continued from Winter Holidays, p. 1 : Mayan Riviera and US Virgin Islands
3. Winter Holidays: Snow Resorts...
...are fun winter holidays for everyone: the teens can snowboard; ski resorts have great learn-to-ski programs for kiddies (and for beginning grown-ups), and those who don't want to ski at all can do tobogganing, snowshoeing, sleighrides-- or just enjoy the lodge.
See: Five Reasons Snow Holidays are Great for Families
Kidz'n'Snow is an excellent site that can help you decide where to take a skiing holiday. Click on Kidz Resorts; then choose a region or a resort, and get excellent details about all the resort offers for families, plus plenty of helpful tips.
4. Winter Holidays: North to Alaska
Whether you call them the "Northern Lights" or the " Aurora Borealis", the sight of rippling curtains of light in the night sky is an awe-inspiring and even mystical experience.
Alaska's pristine winters are becoming more popular with visitors. One big attraction is Alaska's official sport: dog-mushing. Spectators can see a number of races held every year, both spring and long-distance (including 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race).
Your kids will certainly point out that dog-mushing yourselves would be way more fun; but you may find that many dog-sledders cater mainly to adults. A nice exception is Alaska Dog Sledding, whose non-age-ist policy states: "Our guests over the years, driving their own teams, range from 7 into the 70's. Children under 7 often travel with parents and take turns actually being in control of the sled." This company fits you out in "the finest, warmest Arctic gear in all sizes," and you sleep in deluxe tent camps with cots and mattresses. Kids will especially enjoy tending the gentle dogs: many vacationers "consider this the high point of the adventure."
5. Winter Holidays: Europe, off-season
If you wait until November, airfares to Europe drop dramatically. Also, hotel bargain season begins. And mercifully -- after the "shoulder season" during September and October, when some places, such as Paris, can be even more crowded than summertime-- the crowds of tourists thin at last.
Don't expect hot weather, even by the Mediterranean: you will probably enjoy some pleasant warm daytimes in southern Europe, but rain is also possible. In northern areas, definitely bring your 'brollies and warm outer wear... just button up and tell yourself how great it is that the hotels aren't booked up, the museums aren't clogged up, and the prices of your lodgings and airfares are sweet'n'low.
See tips for visiting London and Paris, and see About's Europe for Visitors for many more ideas.
