Marriage Counseling: Seven Tips For A Great Family Vacation
Too many end in disaster because of unrealistic expectations or poor planning according to Barbara Bartlein, author of Why Did I Marry You Anyway? 12.5 Strategies for a Successful Marriage (Cumberland House Press). “The family vacation is an annual tradition for many Americans and can have a significant bonding effect for couples and children. Careful planning makes all the difference.” She recommends: *Identify activities that all family members can enjoy. There should be something for everyone. From petting zoos to shopping malls, identify the must-do activity for everyone involved. Some clans use a family meeting to pre-plan the trip. This is also a great time to obtain agreement that vacations are give and take and involve compromise. It is usually impossible to please everyone all the time. *Make plans that are age appropriate. It is unrealistic to embark on a long car trip with very young children. They will be miserable and so will you. Small children do much better with short trips that include plenty of opportunity to play. Likewise, most teenagers will be bored with stops at museums and areas of historical interest; they prefer the shopping mall. You will save yourself a lot of misery if you understand the attention span and interests of your children. *Be prepared to wait. Whether by plane, train or automobile, travel can involve delays and waiting. Bring games, books, and other time fillers in case there is time to kill. Make “getting there,” half the fun with all understanding that some glitches while traveling are the norm, not the exception. *Beware of too much togetherness. You don’t have to spend every minute of every day together. Part of a great vacation is also getting some time alone to reflect and think. You can also team up with different family members based on interests. It allows an opportunity to reconnect in new ways. *Expect the unexpected. While annoying at the time, some of the best memories and funniest stories are the things that aren’t expected. Like adjusting the motor on the boat and watching as it falls to the bottom of the lake or raccoons loose in the cabin. These events are the fodder for stories around the campfire for years. *Keep a sense of humor. Try to enjoy the special moments of just being together taking time to laugh and play. It’s a funny thing. I have worked since I was 16 years old and can barely remember one workday from another. But I can tell you the details of every vacation from the last twenty

Zipline tour for thrillseekers
On our last trip to Orlando in February this year (2012) we decided to try something a little bit different and I plucked up the courage to book a zipline experience at Zip Orlando. I have to admit to being frightened of heights so you might think this was a strange thing for me to do, but it appealed to me as one of those things you might have on your ?bucket list? so I added it to my own list. The zipline tour was booked with Zip Orlando who are located on South Orange Blossom Trail in Kissimmee . The treetop canopy course was completed in the Spring of 2011 and offers thrill seekers eight different cables and three suspension bridges. The cables range from 225 to 950 long and are about 65 feet off the ground and once you have climbed up to your first platform you then zip to the next platform reaching speeds of up to 30mph . All of the tours are completely guided and we were so impressed with our two guides who explained everything and talked us through the safety instructions...
The Trolley Tours at St Augustine: Old Town.
So, we have now explored Ripleys guided tours of that lovely Florida city called St Augustine, so now let us look at Old Town Trolley Tours. This tour company started with a converted bread truck and trailer. Well I am pleased to say that they have come on since those days and their bright trolleys run round this and other cities all day long. All their trolley tours include free entry into a museum and just like Ripleys tours, the ticket does not expire for 3 days. You are very likely to find a pick up point near where you are staying so check that out before you leave, They have packaged some tours together and I am going to run through some of them. Number one package includes the Oldest Store Museum, The Old Jail and The History Museum and this costs $35 for and adult and $18 for a child. The Fount of Youth tour includes The Old Jail, The Oldest Store, The Museum, The Fountain of Youth and The Oldest Wooden School House. This would be a really go...

years.FOR MORE TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP, VISIT: http://www.101marriagecounseling.comFREE E-MAIL NEWSLETTER: sign up at http://www.whydidimarryyouanyway.com Barbara Bartlein, RN, MSW, is the People Pro and a relationship expert. A clinical psychotherapist, she has worked with couples for over twenty five years. She is the author of "Why Did I Marry You Anyway? 12.5 Strategies for a Happy Marriage," which received a five star rating on Amazon. She can be reached at barb@thepeoplepro.com or visit her website at http://www.ThePeoplePro.com