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The thought of vacationing is (typically) an exciting one!

This world we live in has more places to vacation than one can even imagine and some places you many never think of could be just what the doctor ordered.

First, consider what you and your family love to do. Relax on the beach? Ride a 120 foot high roller-coaster at 70 MPH? Hand-glide from the mountaintops? Kick back on the boat waiting for the fish to bite? Swim with sharks? Lounge on a 'floatie'? Well, whether you like to relax or you are a dare-devil, there are hundreds of amazing places for all of these activities!

Are you looking for the perfect beach? Raised in Florida, I understand great beaches'and all of them are different. If you are looking for the whitest sand, visit the panhandle of Florida around Destin, Seaside, Panama City or Ft. Walton Beach. If you want catch some waves, your best bet will be the east coast cities of Cocoa Beach or Daytona Beach. Looking for peace, quiet and a good cocktail, then the southwest coast cities of Naples or Ft. Myers might be in order. Want to party until the wee hours of the morning, then Miami or Ft. Lauderdale is the place to go'but I warn you, bring you shades because walking out of the bar at 6am when the sun is shining can be a frightening experience! Finally, you just can't beat the Florida Keys if you want all of the above. And, if you are looking for amazing beaches outside of Florida, it's hard to go wrong with Southern California anywhere from San Diego all the way up to Malibu.

However, let's not be shortsighted and think that all the best beaches in the world are you the U.S. If you have been to the Caribbean, you will see why visitors to all of these islands tend to go back at least every few years. Amazing views and lazy days, ethnic food and fun shopping experiences are what make up all of the 'St.' islands, Jamaica and the Bahamas. I don't even have time to talk about the Mediterranean Sea and all of its locales.

Looking for a deeper glimpse into history? You might want to visit the Greek Isles or Italy. Venice, Florence, Naples and Rome are steeped in history and amazing places to visit from today and from the Roman Empire 2000 years ago. The home of the 2004 summer Olympics, Athens has enough to keep you learning for a week, not to mention Corinth or Sparta.

Are you an avid Skier? We all know how amazing, breathtaking and fun the Colorado Rockies can be for ski vacations. There are almost too many ski vacation areas to pick from with resorts, vacation home rentals, hotels, long trails, steep hills ' you name it, they have it. Breckenridge. Keystone. Beaver Creek. Silverthorne. The list goes one. However, Colorado does not have the corner on the market for U.S. ski vacations. Utah, Idaho, Montana, Lake Tahoe all can be your dream skiing vacation! Want to travel just a few hours north via plane and you can visit Whistler. Just north of Vancouver in British Columbia, Whistler is home to some of the top rated ski resorts in all of North America. With resorts like Whistler/Blackcomb, you can explore 8,100 acres of skiable terrain on the two mountains, a huge 5,280 vertical drop, 12 high-speed quads, 3 gondolas and the most slopeside lodging.

Have you been to Africa lately? If you are like me, you probably haven't. It has been almost a decade since I last visited South Africa, but Kruger National Park is a site to see. A Safari during the day is fun and safe for the family. You'll get to see an incredible amount of animals in their natural, unhindered habitat. However, for those thrill seekers, get on an open Jeep at night for a ride around the park'if you see some eyeballs glowing in the dark though, hold on tight because there is something about seeing a lion at night from only about 100 yards away! I almost needed a new pair of pants!

So, regardless of what you are looking for in a family vacation, planet Earth has it for you. It just takes a little planning and a little saving (sometimes a lot of saving) and you can go on the vacation of your dreams.