Last August, I caught up with a some friends over coffee on the first day of school. Since I'm always on the lookout for good travel scoop, I quizzed people about their summer trips.



I made an astonishing discovery. Of the ten people I chatted with, half had vacationed with their parents or in-laws since I had seen them last.



Half!



Now I'm no statistician, but I know a trend when I see one. In a word? Grandcations.



Grandcations can be great---I've… Continue

I remember very clearly when those little placards began showing up in hotel bathrooms around the world urging us all to hang up our towels if we were willing to reuse them, thus saving millions of gallons of hot water and the energy required to run the dryers.



On the one hand, I thought, "Good idea!", and on the other, "and how convenient for you." I can't help it, I'm a cynic by nature. I just wanted the hotels to acknowledge what we all know in our hearts to be true: Less… Continue

When my kids were little---one in preschool and one in diapers---I talked a big game about pulling them out of school to travel. My theory was this: not all education happens at school. I felt the benefits of experiencing another culture far outweighed the drawbacks of missing a few days here and there. Besides which, my daughter had her letters, numbers, and shapes down cold. We could afford to miss some school.



A few years later, I hit my first bump. I was trying to schedule a… Continue

The average American family has two kids. My family has two kids. Theoretically we should fit just fine in the average hotel room.



Three weeks ago, we rented a charming house in Sonoma for a post-holiday getaway. It had 2 bedrooms, each with a queen size bed. My husband and I took one, and---as we've done about a million times before---put our kids Avery (9) and Max (6) in the other.



Here is a brief transcript from that night:



Avery: Don't touch me! Ow! Mommy!… Continue

I check on my kids constantly. I'm a naturally anxious person, and it comes with the territory. When they're snacking, I check to make sure they're not choking. When they're bathing, I check to make sure they're not drowning. When they're sleeping, I check to make sure they're still breathing.



I'm sure it drives them nuts.



When we travel, I kick it up a notch. Because who needs trouble in a strange city or a foreign country, right? I watch them so closely, I almost don't… Continue