Related Resources • Vacation Aquarium Care • Find an Aquatic Attraction • A Special Kids Display Tank • Waikiki Aquarium Tour

From Other Guides • Make a Trip to a Public Aquarium • Pittsburgh Aquarium • Shedd Aquarium Photo Gallery • You Otter Go... to the New England Aquarium

Elsewhere on the Web • Underwater Adventures - Bloomington, MN • Mirage Hotel Aquarium - Las Vegas, NV

I'm sure you will agree, vacations and traveling should be an enjoyable experience, and as stress free as possible. To help with your travel plans, here are some tips that can make your visit to a public aquarium, or other type of aquatic attraction a fun and memorable one:

• First of all, don't be an accidental tourist! Figure out your travel plans. Where are you going? What state, country, city? How long will you be there? Ok, now do research to see what aquatic attractions are in the area, then create an order of preference for which places you want to go to the most. If your trip is a family affair, this can be done as a family project where the children can be involved in the planning.
• It doesn't hurt to have several alternate attractions on your list. If something happens and you cannot get to one attraction, you have the option to head to another one.
• When you are visiting a state or country that is touted as having sun and fun all year round, keep in mind that it is possible to get rained out. I know it's not a pleasant thought, but don't fool yourself that everything is going to be "absolutely" perfect at all times. If unexpected rain does come, just plan indoor activities. It may help to avoid a situation like this if you look into an area's seasonal weather patterns. We know from living in Hawai'i that the so called "rainy season" is between around November through about March. However, you have to take into consideration the actual island you are on, and the particular spot on that island you are at. Various locations on different islands do get more or less rainfall than others, no matter what time of the year it is. Why do you think they call Kauai "The Garden Isle"? The point is, learn as much as you can about the weather of a particular area you will be traveling to!
• Check schedules for hours and months of operation. Some attractions are only open seasonally, or may be temporarily closed for renovation or expansion. Be aware!! You don't want the Griswald's "Wally World" nightmare (in National Lampoon's Vacation movie) to happen to you and your family!
• Use the internet to print out addresses, phone numbers, directions, maps, hours of operation and other important data about any attraction you need to know about. Why get lost and waste valuable time when you don't have to.
• Many places have hotels or other accommodations right on their premises, and most do offer vacation packages that include lodging and admittance to their attractions, all at one very reasonable price. Look into these types of packages, they can save you some money in the long run.
• Look into day, season, annual or other types of passes you can buy, as well as Clubs you can join. These deals extend to the bearer or member, ticket discounts, entrance to multiple park locations and many other money saving benefits. For example, with a Six Flags season pass, just one of the pluses is that you can enjoy unlimited visits to ALL Six Flags Theme Parks worldwide.
• For more tips and information about planning a vacation, many public attractions have online advice to help you out. This How to Plan and Enjoy a Five-Star Family Vacation section, found on any of the Busch Gardens and SeaWorld Adventure Parks group web sites, is just one good example.