The Top Disney World Deluxe Resorts
Wondering which of the deluxe Walt Disney World properties is worth the big bucks? It largely depends on style and location; some are built around the Magic Kingdom, some are adjacent to the other theme parks. While the Magic Kingdom resorts are easily serviced by monorail, we urge families to pick the resort closest to their favorite park to minimize the walk/ride time. What Disney World luxury...
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Fall Festivals Heat Up The Caribbean
Put on your dancing shoes to get your groove on, because the Caribbean’s biggest cultural music festivals are heating up during the Fall season between the months of September and November. From Aruba to the Dominican Republic, Anguilla, Dominica or Jamaica to Mexico and all across the islands, prepare to be blown away by the biggest cultural events of the year. We find that...
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Fabulous Fall Getaways
Harvest season. Kid-friendly festivals. Halloween. Let the fall fun begin! There’s no better time than autumn to get outdoors and get away whether you have a day, a weekend or a week. The climate is ideal; there is the right ratio of visitors to locals and grandparents can savor their preschoolers without the crowds. In many places, shoulder season prices make a fall getaway a bargain, especially...
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Autumn Interludes and Fall Family Vacation Ideas
If a uniquely American and slightly eccentric fall festival in North Carolina,Texas, Wisconsin, Maine or Vermont is your idea of a fun fall getaway, read on. Autumn is the time to harvest some of the many free activities and discounted hotel rooms offered in small towns across America. Whether you combine a stay deal with
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Our Favorite Vacation Deals and Booking Sites
We are often asked how to save money planning a vacation, so we are sharing our favorite sites for discount travel booking. We really do use them all. You can click on any of these site ads, search for your needs and pay for your bookings through them, knowing they are trustworthy. Through our affiliate relationship with them, we will get a small commission payment. Our commission doesn't cost...
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attractions
Take a closer look at spots tourists love and local families' favorites to discover don't-miss attractions when exploring Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the family. To make exploring easier, Philadelphia is a participant in CityPASS, a discount ticket program which lets visitors skip most main-entrance...
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Disney Springs Discount Orlando Rates
If 2018 is your time to finally take the family to Walt Disney World, look into booking one of the value Disney Springs Hotels which offer specials for stays almost all year long. Bargain watchers take note: these hotels (in the commercial area formerly known as Downtown Disney) are closest to the parks without being Disney managed, offer free shuttles every 30 minutes so you can leave your...
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Illinois Apple Farms – U-Pick ‘Em And Enjoy
Stick with us while we drive to countryside U-Pick apple farms in Rockford, Caledonia, Winnebago and other regions near Chicago, Illinois then head southwest across the state to Alton to check out the orchards near the Mississippi River and St. Louis, Missouri. In our family, a day...
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An Incredible Summer at Walt Disney World
Whether you’re a human or a toy, Walt Disney World in Orlando has designed a vacation all about you, with a little sprinkling of PIXAR dust. For humans, there are fresh attractions in all the parks, plus new amenities like extra shaded seating, more FastPasses to reduce waiting time for popular rides, and new water fountains and misters throughout the parks.
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Leaf Peeker’s Guide To America’s Fall Foliage
Fall foliage tours and affordable leaf peeping road trips are easy to plan if you use this How-To, Where-To foliage guide to see leaf colors changing en route. You'll probably find a fall festival at your destination to make it a fun day's outing, or enough events for an entire weekend getaway for the family. Where to see the leaves change Most of the US is open for autumn foliage...
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Beat the Heat on the Slopes of New Zealand
This summer, while some families are lying on beach blankets, others are making snow angels at Southern Hemisphere resorts that are celebrating "winter" with crisp ski deals. For example, June 2, 2018 -- the Queen's Birthday long weekend -- marked one of the earliest openings ever for Coronet Peak, New Zealand. This...
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Travel and Earn as an Airbnb Host
All families try to save money when planning vacations, yet few have thought about making money by listing their house on Airbnb while they’re away. Airbnb makes it simple to earn extra money by being a host and putting your extra space to work for you. You can share a spare room in your apartment,...
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Discover Vienna, Austria
Find museums, palaces, art, shops and even a beach in the heart of Europe, making Vienna a perfect destination for family travelers. Vienna, Austria's capitol city, is a bustling urban metropolis that entices visitors with its picturesque blend of the old and new. Families can explore the historic city center that was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, get their thrills at one of Vienna's...
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Dining is More Entertaining at Major Family Attractions
Sixty percent of millennial travelers – more than half of them young parents -- select their holiday destination based on food according to a recent survey done by Hotels.com. According to the report, a sizable number of travelers chose Paris (27%), Tokyo (23%) and Rome (22%), with additional top foodie cities including London, Barcelona, New York and Madrid. Fortunately, one company is making...
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More Great Summer Vacation Ideas
Will this summer be for mountain hikes and canoeing? Beaches and sandcastles? Shopping, shows and food truck tours? Perfecting your Spanish, celebrating our National Parks? Whatever your pleasure, we know you want to make the most of your time and travel budget. Start your summer vacation planning by sharing ideas and goals with the kids, then listen to theirs. Allow the kids a daily activities...
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Top Family-Accommodating Tennis Resorts
Here's your go-to resource for the top-ranked tennis resorts and tennis training camps in the world which accommodate children of all ages and their tennis-playing families. We would like to thank critic Roger Cox and his comprehensive website, TennisResortsOnline for providing us with his readers' selection of the Top 100 Tennis Resorts...
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The King of Tupelo, Mississippi
I recently overheard two guys who'd scaled Kilimanjaro, run Class VI rapids on the New River, and rested their heads on the most expensive pillows in Paris agree that, of all their travel journalism adventures, none was as much fun as the Tupelo Elvis Festival in Mississippi. From my research, Elvis Presley fans who have been to the Heartbreak Hotel, Sun Studios or to Graceland...
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51 Great Family Summer Vacation Ideas
Summer is the time to reconnect and relax with family, to recreate favorite childhood memories and make new ones together. Do you see the family lying on a beach, splashing around a resort pool, hiking mountain trails, learning history from a national park ranger, exploring a new city, being thrilled by an exotic adventure or braving new theme park rides? To make your summer fantasy the best one...
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Travel Media Showcase Sponsors Teen Scholarship
Travel Media Showcase (TMS) is where the travel trade meets one-on-one with a broad spectrum of invited travel journalists and bloggers. Now in its 19th year, and held in a different location annually, TMS promotes new tourism places and attractions through a variety of media channels, allowing little known destinations to shine.
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Trends: Halal Tourism, By and For Muslims
Travel by Muslims, whether or not they are actively religious or following Islamic social laws, is a market segment known as Halal Tourism. (Halal means a code of dietary laws, similar to the kosher dietary rules followed by some Jews.) The travel industry, particularly in the Middle East and Arab world, has long recognized that even non-religious travelers have cultural preferences that can be...
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The Very Best Spring Break Vacation Ideas
Spring is our favorite time of year -- a season of beginnings and growth -- and an ideal time to travel affordably between the pricey winter break and crowded summer months. Here are 37 fresh destinations and family adventure ideas selected with our partners at TakingtheKids.com. Use our guide today to make your spring break...
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See Istanbul with Free Sightseeing and Stopover Tours
We really appreciate what Turkish Airlines has done to make families feel welcome, by offering in-flight toys, family entertainment and healthy dining and drink options on their Trans-Atlantic flights -- and now, free tours. Yes! A few well-guided Istanbul city tours are available, absolutely free, for passengers in transit with a minimum six-hour layover. With so many
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Kids Free Learn To Ski Passes
Kids Free and Student Learn To Ski Passes provided to local schoolchildren by several states are a great value for family ski vacations and introduce residents to the winter recreation around them. We like to apply the expression “think globally, act locally” to teaching our kids snowsports –- let them dream of conquering the runs at Sochi, but start them off small at a local...
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Disney Theme Parks Worldwide Expanding
At the annual fan-con #D23, organized by Disney’s most loyal fans in Tokyo this month, the company’s top executives revealed that characters from Pixar, Marvel and classic Disney franchises would power new developments and expansions at properties worldwide. Here are some of the most exciting announcements for family travelers, who will also have lots of special summer-only events to look forward...
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Cruise With Kids Vacations And Family-Friendly Ships
Kids are everywhere today, whether you are in the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska or far-flung destinations like the Galapagos Islands, and even the Arctic. According to the MMGYGlobal 2017 Portrait of American Travelers, 75 percent of millennial families say they’re interested in taking a cruise within the next two years, and believe that cruises provide the security comfort level to travel internationally...
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San Francisco, California Hotels
With so many options and a plethora of unattended rentals, choosing the right hotel -- with a good staff, and a convenient neighborhood -- can be really soothing when visiting San Francisco, California. This great walking city full of hills will tire everyone out, so prioritize your attractions (a CityPASS saves up to 50% on...
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7 Safety Tips To Keep Flying Babies Safe
New research based on data from inflight accidents has led doctors to reexamine the travel safety information given to parents of infants and toddlers. These new recommendations for safer airline travel with an infant are based on a study of 114,000 in-flight medical events, collected over 5 years by the inflight medical equipment company MedAire and its parent company, International SOS,...
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8 Must-Know Tips For Infant And Toddler Air Travel
Protect your baby's health in-flight, as well as the sanity of other passengers (and your own!), with these helpful air travel with baby tips -- good for the holidays and all year round. With airlines flying at almost full capacity, long lines at the security checkpoints, and airports suffering from mid-air gridlock, many new parents dread the day when they'll have to board a plane with...
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Required Documents For Travel With Minors
Solo Parents, Grandparents and Guardians can satisfy legal requirements before crossing international borders with minor children by using these Permission to Travel Letter and Children's Consent forms. The Family Travel Forum community has learned the hard way that you need this paperwork: in the special FTF report “
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A Real Kids Guide to Washington DC
Whether you're a visitor or a local, you are guaranteed to learn something fun from The Kid's Guide to Washington, DC (Kid's Guides Series, PPQ, 2017)
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This Year’s Best Ski And Snow Family Vacations
Winter is a great time to introduce kids to the great outdoors, whether you're at one of North America's top mountain resorts, snowmobiling on local trails, or throwing snowballs at a national park. Not only is it healthy to take some vacation days and get the whole family away from their screens; it’s also easy to find snow activities to do together, regardless of age or ability level, and enjoy...
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Stay Together in 2 Rooms at Really Big Orlando Resort
It's always a great time to visit Orlando, and the 200-acre World Center Marriott is more than happy to accommodate grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, their children, and their children with vacation deals. Book...
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Top Holiday Lights Celebrations Across America
We love the holiday season, when cheery lights, Christmas decorations, menorahs, colorfully wrapped presents and the most imaginative retail displays illuminate downtowns around the world, regardless of whether there’s sun or snow outside. For many, 'tis the season to nest with family, bake and decorate (see our
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Which One’s Right for You? Industry Experts Rank the Ski Resorts
The ski season has just begun and we already have a few surveys from industry experts to help families customize the choice of best ski resort. According to the Liftopia 2017-18 Best in Snow Awards issued Dec. 18, 2017, which used proprietary algorithms to crunch survey responses and the largest dataset in the industry, ski...
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Celebrate First Night On New Years
Archaeologists believe the Babylonians were the first civilization to celebrate the New Year, with an 11-day holiday tied to the vernal (spring) equinox. Sometime during the Roman era, New Year's was set as January 1st, a custom that was adopted in the Middle Ages by many Western countries. For millions who equate New Year's Eve with a party, however, that date has meant coping with cold weather. That's...
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Experiential Trips and Vacations Top Teen Travel Trends in 2017
The Family Travel Forum Teen Travel Trends Report finds teens prefer cultural explorations and vacation travel while “heritage” trips diminish in frequency. (New York, December 20, 2017) - Family Travel Forum, the vacation planning resource trusted by families since 1996, has...
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Custom Itinerary: San Francisco And Yosemite on Tight Budget
Q. Cathy P. and family of St. Peters, Missouri are visiting San Francisco and Yosemite National Park and want budget hotel and sightseeing ideas along the way. A. Thank you for your note requesting itinerary planning advice for your upcoming trip to California. As we understand it,...
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St. Petersburg And Clearwater, Florida Attractions
The St. Petersburg/Clearwater area provides so much of what a vacation in Florida should have: some of the nation's finest beaches, facing the calm and shallow Gulf of Mexico, fun eco-adventures in the wild, plus many family-friendly attractions and resorts. This great spot is a 90-minute drive from Orlando's Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, and Universal Studios, and just 30 minutes from Tampa's Busch...
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Car Rentals: Child Safety Not Included
One would think that at any car rental agency, child seats would be available without much fuss. Think again; our report just may convince you that the only safe thing to do is bring your own. According to Consumer Reports, a number of the major agencies won’t unconditionally guarantee child seat availability. Rates also change depending on location. While they typically...
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Millennial Parents Are Key To Marketing Travel Say Industry Analysts
Media Alert: The TMS Family Travel Conference presents the latest research on millennial family travel trends and how to capitlilize on them. (Clearwater, FL; December 5, 2017) Travel Marketers should be paying special attention to millennial families as well as kids, especially on social media channels, according to new research presented at the 6th Annual
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Santa Sightings Guaranteed to Bring Holiday Cheer
No matter how old you are or how skeptical you may be about Santa Claus and his role in the winter holidays, it seems that everyone enjoys seeing him on their holiday travels. Thanks to our colleagues in public relations, we can share some of his more exceptional appearances. They’re so much fun, in fact, that you may want to vacation alongside him. And for those who prefer a staycation,...
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5 Tips For Booking Successful Vacation Rentals
With more online resources available, and larger multigenerational family groups traveling together, it's time your family explores the vacation rental option for your next getaway. 1. Why a Vacation Rental When Hotels are So Easy? Cost is a big factor. Vacation rentals, whether you are searching for a condo, beachfront villa, family home or timeshare available by...
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Skiing On A Budget
Mountainside hostels, many private inns and Airbnbs invite families to enjoy snow sports in cheap, comfortable, spotless and private facilities at new style ski hostels. Hostelling has come a long way from your youthful backpacking days; in fact, many refer to young travelers sporting rolling suitcases, iPhones and tablets as "flashpackers" because of their aversion to truly spartan accommodations....
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Agri-Tourism Opportunities Around the World
This directory of agri-tourism resources will help you plan a farm stay so your kids can learn where food comes from, and also lists other environmentally-friendly accommodations around the globe. Agri-Tourism hasn't quite caught on in the United States yet the way it has elsewhere, particularly in Europe, New Zealand and Australia. But more and more families are considering agri-vacations...
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Christmas Tree Time: Where and How to Harvest Your Own Tree
Family excursions make the holidays special, so why not take the kids Christmas tree hunting this winter? We make it easy with this guide to the U-Pick Christmas Tree Farm nearest you. Did you grow up with a fake Christmas tree? According to the National Christmas Tree Association, about 20% of all evergreens...
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Europe In Winter: Favorite Holiday Markets
Despite the chill winds and snowflakes, the holiday fun radiating from the tents and stalls of Europe's Christmas Markets is enough to make visitors feel welcomed and toasty warm. Here's our pick of the very best places in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Great Britain and Austria to celebrate the season with kids at great European Christmas Markets. This tradition is so big in...
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Haunted Houses And Halloween Weekend Breaks
Halloween is an estimated $8.4 billion holiday -- with more than $300 million of that spent to dress up family pets -- so it's no wonder that kids have ghost stories and candy on their minds from the beginning of the school year. When the chill winds blow, a family Halloween weekend away at any of America's haunted houses, an outing to a creepy place, or just a costume shopping spree may restore...
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Louisiana Haunted Houses And Halloween Fun
Start weaving ghost stories now so you're all set for a spooky weekend break in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a great Halloween destination. If your kids and teens want a scary haunted house, a real haunted house or a haunted house tour, Baton Rouge can deliver. Located less than an hour's drive from New Orleans, it offers more than just haunted house stories; there are hayrides...
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Guide To Orlando’s Disney And Universal Theme Parks By Age
Planning a theme park vacation in Orlando can be overwhelming because so many of the newest attractions come from movies, video games, or other familiar media, that each family member may clamor for a different ride or show. We suggest you research the best bets at both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando for younger kids, older kids, and the family together (grandparent-safe) with this guide;...
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Disney World: Money-Saving Tips For Maximizing The Fun
By doing some extensive research and talking to lots of traveling families, the FTF staff has come across several ways to save money on your vacation, with these exclusive Walt Disney World tips. (They work at most other themeparks too!) When to Go to Disney World Despite the location, Walt Disney World is exposed to many different weather conditions, so it's good...
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Chicago, Illinois Hotels
If you and your family are looking for lodging in Chicago, Illinois, here are some of the top kid-welcoming hotels to crash in style in the Windy City. Note that Chicago is the Midwest's financial hub, and hotels are substantially cheaper over weekend nights than during the week. If you have trouble deciding whether you'd rather be north of the river (closer to shops, Wrigley Field...
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Living the Broadway Dream on Vacation
"Awaken your highest potential!" they claim. Unlike the P.T. Barnum’s of old, the Broadway Dreams program for young people interested in theater arts really delivers and makes the basis of a fun family vacation. So, if you’ve got a family member who longs to star on The Great White Way – or just do a better job in the high school play – check out the
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Apple Picking And Pick Your Own Pumpkins
Whether you're hungry or looking for a cheap staycation, u-pick apple orchards and pumpkin picking at a local farm are among Fall's best family getaways. Read along as the apple-a-day FTF staff divulges the best places across America to pick your own fruit. As the days begin to shorten and the leaves begin to change, apple picking and pumpkin picking...
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Hard Rock Hotel At Universal Orlando
"I love Rock n' Roll" might as well be the refrain at this elegant Orlando outpost of the Hard Rock dining and hotel empire. Its rockstar and kid appeal begins with reflective columns in the lobby and an Instagrammable white marble staircase which leads to framed gold records, photo murals of pop stars, a hipster kids club lounge and guitars to play in the gaming arcade. Glass cases...
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Loews Hotels Love Families
Loews, one of the top family-welcoming boutique hotel chains, caters to family members of all ages with special amenities and discounts. According to US Travel, the share of adult leisure travelers who are traveling with children continues to rise, and nearly 39% of US grandparents have traveled with grandchildren. And, despite changes in demographics...
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Loews Portofino Bay Hotel At Univeral Orlando, Florida
The fantasy world they create, combined with the perks provided at the Universal Orlando themepark, make the Portofino Bay and other Loews hotels (Hard Rock, Royal Pacific and the three newest properties (
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Loews Royal Pacific Resort At Universal Orlando
One of the Loews-managed hotels within the Universal Orlando themepark complex (including the Portofino Bay, Hard Rock and their
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6 Amazing Back to School Travel Products
With fall comes that inevitable back-to-school feeling, when we’re expected to be snappier, more efficient and way more productive than on summer dog days. That’s why these travel products are so handy – they’re not only good value, each in its own way is a clever solution to a problem most travelers will face in any season. Tropical Footwear for Comfort and Aloha Vibes “The...
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Cheap New York City Airport Transportation
Here are some of the most convenient and cheap ways to reach JFK, LaGuardia or Newark Airports in time for your flight. New York City has the highest density of air travelers of almost any place in America. Yet, getting to and from any of the three major metro airports can be a slow, tedious and expensive proposition. If you need to reach a New York metro airport without...
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August Getaways at September Prices
It may be the last few weeks of summer but several travel companies are lowering prices to capture last minute travel planners. If you have the luxury of traveling in September and October, take advantage of the season when rates and leaves fall together. Here are some of our picks: Luxury Resorts offering End of Summer Sales Omni...
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