Have a blessed weekend everyone!

Enjoy summer!

1.This is hard to deal with, so get ready because the first step is to leave your laptop, card readers and non-vacation paraphernalia at home. Take your cameras, cell phone and lots of film or memory cards, but leave the computer at home. Nothing is more irritating to family members than to watch you sort and edit your images during downtime. You are supposed to be relaxing, so leave the editing for when you get home. You will have a better vacation and so will they.

2. By all means, take pictures of the family. This is my wife and daughter years ago in Paris, a very important image for me. Know when to stop, however. One happy photo like this is worth a thousand forced smiles in front of monuments. The next vital rule you need to break is to NOT take your camera everywhere. You are not covering your vacation for “Newsweek” and you don’t need to lug your camera to every dinner and night out. I know we all learn to carry our cameras at all times, but for the sake of your family, leave it behind sometimes.

3. Plan your photography junkets. My wife likes to sleep longer than I do and early morning light IS the best. Plan to get up early and get to your photo target. Plan your target location the night before, so you can be efficient. Shoot until you are satisfied and bring some coffee and croissants back to the hotel room for you to enjoy as your spouse awakes. You get pictures of some local color and nobody gets hurt.

4. Make sure you get some images the family will like when you are out on your junkets. This will make them like your photography more when you make them look at the pictures. Take photographs that “describe” your location. This was taken at the famous Kukenhoff Gardens in Amsterdam. How could you go to Holland and not take pictures of tulips? If you are in the Midwest, photograph the cornfields; in Colorado take pictures of the mountains. Take pictures that will help you recall the fun you had on your vacation

5. Take the postcard pictures. Every location has some key sites that you must take just to remind yourself that you were there. In Paris it is the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame. In New York it is the city skyline. In this picture is Place de Armes in Montreal. These key sites will help you remember your trip, and if you go a lot of places you will have your own “postcard” pictures from around the world. It’s your vacation, so enjoy it. They are your memories, so record them carefully. Most of all, they are your family–so be kind and considerate.

Have fun!!!

Plan ahead. Create a general itinerary before you travel. Grab pen and paper and jot down your travel times, hotel check-in/check-out times, and a list of activities/places you’d like to visit. This will help you make sure you have allowed enough time to get to your destination, and whether or not you’ve scheduled too many activities for one day.

Create a checklist to help you pack. Keep it on the computer so you don’t have to write it over every time you leave home. Use it as a template and update it before each trip to include anything new such as medications, toiletries, accessories, etc.

Keep all information related to your trip in one place. Create a folder for papers such as reservations, confirmations, and tickets. When you look for the information you need before or during your trip, you’ll have it all at your fingertips.

1. Take your vehicle to an auto-mechanic to check all the systems for safety on the road. Buckling the children in their seatbelts isn’t enough if you have a high-speed blow out or lose control of your brakes.

2. Give the children enough activities in the car to make the travel a little less stressful for you and for them. Bored children get cranky and can make you irritable and stressed when you need to pay full attention to the road. Pack a bag with a portable video game, coloring books, and crayons.

3. Watch children closely in busy areas where they can easily get lost. Be extra vigilant near water, cliffs or dangerous locations.

4. Hire a babysitter in hotels, but make sure that you get good referrals, and find out from the concierge the policies the hotel uses in their hiring. Going out without the children in the evening can make your days together more enjoyable, but you should always consider their safety while you are away.

5. Use the travel experience to teach your children how to act in public and how to follow rules. It’s a great time to teach them about airport security and how to board a plane. Talk to them before leaving about how to behave in various situations. Being loud and raucous on a plane, for example is completely inappropriate and they should know this in advance. Explain why certain rules are made for their safety.

Enjoy your fun day out and travel Mom’s and Dad’s!

When traveling, we all know that it involves time and money. It will surely be a lot of fun specially if you are going away with your special someone or your whole family! But during this trying times, all of us are seeking ways and means on how our money can stretch a little more further than the usual. I can say that everything now seems so expensive when traveling. Unless you are rich and have a lot of money to burn you will not surely think of that:) So finding cheaper tickets is always a great find! Like what I did when we went here. As a friend told me, anything that we can save a little more is always a great thing! Of course I still consider the quality over quantity still. That’s why I always look for the best deals! And so when I saw this http://www.cheapairlinetickets.net/, I know that I will be glued reading some very useful information on how to save while traveling, where to get the best deals and a lot more! Check it out! And oh..have to mention that I love the 5 tip on how to be a penny wiser traveler!

And oh..the drive going and back there was very scenic! I’d love to take photos..next time..next time!

And here’s a shot of the cottage..The one we rented is much bigger with a small bed to lounge around. Privacy is always nice:)

So, that’s it for now!

Although, when we got there there’s some construction going on. But it’s really nice in there. The resort is only until 8pm and no overnight yet. Cottages are very affordable ranging from a 100 to 500 bucks. We got the 500 pesos and a beautiful view of the sea and sky! I’m definitely coming back with my lil boys someday:)

That’s all for now!