mft author at My Family Travels
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Phuket, Thailand Is James Bond Territory

Experience sea canoeing, sailing, and other adventures at this exotic southeast Asian destination. The cave tunnel gets smaller and smaller as we lie flat in the yellow inflatable kayak. "No...

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The First Day in the Land of the Rising Sun

Since the end of 2006, my interest and fascination with Japan has grown by leaps and bounds.  It all started when I sat down one night to watch some anime, just to see what the fuss was about.  Within...

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Austin, Texas Restaurants

In Austin, the next meal never looked so good. Endless variety and great local specialties such as barbecue, chicken fried steak, cheesey chili dishes, grilled chicken and grilled steak sandwich, New Texas...

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Spain’s Mythical Place

Terra Mitica offers theme park fun within a Mediterranean atmosphere. Tucked into 260 acres along the Costa Blanca at Benidorm, about 140 kms from Valencia, Spain, is Terra...

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On the Hummus Highway in Israel

Follow the Hummus Highway through Israel for delicious - and fast - Middle Eastern dining. Read about the locals' favorite hummus haunts in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Eilat and more

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Maui By Car

What a surprise to find out my cousins Rachel and Jessica Hastings decided to come back for their graduation trip to visit their cousins Tom and Diane here on Maui.  So I decided...

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Things to Do and See in Ireland

You may or may not have time for all of these sights and activities, but hopefully you'll benefit from a little "been there, done that" wisdom. Many of these sights are quite touristy, but keep in...

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Scotland Beyond The Bagpipes

Ceud Mile Failte - one hundred thousand welcomes greet families who choose a Scottish road trip (including a stop to see Loch Ness) during the summer festival season. Scotland is known for its...

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From Sydney Around Australia

Fun with the family in Sydney: New South Wales, The Blue Mountains, and the Central Coast As Sydney prepared for her 2000 Olympic Games debut, our family traveled Down Under for a month-long visit....

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Springfield, Massachusetts Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Let your teens imitate Michael Jordan and your little ones play with the Cat in the Hat--all in Springfield, Massachussetts. Regular readers know that Massachusetts' Connecticut River Valley...

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Oklahoma – Midwest Meets Southern Charm

Because of its unique place in history, this petroleum-rich town outside Tulsa offers mansions, museums, Wild West lore and more to visitors.Where can families see roaming herds of exotic...

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Travel Tips for Six for the Road

We are a military family with four children, ages 12, 11, 4 and 5 months, and travel a lot. What I have found when picking your hotel or camper park, pick one with a playground and/or a pool. This will...

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Three For The Road

As we do every year, we plan to spend two months in Italy visiting family this summer. In the past, we have flown to London so our daughter, Julia, could go to Legoland...

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Bus Bazaar Lee: New York to Boston

Every once in a while, some brilliant employee behind a desk at Megabus headquarters decides to bestow unbelievably low-priced tickets upon a lucky traveler such as myself. Taking advantage of the bus...

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Summer with my Grandparents

In May of 2007 after attending my sister's high school graduation I left to spend a month of summer vacation with my grandparents. I wasn't sure about the trip because while I liked them a lot I'd never...

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San Vicente, Forever In My Heart

San Juan, Puerto Rico, Los Angeles, California, Guatemala City, Guatemala, I've been to all those amazing places all that share a special memory in my mind. But they were all vacations taken for pure...

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A Long Winter’s Weekend In Berlin, Germany

To a family who adore off-season weekend trips to Europe, Berlin before Christmas is the most child-friendly place of all. Don't miss the city's famed Christmasmarkets, too.Berlin is...

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London Hotels: Value For Money Reviews

Whether the British Pound is soaring or stable, it's handy to have a choice of family-friendly value hotels in England's favorite city (and the United Kingdom's priciest destination). It often grieves...

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Sydney Sojourn, An Urban Australia Adventure

It is the most visited city in Australia: a glowing, eclectic and warm place with easy transport and family activities; welcome to Sydney.Lived in by aborigines for over 40,000...

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Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac Review: Luxury Family-Friendly Hotels In Quebec City

One of the city's most recognized symbols, it has been welcoming guests with a French flair and "once upon a time" atmosphere since 1893. One of the city's most recognized symbols,...

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Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel, London, England

An elegant London hotel welcomes your family with unusually large accommodations, great service, cozy extra features and a great location.The magical world of British literature from J.K. Rowling...

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Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills, California

Hollywood's classiest upscale hotel transforms itself on request into an urban resort for sightseeing families.You might have heard of the Beverly Wilshire, a legendary hotel smack dab in the...

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The Phoenician for “Ph”amilies

  You may remember I wrote about our family vacation at the Pointe Hilton at Squaw Creek last summer. Well, just recently, a business conference brought my husband back to Phoenix, this time...

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Le Mezze Lune, Tuscany, Italy

This summer, we spent a week at the seaside on the Costa Selvaggia in Italy. We were staying at a little pension in Vibbona,...

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Yucatan Paradise in Tulum

We found a pocket of paradise about 2 hours south of Cancun, on the Yucatan coast at Tulum, and have just returned from our third visit. This community of 16 thatch...

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SIDEKICK Pro Is The Must-Have Bag For All Hitting The Slopes

The SIDEKICK Pro can easily hold all of your skiing gear as you glide down the mountain this season.Transpack debuted its newest addition to the Pro-series of carry-all ski/snowboard-boot backpacks...

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Frog In Boiling Water: Baghdad Week 4

You know that old saw about putting a frog in water, and slowly bringing it to boil, and the frog never notices until it’s too late. Welcome to the new normal. I barely notice the sirens, choppers,...

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How to Drink Wine in the Backroads of Montpellier

Rent a car.  Bring friends, Irish ones. Forget the Sat Nav and get lost.  In the beginning you will all enjoy the sun and the beach, especially Biarritz. In Spain you will lose your patience, especially...

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High Profile: Baghdad Week 2

High Profile: Baghdad Week 2 First: the backstory. I am currently in Baghdad, working as Country Director for IREX, running a very similar program here to the one I ran for them in Serbia. Only WAY...

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Golden Handcuffs: Baghdad Week 1

I’m in Baghdad with a non-governmental organization to support local Iraqi journalists tell their side of the story. This journal is just the start of my journey... The trip out was uneventful....

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You Had Me At Palak Paneer Chaap…?

I know that most people leave Ireland craving Shepard's Pie or Lamb Stew, but my last meal happened to be the best Indian food that the old picky Ifer would never have tried.  My addiction to Indian...

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Forget Trick or Treating Just Dance all Night Instead!

About two months ago my friend, Paul, told me about the line up for HARD Haunted Mansion.  I was still in Ireland and had already missed out on seeing Soulwax...

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Cuckoo’s Nest Comes to Cork

One night, I was in Cork City picking up a friend from work.  Her boyfriend was telling me about The Everyman Palace, the theatre across from her office. One night,...

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My Church Pilgrimage Trip

Our mission was to help the people who live in Calais, Maine. Many of them are poor and they live in houses that need to be painted. Some just need a friend to talk to. We were to be divided into groups,...

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Attack of the Flies: Tales from the Farm

So, when I first met my boyfriend, Alistair, we were both studying at University College Cork, in Ireland, of course.  Every now and then, I would go home with him on the weekends for a nice relaxing...

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My Summer in Panama/Mi Verano en Panama

As I reflect on the past summer '08 that I spent in Buena Vista, Panama, I can truly say that it was the best two months of...

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My First Missionary Trip To The Dominican Republic

I never expected that a beautiful country such as the Dominican Republic could have such poor living conditions and lack basic infrastructures.  I was completely culture shocked when I realized that...

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A moment of Inspiration in Panama

In the middle of the night, my eyes pry open from the sound of hard rain hitting the tin rooftops of Chitre. As loud as can be, my aunt sleeps soundly unable to hear the rain against the jittery metal....

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My Trip to Antarctica

My trip to Antarctica was unique and unforgettable. It was unique because it was not the regular tourist trip. It was unforgettable because the things I saw and the experiences and the emotions I went...

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Making The Right Choices

          How does spending three weeks of your summer vacation in England and France sound to you? I was fortunate to be a part of the People to People organization and...

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The Beauty of a Drive

 

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Rollin’ through Yellowstone National Park

Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing," said Helen Keller. This summer, my family, my mom, dad, sister and I, went on an adventure. Our family vacation was to Yellowstone National Park....

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Camping along the French Atlantic Coast: Biarritz

After a very disappointing start to our road trip, which included a pit stop in a La Rochelle truck stop for some much needed shut eye and then a waste of €100 at six o'clock in the morning for the...

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Football Heaven

About two years ago when my family took our first real vacation, we traveled from our home in Fort Riley, Kansas, to the middle of Colorado.  We three kids were teens by this time, and that trip was...

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Euphoric Europe

I was honestly dreading the day when I would have go to Europe...

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I’m Moving to Torino for Eataly

That's it, I am moving to Torino. I find myself for the first time in this wonderful place called EATALY, and i wish I had a tent, 'cause I would pitch it right here and...

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Riding The Back Roads

Our annual motorcycle trip began early Sunday, when my parents and I left Murfreesboro, Tennessee via the back roads to Thomasville, Georgia for a few days then north to Greeneville, South Carolina,...

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Craziness to San Diego

On the last week of June this summer, I went on a last minute and crazy trip to San...

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Things to Consider on a European Road Trip

I've just returned from a road trip through France and Spain with four of my Irish friends.  We booked cheap Ryanair flights from Dublin to Nantes, rented a car, and took off for the 'Murphy's Law'...

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My travel journal from Europe, July 2007

July 2nd Oh my gosh, I...

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