Penticton great spot for families
Penticton is a great place for families says travel writer Jody Robbins.
Robbins, whose articles have appeared in multiple national publications, included the Peach City in her new book 25 Places in Canada Every Family Should Visit.
“There’s a lot to offer families in the Okanagan region,” Robbins said in a phone interview from Calgary. “I’ve been to many of the Okanagan resort towns and I found Penticton to be very family-friendly and it’s one of the most affordable places in the valley.
“With families, their travel needs are different than the average traveller. They are more on a budget. There’s a lot you can do there with your kids and many of the restaurants do their best to make families feel comfortable. You can get really great quality meals that won’t break the bank. Penticton’s not inaccessible or pretentious.”
Of the 25 destinations she chose, three others were from B.C. as Vancouver/Squamish, Parksville and Victoria also made her list.
The destinations are not ranked and appear in the book beginning at the West Coast.
What makes her guide book unique is it focuses on the family.
“I don’t want to sound negative because Kelowna is also a great place to visit but I think it’s the perfect place for a girlfriend trip, a golf getaway or a great couples’ vacation,” Robbins said.
Half of the book is devoted to travel tips for families including sections on how to camp, how to pack, and how to survive an airplane ride with kids. She also encourages limiting the time spent on electronic devices while on vacation.
“The purpose of a family vacation is to bond and create shared memories which you can’t do if you’re glued to a device.”
Wineries, although long considered an adult activity, can be fun for kids too if you do your homework. Some have kids’ furniture and teddy bears and she singles out Liquidity and Elephant Island specifically in her book.
She was first drawn to Penticton in 2015 as a delegate at the Go Media conference which was hosted by Penticton.
“It’s hard to tie sales to marketing but if Penticton hadn’t hosted the Go Media conference it might not have made the book. It put Penticton on the radar. Penticton definitely deserves to be in the book,” she said.
Travel Penticton executive director Thom Tischik was pleased to learn that Penticton was featured in her book.
“I’m delighted† to see Jodi Robbins’ Travels with Baggage chose Penticton as one of Canada’s 25 places in Canada every family should visit,” he said.
“Penticton has been a great family destination for many years. Hot summers, safe sandy beaches on two lakes, water and amusement parks, family-friendly hiking and cycling trails and a variety of available activities make Penticton the perfect family vacation location.”
The book is available online from Amazon, Chapters.Indigo, and IndieBound.org and locally from the Okanagan Connector Tourism, Oliver Tourism, Peachland Pharmacy, Mosaic Books (Kelowna) Lakeview Convenience (Penticton), and McConnel’s Farm Market (Summerland).