Summer Family Travel
We hope you enjoyed our Summer Travel interview with travel expert, Kendra Thornton. For more information on what Kendra discussed, keep reading!
Escape to Florida, Where You Can Experience a Luxurious Vacation for Less
Are you tired of “staycations”? Want to experience a more luxurious getaway without spending the big bucks? Kendra says to check out Greater Fort Lauderdale. Located between Orlando and the Florida Keys on South Florida’s Atlantic Coast, Greater Fort Lauderdale radiates a sense of ease as cool as the ocean breezes that surround this coastal retreat.
You may not be surprised that Fort Lauderdale has more than 3,000 hours of annual sunshine, and the average temperature is 77 degrees Fahrenheit. But what you may not know is that Fort Lauderdale is the “Yachting Capital of the World.” Nearly 50,000 registered yachts grace Fort Lauderdale’s waterways, and some even belong to such celebs as Steven Spielberg and Johnny Depp. And if you’re in the area come October, check out the Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest boat show in the world. It’s truly magnificent. One of the showpieces of that event is a 104-foot Sanlorenzo luxury yacht, and more than $3 billion worth of yachts and water toys are bought and sold during this five-day show. It runs October 25-29, spans six locations in Fort Lauderdale and over 3 million square feet of space.
For those in the mood for learning, entry to the boat show includes complimentary marine seminars covering a wide variety of topics, from free diving, lobstering and sport fishing to survival dynamics and first aid at sea. Even kids can get in on the fun at youth fishing clinics.
Boat show headquarters are at the Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel & Yachting Center, with additional exhibits at the Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Municipal Marina, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Sails Marina, and the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.
Visitors to Greater Fort Lauderdale can enjoy the water without having to own a mega-yacht. You can embark on a sailing excursion on a catamaran or take a water taxi tour, where you can dock and visit local restaurants. You can take a gondola ride or even rent your own watercraft and be the captain for a day. Looking for even more active experiences on or under the water? Try deep sea fishing, snorkeling or Scuba diving, Yoga Stand Up Paddleboarding or kayaking through beautiful mangroves. There is so much to do and explore in this “Venice of America.”
And you don’t have to be a millionaire to live the life of luxury during your stay. In fact, the Lauderdale Luxe Collection of 14 luxury 
resorts is offering a vacation experience similar to that which you’d receive as part of a VIP package. Now through September 30, you can get a $100 resort credit, free room upgrades, and $25 gift card to soak up the sun.
Don’t forget fine dining and shopping! Fort Lauderdale has a thriving arts and culture scene, and there is fabulous designer outlet shopping at Sawgrass Mills (370 outlets, from Prada and Coach to Tory Burch and Ferragamo).
Even with all this accessible fun, Fort Lauderdale is easy to get to. There are many low-fare airlines to choose from and non-stop flights from more than 65 US cities to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.
For more info, contact the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 22-SUNNY or visit www.sunny.org.
For the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show: http://www.showmanagement.com
For Sanlorenzo visit www.sanlorenzoyacht.com
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau can also be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/visitlauderdale or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/visitlauderdale or on Foursquare at www.foursquare.com/visitlauderdale and on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/visitlauderdale. To have Greater Fort Lauderdale in the palm of your hand, download the free iPhone applications, iVisitLauderdale and Defrost Your Swimsuit at www.sunny.org/apps.
Don’t Forget to Travel Smart and Safe
For many travelers, remembering their online user names and passwords across all of their different accounts and devices feels like an overwhelming task. Kendra recently found Norton Identity Safe, a free online service that allows you to conveniently save and synchronize your account passwords across computers, laptops, tablets and 
smartphones, all while keeping you safe and secure. This will come in very handy when you need to log into one of your many online accounts while away from home.
When given a list of potentially challenging activities, 40 percent of people surveyed by Norton by Symantec indicate remembering all of their passwords is among the top three most difficult – more than those who selected balancing their checkbook. And recent research found that 70 percent of people have forgotten a password in the past month. That’s why people often resort to using weak passwords based on their pet’s name, family member’s name or birthday. While it may be tempting to create simple passwords to use across multiple devices or accounts, taking the time to create unique and complex passwords can save you from identity theft and loss of personal information.
To begin using Norton Identity Safe, consumers can visit https://identitysafe.norton.com/?inid=hho_MoreInfo_us_2012_Jun_IdentitySafe_SMT and follow a few simple steps that will free them from ever having to remember another password. Available free of charge, Norton Identity Safe delivers simple, secure password management for PCs, Mac computers, iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad, and Android devices.
For more information on Norton Identity Safe visit,
https://identitysafe.norton.com/?inid=hho_MoreInfo_us_2012_Jun_IdentitySafe_SMT
Have Social Media, Will Travel
Don’t forget to use all of those fun social media sites and apps you see advertised in the travel space! You can find discounts, special offers and other money saving tricks and even choose your destination through sites like Gogobot.com. You can also book your seat mates, find special deals and services for accommodating large groups. Sites like routehappy.com can help you choose your airline, flight and rental car provider by reading previous users reviews and comments on those services.