Traveling with your children can be your most memorable experience.
The good side? You?re together as a family.
Bad side? You?re together as a family.
“There are a number of travel destinations that really catered to families,” said Doris Graham, vice president of Time for Travel Ltd. in Upper Marlboro.
“Our favorites are the Beaches properties, three in Jamaica and one in Turks & Caicos. Kids have their own restaurants, golf courses, water slides; they can take diving lessons; there are petting zoos, evening dances for teens, boating expeditions, nannies on call and an Xbox and Nintendo game center with unlimited play.”
“In Mexico, Riviera Maya has an ecological park called Xcarat that offers all sorts of animal adventures, including swimming with the dolphins and treking explorations. For those who prefer cruises, Royal Carribbean?s Liberty of the Seas or Freedom of the Seas is the ultimate destination for families. The ship boasts a water carnival [and a] surfboard simulator on back of the ship that enables older kids to try surfing on the back of ship. There is also a children?s club,” she said.
Graham says the typical family of four can expect to pay between $2,500 and $5,000 on a vacation, depending on the trip and location.
There are also nonstop flights to Jamaica from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport that take two hours and 45 minutes, which is easy on the kids. Last year, more than 20.6 million passengers used the airport to get to their destination.
BWI is among the top airports in the country catering to kids. “We have an observation gallery, children?s play area and youth art gallery with artwork from kids around the state,” said Jonathan Dean, manager of communications for BWI.
“There is also an aviation display with several parts of a Boeing 757 airplane for families to learn about aviation,” he said.
“Some of the best kid-friendly airports include Dallas/Fort Worthbecause it has junior flyer clubs scattered throughout the airport terminals where kids can see the real world airport outside a window and then climb on a facsimile of one inside,” said Jerry Chandler, news blogger for CheapFlights.com who published the Kids Airport Diversion Guide. “Boston?s Logan Airport has a branch of the Children?s Museum of Boston and the Kid Port Museum,” he said. Chandler also noted Nashville International with its three country western music stages. To see the complete guide, go to www.cheapflights.com/guides/.
