multigenerational

Very, it turns out. Travel planners just have to do a little research before piling the kids and all their assorted accoutrements (Nintendo DS, iPod, etc) into the family car. As there are carbon offset for air travel, so there are carbon credits available for road trips. The following are reputable organizations that help concerned travelers calculate their automobile’s CO2 output, and purchase offsets accordingly.

NativeEnery - Native Energy helps travelers buy carbon offsets to make their vacations more carbon neutral. Monies spent offsetting the CO2 output of car-based travel are put towards supporting Native Americans, farmers, and sustainable projects. The current portfolio includes the Kasigluk Alaska Native Village Wind Turbines, Boulder Creek Hydro Project, and Farmer-Owned Distributed Wind. The website is easy to use: NativeEnergy guides travel planners through calculating their cars’ carbon emissions and makes purchasing offsets as easy as clicking a button.

Terrapass - This green organization is prominent in its field. Offering air travel and home energy carbon offsets as well as for cars, Terrapass is an easily navigatable site. To estimate a planned car trip’s carbon output, the “carbon footprint calculator” asks for a given car’s year, make, and model. Then, input  “miles per year”  as the estimated mileage of the road trip (instead of the yearly CO2 emission). The same webpage then allows users to see results and buy offsets.

Carbonfund - Carbonfund offers “carbon free certification” for products, information about climate change, and carbon offset programs for individuals and businesses. In terms of planning a carbon neutral car trip, users can measure their cars’ CO2 output (hint: SUVs have a heavier carbon footprint than do hybrids and other efficient autos) with either preset values or for specific miles. The car calculator is similar to that used by Terrapass, with an added detail asking for specs such as automatic transmission.

Sustainable Travel International - STI has a carbon offset calculator for travel, along with an eco-directory and a program of travel philanthropy, Altruistic Travel.  Much like NativeEnergy, STI puts purchased carbon credits to good use with green projects in the US, China, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, and South Africa. STI’s carbon calculator is a bit simplified, compared to the details required above. The emission calculator may be more of a rounded estimation as a result.

Car trips are a great way for families to experience travel together, with the ride being as memorable as the destination. Families concerned about their relative carbon footprint can trust these programs to put their offsets to good, green use. Clean energy investment and support for tourism and sustainable development is key towards becoming carbon neutral.

Q grew up camping in the backwoods, running rivers in Alaska and taking exotic trips to places like the Galapagos Islands and Belize. I grew up taking 12-hour annual summer road trips to Ohio to visit Grandma. Oh, we did take a much-anticipated Big Deal trip to Disney World when I was 10. (By the way, mom, I’m not knocking my childhood at all, just sayin’ that long plane trips were not the norm for us.)

While I did fly overseas (by myself!) for the first time when I was 18, and I did the requisite two weeks of backpacking through Europe before studying abroad for a semester, honestly, I didn’t travel too much in my 20s. That is, until I met Q — ironically enough, when we were both working for the same travel company. Employed by a tour operator, part of our benefits included free trips to worldwide locations. Before we were engaged, we went to Costa Rica and Hawaii, courtesy of our employer. Outside of work Q introduced me to the awesome desert in Moab, Utah, and beaches in Mexico — two places I count among my favorites today.

I feel so lucky I married someone who, when I say, “Let’s go somewhere,” he replies, “It’ll take me 20 minutes to pack.” We’ll sooner spend paychecks on vacations than electronics (to wit, I have no iPhone or oversized living-room TV). Our kids are well schooled in how to behave in the airport security line, since both have flown regularly since they were three months old.

It’s only fitting that we’re not at home on our 10th wedding anniversary, but instead on the road. While I’d hoped to orchestrate a big ol’ anniversary celebration and vow renewal on a beach (or cruise ship), our summer schedule (and lack of finances due to the crummy economy, not to mention other trips in the past year) just didn’t permit it.

For our anniversary, we’re not sipping frothy drinks on white sand, but rather spending the day with a handful of my very best friends from college, their spouses and kids (yep, we number more than 20 in all) at a vacation rental in southern New Hampshire. Exotic: no. Incredible that we actually managed to execute a long weekend with so many of us hailing from all corners of the country: absolutely.

More often it’s much less about where you are, but who you’re with.

Happy anniversary, Q! I look forward to so many more travels with you — no matter where in the world our adventures take us.

Zuzatz are a black, thick sole (super if you’re looking for some height) and various choices of interchangeable clips. A standard pair comes with a single base and two style straps, but you can purchase any of the ten packs of Style Straps or “uppers” which come in packs of three. The straps fasten into what look like holes in the shoes. Look closer, and you will notice there is (patented) QuickClick technology keeping the straps in place (very cool!).

I was lucky enough to be offered a  pair to review, with five Style Straps — and let me tell you, I think they are totally cool — especially for travel. Here is what I like about these shoes and  little advice if you decide to purchase Zuzata:

1. Ease of use. Who would have ever thought shoes would ever come with directions? But I advise you to read the directions before attempting to fasten and remove the Style Straps. At first it may seem tricky to fasten the straps into the sole, simply because they are such a unique contraption. But once you know what to listen for (the “right” click) and feel for (secure strap) they are a breeze to exchange. If you skip the directions, you might put them in upside down or think they’re fastened in and end up walking off the shoe and tripping.

2. Comfort. I always expect to take several days to break in new shoes, but Zuzatz didn’t take long to break in at all. After a day with the silver straps I forgot I was wearing new shoes.

3. Versatility.  I won’t lie, this is my favorite feature. When my family went to Lake  Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago, I threw a pair of Zuzatz in my suitcase and put the straps in the outside pocket . I instantly had five pairs of shoes to go with different outfits — easy breezy.  Another nice thing about Zuzatz is that they can be dressed up (rhinestones) or down (colorful  nylon).

If you’re looking to consolidate your shoes while traveling, I recommend you check out Zazatz — did I mention these are very cool travel shoes?

Congratulations, Lisa. You won FIVE Bunny Bucks coupons, that’s five cartons of ice cream or five boxes of novelty ice cream treats. Keep an eye out for an email with details regarding your yummy prize.

We select all of our giveaway winners via the random number generator random.org. If you didn’t win this time, keep an eye on TravelingMamas.com — we love to give stuff away, and we’ll likely hold another giveaway soon!

Top 10 Best Things to Do - Flagstaff, Arizona

Grand Canyon National Park - The Grand Canyon is clearly the biggest draw for travelers considering a vacation in Flagstaff; there are many tour and day trip companies around, but Flagstaff is the best place to stay for the trip. If you stay right near the Grand Canyon (at the famous El Tovar Hotel for example), then your vacation will have to be “all Grand Canyon, all the time.” Stay in fun Flagstaff instead, and make a couple of day trips to the Grand Canyon. Check out the Bright Angel trail, especially if traveling with young children. My kids managed part of it quite well.

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument - Anyone who’s been to Hawaii’s Big Island will be struck by the physical similarities to much of that tropical isle and the terrain around this part of Arizona.  The ground is largely composed of lava rock, with some hardy trees struggling, here and there, for a toehold. It’s so interesting to consider the ancient volcano here, with the Grand Canyon to the north and the Coconino National Forest nearby; northern Arizona is incredibly diverse. The Lava Flow Trail is an easy one-mile loop walk along the base, 1/4 of which is paved.

Humphreys Peak - The highest point in Arizona, Humphreys Peak is a popular tourist destination for outdoorsy folk. If you’re up for a hike, you can get to the peak along Humphreys Trail; it’s around four and a half miles, uphill (consider yourself warned). From the peak, the vista of Northern Arizona is spectacular - the Grand Canyon, Sedona, even the desert mountains way south in Phoenix are visible on clear days. There’s a lot of snow October through May.

Walnut Canyon National Monument - Walnut Canyon is my favorite of these smaller Flagstaff-area National Monuments. Walnut Canyon dates to the same time period as the Grand Canyon, but is much, much smaller . It’s manageable, and the trail takes visitors around the middle level of the canyon. Here you can see Sinagua cliff homes - and even stand in them, respectfully. These cliff dwellings were part of the small Sinagua civilization in Walnut Canyon, built some time in the 1100’s. It’s quieter here than the Grand Canyon, and absolutely worth the trip.

Wupatki National Monument - This ancient pueblo is preserved well, and tended to by archeologists interested in the Wupatki culture. The Wupatki lived here circa 1100, and later merged with the Hopi. No one knows exactly why, but it was a peaceful integration. A short hike and self-guided stroll around the pueblo easily takes under an hour.

Sedona - Frequent readers know that Sedona is one of my top 10 favorite vacation towns in North America. Flagstaff is a great point between Sedona and the Grand Canyon, and I recommend it for a southwestern vacation covering both destinations. There are some great, fun activities in Sedona for a day trip.

Jerome - This town used to be the state capital, and once was the fourth largest city in the Arizona Territory…but that was a long time ago. Once the copper mine closed down (and the “ladies of the evening” moved on), Jerome seemed destined to be an Arizona ghost town. Today, remnants of the Wild West are on display and there is a thriving, lively artist community as well. Like many small towns in America’s Old West, Jerome could have emptied out. As locals like to say, the “hippies” saved Jerome from this fate. Small-town friendliness merge with the progressive attitudes of many artists, creating a welcoming, unsuspicious atmosphere and very interesting art galleries.

Historic Flagstaff - Honestly, I love exploring the town of Historic Flagstaff. Get a map; this is the part of the city where the charming shops, great  restaurants, and upscale chains are. I especially liked finding a “Life is Good” satellite store here, a couple of antique stores with genuine Old West memorabilia, the Flagstaff Brewing Company. and some fantastic southwestern barbeque at Bigfoot BBQ. Brookside Chocolate Company was great; hand-crafted chocolates that vary from delicate to decadent. There are many other places to eat in Historic Flagstaff, of course. What a fun town!

Lowell Observatory - Founded in the 1890’s, this is one of the oldest observatories in the southwest. The staff are very knowledgeable and eager to share their love of the site’s history, collection of old telescopes, and what guests are seeing through more modern telescopes. The Lowell Observatory is open year-round every day except Sunday.

Museum of Northern Arizona/Arizona Historical Society Pioneer Museum - These two museums are very close to each other, and manageable enough in size that a both can be done together. The Museum of Northern Arizona highlights the biology and ancient history of the Colorado Plateau, along with a fine arts gallery.  The Arizona Historical Society Pioneer Museum is Arizona’s oldest historical agency (circa 1864). Besides exhibitions - and it has over 3 million objects in rotation - the Arizona Historical Society offers educational outreach and research regarding Arizona’s long history up through today’s development.

These are my “best top 10″ activities in and around Flagstaff, but there are many more. I hardly mentioned Coconino National Forest, for example.  Within an approximately 50-mile radius, what are some of the things you like to do while on vacation in Flagstaff AZ? I’d love to expand this list.

Tell us a little about your family; how do you schedule your trips around your children’s needs? How have your kids adapted?

Have you heard of a little group called The Brady Bunch? That fairly well sums us up — down to the curly-haired youngest girl. We’ve actually got five kiddos between my newly gained husband and me. And this is where it gets awkward, because I have to point out the one big benefit of divorce (if it has to happen): visitation.  I have custody of my three, and my ex has visitations in week or two-week increments during school breaks. So basically, I just schedule the bulk of our travels around their visitations with the other parent. The kids never even know I’m missing, and I enjoy guilt-free travel.

The kids love watching the videos and all make me promise I’ll take them hiking in Italy’s Cinque Terre or to Rome’s famed monuments one day. And I will. In fact, whenever possible, I take the kids with me traveling now, because it not only expands their worldview, it helps them realize that packing a bag and going somewhere isn’t scary or intimidating (and that mommy always returns).

What was the inspiration for creating TBEX?

Debbie Dubrow and I wanted to get a bunch of travel folks together. Chicago is a great central location, and since the fabulous BlogHer annual conference is happening in late July, we cooked up a meeting and planned it. The whole thing has come together beautifully and the response overwhelming. Attendees are coming from far and wide and we want to make the big bash worth everyone’s time and effort.

My cohorts at Galavanting and I took it a step further and thought it would be great to involve the worldwide travel folks who can’t make it to the TBEX’09 meetup in an online community as well. So we spent many very late nights brainstorming and creating until we came up with the TBEX Community website in January 2009. To date, the site already acts as a hub for nearly 1,000 travel bloggers and PR professionals interested in connecting with them.

What are your future plans for TBEX and/or Galavanting?

We want to keep TBEX active and useful and will be reaching out to members of the press, media, and PR reps, as well as advertisers, to highlight the burgeoning community of travel writers on the web. TBEX can raise their visibility and connect bloggers to each other in ways that simply surfing the net for kindred spirits cannot.

As far as Galavanting goes, we want it to become a household name. My co-founder Katy Quissell and I had the original idea of a television show that featured women with spunk, useful information, adventurous tendencies, and non-boringness. Women we could relate to. And not many of the travel shows, if any, were doing that. We started the online travel magazine GoGalavanting.com to help other women tell their stories of adventure, and then launched Galavanting.tv which was fairly quickly picked up by a distributor called KoldCast.tv who made us available on TiVo and across the web. We hope it will soon be on regular television too.

You co-operate Galavanting, and the four of you live in very different places. Do you coordinate travel plans to see each other - and if so, how often?

Great question. I’m in Chicago, Katy is in London, and Maren & Courtney are in Omaha. In fact, I don’t know what we’d do without the many Google tools available to us — we use a shared calendar, collaborative spreadsheets, and endlessly confusing color-coded documents before a trip. We make carefree, fun Galavanting episodes, but there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work and planning that goes into it. And keeping up with a brand new travel destination every month has proved to be no small feat. We end up seeing each other about once every three months or so at least, which goes faster than it seems. Surely you experience the same thing with the fabulous Traveling Mamas group! It is pretty much the best job in the world.

Thanks for the Q&A, Kim! Any traveling mom is a friend of ours.  Kim can be found on Twitter, for anyone who would like to hear more from her.

Many families are reducing or even eliminating their travel budgets this year.  What are the benefits of vacation rental properties for families?

With vacation rentals, the space is key for families:  Kids can run freely. Parents can enjoy their own room and don’t have to split the kids between two double beds and if you’re traveling with older kids you are saved the expense of booking multiple hotel rooms.   I personally find having a kitchen the best feature in vacation rentals.  Kitchens allow you to save a lot of money by avoiding the outrageous costs of mini bars, room service and eating out for every meal. Staying in for breakfast and letting the kids stay in their pajamas is just so much easier and more fun.  Plus, when you recall your favorite family vacations you never picture your family crammed into a hotel room.  But if you stay in a vacation rental, I bet you will have lasting memories of your family sitting around the table during a meal, talking, laughing and feeling a true sense of relaxation and contentment.

HomeAway offers these cost-cutting tips for that family vacation:

* Stay closer to home- drive instead of fly
* Stay in a vacation rental instead of a hotel
* Travel with extended family or another family to split costs and double the fun
* Save money and your sanity by preparing meals in your vacation rental instead of always going to a restaurant
* Check HomeAway.com for Special Offers and VacationRentals.com for deals and freebies

What are some of the most popular places for HomeAway vacation homes for families?

Vacation rentals are always a better option in accommodations for traveling families because they get come with more privacy, amenities and multiple bedrooms. However, some of the most-popular destinations for family travel include: Destin and Orlando, FL (Disney is always tops for families), Hilton Head SC, Cape Cod MA, San Diego CA and Outer Banks, NC.  Here’s a list of vacation rentals that show the perks and variety of family-friendly vacation rentals on HomAway.

What are some tips or suggestions you’d give to first-time vacation home renters?

Here are a few helpful tips for first-time renters, but for a full breakdown of how to rent a vacation rental check out our how-to list.

* Book with a reputable site with a substantial inventory.  Using sites like HomeAway.com, VRBO.com or VacationRentals.com, travelers can easily find and compare thousands of properties from around the globe.  The more choices that are available, the more likely you’ll be able to find a property that has availability and meets your needs and budget.
* Talk to the homeowner—Once you find a home that you think may work, contact the property owner or manager directly to ask questions about the rental and the area to make sure its suitable for your group.  Having a conversation with the owner may enable you to negotiate a price that’s more within your budget, find out great local spots to check out while visiting, or if it turns out they’re booked, they may be able to refer you to another property nearby.
* Read reviews—Sites like HomeAway.com feature reviews from previous guests, which can come in handy for getting a first-hand account of the property
* Register your trip—All of the properties listed on the HomeAway sites are protected by the HomeAway Rental Guarantee.  Travelers who register for the free-guarantee are covered up to $5,000 in the event that the vacation rental book is determined to be not-legitimate.
* Get it in writing—Make sure you have a rental agreement that clearly states the homeowner’s rules and policies regarding check-in/out times, cancellations, etc.
* If possible, pay by credit card.

These are some valuable tips, Justin. Thank you for describing the advantages of renting vacation houses for family travel planners on a budget.

Here is a big one. We have an 18-year-old son with autism and a daughter also with special needs. Despite the autism, he is very social wanting to play with younger children, which can make a family destination stressful for us.  Any suggestions? We usually do beach vacations in Michigan and have done Florida before. We live in the Chicago area. I also think a connecting flight would be hard for us. Any “special” all inclusives you may know about?

This one was a tough one for the Mamas, as it’s not a travel niche we’re familiar with. The first thought that came to my mind, however, was the Azul property that I deemed the best family-friendly resort in the Riviera Maya: Azul Beach. With just 97 rooms, this property is small and easy to navigate. Here, the very friendly and accommodating staff gets to you know you (and your children) quickly, addressing you by name. I think if I had special-needs kids, I’d feel a great sense of peace, knowing that I was at a place where the staff cares about you and is very cognizant of making guests feel at home. Again, with special-needs children, I’d rather stay at a small resort than a big one, where my family and I are just “numbers.” Finally, there are non-stop flights from Chicago to Cancun (and then the resort is a short 2o-minute drive away).

Another close-to-home option might be an indoor waterpark resort. Now, these resorts — with enclosed, massive waterparks — could be totally inappropriate, depending on the abilities and personalities of your children. The water-play areas can be very loud (chaotic in fact) which can be overwhelming to any child. However, indoor waterpark resorts are incredibly convenient — all of your entertainment, from family-friendly dining to the waterpark to arcades and other diversions, is inside the resort. No need to venture off. Check out the various locations of the Great Wolf Lodge. Find many other resorts in Sandusky, Ohio, and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

As far as other options go, you might check out this list of travel resources for children with special needs from Babycenter.com. Then there’s an entire site called Autism Travel that is dedicated to helping parents of kids with autism plan family trips.

Still another consideration: have you thought about a cruise? Accessible travel writer Candy Harrington suggested a Caribbean cruise. She took the time to write the following:

Personally I would recommend Royal Caribbean, as they have an excellent Adventure Ocean Program for kids from 3-17. Yes, I know your reader’s son is 18, but he is considered a special-needs child so they may make an exception for him. I’ve seen this done in the past, and so has my travel agent friend Connie George (who handles accessible travel). Basically you need to contact the special-needs department at the cruise line  to make sure that this will happen. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, you should work with a travel agent who is used to doing this type of thing.

I also highly recommend the Royal Caribbean ships as, they offer lots of fun things to do. This is especially true of the newer Freedom Class ships, which have lots of cool features like the H2O zone water park, the Surfrider, a rock climbing wall and even a miniature golf course. Lot’s of fun for the whole family. And while the kids are in the Adventure Ocean Program, mom can enjoy the spa services. Plus there are lots of fun things to do ashore as a family.

You just can’t get more all inclusive than a cruise. And many Caribbean cruises stop on a private island; since this family has enjoyed beach vacations before, that seems like a good match for them. Plus, with RCI departures from Newark, Miami and Baltimore, it’s easy to find a departure city with direct air service from Chicago.

Wow, Candy! Thanks for your insight. If any other folks-in-the-know or travel agents have suggestions for our reader, please let us know via the comments below. We’d welcome any other recommendations regarding suggestions for a top-notch resort vacation for a family with special-needs kids. Travel agents and travel experts, please chime in!

Honestly, part of me considered keeping quiet about this - giving myself a better chance to win - but then, that wouldn’t be fair. Solage Calistoga, after all, is a beautiful resort that is really child-friendly, somewhat of a rarity in upscale Napa Valley. Wine tastings and romantic getaways are more typical of Napa Valley vacations.

Just fill in this form to enter, and good luck. I entered too. The contest run ends July 17, 2009.

You might be wondering what ice cream has to do with travel, besides being the perfect snack along the journey (especially if you’re road-tripping in the hot summer months). Well, if you’re traveling through the Midwest with kids (or without!), you don’t want to miss Le Mars, Iowa, home to the Ice Cream Capital of the World Museum. More ice cream is made in Le Mars - home of Blue Bunny - than anywhere else in the world. Families can stop during a road trip, or take a side trip while visiting Sioux City (25 miles south of the museum) and learn all types of fun ice cream facts, play in an interactive game room and devour ice cream in the vintage 1920s-style ice cream parlor. (Cost to tour is minimal: $3 for adults and $1 for children age 5 to 12. The little ones are free.)

Until you can make it to the Ice Cream Capital of the World, let’s talk about how you can win ice cream during National Ice Cream Month.

We are giving away FIVE Bunny Bucks coupons, that’s five cartons of ice cream or five boxes of novelty ice cream treats (like ice cream sandwiches) to ONE Traveling Mamas reader. All you have to do is leave a comment about anything ice cream, such your favorite ice cream flavor, a childhood memory of eating ice cream cones, or a much-loved ice cream stand you uncovered while vacationing. The contest will run through July 7  when we will randomly select the winner and announce him or her on Wednesday July 8. US residents only; one entry per person, please. Want to win even more? Head on over to Travels With Children to enter to win the Ice Cream Capital of the World trip package!

Good luck and Happy National Ice Cream Month!