On the Road with the Family


Summer's almost here. Time to plan that vacation with the kids. Go on the road this week with Let's Travel! for some money saving tips and cool destinations for this year's family vacation from Elizabeth Young of www.travelforkids.com and Patty Freedman whose blog Redsuitcase chronicles her family's travels.









Guests

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Elizabeth Young, Publisher
Travelforkids.com


Elizabeth Young is the publisher of Travel For Kids, a popular online family travel guide that combines in-depth fun things to do with practical travel tips for destinations worldwide. Her background in anthropology provided ideas about unusual places to visit, and travel experiences with her two boys to countries such as India, Bali, Egypt, the Galapagos, Peru, and Russia were the beginning of Travel for Kids. Along with adding new destinations that inspire families to travel with their children, she also researches and selects all the children’s books featured on Travel for Kids.


Elizabeth's money saving tips for family trips this summer

1. Instead of dinner at a sit-down restaurant, pick up food at supermarket for a picnic outdoors. Supermarkets have a big selection of made-to-order sandwiches, pizzas, chicken strips and potato salad, sushi and noodle dishes, drinks and desserts. Gather up your take-out dinner and picnic by the lake, on the beach or in a shady city park.

2. In big cities, food and hotels are typically more expensive. Planning your itinerary, don’t spend all your time in the big city; head out of town, where prices are more reasonable.

3. House or apartment rentals are often a cheaper alternative to days in a hotel, with the added advantages of more room and a kitchen to prepare meals (kids will have fun helping shop for local foods).

4. Choosing places to go abroad, take advantage of currency in your favor or countries with less expensive standards of living. Canada is a great destination this summer, close to the U.S., and the exchange rate is very favorable. Europe is pricey, but Latin America is very reasonable, and plane fares are lower than last summer.

5. Simple activities can be just as much fun for kids as theme park attractions. Go for a hike in the California redwoods, explore a ghost town, visit the free museums in Washington DC, find fresh-baked bagels in Montreal, skip stones on a sparkling lake in Montana.








Patty Freedman, Travel Blogger


When she's not traveling around the world with her two school-age kids and husband, Patty Freedman works as a freelance graphic designer in Santa Cruz, CA. She's a former classroom teacher with a passion for theater, baking and reading. Patty has been traveling with her kids for years, beginning by taking her baby daughter to London at age 6 months. "Travel with kids is an opportunity for me to see new places through a child's eyes."

Patty's been traveling since a young age -- after her parents divorced when she was 12, her mother moved to Europe for a few years. She was able to spend the summers backpacking Europe with her family and in high school school spent a year abroad. This year will be exciting for Patty and her family. They will be homeschooling with trips planned to South East Asia, the Middle East and Europe; kids will have lots to write home about! You can read about Patty and her family travels on her blog at http://redsuitcase.wordpress.com