Our family vacations tend to feature lots of togetherness. My kids aren’t old enough yet to spend any time on their own and they’re not the kids’ club types. Occasionally my husband and I hire sitters so we can steal a little alone time, and once or twice we’ve even brought our own when we travel.

Taking a babysitter on vacation might seem like an expensive thing to do, but sometimes having a few child-free hours can make or break the trip.

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Labor Day is coming up…do you have getaway plans? We typically like to scoot out of town on this long weekend before our school year is in full swing. It’s such a great way to celebrate the end of summer.

And if you’re like me, your long-weekend plans might involve the grandparents, too. We often travel with my mom or my mother-in-law, both of whom are the most easygoing travelers! But if your parents or your in-laws aren’t used to spending vacation time with you and your family – or perhaps, ahem, you sometimes butt heads – here are some tips to make your Labor Day Weekend sail smoothly.

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A long summer has ended, and the children are finally back in school. As has been done for generations, one of their first assignments is to write the good ol’ “what I did for my summer vacation” essay. Do you want your kid to hand in an essay extolling the fun had playing video games, going to a generic day camp, and hanging out in the backyard? A summer vacation spent (in part) engaged in interesting family travel experiences will provide not just meaningful memories and help promote family closeness, but also make for a more exciting “what I did for my summer vacation” essay; the kind that ends up on the fridge along with good grades, creative drawing, and other artifacts of childhood that decorate refrigerators across the country.

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When someone gets sick or hurt on vacation, family fun can quickly turn into a family nightmare. After multiple vacations that involved trips to the ER, googling for the nearest 24-hour pharmacy, and staying up at night with a feverish or coughing child, I never leave home without a first aid kit. Read More >