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If you went to overnight camp as a child you can always tell a favorite story you can still remember in exact detail, down to the smell of that pine forest. Memories of summer camp are lifelong reminders of lessons with a lifetime?s worth of value with friends you haven’t forgotten. Learn how to select a Summer Camp Find a Summer Camp

Children’s camp can provide a child with opportunities for never ending daily fun the way few other places can. Pure, nonstop fun would be reason enough for anyone to want to be at a sleep away camp, but resident camp offers even more to a child’s unfolding life, and the best camps offer a wealth of benefits. Summer Camp

Children’s camps are healthy places to be. Physical exercise is a natural part of a healthy child’s life, and camp is a natural provider of constant, safe exercise. The overnight camper’s intellect and imagination get plenty of exercise too.

Summer camp offers a wonderful template for kids to learn the skills of social interaction in a more creative and independent way than school settings allow. Still gently guided by adult role models called counselors, campers get an chance to apply what they have been taught at home in a independent world..Summer Camp

Given our current economy sleep away camps are easily the most affordable summer care choice available. Yet, summer camp is so much more than childcare. It’s a place and time for kids to gain independence, enhance their skills, make new friends and above all have fun.

Campers grow to find and be themselves, in a natural setting that gently challenges a child to newer and higher standards for their own behavior. The kids camp daily context is activities that encourage perseverance, listening skills, teamwork, and the ability to recognize similarities and appreciate differences in each individual. If it?s a nature camp or an animals camp, kids get even more opportunities to relate with the creatures of the natural worlds around us. Self discovery can become a habit that lasts a lifetime.

Summer camp is a new chance to rediscover a growing life. Sleep-away camp is an opportunity for each child to come to a new place and try new things and make new friends. Everyone starts as an equal with a chance to just be oneself around others. Summer camp is so much more than the most affordable childcare choice parents can make?

Swift Nature Camp is one of the few camps nationwide that offers a beginning camp experience only for the first time camper. Learn More at Youth Summer Camp

To learn all about picking the right summer camp visit Best Summer Camps

More and more people are choosing Florida short term rentals for their Central Florida vacation. These single family homes or condos are great if you are looking for a home away from home whether for a family or a group of friends. As with a hotel or motel they are available for daily, weekly or monthly rental.

Orlando in particular is one area where absentee owners have purchased homes and adopted the short term rental approach as a way to recover some or all of their running costs. More and more families and groups are building this type of accommodation into their Orlando vacation package to make the most of their time away from home.

You have been planning and anticipating your vacation for weeks or maybe even months so you want everything to be perfect including the accommodation. So how do you avoid disappointment if the home you’ve booked doesn’t live up to your expectations?

The way to make sure you get what you are looking for in a rental property is to research it fully. If you wouldn’t book a hotel or motel without first finding out all you can about it then apply the same criteria to the home or condo you wish to book. Here are a few thing you need to consider:

* Price: Book the lowest priced vacation home at your peril. Just like you probably stay clear of the $25 per night motel because you know that maintenance and facilities are unlikely to be the best, the same is true of low priced rental homes. Some owners who undercharge eventually go out of business and if you want to avoid the risk of arriving in Florida to find your dream home has been foreclosed on or is low-quality, remember that the lowest price is not always the cheapest.

* Quality: Hotels and motels are increasingly showing room photos and virtual tours of the room you’ll be renting so you can check the quality. Well, so are vacation home owners. Ask for pictures and an on-line tour and limit yourself to those owners and companies who commit to allocating your home at the time of booking. Obviously if you’re dealing directly with a home owner who only has one house, this problem is solved!

* Location: Check out the address of any home that you’re booking by searching on Google - most Orlando vacation rentals are within two to ten miles of Disney World. If the owner or management company won’t give you an exact address, ask for the zip code. Disregard any rental company that boldly states that you’ll be only “five minutes from Disney” - just like any hotel or a short term-rental, take any estimate of travel time with a huge pinch of salt because at peak times, traffic to the theme parks makes these estimates meaningless.

* Customer Service: There’s a lot of work to keep a hotel room in top class condition - and even more in a vacation rental home! Find out in advance how the management company or owner provides service when that television set doesn’t light up or the pool heating isn’t hot enough or the air conditioning stops working. What do they do if it’s going to take days to fix? Can they offer alternative properties?

* No matter whether you are staying in a five star hotel or the most expensive, luxurious rental property there are going to be things that the guest book doesn’t cover. In a hotel the front desk or the Concierge will usually be able to help with any questions not dealt with in the guest book. Staying in a short-term rental home you have to be far more self reliant. The Internet will help you locate restaurants and malls, while calling the Sheriff will deal with that midnight party in the pool next door. For anything else the management company should be able to help.

The overall message is that, just like when you book a hotel or motel, you’re taking some sort of risk on what you find when you arrive at your destination and Florida short term rentals are no different. But up-front research and an understanding of how things work should mean that you get exactly what you need for a great vacation.

For sure, every child in the United States and the whole world knows that only one name holds the reputation as the most desired vacation destination: Disneyland.

Disneyland is “The Place Where Dreams Come True.” True enough, your dreams will come to life the moment you step in its magnificent castle. Children and those young at heart have thought of Disneyland as the Mecca for vacationers. As soon as you enter this enormous theme park, you’d be transported to a place where you can see your favorite characters up close and personal.

This is the only place where you can dance with Mickey Mouse or exchange high-fives with Minnie Mouse. Here, your favorite princesses will parade in front of you clad in elegant, beautiful gowns: Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, and Aurora. The magic of Disney will surely be with you as you stroll down the carefully-designed pathways of Disneyland, and as you exhilarate in the theme park rides.

If you are a first-time visitor in Disneyland, you might want to learn a few facts about this lovely vacation destination.

- The first Disneyland castle opened in 1955 in Anaheim, California.

- The perfect time to visit Disneyland is in early September when the weather is great.

- First-time visitors will be able to take in three to four days in Disneyland Resort, which means the place is so huge you can’t finish touring it in a day.

- For those unfamiliar with the Anaheim Disneyland, you can get directions from Google map.

- Disneyland is the 2008 winner of the Theme Park Insider Award for world’s best theme park.

- Disneyland in Anaheim is the only theme park visited by Walt Disney.

- It is open each day of the year.

- The busiest days are the Fourth of July and the days between Christmas and the Rose Bowl Game.

It has theme parks filled with lovely places from the animated movies you’ve grown up watching. Take a journey and see Aladdin’s oasis, Tarzan’s tree house, the Enchanted Tiki Room, Sleeping Beauty’s castle, and Mickey’s Toontown among others. Disneyland has so much more to offer both the young and the young at heart.

Mexico is a top vacation spot and there is no doubt why. It is an amazing place that is not just somewhere to catch some sun on the sandy beaches. There are some great hot spots, like Tulum, that let you combine the historic sites and the great beaches for one unforgettable vacation.

Tulum is a city with fantastic archeological findings and amazing beaches. It is located just south of Playa del Carmen and Akumai. Sited on the limestone cliffs, Tulum looks out over the Caribbean Sea.

Tulum is a very good combination of history and Mexico’s beaches are well known. Instead of traveling all over to see different sites, you’ll get to have both kinds of experiences in the same area.

The archeological site here was built between 1200 and 1450. The Mayans just abandoned their cities during the 16th century.

It was one of the last cities of the Mayans. The highest building in the city is El Castillo, a beacon to guide visitors through the coral reefs.

The city which was surrounded by walls in its three sides is its distinct feature. This wall is seven meters thick and up to five meters tall. Warriors could defend against attack from a walkway on the city wall. The remaining side of the city is protected by the sea.

The place is open for tourists and even today 60 buildings remain in that place. The walls are covered with plaques which help to show the visitors a toured guide to the ruins.

There are excellent beaches in Tulum, just as you would hope for a visit to Mexico’s coast. They are among the world’s top scenic beaches, and tourists travel from all accross the globe to see them.

The beaches have transparent blue water and white dunes. The coral reefs off the coast are a great place for diving and snorkeling.

Tulum’s reef is part of the Great Mayan Reef which spreads from Cancun, Mexico, to Roatan, Honduras, and which is the second biggest in the world. It is 1000 kilometers with 120 kilometers at the Tulum beach.

It is possible to see 84 varieties of coral and more than 450 kinds of fish and other sea animals in the ocean. It is a true adventure.

Tulum is an area of Mexico that is quiet, beautiful and offers plenty to keep you busy. You will never forget your stop in Tulum because it is such a rich place to visit.

For many people, vacations that we can afford usually require two things. Discount airfare and hotel reservations.

There seems to always a be a bounty of airfare deals, discount hotel accommodations and rental car promotions. But bear in mind that there are factors determining your final costs. The day and time of your scheduled flight, the days of the week you will occupy a hotel room or rent a car, and when you secure your reservations are controllable elements of booking reservations. Also, special promotions come, go and change constantly.

Making your hotel reservations online is a good strategy. You will find everything at your fingertips. Great selection, great discounts and the internet offers unequaled comparison shopping.

Package deals can definitely save you money. You can save hundreds of dollars when buying package deals. Online travel sites typically offer pricing for flights, hotels, and car rental separately or in whatever combination you want.

A good way to save on hotel reservations is to go to the website of the hotel your interested in staying at. Hotel owners like their hotels full and if business is slow they can offer some amazing deals. If your over fifty, consider joining AARP if you have not already. Just being a member can sometimes save you a substantial amount at hotels.

Many experts in the travel industry recommend booking your air tickets and your hotel reservations as far ahead of time as you are able to. Advance booking, they claim, will frequently give you an advantage with more beneficial pricing. Booking well in advance of your trip puts you at ease because you can focus on the wonderful trip ahead. If you don’t want to gamble this is your best option. As you get closer to your departure date, check back with your travel website or travel agent to see if there are any new promotions available. They probably won’t contact you about them but you could very well get an even better deal even though you have already made your purchase.

Many travelers wait until the last minute to book their airline and hotel reservations. Sometimes, good deals can still be found but the flip side is that many have found themselves unable to book any type of hotel reservation or airfare because attendees of a big football game or convention had already gobbled up everything.

So, the best strategy for securing your discount airline and hotel reservations is to go ahead and book early for your peace of mind. Utilize the internet for comparison shopping. Do your homework and be aware of any additional discounts you may qualify for. Try for some last minute negotiating for an even better deal. And then, focus on more pleasurable things like shopping for your trip, reading up on all the neat things you will be able to do and see at your destination.

Most people love to travel and everybody likes to save money. This is especially important when it comes to vacations. Any money you save on your two major costs - your airfare and your hotel reservations - can be spent on activities or additional days away on vacation.

When you find the right sources and can get discount hotels rooms and dirt cheap airline tickets your savings will really add up.

Your search can start on the internet.

In addition to sleuthing around, your ability to find a choice of discount hotel rooms, airfare deals and prices for car rentals, will be determined by your flexibility. It can have a major impact on your bottom line.

When you’re traveling there are certain things you can control and other things you can’t. Some of the things you can control will have a big impact on the price you pay.

Those are:

How far in advance you make your reservations. The time of day you are flying. The day of the week you are flying. The days of the week you need a hotel. The days of the week you need a car.

One of the biggest factors when it comes to booking discount hotel rooms and dirt cheap airline tickets is when you make your reservations. This can be a little like gambling because hotel rates and airfares are always in flux.

Many travel agents and other experts in the travel industry will tell you to book your airfare and hotels as far in advance as possible.

You’ll often get rewarded with better prices and substantial discounts when you do.

Also, if you make your reservations early, you’ll be able to relax. You won’t have that fear of not getting what you want and the responsibility for making your reservations hanging over your head.

But if you’ve done some traveling you also probably know that sometimes when you book your flights or hotel rooms at the last minute you will save a hefty amount of money.

Keep in mind that too many people who waited to make reservations until the last minute at their favorite hotel found that there was a convention in town. So even if they were able to get dirt cheap airline tickets it just didn’t matter because not only was that hotel unavailable, even all the discount hotel rooms were already booked solid.

But all is not lost.

Even if you wait too long if you are flexible enough to change destinations you might not have a problem.

Just choose a different location and there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll find dirt cheap airline tickets and discount hotel rooms for somewhere you’d like to go. Of course it goes without saying that if you need to be in a specific place on a certain day you should book in advance, confirm your flight and hotel, and just pack and relax.

Another thing you should do is find a good travel agent.

Often travel agents have information available to them that is not available to the non-travel-professional.

If all else is lost they might be able to get you the discount hotel rooms and dirt cheap airline tickets you’re looking for.

When you are trying to get a good feel for what a summer camp is like it is a good idea to check out the Summer camp Blog. Here are just a few things you might find at Swift Nature Camp’s Blog. Camp Blog

Jef & Lonnie Lorenz, are Directors of Swift Nature Camp a Non-competitive, Traditional coed overnight summer camp in Wisconsin. Boys and Girls Ages 6-15. enjoy Nature, Animals & Science along with adventure camping.

Charter into new waters this summer. For many kids, coming to camp is a big adventure! One of the biggest challenges is swimming in a lake. We all have had experience swimming in a nice blue pool. There is security in being able to see the bottom of the pool. Lake swimming is to enter the wild water and to cross a border. You pass the lake?s edge and you break the surface of the water itself. In doing so, you move from one realm into another: a newrealm of freedom, adventure, magic and occasional danger. Watch out for those Turtles and Fish! Swimming in open water is a newexperience that’s not to be feared, but embraced. Once you feel comfortable swimming in a lake, the world willopen up to you and wherever you see water you willsee a new adventure waiting. Swift Nature Camp has over 1500 acres of water right out your cabin front door. At Swift Nature Camp we have a wonderful swimming area full of fun toys, not to mention Wally (the water trampoline) & Sally (the slide). “Free Swim” is one of the most anticipated times of the camp day, but “Instructional Swim” is there tohelp give you build the confidence for those free swims. You can even earn American Red Cross Swimming levels

Catching frogs from camps own beaver pond is a huge camp sport at Swift Nature Camp. it is a challenge too. The big Bull Frogs put up a big battle to free them selves. We even have a favorite bull from the biggest meanest frog of them all JIMBO. Yes he is our mascot and is pictured on this page. Catching frogs is one of favorite things to do at this children’s summer camp. One of the best hunting spots is the lamp poles at night. You see the frogs come up from the pond at night looking for food and all the bugs hanging around the light will do just fine. One might wonder are you eating all these favorite catches. Nope they gan spend on night up at the Nature Center Zoo where they hang with the other animals anc catches then its back to where they were caught at. Next summer, join us for some serious frog catching.

The Russell W. Hogrefe Fresh Start Fund was established by Russell W. Hogrefe during his tenure as Executive Director of the American Camp Association, Illinois Section. He served in that position from 1979 until his retirement in 1996. Russ spent his entire professional career providing children’s summer camp and other services to families with very low income. Teachers, social workers, counselors or other professionals refer campers. ACA Illinois Section staff and the person making the referral select an appropriate day or resident camp program. Camps must be accredited by the American Camp Association. The camper’s family is encouraged to pay whatever they can afford for the camping experience. The camp provides a partial campership and the Fund pays the balance. If you would like to donate fund to help an underprivileged child attend summer camp in 2009 please send a check or make an online donation. Summer camp is an experience that enriches lives and all children should have the opportunity to attend kids summer camp. To learn how Swift Nature Camp can help your child attend camp visit our website.

Over the past few years I have been happy to act as the Vice President of the Midwest Association of Independent Camps (M.A.I.C.). We represent the very best independently owned and operated summer camps in the Midwest. MAIC includes kids’ summer camps in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana. Our organization educates and inspires camping professionals to be their very best. MAIC is a group of camp professionals who are dedicated to promoting high quality standards in organized camping, while offering children and their parents the best possible summer camp experience. Members of MAIC have been meeting together and sharing ideas, methods and practices since 1960. To parents looking for a top quality resident camp or day camp in the Midwest: we are a great place to start your camp search. CampsRus.com is a camp directory that represents over 45 of the very best summer camps in the midwest. If you are looking for an amazing summer camp job working with children, be sure to choose an MAIC camp and start your search here! Remember MAIC camps are family run camps that are concerned for each child?s safety and emotional development. Above all else M.A.I.C. camps = fun, fun, fun, fun!

For additional information on how to pick the perfect camp for your camper see Camp Info

For many tourists, Orlando in Florida is a vacationer’s heaven and an Orlando vacation package just cannot be surpassed. Unlike some places built on a dream, you do not have to be a child to love the theme parks and the attractions in Orlando - just think about Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios - and how about Sea World and Universal Studios? Central Florida is a fantastic, magical location - and a place that just about everybody would like to see much more of.

The cost of an Orlando vacation can seem prohibitive to lots of people because of the high cost of travel plus all the other expenses such as accommodation, meals and theme park tickets. However, there are ways to minimize your costs without minimizing your enjoyment. Here are a few tips to help you:

* Although booking separate flights, accommodation, car hire and theme park tickets may seem to give you more flexibility, this is often the most expensive option. Instead it is worth checking out companies that offer these as a complete Orlando vacation package. Reputable firms often get huge discounts and are able to pass the savings onto you.

* If you are not constrained by school holidays or having to travel during peak seasons the more chance you have of finding an affordable package. Many companies offer last minute deals at a fraction of what you would normally expect to pay. The more flexible your travel dates are the better your choice of finding the right deal.

* Some of the many hotels and motels in the Orlando area have special offers to encourage you to book with them. These accommodation specials can be things such as seven nights for the price of three and some even offer theme park tickets as part of the price. Staying in a hotel close to Disney that offers five nights and two day passes to the theme parks for $249 per person based on double occupancy is probably a better bet than a nearby hotel that has a rate of $110 per night per room. It really is worth doing as much research as you can.

* Compare theme park tickets: Orlando vacation packages offer a bewildering range of tickets and passes and it’s up to you to make sure you get the one that best matches your plans and preferences. For example, does the heavily discounted package that still includes two one-day passes to Disney or Universal offer you enough time at your favorite park or will the purchase of additional “top-up” tickets make it less of a bargain than some of the other packages?

* Timeshares: a dreaded word to many, this does offer the possibility of big cost savings on your accommodation. It works by the timeshare companies giving you a deeply-discounted place to stay in return for your attendance at a sale presentation. The benefit to them is that a proportion of attendees are persuaded to buy a timeshare and the benefit to you is that you save money on your accommodation (as long as you don’t buy the timeshare!).

So if you work with these tips, you can have that once-in-a-lifetime vacation to Orlando for less than you might have initially thought. Time and effort is required to do the necessary research, but you’ll end up with an Orlando vacation package that meets all your needs and saves your cash into the bargain!

Finding discount hotel rooms is not at all a tough matter because of the advancement in IT industry. People around the globe can book the hotels anywhere sitting at the comfort of their home. There are lots of top travel websites which suggests about the hotels of the particular city. However, numerous hotel websites are also there from where you can check out the exact location of the hotel and its facilities including rates and status of the hotel. If you fix a destination for holiday then the city name should be accompanied while you search for discount hotel rooms in the major search engines.

It is also advisable to see the top websites of discount hotels to compare discount hotel rooms rates online. The rates may vary but it is very important to go through the feed backs of the customers to know the more clearly about the hotels. So, if you feel any doubt while booking a motel then it is always preferable to hire a guide or a hotel agent. Moreover, the terms and conditions of the hotels should not be overlooked especially about the mode of payment of the hotel charges.

Most of the times the hotels offer discount rates due to off season or to attract the customers enormously. Get the real chance to stay at luxury hotels in discounted rates in the top locations of the city. All such hotels have each and every facility for entertainment and recreation as well. The rooms are beautifully and tastefully decorated with lots of modern amenities along traditional or cultural arts which speak about the culture of the city. The motel restaurants offer mouthwatering meals and superb drinks which include cocktails and mocktail.

The recreational venues like spa centers, clubs, bars, and open terrace lounge are also available.

After comparing discount hotel room rates online, please check out the location and the availability of rooms at the hotels where you want to make your stay during holidays.

It is a well known fact that Orlando, Florida is a hot destination spot that offers endless fun, pleasure, and excitement. There are numerous things to do in this wonderful city, including going to Sea World or Universal Studios, going to the beach, shopping, eating, and exploring. Thus meaning one can spend a lot of money doing all these cool activities and forget about how much they are spending at their hotel. This is why discount Orlando hotels are a necessary for one to fully enjoy the Orlando experience.

Whenever you go on vacation, spending money is a given thing. Most people save up and spend the allotted budget while going to wherever they maybe going. So when vacationing in Orlando, why spend top dollar at a over priced hotel when you can spend half the money at a nice hotel. Discount hotels in Orlando are almost equivalent to the expensive resorts in this same area. They both offer you a luxuries room to stay in, a squishy bed to sleep in, a clean bathroom to handle your business in, and a television to watch when your day comes to an end. The only thing that maybe different is that resorts have like three pools instead of the discount hotels one pool to swim in. Who really needs three pools anyway right? When you go to a discount hotel you allow yourself to have the extra money you will need to fully enjoy Orlando.

Have you ever been in the situation where you need a couple extra bucks to do the fun thing you want to do?

Was someone there to loan you those dollars you needed? In numerous situations, there wasnt a person there to loan you the extra money to do whatever you wanted to do. If you could avoid this situation, why wouldnt you right?

So stying at a nice discount Orlando hotel will save you those extra dollars you probably will want to have when exploring the action packed city of Orlando, Florida.