Manchester With Kids

Manchester has so much to offer your family! & Definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for a smaller (better) version of London.

Whether you prefer bright city lights, the countryside, local history, shopping, theatre, or dining out, everything is accessible with excellent transport links.

Manchester and the surrounding area is easy to get around once you are here thanks to the choice of buses trams and trains that are available. Walking (especially to the city center) is one of the best options to as the city is compact.

Use the transport for greater Manchester TFGM for planning your journey as a wealth of information and journey planning tools to take the stress out of traveling throughout the city.

Manchester City center has a free bus service (called “metro shuttles”) and it provides free hop-on hop-off service that links to all the main rail stations shopping districts and business areas.

There are also plenty of commercial buses that run through Greater Manchester to help you get around too.

You can also use the Metrolink tram to transport across the city region and if you’re planning on sightseeing “travel cards” offer unlimited travel across all transports so be sure to purchase a ticket from the one stop ticket machines before boarding!

The train rail can connect you to the neighboring towns and districts of Greater Manchester as well.

Manchester’s Transportation System Is Called: System One

If you want to travel on any bus or combination of bus train and tram you can purchase a “system one travel card” as they’re accepted by most bus train and trail companies running through Manchester.

This gives you and your family the opportunity to travel and transfer seamlessly from bus to bus or from one transport to another as many times as you like.

Parking In Manchester

NPC

It has over 30 locations across the city center. They have a pre-booking service in Manchester so you can guarantee a parking space before your journey begins.

APCOA

They have five car parks in Manchester including Manchester Piccadilly station car park they offer long and short stays.

Bus Tours Around Manchester

Manchester bus tour has a quote-unquote secrets of the city with a live guide and you can experience the famous sites while discovering its rich heritage as a world city of firsts. The birthplace of new ideas and innovations discoveries and inventions. The 90-minute tour feature is over 100 unusual facts about Manchester’s history music football industry culture politics and residents live guided tours run every Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Sightseeing

With the hop on-hop off bus, you can discover the city’s heritage on a 90-minute hop on hop off bus tour with 14 stops in Manchester’s key areas and attractions, including the town hall, Manchester national football museum, science, and industry museum, and Manchester United football club.

Walking In Manchester City Centre

The City center is easily explored by foot with most areas within a 20 minute walk.

You can look out for a city host who are dotted around the city central district to help you with directions public transport information and details on events or attractions.

Maps of The City

Visitors can pick up a free large version Manchester map in the visitor information center, located right inside Manchester Central Library or at city center museums galleries and attractions.

Manchester is a great city with tons of interesting activities and attractions for the entire family.

Here are a few below:

Play Factor

Play factor houses the tallest standing indoor slide in the UK as well as a full indoor laser tag arena go-kart track exhilarating zip wire and stimulating virtual reality environment!

Legoland Discovery Center

Side Note: Center is actually spelled: Centre, in the UK

If your children are age 3 to 10 and like Lego then they’ll love this the ultimate indoor Lego playground see all of Manchester’s top attractions made from Lego in mini land and enjoy the new Lego Ninjago City adventure plays feature.

Smith Hills Open Farm

This farm is set in the vast open countryside of smithers country Park next to the historic middles Hall children and families will love visiting to see over 25 different types of animals.

East Lancashire Railway

An ideal day out for kids is heritage railways run steam and diesel trains through beautiful the pennine Lancashire scenery. There are lots of special events throughout the year including the popular Santa specials so check out what’s on in advance.

Chester Zoo

For all the animal lovers Chester zoo’s brand new walkthrough lemur experience will transport you to the forest of Madagascar as you come face to face with the best wildlife the island has to offer plus the new treetop challenge is a great way to burn off some energy after a delicious lunch and the recently refurbished Oakland pub.

CBBC Tour at Media City UK

Media City UK is the home of CBBC where many favorite children’s programs are made such as blue Peter and newsround Kids can have a go at being a CBBC presenter or find out how it feels to present the news and weather they’ll also discover what goes on behind the scenes

Tatton Park

Experience tudor life at tatton Park
located in the beautiful 1000 acre deer Park the former Edgerton family home is open for you to explore uncover centuries of history at the two-door old hall and ad wander at leisure through huge glorious gardens where the children can meet very special rare breed animals at the working farm.

Manchester City Center Neighborhoods:

Ancoats
Filled with independent cafes and bars and new restaurants

Castlefield
The Roman heart of the city. Escape from the city hustle has an array of waterside restaurant pubs and bars.

Chinatown
The second-largest Chinatown in the UK. A wide variety of Asian restaurants, bakeries, and shops.

Worth A Visit:

• Manchester Art Gallery

Civic quarter
Home City Ionic listed buildings such as Town Hall and Central Library. Essential library host walk daily walking tours at 11:00 a.m.

Worth A Visit:

• Manchester Central Library
• St Mary’s Church

1st Street
One of Manchester’s cultural districts. It’s home to the multi-art center HOME, bars restaurants and accommodation.

Greengate
This is in the heart of Manchester filled with culture heritage commercial spaces and residential buildings with a waterfront view.

Medieval quarter
This is home to some of the city’s oldest building such as Chatham’s Library and Manchester’s cathedral

Worth A Visit:

• National football museum
• Chatham School of music
• Cathedral Gardens
• Manchester cathedral

New Bailey
The vibrant canal side area of the city and it mixes commercial space with accommodation restaurant pubs and bars.

NOMA
In the heart of this area is Sadler’s Yard. Public space surrounded by shots restaurants homes and offices. It’s home to many year-round events.

Northern Quarter
a creative neighborhood filled with independent retailers of vintage music fashion art and more.

Worth A Visit:

• Center for contemporary Chinese art
• Manchester craft and design center
• Greater Manchester Police museum

Petersfield
The city’s conference district including Manchester Central convention complex great northern and the Bridgewater Hall.

Piccadilly
This is the main gateway into the city where there’s many shops bars hotels pubs and more.

Retail District
This area is exactly as it sounds it’ll fulfill all your shopping needs from high end to high street fashion and it’s a popular area for street artists.

Worth A Visit:

• St Ann’s Church
• Royal exchange theater

Spinningfields
Vibrant area with luxury international fashion brands and many restaurants & bars.

Worth A Visit:

• John Ryland’s Library(the library in Hardy Potter!!!)
• People’s History Museum
• Manchester Opera House

St John’s
This is home for the science and industry museum.

Worth A Visit:

• Science and Industry Museum
• Air and space hall
• Castlefield Bowl

The gay village
One of the world’s leading LGBT+ cities. A thriving area with hubs clubs restaurants and green space supporting this community.

Regional center neighborhoods
Located outside of the city center, they have a unique sense of culture and community.

Etihad campus
This is a sports district that’s home to the city football club stadium and training facilities.

Oxford road corridor
South of the city center…It runs from St Peter’s square to Whitworth Park. Surrounded by world-class medical and educational institutions alongside many cultural amenities.

Worth A Visit:

• UoM Manchester museum
• Pankhurst center
• Elizabeth gaskell’s house
• the whitworth
• whitworth Park
• college of music

Media City UK and The Quays
Greater Manchester’s contemporary waterfront is packing everything you can do in a big city into one square mile. The shopping sports arts drama and world-class architecture. You name it, you’ll find it here. It’s also an international hub for technology and creativity, and it’s a host to a wide variety of leisure activities. (Were you may even spot celebrities!)

Worth A Visit:

• Imperial war museum
• the Lowry
• Lowry outlet Mall
• Ordsall Hall

What Is Travel Insurance and Do You And Your Family Need It?

Not Everything Always Goes as Planned When You Travel

No matter how carefully you plan your trip, something unexpected might come up. You might have to cancel your trip for a number of reasons or run into some unexpected expenses during your trip.

It’s always best to have an emergency fund for unplanned situations. Travel insurance might benefit you as well.

Travel Insurance Is a Type of Short-Term Insurance Policy

All you have to do is plan your vacation and purchase a policy that would cover a number of scenarios that could come up during your trip. You can choose between different plans or buy a customized policy in the amount of coverage you want.

Consider These Advantages of Travel Insurance:

The main advantage of buying travel insurance is that you’ll get your money back if you have to cancel your trip. Travel insurance usually covers the entire cost of your trip if there is a death in your family, if you or a family member becomes ill, or if you lose your job. The scenarios covered depend on the amount of coverage you buy.

Travel Insurance Covers Medical Expenses

It could be very beneficial if you don’t have a health insurance policy or if your current policy wouldn’t cover you in another state.

You Can Buy Additional Coverage

This is important if you plan on practicing dangerous activities such as skiing, mountain climbing, hiking, or any other extreme sport.

Repatriation Is included In Most Travel Insurance Policies

This is another one of the main reasons why this type of coverage might be needed while you’re traveling. Having to buy a plane ticket home at the last minute if you’re ill or injured could be very expensive and makes buying travel insurance well worth it.

You Can Insure Your Material Belongings

It’s not uncommon for luggage to get lost or stolen, and you could actually lose some valuable items such as your laptop or digital camera.

The exact amount of coverage depends on the policy you purchase. Assess which risks you need coverage for. Where are you going and which activities do you have planned? There is no need to buy travel insurance that includes coverage for medical expenses if your health insurance will cover you while you’re away from home.

Buying travel insurance is not very expensive and it can really save your vacation. You can rely on your travel insurance policy to cover unexpected expenses. You’ll find that your trip is a lot more enjoyable with the peace of mind of having travel insurance.

If you plan on traveling soon and have already booked your trip, look for a reliable travel insurance provider. The insurance provider you currently use for your other policies might offer this type of coverage. Otherwise, you can easily buy travel insurance online or simply contact different insurance providers to ask for quotes.

Don’t hesitate to contact a travel insurance agent directly to see if they can write a customized policy for you. This is usually a good way to save money since you might not be able to find a policy that matches your needs. You can also remove or add coverage from an existing policy in view of what you need.

Global Medical Insurance: How to Find a Plan That’s Right for You

Living in a foreign country can be an enriching and exciting experience, but it can also have some challenges. One of the primary challenges world travelers face is regarding health insurance. While many foreign countries have excellent healthcare programs for citizens, you’re likely to find that you don’t qualify.

The most important part of finding an appropriate insurance plan is to understand the insurance itself.

Learn About The Basics of Global Medical Insurance:

How are the premiums determined? Just like any individual policy, premiums are based primarily on your age, medical history, and the area of coverage.

Many plans have two separate premiums: worldwide and worldwide excluding the USA. This is due to the high cost of health care in the United States.

Some policies will give rates for just a particular country, but you’ll only be covered for medical care in that country.

Most policies are ‘globally portable,’ so you can use them wherever you happen to be when the need arises. However, the policy won’t provide coverage when you return to the United States.

These policies are usually purchased on an annual basis. If you’re planning on being abroad for a relatively short period of time, a travel medical policy might be a better solution. These policies cost less, but are only in effect for a specific period of time.

Examine Your Needs

If your health is solid, you might be best served by a basic policy with a high deductible and co-pay.

If you’re prone to health issues, it might be better to get a policy with more comprehensive coverage for the smaller bills. Increasing the coverage will also increase your premiums, but it might be worth it.

Consider Using a Broker

The cost to you is the same, but you’ll get several quotes from different companies. Compare the plans, costs, and policy specifications.

Understand Your Policy

Not every policy is the same. Some policies will pay the medical provider directly, but some plans only reimburse you for your medical costs. This means that you’ll have to pay the bills with your own money before the insurance company will pay up.

Know the difference between a basic and a comprehensive policy. Most insurance companies will offer one or more levels of coverage. Read the information about the specific policy beforehand.

A basic plan will generally only cover inpatient costs. These are typically going to be your more serious medical conditions and injuries. For example, a trip to the doctor for a sore throat wouldn’t be covered. Emergency surgery, however, would be.

A comprehensive plan will cover all the items in the basic policy, but will also cover outpatient care.

Your pre-existing conditions may be covered. While not all pre-existing conditions are eligible for insurance coverage, in some cases, they may be. With some policies, the pre-existing condition is eligible, provided no treatment has been received in the previous 24 months

Be Aware of Any Exclusions

Unfortunately, exclusions exist and most are related to routine or elective care. Elective surgery and routine physical examinations are two such examples. There are many more, but they vary from policy to policy.

It’s never wise to be without medical insurance and being overseas is no exception. There’s a slight chance that your current policy in the US will cover you while out of the country, so check it out.

Get online, do some additional research, and pay attention to the small print. Talking to a broker is a great idea. It doesn’t increase your cost, and you’ll have an expert on your side.