Tuesday, March 13, 2007

10 myths about family vacations

We don't always know what we think we know... Read on, and see if this page can bust a few myths for you.

1) "Kids Free" promotions mean that kids fly free, too


Not unless the deal specifically says so. "Kids Free" deals are great, but read the verbiage carefully! The words you most want to see are "Kids Fly Free, Stay Free, Eat Free, and Play Free." It's a rare deal that "frees" it all!

Note too that -- unless you're at an all-inclusive-- "Kids Eat Free" promotions typically restrict the free munching to "eating from the kids' menu, when accompanied with a paying adult."

· Read more about Kids Free promotions

2) Farefinders (Travelocity, Expedia..) will find the best airfare for our vacation

They might; but not necessarily. The fare-search functions at such travel sites are very powerful but they don't search all airlines. One notable omission is Southwest Airlines, which is particularly of interest to families because of (a) low fares, and (b) routes and packages to popular destinations such as Disney World. Flights and vacations must be bought directly from Southwest.

3) "Driving time: Five hours 13 minutes"

Mapquest --or other online driving directions -- may state that you can drive from A to B in that time, but Mapquest's calculator isn't driving with live kids in the backseat. Add in snack stops, bathroom stops, and general "just gotta get out of the car and move around stops"-- you need to allow much more time to arrive at your destination.

YMMV (your mileage may vary), but as a rule of thumb: add one hour for each two hours of the trip. (See tips about Car Trips with Kids.)

4) It's hard to travel with a baby

Staying home is "hard" too! I.e., babies need constant care and attention. So why not cash in your Travel Baby Bonus: in many cultures, people will be 10 times more friendly if you have a kidlet. Yes there are logistics… all that gear and stuff; but strollers are portable, and some can do double-duty as car-seats, mobile cradle for afternoon-naps, and beast-of-burden for your diaper bag and shopping purchases. Meanwhile, house-swaps and condo rentals can provide kitchen, laundry, etc.

5) Disneyland is more or less the same as Disney World

West-coasters often think this. Uh-uh. It's true that both have Magic Kingdom theme parks, and that most new rides get built in both places. But while Disneyland has two theme parks, Disney World has four theme parks; two water parks; 22 resorts, some with gigantic grounds; plus Downtown Disney and that even has Cirque de Soleil.

Total area is the size of Boston, and the vast Epcot, Disney MGM-Studios, and Animal Kingdom theme parks are unique to Disney World.

Read more.

1 comment:

WordVixen said...

#5 is the one that grates on me the most. Being Disney geeks, we're a little too quick to argue when people confuse the two around us. :-) In fact, we're planning a trip during the next few years to Disneyland since there are some incredible, classic rides out there that you can't get at the World (though there are a few incredible rides at WDW that aren't in Cali.). Only problem is, we don't fly!