Adventure Starts Here.
Every journey brings you closer to new places, to people you love, to family, and to yourself. Let’s make your next escape unforgettable.
it’s worth checking out a bike tour wherever you are visiting with the kids. You can bike along the new beach promenade in Clearwater, Fla., or sample Portland’s famous local eats on a Bites by Bike tour that claims it is the best in the country for cyclists, offering an extensive network of trails.
Foxnews.com: Eileen’s blog on Hurricane Sandy messing up travel plans.
UPDATE (Wednesday, Oct 31) — It’s Halloween, but the really scary thing is now bad the damage from SuperStorm Sandy is all over the Northeast. We still have power at our house so we are one of the few lucky ones. But we lost cable, which means almost all forms of communication for us these days. I’m updating this blog from our Town Hall where they have electricity and free public wi-fi. It’s impressive the way people are pulling together and helping each other out. Just this morning my husband helped a neighbor jump-start his car. His battery had run down after he and his son tried to recharge too many electronic devices. Meanwhile… if you trying to travel, or get home, during the storm’s aftermath, check out www.johnnyjet.com for some great tips!
You don’t need a gourmet meal to enjoy snowshoeing. It’s fun to take a sandwich and hot cider with you in your backpack; it’s fun just to get out and enjoy the back-country landscape away from the hustle and bustle of a snow sports resort. I try to take a day off from skiing each trip just for the experience.
National Cruise Vacation week is Oct 21-27, the cruise industry’s largest sale with savings on more than 200 cruise ships—everything from significant on-ship credits to free airfare and two-for-one pricing.
Thirty-seven percent of leisure travelers say they’ve traveled with grandkids just this past year. Twenty-two percent report they are even leaving their children behind and just inviting the grandkids along….
Milestones occur with frequency in the raising of children. For Eileen and me, this past weekend was one of the sweetest — our last PARENTS WEEKEND for our last child in college.
“People tell us this is the way the Caribbean used to be,” says Lawrence Wheatley, who with his sister Lorraine and their mom runs the 16-room Anegada Reef Hotel and its bustling restaurant where diners feast on the 2+ pound lobsters and fresh fish nightly.
Certainly you could spend all of your time in Washington, DC without paying to enter a museum—there are plenty of free ones to choose from. But two on our list are private and, the boys said, were worth the cost of admission.
One of the best things about Washington, DC is that so many museums are free. We aim to hit as many as we can.This time, instead of trying to see all that the Holocaust Museum or the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History has to offer, I tried to pinpoint certain exhibits I thought would most interest the boys from the Westport ABC House
No guilt allowed! We keep telling ourselves that all weekend. I’m in Scottsdale, AZ for a moms’ getaway weekend with an old friend I don’t see nearly enough. She lives on the West Coast; I live across the country.
I was chaperoning six city high school boys who attend our suburban school under the auspices of A Better Chance, a national organization that identifies kids with academic potential in middle school and sends them to communities like ours (Westport, CT) to live and attend high school. Several of the boys had visited Washington, DC on middle school trip
Every snow-loving parent knows that trips to the slopes not only are expensive but a lot of work for moms and dads. All the schlepping of gear! That’s why I applaud any effort that makes snow sports more affordable and more fun for families.
If you’re thinking Halloween is weeks away, think again. These days, Halloween lasts the entire month of October! There are frightful — and not so frightful — theme park extravaganzas, boo at the zoos and much more…
We are in northern Chile in the famous Atacama desert region in the Valle de la Luna—Moon Valley—famous for its resemblance to the moon surface and salt and rock formations that look like dinosaur heads, angels and more.
We are in northern Chile in the famous Atacama desert region in the Valle de la Luna—Moon Valley—famous for its resemblance to the moon surface and salt and rock formations that look like dinosaur heads, angels and more.
The ocean is a fascinating place for children who love the colorful and interactive displays, live shows featuring dolphins and multimedia presentations. Visiting oceanariums can also be an opportunity for them to touch living animals in a safe environment, while learning about them, too.
Here at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, the terrific living history museum outside Indianapolis, a Smithsonian affiliate that focuses on 19th-century Indiana, the journey takes us 90 minutes, starting with our escape from an owner who plans to sell us “back South.”
There are plenty of family-friendly and budget friendly ways to take your clan away, and still keep everybody well-fed, well-shod and not wandering the streets with packs of dogs.
Our Guide Kerry Echer is leading us on one of several unique adventures offered by the Golden Door Spa here. Earlier in the day, we’d noticed Echer teaching rock climbing on the giant boulders; there are also guided hikes and mountain biking.
There are other museums of musical instruments, but none with such an expansive collection from around the world—harps, zithers flutes and trumpets from the Middle East, African drums, a 17th century spinet and 20th century electric guitars…an Appalachian dulcimer, a ukulele, bagpipes and cymbals.
We amble inside out of the sun for lunch at Sprouts which serves healthy eats (complete with calorie counts) but indulgences too like chocolate fondue. We love the chicken curry lettuce wraps, tuna tartare and salads. We skip the chocolate fondue!
Members were asked to rate PD sessions from 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest and were asked to make comments. Your sessions got tons of tens. One commenter said that your session was among the most useful PD ever at an SATW conference. Another commenter said he learned so many valuable tips from you. Several associates said that you gave a wonderful balance in aiming your talk at both associates and actives. That is not always easy to do.
I figured what could be better for a mom’s getaway than a resort complete with 125 acres of desert landscape (love all the cacti!) at the base of Mummy Mountain and Overlooking Camelback Mountain.
Walking into the Enterprise dome, you’re awed by the shuttle’s size. Dwarfed by her wide, black wings and smooth underbelly, Enterprise is a testament to the 1970’s engineering that carried Americans to outer space and back for over 150 missions.
Here at the only Living History museum in the Midwest, kids can explore Prairie Town of 1836 where they take on the role of gardener or criminal or deputy and interact with the townspeople, running errands, sweeping floors, doing laundry, helping in the garden, cooking .
The historic Indianapolis City Market—it dates back to 1821 when the city was new—is full of good eats, even 16 taps of Indiana craft beer at the Tomlinson Tap Room. But what I didn’t expect was that it would be a place of second and third acts in life—successful second and third acts.
They’re the one thing I always put in my backpack when heading outdoors with kids in the fall — whether they’re 4, 14 or 24. Those Ziploc bags of M&Ms have been known to inspire art creations, stop a meltdown and even spur healthy debate..
As the air becomes crisp in the North, there is one destination you can always rely on for bathing-suit weather: Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Having somehow missed the short beach season this summer, I wanted a chance to relax on the beach at a resort where after I checked in, the most difficult decision I’d have to make was what I wanted to eat next.
What is most interesting to me is how such an upscale resort—long a favorite among Hollywood celebs and pro athletes where rooms in season are often over $1000 a night —has gone out of its way to welcome well-heeled families with its complimentary kids’ club for kids 4-11
Where are the kids while the parents are at the spa? There are two options: the Barcy Kids Club, where kids get to partake in activities like pool sports and crafts, or the Barcelo Kids Spa.
This resort is dedicated to protecting the sea turtle eggs laid upon its 1.25 miles of glistening beach during sea turtle nesting season from May through October, and guests of all ages are encouraged to participate in the release of the juvenile turtles when they hatch.
This is Mayan land, we are told, and there is a lot of mysticism around here. So much mysticism that the superstitious-minded believe the world will be ending December 21, 2012. It doesn’t feel like the world is ending at Barceló, though…
Fall is a great time to visit Washington, D.C. Hotel rates are down as much as half, and the summer humidity has disappeared, along with the crowds. No wonder it’s Travelzoo’s featured destination right now.
Download a PDF of Eileen’s speech to the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). Eileen will give the speech on September 11, 2012 in Indianapolis. …
America may lack royalty, but Mount Vernon, the regal estate of our first president, is a must for families taking in the history of our nation’s capital.
Take a fall weekend to explore a smaller city or region near your home and you’ll be amazed at what you find; especially if you let the kids lead the way. Honestly, before I got there, I wondered what Sioux Falls S.D. would have to offer a traveling family.
The Sioux Falls Business Journal reports on the recent Travel Media Showcase in South Dakota, quoting Eileen and fellow journalists on what the area has to offer.
I didn’t want a hotel that was just a place to sleep. I didn’t want a hotel that was just convenient to the train station. I wanted a hotel that would be part of the experience—a big part of the experience. We were staying in Rome just one night and it was my birthday.
When I visited Disneyland earlier this summer, moms and dads were busy filming the princess transformation on their iPads and smartphones. “It never gets old for them” said manager Joanna Pisanski
My family decided to end our stay in the Big Apple with a trip to see the Statue of Liberty. Let me tell you, the “Summer Evenings” Cruise out to the Statue of Liberty was the highlight of our whole trip.
More advice for parents of kids flying solo after yet another airline incident..
As summer draws to a close, we all like to think back on this year’s family travels. And why not reminisce on the sweet break we had? This summer I had an experience to last a lifetime. This summer, I got to travel to two large cities: Boston and New York.
Yet again, an airline—this time United—lost an unaccompanied minor who was supposed to be escorted to her connecting flight earlier this summer. Some advice on how to minimize the chances of this happening to your child…
Eileen is interviewed by FoxNews.com about the deals that await families in Orlando in the fall
A villa or condo makes vacationing with kids — no matter what their ages — so much easier. Remember that the kitchen is always open and in some cases you have a staff all to yourself. And you don’t have to share the pool with strangers.
What surprised me most about Boston was how history and the modern city were combined. There was a colonial age church between a coffee shop and a bank, cemeteries hidden between buildings …
My nieces from Arkansas recently visited Boston and New York with on a two week road trip with their parents. The girls used CityPASSes to visit top attractions and museums in New York and Boston.
Eileen interviewed on fall deals by New Jersey 101.5 in Trenton.
Eileen interviewed by MarketWatch on “added value” travel deals.
Browse through a selection of travel ideas for cities, countries, and unique regions that offer memorable experiences for every type of traveler.
Escape to the outdoors where lush parks, scenic trails, and serene natural retreats provide the space to relax, recharge, and experience the world in its purest form.
Every destination has its own flavor. Let the food take you on a journey through local traditions, and unforgettable meals.
