by Linda McGurk - The stereotypical outdoor family vacation in Sweden involves at least three things: camping near the sea, chasing the elusive sun, and wearing matching, dorky family sweat suits. On the Swedish island of Oland, a long, narrow strip of land in the Baltic Sea off the country’s east coast, you can have it all. No wonder Oland, Sweden is one of the country’s most … [Read more...]
40+ Things To Do In Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains + 3-Day Trip Itinerary
by Stephanie Harper - With backdrops of majestic peaks and sunshine beaming through the green plumage from any direction you decide to adventure in, it’s no wonder Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains beckon families to come out and play every year. | Related: Five Ways to Inspire Teens and Tweens to Hike | The Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains are one of the most beautiful and … [Read more...]
The Adirondacks Family Adventure Guide
by Jean Grant - My kids are game for almost all natural adventures and love the elements of earth, air, and water (we try to limit fire for obvious reasons but s’mores and campfires are safe options). If there happens to be a waterfall, muddy puddles, a bubbling brook: mission accomplished. For our getaway to the Adirondacks in New York, water did not let us down. We … [Read more...]
Family Climbing Vacations ROCK (See what we did there?)
by Robyn Robledo - "I'm next!" I hear my six year old yelling while I'm still at the top setting the anchors. "No, I'm next." I hear her nine year old brother argue back. My husband steps in and reminds them that there is plenty of time for them both to get in many turns. They go back to their imaginary world of play while I scream down to my husband to bring me down. … [Read more...]
40+ Things To Do In Camden Maine – A Family Vacation Guide
Collecting seashells and playing with seaweed after a sail to Lasell Island [All photos courtesy Jean Grant] By Jean Grant - From the southern beaches to West Quody Head Light, and pristine Baxter State Park to iconic Acadia National Park, a Maine family vacation can be breathtaking and exhilarating. As a Mid-Atlantic native, I had my preconceived notions about the land … [Read more...]
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua – Family Adventure Travel Guide
by Heather Mundt - Natalie Robertson was just a tween 17 years ago when her dad, Chris, bought an untouched slice of paradise above the cliffs of the popular beachside town of San Juan del Sur in southwest Nicaragua. With a vision to create a safe, healthy haven for his three kids, the Northern California real-estate developer built his version of utopia: of a self-sustaining, … [Read more...]
Haida Gwaii: Family adventure in the Canadian Galápagos
by Jennifer Fontaine Yáahl soared free, high above the world’s last remaining old-growth rainforest, its shrill "caw" echoing past towering, ancient spruce and cedar trees, until he broke through an opening which revealed the island's expansive beaches. There, in the sand, Yáahl, the lonely black raven, spotted a cockle shell from which he heard the faint cries of a young … [Read more...]
Sublime Milos: A Greek sea kayaking family adventure
by Deirdre Davys - There’s something special about arriving by boat. You see the island far away in the distance. It looks tiny, then as you get nearer you begin to make out the cliffs and the tiny white dots of houses clinging to the hill tops. Picking up and dropping off passengers at other islands on the way out from Athens has already made you feel special. You are the ones … [Read more...]
Digging up a Massachusetts Treasure – Cape Cod
By Jean Grant - My sons love treasure hunting. Well, they love digging up the yard and looking for unusual rocks, “diamonds and gold,” quartz, fossils and shells of all kinds. Dirt, sand and water are hypnotic lures to my young geologists and engineers so when the opportunity arose to travel to the Sea Crest Beach Hotel on Old Silver Beach in North Falmouth on Cape Cod in … [Read more...]
Families Find Supreme Snow Fun at Colorado’s Keystone Resort
By Heather Mundt Editor Note: The original version of this article appeared in the December 2015 online version of Colorado Parent magazine. Located just 90-minutes from Denver, it’s no secret that Keystone Resort is a top choice for local families. Add in its Kids Ski Free program—for kids ages 12 and under who stay at least two nights—plus a claim to the state’s longest ski … [Read more...]
Traveling the Park to Park Highway
by Susan Strayer To celebrate this year's centennial anniversary of the National Park Service, my family wanted to do something really special, an epic, once-in-a-lifetime trip. So we packed up our truck and hit the National Park to Park Highway trail for a 7,000-mile road trip. It may sound crazy to voluntarily trap oneself in a car with three young kids for six weeks … [Read more...]
Biking Wyoming’s Wild West – Grand Teton
by Heather Mundt The morning's bike ride had been an easy one along rail-to-trail abandoned railroad tracks repurposed as multi-use recreation trails through green meadows where cows grazed lazily as our group of riders pedaled past. As we continued along the Warm River Trail near the Idaho-Wyoming border, we finally caught a glimpse of the mountain range where our adventure … [Read more...]
Dolomites Family Adventure: Exploring Italy’s Alpine Playgrounds
By Nancy Besharah - I wiped the pastry flakes off my fingers and finished my espresso before heading outside to round up the kids. Even though we had hiked deep into the Dolomites alpine for almost two hours, the boys, then ages 5 and 7, weren't slowing down. After devouring buttery apple strudel, they raced outside to explore the Dolomites alpine playground, complete with a … [Read more...]
“In His Element:” Traveling and autism
by Jean Grant Oh yes, Ewan loves volcanoes, I say with embarrassed pride at a parent preschool conference, while my son scribbles May 18, 1980 and a drawing of a volcano on a white board with a dry-erase marker. Certainly all children have their obsessions. For Ewan, they are volcanoes, weather and drawing complete U.S. maps, but starting in kindergarten? I chalked it up to … [Read more...]
Family Road Trip 101: Unplug to Connect With Your Kids
by Gina Vercesi - Listen. Do you hear that? No? What you're not hearing are your kids. They're in the backseat, quietly plugged into their electronics. Maybe the silence is welcome, they're not arguing, poking each other, or asking "When are we gonna be there?" on repeat. Nor are they talking about the funky, retro billboard they just saw, or searching for the letters of the … [Read more...]
What I’ve Learned from Designing Family Safaris for 20 Years-John Spence, Aardvark Safaris
By John Spence with Heather Mundt Editor's note: Both Erin and I met Aardvark Safaris President John Spence last fall when we attended the Family Travel Association's Summit at Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Emigrant, Mont. (just 30 minutes from Yellowstone National Park). I was on crutches at the time, and he called me peg leg, which I found hilarious and endearing coming from … [Read more...]
Family Travel: Giving Kids the Gift of Experience
by Eric Stoen - Memories last forever. It's a cliche usually printed over inspirational Instagram photographs, but it's also true. As a family with three kids under age 10, we've taken it to heart. And we've done so with family travel. Unlike many friends who choose to travel the world non-stop with their kids, which I greatly respect, we've opted to keep a home base. The … [Read more...]
