Staging Site

It's easy to get lost among the maze of rooms spread over seven levels in London's Victoria and Albert Museum. That's actually what makes this place recognized as the finest decorative arts museum in the world so fun for kids.

My 7-year-old daughter initially visited the museum with her grandparents, while we were staying in London for a family reunion over the holidays. They spent an hour wandering the galleries (seeing Coco Chanel's original "little black dress" and the "Great Bed of Ware" mentioned in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night) and finally came upon an exhibit dedicated to the work of children's author Beatrix Potter. My Dad tells me that he read Peter Rabbit to my daughter while she followed along with the original illustrations.

I brought my daughter back to the museum the next day, and she was determined to lead the way back to the Potter exhibit.

Now, my daughter actually has a keen sense of direction, but she couldn't find that exhibit. At first this was frustrating for her, but she quickly realized that it was exciting to be lost, or as she described it as if "it's like a real adventure." After two hours (I kid you not), we eventually found ourselves lost in a gallery with 20-foot statues peering down at us, and that's when we finally asked for directions. We slipped through a "secret passageway" into a bright gallery with Potter's charming, adorable illustrations of Peter taunting old Mr. McGregor. At last, we found the treasure.

London with kids: Eating out Read Post

Dining out

London with kids: Eating out

In London it's not unusual for kids to eat out in restaurants--and they're generally welcomed with special menus, coloring books, and smiles.

Here are three chains with locations throughout the city that offer a family-friendly environment while also dishing up good food at fair prices.

Wagamama: Asian inspired noodles are the specialty at this hip chain of restaurants known for its family-style dining experience with people gathering around long farm tables. Kids get their own set of special chopsticks for chowing down on a pile of noodles tossed with grilled chicken breast, sweet corn, and shredded carrots, and a citrus yakitori sauce. Parents might want something with a little more spice such as the Chili Ramen, a steaming bowl of noodles, tender beef sirloin, been sprouts, spring onions, and chillies.

Carluccio's: Step inside one of these noisy Italian cafes with fashionable decor and you'd never guess it's a chain with over 30 locations throughout London. The menu offers classic dishes (roasted sardines, homemade ravioli, tiramisu) prepared simply with fresh ingredients. Kids get their own mini cardboard puzzle to color and assemble, an activity book, and a menu featuring dishes such as penne with tomato sauce and breadcrumb-crusted chicken breast.

Pizza Express: This isnt Pizza Hut or Domino's. The cooks at these restaurants pull bubbling, blister thin-crust pizzas that you'd expect to find in Northern Italy from the oven. Try the Soho pie topped with tomato, olives, garlic oil, and fresh arugula, or the Sloppe Giuseppe with hot sliced beer, red onions, and green peppers. And of course there are tamer choices--i.e. cheese pizza--for children outlined on a special menu that's adorned with all sorts of games and puzzles.

London with kids: Natural History Museum Read Post

England

London with kids: Natural History Museum

Of all the great cities in the world, London just might be the best for a family vacation. This vibrant, electric metropolis offers a dizzying array of things to do, from catching a Broadway play to sipping tea brewed at Fortnum & Mason to reading Peter Rabbit from original pages of the Beatrix Potter classic at the Victoria Albert Museum.

Our family recently found that even on a two-week vacation you can only get a small taste of all there is to do. And that's the beauty of London: It has so much to offer and you can keep returning and see something new every time.

In the next several posts, I'll highlight some of our favorite family spots in London, and we'll start with the Natural History Museum...

Natural History Museum

The best thing about the Natural History Museum, only steps away from the South Kensington Tube station, is that it's free. And for a family of four in London this is a boon because nearly everything else in this city is expensive (try $5 per gallon for gasoline), except for many of the museums that don't charge admission.

The next best thing about the Natural History Museum is the dinosaur exhibit. There's no debate here: It's hands-down the best in the world. My 6-year-old son who to typically whines his way through his museums saying, "Mommmmy, lets GO!" was completely mesmerized. The highlight was most definitely a giant animatronic model of a T. Rex with teeth 15 centimeters long.

We also wandered through the mammals exhibit where we gazed up at a life-size model of a blue whale, saw eye-to-eye with a stuffed Maurititis dodo that's now extinct in the birds wing, and learned what it's like to be inside an erupting volcano by watched terrifying footage of flowing lava and ash, and

Top 11 family destinations for 2011 Read Post

Top 11 family destinations for 2011

As we head into a new year, I picked my top 11 budget- and family-friendly destinations, many with new attractions for 2011:

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Escape the Manhattan bustle and explore this quieter New York borough. In the Park Slope area, you'll find kid-friendly restaurants such as Flipsters burger joint, while Prospect Park is home to the Prospect Park Zoo and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where children under 12 get in free. Located within minutes of these attractions, BEST WESTERN PLUS Prospect Park Hotel recently opened in November 2010 and offers comfortable luxury the whole family will enjoy.
Charleston, S.C. – With new service from Southwest Airlines, this historic Southern town's cobblestone streets and antebellum architecture are more accessible than ever. Kids will enjoy learning history when touring the spooky Provost Dungeon at the Old Exchange or climbing on Civil War-era cannons at White Point Gardens. Also, don't miss Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. The BEST WESTERN King Charles Inn sits in the heart of the city.
Dallas, Texas – Traveling to the Lone Star State just got more fun, with the opening of Legoland Discovery Centre in spring 2011 and Sealife Aquarium in summer 2011. If the lure of theme-parks isn't enough, kids with a need for speed can check out the Texas Motor Speedway Official NASCAR track. The contemporary BEST WESTERN PREMIER Crown Chase Inn & Suites offers a convenient centralized location nearby numerous attractions in the area.
Durango, Colo. – Families seeking an outdoor adventure can climb onboard the famous Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The coal- and steam-powered locomotive chugs along though the wilderness of San Juan National Forest, where you'll also find countless hiking and mountain biking trails. After taking in the natural beauty of the surrounding area, relax at the BEST WESTERN Durango Inn & Suites situated on a hillside.
Fort Myers, Fla. – From visiting The Shell Factory, which boasts the world's largest collection of rare seashells and sea life specimens, to exploring the Everglades by airboat on an EcoSafari, families can have fun beyond soaking up the sun. Located on the secluded beaches of Estero Island, BEST WESTERN PLUS Beach Resort is within walking distance of activities for the young and the young at heart.
Hannibal, Mo. – Great American author Mark Twain was born in this small port town 120 miles north of St. Louis. Browse the exhibits at the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, taste the homemade root beer and onion rings at the Mark Twain Dinette, and take in beautiful views of the Mississippi River from your room at the BEST WESTERN On the River.
Lancaster, Pa. – You'll find a dizzying array of attractions in this town 50 miles west of Philadelphia. Kids can create their own candy bar at Hersheypark Chocolate World, go wild at ZOOAmerica, and be thrilled by shows and rides at Dutch Wonderland. BEST WESTERN PREMIER Eden Resort & Suites will pamper parents and please children with its plush accommodations and amenities including shuffleboard, a playground, and a children's pool.
Miami, Fla. – Kids will love the new Adventures of Mr. Potato Head Exhibit at the Miami Children's Museum. Opening January 2011, the exciting hands-on traveling exhibit allows kids to interact with the classic Mr. Potato Head character. The BEST WESTERN PREMIER Miami International Airport Hotel & Suites will offer families the chance to reconnect in the deluxe new accommodations.
Scottsdale, Ariz. – For a homerun getaway, visit the Spring Training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies at the brand new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, opening on February 26. Families can check out a game before the official baseball season starts. BEST WESTERN Sundial, a brand new contemporary boutique style hotel located in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale, allows children 16 and under to stay free with an adult.
Sonoma, Calif. – While wine tasting isn't typically a family-friendly activity, Francis Ford Coppola Winery offers wine tasting for adults and a pool, games, and activities for children such as smoothie tastings and special holiday events. Family-owned and operated, BEST WESTERN Sonoma Valley Inn provides services and amenities aimed to please all visitors as they experience the wonders of wine country and Northern California.
Waikiki, Hawaii – Opening in late spring of 2011, Waikiki Aquarium's Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Display will feature a living reef ecosystem representative of those found in the world's most isolated islands. BEST WESTERN Coconut Waikiki Hotel is a stylish boutique hotel located along the Ala Wai Canal, just three blocks from the world-famous Waikiki Beach, another popular family attraction.

Where will your family be traveling in 2011?

Europe has its worst travel day ever--and our family was right there in the thick of it Read Post

Europe has its worst travel day ever--and our family was right there in the thick of it

3 p.m. This story starts with a phone call to Virgin Atlantic Airlines.

"Hello, is the 5:50 p.m. flight to London delayed or canceled?"

"No, still on schedule."

"But I've heard that all flights out of SFO are delayed three hours due to weather and Heathrow is also experiencing major delays."

"On schedule. You better get to the airport."

3:10 p.m. My husband calls Yellow Cab.

3:20 p.m. Call Yellow Cab again and learn they took down the wrong address.

3:30 p.m. Call Yellow Cab again as we're nervous about arriving at the airport on time.

3:40 p.m. We call DeSoto Cab Co. No answer after listening to the phone ring for 5 minutes.

3:50 p.m. We call Yellow Cab again. The operator says a cab will be there in 10 minutes.

4 p.m. Knock on our neighbor Donald's door.

4:10 p.m. Donald graciously agrees to give us a lift to the airport. As we're slinking down 280 through a downpour that's so bad you can barely see the road, Donald says, "I haven't driven on the freeway in rain in 10 years..."

4:40 p.m. Checking in at the Virgin counter. We arrive only minutes before the airline was about to give up our four seats.

5:50 p.m. The plane miraculously takes off on time.

6:30 p.m. Watching movies and sipping apple juice.

8 p.m. Bed time.

4 a.m. The pilot announces: "We have received word that Heathrow is closed due to snow. We are landing at Stansted Airport."

Stansted? Huh? Where the hell is that?

4:30 a.m. On the runway in Stansted. "Please stay seated. We are waiting to find out if Heathrow will reopen or if we should put you on coaches to Heathrow."

5:30 a.m. "Heathrow is officially closed for the rest of the day."

The airplane stairs open down onto the snowy runway. Walk through the snow into Stansted Airport where we wait an hour to go through customs.

6:30 a.m. Baggage claim is a mad house. Luggage piled up everywhere, people sleeping on the floor.

7:30 a.m. We learn that people have been waiting three, four, even five hours for their luggage. Heathrow and Gatwick are closed and all planes have been diverted to tiny Stansted that's 30 miles north of London.

9:30 a.m. We get lucky and our luggage finally arrives after three hours of waiting.

9:40 a.m. Buses into London aren't running. Roads closed due to three inches of snow. Thankfully, the Stanstead Express train is in service.

The ticket machine won't take my credit cards nor my husband's. A kind man, who says he loves San Francisco, buys our tickets and I pay him in American dollars. It costs our family of four 60 pounds ($90) to take the train to the Liverpool Street station in central London. Bart suddenly seems like a bargain.

10 a.m. A train arrives and it's packed. Only a few people can get on.

10:30 a.m. Another train arrives. We can't get on it.

10:45 a.m. Kids are freezing cold waiting outside. We open suitcases and find mittens, hats, snow boots.

11 a.m. Four more trains come and go. My husband yells at a man who shoves himself in front of us and hops on a train, so we're unable to get on. I yell at my husband for yelling. We're on the verge of going crazy.

11:30 a.m. I lead my children in jumping jacks as we try to keep warm. It's zero degrees outside.

noon We finally board a train, after I talk with an attendant and tell her that my shivering children and I must get on the next train.

12:30 p.m. The train breaks down. Hour delay. I read Harry Potter out loud to my daughter, and the passengers sitting around us listen in.

2 p.m. Arrive at Liverpool. Cab or Tube? I convince my husband that we should take the Tube as someone tells us that a cab could cost up to 100 pounds ($150) with the traffic and snow.

2:15 p.m. We board a Circle Line train that travels one stop and then goes out of service.

2:30 p.m. We board another train that goes out of service and we learn that the Tube is experiencing major delays due to the inch of snow on the ground.

4 p.m. Finally, South Kensington.

It's midnight in London and we're exhausted and cold. We haven't eaten a meal in over 10 hours. But as we walk through the snow-dusted, glistening streets of South Kensington, past a pub packed with jolly, rosy-cheeked Londoners, the day's frustrations quickly fade away. That's the thing with travel. It's so often a pain to get to your destination, but once you arrive you forget the delays, the waiting, the long lines.

TSA reviews lapchild guidelines Read Post

TSA reviews lapchild guidelines

Awhile back I wrote about the debate over lap children.

Current government regulation says children under age 2 are the only people who can fly without being buckled up. Babies can fly for free by sitting on an adult's lap.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has long recommended buying a seat and securing a child in a car seat or a CARES harness. But on December 9 the National Transportation Safety Board wants to visit this issue, and ask the question, Should children under 2 be required to sit in a car seat while flying?

The NY Times reports:

The independent federal agency, which investigates transportation accidents and promotes safety, has long pushed for a rule requiring that all passengers be properly restrained in a separate seat, including children under 2 years old. The latest recommendation was sent to the Federal Aviation Administration in August, citing various crashes over the years in which children who were seated in car seats were protected and others in which children seated in a parent’s lap were injured or killed.

No one disputes that children would be safer aboard passenger jets when strapped in a car seat instead of being held in a parent’s lap. “Every single thing on that airplane down to the coffee pots are required to be properly restrained except children under the age of 2,” said Patricia Friend, president of the Association of Flight Attendants. “It’s just physically impossible, no matter how much a parent loves that child, given deceleration forces of an aircraft in a crash to hold onto that child.”

The Federal Aviation Administration agrees with the safety board that a child is safer when belted into a child restraint system, or CRS, and states on its Web site that “keeping a child in a CRS or device during the flight is the smart and right thing to do.”

But the F.A.A. continues to turn down the child seat request. The rationale? It maintains that doing so would require families — now accustomed to children under 2 years old flying free if they sit in a parent’s lap — to pay for the extra seat. That cost, the F.A.A. surmises, would cause some families to revert to car travel, which is less safe. “Consequently,” states the agency in its latest response to the safety board, “entire families would be subject to far higher fatality rates, which would produce a net increase in overall transportation fatalities.”

Not surprisingly, safety seat advocates dismiss this argument as beside the point. Requiring every passenger to be appropriately belted in is “a simple matter of equal protection,” said Stephanie M. Tombrello, executive director of SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A., a nonprofit group that focuses on child passenger safety. Ms. Tombrello pointed out that pilots regularly instruct passengers to stay buckled in their seats when not up to use the restroom.

“We just don’t see it as an either/or situation,” said Ms. Friend of the Association of Flight Attendants.

Photo: Flickr/Lars Plougman

WSJ: Kids-free flights? Read Post

WSJ: Kids-free flights?

The Wall Street Journal has brought up the tired debate over kids on airplanes yet again. An article in The Juggle blog asks whether there should be planes segregated into kiddie and kid-free zones.

One well-publicized (and admittedly unscientific) survey last summer of some 2,000 passengers by Skyscanner, a fare-comparison site, found that nearly 60% of passengers supported creating special sections on flights for families, and some 20% hoped to see child-free flights. There’s an increasingly popular Facebook group called “Airlines Should Have Kid-Free Flights,” founded by a frequent flier from Boston who suffered through a flight from Los Angeles to the U.K. near a screaming kid, according to the New York Times. And there was even a bill introduced in Congress several years ago that would require family-only sections on flights (to protect kids from violent in-flight films), the Times reported; the bill has yet to come to the floor for a vote.

However, the Air Transport Association, the airline trade group, told the Times it’s unlikely that the airlines would ever offer child-free flights, given the many logistical and scheduling challenges involved, especially as they seek to return to profitability and attract more customers. Creating families-only sections would also reduce flexibility in seat assignments, critics say. (Some handy tips for reducing drama–and trauma– while traveling with kids can be found in this previous Juggle post and at the site JetWithKids.com.)

What do you think? Should there be special kid-free flights as well as flights geared to families?

How to put joy into the drive to grandma's house Read Post

Family travel tips Road Trips

How to put joy into the drive to grandma's house

For many families grandmother's house isn't simply over the river and through the woods. Rather it's a long, four-, or six-, or even eight-hour straight shot down the highway. For kids in the car, this can be rather...b-o-r-i-n-g. And when the kids become bored, they drive mom and dad nuts.

Here are a few tips on keeping everyone happy and entertained on a long holiday road trip:

Sing Christmas carols. Yes, it's corny but singing Jingle Bells is bound to put everyone in the holiday spirit. Find song lyrics online at christmas-carols.net, print them out, and pass them out in the car.

Stop every two hours: You're probably in a hurry to get a taste of Aunt Sue's mincemeat pie, but it's wise to slow down and take the time to pull off the road so the kids can stretch their legs.

Listen to A Christmas Carol: Everyone in the car, even the driver, can listen to a Book on Tape, which you can borrow from your public library. You can also easily download audio books onto your iPhone or iPod. Holiday favorites include Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, The Night Before Christmas read by Meryl Streep, and A Christmas Story, the Jean Shepherd book that inspired the hilarious classic film.

Pack snacks. Fill a cooler with healthy snacks—dried fruit, cheese, crackers, fruit, and a few holiday treats such as homemade cookies.

Write holiday cards. Put the kids to work and have them help you write and address holiday cards. Younger kids can decorate envelopes with stickers.

Decorate the car. Kids can adorn their windows with holiday scenes by using Crayola's Window Crayons, which easily clean up with baby wipes.

The perfect winter travel boot Read Post

The perfect winter travel boot

I'm preparing for a winter trip to London, which means I'll need warm clothes and a comfortable pair of waterproof boots.

Enter Rieker's Sybille, a German boot that's lined with real wool. I just bought a pair and tested them out on a five-mile walk on a rainy day in San Francisco. No blisters and warm, dry feet.

I purchased mine for $149, which seems like a lot but these boots are well-made and will last many years. I found this pair for $150 at Pegasus Shoes.

Handmade travel games on Etsy Read Post

Handmade travel games on Etsy

Who knew? Etsy, a website where artists feature their handmade items, is a great place to find travel games for kids.

I recently came across these three while browsing the site. They all make great stocking stuffers—though you might want to give them to the kids before the long drive to grandma's house.

My Pocket Games is a portable handheld game free of annoying beeps, buzzes and batteries. It contains five fun games: Tic Tac Toe, Dots and Boxes, Hangman, Alphabet Game, and Pipes. Directions for each game are included. There is also a blank page where kids can draw or make up their own game. The rainbow colored pages pictured are just for example. $5.50.

Never lose a crayon again with this Cloth Wallet. Each crayon has it's own little pouch. They won't fall out in your purse or get lost under the car seat! Comes with 8 Crayola crayons and one pad of paper. Lined with fleece to offer a bit of padding and support. Machine washable. $11.

Turn off the car's DVD player and drum up some imagination... get them looking out the windows at the world around them! TravelnPlay features three laminated cards and three dry erase markers with built in erasers. Two of the cards have bingo for a little healthy car competition each card with a different set of activities on the reverse side so once you are done with your game you can switch with the other person! The third card is the ever popular license plate game that the whole family can play together! Every time you see a different state's license plate x off the state... Not only is the game fun... but you may just learn where each state is located! $15.

Flying with kids this holiday? Here's how to get through airport security Read Post

Flying with kids this holiday? Here's how to get through airport security

If you're flying this holiday season, you might bump into the new full body scanners at airport security, or you might not. The Transportation Security Administration is rolling out the scanners, and by Thanksgiving some 70 airports will be equipped with them.

This is likely to cause some confusion. The TSA will allow you to opt out of the full-body scanners but then you do need to undergo a pat down. Here are some tips for families on getting through security from the LA Times:

Body scanner: Everyone being scanned through the new machines must be able to walk into the device and raise their arms as instructed by TSA staff. This applies to 3-year-olds and 93-year-olds. No one is allowed to, say, hold a young child or accompany an elderly person through the scanner. Be sure to take everything out of your pockets, not just coins and other metal, before going through the scanner.
Special cases: People who are unable to stand and raise their arms to be scanned (but aren’t opting out) will be screened using a metal detector, Melendez said.
Child pat-down: If a child is 12 or younger and unable to proceed through the body scanner alone or opts out, then he or she is subject to what the TSA calls "a modified pat-down" search. If the child is older than 12 and opts out of the scanner, he or she is subject to an "enhanced pat-down. " The TSA, citing security reasons, has not provided details on either type of pat-down. But the enhanced pat-down is widely understood to include closer examination of genital areas. It is unclear whether the modified pat-down includes the genital areas.
That said, if an alarm goes off during screening by the new scanner or regular metal detectors, any passenger will be subject to an enhanced pat-down (except for those 12 and younger, who get the modified pat-down).
How to prepare: I suggest parents explain to their kids all the procedures that they may encounter as they pass through security, including the possibility that they may be touched by TSA personnel as part of a pat-down. Parents won’t necessarily be with their kids as they pass through the scanner or get patted down.
I also advise checking out the TSA's advanced imaging technology web page that explains – in pictures, words and video – what the full-body scan entails.
To learn more: For more on the TSA's take on the security changes, check out the TSA blog post "Pat-Down Myths and Facts." To read about the controversy over the changes, see "TSA body scanners still raising concerns? Here's why" and "Government holding firm on airport pat-downs and body scans despite deluge of complaints."

How to make your holiday flights jolly Read Post

How to make your holiday flights jolly

Long lines, lost luggage, storm delays-flying during the holidays can quickly turn you into Scrooge. But if you follow these tips, you'll still be in the holiday spirit when you arrive at your destination.

Lose the layovers Avoid stopovers, especially in airports such as Denver, Chicago, Detroit, and Minneapolis where weather delays are common. If a connection is necessary, fly through a Southern hub such as Dallas, Charlotte, or Phoenix, where you can at least eliminate the possibility of weather being a problem.

Check in at home Most airlines' Web sites now make it possible for passengers to print out bar-coded boarding passes at home.

Beat the traffic If you live far from an airport and have an early flight, stay at an airport hotel the night before; some allow you to park your car at the hotel until you return. Check www.bestwestern.com.

Reserve parking During the holidays, airport parking lots fill up fast. Luckily, you can reserve spaces ahead. Even better, ask a neighbor to give you a lift or arrange for a shuttle.

Avoid gift glitches Leave the presents unwrapped because security measures may require wrapped packages to be unwrapped. Another option: To avoid gift wrapping late into the night after your arrival, mail gifts ahead.

Carry on some fruitcake—and a sandwich Food is nonexistent on most flights these days so bring a sandwich from home and a holiday treat to keep yourself in the spirit.

Entertain the kids...or just yourself Play holiday movies such as Polar Express and Elf on the DVD player; bring paper, stickers, and crayons to make holiday cards; and pack travel Scrabble but play with new rules—holiday words only.

Spread the joy Pack a box of chocolates to pass out to other passengers, or bring a treat for the flight attendants.

Bedeck your bag The last thing you want to deal with is a piece of lost luggage so tie a red ribbon around the handle.

TSA pats down a screaming 3-year-old: Has airport security gone too far? Read Post

TSA pats down a screaming 3-year-old: Has airport security gone too far?

I'm all for airport security but I'm afraid the TSA went too far when they accosted a 3-year-old at an airport in Tennessee. Three-year-old Mandy Simon (pictured) got upset when she was forced to put her teddy bear through the X-ray machine. And then when she walked through the metal detector she kept setting it off. This led TSA workers to demand a pat down.

Mandy screamed, yelled and kicked--and her father, Steve Simon, who happens to be a news report took video footage with his phone and later did a news segment. Watch the video.

What do you think? Did the TSA go too far with this one?

Thanksgiving travel tips from travel expert Peter Greenberg Read Post

Thanksgiving travel tips from travel expert Peter Greenberg

Just how safe is holiday travel? Read Post

Just how safe is holiday travel?

Many people who don't ordinarily fly hop on planes over the holidays. Even those who fear flying will do so in order to pay visits to great-grandmothers, long-lost friends, and aunts. This infographic from blog.friendlyplanet.com is a great reminder that flying is actually the safest way to travel.

San Francisco Giants Victory Parade Read Post

California

San Francisco Giants Victory Parade

Our beloved San Francisco Giants won the World Series and I pulled my kids out of school for the Victory Parade that passed down Market Street. Here are some images from the day.

Kids travel smoothly with 'Let's Go Chipper' Read Post

Kids travel smoothly with 'Let's Go Chipper'

The "Let's Go Chipper" activity kit and book are designed to take the stress out of traveling with children. Told through a fun, perky squirrel named Chipper, the book offers up tips for kids on what to pack for a trip and how to get through airport security. And it takes you through the experiences of boarding, flying, and arriving. There's also an activity book with crayons nestled into a plush, self-adjustable pillow backpack that helps prepare kids for flying before you even pack a bag. (The only thing missing is a bottle of wine for mom...) $14.98, letsgochipper.com.

Do MacBook Airs need to come out of your bag when passing through airport security? Read Post

Do MacBook Airs need to come out of your bag when passing through airport security?

My laptop is on its last legs, and I've got my eye on the MacBook Air. It's light and slim--and seems like the perfect travel companion. And I've wondered if you even need to take it out of your bag when passing through airport security. I found an answer to this question on the Transportation Security Administration blog:

...Electronic items smaller than the standard sized laptop (including e-readers, netbooks, tablets, personal DVD players, etc) do not need to be removed from your bag or their cases. So with those rules in mind, the 11” model of the MacBook Air is fine to leave in your bag, and the 13” model must be removed prior to X-ray screening.

Should I be concerned about bringing my kids to London this winter? Read Post

Should I be concerned about bringing my kids to London this winter?

Over a year ago my father made a big announcement at a family dinner: "I'm taking you all to London for Christmas!"

He shared that spending a Dickensesque holiday with his kids and grandchildren was a longtime dream and he ordered us all to start shopping for flights. Who can argue with that? We were all elated.

And so my husband and I and our two kids are flying into Heathrow mid-December and then we'll meet my brother and parents at a house that we've rented.

I've been nothing but excited but when earlier this month the U.S Department issues a Travel Alert warning U.S. citizens of "the potential for terrorist attacks in Europe" by "al-Qa'ida and affiliated organizations," I couldn't help but worry a little.

Later some countries came out with warnings naming specific locations--France and Germany. England wasn't a target spot apparently.

I quickly pushed my fear away, realizing that I can't live in a bubble. The least safe part of our trip would surely be driving from our home to the San Francisco airport--not walking around London.

A USA Today article addresses how travelers should asses these warnings. It offers up some helpful info from experts:

More so than with previous notifications, the European alert seemed to hit a nerve, perhaps because it covers an entire continent rather than a specific country. As one report put it, the notice is "both sweeping and frustratingly limited in information." Similar criticism has reverberated across the web in recent weeks, on both sides of the Atlantic.

For example, a posting on the Detroit Free Press' Travel Diva blog asserts: "The alert is so vague as to be meaningless to those actually traveling." The post continues: "What are travelers supposed to do, report anyone who looks foreign? Scream if you see someone unzipping luggage? A warning to be careful because someone might strike somewhere in Europe with something against somebody sometime produces free-floating anxiety. It's an indication that top officials are pretty darned alarmed, but they are not sharing exactly why."

But other industry veterans note there is a "legal construct" at play: When the U.S. Government notifies its own employees about threats abroad, it is required to notify the public as well, as a "duty of care" issue. Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, notes, "We're looking at this alert from one dimension here—but there could be other dimensions that we just don't know about."

This sentiment was echoed in a detailed teleconference briefing by the State Department. Patrick F. Kennedy, the department's under secretary for management, stated: "Other situations are cumulative. Bits and pieces of information come together; the State Department is in constant contact with colleagues in the other elements of the United States Government, the intelligence and law enforcement communities and with allies and friends throughout the world. And as information comes in, it can reach the point where the cumulative effect says: Now is the time to issue a Travel Alert."

Best factory tours Read Post

Best factory tours

What kid wouldn't want to go see where Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream is made? Or what about Jelly Bellies?

Smarter Travel has put together a slide show featuring America's best factory tours, which make great stops for traveling families. From the Hershey's Chocolate World in Pennsylvania to Louisville Slugger in Kentucky, factories are often free to visit and sometimes you get samples!

Check out the slide show.

Photo: NIOSH via flickr. CC Attribution. http://www.flickr.com/photos/niosh/

Boo at the Zoo Halloween events Read Post

Boo at the Zoo Halloween events

Zoo animals can't eat candy but who says they can't join in all the Halloween fun. A handful of zoos across the country are celebrating the spooky holiday by opening their gates to kids in costumes and offering all sorts of Halloween fun, from pumpkin carving to haunted houses.

Here are a few zoos that will be throwing scary parties:

Detroit Zoo
Saint Louis Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Birmingham Zoo
Los Angeles Zoo
Louisville Zoo
New Orleans Zoo

Photo: Bronx Zoo

Southwest Airlines introduces South Carolina routes Read Post

family fun

Southwest Airlines introduces South Carolina routes

I'm excited to hear that Southwest Airlines will now be flying in and out of airports in South Carolina. We have cousins who live in Charleston and when we visited last Thanksgiving, our only choice was to fly in and out of Jacksonville, Fl., for a reasonably priced fare. Now with Southwest serving Greenville (starting in March) as well as Charleston, it'll be so much less expensive and more convenient to visit this southern state.

9 things to do with kids in Charleston

Hooray for free airport wi-fi! Read Post

Hooray for free airport wi-fi!

I recently had to sit around Las Vegas's McCarran Airport for about an hour. What to do? Plug in my laptop and log onto my email for....free!

Yes, Internet access at McCarran is free.

I've found that when you log in at an airport and realize that there's free wi-fi, it's as thrilled as winning the jack pot at the slots...well, maybe not quite as exciting but pretty close.

Here are some Web sites to help you find out which airports offer free wi-fi:

http://www.wififreespot.com/airport.html

http://www.travelpost.com/airport-wireless-internet.aspx

http://www.geeksugar.com/Free-Airport-WiFi-8865896

What do you do when someone cuts in line at the airport? Read Post

What do you do when someone cuts in line at the airport?

The line at San Francisco airport this morning was so long that it led one person to scream at the top of her lungs, "I hate airports!"

At 6 a.m., the line was stretched clear across an entire terminal.

After waiting for 30 minutes, I finally reached the section of the line where it snakes through a maze created by ropes. At this point, a man carrying a small carry-on surreptitiously jumped right in front of me. He came from nowhere. The nerve!

I didn't say anything but I wondered how he could do such a thing without feeling guilty.

What would you have done in this situation? Would you have spoken up?

After an hour, I finally made it to my gate and caught my flight to Las Vegas.

Photo: ski-epic.com

Filipino flight attendants dance to Lady Gaga Read Post

Filipino flight attendants dance to Lady Gaga

A YouTube video of flight attendants dancing to Lady Gaga and Katy Perry on the Filipino airlines Cebu has gone viral on the Internet. The women did their dance while going over safety instructions for the flight. Some are saying this airline has come up with a fun way to get passengers to listen to pay attention during the safety announcement while others are saying it's highly inappropriate. What do you think?

London with kids: Victoria and Albert Museum