Last week I wrote our 2012 visit to Walt Disney World . Like I said last time, Disney is a great getaway, not matter the circumstances. Here are some more secrets we learned on our trip.

1.       Know What You Want Before You Go: I do not recall ever putting as much work into planning a family vacation as I did this one. We were blessed to have a travel agent who offered her services free of charge to help us plan the trip and I can definitely say that she was very helpful. When going to Disney, you have a laundry list of decisions to make. Will you stay at one of Disney’s resorts or somewhere else? How much money are you willing to budget for the trip? Will you add a meal plan or try to bring your own food? If eating at Disney, will you schedule character meals? If so, which ones will you schedule and when? Are you going to each park or just certain ones? If going to each park, will you purchase a Park Hopper? The questions go on and on and on. Do not plan to just show up in Orlando and figure it out because that just will not make for a very memorable or enjoyable experience. Also, Disney isn’t very close to Orlando when you figure in the traffic and toll roads. It’s pretty much become a city of its own, which makes going to Orlando somewhat of a misnomer. Start visiting Disney’s website and start talking to everyone you know who has visited Walt Disney World. The more information you can gather prior to the trip, the better. Learn your options, decide what you want to do and make your plan. This is one vacation requires much planning.

2.       Think Ahead: Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your Disney vacation. Try making all your reservations as soon as possible. If you reserve things early, you can start making payments for the trip and have most of it paid before you even go. Not worrying about how you are going to pay for the trip you just went on is a good feeling. We paid almost our entire Disney trip prior to embarking on our journey. We also took $250 on a prepaid Disney card and some cash. We did not worry about money while there because we had already paid for the trip. This is very freeing and helps you enjoy the trip even more. Also, making your reservations early helps you assure you get the hotel you want, the character meals you want and frees up time to plan out your schedule when you arrive at Disney. One great website I found for gathering information is mousesavers.com. Check it out.

3.       Do what is Best for You. We opted to stay at a Disney resort (Port Orleans Riverside – which I highly recommend) and took advantage of their meal plans. This worked well for us and I would not do the trip differently. There is something extra special about staying at Disney and we did not need to worry about our meals because they were already paid for. We were able to take full advantage of Disney transportation and also got extra perks for staying. This was not the least expensive route but we worked it into our budget. I will state this, the meals at Disney are astronomical, so if you don’t have the money to do a meal plan, don’t plan on eating at Disney because that will cost you even more. We also opted to visit every major park – Animal Kingdom, Epcot, The Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We did this all in four days. My one regret is not planning for 5 or 6 days. We did almost everything we wanted, but we exhausted ourselves. It would have been better to have more time and paced ourselves more slowly. Part of planning ahead is figuring out what works best for you.

4.       Be Flexible: You will not be the only family at Disney and therefore will not be alone in having an agenda. Your agenda will at times compete with many other people’s agendas. Relax and enjoy your trip. Realize that you are not in a competition with everyone else to get on a ride or see a show. You are a part of a larger community. You may need to skip a ride due to the line and visit it later, or you just might need to sacrifice a ride or show altogether. Don’t let that ruin your trip, but go with a determination to be flexible. There were a couple rides we really wanted to go on but had to sacrifice. I was just thrilled that we were actually able to do about 95% of the things we planned, which was a surprise to me because I went with the expectation of only getting to do about half. Another advantage to flexibility is making the best of your situation. The longest line we waited in was for a ride called Soarin at Epcot. Instead of fuming, we spent our 90 minutes talking to the other patrons and joking around with them. I actually think I had more fun waiting in line than I did on the ride itself. I guess you could say my attitude shaped my altitude – pun intended. =)

If you plan on going to Disney, make sure you PLAN on going to Disney. It really is a great experience and I definitely recommend going, just make sure you take time to plan in advance so you are not frustrated throughout the trip.

-Tim (the adventure guy)

With the huge crowds and chaos that already exists at Disney, maybe it isn't the best place to visit during a zombie invasion, but since Disney is the place "where dreams come true" and your biggest dream would be to escape the invasion unscathed, it might be worth a shot. Also, if you think about it, Disney has many large structures you could climb, it would be filled with an overabundance of cars and there is lodging galore, so it does have some advantages.

Since there are no zombies, however, Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL is an EXCELLENT place to vacation, especially if you have small children. My family visited in 2012 and I took some good nuggets of information from that trip.

 It was our first family vacation to The Happiest Place on Earth. One trip does not make us experts, but we did learn much from our adventure. Today I am beginning a series where I will be sharing some of the secrets we learned. If this blog goes viral, they may no longer be secrets, but I think it will still be helpful information. Here are some of those secrets:

1. Go Left: Prior to embarking on our journey to the eternal land of happiness we enlisted the advice of a Disney specialist named Lauren. Lauren provided us with some of the greatest advice we could ever hope to receive. Here is what she told us, ‘most people naturally move to the right.  In just about everything you do, you will see the crowd go to the right. Go left. You will be able to beat the crowd by making this one move.’ She was right. When we got to a theme park, we went left and got to several rides and attractions before the crowd ever arrived. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean without waiting in line and were even in very short lines for Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain at the Magic Kingdom, we hardly waited at all to see The Lion King at Animal Kingdom and rode several rides at Epcot without waiting by implementing this one piece of advice. We spent very little time in lines during the first half of the day and were hitting the previously busy attractions after much of the crowd had already left. We also found that the crowd typically went into the right line or the right door, so we went to the left lines and left doors and would often get ahead by making that one move.

2.  Rain is your friend: If you go to Florida in June, expect rain because it is the beginning of Hurricane season. Actually, central Florida seems to often have short rain showers, so you need to plan for rain no matter what time of year you visit. Many people fear rain. I'm not sure they just don't  like water or maybe fear melting - but people scatter when it rains. Read this statement three times: Rain is your friend…Rain is your friend…Rain is your friend. I wrote it three times because I knew you wouldn’t go back and reread it. Buy some ponchos and plan for rain. Florida can get hot, so a nice shower is a way to stay cool and get more Disney for your money.

Let me explain by sharing our own experience. It rained some every day we were at Disney, but it rained the most on our day at the Magic Kingdom. That was the day for which we had planned and anticipated for years. We were not going to allow a torrential downpour ruin our plans. We had just finished a princess dinner at The Grand Floridian and noticed that it was raining cats and dogs, so to speak. We had to make a decision – scrap our plans for the remainder of the day, wait it out, or view the rain as a blessing from above. We chose the blessing route and returned to the park. As we re-entered the park we noticed something interesting. There was a mass exodus. We were going against the flow… but we were the ones entering the Magic Kingdom. My daughter had been begging to ride Splash Mountain again so we went directly to that ride. One would reason that people would not shy away from a water ride in the rain, but that assumption was wrong. The ride was empty and running. We literally went straight in and had a log to ourselves. It was like the ride was opened just for us. We spent much of that afternoon in short lines and really enjoyed our time. None of us ever melted. The rain was our friend. 

3. Use the Fast Pass Wisely: Disney has a system called the Disney Fast Pass. For someone who has never been, it sounds totally awesome. You go to the Fast Pass station, scan your park ticket (which is more like a credit card) and it gives you a ticket for the ride within a certain time slot, 3:30-4:30 for example. You come back to ride at some point during that hour and either don’t wait or you don’t wait long because those with a Fast Pass are given preference over those in the Standby line. There is a catch; you can just run from line to line and collect a ton of Fast Passes. There are restrictions, so it’s best to get one for a ride/attraction that you really desire and that has long lines. You will be very frustrated if you get a Fast Pass for It’s a Small World and are forced to wait in the standby line for Splash Mountain. Thanks to this system, we rode Kali River Rapids and Kilimanjaro Safaris in The Animal Kingdom for example.

This is the first of several blogs based on what we learned at Disney. I hope that our experience will be of value to anyone else planning an upcoming trip or hoping to escape the invasion in style.

-Tim (the adventure guy)

This isn't my first time to mention a deserted island as the best place to wait out the zombie causing virus, but I couldn't resist posting about this little jewel near Iceland. I'm not the first to post on this house and I didn't discover it, so if you add it to your portfolio of possible hideout locations, be forewarned that you probably will not be the only non-infected person heading for this locale.  ;)

According to the website, travel.spotcoolstuff.com, "So, in the early 1953, the Elliðaey Hunting Association built a lodge on the island for its members to use during their commando puffin missions.

It is this structure, the hunting lodge, that captures the imagination of photographers today. The lodge has no electricity, broadband internet (oh, the horror!) or indoor plumbing. This being Iceland, the lodge does have a sauna. The water for the sauna — and for less important tasks, such as cooking and drinking — comes from a rainwater collection system. The lodge, oddly, is surrounded by a fence, perhaps to keep the puffins from launching a counter attack."

It also states that the island was inhabited by five families about three hundred years ago, which shows that one can sustain life on the island.

Based on my research, you can't travel to the Island and visit it, unless you happen to be a member of the Elliðaey Hunting Association  and since this is a travel blog I would be remiss to not mention someplace you could visit.

Although I have never personally been there, Iceland is on my 'to visit' list. Iceland brings thoughts of clean air, warm saunas, happy people and beautiful water to my mind. I think I would visit in the Summer because I understand it is warm with long days. Since I've never been, I can only share my imagination, but if Iceland is on your travel list, check out their travel site, visiticeland.com and write me to let me know about your experience. I just might share your post with my readers. Do you live in Iceland, then by all means, contact me and give me the inside scoop on your great country.

Keep yourself warm and safe. Till next time.

-Tim (the adventure guy)

- See more at: http://travel.spotcoolstuff.com/iceland/secluded-architecture/ellidaey-island#sthash.yJIUjbgn.dpuf

Got a horde of zombies at your back? That's fine as long as you have a wet suit and surf board... oh and Melbourne Beach, Florida just ahead. Think about it, what better way is there to escape the brain thirsty apocalypse than catching some sweet waves?

There really isn't much that is better than spending time in the waves and Melbourne Beach is a great place to escape on a budget and still hang ten.

Melbourne Beach, Florida is not to be confused with Melbourne Australia although I do believe Melbourne, Florida was named in honor of its well known Australian counterpart. Melbourne Beach is located approximately 25 minutes south of the infamous Cocoa Beach.  You won't find Ron Jon Surf Shop in Melbourne Beach, but you also won't find nearly as large of a crowd, which is always a good thing in a zombie apocalypse or even if you just want some beach and ocean to yourself. You can also find lodging at Melbourne Beach for significantly less.

I took my family to Melbourne Beach over Christmas break 2013. We were able to stay in an oceanfront luxury suite for only $120 per night. We booked a room with DoubleTree Suites by Hilton. The hotel is on the ocean and every room has an oceanfront view. The above pictures were taken from our balcony.  $120 is a steal for that property. I priced rooms in other cities and was hard pressed to find anything similar for less than $200 per night and some hotels were charging $500-$600 per night. There are not too many beachfront hotels in Melbourne Beach but since it appears to be one of Florida's Atlantic secrets, they are all reasonably priced.

The city of Melbourne, Florida also has many great places to eat. A few of the local places we enjoyed were Squid Lips Overwater Grill, Pistilli's Pizza, City Tropics Bistro and Ocean Cafe.

Squid Lips Overwater Grill is a nice place to get some fresh fish and pretty good food. What really makes Squid Lips great, however, is its location. It's located right on the river and you can sit on the beach to eat your food. We took our kids, got a table on the beach and were waited on right next to the water. It was a wonderful atmosphere and I recommend giving them a try.

My favorite restaurant to frequent is Pistilli's Pizza. They make  authentic New York style pizza, actually better than the pizza I've had in New York. They have a crazy lunch special that includes two slices of pizza and a soda for only $4.99. It's crazy cheap because the two slices of pizza is like eating half a pizza at most places. They are truly New York slices. If you are looking for a great New York style Italian restaurant,  Pistilli's is the place to go.  Don't take my word for it, check out their reviews: TripAdvisor

City Tropics Bistro is another one of those places worth visiting for the atmosphere. It's an eclectic little bistro not very far from the beach. You are greeted when you enter the door by a friendly face and free popcorn. The place is decorated in an island theme and the food is pretty good. They've got a little bit of everything from burgers to seafood and even a good kid's menu if you dine with the family. I recommend trying one of their brick oven pizzas. My wife recommends the California rolls.

The last place I recommend is Ocean Cafe: Bagels & More. I think it used to be called Beach Bagels. This is a family owned shop that was originally just a fresh bagel cafe. We went for the homemade bagels - a great morning treat. You can get all types of bagels and they even make bagel sandwiches.  You can sit and talk with the owners while you visit as they are very friendly and pretty much always there. They told us that in 2014, they will also be serving Cajun food in an effort to expand the business. I hope all goes well for them. They are worth checking our and even get a good rating on yelp.

So, there it is. Melbourne Beach is more than a great place to escape zombies. It's also a great place to catch some waves, build a sandcastle and eat good food. It's one of my favorite places to visit and if you try it out, I think you will know why. I highly recommend Melbourne Beach, Florida to all you preppers or just travelers out there.

-Tim (the adventure guy)

I'm not sure about you, but I think the best location to escape the zombies is a deserted Island. The way I see it, zombies can't swim, especially across miles of ocean water. The best escape is to find an uninhabited island. Find one with a fresh water source and differencing types of flora and fauna. You may not be the only human searching out such a place, so expect neighbors.

If you don't want to wait for a zombie apocalypse, plan your trip now. Planning a trip for a remote island adventure can give you a since of peace and help you learn essential survival skills, no matter what the future holds. I recently stumbled upon a company called docastaway.   Although I have not yet embarked upon any of their adventures, I am very drawn to what they have to offer. They have adventures where you can stay in a remote paradise all alone and catch your own fish, prepare your food and personally manage your lodging. They also have 'comfort mode' adventures where you can stay in a cottage and have your meals prepared for you. All of their adventures are tropical and include staying on a small uninhabited island, having an entire lake to yourself, and getting hands on survival training. Their adventures seem truly amazing and I hope to one day have the opportunity to try one out. You don't need zombies as an excuse, check out their site and plan your adventure today.

-Tim (the adventure guy)