Family Travel

I’ve been remiss in posting the Thursday look-ahead/deal roundup in accordance with my blogging editorial calendar, but good intentions are always there.

Things coming up….

**  It’s Fabulous First Friday on February 1 at the Miami Science Museum. This month’s planetarium “Live Star Show” will feature information about the Total Lunar Eclipse, which will be visible from Miami Wednesday February 20th.

**  What will happen with Punxsutawney Phil on Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania? It’s Groundhog Day Feb 2nd.

**  The St. Kilda Festival in Melbourne, Australia February 2-10.  Australia’s “largest outdoor festival” is a huge beach festival with live music, tons of summer activities (since it’s the Southern Hemisphere) and Kid Zones.

**  Sample Oman’s heritage and culture at the Muscat Festival Feb 1-2.

**  It’s Candlemas, the formal end of the holiday season in Mexico, February 2nd.

**  For the Japanese, it’s “out with the demons and in with good fortune,” plus ceremonial bean-throwing, at Setsubun February 4th.

**  In London, it’s Magic Carpet Storytelling for toddlers at the National Gallery February 3rd, and the Great Spitalfields Pancake Race (for charity) on Feb 5th.

**  Oh, yes, it’s Mardi Gras on Feb 5th, with parades in New Orleans (and other cities.) Sure, you can take the kids. Really. Just stay away from Bourbon Street with them. Come to think of it, that’s always good advice….

**  On top of everything else, it’s the Year of the Rat, Chinese New Year, on and around February 7th.

Good deals and opportunities right now….

**  Whale-watching in Virginia Beach, Virginia and 2nd day free at Universal Studios Hollywood.

**  Tips and tricks if you’re thinking about sun and fun at family resorts in Cancun, Mexico, a family reunion on a cruise ship, deals for skiing, a last-minute Caribbean vacation, advance booking for popular London summer events and planning those summer holidays.

**  This is the time of year for good deals at US national parks, at Club Med all-inclusives and even for hotel/travel packages to Bali and tied to the American Girls dolls.

**  Arthur Frommer’s blog recommends the Top Picks section of the Spirit Airways Web site, and Roe Gruber’s Escapes Unlimited to Central & South American and Asia.

**  Finally, Frommer’s recommends deals to the French & Italian Riviera, Botswana, the Rivera Maya in Mexico, Hong Kong (sigh - I’d kill to go) and Cape May, New Jersey.

I’m getting back into the weekly posting routine, including the Thursday list of upcoming events and current good travel deals. My only problem is that I’d like to have this up earlier in the day!

**  On January 12th, try winter sports like snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on Winter Trails Day.

**  London is hopping with the International Mime Festival starting January 12th, and the Russian Winter Festival in Trafalgar Square January 13.

**  They celebrate winter in unique ways in pretty Blowing Rock, North Carolina January 24-27 (I discovered the town last summer while researching my NASCAR/North Carolina road trip article for Automotive Traveler.)

**  In Canada, the kids would love the huge Quebec Winter Carnival February 1-17, just one of many great Canadian winter festivals and events.  If you’re in Europe, here are 10 ideas for a January break.

**  It’s out with the evil and in with good fortune during Setsubun in Japan February 4th. Get rid of your mental and physical gomi (trash.)

**  Chinese New Year is celebrated in many US cities February 7th.  It’s the Year of the Rat! 

**  Are there art lovers in your family?  Here’s a list of well-respected arts fairs and festivals through the year in places across the U.S.

**  Florida celebrates some yummy agricultural products during January and February –  citrus, seafood, strawberries and corn — with fun local festivals.

**  Current travel deals that may interest you:  13 nights in 5 Balkan countries, three-day family getaways in Illinois, great airfare to Germany (how about some castles while you’re there?) airfare plus 3 nights in Orlando FL or 6 nights in Peru.  Here’s an entire list of trip deals on Budget Travel.

**   Hotel deals are available in Boston, in Chicago (tie in with visit to the Museum of Modern Ice,) in New York City and at a major resort in San Antonio (good deals at hotels all over Texas, in fact, even winter rates at Texas RV parks.)

**  Finally, check out the best of the best during winter in each US state’s parks.

This week I've included some limited-time travel offers in the Thursday roundup of events around the globe: **  The Chicago Tribune/Baltimore Sun has a dandy list of travel packages with good prices for this time of year, including family-friendly ones in ... [Continue reading this entry]

Welcome to our Thursday rundown of what's going on around the world.  Many or even most of these events may not be located in your hometown, but I still think it's fun to see what's hopping on the planet, and if you ... [Continue reading this entry]

Welcome to the first iteration of the regular Thursday Family Travel feature "Things to Do & Places to Go." I plan to run this weekly, as a worldwide overview of family-friendly events in the near term, and then some ... [Continue reading this entry]