Travel Tips
Traveling with babies, road trip tips and planning tips
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Great Gifts for the Local Family Traveler
What to buy the traveler in your life? Check this list: Spot It is my favorite new game, hands down. It’s easy to learn (you’ll get it in about two seconds), scales well by age (I’d say 5 and up) and comes in a very portable tin. Gift certificates to a favorite hotel or restaurant. Many come with bonuses for you, too. I’ve seen a 10% bonus for purchases for the Victoria Clipper, an extra $25 gift card when you purchase one $25 gift card at the Cannon Beach’s Wayfarer restaurant and a few more I can’t really mention — they were only for e-mail subscribers to the hotel e-mail…
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Military Travel Deals in the Pacific Northwest and BC
Today is Veterans Day in the US and Remembrance Day in Canada; a good opportunity to highlight ways that active duty personnel and veterans can travel our region for a little less: Active-duty U.S. military personnel save 10% on Amtrak, while VIA Rail Canada offers 25% off fares for Canadian active personnel and veterans. Disabled veterans can benefit from free camping in Washington State Parks through the Washington State Parks Pass Program. Both disabled veterans and active military on leave can get a special access pass for camping in the Oregon State Parks. Great Wolf Lodge, in Grand Mound, Wash., offers discounts to Armed Forces members, with the word HEROES…
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School-year vacation: Why and how to pull it off
Just because school’s in session doesn’t mean you have to swear off all family getaways. In fact, non-summer travel offers some of the best bargains on hotel and transportation options. Here are lessons in school-year travel: 1. Shoulder season travel is a steal. Spring and fall are called “shoulder seasons†in the travel biz. Book during the shoulder season, and you’ll typically save about 25% off of summer prices. 2. Winter offers dark days and deep discounts for hardy travelers. Up to 40% in some tourism-dependent regions like Victoria, BC and the Oregon Coast. If you select a city location with plenty of indoor options (Seattle, Portland, Vancouver or Victoria),…
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Vacation Rentals with Kids in BC, WA and OR
Imagine creating a gourmet spread in your temporary house: warm Seattle-baked bread, locally-crafted cheese, and tiny strawberries from Seattle’s Pike Place Market. After lunch, your toddler naps in the house’s second bedroom while you catch up on your reading. She wakes and you head to the local playground. There, your family exchanges a hello with newfound friends. It’s like a little slice of Northwest life. Or perhaps you’d rather stay on the San Juan Islands, where water laps the shore outside your door. Then again, how about a condo in Portland’s Pearl district? If only to be closer to the  neighborhood pub – which welcomes children, of course. Vacation rentals…
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5 Funky Places to Sleep in Oregon
You’re bored with hotels and bed and breakfasts and inns and tents. You want something different. Oregon offers quirky stays, from lighthouses to lookouts, suitable for a variety of ages. Take a look at these sweet sleeps — and if you go, let us know! (Photo above: Quail Prairie Lookout, elevation 3,033 feet, photo courtesy of USDA Forest Service) 1. Oregon teepee in Warm Springs, Oregon. At Kahneeta Resort & Casino, bring your own inflatable air mattress and comforters – you’re sleeping in a Central Oregon teepee!  This 21-foot canvas arrangement allows you to enjoy the resort’s waterslides, pool and lovely weather for less than a hotel stay, and each teepee…
