Active Family Travel - Europe

If you followed my tips for storing your camping gear over the winter, then all of your gear is safely stowed away, and it’s time to start getting your camping gear ready for spring. Your sleeping pad (or pads, in my case) is another important piece of gear to ready for camping season. This is also a good time to make sure you still have the repair kit for your sleeping pad or a good time to order a new one. As you can see, if you properly store your camping gear at the end of the season, then preparing your camping gear for spring camping trips is a piece of cake!

Today’s guest is Ciara Rounds, Global Media & Public Relations Representative for the South Dakota Department of Tourism. It’s a state that isn’t defined by one thing – though there is something that people tend to focus on when considering a South Dakota vacation… I-90 stretches the width of South Dakota and with five National and State Scenic Byways covering hundreds of miles make it the perfect road tripping state. South Dakota has 56 State Parks and recreation areas and 6 National Parks Service sites, so there is a lot of opportunity for wide open spaces and outdoor adventure.

So that used to be the story that people would kind of think negatively about Michigan because the only thing they’d ever heard were bad news stories coming out of our biggest city, a city that had gone through, you know, decades of challenge and transition because of a change in the world economy. At the same time, the rest of the state probably was a little bit ahead of Detroit in kinda, you know, getting ready for that next, who we are. Where the lower peninsula, a lot of people like to go to the UP to experience the out of doors temporarily and then kind of go back to their city environments later. It’s the kind of place you need to be there for at least a couple of nights to kind of get the sounds of life out of your mind, to really take in the sounds of the clip plops of the horses as they’re carrying people down the roads.

Mankato – Minneopa State Park is known for live bison as well as waterfalls that are easy to access Voyageurs National Park – Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and Voyageurs National Park (VNP) are new places certified by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) in 2020. Voyageurs National Park also joined the ranks as a newly certified International Dark Sky Park, offering primetime night sky viewing. The Twin Cities – not just the Mall of America, which we’re known for, but so many museums, attractions, and parks…I’m part of a “Hiking Minnesota” Facebook group where I’ve learned about hidden waterfalls, caves and canyons right here in the Twin Cities.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park – Visitors to the three units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park find the dramatic scenery and recreational opportunities awe-inspiring. The Enchanted Highway is a collection of the world’s largest scrap metal sculptures constructed at intervals along a 32-mile stretch of two-lane highway in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of North Dakota. North Dakota is the ONLY state in the country to have a National Park named after a president, Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Opening Spring 2021 Heritage Landing in Bismarck will feature a full restaurant and bar and a 4,000-square-foot deck overlooking the Missouri River and the dock for the Lewis and Clark Riverboat in Bismarck.

Today's podcast is brought to you by my book Planning the Ireland Vacation of Your Dreams, a step-by-step guide to planning YOUR perfect vacation in Ireland. Read: Everything You Need to Know About Car Rental in Ireland with special attention to step #6 and Car Rental Check the drive times to your first night's lodging from the airport and your final night's lodging to the airport. If you want to join an Ireland tour unlike any other, be sure to check out my Traveling in Ireland Tours!

After leaving Zrnovo, the scenery along this section of the Korcula hiking trail is amazing, with vineyards, old ruins, rock walls, church towers in the distance, etc. After about a half-mile (800m) of hiking, watch for a small green Kocje sign in the grass, pointing to a trail which veers off to the right. We didn’t find it easy to find our way out of the Kocje valley, but the hiking trail continues to the north, so keep looking, it’s there. This was a great Korcula hiking trail for kids and it kept them interested the whole way, which in turn kept us happy the whole way!

In addition, the Hvar to Korcula ferry was a convenient stop between our 2 days on Hvar with kids and our final Croatia stop where we spent 2 days in Dubrovnik with kids. Sure, we had read about how beautiful the Korcula Old Town is, but normally we look for more than just a beautiful town, we look for fun outdoor activities like hiking or going to the beach. We didn’t know what to expect or exactly what to do in Korcula with our kids, but we ended up having a 2 incredible days in Korcula, Croatia! 5 Things to do in Korcula with Kids Korcula is a small city blessed with an amazing Old Town. We chose this method of getting to Korucla with kids as we didn’t have a rental car and the Krilo ferry offers direct service from Hvar Town to Korcula Old Town.

If you’re looking for inspiration for where we have visited, you’ll have to check out Sanibel Island here (a favourite of the kids), our resort review of The Island Inn here, read up on how I fell in love begrudgingly at a Walt Disney World Resort value level hotel here or how I had an amazing time hanging out with Republicans at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort here. Managed by the Forest Service, the boardwalk provides a safe and accessible area to take in the views, including this unique strand of cypress trees often referred to as Bonsai or Hat-Rack Cypress. Whether visitors are looking for a charming, historic place to retreat to, or a casual beach town to explore, the city’s neighbourhoods offer unique and diverse experiences to immerse yourself in local culture. On extended loan to the Marco Island Historical Museum by the Smithsonian Institution’s Natural Museum of Natural History, the world-famous Key Marco Cat – a half cat/half-human figure

This old Czech Republic castle was a mighty castle back in the 14-16th centuries, but now lays in ruins. After a fun walk through Old Town, we walked across the Vltava River to the river at the Cesky Krumlov Castle. The Castle Tower is so beautiful from the outside and appears very tall when looking at it from Old Town, but in actual fact, it’s not really that tall. Our 4 year old daughter climbed the Castle Tower by herself with no issues at all, while our 2 year old wanted to be carried.