Seoul-searching
Over the past few years, I've chastised my friend for being obsessed with Korean culture without understanding what Korean culture really is. I was angry because I thought her interaction with Korea, one...
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My Heart of Turquoise
I had never seen so many junipers in my life. The green, bushy plants stretched for miles into the desert of New Mexico like they could go on forever. We were far outside the city limits...
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A New Set of Cultural Binoculars
“You’re just different. You look like us, and your family is from here, but you’re so American,” Marilyn told me for the twentieth time. I understood well enough that being first generation...
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Remedy for Myopia
Lift up your eyes and see Windy Gusts o’er ocean corn: Prairie Vanishing. Lift up your feet and soar; Clouds stooping to harvest rain So farmers...
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China’s Treasure
I’m here. Ancient stones are only steps away from my touch. I see a high point in the glorious distance and make it my goal to at least make it there. I take my first step and just admire the wall itself....
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Yellowstone: A Disaster Only A Family Could Love
At the beginning of eighth grade, at an ungodly hour in the morning, my 36 classmates and I gathered at the airport in t-shirts, shorts, and hiking boots. Packed in our suitcases were outfits similar...
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One Love
I ease my water shoes into the chilly water, trusting our leader to guide us safely through the Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Our excursion group stayed together as directed: holding hands...
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Cycling Around My Sweet Potato Island
The chilling, fuzzy wind swooshed pass my ears covered with a cycling-head-kerchief. My neon yellow windbreaker jacket is dancing against the speed of my bike. I see the numbers on the odometer increase...
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Enduring Burdens as an Ally of the World
When we entered the Cibeles Palace in Madrid Sunday morning, trailed by a few early spring gusts, it was virtually empty, besides employees and a few Madrilenians tucked in corners of the offered reading...
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Spiritual Experiences in Switzerland
Her hand rested comfortably on my shoulder as we watched planes take off into the inky sky like birds in a sporadic flock. "Before you know it, you'll be on the other side of the ocean," my mother whispered...
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On Painting Impasto
When people think about visiting DC, they create an impressionist painting characterized by swirling shades of patriotism: dashes of museums crowded with artifacts, towering monuments, and ribbons of...
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From Gulf Shores to Skyscrapers
From the excruciating packing for the trip there, to the heart-wrenching packing for the way home, New York City had slowly crept into my heart, calling itself home. Coming from a small town...
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The City Does Not Have Soul– It Reflects Your Own
Living in Midcoast Maine and competing in the USEF equestrian circuit throughout New England, I am no stranger to travel. I have experienced the beckoning of a rustic, quaint town as well as the calm...
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Mortality and Sea Lions
I am standing on a cliff staring out at the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Below me sea lions wail to each other as they crowd the rocky crags of the cliffs, and I am in complete awe of just how...
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Europe by Eurail: A Student’s Tips
Join FTF's student correspondent as she rails across Europe with a Eurail Pass, a backpack full of guidebooks, and not-quite-enough funds. It seems that traveling across...
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A Rainbow of Silver and Grey
My white knuckles were frozen as I clutched the metal railing. Its silvery color glistened in the light. It was actually quite beautiful: The rainbow of greys...
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Coffee is the Universal Language
During my sophomore year of high school, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Austria with my school choir for a week long performance tour. The historic cities of Salzburg and Vienna provided...
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My Unique New York Trip
Glimpsing out our train's family room window I watched as, complete with the new World Trade building's opening that morning, the New York City skyline slowly became swallowed in a hazy mist of shrinking...
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A Spanish Walk to Remember — A Week of Camino de Santiago
As I gazed up at the arched cathedral ceilings, held aloft by massive Romanesque columns, my mind wandered during mass as I thought about the week my family had just spent completing the Camino de Santiago. ...
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The Mountains Are Calling and I Must Go
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” These are the insightful words of John Muir, famed outdoorsman and conservationist....
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Oatmeal Walls and Sticky Sunlight
My body is about to give out, completely and pathetically. My heartbeat is slamming against my temples. And my parents are not here to ask if I am okay. It is just me and my clammy sheets of skin. The...
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The Guava Man’s Love
It is early in the morning, and my eyes remain closed. The room is small, antique, made of solid rock, dark and cold, but filled with the life of my family. My mother quickly comes to the small bed...
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Home Sweet Home
Just before I turned the knob of the door that would lead me to the family I hadn't seen in 9 years, I took a deep breath and berated myself for being so nervous. This is your family! I said to myself....
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Elephant Adventures
“It’ll be great!” my father exclaimed with enthusiasm. He was referring to an elephant riding attraction he heard about earlier that day. We were in Thandwe, a small village in the Southeast Asian...
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Joy Amidst Devastation
If someone had asked me a year ago, "Where will you find utter devastation alongside genuine joy?" I'd have tapped out and asked for a new riddle. And I know for a fact that the last place that would've...
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The Yellow Building
While my family loves to travel, we haven’t often gone out of the country. The last time I used my passport was when I went to the Dominican Republic. Now, the DR is known for its beaches and resorts,...
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Nice to Have a Man around the House
We get it: broken toilets, gnarly weeds, setting baby mice free outside – to these reasons why it’s so nice to have a man around the house we can now add vacation planning. Really?...
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10 Gifts For Fathers, Mothers & Travelers Who Have Everything
Frequent travelers will appreciate our selection of unusual presents – organized by parenting style -- whether it’s Mother’s Day, Father's Day or any other occasion. The...
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An Abundance of Love
As I boarded the plane to be carried across the sea I was strangely calm. I was at peace. I was surprised by this, for this would be my first mission trip overseas and yet all that I felt in that moment...
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Kidzania Makes Play Out Of Work
Parents (practitioners of the helicopter style or otherwise), often fret about what their kids are going to turn out to “be” and how much influence they will have once they’re grown up. A...
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10 Best Family Destinations For Learning Vacations
I usually hate 10 Best Lists because when it comes to vacations, the “best” for each family is a subjective choice based on circumstance and timing. When my family is exhausted from work and school,...
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Falling for Flowers at Italy’s Infiorata Festivals
If you are traveling to Italy in May or June, you should schedule a visit to one of the famous infiorata or flower festivals. The infiorata are religious festivals held in various towns in...
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Ripleys Is Everywhere, Believe It Or Not
What's more kid-friendly fun than a tour around the Ripley's world of odd and fascinating, quasi-museum attractions that teach as well as entertain? In honor of the annual Sword Swallower's...
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Ritz-Carlton Dubai
Ritz Carlton, Dubai, previously a winner of FTF's Top 10 Getaways for Tiny Travelers award in the "Best International Beach Resort" category,...
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Sea World And Discovery Cove Orlando
On a recent trip to Orlando with the team from SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, we explored SeaWorld Orlando and her sister marinelife park, Discovery Cove. With Orlando vacation attractions that were...
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Dolphins and Sea Lions and Whales, Oh Alaska!
Imagine this: you stand on a dock beside a silver boat, preparing to board. The spruce-scented air caresses your face, promising gentle waves in the blue water of Resurrection Bay. Before you step onto...
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How Hotels Cater To Today’s Family Traveler
From crab hunts to organic toiletries and vegan menus, hotels are catering to children like never before. The substantial growth in the family market, particularly in multigenerational travel, makes hotel...
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Dinosaurs Are Awesome, Even If They Are Birds
Dinosaurs are awesome. We flock to museum halls to see Tyrannosaurus, and run to movie theaters to get a glimpse of our favorite scaly saurians dish it out. I have been a dinosaur fanatic for 18 years...
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FTF Supports Teen Travel Bloggers in 10th Annual Scholarship
Media Alert: FTF Grants Scholarship Money and Travel Prizes to the Best Teen Travel Blogs of the Year Students Explore the Teen Travel Experience in 10th Annual Merit Competition for...
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Just For Kids At Atlantis, Bahamas
If you’re looking for a place to stay in Nassau designed just for kids, look no farther than the Atlantis Resort
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Our trip to the Sahara Desert in Morocco
We spent one night in the desert of Morocco. We rode the camel from the Desert Luxury Camp to the sand bluff and then climbed...
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Yeehaw!! Find Your Inner Cowboy and Experience the Wild West at Bonnie Springs Ranch
"The Old West is not a certain place in a certain time, it’s a state of mind." – Tom Mix About 30 minutes off the Las Vegas Strip, tucked away at the base of the Spring Mountains, is a wonderful...
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10 Best Kid Friendly Hotels in Las Vegas
Las Vegas hotel deals conjure up images of glittering high rise casinos, high-rollers and high-end luxury. But the City of Lights has plenty to offer families from outdoor fun to indoor amusement parks....
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5 top tips for an unforgettable multi-gen holiday
Taking your whole family on holiday is not an easy task to pull off, and making everyone happy on said holiday is just as impossible. When the age gaps are so big everyone tends to disagree with each...
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Fun Things to do in Pattaya with Kids- Yes, you can take a family vacation in Pattaya
There was a time when Pattaya was nothing but a humble fishing village. Now, it is one of the most famous and visited tourist places in the whole of Thailand. Pattaya has some of the best attractions...
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Themed Itineraries Add Spice To Cruises
When my family boarded Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas for a Caribbean cruise with dozens of passengers wearing black leather and chains, we didn’t yet realize that 1,850 shipmates...
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Taking the Waters in Bath, England
For centuries, the healing and calming properties of warm mineral springs have defined wellness, a tradition that flourishes in the ancient city of Bath. Named a World Heritage Site in 1987, the south...
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Canada’s Delta Resorts Come To Orlando, Florida
Having welcomed over 62 million visitors in 2015, central Florida needs lots of beds for them to sleep in. Thanks to a new partnership between the Canadian
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Meeting Banksy and Brunel in Bristol
The city of Bristol is located in the South West region of England, two hours from London. An historic city with maritime roots, it has been reshaped into a cool mecca of contemporary culture with arts,...
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