I have just published a trip report about our family vacations in Montebello, Québec at the Fairmont Château Montebello which is the largest log cabin in the world. We have vacationed at the Fairmont Château Montebello twice - once during the summer holidays and once between Christmas and New Year's. On both occasions our family had a wonderful stay at the resort participating in as many activities as we could fit in. Our children loved both vacations that we spent at the château and I would definitely recommend it as a perfect Canadian destination for active families with kids of all ages.
Everyone in our family has fair skin and burns easily so we try to be cautious when it comes to sun exposure, particularly when on vacation in southern destinations. Here are some simple tips from a dermatologist on how to protect your skin from the sun while traveling and how to minimize damage to the skin if you do sustain a sunburn. I really like the idea of defensive clothing as it reduces the impact of having missed a spot (and a parent's stress level accordingly) when trying to apply sunscreen to a squirming, uncooperative child. Follow these tips for sun-safety and the whole family can enjoy a worry-free vacation in the sun.
Teenagers are moody, notoriously difficult to please and often unwilling to spend time with their families. So is it possible for a family to travel successfully when there is a teenager in their midst? I think it is - as long as you keep the following five tips in mind.
We didn't go away for the long weekend - the ostensible reason being that Katie has exams starting this coming week and she was going to need to study all weekend. Instead we planned a day out in the city starting off with some culture and finishing with one of Toronto's tallest and most popular tourist attractions.
The worldwide community of museums is celebrating International Museum Day today so perhaps we all should acknowledge the day by planning an outing to a museum in the near future. One of our family's favourite local museums is the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) located at Bloor and Avenue Road in Toronto. (www.rom.on.ca) The ROM features World Culture Galleries, Natural History Galleries, and Hands-on Galleries as well as traveling exhibitions. There are a number of exhibitions currently at the ROM including Water the ground-breaking exhibition about power, wonder and the scarcity of water. The ROM also recently announced that, in collaboration with the Canadian Museum of Civilization, it will be hosting the exhibit Maya: Secrets of Their Ancient World beginning in the fall of 2011 and running to the fall of 2012. A visit to the museum is always a fun day out and if it continues to rain we may need an indoor activity to keep us occupied this coming long weekend.
My daughter, Katie, is a Harry Potter fanatic so when we began to plan our itinerary for London last year it was very important to her to see some of the locations that she would recognize from the movie franchise. I began searching on line for Harry Potter tours and we selected London Taxi Tours which had a range of tours available. Despite some reservations on my part, we chose a 13 hour tour that included movie locations in Lacock, Oxford and London as well as a stop at Stonehenge. (I was actually quite pleased about the visit to Stonehenge as I had always wanted to see it and I'm not sure that I could have talked my family into a trip out of London for that purpose alone.)
I have published a trip report on Québec City which our family visited for three days as part of a road trip in Québec several years ago. This is a wonderful city to visit for families with kids of all ages. The city is compact and easy to see on foot, there are many historical attractions to visit and it exposes kids to a culture that is quite European. It also affords an excellent opportunity for everyone to put their classroom French to practical use. We visited during the height of the summer season when the old city is teeming with tourists soaking up the sun and people-watching at outdoor cafés but I'm sure that a visit during La Carnaval de Québec (Québec's Winter Carnival) would be just as memorable.
If you are going to be in Québec City then you may want to head to La Musée de la Civilisation (www.mcq.org) to see the new exhibit "Rome: From the Origins to Italy's Capital" which will be there from May 11, 2011 - January 29, 2012. Visitors will be able to explore the history of Rome from its mythical origins to its emergence as the capital of a reunified Italy. This exhibition was created in collaboration with the most prestigious museums of Rome, the Capitol and the Vatican and features over 200 artifacts which bear witness to Rome's rich culture and history and its development across the centuries.
On the final day of our Mediterranean cruise this summer we will be in the port of Naples where there are more activities to choose from than any cruiser can possibly do in one day. The most popular activities are excursions to the ancient city of Pompeii, drives on the Amalfi Coast, treks to the top of Mount Vesuvius, boat trips to the island of Capri and tours of the city of Naples itself.
Welcome to Gone with the Family! I'm Lisa and I'm on a mission to show my kids the world - one trip at a time! This site is about the adventures that we have had along the way - 16 years and counting. We hope to inspire you to
travel with your kids by sharing our tips, stories and photos. Have fun exploring the site! Learn More...
