Holiday gifts for your favorite little traveler (and big ones, too)
Many think gift cards are the holiday-gift-of-last-resort, but when the card is chosen wisely, it just might turn out to be the most appreciated gift of the season
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To NYC and beyond Manhattan during the holiday season
Some 6 million visitors from around the world come to the Big Apple this time of year, more tourists than at any other time of year
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A special new style trip as a gift
The perfect gift: a trip together, but not just any trip, a custom adventure designed for your group, based on their ages and interests. And it doesn’t have to be as big a budget-buster as you might think.
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Making holiday lights a post-Thanksgiving tradition
There’s no better time to see who has the biggest and best holiday lights than as soon as the Thanksgiving dishes are done. In some cases, before Thanksgiving if you are looking for ways to get everyone out of the house
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Debunking Thanksgiving myths
That first Thanksgiving in 1621, the Pilgrims and Native Americans from the Wampanoag tribe feasted on venison, shellfish, and while there might have been wild turkey, there were just as likely swans, ducks and geese.
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Supporting Sonoma County
No one wants to at all diminish the horrible impact of the fires. They just want people like you and me to realize that the best way to help is to visit
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Gathering the gang when budget isn’t a concern (and when it is!)
Those who are looking for the ultimate where-I-spent-the-holidays bragging rights (and have $40,000 to spare) can gather the gang Thanksgiving or Christmas (seven bedrooms in separate cabins) this holiday season for a three- or four-night experience
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Taking the Kids — away from the crowds to play in the snow
We discovered one week last winter that, despite the tumbles, it’s exhilarating for everyone in the family to have the chance to try a new snow activity like snowmobiling, horseback riding, snowshoeing, backcountry skiing or biking on “fat bikes,”
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Packing smart for your next family trip
If you are like me and want to pack more efficiently, especially these days when you don’t want to pay for bags for the entire family (wait at the airport for them or need a larger rental car to accommodate the bags), this column is for you.
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Taking the whole family on a cruise
There are ships to suit every budget and travel style, from adventure-minded families chartering a small ship from a company like AdventureSmith Explorations that accommodates as few as a dozen guests, to a river cruise in Europe to a megaship in the Caribbean
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To San Diego, where kids are free all month!
Welcome to San Diego, considered California’s birthplace, and one of the most kid-friendly cities in America
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Celebrating Halloween for an entire month
You’ll need that costume a lot sooner than Halloween since theme parks, zoos, haunted attractions, farms, even zip lines everywhere are touting Halloween festivities and scares all October long
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To the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History & Culture
Since the museum opened Sept. 24, 2016 on the National Mall, next to the Washington Monument, nearly 3 million people have visited the 12 inaugural exhibitions
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To Budapest and exploring a new city through food and drink
In Budapest, The Hungarian Flodni layer cake with plum jam, apple, poppy seed and walnuts lives up to its reputation. Yum! So do the “Baselon,” (translated as a “friend’s ear”) — dumplings fashioned from potato dough with plum jam and sprinkled with brown sugar.
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On a European river cruise with kids of all ages
The all-inclusive nature of these cruises also seems to de-stress the experience — just choose which shore excursion you like, borrow a bike, enjoy complimentary wine and beer and more on some ships.
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Taking the Kids — to a fall festival
There’s a lot to celebrate in fall — not the least of which is the kids getting back to school and out from underfoot. There are festivals galore
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On an adventure when the kids are in or out of college
Welcome to a Backroads Breakaway trip. Besides the biking, there are special walking tours in various cities and lunches in out-of-the-way local spots.
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To Acadia National Park in Maine
Welcome to the only national park in the northeastern United States. Last year, when the park celebrated its centennial, it had its busiest year in 27 years, with a record 3.3 million visitors
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Time traveling in Bath, England
The kids immediately saw life wasn’t much fun for slaves. We’ve time traveled back much farther than the United States before the Civil War, though. We’re in Bath, England where slavery was a way of life for the Romans 2000 years ago
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Taking the Kids — to see the solar eclipse on August 21
We’re talking about a different kind of milestone, but one equally memorable — the 2017 total solar eclipse, something that happens only rarely in this country. It’s an event they’ll remember all their lives, and should be good for many science projects to come.
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To ski country in summer when it is more affordable
Hike one of Colorado’s famous Fourteeners — one of the 50-plus mountains that rise more than 14,000 feet — hike to Vail’s famous Back Bowls through a sea of wildflowers or mountain bike on miles of trails. Welcome to Vail in summer.
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Walking in Jane Austen’s footsteps in southern England
VisitBritain is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Austen’s death (July 18, 1817) with a year’s worth of exhibitions, talks, walks, writing competitions and performances here and elsewhere, like in Bath, where fans come to walk the streets that Austen
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What’s new at theme parks this summer?
There is certainly lots to choose from this summer — 170 new rides, slides and experiences at 75 parks and attractions across the United States and in Canada
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Crossing the Atlantic aboard the Queen Mary 2
Today, aboard the Queen Mary 2, there is a mural depicting the Cunard history of entertaining kids dating back to the mid-19th century
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Learning a little history on July 4th
if you play your cards right, you’ll all have fun celebrating the nation’s birthday — and learning something about American history at the same time.
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Cool Dad’s Day gifts for outdoors-loving dads
Maybe he’s an avid camper. Maybe he’s a fisherman or sailor, a hiker, golfer or biker. However the dads in your life enjoy the outdoors, there is plenty of new gear to enhance their experience — just in time for Father’s Day.
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Traveling safely abroad: passports, security, paying attention
These days, especially, it’s important to know what to do if your passport gets lost or stolen or if you need a passport in a hurry (say for a family emergency abroad or last-minute business trip that you can bring a child along).
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Planning a family summer vacation – let the kids help figure it out
I’m sure the kids have lots of ideas, and they may not all involve theme parks. It’s a good idea to talk to the kids about what you’re thinking for a summer trip
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To Dubai – Theme Parks, Deserts, Beaches and Culture
We’re in the middle of the Arabian Desert at a nearly 140-square-mile Desert Conservation Reserve about an hour southeast of Dubai riding in a four-wheel drive SUV up and down 6,200-foot-high sand dunes.
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Learning about mummies at the American Museum of Natural History
The new exhibition Mummies at the American Museum of Natural History gives us a rare glimpse into lives and cultures of the past, thanks to 21st-century tools and technologies
