As a mom with a passion for traveling, I love that we offer a site with tips and articles on all things family travel. I personally want to know where to take the kids when vacation time rolls around, and which hotels are going to be family-friendly as well as mommy friendly, because, let’s face it, traveling with tots is exhausting. I want to know the room I’m staying in has separate space so I can put the kids to sleep at night and quietly sit and catch my breath, maybe even take a bath in a luxurious whirlpool tub, before crashing into a very soft king-sized bed.
While we and a team of seasoned journalists travel to discover the best to look forward to in various destinations, I like that we can chat with friends on our forums to get even more ideas. Or that viewers can leave their own reviews of hotels, because one person’s great experience may be another’s miserable one. One member wanted to know where to stay in Hershey, Pa. Having been with my own kids, I told her what I thought of the two big hotels. I wasn’t “working” at that moment; I was just giving her my honest opinion. She may be helping me someday!
There are so many things we can talk about, and this blog gives us another place to voice our thoughts and opinions, share our traveling mishaps (because knowing others are going through what we are is comforting, isn’t it?), and just let you know about deals, specials, facts, tidbits, interesting blogs and news we’ve stumbled across throughout the week. For example, while chatting the other day with my coworker, Matt, over lunch about his plans to take four kids away on Spring Break, he revealed Aruba was his first choice. “I love Aruba!” I exclaimed before he revealed the hotel of choice couldn’t guarantee adjoining rooms. What? If you need two rooms to travel with kids, how can a hotel not guarantee they will be placed side by side? I mean, isn’t that why they tout the fact they have adjoining rooms? When Matt asked what would happen if the rooms were on opposite ends of the hotel, the booking agent recommended the adults split up. Matt decided it wasn’t worth the trouble and is taking the kids to Orlando, instead. (If I were Matt, I would have asked to speak to the manager, even if it meant calling direct to Aruba. I have a feeling the hotel staff would have been more accommodating than the reservation staff.)
I’ll admit, I’m not sure what I’ll be saying here randomly throughout the week, but I’m sure I’ll have some guests saying hello, as well. This is also a place for you to talk to me and let me know your thoughts about Family Vacation Critic. We all have families and we all love to travel, so let’s get to know one another!
Sincerely,
Lissa Harnish Poirot
Editor, Family Vacation Critic
