family spring break

The age old question:  ‘where should we spend spring break this year’?  It’s a question that is asked often enough, and options are endless.  So let me give you some terrific ideas in time to book for this coming year. 
If your kids are school aged and you want to travel during their time off, remember that the places that cater to children are most popular and are going to be the most crowded.  If you don't mind the crowds, it's a great time of year to visit Disney World.  The weather is beautiful – not too hot but great for spending down time at the pool and taking advantage of rides that are famous for getting you wet.  I’ve also come to realize that the most popular attractions are scheduled to be open during peak times.  For example, if you’ve been to the Magic Kingdom, you know Splash Mountain.  Well, when we were visiting this past February it was closed for enhancement. 
But if those crowds make you feel claustrophobic, it might be a good time to visit the spots that go out of fashion in the spring.  How about taking the kids skiing?  Popular hot spots that are ridiculously expensive in the winter drop their prices as the spring approaches.  Think Tahoe, Aspen, Vail, Killington.  All beautiful places to vacation with your families.  While April is not their peak season, there is typically still snow enough to ski.  And if not, there is plenty of activity to keep you busy for the week - minus the crowds. 
If you’re looking for meaningful travel, why not spend Holy Week discovering what the holiday is all about?  In the Latin countries, you will see Holy Week celebrated with such fervor and faith that you will have no problem remembering the true meaning of Easter.  Seville, Spain, for example, is perhaps the best place in the world to experience Semana Santa (Holy Week).  Pasos, or processions, are organized by religious brotherhoods to leave from their home churches en route to the La Catedral, or the Cathedral.  The most popular processions set out on Holy Thursday to arrive at the Cathedral on the dawn of Good Friday, known as the madrugada.  And yes, the streets are packed with spectators all through the night.  The processions are akin to a float carrying lifelike wooden sculptures of scenes of the Passion, or the Virgin showing her grief at the torture and killing of her Son.  Many of these sculptures are sacred, antique works of art dating back centuries.  Nothing is so moving as watching the brotherhoods, sometimes with children not yet teenagers, walking all through the night carrying these heavy floats on their shoulders.  Spectators line the streets to catch a glimpse of the processions making their way through town.  While Semana Santa is not going to be an alternative to facing the crowds of Spring Break, it certainly can put meaning into the week and is something you and your family will never forget.  With this tradition dating back to the 1500’s, can you imagine a better lesson in history?
This is a great time to book for spring break travel.  Don’t be left wishing you had make plans when spring break comes and your hometown is hit with that freak spring snow storm and you are left at home with nothing to do but shovel. 
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