family travel

Family Travel Recommendation: Holiday Inn Club Vacations Gatlinburg

April 4, 2013 by Jennifer 2 Comments

What word comes to mind when you look at this picture? Cozy is the word that comes to my mind. The picture is very inviting. This happens to be the entrance at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Gatlinburg. We had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful and cozy property last month. Once we walked through the doors, we knew that we were going to love this place. Many people may think when they see the name that this property is only for vacation owners. Vacation owners do indeed own some of the villas on property but the other villas are rented out on a nightly basis. Grab you a cup of coffee or an iced tea and get cozy on your couch. I have a few things to say to you today.

The two-bedroom villa was really just like a home away from home. With just over 1100 square feet of space, you are not feeling claustrophobic at all.

As soon as you walk into the main bedroom which includes a king-sized bed with a hot tub, you will immediately want to just drop all your luggage and head straight into the hot tub. Can you guess what we did the first day? Time can just pause still and all your worries/stress be gone for a few. Priceless!

The other bedroom is very nice as well as it includes a spacious room with a queen-sized bed along with a full-sized bed. It has it’s own bathroom to the side and includes a flat screen television. You have the size of a regular hotel room in just one of the bedrooms. Sweet!

The villa comes complete with a full-sized kitchen that includes a dishwasher and a washer and dryer. How many times have you been on vacation and wish you had a washer/dryer in your room? Accidents happen. It is a fact with children. We put the washer/dryer to test the first time. It was so great to have no worries about carrying dirty clothes with you throughout the entire trip. The kitchen comes stocked with all the cooking pans and dinnerware that you could even think about needing.

As you can tell from my pictures and the video, this villa could very easily fit more than one family. If you went with another family, it would be better cost effective than a hotel easily. We went during March and the villa was only $189 a night. You can do your own cooking, your own was and not have to worry about finding somewhere to eat each meal. Also, you just feel so much more comfortable with all the space to relax after a busy day enjoying the Smoky Mountains.

We cannot wait to go back to visit and also visit the other Holiday Inn Club Vacations. Until next time….

Disclosure: My trip was sponsored by Holiday Inn Club Vacations, who provided a two-night stay, expense credit and attraction tickets. This post is solely my opinion and based on my experience without outside influence.

Top 10 Family Friendly Vacation Destinations

February 25, 2013 by Jennifer 4 Comments

We love to travel as a family. It is great to get out and explore what our beautiful Country has to offer. Growing up as a child, we did not travel much out of NC. We would take the occasional trip to TN. Fast forward to my grown-up years, and we have visited several states. My girls have done more traveling in their childhood than I could ever have imagined as a child. Traveling brings joy and is very insightful to the girls’ education as they can see places in person.

The Weather Channel recently released their top 10 family friendly vacation destinations. As we were looking at this list, we realized that we have visited most of the destinations. We can whole-heartedly agree with this list.

1. San Diego, CA

2. Orlando, FL

3. Yellowstone National Park

Must visit. We have heard so much about this park and it is on our list.

4. Hershey, PA

We love theme parks and this is one of the highest rated parks. It is on our list as well.

5. Atlantis, Bahamas

During our Carnival Breeze experience, we were able to see Atlantis from afar. It is pricey so we did not make the trek, but it is very kid-friendly and the water in the Bahamas is absolutely beautiful.

6. Caribbean Cruises

Our Carnival Breeze experience was an experience we will never forget. It was a family friendly vacation of a lifetime. The girls are still talking about our cruise. We cannot wait to schedule our next cruise. Take the time by clicking the link above to read about our experience.

7. Maui

We have never made it to Maui. I have had a couple friends go and their pictures are breathtaking. I can see why it is on the top ten list. We would LOVE to visit one day.

8. Washington, DC

I recommend all families visiting Washington D.C. It is a great history trip and very interesting with so many cool attractions and monuments.

9. Estes Park, CO

We have only been to Colorado during a layover on our trip to Idaho. Colorado has amazing mountains and attractions that every family member I feel would enjoy.

10. Myrtle Beach, SC

I have been visiting Myrtle Beach since I was a little child. It was a real treat for us to visit this beach. As I have grown, I feel North Myrtle Beach is more family friendly and better suited for family vacations. I would recommend the area as there are so many shows, putt-putt courses, shopping and restaurants that would be well loved by every family.

Are you traveling this weekend for Memorial Day?

May 23, 2012 by Jennifer 2 Comments

If you are traveling this weekend, you will not be alone on the roads. Soaring gas prices and a drab economy hasn’t deterred Americans from traveling via car on long weekends. According to AAA(r), 88 percent of holiday travelers were projected to take to the nation’s roadways Memorial Day 2012 weekend.

“The overall domestic economic picture continues to improve slightly, however, American consumers faced a new challenge this year as steadily increasing gas prices throughout the spring significantly squeezed many household budgets,” said AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet. “Americans will still travel during the Memorial Day holiday weekend but, many will compensate for reduced travel budgets by staying closer to home and cutting entertainment dollars.”

Stay safe on the roads. Unfortunately, in this day and age you have to watch out for people texting, drunk drivers and people just not paying attention. Be on guard and stay attentive. If you feel sleepy, pull over or let another person drive in your party.

If you are driving with kids this weekend or any road trip, I have tips that will help make the trip more tolerable.

1. Make sure to pack plenty of snacks. Kids get hungry which can lead to multiple melt-downs. You will want to pack foods that are easy for them to access in the car. Pringles resealable cans make the perfect road trip companion, comfortably nestled inside most vehicle cup holders. For the crisps you crave in smaller sizes try Pringles Snack Stacks and Grab & Go cans. Both packs are also designed for the Pringles shape, making on-the-go snacking convenient and mess-free. Don’t forget water and juice. The kids will want to stay hydrated.

2. Pack a technology bag. Technology can be evil yes if kids are allowed to access it 24/7 but in moderation can be a stress reliever for everyone in the car. Pack an iPad or iTouch with apps already installed that they kids love and even new apps for variety. Pick DVDs that your child loves and one that they have been wanting to see forever. If you don’t have a DVD player, take a laptop with you. Game consoles such as DSi’s are great companions as well. Switch up the technology and use it in moderation.

3. Pack an art bag. Crayons, coloring books, stickers, doodle notepad are just a few items you could put in the bag.

4. Pack a prize bag. If you are going on a really long road trip, visit your dollar store or the dollar section at your local Target and grab several dollar gifts. Wrap the gifts and place in a prize bag. Let the kids unwrap a gift each hour of the road trip. This will keep the kids excited knowing that they have a new gift to open each hour.

5. Pack a music bag. Kids love the interaction with the parents. Set aside different times on the trip. Pop in their favorite CD and enjoy singing along with the kids OR just enjoy hearing your sweet kids voices.

I hope all these tips will help make your road trip even more enjoyable. Stay safe and have a great road trip.

A year-end review of great family travel 2011

December 30, 2011 by Jennifer 2 Comments

This past year has lived up to great expectations of travel for the One Moms World family. The girls were able to see the west-coast for the first time. This included several flights. My girls have been road tripping since they were both 6 weeks old, but they do love a fast flight to get to our destination quickly. We hope 2012 will bring even more flights and able to see more states in our quest to see all 50 states.

January

My first trip to Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, TN.

Several bloggers were together at Ocean Isle Inn at Ocean Isle Beach.

February

My first time flying out west to San Francisco. This just made my month. I was so filled with excitement and to be able to meet some of my co-workers in person for the first time at BabyCenter headquarters. I hope I am able to travel again to San Francisco and sight see more with my favorite boss Dina!

March

Disney World for an entire week filled our whole family with excitement. We were able to dance with our favorite Disney friends and just soak up the sunshine at the beautiful Grand Floridian.

April

We loaded up the first weekend of the month and took a road trip back to the beautiful NC Mountains. It was a nice surprise for my parents and just spoke to our hearts so much about moving back to the Mountains.

This southern girl went to cajun country (New Orleans) for the first time. I still don’t know about Bourbon Street but was so happy about seeing the beautiful architecture of New Orleans.

May

We headed to Greensboro, NC Mother’s Day weekend to look into the world of science at the Natural Science Center.

After rocking our world at the science center, we headed over to the Greensboro NC Children’s Museum.

Over Memorial Day, our family took on Cabarrus County in NC. So much family fun including our gold mining adventure that lead us to our first GOLD find!

After our big find, we headed over to a day of fun in the awesome Great Wolf Lodge water park.

June

June was a big month for us as we headed to the mid-west for the first time to Branson, Missouri. This was the first family air trip as well. The girls loved being on the plane altogether as a family.

We experienced so many thrills including our horseback riding and ziplining experience at Shepherd Hills.

Eating with our hands at Dixie Stampede

Taking our first dinner cruise on the Branson Belle.

Splishing and Splashing at White Water Branson!

July

I have always dreamed of flying over the Rockies and I was able to experience this in July on my trip out to Park City, Utah. This is now on my list to fly out the family to be able to experience these beautiful mountains and awesome city. Check out my thrill ride at Park City Resort.

August

August was a super busy month with travels and a move back to the NC Mountains. This was our first time to travel out west as a family. We went to San Diego, CA for 7 days and what a wonderful experience it was!

We were able to ride a seal boat in the beautiful waters of San Diego.

Seeing our first water rescue while on one of the boats of the Harbor Tours.

Visiting one of the greatest Zoos – San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. We were able to feed animals including giraffe.

We could not visit San Diego without visiting San Diego SeaWorld.

Also, we attended BlogHer as a family and meet our long-time online friends for the first time. Pure bliss!

September

We were beginning to enjoy being back in the Blue Ridge Mountains so this was a month of relaxation except for a weekend trip to Charlotte, NC for me to attend the Women of Faith conference with one of my besties Carolina Mama!

October

We started out October with a snowy adventure to the Autumn of Oz. Who knew it could be so cold the first weekend of October? It was so much fun though.

We celebrated L’s 7th Birthday at Tweetsie Railroad. So much fun for the whole family.

After Birthday celebrations, we retreated to Chattanooga, TN. This was our first time to this unique and fun city.

We jumped in the car and headed to Florida for a little fun in the sun. Our first adventure was at the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disney.

Family fun time at SeaWorld in Orlando. (L would live at SeaWorld if we let her)

November

Since we seem to not get enough Florida, we took another road trip to experience a wonderful fam trip by Gaylord Palms for their Christmas celebration with ICE and SNOW!

Gaylord Palms Shrek Christmas Celebration

December

December is always a fun month with Christmas and a birthday celebration for a special sweet girl M.

We started out the month in Concord enjoying all the Christmas festivities. Such a delight with our friends.

We enjoyed a drive through the festival of lights at Tanglewood. Even though it was a long wait, we had a van full so it was fun to spend time with several family members while waiting for the delightful light show.

As you can see, we had a full year of travel. So many fun and super cool experiences. Who knew my daughter M and I would free fall 102 feet this year? I never dreamed I would ever experience the free fall but 2011 was the year for fun adventures. I cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store for us for family travel. It’s game on.

Happy New Year from my family to yours!

family travel

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