...

And of course many locations in the US too. Theme parks, national parks, many different regions, Halloween events for families...

Halloween Around the World

New, Oct. 21: have fun at a Halloween Parade

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Halloween Around The World originally appeared on About.com Family Vacations on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 10:31:51.

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Thanksgiving 2009 - Weekend Getaways

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:28:57 +0000

Thanksgiving 2009 falls on Thursday November 26 (in the US), and is a peak-volume travel time, as people criss-cross the country to get home for traditional turkey dinner.

But families also get together on getaways, too: in New York City, for example, where the Macy's Parade with its giant balloons is an iconic event; or at Disney World, where holiday lights are up. Or at a family resort that serves the feast plus a full course of fun all weekend: turkey trots, special crafts, or scavenger hunts; and -- to start the Holiday Season-- maybe a Christmas tree-lighting or photo op with Santa Claus.

see Thanksgiving 2009 - Weekend Getaway Ideas

*Photo of giant gingerbread house, courtesy of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa.

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Thanksgiving 2009 - Weekend Getaways originally appeared on About.com Family Vacations on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 13:28:57.

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How Green Is My Hotel? (Or Resort, or Theme Park...)

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:42:21 +0000

An interesting blog by travel ace Peter Greenberg asks some sharp questions about environmental practices at hotels and resorts. Terms like "green travel" get thrown around a lot; but we need to see the travel industry walk more of the walk. Read more...

How Green Is My Hotel? (Or Resort, or Theme Park...) originally appeared on About.com Family Vacations on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 11:42:21.

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Holiday Train Rides

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:00:19 +0000

More and more tourist railroads have holiday train rides at special times of year. Christmas trains are the number one type, but Easter Bunny Expresses and Halloween choo-choos are pulling out of the station too.

During the Holiday Season, kids can ride on dozens of decorated Christmas Trains, with hot cocoa on board. Some of these trains are “Santa Specials” or a "North Pole Express"; some are special "Polar Express" trains, that re-create the classic children’s story.

Book early! These trains often sell out. Fortunately, many start running long before Christmas: the Grand Canyon Railway's Polar Express, for instance, makes its first run to the North Pole in early November.

Halloween Trains | Polar Express train rides | more Christmas Train Rides | More Holiday Trains

Shop online:

classic Polar Express book
The Polar Express movie, live-action plus animation, featuring Tom Hanks

*Photo courtesy of the Grand Canyon Railway

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Holiday Train Rides originally appeared on About.com Family Vacations on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 01:00:19.

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