Are you one of those parents who is always looking for educational opportunities for your children no matter where you go? Perhaps a little part of you even feels more justified taking your family to a battlefield instead of a beach? If you haven’t already staked out the aquarium nearest your beach vacation rental home, work in some knowledge-building the easy way. Bring these quick trivia questions, based on real facts from MarineBio.org, http://marinebio.org/MarineBio/Facts/ along for the ride. Prizes for everyone just for playing are always a plus!

1. The ocean makes up ____% of living space on earth?

• 10%
• 50%
• Almost 100% (correct answer)

2. What percent of volcanic activity happens in the ocean?

• 90% (correct answer)
• 25%
• 0%

3. The lowest point on the planet is in the Pacific Ocean. It’s so low, even Mount Everest wouldn’t come to the top. What is this low point called?

• The Negative Baseline
• Challenger Deep (correct answer)
• Sub-Point Zero

4. Which ocean covers a third of the Earth’s surface?

• Atlantic
• Pacific (correct answer)
• Indian

5. What is the largest animal on our planet?

• Blue whale (correct answer)
• Great white shark
• Elephant

6. What is the fastest fish in the ocean?

• Swordfish (correct answer)
• Bluefin tuna
• Turbofish

7. Sharks aren’t as scary as you think. Which of the following animals kills more people than sharks each year?

• Elephants
• Bees
• Crocodiles
• All of the above (correct answer)

Continue the game throughout your vacation by collecting brochures and tidbits from tour guides as you site-see. Encourage the kids to make up their own questions and quiz you, too. It’s amazing how snorkeling and scholarship can peacefully co-exist in a world of family fun at your beach vacation rental home.

Taking everyone out for a fun picnic seems like a great idea. Until one child has to go to the bathroom - again. Another gets mobbed by mosquitos. And a third is too terrified to leave the car because of a previous chiggers experience. Consider leaving the picnicking for vacations with the older set. Here are 10 great ways to make your vacation rental home picnic more about grown-up fun:

1. Bring along a candelabra, a few silver pieces, some china – nothing spells elegant decadence like fine tableware on a grassy hill.
2. Remember a cloth tablecloth and napkins – you can find interesting, special ones at a great value at yard sales and flea markets.
3. Say cheese! Browse your local grocery store or gourmet market for a few new finds that everyone can try for the first time. Make sure you know the names of the cheeses for when your vacation partners ask.
4. Same goes for a variety of olives.
5. Fresh fruit is a must, especially cherries and berries. Include freshly whipped cream if you have time.
6. Tea sandwiches are another thing you don’t see every day. Pick up some tiny bread loaves in the deli section of your grocery and top them with cream cheese and water cress, prosciutto and melon, and different kinds of pate or sandwich salads.
7. Save the chocolate chip cookies for another time. Chocolate-dipped strawberries are always welcome, as well as petit fours and lady fingers.
8. Champagne is great, but consider a unique variation, like the Kir Royal, a combination of champagne and Crème de Cassis, a red liqueur. You could also include a dessert wine to try with your treats.
9. Bring a small music player with a “different” kind of music than your group normally listens to – classical, Indian, 50s orchestra, 30s jazz.
10. Bring the elegance, but take it away. Don’t forget plenty of paper towels, baggies and garbage bags to make tidying up a 1-2-3.

Cheese puffs and fruit punch have their place. Just not at a memorable adult picnic. Surprise your vacation rental mates with an outdoor meal they’ll rave about for many vacations to come.

Nothing spells romance like gourmet coffee and no filters. Or a big pile of trash you’re stressing about what to do with. Or fire logs dwindling while the irritability is rising. Or a late-night chocolate craving that goes unanswered. Before you take off to your vacation cabin rental for a cozy long weekend, make sure you have the essentials with you!

• A menu plan for the weekend – keep it simple – pasta, hot dogs, BLTs, bagels and eggs, chips, cookies, ice cream
• Bring a back-up frozen pizza just in case
• Again, don’t forget the chocolate! Consider bringing graham crackers and marshmallows for making s’mores and as stand-alone snacks
• Coffee, filters, sweeteners and creamers
• Beverages of choice
• Music and portable player
• Candles
• Cards and games for rain-delays – consider fun get-to-know-you-even-better questions games like Loaded Questions, Dirty Minds, Would You Rather? or Scruples. Remember, you can always use questions cards for any game without actually playing by rules or keeping score.
• Extra blankets – duvets and heavy sleeping bags if you have them
• Hats and gloves
• Hiking boots or tennis shoes and plenty of warm socks
• Small back-pack
• Layers of clothing for changing temperatures
• Extra clean-up supplies – trash bags, baggies, paper towels, tissue, toilet paper
• First aid kit with basic pain relievers, calamine lotion, flashlight and matches

In addition to these must-haves for keeping the weekend smooth, consider these “nice to have” ideas for making the weekend extra-special.

• Tell friends and family to hold all calls unless it’s an emergency
• If there is a fireplace in your vacation rental cabin, bring along a scented log
• Remember wire coat hangers for roasting hot dogs or marshmallows
• Pack up a small surprise – comfy new flannel PJs, a fresh CD or a book of ghost stories you can read to each other
• Bring a picnic basket for an “unexpected” lunch al fresco
• Take something meaningful from home, like wine glasses or a table cloth you use for special occasions

Cover the necessities. Then give the weekend a few twists! Two important things to keep in mind to ensure your vacation cabin rental delivers on unforgettable romance.

It’s happened to all of us. You get to the beach and find yourself having to buy a $20 pair of flip flops because you forgot to bring yours. Or you ONLY brought flip flops, so you end up trailing miserably behind your friends on an impromptu bike ride. Your swimsuit always seems to be wet. You dribbled a red Slurpee on your one nice shirt. And your purse is full of sand from sitting it on the beach.

You can avoid all of these uncomfortable situations by planning ahead with this list of must-haves for your next beach vacation rental home experience.

At the Beach

• Extra tote bag
• Small wallet with a clip in case you want a take a stroll and no one can watch your belongings
• Plastic baggies for seashells and other finds
• Beach toys – Frisbee, paddle ball, soft football
• Deck of cards
• Book or magazine
• Extra tissues or toilet paper
• Hand sanitizer
• Sunscreen
• Hat
• Rubber bands or hair clips
• Sunglasses
• Large blanket or sheet for staking out your space
• Small cooler for frozen water bottles and snacks like apples, grapes, cherries, cheese, crackers and nuts
• Folding chairs if not provided. (Be sure to ask your vacation rental home owner before your trip.) 

Back at Your Vacation Rental Home

• Aloe vera to soothe sunburns
• First aid kit with calamine lotion for bug bites, tweezers in case of splinters and pain relievers such as Tylenol and Motrin
• Nail clippers and file
• Disposable wipes
• Bathroom toiletries – toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, razor and moisturizer
• Additional baggies and trash bags for wet clothes and towels
• Extra paper products such as paper towels and toilet paper
• Small amount of detergent for hand-washing away mishaps, especially if you packed light
• Second bathing suit so you always have a dry option
• Long-sleeved shirt, sweater and pants or jeans for chilly nights
• Flip flops
• Tennis shoes and socks for walking and biking
• Chargers for phones, cameras and music players 

Out to Dinner

• Dress or skirt for women
• Small evening bag for women
• Collared golf shirt or jacket for men and a belt
• Loafers, flats or sandals

A little forethought can result in a lot more relaxation in and around your beach vacation rental home. Wouldn’t you rather be eating your third shrimp at that great little bistro you discovered than running around finding a dress so you’re not embarrassed at the door?  Or charging your camera for another great day of photo ops than stressing about when your camera will go dead? Making these must-haves a must-do can make a better beach vacation happen for you.

A pool table can be one of the key features of a vacation cabin rental. But many of us can’t play very well. Are you among those who think a game of pool sounds fun at first, but grow increasingly bored as a game drags on with less-than-expert players? It goes without saying that you never experience the “thrill of victory.”

So discover Nine Ball! It’s a type of pool game that’s played widely in tournaments because of the speed of play, but it’s also great for amateurs because it relies much more on luck and requires fewer rounds. Plus, you can impress your friends by knowing this variant.

The very basics of a simplified game:

• You only play with 9 balls, numbers 1 through 9
• Arrange the balls in the rack in a diamond pattern, with the “1” by itself on the bottom, and the “9” in the center. The other balls can be in any order. (There will be extra room between the balls and the rack.)
• One person breaks as usual.
• The game proceeds with each person hitting the “next” ball in chronological order in turn until one is missed. Players aren’t divided into solids and stripes. Each player is going for the same ball.
  
  Example:
  
  
• If one person hits the 1 in, he or she then tries for 2. If the 2 goes in, the same player tries for 3.
• Whenever the first player “misses” a number (let’s say the 3 ball), the opposing player picks up where the first player left off (at 3.)

In this game, the 8 ball is like any other number. The 9 ball is considered the last ball. The player who hits the 9 ball in wins, regardless of who got what balls leading up to the 9. Much like 8 ball, though, hitting the 9 ball out of turn (before its time) results in an immediate loss. 

Fantastic, isn’t it? Your opponent can ultimately get 8 balls in the pocket in a row, then miss the 9 ball, which you can get in for the win. That means less “agony of defeat” and more fun from a key feature of your vacation cabin rental home. Rack em up – and make the most of it.