Archive for July 9th, 2009

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Thursday, July 9th, 2009

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Teens in the City

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

New York City offers a virtual treasure chest of fun things to do for teenagers. This age group is generally the most difficult to please and appease while vacationing. They are too old for the kid stuff and too young to appreciate some of the more ‘grown up’ entertainment and of course, they don’t want to look like they’re having too much fun. From amusement parks to cyber cafes, from bookstores to malls and video arcades, to sporting events and sporting complexes New York City is a city that was almost made for teens to enjoy.

The trick to enjoying your New York City vacation while ensuring that your teen enjoys his or her time in the city is compromise. Agree to go watch the skateboarding in the park if he or she will suffer through a museum with you. You just might find that you each find something to enjoy about the other’s activities. There are so many wonderful things to do and see in New York. You don’t have to pay a lot of money in order to have a good time as many of these wonderful events are offered free or for very little cost. You can also purchase passes that allow free entrance to certain city attractions for one low fee. You will find that of the freebie offerings there is usually something that will appeal to various members of your family including your teens.

Compromise is a good idea on any vacation with friends or family and it teaches your teens an important lesson-their opinion matters to you. They also learn to compromise, to share time and experiences, and to think critically. They are forced to weight all the things they would like to do and select the things that matter most to them to do. This is a very good thing for people to learn as early as possible and will be an invaluable lesson, as they grow older and eventually begin making their own decisions in life as well. I even try to offer the younger children a voice in what’s going on. I offer age appropriate choices and allow them to select the one that matters most to them.

Teens are often very hard to please or predict and their wants can change between the time it takes to open a pack of pop tarts and the time it takes to actually drop them in the toaster. Be aware of this when making plans with teens and go with the flow. You do not have to let your teen rule your vacation but by allowing him or her a voice in the decision making process you might all learn some important and interesting things about each other.

Girl teens are often easily distracted by shopping-while New York City has some of the trendiest boutiques you may want to see if you can talk her into some of them any consignment or secondhand stores that abound. You can call it ‘vintage clothing’ if you must in order to get her in the doors but you can score some awesome deals on clothes that look barely worn if that and she’ll have some nice additions to her wardrobe for a fraction of their costs if new. There are also some wonderful outlet malls in NYC as well. The trick with shopping any of these stores is to know the prices of things. Some things are excellent bargains while others are not so much.

Teen boys will have a grand time at places such as Game Time Nation where they can play video games for endless hours. You can even try playing games together if you’re brave enough. Fair warning offered here, teens are brutal in their victories and you will never live down your failures in the video game arena with them so study up before hand.

The most important thing to remember about vacationing with your teen is that you’d like them to have some fond memories of your time together, even during their teen years. Take care that you are including them in your plans rather than making their plans for them. It is time they are let into the decision making process to some degree even if it’s allowing either or options or asking them to list a few things they’d like to do and you selecting from those. If you’re having fun it is quite likely that they will eventually join in.

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Costa Rica Is Calling My Name

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

I haven’t had a vacation in 20 years…really. So when my gal pal came to me and started talking about wanting to take a vacation in Costa Rica, my ears began to perk up. She told me that it was a vacation destination that few people think of and because of that it can be more pleasant and less populated by other tourists.

The Crazy girl is thinking of retiring there and buying property. She asked me if I would consider doing that. I told her that maybe we should just get a vacation under our belt and then we can think about moving there. Quite frankly folks, the only date I have had in a while on a Saturday night is my 7-year old grandson, so it is safe to say that I need to get away.

Planning a vacation is something totally foreign to me. I get dressed up for a trip to the grocery store so thinking about this is big, very big. The Internet has cornered the market with online travel agencies but I really want to talk to a person and get the scoop. I have heard of how people plan trips and when they arrive, their luxurious accommodations turn into a community bathtub in a tent and a port-a-potty. I want to get the most for my dollar and avoid the pitfalls most tourists make when planning to get away.

I don’t even have a passport and I have heard that it can take up to a year to get one. So it is safe to say that I am planning a vacation in at least a year in advance. I am a researcher and I like to get all the information in place before I make plans to pay for a trip. Of course it is Sunday and no travel agency listed phonebook is open.

I went to the library yesterday and found books on Costa Rica and I am reading like a fiend. The only travel guide they had for me to check out on Costa Rica was a 2003 edition. However, most of the restaurants and hotels have web addresses and toll free phone numbers, so I can contact them to get current information if I need to.

I decided to check into the different types of vacations you can plan. I came up with Spa Resort vacations, wildlife and national parks, sport vacations, historical, shopping, nightlife, and my personal favorite, the art vacation.

I will write about these as I find out about them. To begin with there are 7 areas to explore. The most logical place to start is San Jose the capital of Costa Rica. The other areas that follow are; the Northwest, Nicoya Peninsula, Quepos & Central Pacific, Osa Peninsula & Golfo Dulce, South Caribbean, and Tortuguero/North Caribbean.

The first thing I have to do is start saving money for a vacation and plan the vacation. Then I have to get a passport. Since 911 there have been many changes in international travel and now it can take up to a year to get your passport. So I am getting started now.

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