An “I’m grateful for …” Photo Friday is in order on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

I’m grateful for those magic moments when we experience a wonderful destination as a family. Those times when we are all present and savoring a locale together will be much-loved memories forever.

When we were in Italy last month, we had one of those moments biking on top of the walls in Lucca. We did this on our last visit too—it’s an activity that does not get old.

The electric blanket came out of the closet the other day. I held off as long as I could. Putting the blanket on my bed is essentially admitting winter is coming, and when it comes to winter I’m a wimp. I live in Northern California: we occasionally get frost, but very rarely get snow, just inches and inches of cold rain.

When the first storm comes into town all I can think about is a warm beach, and I don’t think I’m alone.

‘They’re changing guards at Buckingham Palace, Christopher Robin went down with Alice …’ as AA Milne, Winnie the Pooh’s creator wrote.

With its enchanting parks, picturesque palaces and quirky pantomimes shows, London has and will always be a magical place for children to explore. If you only have a few days in the capital with toddlers in tow, here is my top five list of things to do with toddlers in London:

It’s time to start thinking about ski season and to get accommodations booked, particularly for longer stays and popular ski weekends. Lake Tahoe is 3-4 hour drive from the San Francisco Bay Area (provided you choose your departure times judiciously to avoid peak periods).

I have a soft spot for the North Lake Tahoe area as I grew up skiing here …

When visiting San Francisco the list of must-sees can be overwhelming. You can’t do it all. Make choices, and plan on coming back again. If you’re looking to go a little off the beaten path, check out some of my favorite things to do in Golden Gate Park. Amie also has a list of her favorite City by the Bay escapes.

But if you’re looking to visit some of the more touristy spots, a little advance planning can save you a lot of aggravation and precious travel time.

Many people are willing to drive great lengths to see leaves change in the fall. That’s me! Fall is my favorite time of year to travel.

This season, we’re participating in holiday travel blog caravan on Best Family Travel Advice. Our contributing experts as well as bloggers from around the world will share their best tips for traveling with kids by answering a weekly question. Given that fall has officially begun, we’re kicking things off with an important topic: What are some great locations to see fall foliage with kids?

It doesn’t matter how many times I visit Paris, each time I arrive in this glorious city I’m blown away by the sheer beauty and grandeur of everything around me.

Our last experience in Paris was last weekend and the weather was perfect. The best first stop on a gorgeous Sunday morning? The Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Garden). This meticulously manicured garden is always a top ‘things to do’ in Paris with kids.

It’s good to be a kid these days.

Not that being a kid was bad when I was growing up, but being a kid now has perks that didn’t exist when my age was still written in single digits. Playgrounds had slides and swings, not rock climbling walls and carousels. We rode bikes, not electric scooters, and we listened to cassettes, not iPods.

In the past ten years there’s been an explosion of things just for kids. Think about it. Hotel kids’ clubs, kids’ menus and move over Louvre, kids’ museums.

Seeing a destination from the water offers radically different perspective. Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) is one of the world’s most spectacular bodies of water. The color of the lake is ever-changing and there are moments when it’s ocean-like with surf and waves.

Note, when you are on the Internet doing research Lake Geneva, Wisconsin will come up in searches too so you need to make sure you are looking at the right version …

San Diego has so many kid-friendly activities, but in the summer, it’s the sand and surf that are the real attraction—and, best of all they are free! Beaches are plentiful and easy to access and the sand and surf provide hours of entertainment for both the kids and parents.

We just got back from a trip where we decided to check out Mission Beach. I hadn’t been down to Mission Beach for a while and I had heard from other families that Belmont Park was fun so we decided to check it out.