This is how I ended up in Lancaster, PA, for a weekend recently.  But to my very pleasant surprise, Lancaster was about so much more than shoofly pie and turkey dinners.  They had great stuff there!  Outlet malls!  Dutch Wonderland (a super cool theme park for kids that even  . . . drum roll please . . . has free mini golf)!  A ginormous doll outlet with about ninety zillion outfits for American Girl dolls!

Hey, this Lancaster place is mecca!

If you do head to Lancaster with the kids, they will beg to stay in a super-cheesy steamboat shaped hotel.  However loudly they whine, resist the urge.  Instead, I suggest that you head to the very modern Homewood Suites near the very old-timey town square.  It’s comfy, it’s super-clean, and it is not shaped like a steamboat.  Shudder.

If you do head out to the outlets, go early.    They’ve got Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn Kids, J. Crew . . . and I’m just getting started. There are so many of these outlet things in Lancaster that you can spend all day browsing through them.  Which would be a shame, because then you would miss the mini-golf.  And your husband would yell at you about the credit card bill.  And the kids would not get any shoofly pie.

Once your shopping yen has been satisfied, hit Spyro Gyro’s, a Greek restaurant with the best pizza we’ve yet to find in Pennsylvania.    Or you can try one of the many Amish buffet restaurants for turkey and fixings, biscuits and gravy, and . . . you guessed it . . . shoofly pie!

I’ll meet you there.

Flagstaff, Arizona

This historic Northern Arizona town, right along Route 66, is at once a modern destination and a living testament to the Wild West.  The Grand Canyon National Park is an accessible drive away (but staying right at the Grand Canyon makes the vacation “all Grand Canyon, all the time,” which may bore younger children), as are more local, smaller US Monuments. The train depot here features an old, authentic train on blocks, and this is part of the original Route 66 Highway that connected Chicago to Los Angeles. Cowboy-loving children will finally find a museum they love here at the Museum of Northern Arizona, and Historic Flagstaff is a charming town with fun stores and some great restaurants. Get a map – the town layout is on a grid so you won’t get lost, but your family shouldn’t miss town highlights like Bigfoot BBQ. Flagstaff AZ is a great place for a family Spring Break vacation, and it’s elevated enough there’s still snow on Humphrey’s Peak in march, too.

San Diego, California

It’s close enough to Disneyland that I guess you could go, but there are so many fun and exciting attractions right in San Diego that hopefully your kids will be too delighted and distracted to notice. Sea World San Diego is right non Mission Bay, and it’s a very popular attraction. It’s worth it to face the crowds, though, to see your child’s face light up during a Shamu encounter. Legoland is nearby: It’s much better suited for children younger than 7 or 8. The San Diego Zoo is one of the biggest zoos in the world, and the backstage passes that can be bought give an even more hands-on, interactive look at rare and interesting animal species. Families with very young children should consider hopping on the double-decker bus for a more restful tour; you can hop back off at every major exhibit area. The Zoo is right in Balboa Park, and 45 minutes north of downtown San Diego you’ll find the SanDiego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. The world’s largest land animals live in lage open areas here; a guided tour or “safari” will bring kids right to the giraffes, gazelles, lions and elephants.

Los Angeles, California

Yes, of course, we all know the reputation. See famous people, go shopping in strip malls, right? Well, no. There is some of that, but there’s a lot to Los Angeles that makes it an ideal place for a Spring Break family vacation as well. Try the Malibu beaches (like Zuma) to check out some Southern California surfers, and back down the coast in Santa Monica there is a fun pier with two dozen rides and some old-timey carny games. Children who are fans of the Ice Age movies will like visiting the La Brea Tar Pits – warning, they smell – with mammoth, giant sloth, and sabertooth tiger bones all pulled right out from what is now Wilshire Boulevard. There’s a beautiful observatory up in Griffith Park, and the view here of the iconic Hollywood Sign makes for a place-specific family photograph. Griffith Park is more than an the Griffith Observatory, though; 4,000 acres of parkland and trails ensure that outdoorsy families will have plenty of exploring to do. The Huntington Botanical Gardens, just outside Pasadena, is just coming back to life after a dormant winter, and the Children’s Garden here is the most hands-on of the fifteen connected gardens. Age-appropriate examples of Earth, Air, Fire and Water are crucial elements for plant life are available for kids to explore.

These are just three of the many fantastic destinations in Southern California and the southwest that make for ideal family Spring Break vacations. Wherever you go, SuiteTrip hopes you have a happy, fun time with your kids.

So how can you prepare for the event of a lost bag?

First, it’s important to pack smart. Any valuable or fragile (non-liquid) items should be packed in your carry on. This goes for laptop computers, cameras, cash, jewelry or any electronics. If you would like, you can get a luggage lock for your bag, though the TSA technically has the right to remove it if they see fit to search your bag.

Second, when you check in, keep and eye out for the baggage tag and receipt that the ticket agent prints out. Your tag will obviously be stuck onto your bag (keep an eye out to make sure that it says your destination airport,) but your receipt will usually be stuck to your boarding pass or the jacket in which your boarding pass rests. Make certain that you hold onto this bar code –  it’ll be the reference that you use later in case things go awry.

Alternatively, if you’re carrying your bag onto the aircraft, make sure that it’s small enough to fit into the overhead compartment, especially for the equipment on which you’re flying. If your next-generation Tumi bag with anodized, Calphalon wheels, carbon fiber handle and cashmere lined interior fit barely in the overhead of a 767, for example, it’s not going to fit into an RJ-45. Double check your specific aircraft online before departure to ensure you bring the right size luggage.

Once back on the ground, if you find yourself as the the last person at the baggage carousel, pull out that baggage receipt. Most airports have a luggage services counter, and once they scan that bar code they can check to see if your bag was scanned prior to being loaded on your (or another) plane. If there isn’t a baggage office, check with the ticket agent upstairs.

Should your bag have wandered away from its destination, the airline is legally required to get your bag to you by any means possible. You’ll have to leave a forwarding address and hope for the best, but don’t feel bad demanding overnight courier service to your front door. Also make certain to get the baggage office’s phone number so you can call back daily (if not hourly) to check on the status. You can also contact the airline directly, give them your reference number and check on the status.

Depending on the contract of carriage, you’re entitled to fair value compensation for your bag if it doesn’t reappear. Make sure you make an itemized list of its contents and share it with the airline – it’s their responsibility to reimburse you properly.

And if all else fails, small claims court is an arduous but last-resort option. We’ve heard stories of passengers successfully taking the airlines to court over a lost bag here and there, but it’s a time consuming and potentially costly exercise. Make sure you only do this as a last resort.

This was our family holiday photo from two years ago...bout sums us up.

But, how do you get a group of vastly different age ranges, interests, and paces together and still survive without killing each other?

-    Leave the pack mentality behind. When planning a large family vacation, it’s easy to get sucked into the notion that you must do everything together. Reality – It’s best to pick one course of action for your own family and let those who can/want to join, come along. If you try to do everything together, often times you’ll end up waiting around for someone to get ready, to decide on dinner, to finish their tantrum, and everyone’s grumpy by the time you get anywhere.

-    Whoever is paying gets the best bed…sorry kids sleep on the floor if they have to.

-    Make expectations clear, but be flexible. Kids need to nap, grandparents need a coffee break, and teens need some freedoms.

-    Choose locations that have multiple activities for multiple age ranges. These are our favorites:
o    A kid-friendly ski resort will likely have advanced runs for the adults/teens, kid/beginner lessons, a childcare center, a snow zone, and a spa (for the uncoordinated, like myself).
o    The beach has surfing lessons for the older crowd, body boards for the younger, the sand for the tots and sunbathers.
o    Museums can be great for all ages.
o    Camping/Outdoor adventure places are great for multiple ages. Nature trails, boating, horseback riding, and stargazing are just a few fun things to do.

- If you’re looking to play at an indoor tot lot on a rainy afternoon, make sure there’s a movie theatre or something appropriate next door for the older crowd.

Teenage Seth, School age Matthew, and toddler Alexander relaxing after a day on the slopes. Photo by Catherine Boley.

-    Set up designated meet up times throughout the day. If you are visiting a large amusement park or somewhere with massive crowds, pick a central location to meet up at a specific time.

-    Our favorite accommodations are those that have a 24-hour pool. We arrive, the kid’s jump in and expend some energy, and Uncle Tom makes cocktails for the grown-ups after a long car ride.  A hotel that has multi-room suites is great for large family vacations. Then everyone has his or her own place to unwind.

Our annual multi-generational Shakespeare Festival Vacation. Meeting for dinner at the local brew-pub. Photo by Catherine Boley.

-    Make sure to plan a few group activities that get everyone all together at once (like a group picnic, boat tour, or hike).

1.  Look Down on Other People

It takes just 58 seconds to travel to the 114th floor of the CN Tower, but try not to hold your breath.  Go ahead and stand on the glass floor on the 113th floor—it’s strong enough to withstand the weight of 14 hippos and has a view straight down.   The CN Tower may not hold the title of “tallest building” (an honor that goes to a skyscraper still under construction in Dubai), but it’s more than tall enough for most people.

2.  Get your Science On

The world is full of science museums, but the delightful Ontario Science Centre is one of the best and so much fun.  In fact, I might still be playing with the hydraulaphone (a cross between a flute, a drinking fountain, and a pipe organ) near the museum’s entrance if my family hadn’t dragged me away.  Other highlights included an interactive floor and a Van de Graaf electrostatic generator (which makes your hair stand on end).

3.  Go Back in Time

The impressive Royal Ontario Museum is Canada’s largest museum of world cultures and natural history.  With small kids, head straight to the second floor where the Natural History galleries are housed.  The Gallery of Birds is absolutely fascinating with hundreds of diverse species mounted mid-air in a single flock.

Other family favorites are the first peoples gallery (with birch bark canoes, native North American bead work, and Sioux chief Sitting Bull’s headdress) and the dinosaur and mammal galleries (which feature 60 complete dinosaur skeletons and artifacts such as fossilized birds, insects, and the ever-popular dinosaur poop).

4.  Get Out of Town

No Toronto itinerary is complete without a visit to Niagara Falls, and the best way to see it is from aboard the Maid of the Mist boats.  You suit up in blue disposable rain ponchos and cruise past both falls on a 30-minute tour.  There’s a running audio commentary, but you probably won’t be able to hear it over the shrieks and laughter of the passengers.  The spray as you pass Horseshoe Falls (on the Canadian side) is equivalent to standing under a cold shower, and the sound is something like thunder.
If time allows, hit the local IMAX theater for a showing of “Niagara: Legends and Daredevils.”  It’s predictably overwrought, but enjoyable.  As you exit the show, you pass through the fascinating Daredevil Gallery which houses a historical collection of scraped and dented barrels that survived the plunge over the falls, though five of their passengers did not.

Need a family friendly Toronto Hotel?  Check out the Homewood Suites in nearby Markham where you’ll have room to spread out.

But if you’re going to do the spring skiing thing, remember these tips:

1)     Keep all the ski stuff in one place, or you will never find it when you are ready to get out of your pajamas and head out the door.  Now, that place is going to need to be a big place, given the fact that kids need parkas and ski pants and goggles and balaclavas and three pairs of gloves and scarves and . . .

2)    Put all of that stuff into the car in a laundry basket.  What’s that you say? You’re self-conscious about walking through the hotel lobby carrying a laundry basket?  Well, keep in mind the following:  Laundry baskets do not need to zip.  They overflow very nicely.  You will never see the guests in the hotel lobby again.  Hotel staff have seen it all.  And all of the dirty laundry can go right back into the basket at the end of the trip, allowing you to drop it straight into the laundry room.  Nice.

3)    Head to a small ski hill no more than two hours’ drive from your house.  Why small? Because the littlest member of your family will be able to roll down the hill safely.  Why close?  Because at the end of the ski weekend, you will be too tired and your kids will be too cranky to drive one minute farther.

4)    Pick a SuperBowl or Olympic weekend.  Then everyone will be home watching and no one will be at the small close ski hill skiing.  If you’re super lucky, your kids will be the only kids in their ski school groups and will, by the end of the day, be far better skiers than you are.

5)    Stay at a suites hotel near the mountain.  We like Ski Roundtop and Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania, and both of these have Homewood Suites hotels nearby.  The rooms are giant and have plenty of space for the five or six laundry baskets of stuff we’ve lugged along.  The breakfasts are even bigger and fill a kid’s gut for at least thirty-nine minutes of skiing.

6)    Stick granola bars in the kids’ pockets.  Twenty or thirty per kid should do it.

7)    Take bandaids.  Each kid in your party will either 1) scrape a knee getting off the chair lift or 2) do a face plant in some icy snow with resulting cut chins or 3) crash into another kid who needs some bandaids, too, but his mom forgot.

8)    Memorialize the occasion.  Spring skiing makes for hilarious photos.  Do not miss out on the chance to humiliate your child later in life with a photo of his court jester ski hat.

While accidents are rare, there is still a chance one could occur – and that’s why I urge parents to skip the “lap child” option when flying. If a child is not secured in his or her own seat, the worst can happened. What’s more common though is turbulence. If the airplane hits a pocket of air, your child can easily be thrown from your lap and get hurt (I’ve seen it happen).

With the combination of car seat hassle and the need for safety – what is a parent to do?

I have an answer; there is a fantastic product called CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System – http://kidsflysafe.com) – in other words, an airplane seatbelt for toddlers. The contraption is high quality and made from sturdy airplane seatbelt material and it is extremely simple to use. CARES weighs only one pound and has its own carrying pouch. Keep in mind your child needs to meet the weigh requirements: between 22 and 44 pounds.

Here are the simple steps for setting up CARES:

1. Lower the tray table behind child’s seat and slide the red harness over the seat.
2. Pull red loop snug around the seat back.
3. Tighten red loop 1″ above your child’s shoulders.
4. Insert lap belt through small black loops, buckle lap belt, and fasten chest clip.
5. Tighten lap belt and torso harness. Don’t forget to re-stow the tray table.

My family opts to check our car seats through to our destination, but we have also had pleasant experiences with renting car seats upon arrival. CARES helps to take the hassle out of lugging car seats through big airports while keeping the child as safe as can be. The trickiest part is not leaving the belt behind on the airplane, but the reward for traveling with such a light load is worth it!

Better Battery Life

The world of portable computers is an odd one – computer speeds double almost every year, but battery technology has barely evolved in the past decade. Back in 1988, the Compaq SLT/286 (considered to be the first laptop with a hard drive and a high resolution screen) ran for three hours on its battery. Anno 2010, most laptop computers from your local electronics store have the same battery life, even though they are up to 500x faster than that old Compaq.

Thankfully this is all slowly changing – in part due to new battery technologies. One other major development is the move to low power computers and netbooks. These smaller computers make use of low power processors, smaller screens and no optical drive, greatly reducing their battery load.

The first computer to break the ten hour battery mark came out last year, and several computers now offer up to 12 hours. To clarify – these are real hours, not the “estimates” some companies provide, offering no more than 6 or 7 hours in real use.
As technology evolves, 14 and 16 hour battery packs will show up, and sooner or later we’ll finally have a laptop that really can last for a couple of days on the road.

Faster Speeds with 4G

Many travelers only just recently hopped aboard the 3G bandwagon, but the new kid in town is 4G. The “G” in these products refers to its generation – 3G was the third generation of wireless mobile Internet, so 4G obviously refers to the new fourth generation. With each new evolution, speeds increase by 3-4x. The first 4G service in the nation comes from Clear – a partnership between large corporations like Sprint, Comcast and Clearwire.

The Clear 4G service uses a technology called Wi-Max – a form of Wi-Fi with a very long range. Speeds on Clear are substantially higher than on 3G but because the service is so new, coverage is still quite limited. It took most operators 4 years to install their 3G towers, so don’t expect nationwide Clear 4G any time soon.

Thankfully, Clear caters to travelers with a dual 3G/4G adapter. This small device plugs into your laptop, offering speedy 4G when in the coverage area, and slower 3G when Clear is not yet available. Clear 4G service can be found for as low as $25/month from www.clear.com

Tablets and the New Apple iPad

The beginning of each New Year is always exciting for Apple fans – it is when the CEO of Apple gets up on stage to announce the latest and greatest new product from his company. This year, Apple announced the iPad. The iPad is important for several reasons;

•    It is a new product from Apple – and Apple products tend to be pretty great.
•    It acts as a wakeup call to other companies.
•    The iPad has the potential to become a travelers best friend.

Tablet computers are most certainly not new, and despite Apple telling audiences that the iPad is “magical”, the device is not much more than a large iPod Touch. Not that there is anything wrong with an iPod Touch.
As for the competition – just like with the iPhone, all successful products from Apple act as a wakeup call for others to innovate past their usual standards. If it were not for Apple, we’d still be stuck using the same bulky phones we used five years ago.
New ways to carry your ticket

Developments in the aviation world often take place at a snail’s pace. It took airlines about 8 years to completely make the switch to online check-in, but now they have realized that they can save a ton of money with new technology, they are introducing new ticketing systems pretty quickly.

Some airlines already offer smartphone boarding passes, which allow you to save a barcode to your phone, and have the security checkpoint and boarding gate scan the screen on your device. Other airlines are experimenting with biometrics and special printers that can print your boarding pass on your frequent flier card over and over again.

More Inflight Wi-Fi

In November 2008, the first domestic US planes took to the skies offering wireless Internet. At the end of 2009, there were almost 700 planes offering the service. Inflight Wi-Fi has taken off at an amazing pace, and in 2010, even more planes will be outfitted with the equipment required for Internet access.

Getting online is reasonably cheap (under $10 for a flight under 3 hours), the speed is decent, and you can connect with almost any Wi-Fi enabled device.

Since airlines have stopped investing in better entertainment, being able to get online and either do some work, or keep up with social networks is a great way to kill the time. Speeds on the plane are surprisingly fast, and future updates will include access to movies and music on your laptop from servers on the plane.

Credit: Flickr/Rick McCharles

The Grand Canyon of the Pacific: Waimea Canyon
Every family raves about Waimea, “a smaller, greener version of the Grand Canyon.” The drive up is a bit windy, but well worth it. The views are stunning and the wandering chickens are a hit with little kids. Great trails for families who like to hike like the Canyon Trail to Waipo’o Falls. Bring a backpack to carry the little ones. Looking for a view of the Na’a Pali Coast? Pull over at the Waimea Canyon Vista Point Lookout. Simply spectacular.

Credit: Shanahan Lim

Quintessential Hawaiian Fun: The Beach
Hawaii is all about the beach and the island of Kauai is no different. Be sure to check what time of year you’re going. In the wintertime, the surf is calm in the North and rough in the South. In the summertime, it flips. If you’re headed to the South, Poipu Beach and Baby Beach are the top picks by families. Up on the north shore, Anini Beach and Ke’e Beach are the most popular.

Photo by Esther Lee

Off the Beaten Path: The Queen’s Bath
If you’re looking for something unique and heavenly, head off the beaten path and check out the Queen’s Bath in Princeville on the North Side. This amazing natural wonder is a natural pool that’s been carved inside a lava shelf. Depending on the time of day, the pool will be out in the open beckoning kids and adults alike. Tip: Go early. Bring sunscreen. Wear sturdy shoes. Backpack little kids for the ¼ mile hike down.

While you wouldn’t want to take every vacation with your parents, there are good reasons to do it. Many of us have moved away from home and don’t get much more than two weeks off work a year. Combining grandparent visits with family vacations just makes sense. Since that first trip to France, I’ve taken three more big family trips and learned a lot about what works.  It’s not easy to accommodate three generations, but it’s not impossible either.

Pick the Right Destination

Ideal destinations offer lots of activities very close to your accommodations. Dude ranches are good and so are all inclusive resorts.  One of our most successful trips was to a resort town in central Oregon which had golf, tennis, biking, river rafting, and horseback riding. Plus there were miles of bike trails, abundant playgrounds, and a small village for shopping.
Our family pursued divergent interests most mornings and then met back at the house for lunch.  Evenings were spent grilling dinner and watching the sun set—I was never more relaxed in my life.

Decide Who’s Paying

The clearer you are about who’s paying for what up front, the less room there will be for misunderstandings. Are you splitting the cost of the lodging? Going in together on groceries? On your own for airfare?  If you can’t afford to eat out every night or play golf daily, be sure to say so in the planning phase of the trip. If you’re being treated to the trip, insist on making dinner (or better yet, taking everyone out to a restaurant) as a token of your appreciation.

Give Everyone Some Space

Being packed together in too-small accommodations is no recipe for relaxation.  Every family has its door slammers. Not to mention its light sleepers, loud laughers, bathroom hogs, religious nappers, early risers, and late night news junkies. Luckily nowhere is it written that you have to all sleep together under the same roof. Parenting in public can be more than a little stressful and just-next-door style accommodations can help relieve some of the pressure.  It’s nice to be able to close the door of your cabin, suite, or condo on grandparents, siblings, and cousins every now and then.

Keep It Short and Sweet

Even if you love your parents or in-laws like crazy (and stay in separate condos), a week of togetherness may be too much. Consider test-driving the multi-generation vacation concept for a few days at a beach house or a mountain cabin instead.  If it works out, you can always repeat the experience again next year!