Can you imagine a world without books or libraries? Books stir up our imagination and open our eyes to the bigger world around us — much like travel does. That’s why we love this year’s Passports with Purpose fundraiser.

For the fourth year in a row, travel bloggers around the world will unite to raise funds for a charity. After last year’s success, $64,000 raised to help build housing in India, Passports with Purpose is aiming to raise $80,000 to build two libraries in Zambia.

When we travel to destinations in remote regions where day-to-day life for local people is a struggle, we try and select accommodations that support the communities around them.

Fortunately for all, Sustainable Tourism is fast-growing around the world. If your kids are old enough to process the shift in how people live versus what they are used to seeing at home, staying in accommodations that are deeply integrated …

Carmel is one of my favorite family getaways. If I didn’t call Northern California Wine Country home, I could easily see myself having a Carmel area code. Locals are lucky. They have mountains and the sea and everything in between. So do visitors who hang their hat at Carmel Valley Ranch.

Readers have been gushing about Carmel Valley Ranch since it got its $35 million makeover. When my family was offered the opportunity to explore the property, I jumped at the chance. Now I can’t wait to go back.

Jamaica and luxury are words that don’t always go together. Jamaica and massive all-inclusive hotel, yes. Jamaica and wild spring breaks, also yes.

When we were invited to review the luxury property Bluefields Bay Villas, we weren’t sure what to expect. They told us we would have “staff” and that “every need would be met”. This turned out to be an understatement.

Marrakech has experienced a huge tourist boom over the past several years and the hotel possibilities are endless, particularly for couples in search of a romantic retreat. For families, however, the list of optimal options is quite small.

Staying in a riad, a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior courtyard, seems appealing at first blush as many are in heart of the atmospheric old city (medina). The challenge of this accommodation category …

Fantastic winter vacation venues are in great supply and I always find it hard to choose between a week-long ski week where everyone has the opportunity improve their skills and an escape into sunshine. In addition, urban getaways in Europe can be a blast in winter when cities are filled with locals instead of tourists.

I combed through our portfolio for our 2012 Family Vacation Dream List. The best part is there’s something here for a variety of budgets and interests, so just maybe, that dream can become a reality.

Paradise Point is located on Mission Bay in San Diego, within walking distance to Sea World and close proximity to many of San Diego’s family-friendly attractions. After only a few minutes at the resort, we watched bicycle surreys carrying several generations of families cruise by us.

Paradise Point has two key factors that make it great for family reunions: a beach with calm waters and loads of activities for families.

Lomilomi means “to massage” in Hawaiian and I’ve most often seen it used with food – lomilimi salmon, lomilomi pork — but my lomilomi heaven has nothing to do with food. My nirvana came at the Laniwai Spa at Aulani, Disney’s new resort on Oahu.

When it comes to massages, I’m a meat and potatoes girl. I don’t like unusual treatments and hot stones are about as wild as I get. However, the traditional Hawaiian lomilomi massage description sounded interesting and I was on such a Hawaiian culture kick that it seemed like a perfect way to continue my “cultural education”.

Thank you to everyone who entered our Luxury Family Travel Giveaway sponsored by CiaoBambino, Poshbrood and LuxuryTravelMom. We had almost 3,000 entries and it’s easy to see from the comments we received that our readers love Four Seasons hotels and resorts as much as we do!

Malta is a shy little archipelago suspended in the middle of the Med. Its modesty is part of its charm, but boy does it have a lot it could brag about. One of its islands is home to what is thought to be the oldest free-standing building in the world. The Egyptian pyramids and Britain’s Stonehenge are youthful in comparison.

If America were lucky enough to find the Ġgantija temples on its soil, it would have turned them into a prehistoric theme park, transporting visitors back to its creation in around 3200 BC.