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A Jersey Girl’s Ode to the Jersey Shore

“’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...

Join In Our Instagram #TMOMphoto Meme

This month we are hosting our first Traveling Moms Instagram meme and we would love to have you join in the fun!

Stress-Free Travel is Right Under Your Nose

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...

May 27 Twitter Party: Summer Travel Planning

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...

Summer Fun at Midwest Lake Resorts

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...

Best Advice for Planning Your Summer Vacation

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....

Summer Vacation at the Boar's Head Inn in Charlottesville, Virginia

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...

5 Summer Vacation Ideas for Teens

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...

2013 Toyota Highlander Hybrid: More Space, Luxury, and Better Gas Mileage, Too

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...

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Family Travel Experts

Family Travel Stories and Ideas

Tips for Replacing a US Passport Abroad
Media TravelingMomTips for Replacing a US Passport Abroad

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 [ ... ]

Mac n’ Cheese Inspired by Travel
Kristen KucharMac n’ Cheese Inspired by Travel

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 [ ... ]

Las Vegas Summer Vacation Ideas
Las Vegas TravelingMomLas Vegas Summer Vacation Ideas

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 [ ... ]

Family Indulgence: Grand Hyatt New York
Vegetarian TravelingMomFamily Indulgence: Grand Hyatt New York

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 [ ... ]

5 Fun Runs to Try This Summer
Marathon TravelingMom5 Fun Runs to Try This Summer

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  [ ... ]

Summer at Universal Studios Hollywood, What’s New?
GoodnCrazy TravelingMomSummer at Universal Studios Hollywood, What’s New?

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."

Boston Roadtrip with the Ford C-Max Hybrid
Vegetarian TravelingMomBoston Roadtrip with the Ford C-Max Hybrid

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 [ ... ]

Amusement Park Halloween Thrills

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Halloween knottsberryAge recommendations are key when you go to theme parks for Halloween. Some have nighttime haunted houses and frightening costumes that are too scary for little kids – but just perfect if you are traveling with a teen.

You also might be encouraged, or forbidden to, dress up, so if this is important to your kids, be sure to check. And if you are traveling from cool fall weather to Florida or southern California, you may enjoy another treat: being able to wear costumes without hiding them under coats.

Just for Little Ones

Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, has the evening family friendly Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. You have to buy a separate admission ticket, but you can get to the park up to three hours before the party and enjoy the rides first. You definitely want to come in costume, and you can even join the Boo-to-You parade. There is trick or treating, with candy and healthy treats.

Space Mountain, the Haunted Mansion and other rides are specially decorated, but not terrorizing for the holiday. Photo ops include Disney villains, not just princesses. Find the nighttime party, Oct. 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30 and 31, and Nov. 1

SeaWorld, Orlando, Florida, has the family friendly Halloween Spooktacular. Through Halloween, kids are half price. Open weekends in October, with trick-or-treating, silly, not scary shows and arts and crafts.

The Seaworld Spooktacular is great for kids who turn in early because the fun begins at noon. And you can wear a costume.

Sesame Place, Langhorne, Pennsylvania, offers the Count’s Halloween Spooktacular, weekends through October. Kids definitely want to dress up. There is even a Halloween Costume Contest on Oct. 30; winners can be in the parade. The family friendly theme park, ideal for Sesame Street fans up to age 10, has two themed mazes, a character hayride and three Halloween shows. This little-kid-friendly event starts at 10am.

Safe by Day, Scary by Night

Halloween DisneyWorldKnott’s Scary Farm, Buena Park, California, has the granddaddy of scary, Knott’s Scary Farm, Oct. 19-23 and 26-31. The park is open during the day, then closes for 90 minutes and becomes downright terrifying at 7pm. Knott’s Berry Farm has held spooky Halloween festivities since 1973, but each year makes the park scarier. This year, there are 13 scary mazes, four scare zones, and several rides renamed and redecorated for the holiday. The evening haunt is for ages 12 and up, and Knott’s warns that “1,000 live monsters, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, freaks, mutants, maniacs and other beasts [are] lurking in the fog to scare unsuspecting guests.” You might want to wear Depends.

During the day, kids ages 3-11 can enjoy Snoopy’s Costume Party in Camp Spooky.  This gentle Halloween celebration encourages kids to come in costume and go through a corn maze and hay bale maze. There is a Peanuts Halloween Spooktacular and Creepy Crawly Critter Cave where brave kids can be grossed out by live critters.

Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania, redecorates and becomes Hersheypark in the Dark. Even the thrill rides are renamed; they're ‘ghosters,’ not coasters. The nighttime family friendly festivities are for all ages, but note that the Carrousel becomes Night Mares, so proceed with caution. Hershey’s Chocolate World has trick or treating, for kids 12 and under through Oct. 30.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia, has a daytime Halloween celebration in its Sesame Street family friendly area, called The Count Von Count Countdown to Halloween show. After 6, though, the park turns into a scary Howl-O-Scream. Zombies and ghouls roam the park, and there are haunted houses and scare zones. Weekends through Oct. 30.

Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey, has a family-friendly Halloween event with themed shows during the day. But after dark, the park turns sinister, with a zombie party and spooky graveyard, haunted houses and freak shows. For ages 13 and up. Costumes and masks are forbidden. Thrills by Day and Fright by Night is on weekends, through Oct. 30.

 Just for Teens and Adults

 Universal Studios, Los Angeles, California, sets up the fright with Halloween Horror Nights. Strictly for those over the age of 13. Starting at 7pm through October, Universal Studios Hollywood becomes a terrifying place, with haunted mazes, six scare zones and the new ride Terror Tram. No costumes or masks allowed.
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Author Profile: Vegetarian TravelingMom

Judy Antell lives in Brooklyn and her vegetarian family loves to visit the farmer’s market for local, organic produce. They have bicycled in Europe, skied downhill and cross country, and hit the beaches seeking vegetarian food - and chocolate!

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Family Freebies

Vermont Days: Free Family Fun
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Get a jump on your summer vacation with free activities all weekend in Vermont June 8 and 9. The Green Mountain State serves up a bevy of free family fun.

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Five Free Family Friendly Attractions in Skagway, Alaska
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Kids' Free Fishing in Missouri
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