A feature about sustainable and authentic destinations around the world.
Family vacations are boring. If you don’t believe me, just ask your kids, and they’ll tell you how boring they are. They’re very boring. (At least that’s what mine tell me when we travel.)
But let’s explore that truth. Kids say “very boring” as if it’s a bad thing, but maybe it isn’t.
Sedona, Ariz., calls itself “the most beautiful place on Earth,” and that may be true. But if it is, then it shares the title with several other destinations.
Extreme weather can happen at any time. But when it interrupts your vacation, you’re in real trouble. Consider my recent misadventure when my oldest son, Aren, and I hiked up our favorite trail during Arizona’s famously unpredictable monsoon season.
When you think of road trip games, “I Spy” or the “License Plate Game” probably comes to mind. Forget those. The games you really want to know about are the mindgames your fellow travelers play with you.
If you want to know how to take a vacation in your hometown, I have a few secrets to share with you. They involve taking a few detours, adopting a loosey-goosey definition of “vacation” and above all, being curious.
When’s the best time of the year to take a vacation? If you choose the right place, you can go at any time. But beware of any destination that bills itself as a “year-round” resort. There are always qualifiers.
When I tell people I have a National Parks Pass, they usually ask: Is it worth the cost?
My answer? Yes, the $80 a year I spend on my America The Beautiful card, which offers unlimited access to the National Parks, is worth every penny.
Can we talk about the most dangerous place to vacation? It’s not necessarily some far-off banana republic immersed in a civil war. It can be right here, in your own backyard.
Where should you go on vacation? If you don’t have to answer that question because you’re just planning to lie on the beach for a week or read a book while the kids splash in the pool, then wake up.
Chances are, you’re planning out your summer vacation itinerary right now. Our irreverent but eminently practical list of forbidden destinations can help you avoid boredom — yours and your kids’.
