Whoever said "Getting there is half the fun" does not have children.  One of the most stressful parts of family travel is the journey.  I am the kind of person that hates to be late and always allow for extra time, but sometimes extra time is not enough.  I'll never forget the first time I flew with my youngest son.  We were standing in an never-ending security line with a screaming, hungry baby.  All I wanted to do was make it through security, change baby's diaper and feed him before boarding the plane.  It turned out that we ended up running to the gate to catch the flight.  I had to finagle changing a squirmy little one on those ridiculously small airplane bathroom changing tables.  Plus in the stress of the moment with hungry baby screaming, I am pretty sure I exposed myself to a few teenage boys.  All I needed was an extra 45 minutes, but because of the insanely long security line, our first family vacation was off to a stressful start.

I recently learned about CLEAR, a membership-based service that allows travelers to get through airport security faster. CLEAR is the fastest and most predictable path through airport security.  On average with CLEAR, the entire security process takes less than 5 minutes.  Plus, CLEAR is great for frequent family travelers. A spouse can be added to a CLEAR account for $50 and kids under 18 are free.  This gives families extra time at home or more time to explore the airport and grab a meal before takeoff.

Where is CLEAR available?

CLEAR is now open in 11 major airports with more opening very soon. Find the current list of airports online here. It is quickly becoming one of the nation's favorite #ToolsForTravel. Plus, CLEAR is now also expanding into select Major League Baseball parks around the country. Starting at AT&T Park in San Francisco and Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, CLEAR members and their families can now get into the game faster (with an expedited security screening process) with just a tap of their finger.  

To enroll in CLEAR, you must present either an US Passport or US issued Permanent Resident/Alien Registration Card PLUS an approved secondary ID (State Issued ID, Drivers License, Military ID, or Foreign Passport). All IDs must be valid, unamended, and unexpired. You must be at least 18 years old.

For a limited time, Kid Trips readers can try CLEAR free for 2 months by using promo code CLEAR2M17.  Follow this link to enroll, and may your travels be CLEAR of stress!

Attention thrill seekers, Busch Gardens Williamsburg's newest roller coaster, Tempesto, has opened!  Not for the faint of heart, Tempesto is a whirlwind of a ride with super fast forward and backward accelerations, looping twists and turns, and launches that seem to go straight into the sky.  The smooth ride is very close to the experience of flying.  Our family rode it from the front row, back row and the middle. We agreed all spots were awesome but the views from the front row were worth waiting for.  If you have coaster riders in the family, you'll definitely want to experience the newest addition to Busch Garden's coaster line-up.  Along with Busch Garden's Griffon, Tempesto is now one of our favorite rides!  

Learn the facts about Tempesto:

RIDE MANUFACTURER:     Premier Rides, headquartered in Baltimore, MD
TYPE OF RIDE:                    Launch Coaster
SPECIAL FEATURES:          Three launch elements, High-speed station experience, 154-foot high-speed inversion
TRACK LENGTH:                 883 feet of track, Train travels approximately 1,945 feet total.
MAXIMUM SPEED:             63 mph
RIDE DURATION:                55 seconds
SEATS/TRAIN:                     1 train, 18 seats
HEIGHT REQUIREMENT:   54 inches
LOCATION:                         Busch Gardens Festa Italia

For a sneak peak at the ride, check out the official Point of View (POV) video by Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

By Ronja Touber

On Wednesday  April 8th our family visited LEGENDS, presented by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, a fun experience for children of all ages. In this show we saw trapeze artists, acrobats climbing up poles, the globe of steel, fire performances, people doing tricks on horses, bicycle tricks, and lots more. We also saw a variety of animals such as elephants, lions, tigers, pigs, llamas, goats, dogs, and horses.  The tricks in this show were amazing! I thought the trapeze artists were incredible -- they made it look so easy! The Globe of Steel was also thrilling: the 16 foot steel globe had EIGHT motorcycles orbiting around at about 65 miles per hour! To be honest, I kind of panicked once they put eight motorcyclists inside! 

One thing that did bother me was the use of animals that are meant to be wild and free, living in their own habitats. [Which is why its good to know that the circus plans to retire its herd of Indian elephants to a conservation area in Florida by 2018.]  On the other hand, the dogs seem to be having a great time! All in all the circus was a terrific once-in-a-lifetime experience.  If you have children who love animals and tricks then this is a great show for them to see!

Ticket information: All seats are reserved. LEGENDS is being performed at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, through April 19, 2015. The Patriot Center is a convenient  venue with plenty of close-in free parking.  Tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000, via www.ticketmaster.com, and the Patriot Center box office. For group rates and information, call 202-661-5061. Prices: $15, $20, $30, $55 VIP, $75 Front Row.  To find out more about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents LEGENDS, visit Ringling.com.

Related Post: Review of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey ® Built to Amaze!

The opinions expressed in this blog are entirely those of the author and do not reflect those of the business entities mentioned or of Kid Trips, LLC.