Two new ways families can take the stress out of flying

Two new ways families can take the stress out of flying

Want to get whisked through security? It may be too late for Thanksgiving, but if you are flying for Christmas, you’ve got time to sign up for Global Entry, the trusted traveler network that allows you to make your way quickly through special lines and customs by using automated kiosks at 97 domestic airports through the TSA Pre-check Program.

Passport is a must to teach kids the world

Passport is a must to teach kids the world

“The passport is the new diploma,” Keith Bellows, editor of National Geographic Traveler and the father of three, told the nearly 50 influential family travel writers and bloggers who had gathered this past weekend from around the country and Canada at the TMS Family Travel Conference in Niagara Falls, NY.

10 tips to survive taking your first child to college

10 tips to survive taking your first child to college

You’ll be spending the Long Goodbye shuttling back and forth to stores crowded with other freshmen parents for “essentials” you didn’t bring from home. In our case, that included a tool kit needed to loft the beds in my daughter Mel’s dorm room so the girls had more floor space.

Kicks on Route 66 – in a Ford hybrid that gets 100 miles per gallon

Kicks on Route 66 – in a Ford hybrid that gets 100 miles per gallon

During the Great Depression, and the Dustbowl, over 250,000 people packed everything they could and set out from Arkansas and Oklahoma along Route 66, heading–they hoped—for a better life in California. Recently I got to drive part of the route in a Ford hybrid vehicle.

TSA, really?? Knives, bats, golf clubs on airplanes???

TSA, really?? Knives, bats, golf clubs on airplanes???

You can’t bring a bottle of water onto an airplane. You might get stopped at security with a container of breast milk. But you can bring a baseball bat? And small knives? Come on TSA, which announced last week that these items will be allowed as carry-on beginning April 25. How about a little common sense?

The best laid plans, waylaid by Frankenstorm

The best laid plans, waylaid by Frankenstorm

UPDATE (Wednesday, Oct 31) — It’s Halloween, but the really scary thing is now bad the damage from SuperStorm Sandy is all over the Northeast. We still have power at our house so we are one of the few lucky ones. But we lost cable, which means almost all forms of communication for us these days. I’m updating this blog from our Town Hall where they have electricity and free public wi-fi. It’s impressive the way people are pulling together and helping each other out. Just this morning my husband helped a neighbor jump-start his car. His battery had run down after he and his son tried to recharge too many electronic devices. Meanwhile… if you trying to travel, or get home, during the storm’s aftermath, check out www.johnnyjet.com for some great tips!

Include Travel Insurance in Your Summer Vacation Plans

Include Travel Insurance in Your Summer Vacation Plans

As any parent knows, when kids are involved, unforeseen circumstances can materialize at the drop of a hat. Illness can sideline the entire family, resulting in financial losses such as costs for airfare, tickets to attractions and other non-refundable deposits.