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I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than take a trip.  From tropical to ancient cities, I love exploring!  I’m lucky that my husband, Doug, and my kids are always up for a trip too.  We’ve taken a couple of really great vacations together as a family and I thought you might like to learn more about them.

LONDON!  I fell in love with this city when I worked here for  QVC in London in 1996.  It’s a wonderful first city to travel to if you’ve never been overseas.  Getting around is easy, no language barrier, and there is so much to do.  It was the perfect trip for our family last spring.  

We stayed at the lovely St. Ermin’s hotel.  It was close to the tube (the underground subway) and had a simple elegance about it.

We had a busy week! 

From the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace, I loved being able to show my family around.  The architecture of the city is incredible. 

I love Westminster Abbey and how could you ever tire of looking at the majestic Big Ben?

I highly recommend taking a day tour (or two!) outside of London. 

We loved our trip to Stonehenge, which also included a tour of Bath and a drive through the Cotswolds.  The English countryside is lovely.

And if there’s a Harry Potter fan in the family, you MUST head out to the Warner Brothers Studios where these movies were filmed. 

They’ve saved all the props, costumes, and many of the sets and allow you to stroll and tour at your leisure to take it all in. 

My Mom hadn’t seen any of the movies and absolutely loved seeing it all.  I was a skeptic, thinking it might just be a tourist trap.  Totally proven wrong…it’s awesome and worth the trip!

For a completely different vacation experience, we’ve also enjoyed several tropical get aways.  We’ve taken the kids to Playa del Carmen, Mexico and liked that.  But we really fell in love with Puerto Rico.

The water in Puerto Rico is such a gorgeous shade of blue. 

Your blood pressure drops the minute your eyes see it.  The people are friendly, the food is fantastic, and it’s easy to get around.  We rented a car and had no problem finding our way.

There are many places and areas to stay in Puerto Rico.  We stayed in the Fajardo region at the El Conquistador resort.  They have a little enclave of condos called Las Casitas, which is where we stayed.

The beaches are beautiful, the water is warm, and can you really argue how cool it is to enjoy a cheeseburger in paradise?

 

The kids loved seeing all kinds of new tropical plants and reptiles!

We also enjoyed hiking through the rainforest and sipping fresh coconut water!

What I liked for our family in Puerto Rico was that we could beach it one day, and have a tropical adventure hiking or kayaking on another.  While I could sit on the beach all day, every day, it was important to have a little variety for Doug and the kids.  Puerto Rico was the perfect place to find that balance.

So, whether you’re looking for an overseas adventure or a tropical escape, I hope this look at our family’s favorite vacations helps you with your plans.  The world is filled with so many wonderful places…where would you like to go?

xo,

JB

You can see some of my favorite travel items HERE