Where else can you take a kid to see a real, erupting volcano?

It’s safe – Kilauea Volcano is sometimes referred to as the “drive-in volcano” – and it’s interesting. Enter the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, located near Volcano Village, and take the 11-mile Crater Rim Drive, which circles Kilauea’s summit caldera and craters. You can see the eruption at Halema‘uma‘u Crater, learn about lava at the Jaggar Museum, peer into steam vents, smell sulphur banks, walk through Thurston Lava Tube, and hike Devastation Trail …

Kauai, known as the Garden Isle, is draped with lush tropical rainforests and cascading waterfalls, all surrounded by sapphire seas. But don’t just stand back and look! Dive in and enjoy what the island has to offer: hiking, swimming, and kayaking is plentiful for active families.

There’s a lot of history here, too. You’ll find Hawaiian cultural presentations at various venues around the island, giving you and your ohana (family) the chance to try their hand at dancing the hula or weaving lauhala.

Probably not your first thought for this year’s summer vacation, right? Well – Krakow, Poland is a wonderful place for families, and being just on the edge of Eastern Europe, the value can’t be beat! The city holds a unique place, both geographically and historically, bridging Eastern and Western Europe with delightful results.

Krakow, like any European city, has its challenges for the American visitor. Our family found Polish a hard language to crack, and while most younger people, and practically everyone …

Stowe, the self-proclaimed “Ski Capital of the East” is a fabulous destination for families who love to ski or want to learn to ski. In my opinion it’s the closest thing you’ll find to west coast skiing on the east coast.

Stowe boasts the highest vertical elevation in the state of Vermont. Skiing at Stowe offers the chance to ski two mountains, Spruce Peak and Mt. Mansfield. The services offered are comparable to those you find in some of the tonier ski resorts out west, complimentary lockers, overnight ski storage, a high speed gondola

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.

Before my 2010 ski season came to an abrupt end on Valentine’s Day (no fun sledding accident), my plan was to scout a few new ski venues by following my own advice from my how to find family-friendly ski resorts post. The good news is that I made it to Steamboat, Colorado before my luck changed.

It’s been ski week so far on CB with the best family ski resorts in Europe post and family-friendly recipes for ski weekends by Amanda Haas yesterday.

Ready for a refreshing travel resource? Let me introduce Shermans Travel. Not only does this publisher offer a beautiful travel magazine and informative website, but they are now featuring content around family travel.

What I appreciate about Sherman’s Travel is that they realized the need for value as part of luxury travel long ago.

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 …

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.

Two long-haul flights, two short-haul flights, and one beautiful ferry ride finally got us to Heron Island on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The first thing I noticed was the unmistakeable smell of birds—thousands and thousands of them—within seconds my ears caught up to my nose and I was hit by the din of what I later learned was a staggering 70,000 birds!

Heron Island is a sanctuary for the Black Noddy (not the Heron as you might think).