Hi everyone! I hope this last week has been a great one for all of you! In this blog post, I want to touch a little bit on this one aspect of travel….Family Travel.

Where did you go for family vacations, family reunions, etc? When I was a child, my dad was a part of the Marine Corps. So, each year, he got a full 30 day month off at one time, so we would drive from California to Louisiana, Arkansas, etc. Yes, they were long road trips, but it was the best time with my family. When I graduated high school in 2000, my aunt, who lived in Iceland at the time (I lived there for 2 years as a child), paid for my trip out there to see what has changed, as well as to see my family again. Now, I am married and when we take trips, we also include my wife’s passion, which is to go to the different Diners, Drive Ins and Dives restaurants.

There are different types of family travels that a travel agent can help you with.

If you are wanting to drive and do a road trip, a travel agent can help you with the best hotels in the area, as well as book those hotels for you. Travel agents can also help with different attractions, if you know where you want to stop.

If you are wanting to go on a cruise, a travel agent can help you with the different areas to explore, look for different excursions that you and your family can experience, most being once in a lifetime events. Travel agents are here to help take the stress away from planning and take your ideas, and bring them all (or most of them, depending on the budget and ambition) to life. There are different kinds of cruises you can go on….you can go on a family cruise, you can plan a family reunion cruise (I am starting to see more of those come into play nowadays), sister’s getaway, brother’s getaway, and so much more.

If you are planning a family reunion, a travel agent can help you with a venue location, whether it is a banquet hall, or even going to a historic location that has tremendous meaning to your family.

One last area of family travel is if you are an adventurous family and love amusement parks, a travel agent can help you get tickets lined up, as well as any other accommodations needed (hotel- whether on park site or in the immediate area, flights, as well as any other attractions that you think you want to do).

I will end with a couple of tips:

1. When planning, think about your vacation budget. In your budget, you should think about any fees that your travel agent may put into place for their time and services. Also, your budget should include the following: how many people are going on the trip, where you wish to go, where you wish to stay at your destination, any sites you want to see, just to name a few.
2. If you are traveling with children, look into different activities that can keep them at bay and will keep their attention. Always have a plan in place for any unforseen circumstances.
3. ALWAYS think about travel insurance. You never know what can happen in life where you may have to cancel a trip. This should always be in your budget as well. Golden Opportunities will always send you separate quotes for the different travel insurance packages once a final destination has been chosen. You, as the traveler, can always accept or deny the travel insurance.

Any kind of travel can be stressful in the planning stages. If you are wanting help with your travel needs, contact your local travel agent. If you do not have a local travel agent, Golden Opportunities Travel would love to help you plan your next family vacation!

You can contact Joshua Goldman at Golden Opportunities Travel by email at goldenopportunities@yahoo.com or you can go to evotravelagent.com/goldenopportunities and fill out a Travel Inquiry Form and Golden Opportunities Travel will get back to you within 24-48 hours.

Until next time!