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Discover the Real New Zealand
One of the major attractions of visiting New Zealand is the possibility of losing yourself in its rugged and wild countryside. The desire to be alone and at one with nature frequently leads New Zealand tourists to buy travel guides in hopes of...
Euro Holiday Homes Wilt in Drought
Spain and Portugal have suffered one of their worst droughts on record this summer, with consequences from empty swimming pools for the tourist to economic disaster for farmers losing their crops and livestock.
Roger Munns, Managing Director...
Royal Caribbean Review
Why Take a Royal Caribbean Cruise Vacation? Well, with all the different cruise ships in their line, all the destinations,and the affordable price range, there are cruises to please every traveller, no matter how jaded.
In our fast-paced society,...
The Costa del Sol. The Premier Holiday Destination in Europe
Since the 1960's and the advent of package holidays the Costa del Sol has
always been one of the premier holiday destinations in Europe, and with
good reason. The weather is perfect, with little or no rain between
the beginning of June and the...
The Dominican Republic - Almost a Tropical Paradise
(Permission is freely granted to use this article so long as our about the author/resource box remains at the end of this article with all links live.) The Dominican Republic is not quite a tropical paradise - but we’d say that in a lot of ways it...
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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 |
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| www.holidays.net |
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| Kids Domain - Holidays |
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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. |
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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 ... |
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| Holiday - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
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| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Bargain holidays and cheap flights from Bargainholidays.com |
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| First Choice - Book your dream holiday online - Great value ... |
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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. |
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| Cheap holidays and package holiday discounts - Holiday.co.uk |
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| Virgin Holidays |
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| Saga Holidays, Travel Insurance, Short Breaks, Vacations, cruises |
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| 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. |
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| COSMOS - Package Holidays, All Inclusive Holidays, Self Catering ... |
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| Late Holiday Deals and Discount Holidays at DirectHolidays.co.uk |
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| Contiki Holidays - Holiday packages for 18 to 35 Year Olds |
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