• 12 Tips for Road Trips with Kids
    Travel Tips

    12 Tips for Family Road Trips

    Road trips help cement the family lore and introduce good travel habits to little ones. Here are 12 tips for family road trips. 12 Tips for Family Road Trips 1. Start early on your road trip. Hate to sound like your grandpa, but there it is. Get up at 6 or 7 a.m., but leave by 7:30 a.m. Pack the night before, and include breakfast sandwiches so you don’t have to stop too early. Kids are on their best behavior in the mornings – and may even snooze – while you’re at your most alert for the drive. You’ll arrive at your destination by noon at the latest, freeing you from…

  • Travel Tips

    Tip Tuesday: Taking kids out of school to travel

    Every week, we speak with experienced family travelers to discover tips and tricks. Question for this week: Would you take kids out of school to travel? If so, how do you get the teacher’s permission? We talk with two travel bloggers who have older children. Read over their thoughtful responses (and read more on their sites) — then share your opinion! *** Answers: Our family’s solution to this challenge comes from presenting the travel experience as an educational opportunity. First, I provide the teacher with advanced written notice, as early as possible – this gesture is always appreciated, particularly if there is a major project due during our absence. (If there is, we…

  • shopping for peppers at farmers markets with kids
    Travel Tips

    10 Tips for Enjoying Farmers Markets with Kids

    Wherever our family travels in Washington, Oregon and BC, we always visit a produce market. Almost every destination offers a farmers’ market, whether the big-city Pike Place Market or the tiny, thriving Cannon Beach Farmers’ Market. In fact, we find farmers’ markets so fun that we sought them out in Paris (mmm, stanky cheese!), Provence (chickpea crepes) and Italy (fresh tomatoes). Here are my tips for enjoying farmers’ markets with kids: Check the market’s website before you head out the door. Use the site to pull together a scavenger hunt for in-season produce, print out maps, look for coupons or find out when a children’s performer will be on the…

  • Family Interactive Gallery a fun thing to do with kids in Bellingham
    Bellingham

    20 Things to Do in Bellingham with Kids

    Recently, we went on a short jaunt to Bellingham, Wash., about 30 minutes south of the U.S.-Canadian border, and two hours north of Seattle. It’s a cute little college town with a thriving arts scene and fabulous food. Turn-of-the-century architecture lines downtown Bellingham’s streets, and the town is home to Washington’s oldest brick building (built in 1858). While many of us know Bellingham as a place to stop en route to Vancouver or Seattle, I think Bellingham deserves its own overnight stay or weekend getaway. Here’s my guide to family travel in Bellingham: 10 a.m. Whatcom Museum of History and Art The Whatcom Museum’s new Family Interactive Gallery took us…