I am here to tell you just how easy it is - in fact, I have put together an easy three-step process for you to follow:

Step 1: Think and reminisce about one of your favorite vacations
Step 2: Write and submit your vacation story or travel tips to our Travel Blog
Step 3: Sit back and wait until September 14, 2008 for the winner to be announced

It doesn’t get much easier than that to win a trip to Cancun valued at $2,200! You can share with us a fun experience, unique experience, travel tips, or anything you want to tell us. We also want to see your photos so feel free to send us a photo of your vacation as well. But hurry, the contest ends September 14, 2008!

Happy writing and good luck!

As we approached our cabin we were greeted by a mother moose and baby moose.  We affectionately named them Mama Moose and Baby Moosetracks.  From that point on we named most of the animals we would see regularly.  The two elk were named Batman and Robin and so on.  The area we were staying in was in the central part of Yellowstone called the Canyon.  Our cabin was within a group of cabins.  One morning we were out of a necessity, toilet paper.  My husband announced that he would go out and find the maid service to get this vital item.  He left and we didn’t see him again for a very long time.  Finally, he burst through the door and slammed it shut and threw himself against it, as if to prevent someone or something from entering behind him.

We all stopped what we were doing and stared at him.  In between his gasps of air he told us his story, all the while holding on tight to his single roll of toilet paper.  He had ventured to the row of cabins next to ours and was graciously given the roll of toilet paper by the maid.  Upon exiting the unit, he noticed that a herd of bison had decided to disperse and have breakfast on the grounds of the cabins.  He tried and tried to pick a path through them and then he would be forced into another direction.  This happened to him over and over again.  These are big animals and he knew better than to cross one.  He had been trapped and couldn’t get back in for the longest time.  That was one very special roll of toilet paper! 

This vacation was a favorite of our family.  We really enjoyed being in the park before tourist season really kicked in.  The animals seemed to own the place and we were definitely outnumbered by them.  It was amazing.  I truly recommend a trip to our first national park, you won’t be disappointed.  Just  remember to pack a roll of toilet paper!

Submit your story, for a chance to have it posted to our Blog
and be entered to win a trip to Cancún!

The contest runs from Aug 11 - Sept 14, 2008. The winner will receive a Cancún vacation, including roundtrip air and hotel, valued up to $2,200!

My wife and I planned to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary with another couple by traveling to London, England. She had never been out of the country before so she was very excited.  But I had more in store than she ever imagined.

About two months before we left I contacted the hotel in London and spoke with the events coordinator. I told him I wanted to surprise my wife by arranging to restate our marriage vows. Although he knew little about the practice - it seems that is less common in England - he readily agreed to help.

I told him I would like an informal event, but something my wife would remember forever.  We decided to have the ceremony take place on a penthouse balcony in the hotel overlooking the Thames River and all of London.

It was difficult to keep the secret for so long. In fact, I told everyone at home but my wife and was afraid she’d hear about it.  Miraculously, no one did and we flew away. During the flight, the captain announced our anniversary and a flight attendant presented us with a bottle of champagne.

We arrived on Thursday. After checking in, we visited the hotel restaurant and I slipped away to check on plans with the coordinator, my wife thinking I was making dinner reservations.  Everything was set for Friday evening at 6:00 pm.

When the time arrived for “dinner” my wife and I received a call from our traveling companions to ascend to the top floor to “take some breathtaking pictures of the London cityscape”. My wife was worried we’d miss our dinner reservations but agreed.

As we walked toward the place we were meeting our friends, we could hear voices in an open door way.  We walked in to lovely room, set up with beautiful white roses, hors d’oeuvres, and champagne. My wife asked, “What’s going on?”

I asked her to sit on the couch. I knelt down on one knee and said something like, “Sweetheart. Thank you for twenty-five wonderful years. If you would marry me for another twenty-five, I vow to never abdicate.”

She started crying, then I started crying, and our friends applauded. As soon as she could catch her breath, she said, “Yes!” and we embraced.  A little champagne and hors d’oeuvres followed, and then we stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the Thames and London.

The events coordinator had researched the restatement of vows and wrote a touching piece which he performed. Next, he produced a beautiful poem which one of our daughters had written and sent to him in advance for the occasion. Now I was surprised and it blew us away!

We had pictures taken, drank more champagne, had more hors d’oeuvres, and enjoyed the London vista from high atop the hotel.  Afterward, we continued to the hotel restaurant for wonderful a six course meal.

We were in London for a week, seeing all the sights and enjoying everything together for the first time.  But as my wife said, it was so nice to have the surprise to carry through the whole of the England trip.

My wife came home on a cloud, chastising everyone she knew for not telling her about the secret we all had kept so well, and offering me up to give lessons to other husbands.

Thanks Northwest {NWA WorldVacations}, for helping to make this vacation the memory of a lifetime for me and my wife - for the next 25 years.

Submit your story, for a chance to have it posted to our Blog
and be entered to win a trip to Cancún!

The contest runs from Aug 11 - Sept 14, 2008. The winner will receive a Cancún vacation, including roundtrip air and hotel, valued up to $2,200!

Being from the Midwest, one of my family’s favorite things to do on a beach vacation was to scope out the local fish market, first thing, to insure a steady fill of fresh seafood during the visit.

Sure enough, the first afternoon of a family vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama in 1996, the four of us wandered into the perfect local market where we found an entertaining fishmonger who offered up the day’s ‘fresh catch’. We made an ecstatic purchase of 5 lbs of fresh shrimp at the great price of $2.99 per pound. It didn’t really matter all that much that the shrimp was in pieces, some head’s on and some not and there were other not-so-identifiable fish included in the bag. We were just thrilled to have gotten such a great deal on fresh shrimp. For the next day and a half, we ate shrimp nearly every way imaginable; sautéed shrimp, shrimp salad, shrimp cocktail, shrimp scampi – you name it! And we savored every bite!

The second day at the beach, my husband began to develop a very itchy rash. Assuming it was from the sun, no see-ums, mosquitoes or some other unknown; we went about our usual vacation business of sightseeing and beachcombing. Paying not so much attention as he nonchalantly scratched away at his armpits (and a few other areas that should remain unspoken).

As our entire extended family was along on this vacation, we decided that the shrimp deal needed to be shared so we invited all to our vacation condo for a scrumptious shrimp meal on about the third or fourth evening there.

My daughter and I were chosen to be the market-runners. So, after a full morning at the beach, off we trekked to pick up another 10 lbs of shrimp for our meal. When the two of us arrived at the market, there were 2 tubs of ‘fresh catch’ shrimp. One tub was still marked $2.99/pound and the other was marked $3.99/pound. When it came to our turn to place the order, I asked the amiable fishmonger with fresh fish scales clinging in her hair, what the difference between the 2 tubs was. In her delightful southern drawl she replied, “Well, ‘em’s bait (pointing to the $2.99/pound tub) and ‘em’s fer eatin’ (pointing to the $3.99/pound tub)!

Now, what you must understand is that my husband is a very frugal sort. I actually stood at the counter and for a split-second thought about buying from the $2.99/pound tub! However, common sense prevailed and I bought the ‘eatin’ kind. Back to the condo we went with our much fresher ‘catch’.

Upon our return and while prepping for the evening’s meal, my daughter and I told our little tale about the market run, the amiable fishmonger and her delightful southern drawl. Imagine the look of realization as my husband scratched away!

It seems that the ‘deal’ on the first shrimp purchase was no deal. Not only was it from an early catch, it was also considered bait. The concentration of iodine and other impurities that had collected on the fish all day caused my husband to develop an immediate allergic reaction to shrimp. To this day, he can no longer eat shrimp. And while it could have had very serious results, the, “Well, ‘em’s bait and ‘em’s fer eatin’!” tag line has since gone on every vacation and in every local fish market the family has visited since that most memorable one to Gulf Shores. It always generates a good round of giggles to us before we ask more questions about today’s catch.

Submit your story, for a chance to have it posted to our Blog
and be entered to win a trip to Cancún!

The contest runs from Aug 11 - Sept 14, 2008. The winner will receive a Cancún vacation, including roundtrip air and hotel, valued up to $2,200!

Well, we consider all of you part of our NWA WorldVacations family and we want to hear your best travel stories. It could be as simple as “try this restaurant”, or travel tips for traveling to that destination, activities you did, or tell us a funny or unique experience that happened…we’ve all got one!

For being part of our family and sharing your stories, we will be giving away a trip to Cancún, Mexico! Yup, it’s that easy…you share your story, we post it on our blog and you will be entered to win a trip to Cancun valued up to $2,200! So dust off the ol’ photo album (or boot up your computer for the digital ones) to bring back those vacation memories and start writing. Feel free to share those photos with us as well (especially the ones with the fanny packs and purple shorts…oh, maybe that was just me!).

Don’t wait too long, our contest ends September 14, 2008!

We look forward to hearing your stories!

Well, we did it and loved it. Not a lot of people have heard about this hidden treasure with Elmo, Bert & Ernie, and Big Bird, but it is a great family vacation.  The characters are all so friendly (my daughter hugged Elmo for about 10 minutes), the park is so clean and there are many rides and shows to choose from.

Here are my travel tips for Sesame Place:

Where to stay. We stayed in Bensalem, about 20 miles from Philly and 6 miles from Sesame Place. This was great because we could go to the park for a few hours, leave to have lunch or a nap and then head back for some more fun. Parking is $13 per day and you get a pass to re-enter the park. There are a few hotels that are within 1 mile of Sesame Place and offer free shuttle service, too, though you will pay a little more for the convenience.

Packing for the park. You will want to bring some water as it gets so hot and you need to keep hydrated in order to keep up with your little ones. They have water rides all over the park so it is good to have your suit and a towel. We had planned to do the regular rides one day and water rides the next, but got too hot so we ended up just wearing our swim suits the 2nd day as it was great to be able to cool off as needed.

Dine with characters. You can have breakfast, lunch or dinner with the characters. We did breakfast with Cookie Monster. Not only did we have a delightful buffet to choose from, but we had  the chance to take pictures with all of the characters (you can take your own pictures and can purchase a professional picture if you want.) Best of all, we did not have to stand in line to get into the park because breakfast is at 9:15am and the park opens at 10am. When breakfast was over, we were already in the park and felt like we had the place to ourselves for a good hour.

Take in a little history. Instead of going back to our hotel for a nap, we hit the roads of Bucks County one afternoon (knowing very well our daughter would fall asleep the second the car started) and drove towards Washington’s Crossing Historic Park. We drove up along the Delaware River on the Pennsylvania side and then back down on the New Jersey side. The area is simply beautiful; filled with foliage that would be amazing in the fall and small, quaint towns that you just don’t want to leave. The town of New Hope was simply precious - old stone houses and store fronts, homemade ice-cream shops and antiques. It is even a hot spot for the bikers as they can coast along the country roads.  It’s  not every day that you get to see a dozen Harleys, Elmo and George Washington all in the same day.

Don’t forget the parade. They have a parade that runs down Main Street at 2pm and 7pm. It is a great way for your kids to dance, sing, and see the entire Sesame gang. My husband went early and found a curbside spot while I took our daughter on one last ride so she didn’t have to sit as long. We loved it!

I am telling you, Sesame Place does bring out the kid in you. We laughed so much - not only was it awesome to see our little one have the time of her life, it brought us back to our childhood days.  It’s time to bring out the kid in you…and if you are lucky, you may even be able to catch a glimpse of Snuffalupagus.

Restaurant - Bubba Gumps
This restaurant is situated right on the water, almost like its own boathouse right in downtown Lahaina. The wait for a table can be long, but I guarantee it’s well worth it. While you wait, you can wander into the stores nearby or wait in the lobby. I recommend the “Bucket of boat trash” as your meal! I’ve also eaten at Bubba Gumps in Honolulu at the Aloha Shopping center - both have identical food and atmosphere, but the location in Maui makes you feel like you’re actually in a boathouse.

Golfing
Maui has some of the best golf courses to choose from for your Hawaii golf vacation. You can play courses where the pros have walked and where one season of “The Big Break” was filmed for the golf channel. Maui golf courses are top of the line in play and in service!

Molokini Picnic and Snorkel Cruise
Snorkeling in Maui is a must because the water is so clear. It is extremely quiet and peaceful, and the hustle and bustle of other islands is missing. Right off the shores of Molokini island there is one of the best known snorkel spots in all of the Hawaiian islands. The water is deep! If you are afraid of deep water, the staff on this cruise is terrific in helping you overcome your fear. They are even so kind as to lead you around with a float board. They went above and beyond my expectations and I had a wonderful snorkeling experience.

Hawaii Art and Shopping
Maui Hands (link - http://www.mauihands.com/galleries_mh.html) is a great shop with lots of handmade Hawaii art. They have things in every price range. I bought postcards, cards and prints, but they have jewelry, sculpture, large framed original artwork, etc. It is the best place to shop for nice souvenirs that are authentic Hawaiian. They have four Maui locations. There is one in Pa’ia, which is on the Hana Highway on the way to Hana. In addition, you can explore even more local Maui artists in Pa’ia - a really fun town with a ‘hip and happening’ art scene.

The Best (the Only?) Irish Pub on Maui
Mulligan’s on the Blue - They are on the golf course across the street from the Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel in Wailea. They have great fish and chips, and good Celtic music. Their specialty is an evening of Hawaiian music called “Wailea Nights“. Wailea Nights includes dinner and music. They have indoor and outdoor seating. (It can get loud inside.)

Other Maui and Hawaii Travel Tips

• We recommend having a car rental on Maui because everything is very spread out.
• The Road to Hana is great sight-seeing! If you stop along the way to admire the scenery, the roundtrip will take the whole day!
• If you are going to more than one island in Hawaii and are taking more than one bag, pack one bag for each island. Then you do not need to pack and unpack as much.

With high fuel costs resulting in additional charges for checked baggage, “traveling light” is a timely topic for everyone to consider.  Packing too much can mean not only a strain on your back, but also your budget.  Having too many or too heavy bags can distract you from your vacation and also make you vulnerable to those who look for travelers that you are not paying attention or are overwhelmed with too much stuff!  I know this to be true, as it happened to me and forced me to learn a lesson about lugging too much stuff around.

Here are some tips from the experts and my experiences for you to ease your load:

Take only what you can manage by yourself
Unless you are traveling into the wilderness where there are no stores, you should be able to buy whatever you absolutely need along the way.  I once did a 10-day trip to Hawaii with just a small carry-on.  I simply found Laundromats when absolutely necessary, washed small things out, and bought other things as the need came up…like a beautiful sarong cover-up at the local market. Everyone marveled at how I did it, but I just knew that traveling means I have to be able to manage everything by myself (or with the help of traveling companions) at all times - no exceptions!

Prepare ahead of time
Every time I have taken too much with me, it is because I didn’t think things through ahead of time. Maybe some of you can relate to this “last minute packing syndrome”. Expert tips include laying everything you think you need out and then putting only half of it into the bag or always packing from a list.  Friends who travel even lighter than I do, take a few pair of easy-on pants, a skirt, and mix and match tops that work with all of them.  They love scarves as accessories because they change the look without carrying the weight around. A packable coat that can serve as something to cover up with on the plane is a smart to include if the weather you are heading towards warrants it.   

Watch what you pack
Never pack items of value in checked luggage, including money or traveler’s checks, cameras, medicine, expensive jewelry, travel documents or anything you’d really hate to lose because it has sentimental value or is otherwise irreplaceable.

Ask yourself questions like “Do I really need more than three pairs of shoes?” Try to make it with a few pair of shoes - 1 dressy, 1 casual,and one that you’ll wear in transit.  Slip-ons on the plane make going through Security easier, but you may want to wear your most comfortable walking shoes for long distances in airports. 

Remember the 3-1-1 rule for carry-ons: 3 ounce bottles or less (by volume) in 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag and only 1 bag per passenger.  Try to eliminate the larger bottles in checked baggage if you can take enough in these small bottles for the length of your vacation.

Paper is heavy 
Only bring the reading material you really need and/or can use. This is especially true of travel guides, phrase books, and maps.  Copy or take just the pages you will need and then recycle them along the way as you finish visiting that place or are done reading the book.  

Pack smart
Remember you are already wearing one outfit in transit that can work for you during your vacation or again on your way back.  Especially with one or more children, put an entire day’s outfit including underwear and socks in a large re-sealable bag and write the child’s name on it.  It can also serve as a dirty clothes carrier once the outfit is worn.  Always pack to match the weather and culture in your destination, not where you are originating from. 

You can make your next vacation a lot more enjoyable because you packed the right things in just the right amounts!

Other tips you have about packing?  We would love to hear about them!

Here are some of our very best tips for enjoying this paradise:

Best Beaches Worth the Drive to the “End of the Road”
Kee Beach (North Shore) is located past Hanalei and is accessible by paved road, which crosses several one-lane bridges. This beach is picture perfect and offers spectacular views. There are a series of great hiking trails into the mountains leading to several waterfalls and overlooks of the Napali Coast.

Polihale Beach (South Shore) is located five miles down a dirt sugar cane road just past the Pacific Missile Range Facility along Hwy 50. This beach is spectacular with miles of wide undeveloped beachfront and rolling sand dunes. It literally ends at a cliff, which is the start of the Napali Coast. Note: the dirt road is rough and can become impassable by car if wet.

Best Burger
If you enjoy FRESH ingredients, great smoothies and chickens entertaining you on the patio, then Duane’s Ono Char Burger (next to the post office in Anahola), is the place for you!

Best Restaurant
The Beach House just west of Poipu on Lawai Beach Road is located on the water with great views and wonderful seafood.

Best Lunch Restaurant
Brennecke’s Restaurant, across from Poipu Beach Park, is an open-air restaurant located on the second floor overlooking Poipu Beach. Good casual lunch food tastes better with the tradewinds blowing through your hair.

Best Dessert
The Chocolate Volcano Dessert at Roy’s Restaurant, Poipu Shopping Center has been copied by others, but this is the original! If you love great chocolate, this is nirvana. They have an outdoor area where you can order just dessert. If you do go in for dinner - EVERYTHING on the menu is wonderful - but expect to pay fine dining prices.

Best Hidden Beach
Go off the beaten path again to Mahaulepu Beach by taking Poipu Road past the Hyatt and following along edge of Poipu Golf Course. It will turn into a dirt road through sugar cane fields. Follow to the fork in road and take a right to beach area. There you will discover a series of coves with undeveloped beachfront, small cliffs and rock formations and safe swimming (no lifeguards, however)

Best Whale Watching
At Na Pali Eco Adventure in Port Allen, you will find very knowledgeable staff working ecologically-friendly boats that use vegetable oil, not diesel fuel to power their engines! One person went with them over 10 times and always had a wonderful experience. Available in the winter/spring only.

Best Movie and TV Locations
Kauai has been used as the backdrop for many movie and TV shows. You can take a helicopter ride over Jurassic Park, pretend you are Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, make “happy talk” at the beach in South Pacific, swoon over Elvis at the Coco Palms from Blue Hawaii, or think about your deepest wish where Fantasy Island was filmed. Or maybe, just pretending you are on an extended stay on Gilligan’s Island is enough for you. You can even take a movie tour to places you might never find on your own!

Since we have barely scratched the surface of wonderful things to see and do on Kauai, please let us know what your travel tips are for this beautiful island. We would love to hear from you!

Mahalo!

Transportation Tips:
• The easiest way to get to and from your hotel, is to take pre-purchased transfers. Especially with your luggage filled with shopping finds, the transfer right from the door of the hotel back to the airport will be so easy!
• If you don’t have a pre-purchased transfer, you can take the RER. It is a metro line that runs from the airport to downtown Paris.  A RER line has fewer stops than a regular subway line and the stops are at the main stations, so it’s easy to connect onto a regular metro line from which you can get anywhere.  You will have to manage your own luggage, however, so this is only for those who “pack light”!
• Buy a metro “Day Pass” - unlimited ride for the day(s), within Paris.
• Rather than being underground and taking the subway to go places, visit the town by riding the double-decker, hop on and off buses that stop at the major tourist sites! Or use your Metro pass to take a regular bus around town, seeing much more of this beautiful city from a different perspective.

Things To Do:
• Visit the Eiffel Tower (cost is about 8 euros to the 1st and 2nd deck of the Tower - 15 euros to the 3rd deck). Make sure to go see the Eiffel Tower at night…what a sight!
• Walk the Champs-Elysees from the Louvre all the way to the Arc de Triomphe - wear comfortable shoes; it’s a long walk!
• Climb the 286 steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe (cost is about 10 euros) for another fabulous view of the city and witness the traffic on this world famous round-about.
• Visit Notre Dame.
• Go to Montmartre and its Sacre-Coeur. Take the funicular to go up, take the stairs to go down. Sit at an outdoor café, it’s great people watching!
• Go to the “Jardins du Luxembourg” (Luxembourg Gardens), find a chair and watch the joggers or the kids play with their miniature boats on the water.
• Take a Seine River cruise on the Bateaux-Mouches and admire the beautiful monuments lined up on the river banks.  Taking the cruise at night is also amazing as the monuments are all light up.
• At night, for the best of parisian entertainment, go see a show like the one at the Paradis Latin in an extraordinary theatre designed by Eiffel. You can even pre-purchase advanced tickets as part of your vacation package.
• For sightseeing outside Paris, you definitely need to visit Versailles. Book a bus tour or take the RER and visit the Palace of Versailles and its gardens at your leisure – it is absolutely grand!
• If you love museums there are plenty to choose from! Make a selection before you go - Remember, some museums are closed on Monday, others on Tuesday.
• If you decide to “do” the Louvre, decide on what you would like to see or you could spend days in the museum to see it all! The paintings: first go see the Mona Lisa, also know as “La Joconde”, or you might be disappointed. It’s small and always crowded. Next, choose from the Egyptian collection; the crown/jewelry collection; the antique furniture and so much more!
• The Musee d’Orsay is great if you love Impressionist Art.
• If you’re a fan of Monet, you should visit the “Musee Marmottan”.
• Don’t forget about the world-famous shopping.  Avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement is Paris shopping at its finest. Find more affordable shopping on Rue de Rivoli, or at the famous department stores of Printemps or Galeries Lafayette.

Places to eat:
• I suggest eating at a brasserie/bistro during lunch and go with the lunch special, it’s usually traditional French cuisine at a reasonable price.
• If you’re in the area of St Michel, there are plenty of restaurant options to choose from: traditional French cuisine, cheese or meat fondue, Crepes, Italian, Greek and so much more!
• If you’re in the Montparnasse area, there are plenty of Japanese and other French cuisine restaurants to choose from.

There is so much to see and do in Paris, it’s hard to pick just a few “must-see” and “must-do”s, but there’s definitely something for everyone! 

If you have been to Paris, please share your favorite things to do so you can help others who are traveling to Paris make the most of their vacation!

Bon voyage!