At Scotland’s Fort George: a youth bagpipe band

At Scotland’s Fort George: a youth bagpipe band

Tour buses took us to Fort George, where the Inverness Youth Band with 30-plus members –drummers as young as nine and led by adults are “Beating Retreat,” performing a traditional military ceremony 16th Century England.

At sea with Windstar – connecting families and generations

At sea with Windstar – connecting families and generations

Of the 204 passengers, there are 117 who have sailed Windstar, some as many as 11 times. While you may think of this as a cruise line for adults, I’ve been thinking of this as a way for grown and mostly grown kids to connect with parents and grandparents, sharing new experiences.

A hidden gem of a restaurant in Scotland

A hidden gem of a restaurant in Scotland

Three Chimneys Restaurant and six-room inn is on an out of the way stretch of road on the Isle of Skye where you brake for sheep crossing the road and the fish you eat for lunch might have been caught that morning, the lettuce just harvested.

Learning about the origins of the Titantic in Belfast

Learning about the origins of the Titantic in Belfast

We are on day two of our cruise aboard the Windstar yacht Star Legend – the Gaelic Explorers tour. We’ve anchored in Portrush and taken an excursion bus for the one-hour trip to Belfast to learn about the building of the Titantic.

Cruising Ireland and Scotland on a Windstar yacht

Cruising Ireland and Scotland on a Windstar yacht

We are on an eight-day Gaelic Explorer Windstar Cruise on a yacht with just 212 passengers can go to smaller ports. Windstar, known for its sailing yachts, has added three more yachts from Seabourn—these without sails–that after a $12 million refurbishment have joined the fleet.

21 ways to show your Dad some love on summer vacation!

21 ways to show your Dad some love on summer vacation!

As Father’s Day coincides with the start of the summer vacation season, I figured there’s no better time to offer some suggestions to up dad’s fun quotient on vacation, which is a much better idea than yet another Father’s Day tie, or an IOU, accompanied by a charming kid’s drawing.

Two worlds for kids and adults in one resort on St. Lucia

Two worlds for kids and adults in one resort on St. Lucia

Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa in St. Lucia offers Splash, a wing where the kids club is housed and visitors delight in being young and taking part in family-friendly activities and Harmony, Coconut Bay’s adults-only wing.

Fish fit for a king, or a snorkeler, at Jumby Bay, Antigua

Fish fit for a king, or a snorkeler, at Jumby Bay, Antigua

We’re at Jumby Bay on its own island just off the coast of Antigua–an all inclusive where the food isn’t like any other all inclusive I’ve seen—of course this is one of the most exclusive resorts in the Caribbean.