The pictures online might look nice, but how do you really know if a hotel is right for your family? That's why we're loving Oyster Hotel Reviews. Each shockingly detailed listing gives pros and cons from Oyster and includes photos, amenities, maps, and user comments--and the site has a tool to compare rates. Right now the site's reviews are limited to properties in New York City, Miami, Las Vegas, and Oahu, Hawaii, in the U.S., and Jamaica, Aruba, and the Dominican Republic. They just launched in June, though, so we're going to give them time to expand!

My husband and I have been world travelers since long before we could utter the words "Are we there yet?" My mum tells stories of breast-feeding me on the backs of ponies in the foothills of the Himalayas; my husband's family moved to Nigeria when he was just 10 months old. Travel at such an early age gave us both an intrepid mindset about globe-trotting that we've carried throughout our lives, and especially, throughout our relationship. (Our most memorable travel experience so far was a kayaking trip to the Tufi Coast of Papua New Guinea—we were only the second or third group of foreigners to visit the area since the '70s.)

Before we had our children (Austin, 4; Alexandra, 3; and Gavin, 2), we thought that by adjusting our lives just slightly we would be able to continue just as before. We wouldn't let the kids slow us down, nor would we leave them behind. Turns out, not so easy. That set of beliefs flew out the window the moment Austin arrived.  

Obviously children are time-consuming and require a ton more work than we predict, yada yada.... But what surprised us the most was how our much our desire to travel had diminished. The travel magazines that used to inspire us had become irrelevant exhibits of folly and unnecessary risk. Our instinct to protect our kids from hazards trumped our itch for by-the-seat-of-our-pants exploration. As we began planning our first family expedition, it became apparent that if we were going to maintain any bit of our prekid wanderlust selves, we would have to negotiate the mental and physical blocks parenthood has imposed on us. But if we wanted the kind of travel that had enriched our childhoods to also enrich the lives of our children, then Disneyland and all-inclusives would also have to bite the dust.


Continue reading Musings: The Inheritance of Travel »

Jinny VanDeusen, WeJustGotBack.com
Jam-packed with eye-popping geothermal features and spectacular wildlife, Yellowstone is a national treasure on every family's wish list.  Good news: Fewer bookings for the upcoming season means this summer may be a great time to go.  This month, WeJustGotBack.com features three articles to help families plan that first vacation to Yellowstone.

Of Geysers and Grizzlies: The best of Yellowstone
So much to do, so little time? No worries.  We assembled a panel of repeat Yellowstone visitors to build a knockout shortlist of must-see park experiences.

Yellowstone Planning Tips: Advice from people who've been there
Nothing beats getting travel advice from someone who has been there, so we asked our panel of Yellowstone veterans for their best tips, hints and lessons learned.

Yellowstone Kid Stuff: 10 sites to get them psyched
Don't know a mudpot from a fumarole?  Or a black bear from a grizzly?  These ten before-you-go tools will get kids geared up for their big adventure.

*This month we're giving away a set of L.L. Bean rolling duffle bags. To enter, parents leave a comment telling us what is their child's no.1 must-pack item.

Rebecca Etter, Travel Assistant

Lou Mongello, a Walt Disney World expert (pictured above on his first trip to the park in 1971), is truly tapped into the Disney magic. He is such a wonderful resource for anyone planning a trip to Disney World, and the best part is he is accessible to everyone. Lou packs the latest news, tips, and triva into a weekly pod-cast and into his website. He even covers specific topics like traveling to the park with special needs, and always gives tips that eliminate any anxiety related to "an impossible day at the park", leaving you to worry less and enjoy more.

Check out our Disneyland feature for one mother's recent trip to Disney World's West Coast counterpart.

As much as I travel, I somehow become paralyzed each night before a trip, when I start packing. I procrastinate as much as possible, because packing is probably the least favorite part of the trip for me (besides waiting for luggage at baggage claim). I just got this clever packing list sent to me by a mom who created it because she needed it, and I think it seems really helpful. It has all the things listed on it that I always forget (stopping the paper and the email autoresponder), and reminders about everything you need to bring (dvd player and charger) that aren't the usual suspects that would go in your luggage.

Posted by: Yolanda Edwards

We love this book, it gives so many starting points for trips, which I find is the help that most of us need. How many times do you have no ideas about where to go when you finally have some vacation time? This book breaks down options in really smart ways, and even if you weren't planning on going anywhere anytime soon, gets you excited about the possibilities out there, by breaking them out and demystifying how to do them.

Posted by: Yolanda Edwards