Family vacation times can get hectic, even with the world’s best organizer at the helm. And with so much to see and do in Orlando, Florida, you might be wondering how you will manage with kids in tow and a long list of must-see places. The good news is that — since Orlando is a popular destination for families — many thousands have faced this dilemma. Here are some of the best tips and tricks from seasoned travelers on how to plan well and have a good time during your upcoming Orlando trip.
1. Use a vacation package.

Want to cut down on the hassle of booking a hotel and then making sure you have tickets for Walt Disney World? Westgate Orlando vacation packages offer this kind of convenience. Allowing you to save both on time, as their hotel is close to Disney world, as well as on money. Packages range from $59 to $199, including Disney tickets and a luxurious studio suite. Having your tickets in hand when arriving at Disney World will allow you to head for the gates right away without dealing with lines. And for those who want to see other attractions, Westgate Resorts has a package for SeaWorld as well as Universal Studios. Save yourself ticket hassle by booking package deals for these parks, too.
2. Plan for an extra night.

Can you and your crew experience the magic of Walt Disney World in one day? Yes, but only if you have arrived the night before. Flying to Orlando at the crack of dawn and hustling from the airport to the park is a recipe for tired and stressed out kids and parents. Get there the night before so you can fully relax and enjoy your day at Disney or whatever other amusement park you have booked.

3. Be reasonable.

With so much to do, it is easy to overbook your days. Vacation is supposed to be enjoyable. But if you feel like you are spending your time rushing from one attraction to the next, chances are high you are not finding this relaxing. It is okay to have a long list of nice to-do things. But also be realistic in what you can fit into each day without it exhausting you and overstimulating the kiddos. When you find yourself or your kids at the breaking point, pull back. Even if it means nixing an evening activity and replacing it with room service at your hotel. Regrouping when needed will allow you all to get a breather and recharge for round 2 or 3.

4. Pack your own drinks and snacks.

Being hungry and thirsty while at an amusement park and having to waste time standing in line for overpriced popcorn is no one’s idea of fun. Often kids will bug you about concession snacks that they will end up not eating. Or end up eating, but the sugar high will make them cranky and you crazy. The night before, hit up a supermarket and pick out carefully considered treats that your kid loves but that also aren’t too high in sugar content. Ditto for drinks. Pull out your pre-packed snacks and skip the lines for food. Spend time where it really counts–the attractions.
5. Include the family on the planning.

Heard of after-vacation blues? A common contributor to post-vacation depression is where someone complains that they were not able to do a ride or go to a location they wanted to go to. This particular complaint can be prevented by a little thoughtful planning. Have your kids come up with 2 must-do rides for each amusement park. This will relieve you of the pressure of feeling like you have to see and do everything. If you have done the things at the top of each child’s list, then you can consider your trip a success.

Thinking of visiting Los Angeles but feeling overwhelmed by the size of the city? You aren’t alone. So how do you plan a trip to the city without feeling overwhelmed? It’s all about learning how to focus your own interests. Let’s break it down for you:

1) West Hollywood

This section of the city is well known for its shopping and nightlife. It’s the perfect match for the younger crowd, as well as the seasoned veterans of the city. There are enough music clubs to fill your nights, and enough places to shop to fill your days. Ever heard of Santa Monica Boulevard? If you want to visit this hot spot, come with an appetite. This strip of road is lined with restaurants for those who want to see and be seen, such as Sunset Beach or Katana.

West Hollywood is also well known as the home of Sunset Strip, where you can visit great music clubs like the Viper Room or stop by The Comedy Store. If you want to sit at a café and watch for celebrities, you want to stop by Sunset Plaza on the strip. Some of the best, most luxurious hotels in west hollywood are along this stretch of road.

2)Studio City

If you like walking and moving at a leisurely pace, Studio City is the place to visit. This was once the mecca of homes for the actors working for studios. Now it boasts some of the most upscale dining and shopping in all of LA. Do you love sushi? You want to take a walk down Ventura Boulevard’s famous “sushi alley” to get a wide variety of great rolls.

Studio City is the perfect section of LA for the foodie. Just stay close to Ventura Boulevard and enjoy a wide variety of high-end cuisine.

3) Universal City

Want to take a studio tour and enjoy great shopping? Visit Universal City. This section of LA became famous for its studio backlot tours, drawing in a large crowd of tourists. You can Ride the Movies, visit Universal Studios Hollywood, and shop. Heard of CityWalk? It’s a stretch of shopping that inspired the modern version of malls. It’s full of restaurants, novelty shops, street performers, and more.

Universal City is perfect for the tourist who loves Hollywood entertainment.

4) Downtown LA

Immerse yourself in a variety of cultural differences in the downtown district. Visit Chinatown for a real taste of Chinese cuisine and culture. Enjoy a number of museums. See a live show at the Walt Disney Music Hall. Take in an NFL, NBA, or MLB game. Enjoy a helicopter tour of the city.

If your tastes are more cultured and you enjoy arts, architecture, and museums, you want to stay in Downtown LA.

5) Beverly Hills

There is no place in LA for the shopaholic quite like Beverly Hills. From jewelry to clothing to baseball caps, everything in this section of the city is high end, which also comes with a high price tag. If you plan on staying in Beverly Hills and shopping, make sure you save a lot of cash before you come. Before heading out to dinner in Beverly Hills, make sure you have a reservation. Many of the more upscale restaurants won’t have a place for you if you don’t.

If you love to shop and treat yourself, Beverly Hills is the perfect match for your LA experience.

During your trip, you may want to plan for a few extra days on the side to visit Santa Barbara. You can enjoy wineries, the beach, and the mountains all in one laid-back location. And it’s only 90 minutes from LA.

While most travelers to Phuket are going solo or in small family-sized units, it is actually an ideal destination for larger groups, if you’re willing to invest a little effort into planning adequately.

First things first, when traveling with a group of eight or more persons, hotels may not give you the best value for your accommodation dollar. For this reason, it is definitely worth checking out Phuket villa rentals as an accommodation option.

At first glance the price to rent one of these villas may seem high, but when you break the cost down on a per person basis (and factor in the added value and pleasure you get from having exclusive use of the facilities), you’ll find it actually can be quite reasonable.

Exclusivity has its benefits

Phuket is a very popular destination. So, for example, if you choose a certain luxury hotel on the basis that it has a swimming pool and fitness facilities available, you may find those facilities to be practically unusable due to the sheer number of people who also had the same idea when booking. In that case, your enjoyment of the facilities would be less than you anticipated, leading to disappointment.

When you rent a villa, you already know in advance exactly what is included in the price, and you also know that all the facilities are exclusively available to your group, so you’ll get the full measure of enjoyment.

Another thing to consider is that managing a villa is much easier than managing a hotel, so the property and its facilities are likely to be maintained far better than even the most majestic of hotels. It really can make a world of difference to the quality of your experience.

Dining out as a group

Phuket offers a vast abundance of options, from hawker stalls to fine dining establishments with award-winning chefs. You’ll find all the various Thai regional cuisines represented here (each region has its own predominantly preferred style), and the many expat restaurant owners and chefs also contribute a wide range of international cuisines.

Dining out together as a group can pose some challenges, but with proper planning you can provide the best chance of a successful outcome.

The first thing to check is that the venue is up to the required standards. It’s quite easy these days to find online reviews and recommendations. Asking locals for advice can also be helpful. The important factor is that you need to get these recommendations as early as possible, so you can build a shortlist of potential candidates.

You also need to know about the food preferences and any allergies of the individuals in your group. Surprising your vegan friends with a visit to a steakhouse may not go over quite as well as you expected. So do remember to ask about anything you’re not completely sure of.

Finally, you also need to make sure the venue can accommodate a group of your size. Once all of these points have been met, you will be able to go ahead and make a reservation with confidence.

Group activities

Once again, knowledge and planning are the keys to ensuring a great day out for everyone in the group. It’s generally easier if everyone in the group is around the same age, has the same level of fitness and physical ability, etc.

When there’s considerable disparity in any of these factors, you may need to put a little more effort into choosing your activities. Some tried and tested that will have broad spectrum appeal include:

• Relaxing at the beach – this one is self-explanatory, and is the main activity on Phuket. Or inactivity, depending on how you look at things.

• Dolphin Bay Nemo – an excellent and ethically operated dolphin show that is truly enjoyable for almost anyone.

• Gibbon Rehabilitation Project – although a short hike through the National Park is required to participate in this activity, it’s accessible to most people.

Activities that may be a little more challenging for some include:

• Swimming at Bang Pae Waterfalls – to access this, participants would need to be able to climb some fairly steep and potentially slippery steps. The reward is definitely worth the effort if everyone is fit and able-bodied enough to get there. It’s located just a short trek from the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project mentioned above.

• Flying Hanuman zipline – zipping through the rain forest 40m (or 130ft) above the ground is an awesome experience, but it’s obviously not for everyone. Participants need to be medically fit and brave enough to complete the course.

• Snorkeling the reefs – this is another fun activity, but participants should be strong swimmers and have good situational awareness.

Group travel can be a highly rewarding experience

As you can see, group travel requires a bit of effort to be put into the planning, but ultimately it’s a great way to travel. Shared experiences are always more fun, and these kinds of adventures are a great way to strengthen bonds within the group while having a great time. Phuket is a natural choice due to the diversity it offers and the high quality on offer.

Thinking of visiting Los Angeles but feeling overwhelmed by the size of the city? You aren’t alone. So how do you plan a trip to the city without feeling overwhelmed? It’s all about learning how to focus your own interests. Let’s break it down for you:

1) West Hollywood

This section of the city is well known for its shopping and nightlife. It’s the perfect match for the younger crowd, as well as the seasoned veterans of the city. There are enough music clubs to fill your nights, and enough places to shop to fill your days. Ever heard of Santa Monica Boulevard? If you want to visit this hot spot, come with an appetite. This strip of road is lined with restaurants for those who want to see and be seen, such as Sunset Beach or Katana.

West Hollywood is also well known as the home of Sunset Strip, where you can visit great music clubs like the Viper Room or stop by The Comedy Store. If you want to sit at a café and watch for celebrities, you want to stop by Sunset Plaza on the strip. Some of the best, most luxurious hotels in west hollywood are along this stretch of road.

2)Studio City

If you like walking and moving at a leisurely pace, Studio City is the place to visit. This was once the mecca of homes for the actors working for studios. Now it boasts some of the most upscale dining and shopping in all of LA. Do you love sushi? You want to take a walk down Ventura Boulevard’s famous “sushi alley” to get a wide variety of great rolls.

Studio City is the perfect section of LA for the foodie. Just stay close to Ventura Boulevard and enjoy a wide variety of high-end cuisine.

3) Universal City

Want to take a studio tour and enjoy great shopping? Visit Universal City. This section of LA became famous for its studio backlot tours, drawing in a large crowd of tourists. You can Ride the Movies, visit Universal Studios Hollywood, and shop. Heard of CityWalk? It’s a stretch of shopping that inspired the modern version of malls. It’s full of restaurants, novelty shops, street performers, and more.

Universal City is perfect for the tourist who loves Hollywood entertainment.

4) Downtown LA

Immerse yourself in a variety of cultural differences in the downtown district. Visit Chinatown for a real taste of Chinese cuisine and culture. Enjoy a number of museums. See a live show at the Walt Disney Music Hall. Take in an NFL, NBA, or MLB game. Enjoy a helicopter tour of the city.

If your tastes are more cultured and you enjoy arts, architecture, and museums, you want to stay in Downtown LA.

5) Beverly Hills

There is no place in LA for the shopaholic quite like Beverly Hills. From jewelry to clothing to baseball caps, everything in this section of the city is high end, which also comes with a high price tag. If you plan on staying in Beverly Hills and shopping, make sure you save a lot of cash before you come. Before heading out to dinner in Beverly Hills, make sure you have a reservation. Many of the more upscale restaurants won’t have a place for you if you don’t.

If you love to shop and treat yourself, Beverly Hills is the perfect match for your LA experience.

During your trip, you may want to plan for a few extra days on the side to visit Santa Barbara. You can enjoy wineries, the beach, and the mountains all in one laid-back location. And it’s only 90 minutes from LA.