Harry Potter Lovers Unite!

After twenty years, Harry Potter and the Wizarding World are alive and well at Universal's Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Orlando. A recent family visit let everyone channel their inner wizard as we drank butter beer, rode the Hogwarts Express between the two parks, visited Hogsmeade as well as Diagon Alley at Kings Cross.

So, things to know if you are a Harry Potter fan. Number one, you need a ticket to both parks at Universal if you want to ride the Hogwarts Express. (The train goes between the two parks and they will check your tickets and scan them, so be prepared. They may ask for your ID as well.) On our particular visit, we arrived at the park around 10 am and made a bee-line for Hogwarts. We explored Hogsmeade, visited Hogwarts Castle, rode Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (amazing scenes throughout Hogwarts Castle while you wait to board the ride)and took a break at the Three Broomsticks where we took part in a feast for everyone! After a ride on the Flight of the Hippogriff, we were ready for the Hogwarts Express! Here you actually go the train station, and walk through the wall at platform 9 3/4! Such fun!

The train looks just like the movies and there are scenes from the countryside as you go from one park to the other where you will see Hagrid's hut, the forbidden forest and even dementors! After arriving at Kings Cross, you disembark to explore Diagon Alley. It's also a great time for a butter beer break! It comes frozen or non-frozen and you can get it in a sovounier cup or just a regular one! If you're looking for magic, you can visit a variety of shops and have dinner at the Leaky Cauldron. It's all worthwhile! As the sunsets over Hogwarts, it's time to dodge the dragon at Gringotts Bank and head back to the castle where you can get comfortable for the lazer light show done on the Castle. This show usually takes place the last two weeks in January when the park celebrates Harry Potter and his friends, but we were lucky enough to see it extended into February and Presidents Weekend when we were there.

So, if you have ever wondered about the infamous Packwood, WA Memorial Day Flea Market, wonder no more! After hearing about the weekend event (it takes place Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend every year), we decided to investigate. Packwood is located in the mountains on State Highway 12 approximately an hour and forty-five minutes east of Puyallup or Tacoma. This flea market has a little bit of everything, and vendors who have been coming for years. There does not appear to be any real organization to the event. There are no rows of vendors. It looks as though vendors pull into town, pick a place and just set up their tent. This event takes place throughout the town, along the main highway and parking is ample, courtesy of the fire department, the school or other civic groups. We opted to support the firefighters, so we parked in the middle of everything. We headed east on one side of the street to explore the maze. The shoppers were as interesting as the wares. We saw grandmothers and grandfathers, bikers, kids with parents, serious flea market shoppers pulling carts or wagons, young professionals and everyone generally having fun. The vendors were hawking everything from beer signs to wine crates, unique wine barrel furniture, every type of antique imaginable including glassware, furniture, farm implements, kitchen tools, handmade baskets, decals, and toys. One enterprising vendor even made bird baths from vases and bowls. After about four hours we had visited probably two-thirds of the vendors, crossing the main highway through town and winding our way west. Food was abundant. Corn on the cob, frozen - chocolate dipped bananas, elephant ears the size of a large pizza, burgers, brats, kettle corn, a variety of ice creams and more. Since you can't have a Washington venue without coffee, there were several different coffee companies represented with the normal lattes, iced and hot coffees and lines. The entire area, from Morton to Packwood uses this weekend for garage sales. So if you are looking for a direct line of sales, this is the place. We stopped at a few to see handmade furniture made from barn doors and scrap wood. It is amazing what beauty people can create. If you are looking to attend this event make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes (though we saw several women wearing some killer heels the uneven terrain and lots of walking would lend best to tennis shoes!). There are several places to camp within just a few miles of Packwood and there are three hotels in the area if you want to immerse yourself for the weekend. All in all, it was a good day adventure.

Tulip Festival, Mount Vernon, WA

After years of living in Washington State, we decided to wander north and actually see the tulips that people keep talking about. The Skagit Valley is known for their tulips and supply bulbs all over the world, and since my garden was looking bare, well, you get the connection. So, we loaded up the van with my daughter, son-in-law and two grand-daughters and two cameras, three Iphones and a lot of energy. After shooting up I-5 (off traffic hours, yeah!), we stopped at the Tulip Festival Office for a map to the gardens. Our first scheduled stop was to be Roozengarden. After several wrong turns (the route is not really well marked), we eventually found some tulip fields. It's amazing to see row after row of these delicate flowers. While you can not walk into the fields, you can take pictures all around them. Roozengarden was one of two (Tulip Town being the second farm), that we planned to see. Each of the two main farms has a $5.00 per adult admission. After seeing the lines at Roozengarden, we opted to head for Tulip Town and hope for shorter lines. It was a great move! Tulip Town had ample parking and the access to the farm was easy...no busy road to cross. We paid our admission and walked through an indoor area that easily had over 40 varieties of tulips! Some with feathery tips, some pointed, and so many colors! After a walk through several gardens near the main entrance, we headed over to the fields. Rows and rows of flowers give the impression of a sea of blooms. The festival runs the entire month of April. Local civic clubs put on a salmon feed, which is a great treat and a popular lunch stop. We recommend going during the week if you can, as weekends tend to be very crowded. There are lots of restaurants in the area, and an outlet mall near Tulalip Casino, if you are looking for other activities.

Winter Wonderland of Adventures

As the weather turns colder in the North, some are thinking of ski slopes and snowboarding, while others are heading south for a little sunshine! No matter which group you fall into, winter traveling offers a variety of challenges. Planning ahead saves headaches for all. If you are flying out to a warm weather destination or cruise, remember, the weather doesn't always know you are on vacation! Allowing an extra day to get to where you are going may mean the difference in catching a cruise departure or having to fly to the first port of call! Weather delays are just that...weather...and no one at the airport can change it, so take a deep breath and roll with it. A check with our agents have them traveling a bit this Christmas season. Mandy Carter and family spent some time at Epcot and other parts of Disney World. Keith and Lisa Wright just returned from two weeks in sunny Hawaii, while Stephanie Davis and family visited California and both Disneyland and California Adventure. Relinda Broom and her husband took their sailboat out for a beautiful Christmas in their one particular harbor (I'll see if she will share her photo if this on our site!) Some of us stayed home (Mel, Joanne, Ashley, Jessica, Glade and Mary and I). Wherever your heart took you this season, I hope it was a wonderful Christmas time for you and yours.

Something to look forward too...Melodie and family are heading out for a Disney cruise next week! Watch for photos and a report~

It seems like we blink and time moves so fast! We have added new agents, welcoming Kari Williams, Heather Mitchell, Joanne Terry and Brittany Capo (soon to be McIntosh in July!). Agent training is coming in September and in the meantime, summer vacations are coming up fast, so...

Things to think about when choosing family vacations.  There are many options.  One of our agency owners just returned from a family vacation with her husband, adult daughter and son-in-law and two grand children.  This year, as well as last, they did Disney World, but stayed off-site in a local vacation home.  Four bedrooms and three baths and a pool made it very easy with children, and just 10 minutes from Disney made it simple and easy and economical.  Our agents have access to a variety of home rentals in locations all over the world, so if you are interested in this option, please let them know.

All inclusive properties have been offering great promotions to a variety of destinations.  These resorts take a page from cruise lines and include meals and resort activities including water sports and for family properties, children's activities.  It's a great way to budget and pre-pay for your vacation!

Cruising is still very popular and there are lots of options.  It's a great way to celebrate life events with the entire family...grandma and grandpa, mom and dad, grandkids and family friends...everyone has their own room, and there is something for all age groups.  Best of all, no one has to cook meals so everyone can enjoy and there are convenient payment plans that allow families to book more than a year in advance and budget that vacation!

Exciting New Events!

First of all, we have launched the new web site as well as our own "bar scan" code! We're feeling quite modern and hope that everyone gets a chance to visit the new site and explore the information. In addition, we have a Facebook page to keep you all up to date on fun and new events!

In the past few months, it's been very busy at the travel agency. We have added new agents, of course the new web site, and new cruises for 2012. There is something for everyone.

Some new travel options:

Hawaii is on sale til December 15! Rates from $677 including air from Seattle, transfers and five nights at the Park Shore in Waikiki..

The agency has a motorcoach going to Leavenworth for the annual tree lighting ceremony on December 10. It will depart from Kennewick, WA if you are interested in that, just go to the hot specials page and send in a request, or call Melodie at 509-528-9000 for more information.

Group cruises are set for Relay for Life for November of 2012, as well as an Eastern Caribbean and Superbowl weekend....

So keep checking the web site and looking for more fun from Your Travel Experts!