​As you get ready to embark on this year’s road trip, here’s a quick list of smartphone apps that can help you get organized, find great deals, and save you money along the way.
​

• Waze (https://www.waze.com) – Whether your trip involves a lot of road travel, or you just want to find a faster way to get to places in your own city, consider Waze. Purchased by Google in 2013, it uses social media input to give real-time updates on traffic situations. So, for example, if there’s a game downtown in the city you’re visiting, as you’re trying to navigate that same area to get to a restaurant, Waze will let you know where the traffic jams are so you can avoid the tangle and the time (and fuel) wasted waiting for game-goers.

Almost all travelers have a Nightmare Luggage story. You spent a lot of money on a fancy brand-name bag that broke on the first leg of the trip. Or you skimped on the spending and got exactly what you paid for. Or the bag that you thought would be comfortable and versatile turned out to be neither.

Considering a visit to the Grand Canyon? A visit there can and should be tied in with a visit to other parts of the western United States especially if you are planning a fly/drive travel experience. Consider some of these options in planning your vacation.

Southern Utah’s Desert Scenery. Some of the best desert scenery in the world, this option includes all five of Utah’s national parks (Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef) plus the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. Consider taking the time to stop also at Dead Horse Point State Park, Lake Powell, and/or the Hoover Dam. Back in the mid-1990s, I was fortunate enough to take a 12-day camping trip where I spent time at four of the five national parks, Dead Horse Point State Park, and Lake Powell. While I probably will never get to experience the fun of tent camping again I do look forward to one day sharing with Mark the beauty of southern Utah and the expansive views of the Grand Canyon.

​Two weeks ago, I wrote about how the world is now more accessible than ever before and how I am now an accessible travel advocate certified by Special Needs Group. I suggested that if you think you might benefit from using some special needs equipment while traveling, it is important to take time to evaluate the logistics of your trip in relation to your ability to keep pace. Remember, too, that many people who do not use special needs equipment at home on a regular basis use aides such as wheelchairs and scooter rentals only when traveling.

In this issue, I will talk about the importance of planning. In future issues I will recommend what questions to ask and go into more detail about the wide variety of equipment available to assist you in your travels.

​The world is now more accessible than ever before. Twenty percent (62 million) of the U.S. population has some form of disability, and the number of these individuals is increasing daily. These people need to, want to, and can travel. If you’re part of that 20%, a world of travel awaits you.

Travel professionals such as myself who are accessible travel advocates certified by Special Needs
​Group www.specialneedsgroup.com, the leading global provider of special needs equipment for the travel industry, have unique, specialized knowledge about how to help individuals with disabilities enjoy a wonderful, hassle-free and memorable trip.

Welcome to my website and blog! I am Lynn Fenster. I have been traveling most of my life starting with trips back and forth from Orlando to New York and New Jersey when I was three years old. Back in those days, the airport in Orlando was called McCoy.  You walked out of the gate and onto the tarmac to board the plane.  As I got older, my family started making the trip by car.  I still remember laying on mattresses in my parents’ station wagon and the smells of oil from the ships in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, that meant we were less than an hour from my grandparents’ apartment in Hackensack.  Spending time up north didn’t just mean visiting family, it also meant trips into New York City, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, the department stores, Central Park zoo and chasing the pigeons, the New York World’s Fair, hot pretzels from the street vendors, and ice skating at Rockefeller Center.
 
As I got older, our family car trips expanded to stopping along the way in Washington, D.C., Mount Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg, Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, and Atlanta.   We took a boat tour on the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, crossed over the Suwanee River, and stopped in Tallahassee.  Other trips included Miami’s South Beach and the Everglades, and Sarasota and the Ringling Brothers Museum. 
 
One year we traveled to Texas.  We went to San Antonio to see the Hemisfair and the Alamo and took a side trip to the LBJ Ranch (now a part of the Lyndon B Johnson Historical Park).  I still remember the San Antonio River Walk and the boat cruise we would take each morning from our hotel to the entrance of the Hemisfair.  That trip we also stopped in the French Quarter of New Orleans for a few days.  There we stayed at an amazing hotel, the Royal Orleans, now owned by Omni.  That hotel had a doorman who looked to be 7 feet tall (at least to the eyes of a 10-year old who never grew past 5’1”)! In New Orleans, I experienced my first praline, my first Napoleon, my first beignets, and my first fancy restaurant (Brennan’s). 
 
All of this leads me to why I have chosen family travel as one of the areas I specialize in as the owner of TLC Travel.  While I have continued having wonderful experiences as a teenager and as an adult, the experiences with my family will always be remembered fondly. They are experiences that we still talk about to this day. 
 
I know that parents today are looking for adventures you can experience with your children.  Parents now have many, many more opportunities to take transformative vacations, things like hunting the Northern Lights, hiking the Inca Trail, African Safaris, expeditions to the Galapagos, or just having fun on a cruise or at a resort.
 
Over the coming weeks, months, and years, I will write more in this blog about traveling with your family.  I will introduce you to new experiences, provide helpful tips and hints, and help you discover ways to create wonderful, lasting memories with your family. 
 
I will also introduce you to my other specialty, that of romantic travel.  If you would like to learn more about family or romance travel or receive my monthly newsletter, please click here for my Contact page.
​