From topical roundups to specific books dedicated to maxmizing the fun in one destination, these guidebooks have one thing in common -- a commitment to sharing special tips and tricks to making your vacation with kids a lot more fun than you originally thought.
U.S. TRAVEL
Amazing Places To Take Your Kids
by Laura Sutherland, c. 2007, $16.95
We think this beautiful coffeetable book is great because our staff worked with contributing editor Laura Sutherland to write it. It wasn't easy to select the 250 most amazing destinations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for families with kids, but it sure was fun. We think you'll spend many pleasant hours flipping through the full color pages, admiring the roller coasters and monuments, gardens and seascapes, and other remarkable sights were visiting. We guarantee years of fun roadtrips for the family who attempts to experience these educational and unforgettable adventures. It's a great gift idea for grandparents, too.
239 Great Places to Escape to Nature without Roughing it: From Rustic Cabins to Luxury Resorts
Fodor's, 2006, $19.95
One word to describe this travel guide is organized. It arranges outdoor adventure vacations by categories, ranging from family hideout, romantic retreat, laid-back adventure, rustic escape, luxury resort, and tranquil outpost. Each category lists both kids and family-friendly activities such as horseback riding and rock climbing classes. The guide lists individual, family-friendly trips under each of the 50 states and some Canadian provinces. This guide also features some less crowded areas for families to enjoy a more relaxing weekend. If you want an active and daring, yet well-researched and well-organized (mainly by someone else) trip, pick up this book.
Zagat Survey U.S. Family Travel Guide
by the Zagat Survey, c. 2004, $14.95
This book puts a family twist on the traditional Zagat Guide. It rates U.S. attractions with four different criterion including child appeal, adult appeal, public facilities and services. In a similar fashion, it rates hotels based upon family appeal, rooms, services and public facilities, as well as restaurants by their family appeal, food, décor and services. In addition to mentioning each venue's expense and whether payments can be made by credit card, the guide provides the hours of service and offers useful icons that indicate age appropriateness for toddlers, young children, preteens and all ages. It hasn't been updated by Zagat, but the best part is that all reviews are based on real experiences from parents just like you, so they are still valid.
Trouble-Free Travel with Children:
Over 700 Helpful Hints for Parents on the Go
by Vicki Lansky, c. 2004, $9.95
This guide covers all the travel basics in a user-friendly manner, with the needs of children ("from newborn to school-age") in mind. From tips about planning, packing, and entertaining to hints about eating out, different modes of travel, and traveling abroad, this guide will suit many travelers' paths. There are some specifics about web sites or vacation spots, but most of the advice is general and can be applied to different situations.
Family Sabbatical Handbook
by Elisa Bernick, c. 2007, Intrepid Travel, $15.95
Dream. Discover. Explore. If the chance to travel the distance of the globe fell on your doorstep would you embrace it? With this new title under your wing, you’d be a fool not to grab your loved ones and soar for the horizon. Penned by Elisa Bernick, this highly informative step-by-step guide, shows you the ABCs of plan making, with a mapped out itinerary to conquer whatever Mother Earth brings your way. From finding a home away from home, to financing your sabbatical to fit your budget, or transcending the language barrier, this book provides answers typical families have yet to pose. Read this treasure, then go find yours. Highly recommended.
Tours for Free Colorado 2003
by Jodi Jill, c. 2003, $16.95
If you've ever taken the family to Disneyland, you know how hot your plastic gets when it comes to admission fees. Jodi Jill's newly revised edition of free tours for families (and teachers with kids) will delight you. The syndicated-columnist author, whose "Enjoying Colorado" reaches many readers throughout the state, offers all the basic information you need to enjoy Colorado treasures including: fossils in the floor (at The Denver Public Library); an eye-boggling Button Museum; dinosaur tracks near downtown Denver; Swetsville Zoo which has no live exhibits; a Money Museum and the Denver Mint. Also included are many Colorado wineries, breweries, toy factories, candy makers and media sites. This handsome guide is light on the museums, heavy on the fun, and also includes a listing of free days, free events and free attractions throughout the region, as well as county fair information statewide.
The Rough Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons 1
by Stephen Timblin, c. 2007, Rough Guides, $17.99
What would you give for the chance to lock eyes with the prowling gray wolves of Yellowstone? Your first plan of action would be to read this brand new guide, which includes the 40 best hikes in the parks, good restaurants and the hotel accommodations necessary to make your trip a success. Broken down into seven informative sections including travel essentials, day hikes, personal safety and enough history to make you feel right at home upon your arrival. Relax, unwind and take a deep breath, while this pocket guide covers the trying details of travel-hopping all in one pleasurable read. Very much recommended.
Going Places Alaska and the Yukon for Families
by Nancy Thalia Reynolds, c. 2005, $21.95
One of the Going Places series, this is a very practical read for any traveler considering going to Alaska and the Yukon. It gives price guides and tips about how to save money throughout the trip. It has a personal touch to it, with articles and stories from kids and families who have already visited and liked different sites in Alaska. The “Parent Tips” throughout the guide prepare families for the realities of Alaskan travel. The guide has sections on traveling as a family, traveling in Alaska, reviews of major Alaskan cruises, and information on what to see and do, where to stay, and travel arrangements for different regions in Alaska. It is a good guide for someone who has never been to Alaska, or someone who wants to see it from a different point of view, either on or off a ship.
The Unofficial Guide to California with Kids
by Colleen Dunn Bates, Hungry Minds, c. 2006, $18.99
This book offers no-nonsense advice on planning a trip to California that the whole family will enjoy. Every attraction is rated and ranked for each age group. Details on family-friendly restaurants, beaches, and resorts are particularly useful. It also provides special advice for budget-minded families and single parent families.
PassPorter’s Walt Disney World for Your Special Needs
by Deb Wills and Debra Martin Koma, c.2005, $22.95
Released in late 2005, this new addition to the PassPorter Travel Press catalog has more than 400 pages of in-depth information for Disney World vacationers of all abilities. The book offers in-depth coverage of every ride, attraction and resort on Walt Disney World property from a distinctive “special needs” perspective, covering not only the obvious efforts made but the invisible accommodations available for those who know how to ask.
All Aboard Family Vacation Planner
How Not To Lose Your Mind, Your Keys, And Your Zest For Adventure
by Joan Nosal, c. 2004, 13.95
This planning guide is especially useful for inexperienced travelers. It covers everything from booking a flight and renting a car, to getting the young ones involved in the planning process too (taking some of the pressure off of you)! Made with additional pages for jotting down notes, this book saves you the hassle of saving a million scraps of paper; instead, you can keep all of your confirmation and reservation numbers, dates and times, in one place! A great tool for the enthusiastic traveling family.
VACATIONS ABROAD
Take the Kids: London and
Take the Kids: Short Breaks from London
by Joseph Fullman, c. 2002-2006, $17.95
These guides follow the format of the other “Take the Kids” guides, by exploring a majority of the attractions and looking at them with a kid’s perspective in mind. With their top tips and ideas on what to do based on the time of the year, these guides give insight to an intricate area. Divided into regions, each lists features well-known attractions, secondary sights and worthwhile locations nearby. “Kids In” and “Kids Out” sections list activities and locations for different moods and interests of kids, as well as activities for different types of weather. A mixture of maps, “did you know” facts, pictures, history, and “tell me a story” summaries renders the guide useful when planning and participating in your trip.
Take the Kids Travelling
by Helen Truszkowski (Cadogan Guides), c. 2000, $16.95
This guide might contain everything you have ever thought about and the things you forgot when it comes to travel. It explores how to best prepare yourself to decide when to vacation, save money, choose your means of transport, stay away from home, travel as a single parent, travel safety, and eat away from home. The guide also highlights medical considerations, traveling pastimes, and just as importantly, how to prepare your child. A wide variety of resources and contact information are offered for places all over the world, but the majority of these details will be useful in the United Kingdom.
Take the Kids: England
by Joseph Fullman, Cadogan Guides, c. 2007, $21.95
Traveling with kids can take more time and effort than your regular job, but this guide tries to do most of the work for you—so you will have enough energy to enjoy your vacation with your kids. From when is best to travel with your kids and what age is best for different activities, the guide gets you thinking about the realities of vacationing, before providing you with more practical information to get you thinking about the specifics of your trip. From contact information for travel agents, tours, places to stay, to tips about getting to England and traveling within England, the guide encourages you to answer questions you will be glad they thought of---common things that we might be likely to forget such as differences in climate, food, money and medical treatments. The guide divides England into 10 regions, and divides vacationing in each region by top towns, special trips, kids out (a look at parks, gardens and beaches), kids in (a look at galleries, museums, theaters), animal magic (farms, sea life centers, wildlife parks, zoos) sporty kids (biking, bowling, boating, skating) and eating out. Hours of operation, fees, and useful contact information are listed along with summaries of the wide range of activities included in the guide. Maps and resources for hotels and other accommodations are also helpful tools in the guide.
Take the Kids: Paris
by Helen Truszkowski, Cadogan Guides, c. 2006, $18.95
If you are looking for tips and tools for exploring Paris with you child, then this book about Paris and Disneyland Paris might be just the book you want. Its pages are filled with maps, pictures, and contact information, in addition to different perspectives and ideas about what to see and how to see it. Summarizing the top sites in the traditional manner of a guide from an adult’s perspective, it also fuses insights on what kids might find interesting. Dividing the city into Grande Axe, the Eiffel Tower, Pompidou Centre and the Marais, Ile de la Cite and the Left Bank, the Latin Quarter, Montmartre, La Villete and days out (for day trips), it lists what activities are available at each location, contact information, and various places to eat. In addition to this information that will help you get around in the city, the guide includes a “Need to Know” section, with details about everyday necessities and French etiquette—money, babysitting, tipping—as well as suggestions about where to sleep, eat and shop. The second half of the guide is the reason your kids might beg you to buy this book---it has over 200 pages about Disneyland Paris. With the costs, attractions, shops and dining locations of Disneyland Resort Paris and the lands within Disneyland Paris—Main Street, USA, Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland---you and your kids will be ready to ride every ride and see every show at Disneyland Paris.
Take Your Kids to Europe: How to Travel Safely (and Sanely) In Europe with Your Children
by Cynthia W. Harriman, The Overseas Travel Guide for Thinking Families, c. 2007, $16.95
If you need to be reassured of your sanity in deciding to take your family to Europe, then this is the book that will put your mind at ease. The authors are fellow travelers who vacationed abroad with their kids. Their advice is organized into helping you plan before you go and while you are on the road, helping you define a home base on foreign ground, and listing the pros and cons of the best-known sites in Great Britain, France, Benelux, Denmark, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Gibraltar, and Morocco. While this guide provides background information about different tourist attractions, its insights are more colorful than more traditional, fact-based guides. This is a useful guide for adults who want a broad range of information about traveling in Europe safely, specific tips about traveling with kids, and interesting perspectives on various attractions.
Frommer's Amsterdam
by George McDonald, Frommer's Complete, c. 2007, $16.99
Like others in the Frommer's City Guide series, this is for those who want to know the nitty gritty practicalities of their urban destination. Myriad sections in the Amsterdam guide include advice about entertainment, sports and activities, where and what to eat, where to shop, and where to sleep among the canals, and provide suggestions that will make foreigners feel more at home in their new surroundings. It gives you exact prices to attractions and hotels, so you can plan the perfect trip for whatever budget you may have. Families can enjoy their vacation without worrying with health and safety tips. The “Bored Kids” and “Best of Kids’ Amsterdam” chapters prepare parents for the moment that is inevitable on family vacations—when kids want a change of pace and to do something new. The guide provides contact information for numerous attractions, services and venues that are handy to know, along with many useful maps. The book also gives a brief list of phrases and some common vocabulary in English and their equivalent in Dutch, along with a few tips on pronunciation.
Directions
Rough Guides, $10.99
This guidebook series gives an in depth look at a specific location (several titles are available ranging from San Francisco to Barcelona), easing the reader into the area with a brief introduction, providing tips about when to visit and other summarizing facts. Then the guides separate into sections covering “Ideas,” “Places,” “Accommodations” and “Essentials.” The “Ideas” section provides sights to see for specific tastes: the gourmet, the kids, the literary traveler, the sports fan or the architect. “Places” explores travel locations based upon unique regions within the area. “Accommodations” reviews different places to stay and provides addresses, phone numbers, Web sites, and rates. “Essentials” advises readers on arrival, general information, transportation, tours, festivals and holidays. In addition to this wealth of information, Directions guides come with built-in maps and a full text e-Book for computers and PDAs (convenient for on-the-go travelers) with links to travel Web sites.
The Rough Guide to the Loire 2
Rough Guides, c. 2007, $19.99
Want a guide that reveals the historic and practical about a larger region that just your arrival city? Rough Guides offers this series, so we reviewed their impressive Loire Valley guide, written with the modern traveler in mind. There is a thorough history of the Loire Valley region and, equally important, an inclusion of Web sites for nearly every location. Touraine, Blois and Sologne, the Haut Berry, the Orleanais, the Saumurois, Central Anjou, and the northern approaches, are the distinct parts of the Loire Valley that Rough Guide will guide you through. For each area, the guide lists and explains general information, history, travel directions, accommodations, monuments, cathedrals, and chateaux, dining locations (including places where you can sample the region's wine), festivals, and venues for nightlife activities. Price guides, maps, weather information, “Things Not to Miss” and basic French phrases are some of the convenient sections of the guide. Overall, the approach of the guide is to provide history of the region, directions and specific information about how to get places. First time visitors to France might want to find another source to learn more about general French customs and social differences from their country of origin.
Time Out Cheap Eats in London
Time Out Guides, c. 2007, $11.95
Here's a good dining guide, one of a popular series from the magazine Time Out.Whoever started the rumor that the food is always bad in England should read this book, as should others who want to know where to find a good meal for practically every appetite. Written by local and travel journalists, this guide covers the diversity of cuisines and their cultural background. The guide recommends dishes, lists locations, hours, prices, and notes whether the venue accepts credit cards. The guide does not include whether children’s menus or highchairs are available.
Great Eats Italy
by Sandra Gustafson, c. 2005, $14.95
More of an intellectual look at cuisine rather than a listing of restaurants, this is a great guide to study before a trip to Italy (Florence, Rome or Venice to be exact) to prepare for the cultural differences that make eating a foreign experience. While the book does give insights into broader language and cultural differences, it is primarily a guide to the experience of dining in Italy. The author presents tips and customs suggesting when, where and what to eat. With 250 restaurant reviews including contact information, price guides, directions and descriptions of any unique history for each venue, this guide has a personal, user-friendly format.
Footprint South American Handbook 2007
by Ben Box, c. 2006, $34.95
The guide presents over 1,500 pages for all of South America. If used to its fullest, this handbook has the potential to be a very valuable resource. For each region, the guide lists sights, things to do and some basic realities. Price guides for the places it recommends to stay and eat at are helpful in vacation planning. In addition to the attractions of South America, the guide reveals the steps that should be taken before visiting South America, includes a brief Spanish and Portuguese language guide, and explains the history, culture and other background information of the land and its inhabitants.
TROPICAL DESTINATIONS
Caribbean Family Vacations (National Geographic Guide to Caribbean Family Vacations)
by Candyce H. Stapen, National Geographic, c. 2003, $20.00
Covering the Caribbean islands as well as coastal central America, this guidebook shows families how and where to enjoy numerous activities. It is packed with insider info and is a great resource for planning a family trip. It's a few years old but the island profiles are still valuable in helping you select a destination; there are sound planning tools to help you organize a memorable family vacation.
Conde Nast Johansens’ Recommended Hotels Inns & Resorts North America, Bermuda, Caribbean, Mexico, Pacific,
c. 2003, $21.95
This is a guide that takes the reader inside independent hotels, inns and resorts that offer an experience that differs from most chain hotels. The useful source not only describes the venue, its surroundings, and the features and restrictions of the site, but it has beautiful pictures on every page. For each hotel it tells what amenities are available, if children can stay (and if there is an age minimum), and whether fishing, golfing, riding, swimming or any other outdoor activities are available near the vacation spot or on site. In addition, it provides brief information about the locale and any interesting history about the area. Inspectors for the guide also add their personal touch: the book often says, “our inspector loved,” a comment that points out a particularly unique asset of the location. A guide to prices, directions and contact information is included as well.
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