MY KIDS’ FAVORITE PART OF SUMMER TRAVEL

Summer is coming and if you’re planning to travel this summer you’ve probably already started planning your trip. For the past 5 years or so my family has ventured on a summer camping trip. We’ve visited different campgrounds and attractions all over the western US. All along the way my kids look forward to earning a new Junior Ranger badge from National Parks and monuments we visit. They enjoy it so much, [and I enjoy that it’s educational for them] that we have started looking up junior ranger badge opportunities nearby so they can add to their collection. Last summer we left Yosemite National Park and spent a couple nights in Mammoth Lakes, CA. It’s not a national park, but someone googled junior ranger badges near the area and discovered Devil’s Postpile National Monument and Manzanar National Historic Site. So our trip gained two new learning opportunities we didn’t know where there. This has prompted me to look up National monuments and parks wherever we happened to be traveling.

Last fall we took a family trip to New York City and I discovered there were 10+ different sites to earn badges. Most were in and around the Financial District, where we were staying. I think we got 5 or 6 in one day of site seeing, and learned more than we imagined going into the trip. Click here to see a great blog post I found that detailed many of them.

while on vacation – update your family photos

You’re already planning activities for your vacation, trust me and try planning to have a family photo session while you’re on vacation this year. If you need help click here to read How to Find a Family Photographer while on vacation. I do this with my own family and we all love it because it gives us beautiful photos from our trip. I like to try to have our session someone that showcases where we visited. When we went to San Francisco, we had our session at the beach with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. In NYC we took our photos in Brooklyn and had NYC in the background.

These come in handy when you go to make your annual holiday card- you already special photos of one of the most memorable things you did this year!

No Travel Planned?

No Problem!

This summer my kids have so many activities going we opted not to leave town. If you’re in the same boat and live in San Diego check out some of my favorite things to do with kids while stay-cationing.

Are you planning a family vacation to San Diego?

I’d love to photograph your family while you’re here!