Tag: road trips

Cat Links VACATION

RECENT STUDY SHOWS FAMILIES EXPECT TO TAKE MORE SUMMER VACATIONS THIS YEAR THAN LAST

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

As summer kicks into full force, top motivators for family travel include making memories and having fun

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis., June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — As the school year ends and the summer heat kicks in, now is the perfect time to start planning a family vacation. In fact, Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, home to America’s Largest Indoor Waterparks, in collaboration with Market Intelligence firm, Mintel, recently conducted a travel research study to better understand families’ behaviors, aspirations, needs and motivations. The study revealed that 62% of parents intend to take more summer vacations in 2023 compared to last year.

A father and daughter make lasting memories at America’s Largest Indoor Waterpark. (Picture provided by Kalahari Resorts and Conventions)

A father and daughter make lasting memories at America’s Largest Indoor Waterpark. (Picture provided by Kalahari Resorts and Conventions)

During summer, when the kids are out of school and the weather heats up, families are eager to make the most of their time together. In fact, two of the top motivators for taking family vacations include making memories (77%) and having fun (74%).

Additionally, over half of families (59%) are looking for a travel destination that has everything under one roof. At Kalahari Resorts, guests can simply park and stay; they never have to leave the resort to experience an array of activities. Kalahari offers a wide range of activities, including world-class dining, thrilling adventure parks, game rooms and more, ensuring that families of all ages will have something to enjoy. In fact, Kalahari Resorts was recently named Best Indoor Waterparks in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice awards.

Summer road trips are a beloved American tradition, and, if you prefer road trips, you’re not alone. Nearly three-quarters of families prioritize choosing a travel destination that’s within driving distance. Kalahari Resorts has convenient locations in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., Sandusky, Ohio, Pocono Manor, Penn., and Round Rock,

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Cat Links VACATION

Taking vacation back to the open road: Ann Norman

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

Ann Norman is editor of the Sun Newspapers.

Can we get some love for the good old summer road trip?

In these days of less-than-relaxing air travel, and despite the cringe-inducing price of gasoline, I’m thinking a return to the open road – winding though it may be – is calling my name when it comes to vacation travel.

This spring, my husband, his brother and our sister-in-law flew the not-so-friendly skies to enjoy a week of spring training baseball in Arizona. The trip was great – except for the time spent in the airports.

What with canceled flights, delays, long lines to check in, malfunctioning check-in computers, the rush-rush-rush TSA rigamarole (my husband actually lost his driver’s license in the hectic juggling of shoes and carry-on bags and impatient business travelers behind us), paying extra for those carry-on bags, squishing my personal item into an ever-shrinking compartment under the airplane seat (and the ever-shrinking seats themselves), I was ready to turn around and go back home.

Everyone was grumpy, travelers and airline workers alike.

Compare that to our 12-hour road trip to Kansas City a few weeks ago. Aside from some road construction in St. Louis, it was an enjoyable time. My husband and I chatted about anything but work, listened to music and podcasts, stopped whenever we felt like it for a snack or to stretch our legs.

We could pack whatever we wanted – no running out of sunscreen on this vacation for us. The seats in our Honda HRV were plenty comfortable, and no one stepped on our toes or dropped their luggage on our heads at the end of our journey.

It of course brought back happy core memories of our family road trips as a child. My parents thought nothing of tossing the kids,

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