We’re in Costa Rica this week with the award-winning tour operator Kensington Tours. Extraordinary family travel moments are the norm here — I can’t wait to share all the details of our experience.

In the meantime, here’s a peek at a highlight from our family trip in Costa Rica. We saw not just one, but three different Quetzal birds in Monteverde.

I am a huge Disney fan. The Disney brand consistently delivers high quality entertainment whether it’s a Disneyland vacation with kids or a Disney Cruise with grandparents. I have yet to meet a Disney experience that I don’t like – except Space Mountain which I ride only to be brave in front of my kids.

I was speechless however when I was shown to my “room” at the Disneyland Hotel a few weeks ago. When the Disneyland Hotel …

After experiencing the tulip fest in Amsterdam at Keukenhof Gardens in the spring, the month of April will forever remind me of these sensational flowers.

Who knew one flower could come in so many colors?

One of the most challenging parts of international travel with kids is enabling them to really engage with a new culture. It’s the difference between being an observer versus a participant; the latter creates the biggest impact. Ways to accomplish this include kid-friendly walking tours or taking a class — anything that brings kids and locals together in an interactive way.

During our extraordinary family tour of Morocco, Kensington Tours organized a lunch in a home. This authentic glimpse of Moroccan life was a trip highlight for all of us.

We’ve enjoyed our share of spectacular mountain scenery in Switzerland during visits to Mürren and Zermatt. These are not-to-be-missed attractions during any Alps tour. That said, our journey to the top of the Aiguille du Midi via cable car at 3,842 meters (12,604 ft) on the Mont Blanc massif left us breathless.

This vantage point allows visitors to see across the Alps in all directions. The scenery in the immediate vicinity is wild. Note, the little ants you see at the bottom of this photo? Those are brave people crossing the snow for various crazy adventures.

We finally had the opportunity to get back to Barcelona last weekend after a 10 year hiatus. Our favorite attraction was and is Antoni Gaudi’s distinctive Basilica De La Sagrada Familia. His architecture and design is surreal and breathtaking – literally.

Amazingly, this cathedral is still under construction. It was started in 1882 and is still going today. In fact, we noticed distinct differences from our last visit 10 years ago.

I finally made it to Burano on our last family trip to Venice. This colorful fishing village is an island in the Venetian archipelago. There’s not much to do there other than stroll, shop, and eat a fresh seafood lunch, but it’s unique and fun to pair with a trip to a glassblowing factory in Murano. Burano also is famous for traditional lacemaking and there’s a lacemaking museum, Museo del Merletto, to visit as well. Although, that was a tough sell for my boys so we didn’t go.

When I say colorful village, I mean colorful …

We were lucky enough to escape to Bora Bora sans offspring a few years ago. Tahiti is a tropical fairytale with bright blue water, lush forests, fantastic flowers, and exotic local culture.

We stayed at the Bora Bora Nui Resort in an over-the-water bungalow. We enjoyed it, although, I can’t say the resort itself was as memorable as the overall scenery, i.e. you could stay just about anywhere here and be wowed.

When you ski in the Alps, you’re skiing mountains not runs. The sense of open space is incredible and one of the things that makes skiing in Switzerland so epic.

Here’s a shot of our 9-year-old Devon skiing in Grindelwald, Switzerland last weekend. Believe it or not, this was taken on a bluebird Saturday, i.e. where are the other people?

Ever since I watched (and re-watched) the movie English Patient, I’ve dreamed of seeing the Sahara Desert sand dunes in North Africa.

When I planned our family trip to Morocco in October, I was determined to include sand dunes in our itinerary. A task that proved challenging and ultimately, impacted every stop we made on our trip. I quickly realized that no matter how you organize sightseeing stops in Morocco, a trip to the dunes involves 10+ hours of driving through remote parts of the country.