Trip Ideas: National Parks

11 Coolest Winter Places in America

Baby, it's cold outside—but that doesn't mean you have to stay indoors. From bobsledding like an Olympian to viewing the Northern Lights, here are 11 ...more

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  • Utahs South Window Arch

    National Parks (Minus the Crowds)

    Our most protected lands—and the dramatic drives that give access to them—are all too often conga lines of taillights and tourists. These four itineraries revive the majesty.

  • Crater Lake National Park

    Beat the Crowds in September

    Autumn's a good time to visit Redwood, Crater Lake, Acadia, and North Cascades parks, as temperatures will be cool and school kids absent.

  • Photos: America's Most Thrilling Winter Activities

    Baby, it's cold outside—but that doesn't mean you have to stay indoors. From bobsledding like an Olympian to viewing the Northern Lights, here are 11 destinations to hit before the snow melts.

  • Photos: 12 Unbelievable Elevators

    When it comes to elevators, function usually trumps form and the ride is utterly forgettable. Not so with these lifts—some look like they belong in sci-fi thrillers, others could be theme park attractions, but a trip on any one of them will earn you a lifetime of bragging rights.

  • 12 Elevators You Need to See to Believe

    Take a thrill ride on any of these 12 elevators and earn a lifetime of bragging rights.

  • The Grand Canyon, 3 Ways

    You can never have enough time in the Grand Canyon—after all, it's a billion-plus years in the making. We help you get the most of your stay whether you've got a week, a weekend, or just a few hours.

  • Grand Canyon

    A Good Old Faithful Family Vacation

    Yellowstone National Park gets millions of visitors each year. We spotlight six types of families who recently made the trip.

See All Trip Ideas: National Parks Content

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Travel Tips

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Cruises
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If your vacation spot is a major port of call for cruise ships, plan excursions for the days that the ships aren't docked. Tours will be less crowded, and you'll get to see and do a lot more.

— Krista Fowles
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Hotels
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I was heading to the hotel ice machine when I noticed that our ice bucket was looking very tired and missing its disposable plastic liner. My solution: the shower cap that we never use anyway. In fact, it actually worked better than the liner bag because the elastic band held it in place around the top of the bucket.

— Susan Swickard
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Safety
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Don't be afraid to go to a foreign pharmacy. I forgot to pack my prescription medication on a recent trip to France. When my problem acted up, I went to a local pharmacy. (Look for the green cross.) The pharmacist provided my medication without a prescription and at a fraction of what it would have cost in the United States. In fact, one could benefit by stocking up abroad on medications that would normally be acquired at home at a much higher price.

— Mainard Tom
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Hotels
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If you can't sleep due to the heat in your non-air-conditioned hotel room, take a cold bottle of water and place it on your pillow, in the crook of your neck. It will cool your whole body down.

— Tony van Hasselt
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Family Travel
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Create an ID page for each of your children before you leave on a trip. In addition to vacation contact information (hotel name and phone number), include the child's name, a current photo, home address, phone, date of birth, Social Security number, passport number, hair color, eye color, height, any identifying marks, blood type, allergies, medications, doctor and insurance phone numbers and ID numbers, immunization schedule, and fingerprints (these don't change, so investing the time to have a set made is worth it). If the unspeakable happens, the ability to hand over instant, concise information to authorities may prove invaluable. Update it before every trip.

— Robin Flannery
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Planning
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Be certain to have enough blank pages in your passport. Someone I know had a terrible time getting per- mission to board a flight from Zambia to South Africa because she didn't have the two blank passport pages required to enter South Africa. Thank goodness my husband had read about the requirement. Before the trip, we sent our passports to the center in Charleston and had extra pages added at no charge.

— Patricia Beagle
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Packing
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Put your perfume and cologne bottles inside pairs of rolled-up socks to keep them cushioned during your journey.

— Joia Starks
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Technology
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Destinationcoupons.com supplies free discount coupons for cities all over the United States and the world. Print them out on your home computer and save on hotels, shows, rental cars, restaurants, and many other activities.

— Donald Bertolet
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Road Trips
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I take each of my grandchildren on a road trip the summer each turns twelve. The trips range in length from two weeks to a month and require careful packing. I've learned to put our clothes and any snack items we'll need in large plastic bins that fit in the back of my minivan. We each bring a small bag and pack it every evening with items we'll need for that night and the next day: no lugging heavy suitcases in and out of motels or hotels.

— Patsy Maddox
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Packing
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Every year, I get address labels from numerous charitable organizations. I keep them with me when traveling because it's the quickest way to provide my address to new friends, enter prize drawings at shops, sign guest books, etc. It's not only efficient; it can also help spread the word about worthwhile charities.

— Carole Wilk
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Planning
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My friends and I contribute to a kitty and use that money to pay for group expenses such as taxis and meals. It saves us from having to figure out each person's share at every stop. At the end of the trip, we split what remains.

— Carol Moran
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Hotels
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If you make a hotel reservation online and then cancel online, print out and save the cancellation confirmation for at least two billing cycles past your trip. After our vacation, I found a "no-show" charge on my credit card for a room that I'd canceled well in advance. Without the confirmation, I had no way to contest the bill.

— Karen Griffith-Hedberg
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Planning
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I've discovered a wonderful way to enjoy massages at a fraction of the usual cost. Some massage-training schools provide superb service in a spa-type environment. Do a Google search to see if there are training programs near your next vacation destination.

— Karen Gardiner
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Packing
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Take along an extra duffel bag for your laundry. As your vacation progresses, throw dirty clothes into the duffel, keeping your suitcase for fresh clothes. At the end of the trip, put a tag on the bag and check it at the airport. This will also give you space in your luggage to bring home souvenirs or new clothes.

— Susan Wiley
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Planning
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If you wait to buy a discount-granting Entertainment Book until around six months before it expires (expiration is usually scheduled for November), you can often buy a $20 to $47 book for as little as $10, plus $5 shipping. Online access to the coupons is sold for $7 a month. These are great for vacations out of town.

— Kitty Bennett
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Dining
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Going to a place where you don't speak the language? Take along a picture booklet filled with examples of common food items (chicken, cow, rice, bottled water, coffee, wine, etc.) and use it to find dishes you like—you only have to point to the picture of what you want. We did this during a recent trip to Asia and always had wonderful meals.

— Mario Gonzalez
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Packing
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When carrying around my small umbrella, I put it in a Ziploc bag. After using it, I can store the umbrella, back inside the Ziploc, in my shoulder bag without getting everything else soaked.

— Sandy Sussman
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Packing
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Everyone knows that duct tape is great for helping out in travel emergencies, but no one wants to lug around a bulky roll of the stuff. By wrapping a few feet onto a pencil or ballpoint pen, you'll get a miniature roll that does not take up much in the way of additional space.

— Randy Hartselle
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Technology
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Just before a trip to Spain, I emailed myself a list of addresses of the friends and family I might want to email while away. At a cybercafe, I was able to simply cut and paste the list into the address line of a new message.

— Rita Young
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Packing
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Recycle the long plastic bags in which you receive your home-delivered newspapers. Slip your shoes into the bags before packing them in your suitcase.

— Robert E. Jones
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Car Rentals
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When parking in a crowded garage, don't settle for the first space available on a lower level. It's probably a half-day hike from the elevator. Instead, drive to the upper levels, where you can usually park right next to the elevator. This tip was very useful in Las Vegas, especially when checking in and out of hotels with our luggage.

— Shane Kays
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Rental Cars
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I always take a digital picture of the gas gauge to prove that I returned the rental car with a full tank. Some agencies try to charge for a minimal amount of gas when they "top off" the tank (which you're not supposed to do anyway). I've used these digital photographs to get refunds for gas charges that appeared on my credit-card bill after the fact.

— Jeff Mishur
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Hotels
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If you're traveling solo and your room has a double bed, sleep on the side farthest from the phone. It's slept on less frequently and is therefore more comfortable.

— Ruth Schnur
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Packing
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Grab-rails and nonskid surfaces aren't common in European bathtubs and showers. I pack a few decorative rubber pads that have non-adhesive suction cups, so I can use them when needed to prevent a slip or fall, and then I take them with me to the next hotel.

— Fran Plewak
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Packing
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Pack a glue stick for journaling. Rather than bringing home an envelope full of ticket stubs and mementos, you can glue them into your journal as you're traveling. You'll have a better chance of remembering what the ticket was for if you label it right away.

— Jon Chun
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Cultural Etiquette
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My husband and I befriended some locals in Provence by joining them in a game of petanque. It was such a memorable experience that now we brush up on local games each time we plan to travel abroad. We've played dominoes in Spain and bocce in Italy.

— Lesa Porché
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Car Rentals
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When booking a rental car online, click on "special offers" or "hot deals" to find the company's current promotional codes. Price your reservation using each code. Also, keep in mind that rates fluctuate according to seasons and slow periods. I managed to save more than $170 on a ten-day rental in Orlando, Fla.,by changing my reservation dates twice and by using different codes.

— Jeff Thomsen
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Shopping
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When you're shopping for alcohol on any Caribbean island, ask if there's a Kmart nearby. Often the dis- counter is a short distance from the docks where the cruise ships tie up and has an extensive selection at prices lower than the liquor stores on the main drag. While you're there, pick up that extra roll of film or the sunscreen you forgot.

— Andrea Mansfield
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Air Travel
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I work for a major airline and can attest to this tip for redirecting lost luggage. Place a copy of your itinerary--including contact info for where you're staying--inside your checked suitcase. If name and flight tags are missing, we'll still know where your bag needs to go.

— Michelle Keonig
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Packing
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Dry-cleaning bags stop clothes from wrinkling. Slide each garment into its own bag (leave the hanger at home) and place them flat on your bed, one on top of another. Then carefully fold the entire stack to fit it in your suitcase. Once you get to your hotel, hang everything up as soon as you can. You'll never unpack a suitcase of wrinkled clothes again.

— Claudette Christman

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