Sidney: Vancouver’s Best Secret for Family Vacations
When we contemplated returning to Canada with our young family after a decade overseas we wanted a friendly, walkable town with plenty of (cheap or free) things to do with kids like the summertime outdoor market to the right. We found Sidney, a former fishing town on Vancouver Island.
We’ve since moved on to bigger Victoria. But we’re still evangelists for this town located on the tip of the Saanich Peninsula, about …
4 Tips For a Family Weekend in Lancaster & Hershey
By Eileen P. Gunn
We went to Hershey, PA last summer on a whim. We had no weekend plans, it’s a reasonable drive from New York City, and my husband and I both had childhood memories of the place that made us curious about it.
We had a good time, but there are a few things we would have done better (like not saved our sojourn into Pennsylvania Dutch Country for Sunday when things are …
5 Kyoto Activities Kids Will Love
By Michele Chan-Thomson
The action in Thea Stilton and the Cherry Blossom Adventure moves between Tokyo and Kyoto. So we did, too, on a visit that the book inspired.
You can make Kyoto a long daytrip from Toklyo with the Shinkansen Nozomi “bullet” train, but I recommend two days. Here is a roundup of things we liked best of in this smaller but culturally rich city.
Half the Fun is Getting There
My three kids, …
Our 4 Top Tips for a Puerto Rico Vacation With Kids
By Eileen Gunn
Puerto Rico is a no-brainer for a family beach getaway. It’s a reasonable flight from the East Coast, you don’t need a passport and you can use American money. The food is yummy, the beaches are roomy and there’s a lot to do and see. Yet parents often overlook it for its various Caribbean neighbors.
We spent a week at The San Juan Marriott Resort, a stone’s throw from Old San …
Titanic Comes To Life on a St. Petersburg Family Trip
Visitors to Florida have not one but two opportunities to explore the luxurious lifestyle and devastating catastrophe we all associate with the Titanic, thanks to two very different exhibits. Visitors to St. Petersburg can view temporary Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, while visitors to Orlando can check out the bigger, more permanant Titanic: The Experience, both mounted by RMS Titanic.
My teens and I visited the St. Petersburg show at The …
Local Tip: Trek With Turtles At SeaWorld’s New Exhibit
By Kelly Stilwell
We live in Florida, I have a daughter who is very involved in protecting marine life and conservation education, and we’re members at SeaWorld. So needless to say, we were all excited when the new Turtle Trek exhibit opened there earlier this year.
They bill it as the first 3-D, domed, 360-degree attraction in the world and even with that hype it manages to surpass my expectations. It’s unlike any exhibit …
FG Video Itinerary: Quebec City With Kids
With it’s sophisticated French food, museum culture and focus on local history, Quebec City didn’t at first glance seem like the ideal place to travel with a 4-year-old. But we spent the better part of a week there and found plenty of activities that kept us and Tiny Traveler well fed and highly entertained. Check out the video and see the list of places in the video below.
• Upper and Lower Old Town, Quebec …
Philippines With a 7YO: Teddy Bears & Life Lessons
In November 2011, I decided to take my well-traveled 7-year-old daughter Bronte (and her equally well-traveled, much-loved teddy, Frank), to join her Daddy in Manila, where he was working.
I remember thinking at the time that this might be the perfect place to introduce Bronte to the concept of childhood poverty, something I felt it was time for her to understand better, being a somewhat privileged only child.
The Philippines would be …
Airport Tip: Toronto Pearson And Quebec City
Maybe we just timed it right or benefited from the off season, but Canada’s airports seemed filled with helpful people and were a breeze to deal with, even having to navigate immigration, customs and baggage claim between connecting flights.
Here are some tips to make things even easier:
Toronto Pearson:
Navigating: This is a big airport with endless terminals. If you’re connecting and have kids in tow, give yourself time to get from point A …
5 Reasons To Travel With Your Special-Needs Kid
Parenting a special-needs kid is very much a blessing. It’s also exhausting. The energy it takes just to manage the day-to-day can leave families wondering if travel is more work than it’s worth. Been there. My sweet 12-year-old, one of two girls, has physical, medical and developmental challenges that make it easy to feel tapped out on an ordinary day. But I’ve learned that family travel with her really is doable. Moreover, …
A Week-Long Family Ski Break? Yes You Can!
I grew up in Connecticut, where my family and I were the weekend ski warriors. We headed up Route 91 to Vermont several times a season, the car filled to the brim with kids and gear for a three-to-six hour drive on Friday and Sunday nights. Once, our suitcases fell off the roof of the faux-wood-paneled station wagon and went flying down the highway.
I married a fellow ski fanatic and in …
Bavaria With a 3 Year Old: Castles and Wildflowers
I keep this photo of Tiny Traveler walking through a pasture in Bavaria on my PC desktop. The messy hair and girly sundress and the way she’s too caught up in her flower picking to care about the camera capture her personality and her age. But mostly I love it because it’s a token of one of those rare family vacation days where everything turns out the way you hoped it would …
Local Tip: Hidden Waterfalls And Jerked Pork in Jamaica
By Renee Lindo
Portland Parish is easily my favorite part of Jamaica. Away from the busy tourist areas of the North coast, Portie, as it’s affectionately known to Jamaicans, is always lush and tranquil. The unspoiled natural beauty takes your breath away. Often on a Sunday we pack up the boys, a 7 and 1-year-old, and take a drive around Portie.
Here’s how I recommend you spend the day.
First stop, Somerset Falls
Most hotels …
FG! on TravelRink: Munich With Kids
Germany is an incredibly easy place to travel with kids. How could the country that gave us Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and gummy bears not be? Bavaria is one the friendliest, most laid back parts of Germany, making it a doubly great place for family travel.
Here are our favorite things to do in Munich, some on the well-worn tourist track and some a small detour from it.
Read More via my guest post on …
NYC With Kids: Holiday Dos and Don’ts
By Eileen Gunn
I’ve always just assumed the holiday song Silver Bells was written about New York City. New York is a vibrant—if somewhat crowded—place to get into the holiday spirit, which is why so many people do. As a lifelong New Yorker there are things I make sure to do year after year after year and other things I avoid at all costs.
Here are my Dos and Don’ts for a holiday season trip …
