As my kids get older, our vacations are changing. Though my tween and teen are always up for a good adventure, time to relax and just hang out as a family is inching higher up on the wish list. The trick then becomes getting just the right balance. Too much down time can quickly turn into boredom.

As a family of four, we’re by no means a big family, but now that my girls are close to full grown size, being packed into a standard hotel room doesn’t quite hold the allure it once did. Necessary hotel accommodations can also be tough on a family budget.

I’m like most parents in the sense that it’s rare I get good stretches of quality one-on-one time with my girls. Could I do a better job of making it happen? Absolutely, but it seems as though something always gets in the way.

When I was invited to take my teen on the Chevrolet Volt Sunshine Road Trip, I cleared the calendar, no excuses.

You can spend months planning a family vacation only to find when you actually hit the road that it’s the unexpected stuff that steals the show. Case in point, critters. Animal meetings on family adventures are often surprises that tend to lead to success.

I did more traveling than I’ll admit to before it clicked that Kids & Kritters are a great traveling combination.

It’s called the Sunshine State for a reason. Every year thousands of snowbirds flock to Florida to escape the cold winters that typically blanket the Northeast and Midwest section of the U.S. If you’re not familiar with the term, snowbirds are people, typically retirees, who have a second home in a warmer location. In other words, grandparents who seek sun.

It can be a dream come true for grandkids and oh yeah, their parents.

Is it possible to travel with a child that has extreme allergies? I put Disney to the test this winter. My son has Eosinaphilic Esophagitis, which causes a continued narrowing of the esophagus in response to food allergies, making avoidance of the foods the most favorable cure.

We were in the right in the process of addressing this when we had the opportunity to go on Disney Dream’s inaugural voyage.

There’s no doubt that Walt Disney World is at its most magical during the holidays. The theme parks and resorts are decorated to their jaw-dropping max, and there’s plenty of extra entertainment in the form of special parades, shows, and themed character greetings.

The downside? Crowds. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is generally the busiest of the year.

My husband and I are not the biggest Disney fans. When it comes to a vacation, there are a lot of other places we’d rather take the family. That said, we understand why it would rank high on our kids’ list of places to go.

Our story goes like this. We were headed to Southwest Florida to visit family. My girls had seen Disney’s “Give a day. Get a Disney Day.” advertisement. Basically, anyone who volunteered for a day, got a free ticket to Walt Disney World or Disneyland.

Spring Break for us means sun. Pure and simple, we need a break from the cold and nothing helps break up the long Northeast winter like a little sun. Right after the New Year, friends start asking for recommendations on where to go to warm up.

Now, since “Spring” Break can also include late February, it gets a little tricky because February can still be cold in Florida, so for that guaranteed warmth, head to the Caribbean.

Walt Disney World is a massive theme park and entertainment complex covering 47 acres (roughly the size of San Francisco). For first time visitors, it isn’t surprising that it’s hard to figure out where to start when it comes to planning a vacation.

We felt the same way the first time we ventured to Disney with a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old. Since then, we have become old hands, going almost annually, most recently when the youngest was 12 and the oldest was almost 16.

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.