Travel California
College-Bound Family Vacation is Great Way To See State, Visit Schools
The Signal - Business Section, March, 2005
If you haven’t made family summer vacation plans yet, no worries. Rather than stress about planning too late, finding airfares to Europe and available flights for everyone, why not consider revisiting California.
For those of you with teenagers hoping to head off to college in the coming years, summer travel is also an opportunity to combine a family vacation and statewide campus visits. Boasting a wide diversity of terrain, cities, local culture and sights, California really does have it all. And that includes access to top-level education as well.
We often forget that right here in our own backyard are some of the best vacation spots and universities in the country. While some young people already have the college and career in mind, many are still trying to figure out where to go and what to study. How many 18-year-olds really know what they want to be when they grow up?
So take them traveling. Help your teenager make the right decision by introducing them to new experiences within our unique state, and the variety of educational institutes available. Plan to pack up the car or hop on a train. Take a family vacation that includes stopping in different cities, exploring the surrounding community and checking out the collegiate scene.
From Westwood to Berkeley, the university vacation is your chance to see a variety of college towns and determine what location is the right investment for your student during the next four years. Sunshine and beaches, rain and fog, urban or rural, California’s got it.
To plan a college travel trip like this, get the whole family involved in the exploration. If you want to visit UC Davis up north, think about what else you’d like to see and do while you’re there. Maybe a river rafting adventure on the American River for a couple of days, or visit the state capitol in Sacramento. Heading south, consider a stop at Disneyland or Marine World to have some fun with the kids before checking out the campus of San Diego State.
For kids with specific interests and talents, think outside the traditional UC or state college system. Go to San Francisco, see the city and visit the California Culinary Institute or the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Or, what about Pasadena for the Otis Parsons School of Design? Who knew downtown Pasadena could be so interesting.
Travel is a fun way to help motivate your kids about college and their future. It expands their minds to new possibilities and places, and gives them something to look forward to. Travel is also a shared experience, creating lasting memories for the whole family to keep and enjoy long after the vacation and graduation day pass.
California is a great state with every opportunity present. We should get out and see more of it. Then, once the kids are away at school, take that European vacation you’ve been dreaming of. Just be sure to plan ahead.
Commentary provided by Eric Maryanov, president and founder of All-Travel.com, the Los Angeles-based travel management company with an office in Valencia. He can be reached at 661.775.7511..
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