Tips to Save Money on Family Vacations With the country mired in a recession, many American families are looking for ways to cut back on expenditures and trim their budgets. At the same time, parents recognize the benefits of taking time off to relax with their kids—and to escape the economic malaise. Here are some tips to save money on much-needed getaways. *.Check to see if you can save money by purchasing tickets to attractions in advance. Many amusement parks offer up to 20% off for advance booking. Check to see how far in advance you must book to qualify for the discount. Note that some destinations charge children by height, not age, so you may end up paying full price for your taller offspring. Also be on the lookout for coupons and discounts offered by groups such as AAA. *.Buy sunscreen, bug spray, and other supplies at home rather than at tourist destinations, which tend to wildly mark up such necessities. *.Rent a house instead of staying at a hotel. A weekly house rental is usually much cheaper than paying nightly hotel rates. This option allows you to cook in rather than eat out every meal. Renting a house is particularly attractive to larger families since most hotels only allow four guests per room. *.Choose a destination that's within driving distance. Driving is much cheaper than flying, and why not explore the treasures in your own backyard? If you must fly, don't fly direct. You can save hundreds of dollars on each ticket by making a connection. *.If you grocery shop at your destination, go to a market outside the tourist area. Small markets in tourist sites tend to be expensive! *.If you're traveling internationally, buy local food and avoid American food. Expand your palette and avoid paying a premium for imported fare. No need to pay $10 for a box of American corn flakes. *.Travel off season. Hotel rates, airfare, and admission prices are often deeply discounted during non-peak periods. Be flexible! Even traveling a few weeks before or after school vacation can save big bucks. *.Don't feel obligated to be on the go every day. Do the tourist thing one day, then have one day of down time. Vacations are meant to be a time to relax and get away from all the over-scheduling. *.Have a friend take care of your pets rather than board them. A week of doggie daycare can cost up to $300. *.Stay with family or friends who live near a tourist area. Alternatively, do a house-swap with another family.

Extreme Vacations How to find adventure and excitement on holiday A tropical getaway or leisurely day at a spa satisfies people who crave R&R, but few thrill seekers are content with extended downtime. Indeed, an increasing number of travelers are seeking out vacations that offer adventure and excitement. As a result, the extreme tourism industry has boomed in the 21st century. Below are some ideas for adrenaline pumping, non-leisure leisure activities. Climb a volcano One of the most fascinating of Earth's formations, volcanoesare vents or fissures in the Earth's crust through which gases, lava, and solid fragments are discharged. Adventure seekers can climb the steep concave sides of Mt. St. Helensin Washington state, the gently sloping large shield cones of the Hawaiian Islands,and the steep slopes of cinder cones made of cinder-like materials such as Parícutinin Mexico. Heli-skiing Heli-skiing provides serious extremists access to untouched slopes, challenging terrain, and wilderness solitude. The helicopter'smaneuverability and ability to land and take off in small areas has been adopted for a wide range of services, including air-sea rescue, fire fighting, traffic control, and now access to otherwise inaccessible peaks such as the Chugach mountain rangein Alaska and the Andes mountainsin South America. Climb to the top of the world At 29,035 feet (8,850 meters) high, on the border of Tibetand Nepal, in the central Himalayas, Mount Everestis the highest mountain in the world. Called Chomo-Lungma (Mother Goddess of the Land) by Tibetans, it is named in English for the surveyor Sir George Everest. Though thousands have summated the peak since it was first climbed in 1953, it's still considered the holy grail of mountain climbing and an achievement of a lifetime. Attempting Everest is not for the feint of heart due to its dangers, including avalanches, crevasses, ferocious winds up to 125 mph, sudden storms, temperatures of 40 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, and oxygen deprivation. Sandboarding Get a rush by riding down sand dunes on a Formica board in the surreal desert landscapes of exotic destinations such as Algeria, Arabia, New Zealand, Oman, or South Africa. Closer to home is Nevada's Sand Mountain with 4,795 acres of sandboarding terrain. A year-round extreme sport, sandboarding provides a similar adrenaline-pumping experience as snowboarding. The world's tallest sand dune resides in Cerro Blanco near the Andes mountain range in Peru. Shark diving Become an underwater explorer by diving in warm waters, where sharksare most abundant, and try to catch a glimpse of the much feared predator. There are about 250 types of sharks from the two feet (60 cm) pygmy shark to 50 foot (15 m) giants. With ears that can hear sounds more than 700 feet away and a nose that smell a distance of 1,600 feet, chances of meeting a shark are good. Locations such as Cape Point, South Africa, Fiji, and Guadalupe Island promise an exhilarating swim with Mako, Blue, Tiger, or Great White sharks with little between you and their rows of teeth. Space exploration If you dreamed of being a Moon-walking astronaut as a kid and love adventure, the new cutting edge space exploration voyages may be your ideal vacation. Travel to the International Space Station, space walk, and orbit Earth. View the billions of stars and neighboring planets 24 hours a day without the atmosphere diminishing their luminescence. Space travel isn't cheap, however, with seats starting at $20 million. Canyoning Canyoning is an exciting outdoor activity that involves hiking, climbing, and rappelling through canyons of waterfalls, limestone walls, and pools of water. Wetsuit wearing canyoners often have to climb challenging boulders and tube through narrow underground cave rivers. The unearthly Waitomo cave system in New Zealand is well-known for its underground rapids. With a mix of climbing, rappelling, and cave tubing, Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexicois a challenging adventure with an interesting twist: the 300 caveswere carved out by limestone-dissolving sulfuric acidrather than by rivers and waterfalls. White water rafting White-water rafting is a thrilling and challenging adventure that can vary in intensity depending on the river. Using a raft, passengers navigate rapids and whitewater using paddles and body weight. Rapids are categorized from Class 1 to 6, according to their intensity, required skill level, and level of dange. Class 1 are very small rapids and Class 6 are extremely dangerous and largely unsafe to navigate. Zimbabwe'sZambezi River, below Victoria Falls, is acclaimed as being the wildest river in the world with long and violent rapids, steep gradients, and big drops.

The Gap Year A growing trend among American students After four years of high school or college, not all students are ready to continue with formal education. For some, a one-year break from academia provides time to learn more about themselves and the world. A gap year provides such an opportunity. STA travel, a student travel organization, defines the gap year as "a period of time taken by a student to travel or work, often after high school or before starting graduate school, as a break from formal education, or a career path." Even though a gap year is often taken between high school and college or undergraduate and graduate school, it can be taken at any point in life as a transition from one major event to another. Instead of rest and relaxation, though, most gap years are packed full of adventure, travel, culture, and education. Tradition abroad Although a gap year is a new concept to Americans, it's an established tradition for students in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In the UK and Australia, about 11% of students take a gap year or go "walking about" before enrolling in University. American universities A gap year can act as an alternative pathway to college for students who are burned out and drained from high school. Many "gappers" who enroll in college appear to have better focus and overall performance during their undergraduate years than students who followed the traditional education track, leading American colleges to recognize the benefits of veering from the traditional educational track. The College Board reports that three out of every five students at public universities do not graduate with a degree within five years. Princeton Universityrecognizes the benefits of the gap year and created a program called "bridge year" that allows accepted students to complete public service abroad before starting their freshman year. What do gappers learn? Students often attain confidence, motivation, and focus during their gap year. "Gappers" have the opportunity to rely on themselves, expand their comfort zone, and establish a wider understanding of themselves and the outside world. Through travel, cultural immersion, working, and volunteering, students acquire skills that allow them to be more self-sufficient, resourceful, and bold. In addition, many students gain an appreciation for hard work and education—all of which contribute to becoming more effective learners. Destination unknown Since there is no existing curriculum or pattern to follow during a gap year, students are free to design their own experience and pursue personal interests. Independent or structured travel, working or volunteering abroad, educational programs, and service work, such as City Year or AmeriCorps, are popular gap year activities.

America's Best Beaches, 2011 The following table lists the top ten best beaches to visit in the United States for 2011, according to Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, author ofAmerica's Best Beaches. In addition, find a list of the previous top-rated beaches in America below. NameLocation 1.Siesta BeachSarasota, Florida 2.Coronado BeachSan Diego, California 3.Kahanamoku BeachOahu, Hawaii 4.Main BeachEast Hampton, New York 5.Cape HatterasOuter Banks, North Carolina 6.St. George Island State ParkEastpoint, Florida 7.Beachwalker ParkKiawah Island, South Carolina 8.Coast Guard BeachCape Cod, Massachusetts 9.Waimanalo Bay Beach ParkOahu, Hawaii 10.Cape Florida State ParkKey Biscayne, Florida Previous Winners of the Best American Beach Award (excluded from 2011 list) YearNameLocation 2010Coopers BeachSouthampton, New York 2009Hanalei BayKauai, Hawaii 2008Caladesi Island State ParkDunedin/Clearwater, Florida 2007Ocracoke Lifeguard BeachOuter Banks, North Carolina 2006Fleming Beach ParkMaui, Hawaii 2005Fort DeSoto ParkNorth Beach, Florida 2004Hanauma BayOahu, Hawaii 2003KaanapaliHawaii 2002St. Joseph Peninsula State ParkFlorida 2001Poipu Beach ParkHawaii 2000Mauna Kea BeachHawaii 1999Wailea BeachHawaii 1998Kailua Beach ParkHawaii 1997HulopoeHawaii 1996Lanikai BeachHawaii 1995St. Andrews SRAFlorida 1994Grayton Beach SRAFlorida 1993HapunaHawaii 1992Bahia Honda SRAFlorida 1991Kapalua Bay BeachHawaii Released since 1991, 650 major public recreational beaches in the U.S. are rated according to 50 criteria.Source:Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman (aka Dr. Beach), author ofAmerica's Best Beachesand professor of environmental studies at Florida International University.

Paid Vacation Around the World The following table lists nine countries and the average number of paid vacation days per year employees receive in each country. Italy42 days France37 days Germany35 days Brazil34 days United Kingdom28 days Canada26 days Korea25 days Japan25 days U.S.13 days Source:World Tourism Organization (WTO).