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6 Smart Tips To Avoid the Stress of Shopping For Holiday Gifts
For those who find making their gifts list for the holidays a very exciting activity, good for you. Those who find it less than an appealing bustle don’t fret. Many share your sentiment. The problem with making a list is that it seems to become...
Can Reality Holidays be a new trend?
Bravo Club
Even though it sometimes may not seem that way, there are still not enough reality TV shows to host ALL the consumers in this world who crave instant fame and shame. To the rescue comes Reality Village, part of the Bravo Club in Stintino...
Own A Slice of Paradise in Mexico Quintana Roo
Is your heart set on a getaway home in Mexico Quintana Roo? Real estate Mexico Quintana Roo brokers offer a plethora of rental and purchase options from ocean front villas and bungalows to condos and apartments to make your Quintana Roo real estate...
The Truth About Youth Hostels
How youth hostels provide the magic power to surprise almost everybody. Here is the little known (yet true) story of the origin of hostels. In August 1909 the German teacher Richard Schirrmann had been caught in a violent thunderstorm on an eight...
Theatre Break & Rail Tickets with Superbreak.com
Short break specialists http://www.superbreak.com have teamed up with rail company GNER to offer a fantastic package to see the stunning production of “The Far Pavilions” at London’s Shaftsbury Theatre. These excellent packages include tickets to...
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Family Breaks - surviving the school holidays
As a child one can fondly remember the unadulterated joy that was school bell ringing for the last time in term - thus signalling the beginning of the summer holidays. Six weeks of free time followed and life didn't get any better. Unfortunately, many parents around the country probably felt somewhat different. Inevitably children get bored (usually after 48 hours in my case) and adults are left staring into a six week chasm of time before their pride and joy are returned to full time education.
One of the biggest challenges facing parents during the holidays is trying to organise holidays for all the family. This can be difficult for a number of reasons - not least that the school holidays is a relatively small window so all families are trying to organise and book holidays for the same dates. In addition to this, prices tend to be higher as it is peak season and spending long hours travelling with a young family of kids is at best stressful and at worst downright depressing!
One way to avoid travel traumas such as this is to look into the massive range of activities an options available to the family on their own doorstop right here in the UK. An example of this would be taking the family to a theme park. In the past my families wouldn't have considered a theme park holiday in the United Kingdom and instead would have looked into heading to Florida or Disney Resort Paris. However, over the past ten years the quantity and overall quality of UK theme parks has increased massively. Not only have parks such as Alton Towers - http://www.alton-towers.co.uk - become world leaders in theme park technology with rides such as "Oblivion" and "Air" but they have also developed excellent facilities in terms of eating and accommodation too.
Other parks such as Chessington World Of Adventures, is full of rides and attractions especially for the under-12s. The ever popular Legoland Windsor is also a perfect day out for families, with a range of attractions based on Lego and Duplo products, including models and over 50 interactive rides, set in 150 acres of
beautiful parkland.
Obviously these parks have enough activities to keep children occupied for sometime and another major advantage is they are very good value in terms of pricing. Most of the parks have promotions running throughout the year and travel companies such as short break specialist http://www.superbreak.com have a large selection of accommodation plus tickets packages that are ideal for family breaks.
Another great day out that can be turned into a short break holiday is visiting the famous "West End" in London and catching a matinee performance of one of the many famous shows that are on offer. Mirroring the situation with UK theme parks many Britons simply don't realise the quality and choice of shows available in London's west end. However, the 2005 season has certainly seen an increase in awareness with many 'locals' realising what tourists have known for years - that the quality of west end productions is amongst the best in the world.
While evening shows are not ideal for families with the often late finishing times, matinee performances are available on many shows - including the award winning Billy Elliot. Perhaps no other show has contributed to the hype surrounding this years season more than the film turned musical production of Billy Elliot. The original story captured the hearts and minds of the British public when the movie was released and received world wide acclaim with 3 Oscar and 13 Bafta award nominations.
Other shows suitable for kids that are running at present include Disney's magical musical, The Lion King and timeless classic Mary Poppins. Most West End matinees are at 3 p.m., but a 2:30 p.m. start is not unknown - just make sure to check times to avoid disappointment.
Overall, it is important for parents not to panic! There are a number of cost effective and fun ways for them to keep their children entertained during the long summer break and you just never know, stranger things have happened...they might even have fun themselves!
About the Author
Robin Richmond
Edinburgh based traveller
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| Holidays on the Net - Welcome |
| Includes music, graphics, historical information, suggested activities, kids pages, links, and other features for most holidays. |
| www.holidays.net |
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| Kids Domain - Holidays |
| HOLIDAY FUN with crafts, recipes, printables, games and activity suggestions for your family to enjoy. |
| www.kidsdomain.com |
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| Earth Calendar |
| Every day is a celebration! The Earth Calendar is an online calendar of holidays and observances around the world. |
| www.earthcalendar.net |
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| Federal Holidays Calendars from 1997 to 2010 |
| Offers a list of federally-recognized holidays celebrated in the United States. |
| www.opm.gov |
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| TELETEXT HOLIDAYS : Cheap Flights, Last Minute Deals, Ski Holidays ... |
| Search for package holidays from over 250 tour operators, find last minute charter flights, ski holidays, snow reports, cruises, destination guides and ... |
| www.teletextholidays.co.uk |
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| Thomson.co.uk - Great Value Holidays from the UK's no.1 Tour Operator |
| Thomson Holidays Online offer cheap package holidays, flights, sun holidays, faraway holidays to exotic destinations, late deals, city breaks, hotel booking ... |
| www.thomson.co.uk |
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| Holiday - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| 4.1 Holidays traditionally in the winter holiday season ... Public holidays can be either religious, in which case they reflect the dominant religion in a ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Bargain holidays and cheap flights from Bargainholidays.com |
| Choose from 2 million+ late availability cheap flights and last minute bargain holiday packages departing from the UK. Order online from an ABTA bonded and ... |
| www.bargainholidays.com |
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| First Choice - Book your dream holiday online - Great value ... |
| Find great value package holidays online with First Choice. Book last-minute holidays, all inclusive holidays, family holidays and villa holidays. |
| www.firstchoice.co.uk |
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| Holidays Around the World for K-12 |
| Holiday Internet links for US and international holidays, religious holidays, and a holiday calendar for K-12. |
| falcon.jmu.edu |
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| Holidays - cheap holidays, bargain holidays and bank holiday deals ... |
| Book your cheap holidays and bargain bank holidays at lastminute.com. |
| www.lastminute.com |
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| Cheap holidays and package holiday discounts - Holiday.co.uk |
| Cheap Holidays and package deals from all the major UK tour operators including Airtours, Argo, Avro, Balkan, Club 18-30, Cosmos, Crystal, First Choice, ... |
| www.holiday.co.uk |
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| Virgin Holidays |
| Tour operator offering holidays to mainland USA, the Caribbean, the Far East, South Africa and Mauritius as well as a ski programme in California and New ... |
| www.virginholidays.co.uk |
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| Saga Holidays, Travel Insurance, Short Breaks, Vacations, cruises |
| Specialists in providing travel services to people over 50. Details of river and sea cruises, resort holidays, tours, short breaks, special interest and ... |
| holidays.saga.co.uk |
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| Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - Holiday Information |
| A categorized, annotated list of over 2500 sites to help educators, teachers, and parents enhance instruction and support the curriculum. |
| school.discovery.com |
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| Queensland Holidays - Queensland Holidays |
| Queensland Tourism & Travel Advice - Find accommodation, events & activities as well as special packages & deals - Queensland Holidays. |
| www.queenslandholidays.com.au |
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| BBC - Holiday |
| Information on worldwide destinations as covered in the series, plus advice and travel information, presenters, message boards and postcards. |
| www.bbc.co.uk |
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| COSMOS - Package Holidays, All Inclusive Holidays, Self Catering ... |
| Looking for cheap holidays online? COSMOS offer great value deals on package holidays, all inclusive holidays self catering holidays, villa holidays ... |
| www.cosmos.co.uk |
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| Late Holiday Deals and Discount Holidays at DirectHolidays.co.uk |
| Book late holiday deals online at Direct Holidays - discount breaks to destinations around the world. |
| www.directholidays.co.uk |
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| Contiki Holidays - Holiday packages for 18 to 35 Year Olds |
| Contiki Holidays offers holiday packages and budget travel tours for 18 - 35 year olds including destinations to Europe and the UK, Asia, Latin America, ... |
| www.contiki.com |
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