Recently a pregnant friend who lives in Southern California asked me where a fun place might be to take the other three kids for a last minute get away before baby #4 comes.
Now, I remember traveling at that stage of the game, and it is hard to move around, participate in an adventure trip, etc. All you want to do is just relax. but with three other kids around?

So – the key my friends is to keep the kids as happy as possible. And you don’t have to put them in a camp at the place I am going to recommend. It will still be a family vacation in all sense of the idea.

The place I am referring to is the La Jolla beach and Tennis Club. Now mind you – my well-healed travel friends have been known to complain about the amenities…the dumpy rooms..the low standards in beds. But – that’s not why you go here…You go here for a true beach vacation, where you don’t mind that the kids are dragging in sand from the beach just steps, YES steps from your door. (There are rooms farther away, so don’t get mad if you book a room that doesn’t happen to be right on the beach.)

You have access to a great family beach with small waves…food service on the beach…all kinds of activities like canoing, tennis, even a small par 3 (OK – maybe 2) golf course right on the property. There is also a swimming pool. It’s all right within walking distance, so the kids, if they are old enough, can go do their thing while you relax on the beach, or you can all participate as a family.

One of my favorite things is the night time dinners – you can order ahead and the LJ Beach Club will set up tables for you with a delicious BBQ right on the beach. RIGHT ON THE BEACH. Sit and watch the sunset while someone prepares dinner for you right there. You can also go to the store and buy your own food, and they will still set up the tables nd BBQ for you.
BUT _ don’t miss the s’mores. Your kids will always have that summer memory. The LJ Beach Club delivers the marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate and once again the BBQ – and you make old fashioned s’mores right there!
If you want to leave the property, there are some cute dining options within walking distance. And let’s not forget San Diego’s attractions! You might want to add a few days if you are thinking about Legoland, Seaworld, etc. because there is too much to do – or not to do! – at the Beach Club.

I do want to warn the interested traveler, however…this palce can book up a year in advance. September is a great month to go is you can swing it with school starting and all – great weather and better room availability. AND – the prices are steep for the room that you get. But, as i said,  you are paying for the true California beach experience.

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How many of us at some point have accidentally packed some item prohibited by the airlines and proceeded through security with it in our carry on luggage? The consequences in the past have been some TSA screener telling us that we could either A) throw the item away…or B) Go back through the security lines three miles (Yeah right) to the ticketing gate to mail it back home.

It is an easy human error to forget one has packed something like a wine opener for that picnic…or large nail clippers to be well-groomed on the beach. My husband recently went to Portland and forgot that his Swiss army knife key chain was packed in his carry on. This was his father’s knife, so it has some sentimental value to him. He wasn’t about to throw it away, yet if he went back to the ticket gate, he would miss his flight. Lucky for him he was at one of 16 airports across the country that has AMKs by ReturnKey Systems. An AMK is an "automated mailing kiosk." It allowed my husband very conveniently to package his knife in a padded envelope provided right there a the kiosk…type in his home address for a label top be put on the package…and pay for the mailing with a credit card. AND the kiosk was right near security – he barely had to step out of line.

A few days later my husband received his precious knife. Keep your eyes peeled for these AMKs…they are going to be popping up all over. Right now they are in La Guardia, Austin, Niagara, and Portland airports to name a few. For more information, go to www.itemreturn.com

Happy Travels!

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I recently appeared on KTLA’s Los Angeles morning show. It was a fun segment, where I spoke about the increase in women traveling together – chick trips! (www.ktla.com) Let’s face it- women these days are so busy taking care of kids, working, managing the house, or preserving their marriage that they really deserve a little rejuvenation.

Here’s the info you need to follow up on any info I gave, or to plan your own chick trip!

1) www.jeannefeldman.com – for shopping tours of Paris. I have seen others like this – you can also try the tourism board’s website or email someone there – but Jeanne’s trips look good. She will show you the back "rues" where travelers rarely go….take you to outlets…and help you navigate the flea markets. She is fluent in French, and knows the etiquette of shopping in Paris.

2) www.manifestasafaris.com – This tour operator leads three different kinds of trips for women. They vow to make "girls out of women" by teaching them us gals how to surf on their surf and yoga safaris…how to play golf on their golf jaunts..or how to paint in the picturesque setting of Carmel, CA.

3) I also spoke about Napa – a place where there is something for every woman: Gastronomical delights…spas…shopping…wine tasting..hot air ballooning…relaxing. I do recommend taking a private tour of a winery or two. You get a much more intimate picture of the wine making business, and of that particular wine. AND Di Rosa Preserve is a MUST!!!!! One of my favorite places on Earth. Art galleries, mixed with a pastural setting where you can picnic on the grounds…beware of the beautiful peacocks that roam there.

Happy Travels!

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