Thirty years later son learns dad was right about Aspen
Turns out, my dad was right. Aspen and neighboring Snowmass — where we spent the first three nights — lived up to the old man’s hype. And then some.
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Mexico’s Riviera Maya is a safe place for kids to learn
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention we’re less than a year away from Dec. 21, 2012, the date the ancient Mayan Long Count calendar forecasts will signal the end of all humanity. But experts aren’t convinced and I’m not worried.
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How to travel with a teenager – carefully
At the inaugural FamilyTravelConference held recently at the Omni Berkshire Place in NYC, attendees said they wished hotels and resorts would take a page from cruise lines and offer more activities for tweens and teens.
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There’s something about Orlando
The thing about Orlando is no matter how often you visit, there is always something new. That’s why Orlando became the first city in the country to welcome more than 50 million visitors last year—some 54 million to be exact!
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Just a walk in the snowy woods
I was thinking about that Snow Walk the other night when Mel called from college to report giddily that she’d spent the weekend on a back-country skiing trip that “was harder than anything I’ve done on skis.”
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Taking the Kids doesn’t mean leaving the romance behind
I love traveling with my children, their pals and various other pint-sized relatives. I do it all the time. But there’s something deliciously decadent about an adult-only trip, whether you manage just a night away in a nearby hotel or a trip of a lifetime.
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At the 9/11 Memorial on a cold, snowy morning
Every one of our boys parents are immigrants—from Africa, Mexico, Jamaica and Trinidad, from other places. They learned that had they been immigrants in the 1870s living here, they would have worked 10 hours a day rather than go to school…
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Families & Groups | Lodging | Travel Diaries | Volunteer & Service
Seven teen boys share NYC penthouse for a weekend
Some of my friends thought I was nuts. When I won a weekend stay at the Hilton New York’s five-bedroom penthouse, I invited along seven teenagers to share the fun at New York’s largest hotel.
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From Guest to Guide: Growing up in Adventure Travel!
Guest blogger Kasey Austin writes that her “earliest memories go way back to Alaska, everything from ice fishing with my dad to spending time at a remote fly-in camp and hiking trails frequented by moose and other larger than life critters!”
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The un-cruise: a sailing trip in the British Virgin Islands
The best part: There is no one telling us what time we have to eat dinner or even where we are going next. Welcome to the alternative to mega cruise ships and fancy resorts.
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Last day in the BVI – to the new resort on Scrub Island
“This is a place for adventures,” says General Manager Martin Smith, who says the key is organizing your stay—with the resort staff help.
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A day of water sports (or not) at the Bitter End Yacht Club
Snorkel, sail, windsurf or kayak?
We’re at the Bitter End Yacht Club on the island of Virgin Gorda which has been a haven for sailors and yachters for years. -
Beach Vacations | Destinations | Families & Groups | Getting There | Parks & Outdoors | Travel Diaries
To Anegada: spectacular sailing and a famous spot for lobsters
This island—just 3 miles wide at its widest point—is famous for its lobsters that many fisherman here catch by free diving as deep as 60 feet. Sailors like us (we’ve been sailing around the BVI on a Moorings charter Catamaran) make the trip here for the lobsters as well as the spectacular wind-swept beaches.
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Great job at Disney World, Mr. President, but next time take the kids!
The President should be applauded for taking executive action to initiate these visa reforms, which should lead to more jobs in the United States.
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Into the lap of luxury at Villa Aquamare on Virgin Gorda
The advantage here—besides the privacy and the chance to putter in the kitchen yourself—is that you aren’t paying $5 each time a child wants a virgin colada or $15 for the real thing.
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A whirlwind tour of Hong Kong over the holidays
I can’t believe I’m here. Hong Kong’s famous Victoria Harbor watches as I try to follow William Ng, a 75-year-old Tai Chi master, as he introduces about 20 of us to the ancient art of Tai Chi or “shadow boxing.”
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Diving and learning fascinating history in the BVI
Today we are all diving as a family. The Wreck of the Rhone is just off Salt Island in two big pieces 60 to 80 feet down, but there are many smaller pieces.
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“We’re grownups mom! Don’t sweat the small stuff”
“That’s part of the adventure,” says my 25 year old daughter Reggie. “It’s not like we’re at a fancy resort where everything is being done for us.”
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Back to the BVI and sailing a Moorings catamaran
When it came time to decide on a family trip for my far flung gang—the first time we’d all be together in more than a year—sailing, with some diving included, was everyone’s top pick.
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SCUBA Diving for the First Time in the British Virgin Islands
Reggie and I are already imagining our next dive back home in the much colder, kelp-forested waters of Monterey, California — just a couple hours away from our domicile in San Francisco.
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Learning African American History in Boston
A winter foray to Boston — whether you are touring colleges (there are more than 100 campuses in Massachusetts) or just looking for a winter getaway — is a good place to start, especially with the reopening this past December after a multimillion-dollar restoration of The African Meeting House.
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Last day in Hong Kong — to the spa!
After a frenetic week reporting—not to mention serious jet lag—I figured there couldn’t be a better way to while away my last morning before my return flight than experiencing the Mira Hotel’s spa.
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An amazing geological park just outside Hong Kong
Geologists still argue today how these columns were formed some 140 million years ago. What is known is that a huge amount of volcanic ash and lava spewed forth with the volcano ultimately collapsing and forming a caldera.
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Reflexology Hong Kong-style and a visit to the waterfront
We stroll out on historic Blake Pier –the roof is more than a century old and was moved here in 2004–and watch the bobbing rowboats, the traditional Chinese Junk that serves as a harbor cruise and the wind surfers out on a Sunday.
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In Amsterdam, a mix of culture, hip and fit
In Amsterdam, everyone seems young, fit and, most important to the teens, hip and there’s the appropriate mix of culture, history and quirkiness
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A visit to an ancient monastery and a giant Buddha
This isn’t just any Buddha but the largest outdoor sitting Buddha in the Po Lin Monastery on the island of Lantau. The Monastery was established in 1906—some 100 monks hidden from the tourists still live here
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Hong Kong — a shoppers paradise on steroids
My daughter Mel, who has just arrived from Thailand, pronounces things here more expensive yet clearly there are bargains to be had—but you have to bargain as the merchants raise the prices expecting you to bargain
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At work with a Tai Chi Master
“It is good exercise for all ages,” he says. “When I was child, my parents told me I was so small I needed more exercise so I practiced kung fu and Tai Chi- Kung Fu is fast and Tai Chi s slow and smooth.”
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January is the month to learn a snow sport
January is National Learn a Snow Sport Month and more than 200 resorts are pulling out all the stops for families and offering free or discounted ski, snowboard, and cross-country ski and snowshoe lessons for beginners.
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Day 3 in Hong Kong – moving into the Mira in the central city
People are choosing the newly renovated Mira for its hip design. The 492-room hotel has been open just a year across the street from Kowloon Park. You walk out the door onto Nathan Road, one of Hong Kong’s busiest thoroughfares
