|

Happy Father’s Day from ActiveTravels

I often joke with my kids that they grew up in the pages of The Boston Globe (the photos on the left are Melanie from a story on mid-coast Maine and Jake from a story on Costa Rica). Lately, I’ve been writing about our family trips for Virtuoso Traveler, like the stellar time we had in Switzerland with Backroads last summer. This is what I live for, creating Dream Day experiences with my family. And it’s probably the number one reason we started ActiveTravels, to hopefully form lasting memories for other families. Thankfully, you don’t have to always travel the world to savor a moment with your children. On Monday, we threw the bikes on the back of the car and drove to Arlington, Massachusetts, to bike along the Minuteman Bike Trail to Davis Square and the latest trail extension into Somerville. It was a leisurely spin, stopping for cold brews, and watching a family of newborn swans, and it was glorious. On Father’s Day, we’re heading to Chinatown for dim sum and then strolling to SoWa Open Market to listen to music, see the art, and grab a beer. Have a Fantastic Father’s Day and get out there with the kids to create an unforgettable experience! 

I want to thank Amy for her wonderful job showing us around the Big Island of Hawaii and the Muskoka Lakes region of Ontario. I’ll be back next with blogs on my recent trip to Medellin and Cartagena. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Similar Posts

|

Celebrate the 200th Anniversary of The Brothers Grimm by Driving the German Fairy Tale Route

Throughout Germany this summer, the country will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of the first publication by The Brothers Grimm. There will be concerts, festivals, and readings happening in more than 50 towns and cities, but the best way to truly appreciate the legend of the Brothers Grimm is to drive the Fairy Tale Route. Starting in Hanau, 13 miles east of Frankfurt, you drive 370 miles, ending in Bremen. Spend a week to see the historic town of Steinau, where Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm grew up, and now home to the Museum of the Brothers Grimm. Take a stroll in the deep forest of the Schwalm Region, the setting for Little Red Riding Hood’s misadventure with that big bad wolf. From one of the towers at the medieval castle of Trendelburg, Rapunzel let down her long blonde hair. Even more impressive is the 650-year old Castle Sababurg, where Sleeping Beauty slept for 100 years before that fateful kiss from the prince. In Hamlin, you can visit the Rat Catcher’s House, the same rat catcher in the Pied Piper who lured away all those gullible young children. Then there’s the city of Bremen, home to those shrewd Bremen town musicians, animals who outsmarted the thieves. Be sure to have a copy of the Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales while driving in the car. 
 
|

Davis, California, Leading the Way in Cutting Carbon Emissions

Located near Sacramento, Davis, California, is a city of just over 65,000 people that’s perhaps best known as the first city in the country to create bike lines on their streets. Well, yesterday, they just upped the ante by announcing their intent to cut the community’s carbon emissions by up to 50 percent by 2013. Using the tenets of David Gershon’s book, “Low Carbon Diet: A 30-day Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds,” Davis is creating EcoTeams, peer-support groups to help households reduce their emissions. Cool Portland (Oregon), Gershon’s first pilot program, helped reduce carbon emissions of each household by 22 percent or 6,700 pounds. 50 percent seems ambitious, but kudos to Davis and Gershon for giving it a shot!
 

|

Not So Memorable All-Inclusive Resorts for Families




If you ask my kids, ages 14 and 12, what their favorite vacations were, they’d no doubt say Alaska, British Colombia, Israel, Paris, Bryce,  Zion, and Acadia National Parks, and, of course, New York. Even though we’ve been to over a dozen all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico over the years, all except our last one at the Riu Ocho Rios in Jamaica are quickly forgettable. They all featured wonderful beaches and decent food until the 3rd day, when you become tired of seeing the same entrees. But the reason they quickly forget this type of vacation is that it never really gets to the depth necessary to touch them. There were no adventures, no immersion into the local culture, be it food, music or history, no mishaps to look back and laugh about. It was all very pleasant, a warm retreat from the cold winter temps in Boston. How can staying at one hotel all week possibly compare to being surrounded by whales, otters, bald eagles, and sea lions on a zodiac off Sitka? Or listening to music late at night at one of the jazz joints in Paris? Or grabbing plates of hummus and foul with locals in Jaffa? Or seeing where King Henry VIII married his sixth wife at Hampton Court Palace?  Or hiking with those odd-shaped hoodoos or an exhilarating cliff walk in Bryce and Zion? Or grabbing a hot pastrami on rye at Katz’s Deli and then going outside to see Shepard Fairey paint his most recent mural on Houston Street? These things my kids remember. All those all-inclusive beaches blur into one big warm embrace, nothing more. 


|

Luxury Train Travel to Debut in Ireland

Belmond, formerly Orient-Express, announced last week that they would introduce luxury train travel to Ireland the summer of 2016. Called the Belmond Grand Hibernian, the sleeper will consist of 20 cabins with accommodations for up to 40 guests. The train will also feature four interconnecting suites to accommodate families, two restaurant cars, and an observation bar car. The Grand Hiberian will travel throughout the island offering two, four, and six-night rail stays that include stops at Dublin, Belfast, and Cork. Daily excursions include a round of golf at a world-class resort, a literary tour of Dublin, and stops at Ireland’s classic estates. Belmond already offers upscale train travel to Scotland on the Belmond Royal Scotsman, currently the UK’s only luxury sleeper train. 

 
|

Tanzania’s Best Kept Secret

I was hoping to return to Africa later this month, but I just couldn’t squeeze the trip in. The one locale I was excited to check out was Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park. Home to one of the largest prides of lions in Africa, it’s shocking that Ruaha is still an undiscovered gem in Tanzania. Even more surprising when you learn that Ruaha is the second largest park in the country. Yet, simply because of its locale, in the far less frequented southern tourist circuit, far away from the camera clicking crowds of Serengeti and Ngorongoro, this rough tract of wilderness pulsates with the feel of a long-forgotten Africa. Only a little over 7,000 visitors annually come to this region of broken hills, sandy rivers, and an altogether harsher kind of landscape. The parched plains are littered with granite boulders and bizarre-looking baobab trees. Currently only one third of Ruaha’s 20,226 square kilometers is used for tourism, leaving a great majority of wilderness untouched and undiscovered. One of the highly touted places to stay in Ruaha is Mwagusi Safari Camp, owned by native Tanzanian Chris Fox. Download it to your Africa wish-list file, along with me.
 
I’m off to bike and hike in Zion National Park next week. I’ll be back with some of my favorite Caribbean getaways the week of October 22nd. In the meantime, keep active! 
 
|

Believe in Belize

With the latest surge in crime in Mexico, travelers are seeking an alternative this winter. One needs to look no further than the country that borders Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Belize. Best known for the longest barrier reef this side of Australia, Belize has a magical interior that should not be overlooked.  Head to San Ignacio to explore the Mountain Pine Ridge on horseback or canoe though the rainforest on the Macal River. You’ll swim under waterfalls and very likely spot toucans. This section of the country is also known for its abundance of Mayan ruins, including Caracol, site of the 140-foot high Caana (Sky Palace) and the legendary Tikal in neighboring Guatemala. Nestled amidst the Belize interior, Chaa Creek is your upscale guide to the surrounding rainforest and Mayan Ruins. The 365-acre nature preserve sits on a hillside of tall mahogany and cedar trees overlooking the Macal River. The property offers two dozen deluxe bungalows, including a treetop suite with whirlpool, new spa, and a restaurant that thrives on local fare. Yet, Chaa Creek’s real forte is guiding families deep into the jungle. Or check out Ka’ana, a new 15-room upscale boutique resort that will help set up all your adventures in Belize. 

 

Leave a Reply