Sherman's Travel

A bunch of travel writers sitting in a room, draining cup after cup of coffee, while exchanging tips and stories, is what our industry typically calls a “conference.” While these types of gatherings are far from uncommon, what’s a bit more unusual – actually, unprecedented until last weekend – is a meet-up of writers dedicated entirely to family travel, which was the point of the inaugural Family Travel Conference, held at New York City’s Omni Berkshire Hotel this past weekend.

I was honored to be part of a panel on Better Travel Writing, for which I suggested tips to family-specialized travel writers. I encouraged them to always consider themselves a work in progress – it’s a point I was particularly inspired to make upon learning that several of the bloggers had children in tow who were themselves budding travel writers.

By association, I think it’s constructive for all family travelers – not just travel writers and their kin – to consider themselves works in progress, striving to make every vacation better than the last. Along those lines, here are just a few tips from the conference that you might find handy on your next family trip:

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Seattle’s native son (well, technically he hails from Tacoma, 35 minutes to the south of the city), Dale Chihuly will be properly honored in Seattle this spring, when the comprehensive permanent exhibit, Chihuly Garden and Glass, is slated to open its doors. The highly anticipated exhibition center will highlight some of the artist’s – revered as one of the world’s greatest glass artists, with his works showcased in 200-plus museum collections around the globe – most popular works and architectural installations, spanning his older collections to more contemporary pieces. Expect to see Chihuly’s Neon and Glass Forest, a Northwest Room, a Sealife Tower, and more on display in the main gallery spaces of a 12,208 square-foot indoor pavilion. Read more

Were you to plot family camping on a spectrum, on one end there would be traditional camping, with cookware, pitched tents, sleeping bags, and the hard, cold ground. Way over on the other end of the spectrum would be The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe’s Indoor Campout Package, where for a hundred bucks per child, hotel staffers will pitch a 3’ x 5’ tent – equipped with a feather bed and Ritz-Carlton linens, of course – inside your room. Read more

Both TripAdvisor.com and the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA) are among the sponsors of the relatively new reality travel series Getting Away Together – airing on PBS stations nationwide – so it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the vacation rental homes featured on each episode are pretty darn sweet.

A Kissimmee, Florida, rental property, which would have been nice enough with an outdoor pool, also has a game room equipped with video arcade machines; an Outer Banks, North Carolina, home is shown with a cavernous entryway, as well as a pool table; and a property in Oceanside, California, is not only tony, but it comfortably accommodates a group of 46 travelers. Read more

The fact that math and I don’t quite get along has never inhibited my fondness for making up equations, including this one: Cold off-season destination + solid indoor attractions = value family vacation.

It’s this thinking that has inspired my non-sequential series on the Midwest, including a post last winter about Chicago, more recent looks at Columbus, Milwaukee, and South Dakota, and today’s stop, the often underrated Kansas City. Should you wish to pull together a KC jaunt over the next several weeks, sub-$250 per person round-trip airfares are easy to come by, as are value-priced air-and-hotel bundles. Read more

“Look, South Dakota,” you might say to your child as you fly over the state, in the same insouciant way in which you say, “Look, cows,” as you blow past a farm in the family minivan.

For some families, a fleeting nod to the Midwest (or cows) might be enough. But here’s an idea for 2012: Don’t fly over South Dakota. Land there.

With the summer Rushmore hordes and Black Hills leaf peepers long gone, think about paying a quiet off-season visit to southwestern South Dakota, where several parks and caves are conveniently clustered. One manageable trip is a circuit of Mount Rushmore, Jewel Cave, and Wind Cave, sprinkling in overnights as you see fit and ending up back in Rapid City for the flight home. Read more

Of all the 2012 family vacation ideas offered up last week, Milwaukee quickly emerged as the pick that generated the most smiles, but then it’s a city that always seems to do that. Knowing sequel fodder when I see it, I wanted to elaborate on some Milwaukee points of interest (initially suggested by my colleague Beth Blair) and continue to make a case for why the city could be an easy choice for one of your family getaways this year. Read more

We travel bloggers adore making lists of where our readers should go in the new year. But let’s face it, every list, whether it has destinations or groceries on it, is subjective. Which is why, to lend a veneer of objectivity to this list of top family vacation picks for 2012, I consulted the three best-traveled people I know. Read more

After years of helping my kids with their homework I figured it was about time they returned the favor, so last night I sat down with Libby, Maya, and Felix (ages 12, 9, and 5, respectively) and asked them what they thought hotels, restaurants, and airlines ought to be doing differently to satisfy vacationing kids.

What follows is perhaps some food for thought for the travel industry (Bathrobes and omelet chefs just for kids? Pink airplanes?), or, at the very least, inspiration for parents to occasionally ask their kids what they think.

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Last week I posted about several gadgets that traveling parents might find handy while on a family vacation, and this week it’s time to turn to some clever products that are geared towards kids – which by association, ought to make their parents a little happier during the trip, too.

Trunki Ride-On Suitcase, $39.99
The UK website for Trunki bills its product as “the world’s first ride-on, pull-along suitcase,” going on to suggest that towing your child around on the case will permit you to “wave goodbye to travelling tears and tantrums.” Well, that’s no doubt a good-natured exaggeration, but one thing’s for certain: A four-wheeled carry-on that a child can pack herself and then ride on at the airport is a darn good idea. Read more