5 Ways to Stage A Tech Intervention at Home

1.  Implement a mandatory weekly tech detox day. No TV, video games, computers, nada. From the time everyone walks through the door in the evening til’ when you all wake up the next morning. (Insert big kid and little kid tantrum here). But guaranteed your backyard will get more use in a month than it’s seen in a year.

2.  Good old fashioned dinners. Remember when families had to sit around the dinner table and talk about stuff together? Bring those days back and make the dinner table a technology-free zone. No more scarfing down your meals in separate rooms, in front of separate devices.

3.  Pull the plug on everything wireless. It’s super easy to change the password on your wireless router. Switch it up and then “forget” to let the rest of the family know for a day or two. They’ll be frustrated with their devices, but forced to get creative with their time until the issue miraculously fixes itself.

4.  Bust out the big bribe. Example: Promise that the in-laws will stay at a hotel during their next visit, if your partner doesn’t bring the iPhone to bed for a week.

5.  Book an “unplugged” vacation together. That means somewhere deep in the woods, out in nature (i.e. the boonies). Finding a cell signal at the bottom of a river canyon? Good luck.

Related Articles:

Gamer Kid Rafting Trip

Meditation By Kayak

Going Rogue: A Self-proclaimed City Girl Goes Camping for the First Time

The post Does Your Family Need a Tech Detox? appeared first on River Currents.

So, maybe an all-inclusive family vacation is the way to go? No, not like one of those beachside resorts where the kids get bored after day two. How about a week-long Cataract Canyon rafting trip on the Colorado River through Canyonlands National Park? Or, an exhilarating multi-day paddle down the Main Salmon River, deep in the Idaho wilderness?

Bet you never thought of a rafting trip as an all-inclusive vacation. But think about it. When you travel with an adventure company, they bring all the gear (so no fights packing up the car), every room (ok, tent) has a waterfront view, the guides shop and cook for you (we’re not talking about hot dogs and cheesy fries here), and all of the thrills and activities are included. And guess what? You don’t need your wallet on the river. Now doesn’t that sound like the perfect all-inclusive vacation?

Rafting vs. Theme Park Vacation: You Choose

Just you, your family and an intimate group of fellow adventurers.

OR… Mobs of the most annoying people you’ve ever come across.

Putting your lives in the hands of expert river guides.

OR… Putting your lives in the hands of freaky carny guys.

Hiking to an amazing waterfall.

OR… Hiking to the front of the line.

Riding the rapids.

OR… Riding the puke-inducer.

Steak, mashed potatoes and a green salad with a glass of wine riverside.

OR… Corn dogs and Budweiser at a sticky picnic table.

Glow bocce on the beach for fun.

OR… Throwing darts at balloons for junky prizes.

Staring at stars at the end of the night.

OR… Staring at brake lights at the end of the night.

Have you made up your mind yet?

Related Articles:

The Best Family Vacation Spots Nobody Knows About

5 Reasons Whitewater Rafting is Better Than A Theme Park

9 Vacations a River Trip Will Put to Shame

The post Rethinking the All-inclusive Family Vacation appeared first on River Currents.

Why rivers, you might ask? Growing up with young, outdoorsy parents in the 1970s meant shared adventures were a key ritual in our family. Annual hiking, river and road trips not only turned my sister and me into lifelong travelers, they drew us all closer with bonds that only the best family vacations create. Naturally, once my own sons were old enough I hoped they could share some of the same peak experiences.

Rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon, one of America’s archetypal wilderness rivers, was at the top of my family bucket list. My parents had taken us down the Middle Fork, and the journey, which involves floating through the largest chunk of contiguous wilderness in the Lower 48, still topped my Greatest Hits List of family trips ever. The other? The Grand Canyon. Again, my parents took my sister and me down the Colorado River in the 1970′s, and the experience made such a huge impression, I dreamed of one day bringing my own family. To my mind, saving up for these trips was a financial goal, sort of like saving for college.

The year our boys turned 14 and 16, we signed up for the Middle Fork. As the trip neared, it hit me: why not have the boys’ grandparents come too? It would be 30 years since they’d taken my sister and me down the river, when I was 15. Mom, our family’s original camper had to decline, but my dad, then 69, jumped at the chance and met us in Stanley, Idaho.

There were a few life lessons I suspected my boys might absorb on the river, first was the luxury of simplicity: While most of us had packed a little more than Dad’s carry-on, we didn’t need much. Next was the luxury of isolation: no cell phones, no emails, no texts, no television, no video games, no schedules. In short, bliss!

When we arrived at our first night’s camp Dad rolled out his tarp, anchored the corners with rocks, and casually strolled off to get a beer. “Don’t you think Grandpa Bart looks a little like Clint Eastwood?” my 16-year-old said, setting his tarp the same way. I had to smile. They were already getting the third and most important lesson: how to be cool when everything else is stripped away. Or simply, how to just be.

A good river trip, it turns out, is really more about the people than the rapids. Mark, our head guide, explained our game plan for the week: Wake each day for a leisurely breakfast, pack up and float, stop for a picnic lunch, hit some more rapids, make camp in time to hike and if they were biting, fish. The days eased by as we slipped into river time, the ultimate peace of mind. You know you’ve crossed over when you wake up to the smell of camp coffee and don’t have anywhere else to be but in a raft, heading downstream. It’s delicious.

Now that my boys are young men, I am incredibly grateful we managed to make those trips happen. As in my own family, the shared adventures—even the misadventures—have become the stuff of myth now. They are the stories we tell. The stories other families ask us to tell. Looking back, those are the memories that define those years for my husband and me—the year we did the Middle Fork. The year we did the Grand Canyon. Because they are shared memories, they grow stronger over time.

Here are a few things my boys learned that first week on the river:

• How to tell a story.
• How to play an original song on acoustic guitar for a group.
• How to open a bottle of wine on a tree.
• How to string a fly rod.
• How to paddle a rubber ducky.
• How to flip a rubber ducky.
• How to make bacon for 20 people in a pot (handy trick anywhere).

By day five, drifting through Impassable Canyon, the most dramatic landscape of the week, we were all—ages 14 to 69—changed somehow. I remember it exactly, our three generations floating awestruck between walls of sheer granite and metamorphic rock that rise up thousands of feet, framing the river. Everything was silent except for the rush of the current, the wind in the pines, the occasional call of a canyon wren.

The last day, as we floated toward the take out, we were all a little sad to be leaving.

How to remedy that? “Hey, Dad, how about meeting us to raft the Grand Canyon summer after next?” I suggested.

“You know I’d meet you two and the boys in a heartbeat,” my dad said, grinning.

And because he did, and the Colorado River is longer, we have an even more epic tale. It gets better each time we tell it; but that’s another story.

The post Three Generations on the Middle Fork appeared first on River Currents.

What if you could spend a year taking your family to as many of the most amazing National Parks in the country as you could?  Before your kids are grown and gone and before these magical places might be gone.  Well, one dad did just that.

You don’t have to be a parent to appreciate this memoir from longtime Backpacker magazine editor, Michael Lanza.  But you at least have to have a deep appreciation for the outdoors and a curiosity about what it could mean to lose some of our best National Parks as we know them today. 

If you do have kids, you’ll be inspired by Lanza’s journey in 2009 when he set out with his wife Penny, son Nate and daughter Alex to not only see, but backpack, kayak and rock climb through our nation’s gems like Glacier National Park, the Everglades, Yellowstone, Joshua Tree, the Grand Canyon—11 parks in total throughout the year.  Did we mention his kids were only 9 and 7 years old at the time?

A cross between one dad’s journal from a year of amazing experiences with his kids and a scientific and enticing look at our planet’s environmental catastrophes waiting to happen (and in some cases already happening), Before They’re Gone is a book that leaves a lasting impression with you on multiple fronts.  You’ll want to pack up your kids and immediately take that trip you’ve been talking about for years.  Maybe even to one of those places you fear will change before you ever get to see it.

Get your hands on a copy.  Order Before They’re Gone here.

Already read Before They’re Gone?  Tell us what you thought below.

The post Must-read Adventure Book: Before They’re Gone appeared first on River Currents.

This summer, a family separated by several states and three generations, met up for an unforgettable family vacation on the Gorges of the Lower Salmon in Idaho. There were 17 of them all together, ranging from age 8 to 71. Afterward, we chatted with grandma and grandpa, Don and Eunice Albright, to find out what prompted this massive family adventure and hear how it went.

What triggered the idea of a family rafting trip?

Don: We did the San Juan River with O.A.R.S. two years ago and we only had one of the families with us on that one. We had such a good time, and they enjoyed it so much, so we just set up another one.

And was there a specific reason for choosing the Lower Salmon?

Don: With all of the kids, and the wide range of ages, we had to pick something that wasn’t too fast and furious for the smaller kids, and the Lower Salmon fit perfect. It’s a great river.

Eunice: We had everything from Class II to Class III rapids so we covered everybody.

So tell me about the trip? Was it a good experience for everyone?

Don: It was a fantastic trip. First of all, it was just the right length and no one got tired of being in the raft. We had an excellent crew and they provided a lot of entertainment for the whole range of kids. Everyone is still talking about how much fun they had. It was really a highlight for their summer.

Eunice: And their life! The kids have never done anything like that before, most of them, and they said that it was one of the best things that ever happened to them.

Don: I don’t think there was one complaint about anything. Everyone just really enjoyed themselves.

What surprised you most about this family adventure?

Eunice: Some of these kids, even the adult kids, don’t see each other from year to year, and I tell you, everyone got together like they saw each other last weekend. They had so much fun together. They all interacted with each other like they see each other all the time and it was just a very warm, nice family situation.

What was some of the feedback from your family after the trip?

Eunice: It was the adventure of it. Most of them had never done anything like that. They really loved it. I think the feedback to us was, “Thanks for the great adventure.”

What have you taken away from this experience with your family?

Eunice: It was very worthwhile watching everyone together having such a good time. The fact that we had 10 of our grandkids together at one time, 17 of us together, meant a lot to Don and I.

Will you do it again?

Eunice: Oh sure. We’re looking at Oregon at the Rogue River.

The post Would your grandparents do this? appeared first on River Currents.

Life happens. Families change. And regardless of the circumstances, we continue to do whatever it takes to care for our children in the best way we know how. But it’s rarely smooth sailing. 

When you’re trying to be everything to everybody—mom, dad, breadwinner, domestic goddess—you often have to let some things go. In our family (aside from a clean house), that thing was our yearly camping trip.

Until recently, I can’t say that I regretted it much. Sure, I missed that magical moment when the world seems to stand still in some spectacularly scenic location. But let’s be honest: camping with kids is a lot of work.

It’s hard enough for two parents to manage the weeks of preparation, activity planning, and care and feeding of children who don’t understand why we must brush our teeth at a spigot 100 yards from our tent. It’s impractical—bordering on unbearable—to do all of that solo.

Tent-building alone is solidly a two-person job. And while there are technically other persons in my family—Brontë, 17, and son Colden, 16—I won’t be the first person to admit that teenagers don’t always qualify as particularly helpful.

So when I consider taking a vacation these days, it’s usually a break from the single mom lifestyle that I crave most of all. Give me a day at the spa to unwind. Let me take the kids to the amusement park and we’ll call it a getaway. But camping? No thank you. It no longer seemed to offer the respite I needed.

Still, I knew in my heart that Six Flags didn’t offer the kind of quality time I wanted with my teenagers. I longed for the outdoor, sleep under the stars/reconnect with the kids/“get off the computer and back to basics” wilderness experience we had had every summer before our family of four became a family of three.

Brontë and Colden would be grown and out of the house soon and time for family vacations was beginning to run short.

So I started joking to my friends, “I will pay you to take us camping.” I was actually half-serious, but never had any takers.

Then, last summer, a friend who had just returned from an O.A.R.S. trip suggested that it might be just the thing I was looking for—an outdoor vacation in which all I had to do, essentially, was just show up.

After scrolling through the amazing photos and personal stories on the O.A.R.S. website, I found out that their camping/rafting trips were perfect for partner-less parents. Their professional guides would take care of everything from the tents and sleeping bags to the food and beverages and even games! They even provide a little luxury item called a Paco Pad, which makes sleeping in a tent a more pleasurable experience.

It seemed too good to be true. I booked a trip immediately.

A few months later, I packed up our clothes and toothbrushes and headed to Colorado for a five-day/four-night trip on the incredibly scenic Yampa and Green Rivers.

Pretty soon I found myself in the single parenthood boat again, but this time I had company.

Turns out there were three other single parents on our trip—all with teenagers. The community we created over the course of our trip was almost familial.

On the first night, another single mom offered to help me with the tent. On the second day, a single dad offered to hang out with my kids so I could enjoy a child-free day on the river. By that night, the four of us had started an impromptu single parent support group.

Not only was I well taken care of by the guides and well supported by my fellow travelers, but Brontë and Colden were too. The other teens and the O.A.R.S. guides—who are not only the best river guides around, but also play chef, teacher, Sherpa, housekeeper, activities director and stand-up comedian—provided constant entertainment for my easily bored brood.

On top of it all, I did not cook one meal, start one fire, clean one pan or set one table for five whole days.

Aside from the five minutes it took to put up and take down our family’s tents, all I had to do was be there—to watch my daughter geek out over all the local wildlife on her critter checklist and see how the sunlight looks on my “never comes out of his bedroom” son. Heck, I didn’t even have to paddle the boat if I didn’t feel like it. Most often, I did not.

After years of keeping our family afloat by myself, it was an amazing gift to just sit back and let someone else do the work.

Our O.A.R.S. trip ended up being both the outdoor family experience I had hoped for and it was exactly the respite I needed. Being a single mom is not always easy, but an O.A.R.S. river trip always is.

The post Staying Afloat In Single Parenthood appeared first on River Currents.

Let’s start by noting that, if you’re hesitant to try an outdoor vacation, you’re about to hear about a 4-year-old and 8-year-old that kayaked Grand Teton.

If you’re a parent itching for this kind of trip, but wondering if it’s a good idea, what with your kids and all, let this suffice as a, “Yes, you can.”

Nicolas Zibell and his family had never experienced the U.S.’s western national parks, but he wanted to open his daughters’ eyes to their grandeur.

Clara, 8 years old, and Chloe, 4, were excited about the trip from the get-go, Nicolas says.

“It was new, it was beautiful,” he says. “They actually thought it was fun.”

The Zibell family — Nicolas, his wife, and daughters — joined an O.A.R.S. crew on a Jackson Lake kayaking trip in Grand Teton National Park. It was 2 days of paddling and hiking, plus a night of camping.

The highlights according to Nicolas:

• Incredible scenery

• Surprisingly gourmet meals

• Surprisingly comfortable camp set-up

• Beautiful moments around the campfire

• Two young girls hooked on active, outdoor adventures

“When they wanted to paddle, they could paddle,” Nicolas says, describing how he and his wife took a daughter each in their tandem kayaks. “Sometimes they didn’t help — they actually paddled backwards. They also wanted to compete and finish before the other.”

The family even experienced one of the ever-present worries of outdoor trips: a rain storm. But, he says, the girls took it all in stride.

“It’s an adventure, but it’s very comfortable,” Nicolas says. “Even if you don’t know anything about [kayaking and camping], there’s no reason you can’t do it.”

With his busy business life, Nicolas says he appreciated the chance to get out of cell phone service and spend quality time with his daughters.

“It’s the perfect way to reconnect with the kids,” he says.

And the next day, his oldest daughter asked to go whitewater rafting. 

The wildlife, looking at the stars at night, the fog lifting off the lake in the morning, the hike over wooden bridges, bear scratches on a tree — it all had a big impact on them all.

“The kids still remember it,” he says.

 The Zibells will be joining the O.A.R.S. family again this summer, for a taste of whitewater on the Lower Klamath River in California.

Does you have a great family vacation story from an outdoor adventure? Feel free to share it in the comments below!

The post Is Our Youngest Paddler Tougher Than You? appeared first on River Currents.

Things that made me blink in disbelief, things that stiffened my spine in shock, and things that doubled me over, crippled by laughter.

And that’s just from the river trips.

It’s this last part that deserves our attention. If you like to laugh, you’ll find a wealth of it on the river. 

Consider these examples:

1. Where else will you see a grown man put on a lifejacket like a diaper so he can float and take in the scenery? Absurd.

2. The lumberjack’s log-rolling competition, carried out on the back of an inflatable kayak, is pretty high on this list. You will never tire of watching mom best her son in this king-of-the-mountain competition, silly as it is.

3. Not everyone can pull themselves back into the raft after hopping out for a swim. Not everyone makes sure their board shorts are tight and secure around the waist before they hop in. Not everyone realizes their shorts are approaching their knees as family members haul them back in. Enough said, perhaps. Certainly absurd.

4. No one looks dashing and sophisticated when they fall asleep sitting up in a chair. It’s cute when the kids do it, hilarious when it’s dad, zonked out in his camp chair beside the fire, before twilight has even faded, and he wakes himself up with his own snoring to find the rest of the crew having a chuckle. 

5. Is there anything more absurd than a splash fight, really? You’ll have more of these on a rafting trip than you’ve had thus far in your life.

6. People in costume, in the middle of nowhere: River trips often feature at least one night of dress-up fun. I urge you to be the one that offers the idea. Pack some spandex. Bring a wig. Wear a leisure suit. Feather boas pack light. It will be the best absurd memory you made happen.

And there will be more and different moments that can only be categorized as wacky.

Go forth. Seek them out.

What would a day be without them?

Have an absurd memory from a river trip? Share it with your fellow adventurers in the comments below.

The post 6 Absurd Things You Will *Only* See On A Rafting Trip appeared first on River Currents.

Every family has them: “That one time” when dad said … that time your brother fell and … that day mom found …

Fill in the blanks with your family’s unique history that will come up at all the get-togethers down the line and get passed on to the next generation.

A multi-day river trip has so many opportunities for that sort of bonding, and it really is so easy to do, it’s hard to think of a better way to spend a vacation.

I’m biased, of course, but consider all these reasons a family rafting trip is just plain perfect:

No connectivity.

Sometimes you have to disconnect to reconnect. On a river trip cell phone’s don’t work. Checking email or playing video games is not an option. All of a sudden you find yourself talking, laughing and enjoying the simple pleasures of uninterrupted time together.

Worry-free camping.

We know the ideal spots. We bring the gear, and we know it all works. You just have to show up.

Guides do the cooking.

And we’re not talking beans and weenies, here. This is gourmet stuff. You just have to eat, and wash off your plate.

Dutch oven desserts.

If you’ve never had this guilty pleasure, well, you’ll just have to. Let’s just say you’ll be amazed at what’s possible.

Sunrise and sunset over canyon walls.

Cameras struggle to capture these rose, crimson, amber and gold hues. You need to see them yourself, and then see that loved one basking in the view, too.

Star-filled skies.

We forget what light pollution is doing to our night-time view until we get a few hundred miles off into the wild. When’s the last time your kids saw the purple wisps of the Milky Way?

Beach games, nature walks, fishing and catching salamanders.

You get plenty of free time at camp, and we have yet to hear anyone say, “I’m bored.” It’s way more than raft-eat-sleep if you do a multi-day river trip right.

Campfire stories.

You’ll have plenty to tell, and we can guarantee our guides spin an interesting yarn or three. We’ll bring the marshmallows, too.

Falling asleep beside rushing waters.

There’s white noise, and then there’s whitewater noise. These nights on the banks of the river will be filled with the kind of slumber you’ve been craving — the whole family has.

But what about you? What makes the perfect vacation for your family? Give us some ideas in the comments below.

The post Multi-Day River Trips: The Ideal Family Vacation appeared first on River Currents.

No one does. It’s why vacations are so important. You’ve got to make every second count.

But you don’t want to be in “hurry up and relax”-mode the whole time.

You want something to do with your family that everyone’s going to like. And it can’t be all tourist-trap-y.

You need some real-deal vacation time.

Well, I’m here to give you the answer: white water rafting.

Seriously. Scenery? It doesn’t get better than a white water river. Fun? Throw buckets of water on your kids all day … ‘nuff said.

Adventure. Relaxation. Great food (no lie, the food is a highlight). A river trip has it all.

Here are 20 reasons why a rafting trip is the perfect family getaway:

1. Incredible value, and all-inclusive price (no extra fees for parking, meals, or ride tickets).

2. Getting hit with waves from all sides is ridiculously fun.

3. If they don’t already, your kids will think you are the god of awesomeness for booking the trip.

4. There are pools between rapids for swimming, water fighting and relaxing.

5. Your guides are just about the nicest, funniest, coolest people on earth.

6. Food is somewhere between incredible and amazing.

7. It’s good for the spirit to spend time on moving water.

8. Two words you’ll never hear on a river trip: I’m bored.

9. Rapids come in all sizes; we take you to the ones that are family-size.

10. You will get at least one photo that will be a guaranteed wall-hanger.

11. The sound of rushing rapids + laughter is one your family will never forget.

12. The family that splashes together stays together.

13. You can push your much-loved family members into the river.

14. Absolutely no iPods, iPads, iPhones, icomputers, or idistractions allowed.

15. If your kids get messy at lunch, just chuck them in the river.

16. Tame enough for mom, exciting enough for dad (or vice-versa, about half the time).

17. Your guides take care of everything for you; your only job is to have fun.

18. Prepping a family for a river trip is easy, and we help by giving you all the info you need.

19. Along with the fun, there’s a lot to learn out on river trips. Families love that part.

20. There is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.

Ok, I stole that last one from the “The Wind In The Willows.” But still, totally true.

Fact: Family river trips rule. And those are just 20 reasons. Got more? Throw us a comment.

The post 20 Reasons Why A Rafting Trip Is The Perfect Family Getaway appeared first on River Currents.