Tag archives for Rainer Jenss
As I prepared for my sixth visit to South Africa (the second with the entire family in tow), I wanted to move beyond what we’d already seen while keeping it age-appropriate. So we decided to spend a few days in Durban before heading into the bush.
Having already done the Circle Line cruise, all the major museums, a city bus tour, and even a bike trip through Harlem, I was looking for a new take on the city I’ve spent most of my adult life working in. Cue Turnstile Tours.
Knowing that our first family vacation would have to wait until spring break, I reminded myself that you don’t have to board a plane or cross a state border to experience the joys that travel brings. That sense of exploration can be found right in your backyard, if you have the right attitude.
There are a slew of lists about the best places to go and the best things to do while traveling. But there’s one list you may not have heard about: the Resort and Commercial Recreation Association’s annual awards for excellence.
The past week has been a profoundly sad and somber one for all, but perhaps more so than for the parents of young children. If something positive could possibly be taken away from the Newtown tragedy, it’s that we’re probably hugging our kids a bit tighter and appreciating them just a little more.
Why is it that with each passing year, it seems to get more and more difficult to think of a cool gift idea for my wife’s birthday? Maybe it’s because in 2008, we spent her special day walking around Kyoto, Japan in traditional kimonos and stayed over at an authentic 19th-century ryokan. So, there I was, having a drink at the Kitano Hotel in New York City, plum out of bright ideas, when I learned that the property had a special tatami suite that offered guests what it was calling authentic Japanese culture and hospitality.
Take Time Off to Travel: Meet, Plan, Go!
Posted by Rainer Jenss on October 2, 2012 
Taking a career break to travel is becoming a popular trend. Find out more about how Meet, Plan, Go! can help you make the leap from dreaming to living the dream.
Confession: I’ve seen Shrek with my boys at least a half-dozen times, bought them every Harry Potter book in the series, and, if I had a daughter, would relish the chance to dress her as princess on Halloween. So I decided to take my family to Ireland to recapture some of the magical innocence of childhood while exposing my kids to a country steeped in both history and folklore.
We’ve all experienced how hard it can be to transition from vacation mode to everyday mode. That’s why I decided to tack on a few days of downtime to my family’s summer travels to help us ease back into our routines. After spending a hectic week in London navigating the Olympic games, I figured Ireland was the perfect place to decompress before our return flight dropped us back in reality.
If you’re one of the millions of parents who enrolled their kids in summer camp this year, the biggest decision you probably faced was whether to send them to a day camp close to home or an overnight camp farther afield. In the past, my wife and I always opted for the former even though our children are old enough to leave the nest, but this year we discovered an interesting option that combined the two: joining the kids at a sleep-away camp.
Last-Minute Spring Break Idea: Arizona, Part 1
Posted by Rainer Jenss on March 13, 2012 
If you haven’t yet finalized your family’s spring break plans, chances are you might not be going to that beach resort, theme park, or cruise ship you’ve been contemplating for months now. Unless you don’t mind paying the big bucks to book last-minute deals to popular family destinations like Florida, the Caribbean, or California, you…
Celebrating Winter a la Quebec
Posted by Rainer Jenss on February 23, 2012 
Many of us in the Northeast, and across the country for that matter, have been wondering what happened to winter this year. Not that I’m complaining, but there’s been almost no snow and daytime highs have been well into the 40°s, and even 50°s in New York. So to get a taste of the season…
10 Questions to Ask Before Booking Your Next Family Trip
Posted by Rainer Jenss on January 12, 2012 
Family travel writer Rainer Jenss shares his New Year’s resolutions when it comes to planning trips with his family. For 2012, instead of making my usual bucket list, I’m concentrating mostly on which places and activities are going to benefit my kids and enrich their lives. With that in mind, here are a few questions…
Winter Family Getaway in New York
Posted by Rainer Jenss on December 23, 2011 
With winter now officially underway, the northeast is bracing for what could be another very snowy season. For those of us with kids in the New York City area, traveling this time of year is often focused on the nearby ski resorts and slopes of New England. There are alternatives, however, for parents (like my…
Southern Hemisphere Beach Gems
Posted by Rainer Jenss on July 14, 2011 
Because we’ve got sand on our minds these days, I’ve compiled a list of five more amazing beaches from around the world that can serve as inspiration for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere who may be longing for some surf and sun once the weather turns cold here.
Back on a Cruise – Part 2
Posted by Rainer Jenss on May 24, 2011 
A year ago, Rainer Jenss traveled around the world with his wife and two sons and blogged about his experience here on Intelligent Travel. We’re proud to announce that Rainer’s Jenss Family Travels was selected as one of the Top 25 Family Travel Blogs by Babble.com. This is Part 2 of his family’s latest adventure–a cruise to…
Back on a Cruise – Part 1
Posted by Rainer Jenss on May 16, 2011 
A year ago, Rainer Jenss traveled around the world with his wife and two sons and blogged about his experience here on Intelligent Travel. We’re proud to announce that Rainer’s Jenss Family Travels was selected as one of the Top 25 Family Travel Blogs by Babble.com. Today he writes to us about his family’s latest…
Celebrating Winter: Adrenalin Rush
Posted by Rainer Jenss on March 24, 2011 A year ago, Rainer Jenss traveled around the world with his wife and two sons and blogged about his experience here on Intelligent Travel. He writes to us about his family’s latest adventure– embracing the cold. This is his third post. Read more from Rainer here. If you go by the calendar, winter is officially…
Celebrating Winter: The Ice Hotel
Posted by Rainer Jenss on March 21, 2011 A year ago, Rainer Jenss traveled around the world with his wife and two sons and blogged about his experience here on Intelligent Travel. He writes to us about his family’s latest adventure– embracing the cold. This is his second post. Read the first post here. Having traveled around the world together, the Jenss family…
Family Diving in Palau: Part 2
Posted by Rainer Jenss on February 9, 2011 Last week, Rainer Jenss shared how he prepared his children for their first diving trip to Palau. Read the first post here. When I told friends our family was traveling to Palau this past Thanksgiving, I usually had to include a brief geography lesson as part of the conversation. The truth is, it’s not enough…
Scuba Diving With Kids in Palau
Posted by Rainer Jenss on February 4, 2011 Anyone with young kids certainly knows about the lifestyle modifications that need to be made in order to raise children. Among other things, you just can’t go out as much or stay up as late as you did BC (before children). And when it comes to traveling, most parents somehow feel obligated to forgo their…
A Return to Lake Placid
Posted by Rainer Jenss on January 20, 2011 A year ago, Rainer Jenss traveled around the world with his wife and two sons and blogged about his experience here on Intelligent Travel. Now he’s back stateside and sharing his tips on traveling with kids. Back when the thermometer readings were in the 80s in the Northeast, our family spent a couple action-packed days…
The Christmas Lights of Dyker Heights
Posted by Rainer Jenss on December 17, 2010 A year ago, Rainer Jenss traveled around the world with his wife and two sons, and blogged about his experience here on Intelligent Travel. Now he’s back stateside and sharing his tips on traveling with kids. If you ask the average New Yorker what their plans are for the holidays, my guess is most will…
Japan’s Maid Cafes
Posted by Rainer Jenss on October 5, 2010 Last year, Rainer Jenss traveled around the world with his wife and two sons, and blogged about his experience here on Intelligent Travel. Now he’s writing a column that focuses on traveling with kids. During a recent visit to Japan, I had a chance to explore a side of Tokyo that was quite different from…
Taking on Toyko
Posted by Rainer Jenss on September 17, 2010 Last year, Rainer Jenss traveled around the world with his wife and two sons, and blogged about his experience here on Intelligent Travel. Now he’s writing a column that focuses on traveling with kids. This summer, my ten-year-old son Stefan was invited to Tokyo, Japan, to take part in the 20th anniversary of the World…
