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Thomas Jefferson advised the we should have a revolution every 20 years. He meant government, but the idea applies to anything: If we don’t continually rethink how we do what...
Air travel can be stressful nowadays with long lines, flight delays and cramped seating. Add luggage, children, strollers and even pets to the mix and you have a veritable powder...
Summer vacations for some families mean active adventures, while for others the summer is a perfect time to start exploring college campuses. Imagine being able to do both in one...
This month we are hosting our first Traveling Moms Instagram meme and we would love to have you join in the fun!
Midwest winters can seem endless. The payoff? Perfect summer temperatures! Each year I vow to savor every minute of the warm weather. Although I can’t put everything on hold, I...
Planning your family vacation can be overwhelming--where to go, what to do, how to get there, you name it. There are a lot of details to planning a summer vacation....
“’Cause down the shore everything’s all right.” ---Tom Waits, JERSEY GIRL Some see the Jersey Shore as a travel destination, a place to take the family for a couple of...
Teens sometimes get a bad rap. People think they’re hard to please and harder to travel with. But the key to traveling with teens—and keeping the whole family happy—is to...
Summertime's almost here – time to start planning your summer travels! We've taken the guesswork out of your planning by seeking out advice from top family travel writers from across...
Your passport is gone and you are in another county. What are you going to do? Misplacing your passport is enough to strike terror in the hearts of any traveler but imagine you are 15, traveling with your aunt to Paris on your first-ever international trip, and you set down your airplane ticket and [ ... ]
One of the best ways to experience new places is to eat the local favorite. Each country, state, region and even city has a dish that allows you to have a unique culinary experience while visiting. It tells me about the destination and the people who call it home.
Unfortunately, I can’t travel all [ ... ]
Heading to Las Vegas with the family this summer? Not to worry, here's a quick list of my Top 5 picks to keep all ages satisfied: Wet-N-Wild Las Vegas is the place to be this summer. Nevada's premier water park will offer over 25 slides and attractions. Several of the attractions are named after fa [ ... ]
Train travel is often associated with romance and air travel (at least nowadays) with hassle. Similarly, hotel airports have a seedy reputation, while a hotel in a train station sounds elegant.
My kids and I have stayed at the Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown Union Station, with rooms in an actual [ ... ]
Playing in the mud, getting splashed with paint, lighting up the night or getting chased by zombies all add a little excitement to the typical 5K race. Fun runs are all the rage and a great way to get newbies involved in running; or to give veteran runners a change of pace. Most fun runs remove the [ ... ]
Head over to Universal Studios Hollywood for two new rides and an expanded Studio Tour! It’s a perfect Summer Vacation Idea. Plus, right now when you “a day you get the rest of 2013 free."
As a runner, I wanted to pay my respects to the Boston Marathoners; as an environmentalist, I didn’t want to use a lot of gas to go to ston.
We had no choice but to drive to Boston to pick my daughter up at college; the self-same daughter who refuses to eat industrialized food or buy clothing pr [ ... ]
Here’s the thing about traveling with teens: You need more room once your kids get to be adult-sized. Your basic hotel room just doesn’t cut it anymore.
That’s why I like staying in a condo or a hotel that offers suites. The extra room has always been nice, but now that I am traveling with teens, it’s de rigueur.
My daughter, Tess, and I got our first look at an all-suites Embassy Suites hotel this weekend when we spent a lovely night at the Embassy Suites in Lombard, Illinois. Our 10th floor room faced east and offered a magical view of Chicago as the setting sun cast the entire city skyline in brilliant gold.
Here are the three things I liked most about the Embassy Suites:
1. All the extra room, including a separate bedroom with a door that locks (always a treat for parents traveling with kids).
2. Two big flat screen TVs—one in the bedroom for parents, another in the living area for the kids. That means we can watch what we want or, better yet, the kids can watch what they want while hubby and I can read in peace.
3. The cooked-to-order breakfast. When traveling with teens who are always hungry, our restaurant bills can really add up during a family vacation. So we always look for hotels that offer free breakfast. Generally that means a choice of 3 or 4 cereals, some pastries and breads you can toast yourself and, if we’re really lucky, a do-it-yourself waffle station. But the Embassy Suites deal includes a made-to-order breakfast made by someone else. We had made-to-order omelets and pancakes. And there was a buffet table with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes staffed by an Embassy Suites employee. That’s the kind of service most higher end hotels offer, but they charge and additional $15 or more per person.
The rooms are spacious, clean and nicely furnished. The living room has a rather hard and uncomfortable couch that folds out into another bed, as well as a chair, a desk, flat screen TV and enough easy-to-reach outlets to plug in everyone’s electronics.
The nightly manager’s reception was good for a free drink, but the snacks were a little skimpy—just a couple of bowls of pretzels and party mix.
Finally, and most important for a family traveling with kids, the Embassy Suites has that kid must-have: a pool. The one at the Lombard Embassy Suites is small, but it was plenty big enough to keep these kids happy. They were in pool when we arrived on Saturday night and there again when we headed down for breakfast the next morning. If not for the sign that said the pool closed at midnight, I would have been tempted to think the kids swam all night.
Police, Fire and EMS Appreciation Days return in May. Police officers, fire fighters and EMS employees can receive a free single day admission to LEGOLAND Florida, along with [ ... ]
As the price to fly continues to rise, and the inconveniences rise, more and more people, and especially families, are turning back to the good, old-fashioned road trip.
My pa [ ... ]
Rhode Island may be a small state, but it celebrates summer in a huge, family-friendly way.
One of the best known free warm weather events is the annual Waterfire celebration, [ ... ]
