Fabulous Beach Vacations Appeal to the Whole Family Fabulous Beach Vacations Appeal to the Whole Family It’s time to plan the family vacation and you¡∫re running into trouble again. Just once you¡∫d like to find something that everyone will love, but you don¡∫t think you can find it; after all, you have the twins who are six years old, a terminally bored teenager, and a preteen daughter whose idea of the perfect vacation is a trip to the mall. Your husband loves to golf, and your idea of a vacation, frankly, is anywhere you can just relax and take it easy for a change! You could try asking the whole family where they’d like to go for a vacation, but you could get answers like this: „« Somewhere I can go shopping for some really cool stuff! „« The beach, so I can get some surfing in. „« A golf resort would be nice - I’d like to improve my handicap. „« Can we go someplace where there are rides? And lots of games? „« I think the kids should learn something on this trip; let’s go someplace cultural. There’s no place that meets those standards anywhere in the world better than Mexico! If you want to everyone to enjoy themselves and spend a week or two without ever hearing, “There’s nothing to do!”. then Mexican beach vacations are the perfect choice! Sun, sand and surf: Family beach vacations have always appealed to every generation, and for good reason. There’s something universal about the pull of the ocean. Warm, white sands that are soft under your feet and lapis blue waters that are crystal clear invoke relaxation and a sense of peace and renewal that can¡∫t be found anywhere else. Mexico has thousands of miles of soft white beaches that are family-friendly with miles of gorgeous surf. While you relax with a Pina Colada and a good book and enjoy the sea breeze: The twins can be dashing in and out of the tide, collecting sea shells and admiring hermit crabs as they dart into their holes. Your daughter can work on her tan or stroll over to one of the booths where locals wait to cornrow her hair. And don’t forget the terminal case of boredom: ”He’s trying out a surfboard that he rented from the cabana at the hotel. Tomorrow he plans to try his hand at windsurfing or parasailing. Your husband is catching everything on film for later. And when evening rolls around: When night falls there’s still plenty to do on a beach vacation. Most resorts offer a choice or restaurants from family-friendly pizza parlors to fine dining with a great wine cellar. Or you can explore the local town for a sampling of local cuisine that¡∫s sure to surprise and delight you and your children. If you enjoy seafood, there’s nothing that beats finding a local seafood joint with seating on the beach for atmosphere and fun. After the sun goes down: take a stroll on the beach at night and look for sea turtles if the season is right. These magnificent creatures are an unforgettable experience for young and old alike. The boardwalks: The boardwalks abound along most beaches, you’re sure to find games and rides for the whole family. Your six year olds will be delighted with a Ferris wheel ride with a spectacular view of the ocean while your daughter gets her caricature done by a local artist. When you step away from the beach, there’s still plenty to do Beach vacations in Mexico don’t stop at the edge of the water. All of those fabulous beach resorts are located near wonderful little resort towns that have colorful bazaars and market districts, so the shopping is fantastic! Remember to do some holiday shopping, and look for a few colorful pieces of clothing to show off when you get back home! Mexico is full of cultural and historical bounty, so don’t forget to visit some of the rich historical treasures of the area while you¡∫re visiting. Your family will be amazed by the impressive size and grandeur of Mayan ruins just miles from the beaches. These ancient ruins are a reminder of the areas rich heritage and shouldn’t be missed. When visiting the ruins take the time to admire the villages and towns you pass through; Mexico is a rich mix of heritages. Descendants of the Maya, Inca and Spanish settlers all make up the rich heritage of today’s Mexico. Meanwhile, back on the beach: After a few days of sightseeing, shopping, and golfing even the most energetic family members will want to relax, and that’s why beach vacations are the best thing going - total relaxation! Close your eyes and think about the beach and you can almost feel yourself relax, can’t you? Imagine your children building elaborate sand castles in toasted white sands and decorating them with delicate sea shells they’ve collected along the shore. Picture your teenagers lazily swimming on the rolling waves, ducking under the crystal-clear blue of tropical waters to watch fish flicking about around their legs. Beach vacations can also give you the opportunity to learn something new and exciting together. Try parasailing - there’s nothing as exhilarating as sailing through the sea breezes as you look down on the coast from the air like a seagull! If you’ve always wanted to try sailing, a beach vacation will give your whole family the opportunity to go out on a sailboat for the day. There are so many tremendous opportunities to do things when your family takes a beach vacation to Mexico. Whether you want to enjoy the sand and sun, try a little bit of adventure, sample great local foods and wines or make the kids squeal with laughter, you’ll find more than enough to fill every day on our fabulous Mexico beach vacation packages! Finally, keep in mind that, since family vacations usually mean traveling in the summer months, a Mexico beach vacation can be a great bargain. Since these months are considered “off season” in this area of the country, you’ll be surprised by just how affordable a really fabulous stay on a stretch of white sand beach in Mexico can be while your kids are on summer break. About the Author: .Lori Wilkerson is a full-time freelance writer who loves her job because it gives her the opportunity to learn more about the world every day. Right now, she knows a little bit about almost everything, and a lot about Hawaii Vacations, Beach Vacation Deals, and Cheap Beach Vacations. Lori once led a Conga line to the tune, "Hot, Hot, Hot," throughout an entire cruise ship sailing to Nassau. http://www.beach-vacations-4u.com (True story!)

Most people, who go on a family beach vacation, take plenty of photographs. Once you're home and you view or print them out; are you ecstatic, bored, or disappointed? Be honest, now! Does this sound familiar… You arrive at your destination, check the place out, and quickly change to go to the beach. Happily, you've remembered to take your sun block, nose plugs, and bathing suit. Maybe you remembered your camera, maybe you didn't. Going on a family beach vacation brings up contradicting desires. On the one hand, you want everyone to have a wonderful, fun, relaxing, memorable vacation. On the other hand, most people don't want to do what's required to preserve the memories. We will show you how to have the best of both worlds. By providing photography tips, you can capture outstanding beach vacation pictures, enjoy taking the photos, and ensure that when you look at the photos at home, you won't be thinking: "Was this OUR vacation!?!" Can’t-Miss Beach Vacation Photo Tips 1) Packing the Right Equipment When you pack for your dream beach vacation, remember these essential items: Camera, batteries, memory cards, camera case, battery chargers, external flash (if available), tripod, and portable digital storage device. If you have an abundance of memory, you can leave the storage device at home. 2) Consider These Purchases I know… you’re already spending more than you want to on the vacation. So the last thing you want is some stranger suggesting you spend more on photo accessories. But, read on and find out what these low cost accessories will do for you before you skip to Tip #3. Consider purchasing a circular polarizer filter for your lens. STRONGLY consider it! It will be one of the least expensive accessories you can buy, and you will LOVE the results. What are the results? A bluer sky, the ability to see objects under water, and creating colors that will “pop” off the page. 3) Insurance Do you have insurance on your possessions? Did your camera cost more than $25.00? Then do yourself a big favor and buy a UV filter to place over your lens for protection. If your lens becomes damaged, your camera is ruined. You can probably get a good UV filter for under $20.00. 4) The Magical Landscape Shot If there are colorful bluffs, harbors, or other landscape picture opportunities on your beach vacation, you want to capture them, of course. Not only that, but wouldn't it also be impressive to add some family member(s) to the shot and have the people AND the background in focus? Set your F-stop for a high number (at least F-11, or at the "infinity" or "landscape" setting of your camera). Position the people in the foreground, the landscape in the background. Focus on your human subject(s), while being at least 15 feet away (25 is even better, if you have a telephoto). Adjust the circular polarizer filter to obtain the desired shade of blue in the sky. Skip this step if you didn’t purchase a filter. Don’t worry, though. If you don’t like the vividness of the sky after the print is developed, you can always take out a magic marker and color the sky. (You didn’t hear that from me.) Finally, gently squeeze the shutter and… voila! A perfect “postcard” photograph. 5) Silhouettes Silhouette beach vacation pictures (or, non-beach vacation pictures for that matter) produce one of the most artistic and/or emotional-looking photographs possible. Most people never take silhouette photographs, and yet, they are just as easy as photographs taken during the day light. The best time to take silhouette photos is from approximately 1 hour before sunset, to 1⁄2 hour after sunset. Use evaluative or matrix metering (which is probably your default metering mode anyway), and focus on the HUMAN SUBJECTS, with plenty of the cloud-filled sky in the background. Then compose the shot, as desired. Did I mention that sunset shots without clouds are fairly disappointing? Sort of like winning the lottery and losing the ticket. The silhouette effect results from the camera thinking the overall scene is brighter than it is, and therefore under-exposes the dark areas (human subjects). To see sample photos and additional tips, check out http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/beach-vacation.html Article courtesy of http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com , where you can see numerous sample pictures & photography tips on many subjects and events. Copyright 2005 Robert Bezman. All rights reserved. About the Author: Robert Bezman is a professional photographer and owner of Custom Photographic Expressions. Robert has created http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com to help the digital photography users create better photographs. Robert has a blog at http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/family-photography-news.html