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The Family that Plays
Together....stays together, or so it goes in a saying that was
created long ago for a type of family that's less of a reality
now than it used to be. The concept of packing up a station
wagon, filling up your car with a tank of gas and heading for
that trip, takes on new meaning with SUV's complete with GPS,
TV, CD, DVD and all full cell communications to keep you in
touch at every bend.
Families on vacation today
may be comprised of a mother and daughter, or as we've seen most
often, fathers and daughters who spend quality time regrouping
from large distances via commercial aircraft that help them
re-connect. The family trip is in transition not just from
distances traveled, but also from the changing face of the
family itself. What continues to hold strong among families are
entertainment-style vacations on cruise ships or at theme parks
such as Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.
While journeys on the road
and trips to explore the mountains hold strong appeal for
European travelers to California, beaches and amusements
continue to be tops for California families on the go.
Moms and dads with little
time and lots of guilt will try to show their kids the most fun
at theme parks and beaches where lots of youthful events are
held.
Family trips with the
extended family can be costly with multiple hotel rooms. They
are still popular, but less so than the quick jaunts for a
weekend where one family member visits another. Travelers have
become more savvy, more demanding and their excursions require
more specialized offerings to appeal to the individuals. For
instance, seniors are now seeking learning experiences and
exposure to new soft adventures. Meanwhile, their children with
kids of their own may be taking their smaller family units to
weekend soccer games along the coast, or heading out, just mom
and girlfriend on the girlfriend getaway.
Families have not
disappeared, but have changed their shapes and sizes so that
they are now comprised of one parent, a step-parent and
children, or one parent and the kids. There's no "one size fits
all" family vacation. But if there were, by the numbers, that
vacation would most often be Disneyland in Anaheim.
What Disney has done to
create the family vacation environment is to offer shopping and
dining that combines some youthful elements and menus with adult
tastes and preferences. Disney has studied their demographic and
has recognized that both groups have expendable income Fun zones
surrounding the theme park with sports and adult entertainment
such as live jazz bands allow the adults to have as much fun as
their youthful counterparts. Hotels next to the theme park
experiences allow the older crowd to snooze and relax, while the
teens are in the parking having fun.
The theme parks draw many
national and foreign tourists to California on family vacations.
California family vacations are good for the families, the
economy and the youngest family members who require bonding with
their adult role models.
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