Traveling kids week continues. Yesterday was baby travel tips and today is about toddlers travel, perhaps the most challenging stage of all!

Amy Whitley of Pit Stops for Kids

When it comes to this age category, less is never more. In other words, the more distractions you have at your fingertips, the better your trip will be. We always pack a large canvas bag full of cheap thrills: dollar store stickers and toys, coloring books, Wikki Stix, plastic animals and bugs, and snacks. If these inexpensive toys drop under the seat or get left behind at a restaurant, no worries (you have another stash for the return trip!). And don’t forget to make frequent pit stops to keep your little one from getting too squirmy!

Jody of Family Rambling

Always bring along an extra outfit or two.  Kids clothes don’t take up much room and you’ll be glad you did!  Also, if our trip involves an overnight stay in a hotel I pack a “hotel suitcase” that contains what we need for that night so I don’t have to unpack all our trip clothes and repack the next morning.

Jen of The Vacation Gals

- The Vacation Gals recommend that families who travel by air buy or rent a CARES airplane child harness for their toddlers. Significantly less bulky than a car seat, the CARES (it stands for Child Aviation Restraint System) child harness is easy to pack and unpack from carry on luggage. It weighs less than a pound and is really easy to use.

It’s also a safe alternative to the potential dangers of turbulence for a lap child. For families that need to bring a car seat for their trip, consider checking it at the airport (to save the annoyance of lugging it from check in counter to gate) or renting one at the vacation destination. No one likes to ruminate on the things that can go wrong in-flight during a vacation. Investing in a airplane child harness like CARES assures one less thing to worry about.

Garima of Mommy in Making

- Eat smaller meals, snacks, are okay. They will not be on a schedule on vacation so just ensure to keep them well fed! Try flights and drives around nap times – this will result in less cranky time.

Tésa of 2 Wired 2 Tired

- We always bring our Leapfrog Tag pens for our road trips. My two preschoolers love listening to the stories and playing games provided in the Leapfrog books and pens. Not only are they having fun, but it’s educational too!

- When traveling on the road with preschoolers I stop at the local library before we leave. I try to make this stop alone, so the books I pick out for the kids will be a surprise on the road and help them pass the time.

- When our road trip seems to be dragging and my two preschoolers are getting restless, I will swing into McDonald’s to pick up some Apple Dippers. The change of pace and scenery, as well as having something new to munch on always seems to help us get through the last leg of our trip.

Adriana, Mom of Dorian age 2

- My secret weapon is a portable DVD player with his favorite movie.Even if I forget his favorite toy, with the DVD player everything is right in the world.

Carin, Mom of Rex age 4

- Pack a back pack with activities and toys (dollar store) and snacks.  Wrap things individually so they spend time opening too.  Do not open until you are on the plane.

Eunice of Random Walk Down Mommy Street

- Pack a new book or activity book that they can get into on the plane.

– Consider traveling in pajamas for long plane rides for their comfort.

-DVD player/laptop/ipod with their favorite shows or maybe even a new DVD.

– For road trips-take a portable potty with you since you don’t know when they will have to go and the nearest exit might be 40 miles away.

Relevant Links:

Toddler road trip tips

Tips for finding toddler-friendly accommodations

Toddlers travel tips – plane activity suggestions and ideas

Traveling with kids week: baby travel tips

Tips for flying overseas with babies

Tips for traveling to Europe with babies and toddlers

Ciao Bambino family travel destinations

Things to know about the best hotel and resort kids’ clubs

Swimming safety at hotel and resort kids’ clubs

We’ve run a few week-long blog series this year including Washington DC with kids, New York City with Kids, Hawaii with kids, and most recently, Rome with kids.  I thought it would be fun to change things up and cover Traveling with Kids Tips with individual days dedicated to different age groups.

We’ll start with babies, toddlers, and then cover school age kids, tweens, and teens. Here’s the fun part—for babies and toddlers we’ve polled family travel website writers for their favorite tips.  For school age kids and up—we’ve asked parents to ask kids to write their favorite tips. Stay tuned, the answers are entertaining!

Have a great tip you don’t see on this list?  Add it to the comments and we’ll make it part of the permanent post.

Kara of The Vacation Gals

- Buy an airplane seat for baby. It’s true that children younger than 2 can be “lap babies” on airplanes for free, but it’s much safer to have your child strapped into his or her car seat during take-off, landing and turbulence than in your arms. (I’ve heard many horror stories from my partner at TheVacationGals.com, a former flight attendant.) Plus, spreading out makes mom happier—hands are fully free to read a book!

Eileen of Taking the Kids

- You will be a lot happier if you plan a trip where you have more space (apartment or villa, for example) and stay rooted in one place rather than moving every night.

Corinne of Have Baby Will Travel

- Get baby used to room temperature food and bottles. Saves hassle of heating while en route.

- Don’t begrudge naps. A rest is good for all of you – plan around them.

- Room upgrades are worth the splurge – more space for baby gear and nice view for naps & early bedtimes.

- Separate all of baby’s things throughout your luggage. If a bag gets lost, it’s not THAT one.

- By sticking to public transportation, you’re free from car seat dilemma and good to the environment!

- Short trip but still a time change? Consider staying on home time instead of switching to local.

Cindy of Traveling Mom

- Ziploc bags are your friend. Pack several large ones (gallon size or so) with a diaper and a few wipes inside. Use another Ziploc for the reusable items—changing pad, creams, powder. That way you won’t have to schlep the huge diaper bag each time your baby needs a change.

- Use the Ziploc that held the diaper to lock in the odors from the diaper you just changed—this is especially important if you’re changing the baby in the seats and don’t want to incur the wrath of your neighbors. Be sure to bring mores diapers than you think you’ll need.

Eunice of Random Walk Down Mommy Street

- Wear disposable clothing (clothes you wouldn’t mind throwing away) and have extra on hand should they throw up on the plane.

- If you’re (miraculously) traveling without any checked luggage, take their car seats to the gate. Then you can gate check them and you don’t have to wait for luggage on the way out. The car seats will also be placed in a better location in the cargo hold so they don’t get damaged.

Relevant Links:

Tips for flying overseas with babies

Tips for traveling to Europe with babies and toddlers

Traveling with kids week: toddler travel tips

Traveling with kids week: school age travel tips

Traveling with kids week: tweens travel tips

Traveling with kids week: teen travel tips

Toddler road trip tips

Tips for finding toddler friendly hotels

Toddlers travel tips – plane activity suggestions and ideas

Ciao Bambino family travel destinations

Things to know about the best hotel and resort kids’ clubs

Swimming safety at hotel and resort kids’ clubs

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Renting a car is Italy can be seamless and pleasant.  Moreover, if you plan on seeing the countryside, i.e. Tuscany and Umbria to name a few, it’s necessary to have your own car.

I can’t tell you how many people email us saying that they never rent cars in other parts of Europe and don’t think they need one when visiting the Tuscan countryside. Trust me, you do! The trains do not cover the small towns you want to see in order to fully experience the best of this region.

Why is renting a car in Florence and/or Rome even a family travel tip?  It’s simple, driving in either place can be divorce-producing as they are confusing and stressful when you don’t know where you are going.  Add the distraction of kids to the equation and forget it, misery is assured.

Rome Car Rental Tips

Many family tours of Italy start in Rome due to the number of flights in an out of Rome’s Fuimicino Airport.  Wait until your day of departure to pick up your rental car.

As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to find a rental car agency that is relatively close to your hotel to avoid a high taxi fare for the transfer, although, the other thing to consider is how easy it is to get from the rental car agency to the highway.

Regardless, one way to take the stress of the city driving experience all together is to ask your hotel to explain to your cab driver that you want him/her to wait for you while you pick up your car and then “lead” you to the highway. Not all cab drivers are willing to do this so it may take a few calls and/or some negotiating.  Let’s say you pay an extra 20-30€ for the taxi to wait and then drive the extra miles … you heard it here first, it’s worth it!

Florence Car Rental Tips

Many of the rental car agencies are located in the center of Florence where there is a large number of one-way streets and places where all but taxis are not allowed to drive.  Figuring out how to maneuver around all of this is not fun.

I recommend avoiding the experience by dropping your rental car off at the Florence Airport (just a 20-minute drive from the center of Florence, although, you might pay a surcharge for that) or better yet, at a car rental agency that is one the way into town. I’ve always had good luck with the Europcar location on Via Gelsomino. It’s on the road into the city and easy to find.  During the return process, have the car rental agent call a taxi for you to bring you to your hotel. Again, I get that you are paying “extra” fees here but there are some travel expenses that are worth their weight in gold.

One general car rental tip for Italy is to double check the hours of the car rental agency for pick up and drop offs. Some offices may close for a few hours in the afternoon or may not be open on Sundays.

When we planned trips for families at Ciao Bambino we always used Auto Europe for our Italy rentals.  They are a broker with relationships with Europcar, Avis, and Hertz.  They can compare pricing for you and most importantly, they have great service and agents in the US that can help you should something come up with a rental.  When things have gone awry for us in the past, they’ve fixed it—this is a much easier route than trying to address issues directly with any of the big car rental agencies.

Relevant Links:

This is a guest post from Anna Tobin, who lives on the outskirts of London with her husband and two daughters Ella, 5 and Lily, 2. She decided as soon as she became a mother that traveling with children could be just as enjoyable as traveling without—apart from a few nightmare flights, she hasn’t been proven wrong. She has been all around Europe, parts of Asia and the US with her young family, although Australia remains on the to do list.  Anna writes for dozens of UK travel and lifestyle glossies, as well as British newspapers The Times and The Guardian.

Eilean Donan Castle

You don’t need to be a princess to stay in a castle. Gather up your favourite folk and head for the rugged glens of the Scottish Highlands, where fairytale fortresses steeped in history are just waiting to make you feel at home and legends, such as the one surrounding the Loch Ness Monster will have everyone enthralled.

Where are the Scottish Highlands?

Although you might feel cut off from the rest of the world when you look out onto the purple/green palette of the rolling countryside of the Glens, the Highlands are really not as remote as you might think. The area’s so-called gateway airport, Inverness, is just a 90-minute flight from London. Depending on which part of the Highlands you want to concentrate on, Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and even Edinburgh airports (see Edinburgh with kids) can also be good starting points.

Few British families are comfortable with long-road trips, your looking at about an 11-hour drive to do the 570-odd miles by car, but if you take the scenic route and travel up over a few days it’s a lovely way of really getting to know and enjoying the British Isles.

Providing there hasn’t been a heavy snowfall, once you’re in the Highlands, it’s easy to get around with the regular bus and train services linking towns and villages. We didn’t give into Ella, my five-year-old’s desire, however, to hitch a ride on the Mail bus, which will take passenger to those places not serviced by public transport, we picked up a hire car at the airport and spent most of our journeys playing spot another car on the road and slowing down to let sheep cross in front of us.

With kids-in-tow and just a couple of days to explore, I would stick to the southern Highlands and wouldn’t venture too far north of the City of Inverness. If you think of the UK as taking the shape of a horse rearing up on its hind legs, Inverness is just about at the horse’s neck. And the Highlands reach right across the whole head and down to its shoulders.

Scottish Highlands Attractions

Glenshee

Although its traditionally seen as a winter vacation spot with Brits, with Glenshee, about hundred miles south east of Inverness, being home to the UK’s largest skiing and snow-boarding resort, each season in the Highlands throws up its own source of entertainment. From December to April, depending on snowfall, the whole family can learn to ski at the Glenshee Ski Centre.

Loch Ness

Meanwhile, if you’ve made the effort to venture further into Scotland than the country’s most popular tourist cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, you can’t really go home without taking the kids up to Loch Ness, a few miles outside of Inverness to see if they can spot the Loch Ness Monster, which is up there in the legend stakes with the Yeti and crop circles.

Scotland is dotted with Lochs or lakes and Loch Ness is famous for being home to an amphibious dinosaur-like creature. However grounded you think you are, standing on the banks of Loch Ness, behind your kids, humouring them to look out for Nessie, you will also find yourself scanning those eerily calm waters for a glimpse of the mythical creature.

Highland Games

When the weather warms up, you’re never far from an opportunity to wander, cycle or pony trek through picture postcard scenery of forest and wetland, high and lowland and we were lucky enough to coincide our visit with the Highland Games, we got to watch a hilarious tug o’ war tournament. The Games run from May to September. With their origins in the clan system, welly-boot throwing, shot put and tossing the caber are just some of the competitions you can watch and sometimes participate in.

To follow in the footsteps of Royalty make for the games at The Braemar Gathering, about 17 miles from Glenshee, which is traditionally attended by the Royal Family, whose Scottish residence Balmoral Castle, is just down the road.

Balmoral Castle

Talking of which, a trip to Balmoral Castle, is a summer must-do. Open from April through July, you can visit the grounds and gardens and even accompany a ranger on a Land Rover safari to get a possible sighting of birds of prey, red squirrels and red deer.

JM Barrie’s Birthplace

JM Barrie’s birthplace, the home of the creator of Peter Pan, is also worth a visit during Spring and Summer. It’s found in Kirriemuir, about twenty miles from the ski resort of Glenshee. Owned by the National Trust for Scotland, it has a children’s play area, regular family events and boasts a new Peter Pan experience, where children can dress up as the characters in the story and even fly like Peter.

But with its natural unspoilt beauty, if your kids are anything like mine, they won’t need anything hi tech to stimulate their imagination. They will be climbing trees in search of the nearest castle, tumbling across heather hewn hills after unicorns or conjuring up plans to catch Nessie.

We don’t have any hotels in Scotland on Ciao Bambino yet.  Until we do, Anna’s suggestions include Forter Castle, Dalmunzie Castle Hotel, Gleneagles, and the Hilton Dunkheld.

Relevant Links:

Visiting Dover Castle with kids

London sightseeing with kids

Guide to London with kids on Peter Greenberg

Great family friendly guides and walking tours in Europe

Ciao Bambino recommended England family hotels

Costa Brava villa rental

Villa, home, cabin, apartment and/or condo—where you go may change what it’s called and what it looks like—however, the process to find and rent independent accommodations for family vacations is the same.

There are two main sources on the Web for rental inventory: 1) direct-from-owner-sites like VRBO/HomeAway/Airbnb.com (the list of options is exploding) and 2) rental agencies who facilitate rentals and services on behalf of the owner.

I’ve personally used both channels over the past few years to rent homes in Europe, the United States, and Mexico. I’ve had good luck with direct-from-owner rentals (see my review of our VRBO rental), however, all things being equal, finding a rental through a trusted and reliable rental agency is the safer choice.

You simply don’t know what you are getting with owner-authored listings and for every happy ending, there seems to be a negative tale. After scouring the Web for rental options in preparation for her trip to London with kids last summer, Nancy ended up in something that was inconvenient and … dirty (never pleasant).

Good rental agencies—note, there are plenty of lousy rental agencies too, I’d rather rent through a solid owner on VRBO than a shoddy rental agency any day—thoroughly vet every single property they feature so you know that any rental through them will meet a minimum quality standard.

In addition, many rental agencies offer concierge-like services before and during travel. They can do everything from buy groceries to organize babysitting to hiring private cooks to setting up family activities. The bottom line is that using a qualified rental agency may be the difference between a vacation (Mom and Dad have downtime) and the dreaded re-location (more work in a new place).

It’s true, these additional services are not free. Rental agencies typically mark up their listings to cover their expenses for offering these perks. Depending on the experience you want to have and the value of the services offered, paying a premium may be worthwhile.

The other benefit is that rental agencies have fixed processes in place to handle issues that come up during your stay. Say, for example, the Internet is not working in a VRBO rental and the owner is your only contact and he or she is unavailable—you are out of luck versus good rental agencies has an office staffed for coverage. (Clearly, there’s a long list of worse issues that can happen, but the Internet situation has occurred frequently in our rentals. If you need to be connected and have nobody to call, there are few things that are less frustrating.)

We list a handful of independent rentals on Ciao Bambino (some will connect you to an agency we like and trust and those that don’t have been vetted). We also started a family-friendly villa rentals list with a growing list of agencies offering family-focused services. Suzanne B Cohen was a fun find—she covers Italy and England. We don’t have much coverage in the English countryside on Ciao Bambino and I’m happy to refer readers to a great resource for wonderful rentals too.

I’m also thrilled about the addition of Views of Venice covering apartment rentals in the center of the city. Hotels in Venice are a fortune and it’s nice to have an option for families to find value and space. Meanwhile, Windows on Italy has a phenomenal list of apartments in Florence owned and decorated by the Ferragamo family. Stay tuned as we add more great options to the directory.

If you do opt for a direct-from-owner option, be sure and check references! This is the single most important thing you can do to ensure you end up in a quality rental that meets your needs. See my vacation rental by owner tips and advice article for a list of suggested questions.

Relevant Links:

Ciao Bambino’s family-friendly villa agency list

VRBO Rentals - experience notes

SlowEurope.com guide to vacation rentals in Europe

Top family-friendly hotel chains (US edition)

Value remains king in 2010

Tips for finding toddler-friendly accommodations

Finding family-friendly boutique hotels

Finding the best kids clubs

Finding the best Europe family hotels

Finding family-friendly ski resorts

How to choose the right ranch vacation

Things to consider before booking mega-resorts

Evaluating all-inclusive beach resorts

If you are an outdoors lover, a summertime visit to Idaho at some point is a must.  The open space is vast and gorgeous, plus the number of visitors is small compared to National Parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite.

Redfish Lake (the photo at the top of the post) is at the base of the Sawtooth Mountain Range.  The scenery in this part of Idaho is wonderfully rugged.

Hiking, boating, fishing, biking—it’s all accessible and amazing here.

Even short hikes take you somewhere that feels like a land far, far away from urban living.

We stayed at the Red Fish Lake Lodge (not on Ciao Bambino but needs to be).  Families can choose from cabins, motel rooms, and camping. There’s a sandy beach and shallow water—perfect for kids of all ages.

For something more upscale, the Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch is a treat.  Cozy cabins, delicious meals, and an evening kids’ program my son still talks about make this property an O’Shaughnessy favorite.

I’m still dreaming about the scenery from their deck. It’s a place where you can happily sit for hours and never tire of the view.

If you want more of a dude ranch experience, the Red Horse Mountain Ranch is in our portfolio and has a phenomenal review. Questions about this accommodation category? Read about how to choose the right family ranch vacation.

You can combine a visit to the wilderness with a few nights in Sun Valley for great restaurants and an endless list of outstanding summer events—check out the Visit Sun Valley website for details. The Sun Valley Lodge is part of our portfolio and a longtime family favorite.

For more Photo Friday posts, visit Delicious Baby.

Relevant Links:

Camping with kids tips

Things to do in Idaho on Uptake.com

This is a guest post from Dr. Jessie Voigts, the publisher of Wandering Educators, a travel resource for global educators. Her daughter Lillie (7) loves to travel and write about her experiences. When traveling together, they’ve found ways to contribute meaningfully to the communities they visit.  Jessie provides some great tips and ideas for ways to use travel as an opportunity to teach kids to be global citizens.

Picking up trash on the beach

There are a myriad of ways to explore the world with your kids. You can share travel, friends, music, culture, food, photos, books, videos, games, and more in order to teach about the world. But when you think of raising a global citizen, there are also other factors to consider. One of the most important facets of being a global citizen is CARING about others. On Good Global Citizen, you can learn many different people’s ideas about being a good global citizen. From famous stars and athletes to kids, there are a million definitions. Mine? “Learning about others, practicing intercultural sensitivity, and trying to make the world a better place.”

One of the ways that kids can be a good global citizen is to interact with local communities in a meaningful way. In trying to make the world a better place, you can start at home. It will become second nature to you, and you will automatically want to help others, wherever you go. You can become inspired by others’ journeys and how helping others have changed their lives or read up on volunteering as a way of life.  We live on a lake and kayak almost every day. When we kayak, we always clean up any trash we see. Another way we love to interact in our community is to be good neighbors.

When we travel, we also try to carry the spirit of interacting with locals with us. We do our research beforehand, and follow our interests. Because we are so involved with reading and education, we try to bring books to donate to local libraries. Lillie brings a few copies of her favorite books, especially ones about Michigan, where we are from. Ed is a published author – he brings copies of his books. We often talk to the local librarian and see if they’d like guest speakers from another country for a short program. We are also committed to the environment – so finding out local cleanups, or plantings, can also be a great way to both help the community and make new friends.

We love arts and theater – and try to catch as many performances as possible while we’re in a new place. Visiting the theater beforehand – and seeing if there are ways we can help, such as passing out programs at a free concert – can help involve your family in a new milieu. Meeting the performers or artists can help your children learn about different cultural traditions in a new way. We’ve helped at street fairs, and made tons of new friends while interacting with locals.

Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Listening to music and watching videos from a new place can serve to reduce the newness of a place. If you’re familiar with the books, history, and culture of a place, it seems like you’re just exploring a place you know but haven’t been before. Our daughter prefers to know as much as possible about a place before we go – so we research the music, artists, history, books, what kids do, geography, and activities that we can explore. If Lillie has a hand in planning what we’ll do, she’s much more open to learning about a place and meeting new friends. She’s made friends at an outdoor sculpture garden in Minneapolis, read books together in the Seattle Public Library, and is currently lining up activities and friends in Ireland and Scotland, as we’re heading there in September.

Finding pen pals before you travel is a great way to get involved with communities while you travel. Especially if you are staying in one place for more than a few days, making friends beforehand, or at local markets, restaurants, libraries, or parks can open a new world to your family. Be friendly, outgoing, and ready to get involved. You never know – there might be a community project that weekend that wasn’t publicized, that would be a perfect fit for your family. Interacting with locals is more than just saying thank you at the grocery store. It is all about learning of a place and the people who live there.

Listening, learning, and helping others can exponentially expand your child’s world. It is important to explore the world and understand people and cultures. Whether at home or when you’re traveling, interacting with local communities in meaningful ways is an excellent way to be a good global citizen.

Relevant Links:

International travel with children, more tips for raising global citizens

Family travel USA

Family travel Europe

Family travel Canada

Family travel Mexico

Family travel Belize

Family travel Costa Rica

All Ciao Bambino family travel destinations

So many places, so little time. Choosing where to go on vacation with your family is never an easy choice. The competition is fierce. France has Paris. Switzerland has the Matterhorn. Italy has the Coliseum. London has Big Ben … and the list goes on and on.

What comes to mind when you think of Spain? Still thinking? It may take awhile. Spain is not a country loaded with town after town of must see tourist attractions. Don’t get me wrong, Spain has some incredible sights, but while most people can recognize the Eiffel Tower by sight, few know much about the Alhambra.

Our two-week plus adventure through Spain was probably our best trip yet. See our recent articles on Madrid, Sevilla, Barcelona and Nerjas with kids for inspiration. Along with the Alhambra, there were the windmills of La Mancha, the beaches of Costa del Sol and a fabulous Flamenco show. But when I look back, it wasn’t just the planned activities that made Spain such a great trip. It was the little unexpected surprises that sold us. The spirit of Spain and its people can’t be beat.

Why we love Spain with children:

Evening Paseo

We’re a traveling family, with a lot of frequent fliers miles under our collective belts, but we’ve never been anywhere where we’ve seen so many local families out and about, enjoying where they live. From the beach front towns to bustling cities, families come out in masse for their evening paseo or walk. They talk and laugh, enjoying each other’s company.

Dinner at Midnight

A great dinner is a great way for a family to catch up – it doesn’t matter whether you’re at home or on vacation. Americans who’ve traveled know Europeans dine much later than we’re accustomed to. Not really a big deal, until you factor in a couple kids. Dinner at 9pm just isn’t usually an option. I can’t really explain it, but the late dinners weren’t such a big deal. Granted my girls are getting older, but I really think it had more to do with the fact they weren’t alone. In the U.S. late night dinners are a grown-up activity. In Spain, it’s a family affair.

We had pizza at midnight in Nerja, located at the eastern tip of Costa del Sol. You would have thought the restaurant was the only place open in town. Wall to wall food, families, music and conversation. It was a party and all families were invited.

Tight Squeeze

Spain is full of tiny little towns, built long before the advent of cars, which can make for some tight turns every now and then. We were climbing the whitewashed hills in our Volkswagen Jetta rental. We’d hit the point where the cars mirrors were now turned in. It was tight, and I was glad my husband was the one driving, but took relief in the fact there was a large van in front of us. That is until the van got stuck at a turn. There was a brief moment of panic, but it quickly disappeared when out of the corner bar came a good half-dozen guys. Little by little they lifted the back end of the van, making the turn for it. It didn’t take long. 5, 10 minutes tops. (Now that I think about it, I don’t think the designated leader of the group ever put his beer down.) We got the impression it just might be a frequent occurrence.

Trip Art

My family loves finding, watching and supporting local artists when we travel. We have a wall in our house that is dedicated to art we collect on our trips. Thank goodness my husband has restraint, we could have covered the whole house. There was the young man who paints tiles in Madrid using his fingertips. The painter who takes his dog everywhere in Sevilla, and then there was Galeria de Arte in Arcos. From paintings, to pottery, to hand woven animals the size of my daughter—the store, and its owner were a delight.

Though she spoke little English, and my family speaks little Spanish, she filled us in on the various pieces throughout the store. (I bought one of the owner’s painting of Arcos, along with a fair amount of pottery!) Her tweenage daughter, joined in the conversation, explaining to my girls tomorrow was her first day of school after vacation, and that she wasn’t quite ready to go back. In dualing languages, they compared school “notes.” Priceless!!

Nun Cookies

What kid doesn’t like cookies and cupcakes? In Spain, they aren’t just a treat, they are the livelihood of cloistered nuns. In Arcos, take your kids into the lobby of the last convent in the city. You can’t see them, but the nuns can see you from behind a one-way mirror. Push the door bell-like button (or just say hello like my girls did) and from behind a walled lazy-susan of sorts, treats spin your way. They were sold out of magdalenas (cupcakes), so we went with the pine-nut cookies and savored every bite. In Sevilla, you can visit El Torno Pasteleria de Conventos on Plaza Cabildo.

The small store is the size of a large closet. The store is filled with things made by various orders of cloistered nuns. There you’ll find a large assortment of sweets, in addition to things like hand sewn baby baptismal gowns.The store is staffed, (not by one of the nuns obviously) so it doesn’t have the mystique of the convent in Arcos, but it’s still worth a peek … or should I say bite.

Relevant Links:

Barcelona with kids

Sevilla with kids

Madrid with kids

Family travel Spain – Nerjas, more paella por favor

Ciao Bambino recommended Spain family hotels

This is a guest post from Paul Eisenberg, the family vacation blogger at ShermansTravel.com a guide to the best travel deals and destinations.

In Nancy’s Cape Cod family vacation overview, she made the point that when it comes to water, you have choices: relatively warm bays as well as friskier beaches. My family has enjoyed both, sometimes during a single morning. The bays, as Nancy suggests, won’t freeze your toes off. And once everyone gets time in the water you can head to a beach and seashell hunt without feeling like you’re depriving anyone if the ocean’s too chilly for a swim.

But here’s the thing: All bodies of water make me restless, and I’m guilty of trying to yank my kids off many a beach while they’re still having fun. Fortunately, I don’t ever have to sell Cape Cod’s non-water-related activities too hard.

Here are five of our favorite things to do on Cape Cod

Plimoth Plantation

Don’t spend too much time trying to explain to your brood that you’re heading back to the year 1627, in part because it’s fun to watch the Pilgrims at outdoor museum Plimoth Plantation mess with their heads. The actors never break character and will patiently field your kids’ questions about what life “is” like in the 17th century. As you kick up dust and move through the cramped dwellings you may even forget you’re strolling through a re-enactment – until you come upon real descendants of the Wampanoag Indians who will speak from a present-day perspective about how the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims got along way back when.

The plantation overall provides many pleasant assaults on your senses – from different accents to unusual cooking smells – that your kids probably won’t realize they’re learning something unless you bring it up. Budget at least a couple hours for this one.

Heritage Museums & Gardens

How could you not love a town called Sandwich, especially when it’s got a museum as versatile as the Heritage Museums & Gardens? Even if gardens don’t pack appeal for your kids, budget about two hours for what else is here, including a working carousel and a history exhibit with antique toys. Our favorite spot here is the reproduction Shaker barn housing antique cars, some of which your kids will be allowed to touch and, in the case of a 1913 Ford Model T, sit in for an inevitable photo op.

Green Briar Nature Center & Jam Kitchen

East of Sandwich in the not-so-curiously-named town of East Sandwich is the Green Briar Nature Center & Jam Kitchen. We seldom spend more than an hour here but during your first time you might want to linger on the nature trails and check out the actual briar patch that inspired Thornton Burgess to write about Peter Cottontail and his other characters.

If you’re on the lookout for authentic Cape souvenirs, people really do make jam here. And if you time it right you could even take a family jam workshop. Gooseberry and cranberry-peach are two quintessential Cape flavors worth taking home.

National Marine Fisheries Service Aquarium

The National Marine Fisheries Service Aquarium in Woods Hole is another activity that probably won’t take more than an hour, but it’s very long on memorable finds, including a blue lobster, very rare in the world of crustaceans. There are several touch tanks where your kids can gently feel how the texture of a horseshoe crab’s shell differs from that of a spider or hermit crab. If you don’t catch them on the way in, you’ll want to say hi to the seals that live out by the museum’s entrance.

Art’s Dune Tours

You could do a lot worse than limit your non-water related activities to those four things, especially since you won’t have to drive any farther than the upper part of the Cape to do them all. However, my favorite family-friendly activity is not only situated way over on the outer reaches of the Cape, but it’s near water: Art’s Dune Tours in Provincetown.

As you might expect, the one-hour tour is sometimes bumpy, but you’ll be in a relatively comfy Suburban as you motor through dunes and along the shore. Among other fascinating tidbits, you’ll hear the story of the dune shacks, where greats like Eugene O’Neill found their muses. My family took this tour on a gorgeous but windy day, and at one point we were permitted to stand atop one of the sandy dunes. The site of my family huddled together in their tightly-tied hooded sweatshirts against the surreal backdrop of the dunes was a priceless moment, part of an experience we’re not likely to forget.

For more trip-planning information, check out the Cape Cod Travel Guide at ShermansTravel.com.

Relevant Links:

Ciao Bambino recommended Cape Cod family resorts

Ciao Bambino recommended Boston family hotels

Cape Cod family vacation overview

Cape Cod photos

Boston with kids – Spring activities

Boston with kids – Summer activities

Boston with kids – top attractions

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Sunset at Terranea

I never stop appreciating the rugged beauty of the California Coast. We’ve had a few excursions over the past few months that were pure magic.  Spring is a wonderful time of year for a California beach vacation—days can be warm with crisp with bright blue skies versus the summer months when fog may be an issue.

We spent spring break at Montage Laguna Beach and Terranea Resort in Southern California. Both properties are oceanfront with mesmerizing views. Favorite moments from the trip include the photo above of sunset at Terranea.  Their super-casual Nelson’s Restaurant has a perfect sunset view with outdoor tables and firepits to keep everyone toasty.

The bluffs and beach in front of Montage are more developed and manicured than around Terranea, but equally as beautiful.

The flowers in and around the bluffs are incredible.

This past weekend we had an overnight in Carmel-by-the-Sea. WOW.  I’m still shaking my head in wonder as I think back to how turquoise and clear the water was at the beach … I grew up going to Carmel and I guess I’ve never been there when the weather and water were so bright. I thought I was in the Caribbean minus palm trees and rum drinks.

Another shot of the beach in Carmel.  If you are thinking about things to do in Carmel with kids, be sure and check out Dana’s post highlighting the fun. It’s a special place—perhaps more dog-centric than kid-centric, but it is a great family weekend getaway (plus, Monterey and the Monterey Bay Aquarium are an easy drive).

Finally, for a bit of Ireland-meets-California, a visit to the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay is in order. There is is a wide array of things to do in this area—check out Experience Half Moon Bay for details.

Walking South on the Coastside Trail.

A glorious view captivates all ages.

For more Photo Friday posts, visit Delicious Baby.

Relevant Links:

United States family travel guide

San Diego family vacations

Favorite San Francisco attractions with kids

San Francisco with kids, carousels and kids’ museums

Visiting Carmel with kids

Monterey with kids

Sleep over at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Santa Barbara with kids

Kid-friendly things to do in Los Angeles

Orange County with kids