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.
Since New York started this program in 1992, the Big Apple Greeters have squired around 95,000 visitors from around the world and have a cadre of more than 300 Greeters who range from 20-somethings to those in their eighties who share a passion for New York that they want to pass on to you.
Had we been here in the 1800s, we would have been hunting whales rather than photographing them. Provincetown was a very busy whaling port.
Especially when it’s hot—as it has been unbearably so on the East Coast—and especially on vacation, it can be tough to keep your cool. The kids are going to bicker and complain just like at home, even though you are spending $$$$ for hotels, meals and souvenirs, not to mention entertainment.
Thanks, Harry. Suddenly, young people, who wouldn’t spend much vacation time with their folks, much less get out of bed this early if they didn’t have to, think family vacations are fun again, especially when mom and dad or grandpa pay for the trip and pop for $100 wizarding robes (yes, despite the 90-degree Florida heat, fans traipsed around the park in the floor-length robes, wearing Hogwarts ties as belts) or $30 wands.
The kids can’t wait. We’re aboard Norwegians new megaship Epic (153,000 tons!) that has forged a partnership with Nickelodeon that means kids—and their parents-have the chance to get slimed, get up close and personal with SpongeBob, Patrick Star, Dora the Explorer, Diego and Jimmy Neutron at breakfast or “meet and greets.”.
The cruiselines certainly think bigger is better. I’m heading out for a quick look-see of Norwegian’s new EPIC (http://epic.ncl.com) — 153,000 tons! — which is being billed as the world’s largest floating entertainment venue.
I smile thinking of that hot day at Disney World when my son and older daughter worked so hard to convince their little sister that she really was “grown up” enough (and tall enough) to ride Space Mountain. “So cool!” they told her. “Not too scary,” they promised.
We’ve started off on a morning walk on our second day in Provincetown and about a mile from town. We come across an inn at the top of a hill so striking we have to stop for a look. Land’s End Inn is not only spectacular with amazing ocean views but kid friendly too with a pile of kids’ games.
Had this been the 18th Century, we would have been hunting whales from Provincetown, MA, especially after the whales’ oil and bone
On one of the hottest days of the year so far, the Department of Transportation reminds us that hyperthermia caused by kids being left unsupervised in cars kills at least 27 children every year. That makes it the number one non-crash vehicle-related cause of death for of our nation’s kids.
”The wand learns from the wizard and the wizard from the wand,” the Wandkeeper tells us, standing behind the counter in the small room that is lined floor to ceiling with shelves packed with wands in all kinds of boxes.
The much anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter has just opened and even the most avid fans who planned their trip to Orlando around the new attractions seem unprepared for the crowds. But that doesn’t stop the fun.
Finally, a Caribbean beach that’s everything a Caribbean beach should be – quaint, with hammocks strung from palm trees, crystal-clear water perfect for snorkeling, white sand, a first-rate beach bar and enough water toys to keep the kids happy (banana boat ride anybody?)
Yum! We’re at American Seasons run by husband and wife team Michael LaScola and Orela Murphy-LaScola, who juggle the restaurant with being parents to their toddler.
Another full load of passengers stranded in a hot crowded airplane for four hours yesterday! This isn’t supposed to happen… Congress need to close another loophole and you can help… Here’s how
There is a lot of history we learn on this small island. In fact, the entire island is a historic district designated as a National Historic Landmark and has more buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places than anywhere in Massachusetts, including Boston.
It’s that perfect beach day… blue skies, warm but not too hot. Colored umbrellas dot the Nantucket beach. Kids play on boogie boards while smaller ones build sand forts until… the two pups discover each other.
With the First Lady’s help, the National Park Service is kicking off a Let’s Move Outside Junior Ranger Program in 20 national parks—all part of Michelle Obama’s nationwide campaign to end childhood obesity
No one cares that the water is cold. The kids splash at the lake’s edge, play on the small sand beach as older, daring ones splash in the water and peddle kayaks, rowboats and paddleboats. Our pup eyes them all curiously
Here we go again. Delta Air Lines blames a paperwork mix-up for sending two children traveling as unaccompanied minors to wrong destinations, AP reported this past week. Before you put your child or teen on an airplane along, here’s what you need to know.
If you think Wine Country — especially Sonoma County — is just for grown-ups (at least those over 21) think again. There are plenty of places to bike, hike and kayak on the Russian River.
DAY 3 — There is every variety of place to stay in Lake Placid from B&Bs, motels, condos and houses, and even luxe resorts.
As vacation season gets into high gear — with officials yet to figure out how to stem the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in the worst oil spill in U.S history — families who planned to head to the Gulf Coast are worried too about clean beach waters — as are those who count on their business.
You can learn a little, or a lot, of Olympic history in Lake Placid at the Olympic Center.
When we took our six-month-old pup Trooper to Lake Placid last weekend, I kept thinking about the similarities to road trips when the kids were toddlers….
The water is cold in Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, NY but that’s not keeping the kids—or hardy parents out. The little ones are splashing at the water’s edge while older ones are out in kayaks , rowboats and paddle boats. Our pup is eyeing them all curiously. “It’s got everything you want with little kids,” said Jim Carroll, vacationing here with his wife and two daughters
We’re at Hall of Human Origins, the newest exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, now celebrating its centennial year. (It’s the most visited of the 19 Smithsonian museums with 7.4 million visitors last year!) It’s the most visited museum in the country and has the most visited science museum in the world. It’s easy to see why. Even kids who profess to “hate science” can’t help but love this 21st-century museum.
The way it sounds, oil is washing up on shore at every beach along the Gulf Coast. But that’s not the case, folks in the Southeast want us to know
I am standing in a Mexican kitchen on a picturesque Ranch outside of Oaxaca city kneading dough that will become mini tortillas. I’ve already grilled the cactus that will be a part of the topping for these mini tortillas called Memelas
This past weekend, I sat on the National Mall facing the Capitol in Washington, DC as Michelle Obama extolled the new graduates of George Washington University to broaden their horizons through travel abroad, working to help those less fortunate wherever they go.
I’m in a darkened Broadway theater watching the new Tony-nominated musical “Memphis” (nominated for eight awards!), which tells the story of what happens in the segregated South when a young white DJ named Huey Calhoun, played by Chad Kimball, falls for “Negro” music and a terrifically talented black singer named Felicia Farrell, played by Montego Glover
It took me years to get our three kids out of our bed, whether at home or in a hotel. Now just as the last one has left for college, we’ve got a new puppy who likes nothing more than snuggling up between us–that’s when she’s not chewing the computer wires under my desk or snacking on my newest shoes that I mistakenly left on the floor.
As Orlando gears up for the much-anticipated opening in June of Universal’s “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” — 20 acres within Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventures — keep in mind there are plenty of options to stay — some 115,000 hotel rooms, including more than two-dozen new hotels, including the brand-new Holiday Inn Club Vacations Orlando.
No, it’s not the piles of laundry when you get home. It’s that moms rarely get a break. On vacation, just like at home, they’re the activities directors, psychologists, chefs and medics, among other tasks and all in unfamiliar turf.
We moms all know the dirty little secret of family vacations. No, I’m not talking about the piles of laundry when we get home, though that’s certainly no fun. I’m talking about how moms whisper on the beach, around the pool and on line at theme parks that family vacations are really no vacations at all for them, especially when young kids are part of the equation..
Taking the Kids recently teamed up with Travelocity in a poll about the importance of family vacations and together time. Here are some of the key findings.
You need a vacation now more than ever, and you shouldn’t feel the least bit guilty. In fact, you’ve got lots of company, according to a new family-travel poll for which I partnered with Travelocity.com.
It is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the travel industry’s websites are falling all over each other to tell you what they are doing to be green and how we can all travel greener. But really, it is little things — like carrying reusable water bottles or hanging up towels after you use them that can help make difference
Who says you have to spend hours in a museum? Sometimes, even an hour is enough—especially with kids. While in Manhattan, I stopped in late in the afternoon at The Jewish Museum especially to see one exhibit—Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H.A. Rey.
Spend some time in New York City — there are a lot of fabulous new productions on Broadway this year, including “Memphis” and “The Addams Family.”
Of all the things that could disrupt travel, volcano ash is at the bottom of the list. If you’re stranded here… visit a nearby national park or historic monument. Entrance fees are waived this week and there are all sorts of special activities.
The alarm doesn’t go off.Forget about our plan to leisurely stroll through Rome’s famous Borghese Gardens to get to the Borghese Gallery in time for our reservation to see the fabulous collections of paintings, sculptures, mosaics and bas-reliefs from the 15th to 18th centuries. Reservations typically are needed at this small gem of a museum.
Little things really make a difference.That’s why on vacation, just like at home, we should all do our part to protect the environment. It’s as simple as turning off the lights and AC when you leave.
The Associated Press reports that two more glaciers have recently disappeared from Glacier National Park in Montana. That’s so sad. I have very fond memories of our trip there in 1994 when the kids were still little.
So now Spirit Air is going to charge us for carry-on bags–as much as $45 a bag. In some cases, that might be nearly as much as a ticket might cost. It’s crazy!
The kids assume mom and dad have “no life” when they aren’t around but that is SO NOT TRUE. This past weekend, when we found ourselves kid-less on a beautiful spring Saturday, we hopped in our Subaru for an unplanned adventure in the countryside about an hour from our home in Connecticut..
My nearly 3-year-old son Matt was methodically smashing coconuts on the stone terrace next to the pool of our rented villa in St. Martin early in the morning just under the window where my sister and brother-in-law — still kid-less — were trying to sleep. We thought it was hilarious; they weren’t amused. My parents just wanted to enjoy the sunshine and the grandkids — Matt and his baby sister, Reggie.
So how does it feel that your kids are better traveled than you ever were?
According to a new Family Travel Survey from TripAdvisor , 75 per cent of travelers’ children have visited more than six states, compared to just 37% of their parents by the same age
I forgot my tiara and kept misplacing my wand. After all, it’s not easy being a modern-day Disney princess. You need to keep that tiara firmly on your head; you need to be kind to everyone — even annoying younger siblings.
Finally! And just in time for summer vacations–June 18 to be exact–Universal Orlando says that the much-anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter will open.
Since it started as a low-fare carrier at Kennedy International Airport a decade ago, JetBlue has called itself “New York’s hometown airline.” However, it almost decamped to Orlando. Thanks for staying Jet Blue!
This week, Disney announced that although it is only March, they have already given out the million free tickets promised to those who participated in the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” in partnership with the Hands On Network and designed to encourage families to give back to their communities through volunteer service.
The iconic pink Fairmont Hamilton Princess with spectacular gardens that overlook the water and well-stocked Koi ponds is THE place for a traditional English Tea in the oh-so-British-feeling Bermuda.
AAH… I’m in the midst of possibly the best massage I’ve ever had at Orlando Grand Lakes Ritz Carlton Spa—thanks to the feet of the massage therapist, who happens to be a former paratrooper, he tells me!
So how would a princess ask for a piece of cake? The half dozen or so princesses in training, their tiaras on their heads are listening attentively. “Ahem, Madame Chef, May I have a piece of cake,” Rose Petal (who apparently was a rose in the palace garden and then magically became a princess so she could be Aurora’s friend) instructs them
It’s hard work being a princess. You need to know how to curtsey and wave. You need to be kind to everyone—even annoying younger siblings. You need to wear fancy dresses and tiaras.
In a desert oasis beside a roaring river, the handsome young Chilean reaches for my hand to help me over the rocks. He smiles. “Gracias,” I say. It’s not a dream. The long-haired, 29-year-old Chileano is Max Vera, our guide on a challenging uphill hike along the canyon floor. We scramble over rocks strewn along a sandy trail, large “fox tails” and cacti that are 12 feet high with needles so sharp that local Indian women use them to sew and knit. We’re in the Atacama Desert in South America, walking along the River Puritama. Our goal: seven pools of hot springs.
Finally. I get to relax. After the extended family heads back to Denver and Connecticut, after my college freshman daughter and her friends head back to school, my husband and I head to Vail where we check in to the Arrabelle at Vail Square–a beautiful boutique hotel celebrating its second anniversary.
Sorry, Cinderella. Five-year-old Hannah Sitzman has forsaken all things princess to be a Winter Queen, she announces as she makes her way to the huge ice throne in a castle at the top of a ski mountain that took more than 75 tons of snow and two full weeks to build.
DAY 8 — Yes, a ski trip can work whether you are five, 19 or 60-at least for our family, at least at Keystone Resort that is the most economical and most kid-centric of Vail’s Colorado resorts.
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.
