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This week we bring you Spring Break trip ideas for families. Soon, very soon, the kids will be out of school for their spring holiday and sitting around the house is not an option. Travel deals abound this time of year.

Spring break is the ideal time to do some family bonding while vacationing somewhere sunny and warm. The key word here is “break.” Do something to get your minds off of work and school. That means you need to plan something that will help you make the most of your time off. Head somewhere that you’ve never been. Treat the kids to a trip they’ll want to tell their friends about. This trip needs to hold your family over until summer vacation. So make it a real vacation.

We’ve sorted our favorite family spring break suggestions into three categories: Educational, for those families who want to learn a little more about the world; Recreational, for families looking for a little fresh air and exercise, and; Fantastical, for families who want to get as far from the real world as possible.

Educational

Science and History in Washington, D.C.: Cultural experiences abound in this trip to the Nation’s capital which includes a visit to the National Museum of the American Indian, the Space Museum, the Museum of Natural History, the U.S. Holocaust Museum and, last but not least, the International Spy Museum.

Houston Family Getaway: Spring is a good time to visit Houston, before the heat of summer sets in. This trip includes a NASA Tour at the Houston Space Center, a visit to the Houston Zoo, and a horseback tour through Sam Houston National Forest, where you may spot a number of endangered species. Top it off with a day of mystery where your family will perform CSI at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Recreational

Helping in Honduras: This trip is both recreational and educational. Your family will spend a few hours a day volunteering on a community revitalization project on the Island of Roatan in Honduras. In your free time your family can enjoy of a wide range of outdoor activities such as snorkeling, sailing and guided eco-tours.

Jamaican Vacation: This all-inclusive vacation to the Starfish Trelawny Resort in Jamaica is tailored specifically for families, with a kid’s program that includes circus and trapeze instruction—you’ll have no problem keeping the kids entertained while you slip off for a spa treatment.

Fantastical

Disneyland and California Adventure: This southern California Disney escape offers three days of magical fun at Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks. Leave the real world behind during your stay in the heart of Orange County, California, with easy access to the area’s best beaches, popular shopping centers, and all the family fun in the sun you can handle.

Disneyworld Family Vacation in Florida: If your family just can’t wait for winter to end, Sunny Florida is a wonderful place to get away from the deep freeze of winter. This family getaway to fantasyland in Florida includes a day at Sea World, including a private lunch with Shamu, and a day in Disneyworld, with plenty of time to squeeze a few other Orlando attractions.

Spring break is just around the corner and, if you haven’t started planning a trip with your friends, then you better get busy. Maybe you’ve been busy with classes or work and haven’t had time to plan. Don’t panic. Imin.com is here to help you narrow your options with some of our best ideas for spring break getaways with friends.

These friendly getaways are geared toward groups of people who share the need to cut loose in whatever method that may be—beaches, boarding, or biking. Open to both boys and girls, these trip ideas are based on the theory that your group needs to get outside—you’ve been cooped up all winter and a big dose of fresh air and sunshine is in order. Here are some of our favorite trip ideas for celebrating spring break with friends—both beach based and adventure oriented (because not everyone wants to spend their vacation sitting on the beach with a cocktail in their hands watching the tide roll in and out—which is hard to believe).

Check back for our favorite ideas for family spring break vacations.

Beach Vacations

Total Hedonism: This all-inclusive Jamaican vacation is the quintessential spring break getaway replete with all the beach time and frilly drinks you can handle. Spend the days lounging on the beach resting up for wild nights out with friends and enjoy a week of complete hedonism. You may never want to return.

Hawaiian Adventure: You don’t need to spend all your time sitting on the beach or lounging by the pool (unless you want to). This Hawaiian getaway includes a few exciting activities should you care to get up from your lounge chair—take a hike, sail a catamaran, explore the seas via snorkel. Then kick back with a cocktail while you watch the sunset with your friends.

Sail, Surf and Soar: This San Diego based getaway is all about experiencing the San Diego beach scene. There is always sun in San Diego, soak it up during private surf lessons, parasailing along the Pacific Coast and sunset sailing on an America’s Cup yacht.

Miami Sun and Sea: This beach-based getaway offers plenty of time to soak in the sun, snorkel, SCUBA and surf, plus a chance to experience Miami’s infamous nightlife. Add some excitement and intrigue with a night of gaming on a private yacht.

Adventure/Active Getaways

Sustainable Living in Costa Rica This trip includes whitewater rafting, fishing and surfing in beautiful Costa Rica with an ecological twist. This unique group trip offers a journey into sustainable living and provides an opportunity to experience actual sustainable living techniques that can be applied to your everyday life. Make this an education spring break trip.

Moab Attack: The legendary White Rim Trail in the Utah desert is a rite of passage for true mountain bikers and a spring break ritual for many groups of friends. Once you experience this backcountry mountain biking trip your group will want to repeat it year after year. This 100-mile, 4-day camp and ride takes your group through the scenic and wild backcountry canyons carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers.

Grand Canyon Hiking Adventure: Descend into the depths of the canyon’s magical Havasupai Canyon where your group will spend the night under the towering canyon walls. This is a chance to bond with friends while you explore the spectacular nooks and crannies of the Grand Canyon, including a chance to swim in the beautiful blue-green waters beneath 80 ft Navajo Falls and 100 ft Havasu Falls.

Featured Trip

Explore the Galapagos Islands

Make this spring break unforgettable with a trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Get off the beaten path and away from the crowds and experience the Galapagos as only native Galapaguenos can deliver them. Your group will be treated to a native’s knowledge while you enjoy everything scuba, birding, biking, surfing, fishing, hiking and, oh yeah, salsa dancing, all under the guidance of a local tour guide.

Bring on Spring with a Group Getaway

It is mid February and cabin fever is has set in. The weather this winter has been harsh, keeping even the heartiest souls inside. It is time to get out. It is time to start thinking about spring break. Some of you may have started dreaming about a spring break vacation months ago and, as the snow piles up in many parts of the country, a spring break trip may have been all that kept you going through the dark winter months and long days in the office.

Spring break chatter is starting to pop up in office cubicles and school hallways. Maybe you’ve even bookmarked some of your favorite travel websites in preparation. Start planning your group spring break trip right now. March will be here before you know it and you don’t want to be left out in the cold while everyone else packs up and heads to Disneyland.

Sitting at home for spring break is not an option. Spring break is the best excuse to plan a group trip that has come along since the holidays. Imin.com has thousands of group trip ideas. It is all just a matter of finding the right trip for your group. When someone asks, “What are you doing for spring break?” You should have an answer prepared. Which is where I’m in! can be of help.

First, we’ll help you narrow down your options. Your group is probably craving sunshine and warm weather. It is time to hit the beach or the desert. Go to a place where you can shed your layers, expose some skin, walk around in bare feet. If it is warmth you seek, there are thousands of trips in the I’m in! database that will fill your needs.

Perhaps you reside in the far south and cabin fever hasn’t been an issue – maybe it is time for a good dose of snow. There are lots of people who consider a ski trip the ideal spring break getaway—the one chance of the year to play in the snow.

To find your ideal spring break getaway, search the I’m in! trip database using a variety of criteria. Enter your criteria in the search field and click Search Trip Ideas and you’ll be presented with enough ideas to make you wish spring break was a month long.

If you don’t know where to start, you can also search by activity or destination. Take a look around, explore your options. You may stumble on an idea you never considered. Those serendipitous discoveries make the best vacations.

Over the next few posts, we will help you narrow down your spring break options by sharing our favorite ideas for spring break getaways with family and friends. In the meantime, check out our homepage to learn a little more about planning a group trip with Imin.com.

Group birthday getaways for the young and agile

Thirty is a great age. You are finally granted some of the respect that comes with age, but you are still young enough to indulge in youthful indiscretions. This is the time to getaway as much as possible. You’ve got a good job, good friends, and your freedom. Your thirtieth birthday party should be a bash that all your friends will sign up for—the birthday getaway you talk about for the rest of your lives. One last big blowout before you have to grow up.

Thirtieth birthday getaways should focus on celebrating your youth. Plan an active group getaway—have an adventure, go somewhere exotic, do something no one else in your group has done before.

This birthday should be celebrated with friends—girl friends, guy friends or all your friends. It takes friends to have a party. And your friends will have a hard time turning down the chance to help you celebrate the passage of your youth, especially when it involves a one-of-a-kind group adventure. The friends you invite will depend on the type of trip you choose. Here are some of best ideas for birthday getaways with friends from I’m in!

Girlfriend Birthday Trips

Hike across the Grand Canyon – If you have never experienced the breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon, then this is an ideal way to celebrate a milestone birthday. This four-day, guided hike starts at the North Rim and follows the Blue Angel Trail to the South Rim. Get your legs in shape.

Winter Adventure in Whistler, Canada – This “chicks on sticks” ski trip designed for snow-loving women provides a sampling of the best of Whistler. And the nightclubs provide the perfect venue for a big birthday celebration, night after night after night. . .

Birthday Getaways for the Guys

Raft the Westwater Canyon – This stunningly beautiful and remote niche of the Colorado River is a fun setting for a guy’s camp-and-whitewater raft getaway. Don’t forget the tequila bottle to pass around the fire.

Outdoor Adventure in Puerto Rico – Four days of caving, kayaking, and exploring the tropical paradise of Puerto Rico certainly qualifies this itinerary as an unforgettable milestone birthday celebration. Not trip to Puerto Rico is complete without a tour of the legendary Bacardi distillery.

Come one Come All

Mountain Bike the White Rim Trail – This epic mountain bike trip takes you along Utah’s legendary “Island in the Sky”. This five-day, guided bike-and-camp adventure is a serious mountain biker’s rite of passage and a memorable celebration for the energetic.

Ski Banff National Park – If your birthday falls during the winter months, then perhaps a trip to Banff, Canada, is in order. The majestic and rugged mountains that surround this mountain town make Banff an unforgettable piece of paradise. Experience it in the winter when the snow on the mountains makes this Canadian National Park even more spectacular. A trip to the Banff Hot Springs will keep you nice and toasty after a day of skiing.

Featured Birthday Trip – Circus School

Swing into your 30s with the greatest of ease on the flying trapeze. This circus-themed group trip is for the truly agile. If you have ever dreamed of running away and joining the circus, then head to Oakland, California, for a weekend birthday getaway. Kick the weekend off with some dance lessons and learn how to swing on the dance floor before you take to the air. On day two, you and your friends will spend a day in Circus School where you will learn a variety of circus skills including the flying trapeze, trampoline, juggling, tight wire, acrobatics and more. Then wrap it all up with a sushi birthday dinner and show off your new moves at one of the city’s hottest dance clubs.

Happy 30^th! Have a Great One.

Group Birthday Getaways for the Young of Spirit

A lot of people are going to want to celebrate your 60^th birthday with you. When you reach this age you have accumulated quite a lot of friends and family—new friends, old friends, several generations of relatives. This milestone birthday calls for a group celebration open to all who know and love you.

Luckily, Imin.com makes it easy to plan these big shindigs. So fun, in fact, that someone else may want to take over the planning for you. All you’ll have to do is show up. (Now that would be a great birthday party.)

We’ve done some of the legwork for you so you don’t have to spend hours trying to figure out where to go and what to do. Here are some of our best ideas on celebrating your 60^th with friends and family.

Family Reunions

It is probably best to keep birthday getaways with family short and sweet. No offense to your family, it is just tough for everyone to get away for long periods of time. Your family will remind you, as you start to approach this milestone birthday, that the family needs to spend more time together. Imin.com has an impressive list of family reunion ideas based all over the country. Just pick a location or an activity and we’ll point you in the right direction.

If you have some pent up family issues to work out, you might enjoy the Paintball Birthday Party. Spend the day pummeling each other with paint pellets. Then pay a visit to Lake Woebegone with Garrison Keillor as an audience member during a live broadcast of a “Prairie Home Companion”.

Cultural Birthday Getaways

Maybe you would prefer to expand your horizons and broaden your cultural view as a 60^th birthday present to yourself. A cultural getaway is a wonderful group vacation for your friends with whom you share a comon bond – an interest in theater and art. Head to the big city and dine at the Russian Tea Room and take in a show, or have an art adventure in the Nation’s capital. Pick a place you’ve never been before or return to a special place you’ve always wanted to revisit.

Featured 60^th Birthday Getaway

This four-wheeled birthday celebration based in Palm Springs, California, is a cross between a safari and a scavenger hunt. Split up into teams and stage a Jeep race across the desert. Customize a birthday celebration race that pits team against team in a Jeep driving challenge or keep it friendly with a 4X4 photo safari and a group photo contest. The location couldn’t be more convenient. Palm Springs is an oasis that offers lots of other competitive birthday sports such as golf and sunbathing (What, you didn’t know sunbathing was a competitive sport? You’ve never been to Palm Springs).

Make it an Unforgettable 50th Birthday Party

Congratulations on hitting the half-century mark! This is the ideal excuse (if you need one) to gather your friends and family for a group birthday getaway that everyone will remember.

This party needs to be more than just cake and a walk on the beach. This milestone birthday calls for a big celebration. By big, we mean skydiving, bungee jumping, or if you prefer to keep your feet on the ground, race car driving.

One of the secrets of getting a big turnout for you special birthday bash is to make it fit everyone’s schedule. If you plan a weeklong trip, this might be an impossible task. Make it a long weekend, or even a short weekend, and it will be easier for people to work a getaway into their busy schedules.

The other secret to a successful turnout is to hold it in a centra location. It will be much easier to draw people to Ocean City or Los Angeles for a weekend getaway than it will be to draw them to a more remote location.

I’m in, offers several big ideas for 50^th birthday celebration getaways all over the U.S.

Featured Trip – 50^th Birthday

Birthday Bash in the Sky

If you are concerned about aging we highly recommend this trip. Jumping out of a plane will take years off your life. Ocean City, Maryland, is a centralized gathering spot for East Coasters. Enjoy quiet and comfortable bayside accommodations and a sunset cruise – then head out early the next morning for the big jump. All birthday goers are encouraged to participate – there is plenty of space on the plane. Spectators are welcomed to join in the pre-flight training and then watch the jump from a special observation deck. Have Fun and Happy 50^th Birthday!

Check back for more ideas for celebrating milestone birthdays with friends and family.

Birthday Parties to Remember

Happy Birthday! And congratulations for deciding to make your birthday party a group trip. Good choice. If you are planning a big birthday bash, then it is likely you are celebrating a milestone birthday and are looking for a fun group itinerary that will provide a creative way to celebrate a new decade with friends and family.

Do something a little different for this birthday. Put away the streamers and party hats and check out Im in’s suggestions for unique ways to throw a birthday party.

Over the next few weeks we’ll highlight some of our favorite group travel ideas for Birthday Party Getaways.

Let’s start with an easy birthday. Say you are turning 40, a fairly painless birthday. You are beginning to realize the value of becoming older and wiser and you’ve learned how to leverage that wisdom; but, you are still young enough to make plenty of mistakes. You’ve probably also got a fairly busy life and a group birthday trip gives you an excuse to get everyone together for a good time.

Group Vacations in your 40s usually involve two types of trips:

Group trips that include the whole family
• This rafting trip through the Westwater Canyon of the Colorado is good for paddlers of all ages and the guides will keep you comfortable, safe and happy. Let someone else tend to you and your family for a change.
• A Paintball Birthday Party gives everyone a chance to participate in the festivities. And it is much more fun that a “spanking machine”.

Group vacations that include precious away-from-the-family time.
• I’d say this Private Yacht Charter fits the bill.
• If you are thinking girl’s getaway or momcation, then a spa trip is the ideal birthday treat.
• If you are looking for a mancation and you want to prove that you are still young at heart, then check out our Extreme Adventures.

Featured Trip

Our favorite way to celebrate a 40th Birthday with a group trip is the Hang Gliding Birthday Celebration. This special group trip gives you a chance to fly like a bird at the Outer Banks of North Carolina—the legendary site of the Wright Brother’s first flight. This group itinerary includes beachfront accommodations, a gourmet birthday dinner, hang gliding instruction, and a beach party, as well as a chance to explore the giant sand dunes along the Atlantic coast.

Remember planning a trip is half the fun! Check in with the Imin.com blog for ideas on how to ring in your 30s, 50s and 60s!

A Flower Blooms in Philadelphia

A trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show may be just the ticket to brightening up these long winter days. The Philadelphia Flower Show, hosted by the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, is the ideal great group trip for all the people in your life who complain about winter. You know those people—maybe you are one of those people. You go to work in the dark, come home in the dark. The sun rarely makes an appearance in your life and you are in desperate need of light.

Winter tends to be fairly monochromatic, at least in the Northern parts of our country. Our souls crave some color this time of year. Even people who love winter have to confess to daydreaming of summer—colorful gardens, fragrant flowers, walking around with bare feet.

You’ll get all that and more at the Philadelphia Flower Show (except you must keep your shoes on.) The show is in March, perfect timing—just when we’ve had about enough of the dreary winter weather and are looking hopefully toward Spring. The theme for the show is “Jazz it Up”, which brings the booty shaking, toe tapping Group Jazz Experience to Philadelphia and all those who flock to see its flowers.

Oh, and if you just can’t keep your shoes on, kick off your shoes during the Flowers Facials and Fantastic Shopping trip idea.

So next time you hear someone say, “Ugh, Winter”, and you will hear lots of people say this, put them on your list of people to join your group trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show. They’ll have a hard time resisting the call thousands of breathtaking blooms flaunting their colors during the throws of winter.

Salute!

Welcome to The Wandering Wineaux (TWW), a celebration of wine-centric travel for groups. In this issue we will make a winter visit to the Rogue Valley AVA while based in the eclectic town of Ashland, Oregon.

The Rogue Valley is Oregon’s Southern most AVA, and in addition to a growing reputation for fine wines, is arguable one of natures best playgrounds. Although our winter visit is not ideally timed to take advantage of river-based adventure, we still get outdoors and enjoy the wild beauty of this corner of the world.

An easy, if not overly scenic 15-minute drive from the Rogue Valley airport (MFR) and we’re in Ashland, the cultural capitol of Southern Oregon. It is perhaps best know for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival but can also claim fame for dining, fine art, and other entertainment options like the Oregon Cabaret Theatre.

Day 1

We begin our journey at Allyson’s of Ashland a wonderful wine store and gourmet shop. We talk to the staff about the regional wine style, price points and which wineries are most fun to visit. We happily participate in an Allyson’s Friday ritual – you guessed it, wine and cheese tasting. Having had more cheese than was strictly necessary we walk about block and take a refreshing walk in Lithia Park. This 93-acre vista of colorful landscaping follows Ashland Creek through undeveloped woodlands, a Japanese garden, duck ponds, a formal rose garden, groves of sycamore trees and during the winter there is even ice skating!

We plan on an early dinner, so we can see an 8PM show at OSF. We pick Amuse a long time Ashland favorite. Their emphasis on regional wines allows us to do more prep work for the next day.

Day 2

Day two is devoted to winery visits. Since we are driving, we limit our explorations to two of our favorites – this also allows us to sneak in a really unusual hike. We start with the farthest drive, a 50-minute trip to Troon Vineyards in the Applegate Valley. Troon excels with an astonishing number of varietals – we are crazy for the Zinfandel.

We head back towards Ashland by way of Medford for our second vineyard visit. But before we taste again its time for a hike to Table Rocks and a view of the entire Rogue River Valley. An easy 2.8 loop (or a much harder 5.2 version!) lays the valley at our feet, and really clears our heads for the next stop.

We’re only five minutes away from the roxyann tasting room. Here in addition the roxyann wines (don’t miss the Claret) we are treated to tastes from other small production wineries – such as Trium.

Wine tasting finished for the day we head back, some of us for spa treatments and some to stroll the galleries (sadly, we’d missed the First Friday Art Walk).

Our research concluded with a farewell dinner in the nearby town of Talent. The obscure and tiny (Our group of ten half filled the place) New Sammy’s Cowboy Bistro boasts a massive cellar and an owner with truly encyclopedic wine knowledge. Finally it’s back to Ashland for some live music (and finally some beer for the beer connoisseurs) at Black Sheep pub.

If you’d like to follow in The Wandering Wineaux’s footsteps, book this wintinerary:

A Rogue Valley Weekend - Adventures in Ashland

TWW is already planning a return trip come spring – in time for the Taste of Ashland wine and art festival. Until then keep on tasting! Or check out more Wine Trip Ideas on I’m in!
Yours Truly,

The Wandering Wineaux

Boat trips make ideal group vacations. They don’t call it a “boatload of fun” for no reason. Put a group of people on a boat and the fun will create itself. If you are thinking, “Hmmm, I’m in charge of the group mancation/momcation/family reunion this year, what should we do?” The most logical answer is BOAT.

Here are some ideas for group trips for boaters of all types:

Fish From A Boat

Fresh water, salt water, fly fishing – the fishing is always better from a boat. Check out these boat-based fishing getaways and catch a boatload of fish.

Miami Golf and Fish - This trip includes a nighttime fishing showdown
Fish North Carolina’s Outer Banks - Charter a boat and let a seasoned, local captain guide you to the trophy-sized fish.
Boats on the Bayou - Fishing Louisiana style.
Fisherman’s Fantasy at the Miami Boat Show - Turn your visit to the Miami Boat Show, Feb. 14-18, 2008, into a fun group getaway and test the waters around Miami on a private chartered group fishing trip.

Boats & Beaches

Boatload of beaches, and sometimes booze, bikinis and babes.

Rio, Rio, Rio – Sail to the tropical island of your choice during this six-day Brazilian bash.
Water Boys – Four days of boats and beaches in Southern California.
Florida Island Hopper – Spend 5 days island hopping to pristine private beaches reachable only by boat.

Sail Away

You’ll experience a boatload of relaxation during these group sailing getaways.

Annapolis Discovery Adventure – Home of the Naval Academy, enough said.
Sail the Islands at Martha’s Vineyard – A 51 foot catamaran is your private home on the water for this 4-day group sailing excursion.
Group Sailing Trip Around Nantucket – Learn the basics of sailing while you reconnect with friends for 5 days on a chartered catamaran.

Simulated Boating

Maybe it isn’t possible to round everyone up for a week in some faraway local. You can still get your boating fix at one of these boat shows. A boatload of boats . . . so to speak.

Strictly Sail – Set your sails on the Windy City for the Strictly Sail Chicago Boat Show at Chicago’s famed Navy Pier on January 31-February 3. Sailing enthusiasts can’t miss this boat show.
Power Boat Show – More power will rock your world in Atlantic City Powerboat Show, February 6 – 10.
International Boat Show – Head to Toronto for a first-hand look at some of boating’s best product debuts and best deals of the New Year as well as educational seminars, incredible exhibits and the largest indoor lake in the world! January 12 - 20, 2008
Boats & Broadway – Treat yourself to a new boat as a late holiday gift at the New York National Boat Show coming to Javits Center from December 29, 2007 - January 6, 2008.