The Teen Scene in San Francisco Offers Many Opportunities for Fun

Teens are beautiful and unique creatures. At least this is what we as parents keep telling ourselves. The problem with teens is that their tastes and wants change almost hourly so it is quite difficult to determine at lunch what will appeal to them at dinner. Fortunately, if you are planning a visit to San Francisco, California, there is most likely something that will appeal to them no matter what mood they are in at the moment.

I always recommend allowing older children and teens (even younger children in a limited capacity) to have some voice in deciding what activities to do while on vacation. After all, it is their vacation too and just because we think they will like it doesn't necessarily mean they are remotely interested in it-this goes back to the beautiful and unique creature statement.

The great thing about San Francisco is that while your teen may swing in vicious cycles between being a child and thinking he or she is grown, there is quite a lot that will appeal to both sides of your teen's personality. Fisherman's Wharf is probably my favorite San Francisco destination. Pier 39 offers a great number of attractions for teens. From Frequent Flyers where your teen can experience the feeling of being air born to the Riptide Arcade, with shopping, sea lions, and entertainers in between there is a lot that this area has to offer the teen in your family. You can also rent a kayak and let your teen do the navigating, if you're really brave that is. Another attraction at Fisherman's Wharf that your teen might find more enjoyable than anyone else in the family is the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum.

I think even a teenagers won't find trolley tours beneath them. In fact, your teenager might have a great deal of fun taking one of these tours as well as accidentally learning some small nugget of information about San Francisco history that will stay with them long after the vacation is over.

If you feel up for a ride, you might consider taking your teen to Paramount's Great America in San Jose. In fact, this is a trip that the entire family might enjoy. Little kids can enjoy the Nickelodeon characters and the rides that are designed especially with them in mind. Teens and adults can enjoy some of the more thrilling rides created for the adrenaline junkies in your life.

Your teen might get a kick out of a trip to the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. This museum offers realistic recreations of people, events, and horrors beyond imagination-well my imagination. This is definitely one of the more interesting destinations in San Francisco. Take a walk through history or onto the set of the latest horror movie. It all seems so real and the characters so life like.

Your teen may really enjoy one of the Alcatraz tours. They offer a day tour and an evening tour. I seriously recommend the evening tour if at all possible as there are more features than on the day tour and it makes a much more 'thrilling' experience. You may also wish to combine a tour to Angel Island with your trip to Alcatraz. Angel Island also has a rich history as well as some breathtaking views and great trails for hiking and biking. You could also consider making a day of your trip to Angel Island, especially if your teen enjoys either of these activities.

And then there's the shopping, a favorite pastime for teen girls and a potential bonding experience for mothers and daughters. Conversely, men can bond with teenaged sons and/or daughters over a nice sports game. The bay area offers many options for sports lovers.

No matter what your teenagers tastes at the moment, I have no doubt that you will find something in this great city that you can all agree on. Be sure to work in attractions that you wish to enjoy between the attractions of your teen. This will make the interests of the other more tolerable for everyone.

Hostel in Amsterdam

Hostels in the city of Amsterdam are highly accessible for the tourists and locals alike. There are a lot of them peppered on the streets, some are advertising their own service. So, if you are thinking for a vacation in Amsterdam and you are currently looking for a particular place to stay, I have here a short list of the most visited hostels in Amsterdam. Consider the following:

Hostel Cosmos Amsterdam

Hostel Cosmos is basically a small friendly hostel in Amsterdam, specifically situated in the heart of the city, close to the Central Station and to all major attractions, such as the world famous Dam Square, Red Light District, Anne Frank House, and Rembrandsplein. All of the rooms at this hostel in Amsterdam have central heating and a wash basin. All have TV access, recently renovated, and each is painted in different color. It is actually the friendly atmosphere and generous hospitality that drawn guests back to Hostel Cosmos over and over again.

Hostel AnneMarie

Located in the heart of the city, the Hostel AnneMarie is actually a combination of a hostel in Amsterdam and a budget hotel. It is situated close to two of the most visited places in Amsterdam, the Van Gogh Museum and the city park Vondelpark. It is also very close to the best places, like coffee shops, clubs and museums. What’s more, this hostel in Amsterdam is clean, safe and fun. It is also here where you can meet a lot of other backpackers traveling in the city. And, their staff is willing to give you the best service possible.

Stayokay Amsterdam Vondelpark

Built with modern design, the Stayokay Amsterdam Vondepark is an IYHF hostel situated right in the middle of the world famous Vondelpark, within walking distance of the Van Gogh, Rijksmuseum, and Leidseplein. At this modern hostel in Amsterdam, you can also find the Brasserie, which a cool place to stay for a cool drink or a hot meal. They offer 536 beds, and all of their rooms are equipped with the necessary amenities like shower, toilet, and washbasin. Also interesting to know about this hostel in Amsterdam is the fact that the members of the Hostelling International can receive a discount of euro 2.50 per night.

Amigo Hotel

Recently renovated, the Amigo Hotel is a combination of hostel and a budget hotel located in the center of Amsterdam, opposite the Artis Zoo. From this place, the various tourist attractions are only a few minutes away and many restaurants, pubs, discos, coffee shops, casino, and movie theaters are just within walking distance. What is known about this hostel in Amsterdam is its multi-lingual staff, who are well-known for their very friendly service. As claimed, the staff generally makes sure that your stay is as comfortable as possible, providing you with the superb excursion packages, out of city trips and bicycle-car rentals.

Lucky Lake Hostel

Located at the south border of the city, the Lucky Lake Hostel in Amsterdam offers you a relaxing, beautiful area and good accommodation. It is next to the blue lake area where the water is nice and clean, making this hostel in Amsterdam the best place to swim, kayak, dive, water0ski, windsurf, fish, or rent a boat. Also, all of their rooms are well appointed and equipped with the best facilities and amenities available.

Caribbean Travel Forum

Need information about the Caribbean travel fast? Want firsthand knowledge about the places to visit and places to stay? What about fun things to do while in the Caribbean? Safety tips? Weather tips? Diving tips?

If you find yourself asking these questions as you plan your next Caribbean trip, then check the list of Caribbean travel forums we offer you below. When it comes to valuable information from travelers like you, nothing beats Caribbean travel forums.

Caribbean-On-Line.com

Caribbean-On-Line’s Caribbean travel forum has been revamped, giving it a new look and easy to navigate. Now, you can view discussions about almost all fifty of the Caribbean islands, with topics ranging from boat rentals to phone calls, how to get to places, and festivals.

Caribbean-on-Line is a corporation, not associated with any government, island, or tourism board. The focus is on the traveler, so whatever question you may have about the Caribbean island you wish to visit, this is Caribbean travel forum to check out.

Fodor’s Travel Talk Forums

Fodor’s contains several travel talk forums of several different tourist destinations. Select Caribbean and ask your questions about the islands. Below are some recent hot topics posted up in the Caribbean travel forum:

• Nice San Juan hotel under $200?
• Favorite island…and why?
• Snow on Ground, thoughts turn to Sun… What is the BEST beachfront bar in the Caribbean?
• Villa provisioning
• HELP! Urgent need to find perfect vacation!
• June-July Jamaica Silver Sands and Mandeville
• Caribbean trip help
• Secrets Excell: Punta Cana Report
• Do I really need a 4WD on St. John?
• St. Martin Restaurants
• Looking for a resort with the MOST amazing swimming pool

And if that doesn’t give you some idea on your Caribbean vacation, then I don’t know what will.

Caribbean.Travel-Information.org

“Give and receive up to the minute travel advice regarding the Caribbean.” That is what this Caribbean travel forum and bulletin board lets you do. For the benefit of the travelers, not for sales people, this Caribbean travel forum will you plan out your Caribbean holidays and vacations.

Here are the stuff you can find here:

• Help
• Guidance
• Recommendations
• Advice about hotels, etc.
• Questions, replies, and bulletins
• Restaurants
• Sports
• Tours
• Health
• Safety
• Travel within any of the islands
• And basically anything that will help

TravelNotes.org

At TravelNotes.org, you get not only a tremendous amount of information about the places you want to visit but a Caribbean travel forum to aid if you any other questions you don’t have the answer to.

For flight questions, you can ask about dates, flexibility, choice of departure airports, destinations, and a whole lot more. For accommodation, ask about the number of people allowed, board type, rating, and flexibility. And lastly, for any other details, you can ask the advice of this Caribbean travel forum’s unofficial trip advisor:

• What to do
• Places to go
• Guides on the area
• Map, if possible
• Weather
• Currency rates
• Tours

Caribbean Family Travel

One thing you can really say about the Caribbean is that it is a very popular destination for families. That’s because a Caribbean family travel usually means more fun and features in an all-inclusive resort. Family packages may typically offer the following:

• Beach and water sports
• Luxurious swimming pools and water slides
• Kid-friendly programs and family activities
• Meal-time convenience and drinks on tap
• Grown-up pampering like spas, dining, cocktail parties, etc.
• Baby-sitting and other services
• Great family rates

However, there are times when there’s just too many all-inclusive Caribbean family travel resorts out there that it’s difficult to choose just one. Given the dollar cost and emotional investment, the stakes are high. How do you know which one suits you and your family best?

All-Inclusive, All-Included

When you say all-inclusive, it’s natural to assume that the package includes everything. But remember that an all-inclusive Caribbean family travel includes almost but not quite everything. So you got all meals and snacks, drinks, kids’ programs, and certain water sports and other activities but not all of them.

Take note of the following:

• Non-motorized water sports are generally included, such as kayaks, wind surfing, aqua-trikes, etc. If you want the motorized ones, like jet skis and water skis, it may cost you.
• Gear for snorkeling is often free, but there may be a limit as to how long you can use them. And if you want to join a snorkeling boat trip on your Caribbean family travel, it may cost you extra.
• Scuba is generally extra.
• Spas are always extra, unless you got one of those special Caribbean family travel.
• Off-property outings are extra, though a shuttle bus to a nearby town may be free.
• Some non-all-inclusives offer plans that include meals and/or activities.

Kids’ Club

Every all-inclusive Caribbean family travel package offers this. Many are “friendly little clubs”, cute spots with one or two rooms with toys and TV and maybe video games for kids ages 4-12. A warm and friendly staff is always there to provide them with care.

But if you want your kids to enjoy the multi-program type, most all-inclusive resorts have this actually. Here, there are different places and programs for different ages. Some worthy names that offer this feature in their all-inclusive Caribbean family travel specials are Club Med in Punta Cana, Beaches resorts and Atlantis in the Bahamas.

Babies and Toddlers?

More and more Caribbean family travel resorts are now providing nurseries and infant care for guests traveling with their babies or toddlers. This is welcome break for you, moms, because even if you only leave your kid for a few hours in the nursery during nap time, that short amount of time can be invigorating and gives you a chance to enjoy your Caribbean family travel vacation yourself.

If you’re worried whether on-site doctors or nurses are available, try one of the bigger Caribbean family travel resorts. They’re your best bet. And lastly, as a miscellaneous tip, be sure to double check the site where you booked your Caribbean family travel to make sure that the baby-club will actually be up and running during your trip.