I'm perched in a wooden treehouse lazing on a cushy double mattress atop a white sand beach along Mexico's Riviera Maya. Overlooking the turquoise Caribbean Sea, I'm about as far away from holiday hoopla and craziness as I can get when the beach butler comes by to see if I need anything.
Cliff and Leah Patton went camping on Lion Country Safari's grounds with their two granddaughters thanks to the annual passes they just bought. As Palm Beach Gardens residents, they own almost all major Florida theme park passes including Sea World, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Busch Gardens, Aquatica and the recently acquired Lion Country Safari.
It's a rain-soaked hamlet with a population of 3,000 souls, and just one traffic light, as unlikely a tourist hotspot as you'll ever see. But the tiny town of Forks, Wash., has been transformed by Twilight, the wildly popular young adult book series by Stephenie Meyer.
Here are some events and attractions from right here in Florida to New Orleans to New York to put you in the holiday spirit.
The youngsters get a taste of multicultural Mexico in Oaxaca.
You don't have to be John Wayne or Annie Oakley to appreciate the thrill of the Old West. What's not to love about rustic life where the longhorn cattle feed on the lowly gypsum weed? (Except, possibly, having to watch where you step.)
While you can wind up paying as much as another round-trip ticket, the trade-off is peace of mind.
As the new film version of the Maurice Sendak children's classic Where the Wild Things Are delights children across the nation, we offer a list of top spots around the world where you can show your family real wild things in their natural environments.
Taking the kids can be easier and more stylish -- and more fun for them -- thanks to these new travel products, which have been tested by the writer.
Kids tired of experiencing the same old roller coasters have a new ride to tackle. Walt Disney World's ''Sum of All Thrills'' is the first ride in Epcot's Innoventions pavilion, where businesses sponsor educational attractions and hawk their brands.
You don't have to limit yourself to the typical sites -- or to Manhattan.
Sit on a Big Wheel with half of your belongings tied to the back of it, your bed sitting on your head and your kids standing on the sides clutching you around the neck. Now you know what it feels like to drive an RV for the first time.
The classic Southwestern Grand Circle tour loops through seven national parks and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It took us 14 days to visit the parks, which included 2 1/2 days on Lake Powell at Glen Canyon. We drove 1,803 miles. All of these parks hit temperatures in the 90s and above in the summer -- sunscreen and water in abundance, and a hat or other head covering are musts.
Do one thing at a time and take your time: These were our trip mantras. First, maintaining an RV is a bit of work, and the first time out it takes some getting used to. There are a lot of bells and whistles and many things going on at once. Also, driving in an RV takes longer. Sometimes -- especially when there are many steep grades on mountain roads -- it takes twice as long. Accept it. Try to relax and enjoy the views.
''Watch this!'' 10-year-old Ethan Weil said to his new friend Taylor Bell, 8, just before jumping from a water-soaked log to a boulder and back again, his bare feet curling around the dusty red rock.
A massive Hogwarts castle will loom over The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, slated to open in the spring at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando.
With so much to do in Innsbruck and beyond, the children won't have a chance to get bored.
When Disney Cruise Lines ventures out of its Florida comfort zone next year for its new European cruises, it will make a splash with a Prince and Princess Ball at the extravagant Catherine's Palace in Russia, a Tunisian treasure hunt and a fresco-painting lesson in Tuscany.
If the economic meltdown has a silver lining, it's evident in the deals to be found in resort areas like Orlando.
Tourism numbers are way down throughout the Caribbean, so resort operators are bringing out the bargains.
With nine children, my parents didn't have many options when it came to family vacations. They figured take us camping or stay home and watch us tear down the house.
Some of the top names in skateboarding are teaching the youngsters at Grand Cayman's Black Pearl.
Families with children see double when it comes to lodging: two rooms, two baths, two desks, two closets. And when they get hit with the bill, they may see red.
With nine children, my parents didn't have many options when it came to family vacations. They figured take us camping or stay home and watch us tear down the house.
Even during the heat of summer, Florida's got plenty of cool attractions.
A little rain -- or even a lot -- can't douse a family's enthusiasm for camping.
The curveball thrown by my 9-year-old nephew Julian came barely an hour after we'd landed in London. Between the flight, Heathrow airport's endless corridors and the Underground train ride into the city, it had been a long trip. By the time my bedraggled nephew stepped off the Piccadilly Line, he had sore feet, he was fatigued and maybe a tad woozy.
The only thing the children won't get at our top 10 family-friendly resorts is bored.
Todd Hawkins never figured himself for a cruising kind of guy. He grew up camping and still loves long road trips. But he got married to someone whose family vacation style couldn't have been more different.
In Florida's Theme Park Central, everything's looking up this summer. Literally. At Universal Studios, SeaWorld and Disney, park visitors swoop, fly and float in new attractions.
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