Create Your “I Dream of Summer” Wish List and WIN Travel Prizes

By
Dave Parfitt
– April 15, 2014Posted in: Family Travel, Travel Type

Yesterday’s temperature cracked 80 degrees only to plummet back down toward the freezing point and… SNOW.  Yes, a dusting of snow in April, not much, but enough to make you dream of summer.  It’s been a long, cold winter here in Rochester, NY, and, like Olaf from Disney’s FROZEN, my thoughts drift to those lazy, hazy days of summer.  That’s why I’m thrilled to partner with Best Western International and their “I Dream of Summer” campaign.  Continue reading for my summer travel wish and how you could WIN Best Western gift cards to help make your summer travel dreams come true.

“But sometimes I like to close my eyes, and imagine what it’d be like when summer does come… Olaf”

FROZEN

OLAF. ©2013 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

Update April 23, 2014

We have a $200 Best Western Travel gift card that one of our readers can WIN right now.  All you need to do is use the Rafflecopter widget below, and leave a comment on this post sharing a bit of your summer travel wish list.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Original post from April 15 follows below…

Like Olaf, one of my favorite things to do is daydream about our summer vacation.  As I head to work, on yet another brisk morning, with flakes of snow flitting through the air, I started creating a summer travel wish list.  It is, perhaps not surprisingly, full of warm, toasty, even tropical destinations.  Here are a few places on my “I Dream of Summer” wish list I would LOVE to visit with my family:

1. Riviera Maya, Mexico – ever since a quick visit to this Yucatan Peninsula jungle sanctuary, I’ve wanted to return with my family.  Pristine beaches with warm Caribbean water lapping on the shore, and ancient Mayan archaeological ruins like Tulum and Coba make for an exotic escape.

2. Universal Orlando Resort, Florida – two words… Harry. Potter.  This summer Universal Orlando is opening the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley at its Universal Studios Florida theme park.  My Harry Potter obsessed daughters could immerse themselves in another magical realm in the center of the Muggle world and escape a dragon inside Gringotts, dine at the Leaky Cauldron, and ride the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade Station.

3. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming – my wife and I took a trip to Yellowstone when she was pregnant with our first child.  We took it easy that trip, sitting on the walkways waiting for the geysers to erupt in a spectacular show.  That daughter is 16 now, and it’s high time we take the kids to see the wonder of our nation’s first National Park.

4. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona – simply put, I’ve never been.  I’ve gazed down upon the gorge from 30,000 feet, but never walked up to the rim of the Grand Canyon to behold its panorama up close.  I don’t keep “bucket lists,” but a visit to the Grand Canyon is perennially on my travel wish list.

These are just a few destinations, and believe me, I could go on… and on… and on… Yosemite, Hawaii, Tahiti, Australia, so many place to visit.  Do you have an “I Dream of Summer” wish list?  I’d love to hear it, and so would Best Western International.  You can make your own “I Dream of Summer” wish list on the Best Western Facebook page, and enter their sweepstakes too where you could win that summer dream vacation, hotel nights, or gift cards.

I Dream of Summer - Best Western

If you’re a Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest user, you can also share your pictures, summer travel plans, and ask questions using the #IDreamofSummer hashtag.  Some posts and photos using #IDreamofSummer will receive cool prizes to help out with your trip.  Don’t feel like waiting for summer to take a trip?  Best Western is currently offering a promotion where travelers who stay twice this spring (until May 18th), can earn a $50 travel card towards their stays this summer.

So take heart, this long winter will eventually come to an end.  Remember Olaf’s advice,

“When life gets rough, I like to hold on to my dream 
Relaxing in the summer sun, just lettin’ off steam”

Winter may have been rough, but if you start making plans now, you’ll be relaxing in the summer sun before you know it.  For more family travel news, reviews, and trip reports, be sure to follow Adventures by Daddy on twitter and “like” our facebook page too.

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About Dave Parfitt

Married, father of two girls, and living in the heart of the Finger Lakes. I'm a runner with a PhD in neuroscience and a passion for travel.