Escape the holiday vise on your head: plan now for MLK weekend

I know, I know, travel around Thanksgiving and the December holidays is either….

1) already nailed down at your household, and reservations/tickets have been in hand for months, or

2) OMG, Thanksgiving is when?!

Look, it’s not too late; you can still be a family travel genius. 

Monday, January 21, 2008 is the Martin Luther King holiday in the U.S. and a great excuse for planning a trip with the kids right now.  Throw in an extra day the previous week or the week after, and air travel might be worth the hassle, but at a minimum you can certainly work out a little 3-5 hour drive somewhere.

Let’s see, depending on where you are, here’s some planning inspiration:

**  Celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Lima, Peru.

**  Haitianfest explores the music & culture of Haiti and the Caribbean, in Miami FL. There’s also Miami Art Deco Weekend in South Beach, with free events to take you back to the 1920s and 1930s.

**  The National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO.

**  See Tales from an Eruption: Pompeii in a special exhibit at the Birmingham, AL Museum of Art. 

**  The Inferno amateur ski race in Mürren, Switzerland.

**  The January Basho at Tokyo’s Kokugikan Sumo Hall.

**  Catch the Sydney Festival for cultural riches in Australia.

**  The handy calendar at GoCityKids can help you find U.S. events that weekend. 

Look for a chance to reach out….this holiday is often called “A Day On, Not a Day Off,” and a volunteer opportunities map can help you find a way to get involved in your U.S. state.

Technorati tags: travel, family travel, travel with kids, MLK Day, Martin Luther King Day