Vacation packages for family

Looking back over the years, my New Year’s celebrations have been mostly low-key, largely unexceptional.  Oh, I’ve had some good ones — my Bangkok New Year’s was so much fun, and I’ve had a few memorable nights in Boston — but most of the time the night hasn’t lived up to the hype.  It’s hard to top anticipation like that. My visits to Edinburgh, however — and there have been FIVE in the past fifteen months! — have always been exceptional.  There’s just something about Edinburgh that has drawn me back again and again.  I once told Kash that returning to Edinburgh felt like getting a hug by a good friend wearing a fuzzy sweater.  It’s familiar and comforting, yet you know you’re about to have an amazing time. And in that vein, I gladly accepted an invitation to join #Blogmanay — a Hogmanay celebration for 21 travel bloggers. On this trip, we experienced the best of Hogmanay — and the best of Edinburgh.  On our first evening, we got into it HARD, with deep-fried Mars Bars from Bene’

Welcome to the newest monthly feature on A Dangerous Business! It’s been (very creatively) named “Stuff You Should Know About” and will basically just be a collection of travel news, tips, photos, and other odds and ends that don’t really fit in anywhere else but that I still really want to share with you. Random travel news A hotel of sand Have you ever dreamed of sleeping in a sand castle? (I mean, it's a pretty specific dream, but someone has to have it!) If you go to the annual sand sculpture festival is either Sneek or Oss in the Netherlands, you totally can. The Zand Hotels opened for the first time this year for the festivals, boasting full one-room suites constructed from sand. They're all sold out for this year, but they plan to open them again for next year's festival, too. The longest flights In August, Emirates announced a new longest flight in the world – 17 hours and 35 minutes between Dubai and Panama City. But now Air India wants to one-up Emirates, pro

Off to Disneyland with the kids? Or are you more the safari type? Family holidays abroad can be very rewarding – and, probably, what most of us look forward to throughout the year. To reap the rewards of an exciting family adventure or a relaxing getaway, though, you need to plan well in advance, especially if you’re travelling with young children. Here are some of our top tips to help you plan your next family holiday. Image source Crafting the Master Plan Our mantra when it comes to family holidays is to book as much as possible in advance. If you put in the time before you set off, you won’t have to stress about your itinerary and the journey while you are traveling. Not to mention, in case your plan is compromised, it’s ideal to have a backup option. Services like SkyRefund offer compensation for the flight disruptions that may hold you back If your holiday involves a car journey, sort your parking as soon as possible, as popular spots, for example at airports, tend to go quit

                Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil Christmas is over, the temperature is well below freezing, and I’m sitting in an empty house with nothing but boxes and bottles of wine. There are so many decisions to be made: where will I live, what will I do, what will I study. And yet, despite all of that or perhaps because of it, I’m allowing myself to do nothing at all, to think of nothing but the past eight months and what they meant to me. It all feels like a dream. *Follow me on Facebook and Twitter!*  

So you've booked that dream river cruise to Europe. You've chosen your state room, purchased flights, and have already bought a guidebook (or two). Now comes perhaps the hardest part about getting ready for a river cruise: figuring out what to pack! Most people go on European river cruises in the spring and summer months, with a handful cruising in the winter to visit Europe's famous Christmas markets. What you pack will of course depend on which season you're traveling in. But here are my tips for what to pack for a river cruise in Europe after going on 4 such cruises myself. Common questions about packing for a river cruise Do I have to dress up? The top question I get about river cruises is related to how “fancy” you need to get onboard. There are generally no formal nights on river cruise ships. There may be one Captain's Dinner night where you're advised that shorts and tank tops are not appropriate, but otherwise the cruise will be