May is my favorite time of year to be in my hometown of Boston. The tulips are in bloom and the swans and swan boats back in the Public Garden. Big Papi and Manny are swinging away at Fenway. There's another blockbuster show at the Museum of Fine Arts, this time on El Greco to Velasquez. And 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Trail. Come celebrate by tossing your map in the garbage and following the red line that not only takes you to 16 monumental historic sites, but brings you into some of the city's most cherished neighborhoods—Beacon Hill's century-old brick brownstones and village squares, North End's winding streets and lively Italian community, and Charlestown, once the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill and now home to America's most celebrated ship, the U.S.S. Constitution. Along the way, you'll stop at the home of Paul Revere and the oldest continuously operating restaurant in America, the Union Oyster House. Stay at the Colonnade Hotel, home of the only rooftop pool in Boston. Gleaming after an $18 million renovation to all the rooms, the hotel is located close to Beantown's main attractions in the tony Back Bay neighborhood. -- Steve Jermanok
Book It!: Seattle's new Central Library, designed by Rem Koolhaus (Peyman Oreizy)
Seattle resident and mother of two young kids, Debbie Dubrow is the voice behind DeliciousBaby.com, a blog filled with insights about traveling with kids and featuring numerous family-friendly city guides.Contact us if you'd like to contribute.
Seattle's walkable urban areas, beautiful natural setting, and laid-back atmosphere make it a great vacation destination for anyone regardless of age, but you might be surprised to learn how well it accommodates its youngest visitors. Not only are there lots of activities specifically for kids, but Seattle's major sites (and some of its most popular restaurants) are just as much fun for children as they are adults. Living in Seattle has given me plenty of opportunities to explore the best of the city with my two young children, so here are a few of my favorite locales—some of them well-trod, others more off-the-beaten track!
Pike Place Farmer's Market is the classic Seattle tourist attraction. The colorful market, filled with fresh fruit and flowers, is interesting for all ages, but kids in particular will be drawn in by the live crab displays and the "flying fish" at Pike Place Fish Company. On summer weekends, scheduled kids' activities, including cooking demonstrations, face painting, and games and music, make the bustling market even more fun. After taking in the sights at the market, head across the street to Beecher's Handmade Cheese, where kids can watch as cheese is made, sample fresh cheese curd, and feast on the city's best mac and cheese.
The last time I went to the Riviera Maya, I was three months pregnant. My monthly checkup was right before I left for my trip, so I figured I'd ask my ob-gyn about any additional precautions I should take. He looked at me very seriously and said, "Whatever you do, don't drink the water." And that was it. He closed his clipboard and sent me on my way. Wow. Thanks, Dr. Wagner.
In retrospect, I guess my doctor was just trying to say that traveling while pregnant, especially if the pregnancy is progressing normally, shouldn't be different than any other sort of travel. But for rookies like me, and even moms who've been around the baby block a couple times, it's always nice to get some tips. Having been on the road for three months while pregnant, here's what I learned... >> Click here to read more about traveling while pregnant on Away.com's Beach Blog
One of the best things about the growth in family travel over the years has been an increase in hotel kids' programs, giving kids and parents a way to enjoy their vacation time together and separately.
It is also one of the worst things. Bad programs abound, and because resort programs typically aren't regulated, families have no guarantees.
Over the years my kids became experts on resort programs. In fact, I once considered renting my daughter Molly out as a security check. She was a pint-sized Houdini, able to escape in a flash—and did, from programs in Steamboat Springs to Ocho Rios.
With special thanks to Dagne Forrest for this week's guest post. Mother to two boys, ages 4 and 9, Dagne is co-owner of KidsOttawa.com, an encyclopedic resource for family-friendly activities, events, and services in the Canadian capital. Contact us if you'd like to contribute.
Given that the locals start suffering from cabin fever come the end of February, it's no surprise that Ottawa in springtime is packed with great activities, many of them outdoors.
Ottawa is also a natural destination for families, combining urban amenities with ready access to rural pleasures. The small downtown core is easy to cover on foot and full of excellent museums and tourist attractions. Minutes away are the world's only inner-city farm, ski hills, and hiking trails, while the city itself is criss-crossed by cycling and pedestrian pathways.
With special thanks to Jennifer Michaels for this week's guest post. Jennifer is the family travel guru for VisitFlorida.com and FamilyTravelPlanet.com. Contact us if you'd like to contribute.
With airlines beginning to charge extra fees for additional baggage, travelers need to get organized about packing. For families, this creates extra challenges. And given that traveling is my trade, I am learning firsthand what it takes to pack smart—and light. Here are some of my secrets.
If I say that our recent experience with Irish carrier Aer Lingus over the holiday season was like flying on a crèche with wings, you'd probably assume that I'm talking 14 hours (round-trip) of screaming hell and mayhem. Wrong, and the reason I say this is that our Aer Lingus staff were the most accommodating and laidback people you could hope to encounter when struggling to entertain, feed, soothe, and cajole your under-five charges during a long transatlantic flight. It really was like a crèche, with dozens of children and babies on board for both our outbound and inbound legs. Unlike some flights, where draconian airline staff rain down on toddlers who deign to transcend FAA regulations, our Aer Lingus cabin crews—including connecting flights, we took four flights in total—happily provided fresh milk for bottles, turned a blind eye when our son desperately needed the bathroom while we were still taxiing to the arrival gate, smiled sympathetically as I made the 76th lap of the cabin trying to coax our baby to sleep, helped to carry strollers down to the tarmac at Dublin as it blew a gale outside… let's just say they went above and beyond the call. And if you needed more enticement to consider this carrier for your spring or summer foray to Europe, then know that Dublin airport is an ideal place through which to transit to avoid the crowds, delays, and strike threats at bigger airports like London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle. -- Alistair Wearmouth
As Nickelodeon's eccentric yellow invertebrate, SpongeBob SquarePants, rolled around the floor of the departures terminal at Dulles International Airport, I pondered the inevitability of every child's favorite birthday and Christmas gifts: empty cardboard boxes and reams of wrapping paper, freed from the expensive toys that they recently concealed.
Sometimes it's the little castaways that come through for you best, which was certainly the case for the inflatable SpongeBob SquarePants ball I'd randomly stuffed into our carry-on luggage before my family's recent trip to Scotland. A freebie that came with a kids' magazine, the small plastic ball didn't take up any space as we slogged through security. Then, with about an hour to burn at the departure gate and with our three-year-old teetering on the edge of an early evening meltdown, it took seconds to orchestrate an impromptu game of catch-and-kick with SpongeBob and his pink starfish pal Patrick. Everyone was all smiles again and I learned an important lesson: Just as weird and wonderful things can happen on the ocean floor, even a stressful airport can be transformed into your very own Bikini Bottom with the right tools.-- Alistair Wearmouth
Do you have any other small, random objects that have saved you in a tight spot when traveling with kids? Tell us in the comments sections below.
Now, for the daredevil kid who really can't wait until his 18th birthday to throw himself from a plane at 12,000 feet, we introduce the slightly zany sport of bodyflight (check out the video below of two youngsters in action). Open to people of all ages and experience levels, bodyfliers ride the updraft in vertical wind tunnels to pull off some of the same stunts as skydivers. There are bodyflight centers around the U.S. and Canada, including in the San Francisco Bay area, Nashua, New Hampshire, Orlando, and the newly opened Paraclete XP tunnel in Raeford, North Carolina. You can find more locations at www.bodyflight.net. Prices generally run from about $50 to $90 for two to four "flights" per session for first-timers.
Following on from our recent post about ways to save on the big family ski vacation, we couldn't overlook this great deal from a pair of Canadian ski resorts in the Okanagan Valley region of southern British Columbia, Big White and Silver Star. Both resorts are ideal for families, with good facilities and easy slope access. Visitors traveling to Kelowna, British Columbia, from any mainland U.S. destination served by Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air can score free flights, accommodation, and lift tickets for each child under 12 who's traveling along with a fully-paid adult. This offer is open for travel until April 5, 2008, though be warned that availability may be a little hit or miss depending on dates and your departure point. Bookings must be made before March 31, 2008, and you need to book through Big White Central Reservations (1-800-663-2772; cenres@bigwhite.com) or Silver Star Holidays (1-800-663-4431; info@skisilverstar.com). Quote reference "EF" at time of booking.
May is my favorite time of year to be in my hometown of Boston. The tulips are in bloom and the swans and swan boats back in the Public Garden. Big Papi and Manny are swinging away at Fenway. There's another blockbuster show at the Museum of Fine Arts, this time on El Greco to Velasquez. And 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Trail. Come celebrate by tossing your map in the garbage and following the red line that not only takes you to 16 monumental historic sites, but brings you into some of the city's most cherished neighborhoods—Beacon Hill's century-old brick brownstones and village squares, North End's winding streets and lively Italian community, and Charlestown, once the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill and now home to America's most celebrated ship, the U.S.S. Constitution. Along the way, you'll stop at the home of Paul Revere and the oldest continuously operating restaurant in America, the Union Oyster House. Stay at the Colonnade Hotel, home of the only rooftop pool in Boston. Gleaming after an $18 million renovation to all the rooms, the hotel is located close to Beantown's main attractions in the tony Back Bay neighborhood. -- Steve Jermanok
Seattle resident and mother of two young kids, Debbie Dubrow is the voice behind 
If I say that our recent experience with Irish carrier Aer Lingus over the holiday season was like flying on a crèche with wings, you'd probably assume that I'm talking 14 hours (round-trip) of screaming hell and mayhem. Wrong, and the reason I say this is that our Aer Lingus staff were the most accommodating and laidback people you could hope to encounter when struggling to entertain, feed, soothe, and cajole your under-five charges during a long transatlantic flight. It really was like a crèche, with dozens of children and babies on board for both our outbound and inbound legs. Unlike some flights, where draconian airline staff rain down on toddlers who deign to transcend FAA regulations, our Aer Lingus cabin crews—including connecting flights, we took four flights in total—happily provided fresh milk for bottles, turned a blind eye when our son desperately needed the bathroom while we were still taxiing to the arrival gate, smiled sympathetically as I made the 76th lap of the cabin trying to coax our baby to sleep, helped to carry strollers down to the tarmac at Dublin as it blew a gale outside… let's just say they went above and beyond the call. And if you needed more enticement to consider this carrier for your spring or summer foray to Europe, then know that Dublin airport is an ideal place through which to transit to avoid the crowds, delays, and strike threats at bigger airports like London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle. -- Alistair Wearmouth
