Seven Tips for Successful Family Picnics

by Lynn Fredericks, author of Cooking Time is Family Time

School's out and the kids have more free time and no homework to boot. Why not steer their creative energies into spontaneous family picnics? The destination is secondary to the enjoyment of an informal meal, outdoors, with opportunities for family sports activities (soccer, baseball, simple game of catch) or playtime with the family pet! The backyard or a neighborhood park is fine -- it's not necessary to plan a long-distance trip.

1. First, announce that you're going to have a picnic-style dinner and you want their help and suggestions.
2. Let them choose from the following list of responsibilities:
Menu
Assembling ingredients and preparing the food
Beverages
Blanket(s)
Baskets, bags, shopping cart for transporting the meal
Plastic or paper plates, cups, cutlery, etc.
Extracurricular activities: sports equipment, dog toys, titles for charades
3. Don't give each child more than two jobs.
4. Decide on a time when all duties must be completed.
5. If you're a working mom, plan the picnic a day ahead, giving extra time for shopping and preparing food. There's no need to do everything from scratch -- a combination of prepared salads and some homemade sandwiches is very easy. Bean salads are especially good for picnics as their flavor improves with time and they can sit out at room temperature
6. Make sure one or more kids are involved in the actual food preparation and encourage them to be a little adventurous, taking advantage of some seasonal produce that they may not be familiar with, e.g. watercress or arugula for the salad, fava beans in the pasta salad, tofu in the egg salad, etc.
7. Keep your cool -- remind everyone that the idea is to have fun!

source : http://parenting.ivillage.com

Cathy Riva Summer Tips on Tyra Banks Show

Summer Travel Tips for Affordable Family Vacations

Planning Tips For An Amazing Trip

Heading off on a big adventure, but not sure what's involved. These trip planning tips will help you get a handle on the things you need to consider.

1. Organise your documents
Make sure you have an up to date passport, that will be up to date for the duration of your trip. Check visa requirements for the country you are travelling to. Some countries require that you arrange a visa before you leave home, while others will grant a tourist visa when you land! Make sure you have a suitable travel insurance organised.

2. Book flights and accomodation
One of the fun parts about travelling is the booking of your flights and/or accomodation. Make sure you shop around at different travel agents, because prices can vary widely. Check that the prices quoted include all taxes and surcharges.

3. Get any vaccinations you might need
Make an appointment with your doctor to check what vaccinations you need or any medicine you should take with you. Common ones to look out for are Typhoid, Malaria and Hepatitis.. not the kind of things you want as souvenirs!

4. Look after the home front
Unfortunately, while you're away, there are often still things that need to be looked after back home. Make sure you have arrangements in place for someone to look after your bills, plants and mail. If you are going to be leaving a house empty, consider finding someone to house-sit for you while you're away.

5. Organise things to do
Make a list of things that you plan to do while away. Do some research on the internet about your holiday destination. There may be special events on that you can only attend if you book in advance. Planning what you're going to see will make it a lot easier to relax when you're on holidays!

6. Make a packing list
Start making a packing list a few weeks in advance. As the weeks go by, you will undoubtedly think of many more things to add. Write them down as you go, then pack everything on your list in the last day or two.

7. Look after your finances
Find out what currency you will need and figure out the best way for you to deal with it. Credit cards can be convenient, but also unsafe in a lot of areas. Travellers cheques are a good safe alternative.

8. Stay in touch
Take an address book with you, with all the important contacts in it. Check on any foreign phone codes and write them in your address book. Before you start your trip, make sure you let people know that you will be away and how they can contact you while you're away.

Source : http://www.travellerspoint.com

Top 5 Ways To Save On Air Travel

Tips on Saving on Airfare When Traveling

If you have a trip planned, airfare can take up a large part of your budget. With airlines increasing their rates on flights, it’s even more important to look for ways to save when you’re traveling.

1. Shop Around for Cheap Flights - One of the first things you can do is shop around for your airline ticket, especially if you’re used to flying with one airline. Check out the prices of each air line to get the best rates. The more you shop around for a flight price, the better your chances at getting a good rate.

2. Be Flexible On Trip Dates - When you’re looking online, many websites now let you search within one or two days before and after your desired departure and return dates. You may be able to get a cheaper flight that arrives one day sooner and returns one day later than you originally planned. Look at flights that depart and return on Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Saturdays since these are the least traveled dates. If you find a lower airfare by adjusting your departure dates, make sure the discount won’t be negated by the cost of staying in a hotel an extra night or two.

3. Fly Into a Nearby Airport - You can also save money by flying into a nearby airport. Many airlines and online travel agencies now allow you to search for flights at airports within a certain range of your destination. For example, if you were planning to visit Cincinnati you could fly into the Dayton, OH airport which is only 60 miles away.

4. Book Your Flight Early - Make your flight reservations early, especially for major events, like the holidays. The closer you get to the event or holiday, the higher your airplane ticket will be.

5. Make Online Reservations - Buy your ticket online. Many airlines and travel agents charge you a booking fee for booking your flight over the phone. Not only that, many flight specials are only available if you purchase them online. Be careful and only purchase flights from trusted website to avoid a scam.

6. Fly First Class - If you look hard enough, you may be able to find a first class or business fare that’s cheaper than coach. As the flight’s departure date nears, airlines sometimes mark down un-purchased first and business class seats to attract buyers. From the airline’s perspective, selling a cheaper first class seat is better than letting the seat go empty or “giving” it away to someone using frequent flier miles. When you search for flights, include first class seats in your search and compare the two. If you’re flying on business and your company’s policy disallows first class bookings, ask your manager or travel department if an exception can be made when the first class fare is cheaper.

7. Book at the Last Minute - Though it’s often wiser to book your flight in advance to get the lower rate, sometimes those last minute flights give you the best deal. As departure dates approach and seats are still available on a flight, the airline marks down rates dramatically to sell more tickets. You often get a good deal on certain flights if you book them on the Tuesday – Friday before they depart.

You can get a good rate on airfare by looking around and being flexible about your flight location and dates.

Source : http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com

Summer Vacation Plans

Now is the ideal time to start thinking about your summer vacation.

1. Compare Prices - Check out the best price offer by the different travel agencies for there vacation packages

2. Getting there - The good news is that discount airlines are expanding their destinations and routes.

3. Get a discount on vacation rentals - You may want to consider a vacation rental if you're staying more than two or three days. In a vacation rental, you can get an entire house. And the discounts may even be better.
You may be able to barter your talents for a discount too. For example, if you're a photographer or a writer, you might offer to take photos or write a description of the vacation rental. If you tell the rental owner that you'll provide referrals to your friends, he/she may also give you a discount.

4. Do your hotel homework - This summer, you'll want to make sure you do your homework. Check out different hotel promo offers. You'll be able to find special deals, read about other people's experiences and check out what the hotel has to offer, like its proximity to shopping or transportation.
You can also go to www.travel.yahoo.com and click on your destination city and read reviews from other customers. Another good web site here is www.travelpost.com. And if you just want to read up on the best and worst hotels, referred to as "hotel heaven" and "hotel hell," check out www.hotelchatter.com.

5. Take to the seas - Today cruise discounters, cruise-only booking sites, booking sites and last-minute web sites are all fighting for your cruising budget. And since cruise lines are all about loyalty and customer service, you'll probably have more leverage if you're dissatisfied.