It’s a tough reality facing the seasons ahead of us, but there are two silver linings waiting at the door to autumn: beautiful colors with mild temperatures and good ol’ college football. Whether you’re nestled under a blanket as you watch USC ravage another underfunded Pac-10 team or live at a ground-shaking UGA versus Georgia Tech game, it’s clear that college football is a deep, textured thread in the fabric of these United States. Nary a few brave souls will be taking to the road to visit their favorite college destination for a game or two.

Having trouble deciding your road trip schedule? Here are a few SuiteTrip picks for your pigskin perusal.

Credit: Lon Horwedel, AnnArbor.com

The University of Michigan vs. The Ohio State University – Ann Arbor and Columbus

Few rivalries in professional or college sports match the one between The University of Michigan and The Ohio State University, two Midwest colleges perennially locked in battle for ownership of the Big 10 title. Ann Arbor, Michigan, the home of UofM, is a sleepy, green college town, and with just over 100,000 residents (just shy of The Big House capacity) it’s great for weekend visits, deep dish pizza at Cottage Inn and sangria at Dominicks.

On the flip side of the coin, Columbus, Ohio, host of this year’s matchup, boasts a large city feel, rabidly loyal fans and plenty of opportunity to explore Ohio’s largest industrial and cultural center.

The University of Southern California – Los Angeles

USC has taken a bit of a beating in the public perception category this year, but they’re still an all-star program with top ranking athletes. Located in downtown Los Angeles, Memorial Coliseum is a stone’s throw away from outstanding SoCal food, rocking beach culture, and Hollywood glitz and glam.

The University of Florida vs. The University of Georgia – Jacksonville

No list of top football festivities is complete without mentioning the Florida Georgia Football Classic, or “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” Drawing some of the biggest crowds (and the most amount of trash talking) in the SEC, each year’s matchup takes place on the banks of the Atlantic in Jacksonville, Florida, just south of the Georgia border. It is a huge, festive event for both participating schools.

The University of Texas – Austin

Known for its thriving music and culture scene, this small blue dot in a large red state is a Mecca for those in search of some good college football in the rolling southern hills. Visit during the Texas A&M game for some classic Aggie vs. Longhorn action, and don’t forget to grab a steaming plate of barbecue brisket on your way out the door.

Harvard vs. Yale – Massachusetts and Connecticut

OK, the Ivy League doesn’t host the best football programs on the planet, but few can rival them in the school loyalty department. Whether you’re in the affluent, Ivy-encased Cambridge, Massachusetts or in the cross-hatched kitsch of New Haven, Connecticut, school pride runs deep in these top-tier schools and there are always some sorts of hijinks planned to unfurl on game day.

If football doesn’t satisfy your rival-acious appetite, stick around campus for lacrosse season in the spring, when the Harvard vs. Yale game is sure to please.

Still not enough? Premier Sports Travel has a wide spectrum of available college football travel packages just waiting to soak up your vacation time and expense account. Make it a fall to remember – the winter will be here soon!

So how can you get your kids addicted to books? Travel’s a perfect vehicle (please forgive the pun) – or at least, so I’ve found with my two. Given the amount that we travel (often several weeks a year, and at least a couple of weekends a month), the reading bug has come in super-handy for my girls, both because they have a way to entertain themselves in transit and because they can learn all about the places we’re going before we ever get there.

Credit: Barnes & Noble

Before you leave home, hit the library and check out two kinds of books: travel guides and kids’ books set in your destination. If your kids are old enough, have them flip through the travel guides (many are written specifically for kids) and put sticky notes on the stuff that sounds interesting to them (in our family, Abby gets purple stickies, and Zoe opts for pink), then discuss their choices at the dinner table. If they’re not yet strong readers, you can be in charge of the stickies, but the kids can still check out the photos and captions and discuss. One note of caution: To avoid meltdowns at your destination, be sure you pick a guide updated within the last year or two.

On the way to your destination, tote along kids’ fiction that’s set in the city or area where you’ll be next. “Eloise” is a great choice if you’re headed to New York; “The Cable Car and the Dragon” is perfect for kids visiting San Francisco. Kids will love getting a child’s–eye view of the place, and they’ll spend hours comparing their experiences to the one described in the book.

While you’re there, see the sights, and ask each child to read aloud from the travel guide to the rest of the family about what they’re seeing and doing. Talk about whether the place they’re seeing is how they envisioned it after reading the descriptions.

When you get home, log onto a popular review site like yelp.com or tripadvisor.com and ask the kids to help you compose reviews about what they’ve seen. A reading bonus? Have them read the other reviews on the site, then talk about whether they agree or disagree with the feedback others have left.

Celebrate National Literacy Month with Homewood Suites and share your story for a chance to win!

To read or not to read? Is that even a question?!  At Homewood Suites we are very excited about our reading.  Oh yes we are! In fact, we have partnered with the Books for Kids Foundation to help build libraries in low-income, high-risk neighborhoods to make books accessible to children who normally would not have them.

Check out our spankin’ new Lewis the Duck Reading Library in Memphis!

Now, what’s your story with reading?  Your fondest memory?  Your favorite children’s book?  Really, we want to know!

In celebration of National Literacy Month, we want you to help us spread the word.  You could even win a two-night stay at Homewood Suites by Hilton.  How?  The rules are simple:

• Become a fan of Homewood Suites on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@HomewoodSuites)

• Send us a Tweet telling us about your favorite childhood book using hashtag #suitereads OR post a comment below.

• Get creative! Include links to photos and videos!  We will post select Tweets and comments on our Facebook page.

Homewood Suites will be selecting a winning Tweet or comment, which will be announced on October 15, 2010.  The winner will receive a two-night stay at any of Homewood Suites’ nearly 300 hotels around the US, Canada and Mexico.

P.S. – Be sure to follow #suitereads on Twitter for interesting literacy tidbits and facts from our Books For Kids friends.

By entering this contest you agree to the following:

• No employee of Homewood Suites, Hilton Worldwide, SuiteTrip.com or participating agencies are eligible.

• By entering the giveaway, participant grants Homewood Suites permission to share photos, video links, etc. on social networks.

• Prize valid for travel through October 15, 2011. Dates pending availability and subject to blackout dates.

Winner will be contacted via Twitter direct message or email with instructions on how to redeem the prize.

Bring bickering to a standstill for awhile as you introduce a few of these classic backseat games to your kids. 

Rhymes with orange

This is an indirect guessing game that works for all ages.  One person says, “I’m thinking of a word that rhymes with cat.”  When guessing, the other players must frame their answers as questions like this: “Is it a rodent with yellow teeth and a scaly tail?” to which the person who is it replies, “No, it’s not a rat,” and so on.

Twenty questions

Animal, vegetable, or mineral?  Before there were handheld Twenty Questions games, there was the old fashioned version.  I don’t know about you, but in my family the answer is usually “Duckbilled Platypus”.  You know, in case you ever take a road trip with us.

Punch buggy

This is a very erudite game (also called Slug Bug and Punch Bug) in which the first person to spot a Volkswagen Beetle gets to punch the other one lightly on the arm.  If your kids are already fighting, why not?  Good luck with that.

How many cows?

This game works best with just two kids when you’re driving through an agricultural area.  Kids count cows on “their” side of the car, competing to see who can count the most.  If you’re driving in an urban area, have them count red cars instead.

Fortunately, unfortunately

This brainy word game works best with older kids, but anyone can play.  The first player makes a statement such as, “Fortunately I found a million dollars lying on a street corner.”  The second person replies with, “Unfortunately, it was being guarded by a rabid reindeer.”  Then the first person says, “Fortunately, I am immune to rabies.”  And so on.

The quiet game

I’m pretty sure my mother invented this game, which is every bit as simple as it sounds.  It’s infuriating for kids.  On the one hand, they think it’s a really stupid game.  On the other hand, they really want to win.  Therein lies the beauty of the game.  Are we there yet?

A few hours later, we were in an ambulance.

Everything turned out OK with Abby (she had a nasty ear infection, a virus, and a touch of dehydration all at once), but things sure could have gone smoother if I’d had a better idea of what to do when my kid got sick on vacation.  And, what with the recirculated air on planes and the recent incidents of whole cruise ships falling prey to, not an iceberg, but a virus, your kid might be next.  Be prepared!

Do your research ahead of time.  Before you go, look up the closest pediatric hospital to your vacation destination.  If your child sees a specialist for any kind of chronic condition, ask him or her for a referral to someone near where you’ll be.

Purchase travel insurance.  The best kind will provide for a Medi-Vac if you need to get out of a sticky spot with, say, a kid with a broken arm, plus pay for alternate flights home and extra nights in a hotel while you wait for your child to get well enough to fly.

Scan in your child’s health insurance card.  Carry the real thing, too, but keep an electronic copy in your laptop or mobile device; make sure all adult caretakers (including grandma and the babysitter) have a copy.

Ditto on a consent for treatment form.  Draft a letter allowing your child’s caretaker to consent to medical treatment in case you’re not there.  Keep a copy for yourself, and be ready to fax it to a health care provider if necessary.

Carry copies of your child’s prescriptions with you.  If you’re traveling domestically, having your doctor send prescriptions to a chain pharmacy makes it much more likely that you can refill or replace them wherever you are.

Stock up on over-the-counter stuff.  Keep a plastic Ziploc with all the usual suspects:  child pain reliever, anti-diarrheal, anti-itch ointment, and bandages.

Assert your parental rights.  You have a right to ask for the medical care your child needs, even in an unfamiliar hospital.  I told the ambulance in no uncertain terms to take Abby to the best children’s hospital, not just the nearest one.  It was a good choice – she was discharged, much better, only eight hours later.

The bottom line: I love to scrapbook, and I wish I had more time to do it! Especially since my children love to pull out my custom-made photo albums and browse through them, exclaiming as they turn pages, “Remember the vacation when Ben got stung by a jellyfish?” and “That roller coaster went so fast!”

If you’d like to get started scrapbooking your next vacation, consider these few tips:

Remember, there’s no wrong way to scrapbook. I’ve got friends who love to “crop” their pictures with scissors and adhere them “just so” to a page in an album. Others have switched from “traditional” scrapbooking because creating photo albums online can be done anywhere you have a laptop. Similarly, if you just want to stick your photos in a book with simple hand-written captions, go for it – just use archival-quality products so that the generations after you can appreciate your hard work.

Journal as you go: So often, I’ve returned from a trip, and wished I’d remembered more details about a particular attraction. Even if you can jot down your thoughts on a scrap of paper and tuck it in your suitcase, you’ll have more information to draw from when you sit down to make a vacation scrapbook.

Let your photos do your note-taking: I take photos of every menu of every restaurant that we visit on a family trip, also to jog my memory once we’re home. When I can’t remember the name of a hiking trail we took, it’s helpful when I can go through my photos and find the trailhead sign among those I snapped. Local maps and brochures are great for fact-checking, too.

Take lots of photos: Ah, the joys of digital cameras! Snap, snap, snap away – there’s always that delete button. I advise trying to edit your photos each evening of your week-long vacation, so it’s not a totally overwhelming process when you return.

For more information about scrapbooking, I recommend you check out Creative Memories’ offerings.

Harnessing the Indian summer is a perfect way to avoid some of the downsides of the busy summer vacation season. As kids start going back to school and the weather becomes milder, Indian summer means empty roads, affordable hotels and quiet attractions.

Why you should go?

Here are the top reasons to pack your bags and grab one more vacation before winter begins:

Cheaper rates – as airlines, hotels and rental car firms recover from the busy summer, rates go down, rooms are cheaper and peak-season surcharges vanish.

Peace and quiet – In the months between summer and fall, everyone will be back at work, kids are back at school and best of all, the roads will not be packed with people heading to your destination.

Moderate weather – If you hate the peak heat of summer, but dislike when the mercury dips into the single digits, the moderate climate at the end of fall can be very comfortable. Best of all, if you find yourself in the middle of a really nice Indian summer, you may even run into temperatures warm enough to let you sit outside for dinner and drinks.

Fall themed activities – This one really only applies to those that enjoy the quirky activities found outside in the fall. If you chuckle at the thought of getting lost in a corn maize, or shooting corn cobs with a canon, then enjoying the great outdoors and having good clean fun is one of the best ways to enjoy the final months of the year.

When to go?

Your first task will be to pick the best time to go – and this depends on the weather at your destination and what you want to see.

If you have trouble picking the best dates, use the Internet to help in your plans – hotel and airfare prices will always go down when demand does. Airlines and hotels know better than anybody in the industry when people are on vacation, so a quick scan of prices will show when you’ll get the best price, at the quietest time.

If all else fails, call the hotel at your destination, and ask a local for their advice. In most cases, the front desk will be more than willing to recommend the best time to visit.

Another handy resource comes from the Foliage Network. This online service relies on reports from ground spotters to report on the local foliage situation.

What to do?

Finding things to do depends on your interests – but a couple of “must visit” destinations include visiting a harvest farm or apple orchard.

Harvest farms, or Halloween farms are one of the most popular attractions in the fall – most of them take place at active farms, and are a great way for the owners to generate a bit of extra income before shutting down for the season. At a harvest farm, you’ll usually find a variety of pumpkin related activities like pumpkin shooting, pick your own pumpkins and pumpkin themed food.

Apple orchards usually open their gates early September, and the final harvest will be picked around the first or second week of November, depending on the climate. All About Apples operates a fantastic online resource listing almost every pick-your-own orchards in the country, along with their opening period and directions.

Leaf peeping is what you do when you want to watch the colors change. Depending on your location, this could be a quick and sudden event, and other places stretch it out for weeks, producing areas with the most brilliant colors. Leaf peeping on its own isn’t the most exciting activity, but with some careful planning, and the right place to stay, a couple of days in the forest can turn into a fantastic romantic getaway.

Where to go?

This should be an easy one – go where you want to take advantage of the scenery or a specific attraction. If you have a destination in mind, make sure you call in advance to check on their opening hours as many places consider anything past Labor Day to be the end of the season, and may close completely or only open on weekends.

Depending on your location, you may not even catch any Indian Summer at all, and jump right into some nasty weather – so no matter what you plan, always make sure you have some backup activities, or you may end up spending a week in your hotel room waiting for the snow to clear.

Rattlesnake Mountain. Photo by Eric Weaver/Flickr

So now the only question is where to head first.  Start with Portland, Maine, the cutest town you’ve ever seen and home to tons of blueberries and lobsters, two of my favorite late summer treats.  Head up Rattlesnake Mountain for a short, easy climb with a big reward – your kids can say they’ve summited a mountain!  If it’s water you’re after, load up the car and navigate to the Kennebec River (a few hours north) for a day trip with Pro River Rafters.  Then bunk down at the Homewood Suites in Scarborough for popcorn, a pay-per-view movie, and some well-earned sleep.

Heading west?  Make a stop in Boulder, Colorado, another super-cute town with a main street (actually called Pearl Street) that’s among my favorites in America.  You’ll love the street performers, the independent bookstore and boutiques, and the fabulous ice cream.  Even better, there are countless day hikes in the pretty mountains on Boulder’s borders, plus a centrally-located Homewood Suites.  For rafting, you’ll again have to drive a few hours, but you can barrel down the Colorado River with any of a number of excellent guides.

On the left coast, another Portland – this one in Oregon – calls your name.  Try a hike around the Oak Island Peninsula – about 30 minutes outside of the city proper – and check out the nature and wildlife with the little ones.  Sturgeon Lake is a great place to canoe and kayak before you head home to Homewood Suites for a night of sweet dreams about mountains and lakes.

No matter how old your kids are, an occasional getaway without them can be good for everyone.  The first one is hard, but it gets easier.  Considering stealing away for a day or two without your bundle or bundles of joy?  Good for you.  Here are a few tips to make your maiden voyage a success.

Traveling Without Baby

Don’t go too far

Take out a map and draw an imaginary circle around your house and everything you can drive to in two hours or less.  Now choose a destination inside the circle.  Being close to home will give you tremendous peace of mind.

Don’t go for too long

Two nights is usually plenty for your first trip without baby.  If you’re still breastfeeding, you might even prefer to just go for one.  There’s no right or wrong way to do this, just do what feels right to you.   Things can get tricky when one spouse can’t bear to be away for more than 12 hours and the other wants to take off for a week.  Breathe deeply and compromise.  You can do it.

Relax

Resist the temptation to stuff your itinerary with theater tickets, dinner reservations and sightseeing.  The real luxury is being able to sleep and talk uninterrupted.  With a pair of plush bathrobes, a room service dinner and a pay-per-view movie, you could be well on your way to a perfect evening.

Find a babysitter who makes house calls

No matter who will be watching your baby or children, try to get them to do it at your house.  Kids always miss you less if they’re in familiar surroundings.  Also, the point of this trip is rest and relaxation and there’s nothing restful or relaxing about packing up everything your baby will need for the weekend and schlepping it to grandma’s house.

1. Say your goodbyes at home and “you can call me anytime” conversation long before arriving at campus. The excitement in the college air is too exhilarating for weepy hugs and mushy mom kisses.

2. Check list. Just like when on vacation, use a handy checklist to confirm you have everything you need for the trip.

3. Important information. Despite the usefulness of electronics, don’t reply on your phone to keep important information. Bring along copies, addresses and phone numbers for your journey.

4. Use a GPS. If it’s your first time driving to the campus use or rent a guidance system.

5. Ship ahead. Avoid the hassle of trying to pack everything into the trunk. Instead box up and ship the items directly to the dorm or new living quarters.

6. Photograph the journey. If you’re crossing state lines, take your college-bound child’s photos at visitor centers or in front of other memorable landmarks.

7. Try not to over-parent. This is the moment in your child’s life when they begin the transformation into a self-sufficient adult. Show them that you have the confidence in their abilities and tell him or her how proud you are. There is nothing more valuable than parent support.

8. One you arrive….know where to park. Don’t let a parking ticket or tow ruin your drop-off trip. Research parking rules ahead of time and pay attention to signs.

9. Arrive a few days early. It can be fun spending a few days getting to know the area and help your “student” get familiarize with their new town.

10. Stay at Homewood Suites along the way so you can make your child’s favorite home-cooked dish one last time. Bring some plastic containers for leftovers for their dorm fridge.