Published: February 09, 2008 03:42 pm      

Have you considered a North American or Hawaiian family vacation?

The concept of synergy applies beautifully to vacations. Synergy is most simply defined as 2+2 = 5. Or as one politician gets 1,000 votes, the second politician gets another 1,000 votes, together they get 2,500 votes.

You and your spouse are going on a trip. The smiles and anticipation are evident. Now add to that the smiles and anticipation of your children, maybe even your grandchildren and your parents. Now the smiles and anticipation have grown into a huge ball of giddy excitement. And it is larger than the sum of all the persons going along. That’s vacation synergy.

Are some of your most treasured memories meaningful because they were experienced with your loved ones? Did you know there’s a company dedicated to providing great ways for families to share the world?

Tauck Bridges has done all of the research and planning. Practically all expenses are included — hotels, most meals, sightseeing, admissions, special entertainment and even gratuities. All you and your family have to do is show up and begin your adventure. It’s all been previously planned and paid for.

You’ll stay at centrally located hotels, enjoy pre-set dinner reservations, travel on boats and coaches reserved especially for Tauck guests, tour historic sights and landmarks with local experts and private guides. There’s no waiting in line for tickets. You also enjoy the benefit of luggage handling and hotel-check-in for a hassle free vacation experience.

Tauck Bridges travels to some of my favorite places. In North America you and your family can enjoy “Red Rocks and Painted Canyons” featuring the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks, Glen Canyon Rafting, Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon. There’s also “Cowboy Country” which includes Grand Teton and Yellowstone, Jackson, Cody, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Mt. Rushmore, and Ranch at Ucross.

“Patriots of America” allows American history to come alive. Begin in Philadelphia with Independence Hall, then on to Lancaster County (Amish Country), Hershey (chocolate country), and Gettysburg. You cross the Mason Dixon Line and visit the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Of course no American History tour is complete without a day in the life of Colonial Williamsburg, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and the monuments of Washington, DC.

The Canadian Rockies are fantastic, and on the tour you will experience Calgary, Lake Louise, Emerald Lake, Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Banff National Park, the Columbia Icefield, and Athabasca Glacier.

Alaska can be seen by something other than a seven-day cruise.

Your family will first explore the wilderness by jet boat, then flightsee Mt. McKinley, meet Alaskan Huskies and a musher, raft or hike the Kenai Peninsula, visit the Alaska SeaLife Center and embark on a Kenai Fjords cruise. Visit the Alaska Wildlife Center, take a train to Spencer Glacier, and then raft down the Placer River.

On Oahu you will take a surfing lesson and visit Pearl Harbor. On Maui journey to the bottom of the sea at the Maui Ocean Center. Volcanoes National Park waits for you on the big island, then you take in a luau, a catamaran cruise, and an evening on a working Hawaiian ranch.

What great ways to see North America and Hawaii. Isn’t there one that’s perfect for you and your loved ones?

Joy Gawf-Crutchfield owns The Joy of Travel. Contact her at 918-339-4805 or email joyoftravel@yahoo.com.