Quad Cities - The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau (QCCVB) announced today a new feature on their website at www.visitquadcities.com/blog.  They are adding a blog section with five local bloggers as part of the team.

The team, who are all Quad Cities residents, will post regularly throughout the month continuously spotlighting what we have to see and do in the Quad Cities area.  During this first week posts will include indoor fun for kids, Vander Veer Conservatory, Whitey's, outdoor recreation options, and Artisan Grain Distillery.

The new blogging team includes:

Kim Woodward is a wife, mom, and freelance writer living with her husband and son in a barn in rural Geneseo, Illinois.  A notorious dabbler and DIYer, she shares her projects and adventures at NewlyWoodwards.com, and contributes to QuadCityMomsBlog.com.  A native of the Quad Cities, she loves setting out on local adventures and discovering hidden gems in the area.  She's always on the lookout for the best live music, family-friendly activities, and cup of coffee.

As a life-long resident of the Quad Cities, Deborah Doehler is a multi-media artist who explores jewelry, painting, pottery, drawing, collage, and computer generated design including Photoshop.  She has recently retired from Black Hawk College after working for 35 years as an award-winning graphic designer, supervisor and graphics coordinator.  She also has her own design and studio company.  You'll also find Deborah serving on the board at Quad City Arts, doing marketing for Riverssance Festival of Fine Arts, and volunteering for MidCoast events.

Dave "The Shef" Sheffield is an international keynote speaker and author on the topics of motivation, leadership, and sales.  He is an avid kayaking, mountain biking, and trail running enthusiast.  He lives in Pleasant Valley, Iowa, and also loves cooking, playing guitar, photography, and spending time with his son, Alex.   

Deborah Davis, otherwise known as QCAlegirl, was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa, where she currently resides.  A self-proclaimed craft beer fanatic, she spends her days either working at a local nano-brewery or researching and writing for her blog, qcalegirl.com.  While she's not traveling around the Midwest in search of new experiences, she also enjoys yoga, reading, and spending time with friends and family.  

As a life-long Quad Cities resident, Katy Williams is an Elementary Education major working on Reading, Social Studies, and ESL/ELL endorsements at St. Ambrose University in Davenport.  She loves traveling, cooking, working with kids, education, and putting a pen to paper.  She also works part-time at a local learning center and have been a published writer from a very young age.

The QCCVB unveiled its new website using responsive design in January with easier navigation, new seasonal content, and new photo tiles replacing the previous text listings.

"The website is one of our most important sales tools for promoting the Quad Cities," said Jessica Waytenick, QCCVB public relations & marketing manager.  "This new blog will deliver even more content to our visitors with first-hand personal experience."

The QCCVB is the official tourism destination marketing and management organization for the Quad Cities region.  The organization serves the tourism interests of Scott County in Iowa and Rock Island, Mercer, Warren and Henderson Counties in Illinois. The QCCVB increases visitor expenditures and overnight stays through strategic sales, marketing, and services to customers, members and communities.  Visitors generated an economic impact of $813 million from over 1.6 million visitors to the Quad Cities in 2013.  

Quad Cities - With the first day of spring coming up on Friday, we're ready to say goodbye to Old Man Winter.  Although these Quad Cities' organizations might be a little reluctant after a successful winter season with great visitation numbers.  

Ski Snowstar in Andalusia ended their season this past weekend.  Looking back, they opened in November for the first time ever and they were open 85 days which is the longest season since 1995-96.  General Manager Ed Meyer says that they had almost 45,000 visits, and they welcomed their one millionth customer at the end of December.  www.skisnowstar.com  

The Bald Eagles visit the Quad Cities in the winter that, in turn, generates an increase in human visitors to view them.  January is a busy month at the Mississippi River Visitor Center on Arsenal Island due to eagle watching.  Almost 3,500 people visited the center this winter.  Mike McKean, Natural Resource Specialist, says, "We pull in a lot of people from out of town, especially Chicago, coming here to watch eagles.  Both last winter and this winter there were great numbers of eagles to be seen. We heard from a lot of people who are coming back each year because of this."  www.missriver.org  

LeClaire is another popular place to go eagle watching.  LeClaire saw eagle watchers and photographers from all over the U.S. and Canada.  LeClaire Tourism Manager Cindy Bruhn wants people to remember that LeClaire does not "close" in the winter.  "We added an Eagle Watching Event this year and organized a variety of events to encourage winter visitors.  The LeClaire Information Center visitation was higher in January and February this year over last year."  www.visitleclaire.com  

The Quad City Mallards are coming down the homestretch of what has been a highly successful season both on and off the ice.  While the team has battled its way to second place and a playoff position in its first season in the ECHL, the organization has also enjoyed plenty of success away from the ice.  The Mallards again this season have provided exciting hockey and promotion-packed entertainment all year and have been met with an overwhelming response: 

• ·        The Mallards this season have increased weekend attendance by 25 percent over last season.
• ·        Group ticket sales this season have increased by 50 percent over last season
• ·        The team's season ticket base has doubled over the last two years.

As a member of the premier "AA" hockey league in North America, the Mallards are able to offer excitement to fans from near and far from October through April and beyond.  www.myqcmallards.net

The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau had two successful promotions this winter.  Be a Tourist in Your Own Backyard Weekend in January saw an increase of 2,000 coupon views to over 24,000 views.  Most recently Quad Cities Restaurant Week had 148,000 pageviews total, compared to 115,000 last year.

By Jason Alderman

Family vacations produce memories for a lifetime, but they can also teach kids great money lessons they'll need as adults.

Involving kids in planning family vacations not only helps them appreciate the overall benefits of travel, but offers an opportunity for even the youngest kids to learn lessons about budgeting, saving and essential money management they will encounter every day.

If you have trouble tearing your kids away from their smartphones, you might be in luck. The technology kids use can be very effective in budgeting, pricing and planning travel. Surfing travel destinations can teach kids a great deal about what travel really costs.

The first step in planning the family vacation should be creating a budget for the trip. Set a realistic dollar limit for the trip and be prepared to discuss why that limit exists. For example, if there is a home renovation project scheduled that particular year, explain how that affects the overall family budget and the resources for the trip. It's an important lesson in balancing fun and family priorities.

After these limits are discussed, work with kids to create a detailed budget for accommodations, transportation, food, special event tickets and souvenirs, particularly souvenirs kids might buy for themselves. For tips, check out (http://practicalmoneyskills.com/travel) for saving on and this online calculator (http://practicalmoneyskills.com/travelcalculator) to help plan.

Once the budget is set, point kids in the direction of certain travel websites to start and let them bring back as much information as they can on potential locations and costs.

Putting the kids in charge of travel planning gives them an opportunity to learn about trade-offs. For example, a cross-country trip that involves substantial transportation costs might contain a valuable lesson in finding affordable accommodations. Depending on the age of the children doing the research and how much advance time is available to plan the trip, they can also learn how traveling in season and out of season might help the budget. Many peak summer destinations become significantly more affordable if a family chooses to travel over the winter holidays.

Above all, trip planning can teach an important lesson in spending and savings. If children want to buy souvenirs or treats on the trip, that's an opportunity to have them set aside part of their allowance or chore money to pay for their special purchases on the trip. To get them started, help them save for their goal using this online calculator (http://practicalmoneyskills.com/savingforagoal).

Finally, once everyone is home, parents and kids might find it useful to discuss how the vacation went overall and what improvements can be applied next time. Encourage kids to start researching next year's destinations immediately so the money and activity conversation can begin even earlier.

Bottom line: Involving your children in family vacation planning allows them to see the world and to practice good budgeting, saving and spending habits.

Perhaps more than ever, women are willing to ditch their traveling companions and go solo when it comes time to hit the road and see the world.

A survey by Small Luxury Hotels of the World, for example, revealed that between 2011 and 2012 there was a 53 percent increase in the demand for rooms by women traveling alone.

The London Daily Mail also reports that some hotels have taken steps to make their accommodations more appealing to women traveling on their own, with such features as women-only floors.

Still, despite the trend, many women may worry that such solitary excursions carry too many risks, making them a target for thieves, kidnappers and other criminals.

But one woman who has logged endless miles exploring the world and finding romance says it doesn't have to be that way.

"There is no reason to let your fears keep you from the adventures you can experience," says Barbara Foster, a veteran globetrotter and author of the book "The Confessions of a Librarian: A Memoir of Loves." (www.threelovestory.com)

"Sure, there are risky places and bad types out there. But with the right precautions, women can travel solo with confidence, visiting the places and meeting the people they always dreamed of and returning home with wonderful stories and memories."

Foster speaks from experience. Her travels have taken her across the country and around the world, with stops in Istanbul, Bombay, Buenos Aires, Jerusalem and other locales.

As an adventurer, Foster is something of a contradiction. She describes herself as a librarian who has difficulty reading flight schedules, and suspects a haggling merchant in an Arab bazaar would view her as easy pickings.

He would be mistaken.

While Foster has spent a professional lifetime in academia, and co-authored books on such esoteric subjects as Tibetan Buddhism, she also is steeped in real-life experience.

Foster, who says solo trips can be deeply rewarding for women, offers five tips for traveling boldly while staying safe.

•  Steer clear of the most dangerous locales. Simply put, some places just aren't worth the risk, so avoid "no go" neighborhoods, cities and countries. For example, if you feel compelled to go to the Middle East, visit Israel, which is the safest Middle Eastern country. Still, if the destination is truly important to you, go ahead and take the risk. India can be dangerous and Foster says she was nearly kidnapped there, saved only by the intervention of a librarian friend. At the same time, she says, the country offers a once in a lifetime experience.

•  Connect with friendly contacts. Make yourself known not only to the U.S. embassy or consul, but also to people in your field, Foster says. During her travels, Foster wrote articles about libraries she visited. Her fellow librarians were a protective group.

•  Learn the language or at least useful phrases. Even if it's just a few key words, speaking the language can come in handy if you need to seek assistance. Understanding what others are saying also can alert you to potential dangers.

•  Dress wisely, pay attention to manners and spend money in moderation. Essentially, don't draw unnecessary attention to yourself. In her book, Foster recounts a visit to Istanbul where she watched horror-struck as two Turkish men slapped a young British woman for wearing a miniskirt on the street. For added protection against thieves, Foster recommends carrying money and identification in a pouch under your shirt.

•  Travel in the USA. You will miss many of the world's must-see places, but if the thought of traveling abroad holds too much stress for you, it might be better to stick closer to home. Foster says two of her favorite U.S. cities are New York and New Orleans, both great places to explore.

About Barbara Foster

Barbara Foster has worked as a college librarian and as an associate professor specializing in Women's Studies at the City University of New York. She has published numerous articles on education and travel, as well as more than 200 poems in literary journals under the name Belladonna. Her latest book is "The Confessions of a Librarian: A Memoir of Loves." (www.threelovestory.com)