Jen M.

Different people want different travel experiences, of course; the diversity of options is part of what makes vacation time so universally appealing. Using a holiday to get out of one's comfort zone can also help to both appreciate our lives and the lives of others in the world as well. This is why, last Christmas, my family packed up our bags and we spent our Christmas holiday outside of their comfort zone, doing service work in Costa Rica.  Read more >

I recently went on a group tour of the Olympic National Park in Washington, and while I was expecting magnificent waterfalls, lonely sweeps of beaches, moss-covered trees and general gloriousness, what I wasn't expecting was the steadily increasing popularity of Forks among family travelers. It's all because of the Twilight books and movies, of course; Stephanie Meyers set her vampire romance series in and around Forks, and now teenage girls are begging to visit.  Read more >

I used to live in New York City. My children were born there, and we moved to the West Coast when they were 3 and a half, and 16 months old. They don't remember it much, except for our annual summer visit and occasional mid-year jaunts. But I sure see it on TV all the time ,what with the national nightly news being broadcast from there (on the major non-cable networks), the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas tree. I do not, I repeat  Read more >

Some people have a hard time understanding why anyone would choose a ski vacation over a tropical one - and by "some people," I mean, "me." Preference for poolside mixed drinks aside, the cold weather, extreme physical exertion, cold weather, lack of snorkeling opportunities, and cold weather all seem like remarkable vacation turn-offs.  Read more >