—Ciao Bambino reviews family travel destinations in Italy, England, Spain, and France: http://www.ciaobambino.com

—the Centers for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/travel for the latest information on necessary vaccinations and potential health risks, like Avian Flu

—The U.S. Department of State website - http://www.state.gov - posts Consular Information Sheets for every country of the world with information on everything from health conditions to entry requirements, warnings, and the location of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate

—http://www.kidsflysafe.com - for more info on the new Child Aviation Restraint System (CARES), the first designed specifically for use on planes and just approved by the FAA for use by children 22-44 pounds. CARES is small—it fits into a 6” pouch—and attaches directly to an airplane seat, thus allowing a child to be restrained by a shoulder harness (Price: $74.95)

—http://www.faa.gov - for why the FAA strongly urges parents to use safety seats on planes

—http://www.tsa.gov - the Transportation Security Administration website to see the latest rules on what is and is not permissible through security

—http://www.usa.safekids.org - the website for the National Safe Kids Campaign, with tips on everything from installing your car seat correctly to keeping your kids safe around water

—http://www.luggageconcierge.com - http://www.luggagefree.com - http://www.luggageforward.com - http://www.baggagedirect.com are among the companies now offering to ship your luggage and sports gear when you travel.

—http://www.insuremytrip.com and http://www.quotewright.com - to compare and purchase travel insurance plans, some of which insure kids free including http://www.travelguard.com - http://www.travelex-insurance.com - http://www.accessamerica.com - http://www.travelsafe.com

—http://www.familytravelforum.com - a rich archive on family travel

—http://www.jetsetbabies.com - to have the babygear you need delivered to where you’re staying on vacation

—http://www.nps.gov to link to the National Park you hope to visit

—AAA’s http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com to see exactly what you’ll spend on your upcoming road trip and if you’d be better off renting a more fuel-efficient vehicle for the trip. http://www.travelpost.com promises to help travelers find the cheapest gas as well as hotels offering special deals to those arriving by car

—http://www.hotels.com and http://www.hotwire.com for discount hotel rooms in cities

—http://www.citypass.com and http://www.gousacard.com to purchase discount coupons for major city attractions around the country

—http://www.site59.com for last-minute trips

—Buy tickets to the production your gang wants to see both for London and New York at http://www.keithprowse.com (another plus using this website if you’re heading to London: You can pay in U.S. dollars)

—http://www.tdf.org to see what discounted Broadway tickets are being offered at the TKTS booth at 47th Street and Broadway and downtown at South Street Seaport

—http://www.harvardsquare.com is a good source of information when touring colleges or sighseeing in Boston, as is http://www.bostonusa.com

—http://www.cruising.org - the website of the Cruise Lines International Association where you can search for a cruise, find a deal and a travel agent in your area who is a cruise specialist. http://www.cruisemates.com is an excellent webzine about cruising, with a special section on family cruises. 

—Disabled Sports USA http://www.dsusa.org to find out more about wilderness and snow-sports programs around the country that cater to those with disabilities.

—websites for adventure companies that I have traveled with and that especially cater to families include the consortium of companies http://www.trustedadventures.com    http://www.familyadventures.com and http://www.oars.com    The Sierra Club (http://www.outings.sierraclub.org)    the Appalachian Mountain CLub (http://www.outdoors.org)    Thomson Family Adventures (http://www.familyadventures.com)

—http://www.familyskiresorts.net/ A one-stop guide to family ski fun. Vacations, lessons, resort reviews, family travel tips.

—http://www.mydriveholiday.com/usa USA RV Rental—Features Motorhome, RV, Campervan Rentals and Hire in the USA

—http://www.FrugalMonkey.com/ FrugalMonkey helps you find cheap travel deals and free country travel guides.

Here’s how to play: Instead of numbers your card has things like, dog, skier, drives an SUV, lives in Texas, college student, retired ... The idea is you’ve got to get people in the room to sign your card if they meet the criteria. The first person to get a row of signatures gets “bingo.”

Silly—maybe. But it works. Pretty soon everyone is laughing and talking. And that’s what you want at a family reunion.

Welcome to day one of Family Reunion University at the YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch just outside of Winter Park, CO (http://www.ymcarockies.org). On this snowy November weekend, 90 people have come from around the country—some driving 1,000 miles or more—to learn how to better plan their family reunions scheduled for next summer. 

The YMCA of the Rockies is family reunion central—it hosts nearly 1,000 reunions every year here and at its other center near Estes Park. It’s cheap (rooms start at under $70), centrally located, and offers plenty to do in spectacular countryside (as long as everyone can handle the 8,000-feet-plus altitude). My husband’s family has had four there in the last 14 years. But book early—and I mean years early. There’s barely anything left for next summer and 2007 is already selling briskly.

But it’s not easy to get everyone to agree on a date, much less juggle different vacation agendas once they get here. The staff acknowledges they’ve seen reunion planners and goers in tears. “I hate to see people disappointed with the time they spend together,” says Mark Birdseye, the enthusiastic and energetic program director for Snow Mountain Ranch.

That’s what prompted them to start FRU, as they call Family Reunion University. The previous weekend, 140 people came to Estes Park. FRU is only three years old but is already so successful that the YMCA is considering holding more sessions next year, says Snow Mountain Ranch Conference director Linda Salow.

It’s easy to see the appeal—especially since it only costs $50, including meals, lodging and activities for the weekend at this vast (1500 acre) resort complex in the mountains.

There’s a ton of things to do. In the winter, there’s cross country skiing, sledding, and ice-skating as well as an indoor roller rink and pool, among other things. In summer, there’s acres of hiking trails, horseback riding, white water rafting, mountain biking, mini golf ... nobody should get bored. 

I’m here because the YMCA has asked me to give the “students” some advice on how to avoid reunion disasters and insure that the kids have a better time. Ours certainly haven’t been one Kodak moment after another. Here is a PDF (648 KB) of my slideshow: Family Reunion 101

Mary and Larry Eide drove more than 1,000 miles from North Dakota for the weekend. She’s planning a big reunion in her family this summer—more than 100 people, she hopes.  “The only excuse is illness,” she says firmly.

All over the country, families are packing freshman off to college. Many are renting vans and SUVS so they’ve got enough space for all their college student’s “stuff.” Others are flying across the country to help them get settled, dragging in duffels and boxes, computers, and refrigerators, TVs, coffee makers and posters, enough toothpaste, peanut butter and soap to last the entire school year.

But however they get their kids to school, many parents stick around for Parent Orientation—whether the kids like it or not—with everything from panel discussions with recent graduates to information sessions with faculty, to campus tours, picnics and even ceremonies.

Here’s how to make the goodbye go more smoothly:

 1. Don’t burden your child with your own anxieties about them living away from home. Even if they won’t show it, they’re anxious too.

 2. Everyone’s stressed. Try to avoid arguments—especially about the stupid stuff.

 3. Especially if you’re heading cross-country, wait until you get there to buy much of what he’ll need for his room. You can avoid shipping costs.

 4. Stay positive even if you can’t imagine how three girls can live in the tiny room or you’re worried how he’ll get along with his roommate.

 5. If you’re divorced, negotiate who will do what before it’s time to head to the campus.

 6. Don’t expect that final goodbye to be a Kodak moment. Remember when she cried when she met Mickey Mouse?

 7. Leave the younger siblings behind so you don’t have them competing for your attention.

 8. Splurge on a nice dinner together, once you’ve got everything organized. Maybe you can join forces with the roommates’ families.

 9. Don’t take it personally if your child is anxious for you to leave. Be ready to back off when they send out the signals they’re ready to say goodbye.

10. Remember that with cell phones, and instant messages on computers, you’ll probably talk to them more than you did when they were in high school.

_{© 2005 by Eileen Ogintz, Westport, CT. All rights reserved.}

Eileen Ogintz
(click image to enlarge)

Eileen Ogintz was a national correspondent for the Chicago Tribune then, covering news stories around the country. The travel editor, hearing her tale of woe about the cat and the goldfish pond, encouraged her to write a story about the trials of traveling with children. That story led to others. “We realized there were a lot of people like me, parents who wanted help planning trips now that they had kids.” The award-winning syndicated column Taking the Kids grew out of those stories. Ogintz left the Tribune, after 14 years as a reporter, national correspondent and feature writer, to spend more time with her three young children and to launch the column nationally. The Taking the Kids series of travel guides for children, published by HarperCollins West, has followed.

Andy, Eileen, Matt, Reggie, and Melanie at Glacier National Park in 1994
(click image to enlarge)”More people than ever are taking their kids places, whether they’re going to Grandma’s or a museum, to Disney World or on a business trip,” Ogintz said. “Their time and budgets are tight. I give them the help they need to make the most of their family time.” “Planning with the kids’ interests in mind can make the difference between a great trip and one that’s a disaster,” she added.

Taking the Kids now appears in more than 50 major newspapers including the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Baltimore Sun, Chicago Sun-Times, Dallas Morning News and Portland Oregonian. The column won a 1994 national Clarion Award from Women in Communications, Inc. and appears on AOL’s Family Travel Network and elsewhere on the Web.

Eileen with daughter Reggie Yemma. Reggie had just taken part in a ski race.Ogintz has traveled with her husband and kids across the country and abroad—from London to Disney World to Disneyland—skiing in Colorado to fishing in Minnesota, soaking up history in Washington, D.C. to sightseeing in Las Vegas, New York and Yellowstone National Park.

The fifth book of the Taking the Kids series, A Kid’s Guide to Vacation Fun in the Rocky Mountains, was just published, as well as a book for parents, Are We There Yet? on taking the kids and surviving. She was the recipient of a 1995 and 1996 Parents’ Choice honor for the series, which also highlights the Southwest, Southern California, Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.

Eileen with son Matt at his graduation in 2006 (click image to enlarge)Ogintz, who holds a master’s in journalism from the University of Missouri, is a 20-year veteran of the newspaper business, reporting for The Anniston Star, The Record in Hackensack, N.J., and Des Moines Register as well as the Chicago Tribune, where she created the paper’s family-issues beat. Today, she is regular contributor to numerous national publications, and has appeared on such television programs as “48 Hours,” “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America” and “Oprah.” She created a course on the changing American family at Northwestern University and consults on work/family issues.

From their home in Westport, Connecticut, Ogintz travels with her husband, an executive in financial services, and their three children, Matt, Reggie and Melanie, who serve—not always graciously—as Taking the Kids’ special team of experts.

The Kid’s Guide to New York City by Eileen Ogintz explores the Big Apple by neighborhood, supplying kid-tested tips on where to go and what to see. Fun facts and tips on the area’s best snacks and souvenirs are also included.

From the back cover: So you’re headed for the Big Apple. Now what?! Grab The Kid’s Guide to New York City and turn your family vacation into a mega-fun adventure. Be prepared for new experiences, different cultures, good food, and great shopping! You just might learn something while you’re at it.

This guidebook, written just for you, offers:

• Tips on what to see and what to do
• Where to hear all kinds of music, from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to MTV studios in Times Square
• Ice skating rinks, parks, and other places to have fun
• Where to shop for just about anything
• Kid-friendly places to eat
• Where to see all sorts of art, and even make your own
• Fun facts about landmarks like the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty
• A look around New York’s many different neighborhoods
• Input and advice from kids that live in New York City and from visiting kids, too
• Pages to write your thoughts and paste in pictures
• And much more!

Thank you!