Parks Canada is considering reintroducing bison to Banff National Park.

Michelle Macullo of Parks Canada says several people have said they’d like to see the bison back in the park.

For thousands of years, plains bison grazed along the eastern slopes of Rocky Mountains, with the last dying just over 100 years ago. For several decades, a small herd of domestic bison did call Banff National Park home but they were moved out in the 1990s.

The idea of reintroducing the animal is getting lots of support from the public, but there are concerns, too. Parks Canada says it wants to allow the animals to roam freely, but some conservation groups say the big animals cover a lot of territory.

“There is some concern about bison wandering off outside the boundary onto provincial land but I think that can be mitigated through education,” says Anne-Marie Sysoak from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

WestJet will fly between Edmonton and Maui once per week from March 5 to April 30, 2010. Introductory one-way fares start at $369 plus applicable fees and taxes, and are available immediately.

“Edmontonians love Hawaii, but they love non-stop flights even more,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet Vice-President, Guest Experience and Marketing. “We wish we could offer this opportunity sooner, but with 11 new destinations in our 2009-2010 winter schedule — our biggest winter schedule ever — we had to wait until we took delivery of more aircraft before we could make this happen.”

The service will end on April 30, 2010, as WestJet transitions from its winter schedule to its summer schedule. “This will be a great window of opportunity for Edmontonians,”

Bob Cummings added. “Based on demand for the service during this period, we hope to offer it again as part of our 2010-2011 winter schedule.”
“WestJet’s new route is a business decision that shows great confidence in Edmonton’s economy,” says Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel. “Whether Edmonton airports’ new links are to recreational destinations or business hubs, we welcome this kind of growth and the economic advantage it brings. Aloha!”

“This is good news for both business and leisure travellers,” said Reg Milley, President and CEO, Edmonton International Airport.  “As the weather reminds us in the Edmonton region, as well as the north, sun destinations are very appealing and very important. As well, U.S. passenger traffic represents one of Edmonton International Airport’s fastest-growing market segments, so we are thrilled to see a key partner, WestJet, add even more opportunity for growth.”

To book a flight, please visit westjet.com or call our WestJet Sales Super Centre at 1-888-WESTJET (937-8538). To book a WestJet Vacations package to Hawaii or another other WestJet destination, please visit westjetvacations.com or call 1-877-737-7001.

WestJet will fly between Calgary and Honolulu once per week from March 7 to April 25, 2010, and between Calgary and Maui from March 6 to May 1, 2010. Introductory one-way fares to Honolulu start as low as $329, and to Maui from $369, plus applicable fees and taxes. Fares are available immediately.

“Calgarians love to travel to Hawaii, but of course, right now it means a stop in Vancouver,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet Vice-President, Guest Experience and Marketing. “Now, we’re offering our guests the chance to fly non-stop right from Calgary. And, with excellent flight times, they’ll be able to take off at breakfast and land before lunch!”

Noting that the service won’t be offered until next spring, Bob Cummings said, “We wish we could offer this opportunity sooner, but with 11 new destinations in our 2009-2010 winter schedule — our biggest winter schedule ever — we had to wait until we took delivery of more aircraft before we could make this happen.”

The service will end on May 1, 2010, as WestJet transitions from its winter schedule to its summer schedule. “This will be a great window of opportunity for Calgarians,”
Bob Cummings added. “Based on demand for the service during this period, we hope to offer it again as part of our 2010-2011 winter schedule.”

To book a flight, please visit westjet.com or call our WestJet Sales Super Centre at 1-888-WESTJET (937-8537). To book a WestJet Vacations package to Hawaii or another other WestJet destination, please visit westjetvacations.com or call 1-877-737-7001.

Mission Plaza Hotel and Suites

This is the hotel that we stayed in for the first couple of days. Although the hotel was clean enough for my wife it was not a high end hotel by any means. The room that we got had a bunk bed that the kids fought over but was a very nice to have a bed to ourselves instead of having the kids crawling in.

The hotel had a pool that hte kids used quite a bit and the location of the Mission Plaza Hotel is just a few minutes to both SeaWorld San Diego and Ocean Beach (different directions).

The hotel is really affordable and that is what got my wife interested. To be perfectly honest my wife picks hotels based on pool, location and mostly price so this place worked out great for us for a couple of nights in San Diego

Comfort Inn and Suites Seaworld

This hotel was the place that we stayed for our last four nights and again we had bunk beds for the kids (less fighting this time) and the hotel was good for us in that it was right next to the highway on hotel circle in San Diego and not only did the hotel have a pool but also a pretty extensive free breakfast that included make you own waffles.

The hotel was again just as clean as the earlier hotel that we stayed in and the Comfort Inn and Suites Seaworld is the same motel style where you can park in front of the unit. The other plus that the place had was a laundry room which all of us families know can come in really handy in an emergency.

The one thing that I did not like about the Comfort Inn that we stayed at in San Diego was the generic looking area, all hotels on two strips one on each side of the highway. A couple of  things that are really close by though is the Old Town San Diego area as well as a place called the Presidio, which is the oldest settlement on the west coast of the US

It was a lot of fun.

Usually when going to California we tend to go to Los Angeles as there are beaches and Disneyland there but just as a change of pace this time we went to San Diego and did lots and still there was a lot that we missed.  Here is a big of an overview of the stuff that we did and then later on you can get the more indepth for each of the things that we did in other posts:

Day 1 San Diego – flew in and went to Ocean Beach. We changed plans last minute before we left so we needed to get a hotel for the first two days and then stayed at another for the last five days. The hotel we stayed in was the Holiday Inn Seaworld and as usual on our trips it was a fairly clean hotel with a pool of course and our room actually had bunk beds that the kids fought over.

Day 2 San Diego – Mission Beach and traveling around. We decided that we did not want to go to Seaworld on a weekend and that was our prime reason for going to San Diego so we spent the day checking out the city and ended up at Mission Beach. We also went to the amazing Cabrillo National Monument and saw the waves crashing from the Pacific Ocean. This was our first full day and we had a great time sitting at the beach and swimming.

Day 3 San Diego – Seaworld. We spent the morning shopping and then in the afternoon we went to Seaworld. Seaworld was great to see and the passes that are available right now give you two days for the price of one. Our kids are terrible with long days in parks so whenever we get the chance we split the day up or go multiple days. This was our plan with Seaworld and it worked out great. This first day we saw the sharks as well as all the shows and the kids saw most exhibits and they went on the kids rides.

Day 4 San Diego – Beach Day again. We went to shop for kids back to school stuff for half the day and then went up to La Jolla to the beach. The waves were pretty big and I got bruised up a bit. I struggle with beaches because I love to body surf but the kids also like to play in the water of course so we are always looking for good sandy beaches with shells and water for us all. La Jolla was great. That night we also went and did laundry. We only brought enough clothes for half the trip and had to find a laundromat to get our clothes clean again.

Day 5 San Diego – Our second day at Seaworld. We went a bit later in the day as we wanted to see the night shows and on this day the kids also got to touch the dolphins and were able to also touch manta rays which was all fund, exciting and will give the kids lifelong memories.

Day 6 San Diego – More shopping, Coronado siteseeing, and Ocean Beach again. We did the last of our shopping for the kids and we also went back to Ocean Beach. The surf and sand at Ocean Beach is great for the kids and the sand goes out quite a ways at low tide so the kids were able to walk around in the water. Since this was our last day at the beach we left the beach toys for some other family and bid goodbye to the beaches and beach summer fun. My wife is an avid scrapbooker and she also did some shopping on this day going to a few scrapbook stores in our travels.

Day 7 San Diego – Balboa Park and home. We drove around Balboa Park and realized that this is one of the real gems of San Diego we should have spent much more time there and I bet we could spend a couple of days discovering and going to all of the different museums in Balboa Park. After the park we dropped off our rental car and we got dropped to the airport and flew home.

So our trip to San Diego went exactly as planned. It was beaches, Seaworld and back to school shopping for us and time away from the internet as well as pool time for us  and the kids to really spend a lot of time away from the house and the hustle and bustle of home.

There were lots of things that we did not do but we may go back next year and see some of the others. There is a fantastic zoo, a wild animal park, lots more to see at Balboa Park, Legoland and there is a whole bunch of downtown, baseball and the USS Midway that would have been nice to see as well.

My wife did a much more indepth post on everyday of our trip and you can see that on her scrapbooking blog

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In addition to those savings, many of the participating resorts offer ‘Kid’s Stay Free’ and all-inclusive dining plans that are perfect for families.  The best family vacation deal I found was a seven (7) night vacation for a family of five (5) from Seattle to Montego Bay, Jamaica for about $817 per person, after the coupon code discount was applied.   This seven (7) night vacation package includes roundtrip airfare, taxes, fees, accomodations at the All-Inclusive Point Village Resort, meals, beverages, tips, and non-motorized water sports.   I know from experience that ‘all-inclusive’ is the cheapest way to vacation with a family, and it is literally impossible to get bored!

How to book this deal on Funjet Vacations

From the Funjet Vacations coupon page, select the green “Start Planning Today” button.  On the next screen, type in your desired origination city and destination city.   In my case, I selected the origin city as ‘Seattle’, and the destination city as ‘Jamaica, Montego Bay’.  However, the coupon code is also valid for all-inclusive vacations to Aruba, Punta Cana, Nassau and Puerto Rico .  To take advantage of the coupon code discount, you are required to enter in the coupon code ‘FJCARIB’ in the box marked ‘Promo Code’ on this page, as it will not be automatically entered in for you.   If you don’t enter the code, you don’t get the discount, so don’t forget this minor detail!

RoriTravel followers on Twitter know that we are in the middle of a two part move from Arizona back home to Illinois.  As we wait to actually leave Arizona, we’re staying temporarily at my parent’s rental home.  That means we have no internet, and have to use AT&T Hot Spots, mainly at Barnes & Noble.

This has meant many hours each day sitting in the cafe, writing and working online, while having plenty of time to watch the comings and goings of the folks around us.

One of the reoccurring themes we’ve come to see are the families with children.  A range of ages, from toddler through mid-teens, all sitting in the cafe together.

We’ve seen kids reading to their parents, families with each member picking a book and sitting around the table reading, moms or dads with a kid or two or three, reading and talking, while sharing something to eat and drink.

Families are finding the B&N cafe
a great place to hang out together
(Photo courtesy of Barnes & Noble)

This is a daily occurrence, and it’s happening with several families each day.  We’ve been hitting two different B&Ns here in the area, and it’s happening each time.  Amazing watching as they settle in and enjoy an hour or two together.

Yes, I have to admit, as I try to work, that we’d rather they find their way to the children’s book area, but taking a walk back there reveals even more families spending time together.

So, it lends itself to the question; is the bookstore becoming a staycation location for families?

Some consider them America’s best-kept travel secret, and the ultimate family getaway, all the more so now that $750 million in economic stimulus money has been set aside to spruce them up.

On “The Early Show Saturday Edition,” travel expert Peter Greenberg explained how it is that national parks are such a great vacation value — and named names!

For starters: Free entry on July 18-19 and Aug. 15-16.

Wonderful deal for seniors age 62 and up: a lifetime pass to the national parks is just $10.

For other travelers who are visiting multiple national parks, consider an America the Beautiful National Parks Pass: At $80 a year, it offers admission to any national park or monument for the pass holder and anyone else in his or her vehicle (for sites that charge per car) or for up to three other adults (for sites that charge per person). Good deal for families.

Camping is usually the cheapest accommodations option, but over the summer, check with your destination to reserve your campsite ahead of time, since the parks fill up quickly. You can do so online at Recreation.gov.

In a recent TripAdvisor survey, 73 percent of respondents said they planned to visit a national park in 2009, up from 62 percent last year.

I learned this simple formula partly from experience, but also from advice I got from Eileen Ogintz. Ogintz, a syndicated columnist and creator of the Web site TakingtheKids.com, has traveled widely with her kids, now 17, 22 and 24. Here are some of her tips for keeping big kids happy on vacation:

“Get teens on board with the idea of where you are going and what you are going to do when you get there,” Ogintz advised. “Let them have a say in the planning.” You might even have each teen plan the itinerary for a whole day.

Ogintz added that when trips include activities kids choose, whether it’s kite-boarding or shopping, “they will be much more cooperative when you want to stop at that historic house or gallery.”

Agreed: If I can get my boys to accompany me to a botanical garden without complaining, I am more than willing to take them paddle-boarding – as long as I don’t have to get wet.

“If possible, invite a friend along,” Ogintz said.

There’s nothing more painful to teenagers than being separated from their herd. Bringing a friend solves the problem. It’s almost like having a baby sitter who’s the same age as your kid.

In our family, we’ve also found that everyone behaves in a more civilized manner – kids and adults – when we have company, whether our guest is 13 or 30. Friends of my older son have also been extremely kind to my younger son – sometimes they are nicer to him than his own brother!

On the other hand, if you have a small car, tight accommodations or a tight budget, taking another child on vacation can be an imposition. Some families will offer to pay their child’s way; others may not be able to afford it. Ogintz suggests asking hotels for discounts on a second room and other extras necessitated by the additional person in your group.

Memories of my childhood family vacations consisted of trips to see relatives or camping — all within Wisconsin.

As an adult with kids of my own, I relish traveling outside the state and exposing not only my kids but myself to the wonders our country has to offer. Last summer I had a VISIONS conference in Washington, D.C. Since we had never been there we took our entire family to visit our nation’s capital for a vacation.

After my seminar I was eager to join the rest of the family on their sight-seeing adventures. Seeing the presidential monuments and war memorials left an impression on all of us as well as viewing the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives. By accident, we stumbled upon an art museum with a beautiful garden inside the building. We stared in awe at the planes, rockets and space capsule at the Air and Space Museum, and received secret identities at the spy museum.

One amusing moment happened while we were walking the long stretch to the Lincoln Memorial. My son asked his dad, “What is that building across the lawn?” My husband glanced quickly and answered, “That is just a building.”

My daughter said, “Ah, dad, isn’t that the White House?” He looked again saying, “Oh yeah, that is the White House!”

We still joke about it a year later.

As a visually impaired person who does not drive, what impressed me about the city is the underground transportation Metro system. We never had to wait more than a few minutes for the next train and could get just about anywhere to our next destination. I was ready to move there but was vetoed by the rest of the family. Another nice feature for a family of four on a budget is most of the attractions are free.

As we were packing to leave, we each mentioned our favorite part of the trip. My husband’s was the Air and Space Museum, my daughter (an Anne Frank buff) liked the Holocaust Muse-um, and for me it was the home of our first president, Mount Vernon.

When I asked my 7-year-old son his favorite moment he thought about it before answering, “Riding the glass elevator at the hotel!”

My exasperated response was, “We have been here for eight days and your favorite part was not the zoo, the spy museum or the airplanes but the elevator?” He thought about it some more and added, “I also liked riding the Metro!”

This year we are planning on a road trip to Mount Rushmore. I can’t imagine what our favorite memories will be there (for our son, probably playing with dirt or eating lunch) but I can’t wait to find out.