Good News: new law will require airlines to seat families together
New law will require airlines to seat any children aged 13 and younger “adjacent to the seat of an accompanying family member over the age of 13,
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Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Disney | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Lodging | Parks & Outdoors | Weekly Column
Exploring history and viewing the modern at Disneyland
Walt Disney was tapped out. The construction of Disneyland was taking nearly every penny he had. A kid-friendly, upscale hotel next to a theme park seems like a slam-dunk, but not in the early ’50s
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Food and wine and an angry potato make a grownup family weekend in Aspen/Snowmass
When you’re traveling with grown kids, as we are this weekend, artisanal cocktails can play a key role.
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Snowmass in Summer – cool air and lots of family activities
After an arduous 16 mile hike yesterday, I’m at The Spa at Viceroy Snowmass while an experienced massage therapist ministers to my aching legs and shoulders.
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Hiking Crested Butte to Aspen – again – the good, the bad and the better
If I’ve learned one thing from travel—especially with kids—is that you have to take the bad with the good. That’s a good lesson for the kids to learn, along the way, of course. And perhaps there is no better time to remind you of that adage than on an outdoor adventure. We certainly were reminded on the hiking trail.
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Summer in Crested Butte CO – a family vacation haven
Crested Butte bills itself as the Wildflower Capital of Colorado and there is a Wildflower Festival going on with everything from art classes, guided wildflower hikes, photography classes and more.
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Touring the Vatican with kids – hidden gems to explore
Welcome to The Vatican, the world’s smallest sovereign state, established in 1929. It’s the modern version of the papal fiefdom that ruled Rome and much of central Italy before Italy was unified in the mid-19th century
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A Family Culinary Adventure in Merida, Mexico
On a recent trip to Merida, Mexico, Alison Tibaldi booked a hands-on cooking class. It was an immersive experience that offered a window into the local culture in a highly sensorial way.
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The Greatest Show On Earth Is Out of This World
There are only a few of classic outings that will never get old: going to the beach, a picnic at the park, heading to the carnival and going to the circus!
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One-of-a-Kind Slide Experience at OUE Skyspace LA
OUE Skyspace LA is a new attraction at the heart of Downtown Los Angeles built in the U.S. Bank building–currently the tallest building west of the Mississippi River–and the buzz is booming after its grand opening in June.
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Saving on a family summer beach vacation
A trip to the beach is a perfect summer getaway — and a bargain too. As long as you opt for a destination that’s off-season in summer — like the Caribbean or Arizona — you can have your pick of deals.
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A Family Getaway To Kennebunkport, Maine
Kennebunkport is loaded with New England charm. The pedestrian-friendly streets are brimming with retro sweet shops, folksy art galleries and authentic lobster shacks.
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10 water-safety tips that can save a child’s life this summer
Who’s watching the kids in the pool? Someone should have eyes on them at all times — even if they know how to swim. According to new research more than 40 percent of children (5 to 17) who drowned in pools knew how to swim.
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Wizarding World Comes to Life at Universal Hollywood
On a recent visit to “The Entertainment Capital of L.A.,” WWoHP was packed with wizards, witches, muggles and humans alike.
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Arthur Tauck and the family tourism industry
The next time your kids get in trouble in school, tell them Arthur Tauck’s story.
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Tauck’s latest European river boat — extra space for families
I’ve never seen a nicer bathroom onboard a river ship. It’s so spacious! It has a rain shower. And as the MS Joy boasts more suites and fewer guests than other similarly sized vessels, it is a good bet for families.
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Celebrating July 4 with the kids
There are plenty of ways to celebrate, starting with your local parade. When my kids were small and we lived in Evanston, Illinois, that parade was a highlight of the summer
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An Austrian monastery underappreciated by the Hapsburgs
Today, the Benedictine Abbey “Gottweig” may be the most famous symbol of this region—a huge complex at the top of the mountain that houses, besides the gorgeous church, a youth center, inn and one building that was built for the Hapsburgs to stay though they never did and boasting the largest staircase in all of Austria.
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Rained out in Austria? No chance
We’re about an hour northwest of Vienna—a great place for a respite after city touring, The entire area is famous for its abbeys, churches, castles, picturesque villages and hiking and cycling. The best part—It’s not at all crowded!
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Aboard Carnival’s newest ship, the Vista
What’s first the new, super-fast waterslide, IMAX movie or SkyRide attraction? If you pick SkyRide, you get bragging rights for being among the first to ride a bike on an 800-foot track suspended 150 feet above the oceanWelcome aboard Carnival’s newest, biggest ship VISTA, with nearly 5,000 guests and 1,450 crew members.
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Ten Father’s Day gifts for the traveling dad
No matter how memorable, travel can be stressful for Dads. This Father’s Day make sure to give the significant men in your life a big hug and a sincere “thank you” for all the wonderful adventures and memories.
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Food Tours: A Delicious Way To Explore Cincinnati OH
Nowhere is tradition and innovation more apparent than in the culinary arena of Cincinnati. While this city gets its share of recognition for down-home Cincinnati-style chili, cutting-edge chefs are flocking here like bees to honey.
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Baseball, the Dodgers and the Honorable First Pitch
The particular game that I attended in April was a rivalry game against the San Francisco Giants. This series was tied at 1-1.
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Traveling abroad in an age of terrorism
I didn’t meet anyone onboard during our trip who was nervous about traveling with their kids in Europe this summer, even though we were in Crete, less than 200 miles from where the Egyptair plane went down
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Visit to a Sea Turtle Hospital in Palm Beach County, Florida
More than just a place to observe, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a working hospital with the goal of rehabilitating its animal patients. In fact, it’s the preeminent sea turtle hospital in the United States and animals in need of treatment are carefully transported here from around the country.
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To the new, enhanced Disney Springs in Orlando
Book a $125 vintage Amphicar ride for the gang at the new Boathouse Restaurant at the newly imagined Disney Springs, which used to be Downtown Disney before its multi-year transformation.
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Sampling the great foods of Athens
I think the way to a city’s heart—or to understand its culture—is through its food. That’s why in Athens I signed us up for a “Beyond Feta” food tour offered by Context Travel,
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Learning about our presidents from visiting their homes
All around us on a recent sunny Sunday, families were picnicking outdoors, gaping at all of the wild game heads inside and walking on the nature trail at Teddy Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill home.
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Visiting Turkey, briefly, in a year of travel warnings
Although the US State Department has warned about travel in parts of Turkey, we are far away from the unrest and terror threats in the tiny village of Sirince not far from the famous ruins of Ephesus
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Shore excursions: Planning ahead is smart
It seems as if all 4,000 passengers on the Carnival Vista, docked here, this morning are visiting Lindos, which means we’re jammed tight
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The entertainment never stops aboard Carnival’s Vista
IMAX movie or Sky Ride? No, we’re not in Orlando. We’re in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea aboard Carnival’s new and largest ship VISTA.
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No way to diet: 19 restaurants on Carnival Vista
It’s nearly impossible to stay on your diet aboard Carnival’s new and largest ship Vista with some 19 places to eat.
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“You can’t live your life being afraid to go anywhere”
The new Carnival Vista has more than 4,000 passengers and I haven’t run into anyone yet who considered changing their plans not to come due to concerns about terrorism
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Carnival’s newest and biggest ship – chock full of kids activities
Kudos to Carnival for what they have achieved for families on their new and largest ship, Vista, now sailing in the Mediterranean.
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Off the beaten cruise tourism track on Italy’s Amalfi Coast
Every day, Maria Grazia, 80, walks thousands of steep stone steps to and from her home in Minuta, a tiny hamlet high above the Amalfi Coast in southwestern Italy that is among the oldest towns here, dating back before medieval times.
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Taking the Kids on a once in a lifetime adventure
Millennial families, according to the new 2016 MMGY Portrait of American Travelers, are more likely than millennial couples or singles, to travel internationally
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Scavenger Hunt in the Vatican Museums? You bet!
You wouldn’t guess the always crowded Vatican Museums would be a good place for a scavenger hunt, but it is an ideal vehicle to keep kids interested, says Eva Polino, an art historian and licensed guide
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Truffle Hunting in Tuscany – Day 2 of Carnival Vista Med Cruise
We’re on a shore excursion in Tuscany off the Carnival Vista cruise ship, which is sailing the Mediterranean this summer. We’re with experienced truffle hunters Salvatore Cucchiara, a retired policeman, and his son Massimo
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Carnival’s newest and largest ship in the Med – first stop Marseilles, France
Marseilles is our first stop on a 10-day cruise of the Mediterranean on Carnival Vista, Carnival’s new and largest ship, carrying more than 4,000 passengers and nearly 1500 crew.
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To Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Welcome to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the country with nearly 10 million visitors a year — twice what the Grand Canyon gets.
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Last Cuba port call – historic Santiago de Cuba and pirates of the Caribbean
Historic Santiago de Cuba is home to revolutions, gave birth to Cuban leaders Jose Marti and Fidel Castro and was the scene of Teddy Roosevelt’s famous charge up San Juan Hill.
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Second port call in Cuba – beautiful French-inspired Cienfuegos
If Cuba had a Paris, Lonely Planet Cuba says, Cienfuegos would be it as it’s arranged around a spectacular natural bay (there are charter sailboats in the harbor and I can only imagine a lot more once Americans discover this place).
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TO CUBA ON THE FIRST AMERICAN SHIP TO SAIL HERE IN NEARLY 60 YEARS
I’ve learned first hand that encouraging kids to be global citizens, to be comfortable outside their own comfort zones, helps them navigate unfamiliar and difficult turf in their lives as they grow up.
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In Havana, meeting people who are starting private businesses
Gilberto Valladares Reina has always been a barber—and a dreamer. That’s not always been easy in Cuba, where the government controlled so many aspects of your life.
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Into Havana on a “people-to-people” tour from the first American cruise ship in 58 years
Cubans lined the Havana shoreline, cheering loudly as the ship sailed in. Those on board lined the decks cheering, waving Cuban and American flags as Adonia, became the first American ship to enter Havana Harbor in 58 years
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How kids like making history on first American cruise to Cuba
The Russell kids had spent the last two weeks in the Dominican Republic where they joined in volunteer activities that ranged from wrapping chocolate bars at a women’s collective to helping to lay cement floors for several families.
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On the first American sea voyage to Cuba since the Revolution
Eleven kids are making history, though they may not realize it. The kids are among the 700 passengers aboard Fathom’s Adonia, the first American ship to win approval to sail into Cuba from American shores in more than 50 years. (Fathom is the newest cruise brand of Carnival Corp).
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Mother’s Day gifts: what she needs in her travel tote
Mom’s tote bag is so important. (Are you listening dads and kids?) You don’t want to end up like I did on my way out of the country with a bag that broke at the airport.
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Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lights Up for Evening Adventure
Soaring lights dance across the evening sky at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, but it’s no longer just soft lights illuminating the closed park while the animals play.
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On an adventure closer to home this summer
Will we be safe? Everywhere I go people have the same question about travel this spring and summer. So what’s a travel-loving family to do this summer?
