Palm Springs is the perfect long weekend getaway for the winter weary. Steeped in old Hollywood charm, (think Frank Sinatra), this desert oasis located 111 miles east of Los Angeles promises vistas of majestic mountains and miles of incredible bright blue sky year round. Palm Springs also offers families lots of hip house rentals and activities to get outdoors during the winter and soak up the sun.

My kids love to travel. As a result, we’ve been able to take some amazing family trips. China was the biggest challenge so far. Taking the family to Europe is one thing, but taking the leap to China … it’s just different.

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing opened up the idea of travel to China for many Americans. And families are no exception. Traveling through China with my kids was an amazing experience. But I recommend …

Every now and then when you’re on a trip you learn something you really feel like you should have known. Something so obvious, it’s embarrassing you didn’t see it sooner.

Mine goes something like this … traveling children, plus animals of any kind, equals happy children. We were in Nerja, Spain last summer when it finally clicked. There are cats everywhere in this fabulous beach-front city.

I can’t tell you how many times people have told me they can’t wait to take their kids to Europe. “A few more years, and she’ll be able to appreciate Paris,” is how the conversation usually goes. “It would just be a waste to go now.” How Paris could ever be a waste is beyond me. When we travel, we learn, we grow. It doesn’t matter whether we’re 8 or 80.

Traveling with a child is a different, not impossible. Check out my recent post on getting creative when sightseeing with kids.

We have quite a few extraordinary hotels featured on Ciao Bambino and I’ve been lucky enough to stay at a large number of them. We checked into The Breakers last night and I have to say, I’m thoroughly wowed by this historic hotel in Palm Beach, Florida.

I’ll write a full report later. In the meantime, I have a few fun Photo Friday moments to share.

Costa Rica has a lot going for it as a family vacation destination. This tiny Central American country between Nicaragua and Panama is different enough to feel exotic, but safe enough that you won’t worry about bringing your kids there. Since it’s due south of Florida, you won’t have to worry too much about jetlag either.

My husband and I took our kids to Costa Rica for a whirlwind week last March. It was a great trip, but we didn’t relax much.

I was just reading about The Q Family Adventures Legoland experience and it reminded me of our trip to check out the best kid-friendly San Diego hotels last August. For us, the stand out feature at Legoland vs. other amusement parks is that there are so many age-appropriate activities for toddlers and young children.

Although I wasn’t wowed by many of the lego sculptures (I thought this would be the highlight), the lego cities were amazingly intricate replicas of my USA favorites—New York and San Francisco.

A visit to Tuscany is an excellent addition to any Italy travel itinerary with kids. Despite the touristy element, vacations in this region are easy to manage and there are loads of things to see and do for all ages. Family-friendly accommodations are plentiful, and little tummies appreciate all the pasta and gelato.

Although there are endless wonderful cultural and historic attractions, you can’t see everything in the usual week-long trip. Five of my favorite sights …

Last weekend we took a post-Halloween excursion to Mount Diablo State Park in San Francisco’s East Bay. At 3,864 feet (1,178 m), this mountain is one of the area’s main geographic landmarks and can be seen from around the bay.

If you are visiting the Bay Area during the fall or spring months, experiencing the views from the summit is a worthwhile activity. You can see for miles in every direction and get a unique panoramic view of this part of Northern California.

We learned an important lesson this year: a pumpkin patch is not just a pumpkin patch. Choose wisely!

These photos are from last year when we visited the pumpkin patch with train rides, pony rides, face painting, and the corn kernal sandbox. Bay Area families, bookmark G&M Farms in Livermore. It’s a haul, but worth it.