Home cheapfreesf 5 New Year’s Travel Resolutions for 2010

5 New Year’s Travel Resolutions for 2010

by Shelly Rivoli

Here they are: 

1.  Think outside the recession.  Continue to find meaningful outings and adventures for my family and yours that cost little or nothing (see Point Bonita and Fort Funston posts for inspirations at San Francisco, and Dennis the Menace at Monterey, CA). Camping is also always on the radar for the Rivoli family travelers, but with better reason than ever this year (tips for your first “family” trips in Chapter 2 of Travels with Baby). Watch for more tips and ideas here in the blog.

2.    Take more video. I owe Jamie Pearson a big thank you for getting me started on this with the Mammoth Mountain Gondola video we shot last summer for TravelSavvyMom.com. Before I knew it, I was editing clips of the hang gliders of Ft. Funston and the Vacation Nannies of FDR. I love it!

3.    Keep my eyes on the scenery, not the screen-ery. As tempting as it can be to tweet and Facebook my way through a trip, I still feel it unfairly steals my attention away from the people making the journey with me—who are the most important people in my life, no less, and also the locals and other travelers I have the chance to interact with along the way, and the authentic experience of the places I have the good fortune to visit. 

4.    Embrace alternatives to air travel, which I have done throughout our family travels, but it becomes even more sensible with a family of 5 and ever-increasing air travel restrictions and rising fares. (Look to Parts 4, 6 and 7 of Travels with Baby for inspiration and ideas, including day trips by train, cost-saving family cruise tips,  road trip tips, and more.) 

5.    Continue to “dwell in possibility” of family adventure. With the addition of each of our 3 children, the shape of family travel has shifted and changed for us. The trips we took with one baby were different from those with a toddler and an expectant mother. Trips with a baby and a toddler, were different, too, and with good reason. And now with a young child, preschooler, and a baby in tow? Yes, getting us all to the park can be plenty challenging. Nevertheless, I not only enjoy travel, but a good challenge as well. And nothing brings us together as a family like an adventure, be it near or far.

How about you? Have you made any resolutions for travel in 2010? Will you—or won’t you be tweeting and Facebooking as you go? Will you try something new? Will you take your family on a train ride? Will you go camping? What’s on your list?

Shown above is yet one more fun free stop in San Francisco: the furniture section of Macy’s overlooking Union Square. It’s warm on even the foggiest of days, is centrally located with BART/Muni and cable car stops outside, makes for great people watching, has clean bathrooms, and even comfy chairs. (Those are my relatives visiting from out of state, who gave the stop two thumbs up.)

This post is part of my “Cheap and Free San Francisco” series.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby
The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children
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