Anyone experienced the Childrens Program on Holland America? We are looking at the Volendam, & have a 10-year old boy and an 8-year old girl. Is HA only for the older crowd? Thanks for your advice.

this posting is ancient...hope you're still checking linda! <BR>we took the Ryndaam from Vancouver to Seward with an 8 year old and 13 year old. They were in separate groups...the tweens and the teens. both had so much fun! they had arts & crafts, scavenger hunts, movie and popcorn nights, a night where they took over the disco for an hour or two, and ship tours. some of the entertainers did double duty as Kid counselors, so it made the evening shows much more fun for our girls to see their friends. one tip...we took walkie talkies for all of us. That way, the kids could call us right when their activities were over late at night and we could go pick them up, rather than us sitting around waiting for them or having them wander alone on the ship. the motorola walkabouts were great...they worked anywhere on the ship.

I NEED to travel. I was raised as a corporate brat, moving to a new city every few years. I go nuts if I spend to much time at home.

Insatiable curiosity.
I am interested in visiting almost anywhere I've never been....just to see what it's like.
Small towns, empty plains, touristy spots, wherever.
And there aren't too many places I like returning to (never get tired of NYC and Italy).

Tansy said: &quot;But reasons #1 and #3 say more about our current quality of life, not the need to leave our homes and go somewhere new . . . &quot;
To that I say, would you want to wear the same style of clothes and eat the same food every day for the rest of your life?

I love to read and then I love to see the places I've read about. It seems that the more places you experience, the richer your life is. Someday when I'm sitting in a rocking chair at the &quot;home&quot; I will have memories. I was watching an old western the other day, and I reconzined the mountains in the movie as being in the Canadian Rockies. Then maybe I love to rtravel because I grew up hearing my dad play the piano and sign &quot;Far away places with strange sounding names, are calling, calling me.&quot;

So fun to read your answers...I suppose none of us travel for just one reason. I guess I have a couple of compelling reasons. I travel because it makes my world larger. The people I meet, the art I see and the natural wonders I view all expand my understanding of others and myself. I also travel to get perspective. When home for too long, I get to thinking that my problems or stresses are larger than they really are. Travel reminds me that my situation is one among millions and that I would miss all that is &quot;out there&quot; if I stayed stuck in my own universe.

hugglynn, I completely relate to your comments about relatives or friends being envious/angry about the amount of travel my husband and I do. We are also DINKs and take many trips per year. Some people seem to think it is wasteful somehow (!) -- like we should be spending our money on something more &quot;worthwhile.&quot; As if travel is not worthwhile!

I like to travel to get away from my regular routine. It's a refreshing way to see new surroundings and meet new people. I like to just drive and look at the scenery. Very relaxing for me.

Why do people travel?? because it does something special to your heart, soul, your whole being! for example, My husband and I tryed unsuccessfully for 4 yrs. to conceive our 2nd child, when lo and behold we go to the ocean for 1 week, (had not been on vacation since my 1st born)and I guess watching my husband and son frolick in the ocean must have done SOMETHING to me because I came back (with child)!!! we found out 3 weeks after we got back&gt;

because I don't have a a tranquil blue sea and warm sun in my backyard!

I can't drink champagne in the middle of the afternoon!