From MileHighMamas.com; photo courtesy of Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce (pic above)

***CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO***

Amber is the funny, outdoorsy, ski-lovin’, transplanted Canadian who lives here in Colorado now with her hubby and two young kids. Her favorite stop of 2009 was Crested Butte, and after a visit to her blog to read about it, I can see why. The playgrounds, music festival, kids’ camp…This definitely has to be on the Bergrens’ own Tour de Colorado for 2010. You can see her fantastic pics and read her helpful info HERE.

***LONDON, ENGLAND***

Our favorite family travel stop of 2009? LONDON! You can read about our fun mother/daughter trip HERE.

We can hardly wait to go back… But these other travel bloggers who take their families on the road are inspiring me to go to other places with the kidlets in 2010 and beyond! So much of the world to see, so little time (and moola!) See what catches your fancy…

***CASCADES D’OUZOUD, MOROCCO***

From travelsavvymom.com; photo by Kayt Sukel

Kayt is an American freelance writer living in Germany, and doing her best to travel the world with her young son in tow. She even ventured as far as Morocco, and posted this funny, enlightening and inspirational story of her day trip from Marrakesh to the Cascades D’Ouzoud. If we ever get to Morocco, we want to see those waterfalls too (but we’ll hope to miss the horny monkeys!)

P.S. I asked—you CAN swim in that pool below!

P.P.S. Heading to PARIS with your kids? Watch this funny video (below) from Kayt after a visit to the heady Musee d’Orsay in Paris with her son. She nails a younger kid’s interest, and a tween’s too. (My tween and teen had about two hours of stamina for the Musee d’Orsay—about all you can ask of most kids.)

***STRATFORD, CANADA***

From journeywoman.com; photo by Evelyn Hannon

This Canadian grandmother loves to take her grandchildren on “juicy adventures” as a gift for their birthdays. When they’re younger, she starts out with a night away at a hotel. But for this trip, Evelyn’s grandson turned eight, and despite the naysayers, she took him (via train—score #1) to a Shakespeare festival (yes, REALLY!) in Stratford, CANADA, and they had a blast.

***MEXICO—no, not THAT Mexico!***

From thevacationgals.com (ColoradoGal); photo by Kara Williams

Kara is a mom of two young children who calls Mexico her “perennial favorite” family travel destination. I loved this post about three secret spots you might not have heard of…but should. If you’ve tried Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, etc, but are tired of them/don’t think they fit your clan’s travel needs, let Kara fill you in on the gems also known as Puerto Morelos, Sayulita, and Bucerias.

***MEXICO: ZIHUATANEJO***

From thecareyadventures.com; photo by Peter Carey

While we’re on the subject of Mexico…
Peter is a laid back, single dad blogger (as well as a beautiful photographer) who likes to take his daughter with him on at least one big trip a year. They went off-roading in Oregon this year, but this was his favorite trip with Sabrina, a nine post series on their relaxing trip to another little known part of Mexico, Zihuatanejo (at least it’s new to ME!). You can read part two and find links to the others.

P.S. This father/daughter duo is going to AFRICA in February 2010!

***GALAPAGOS ISLANDS***

From familyonbikes.com; photo by Nancy Sathre-Vogel

This family is on an amazing two year journey from the top of North America to the bottom of South America—on bikes! This is a couple who fell in love while touring India on bikes, and now have their two sons taking a spectacular trip that would put them in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest to cover the PanAmerican Highway. Pretty darn cool. According to Nancy, their favorite destination stop of 2009 was the Galapagos Islands. You can read their series of posts HERE. (Be sure to click on the links to the other island reports—there are 5 in total. And watch their videos with your kids!)

***NOVA SCOTIA***

From KeepMeSmiling.blogspot.com; photo by Lorraine Akemann from Keeps Me Smiling

Lorraine is a travel blogger, the mom of two young girls, and co-founder of My Busy Kit (great for kids, ages 3 to 7) and momswithapps (a Google group). I enjoyed her series on Nova Scotia, a place I’d like to take my kids someday too. Their spectacular photos make me feel like I’m there already. My favorite among them is the reality-based post about going whale watching—don’t miss it! You can read the series of posts HERE.

***CINQUE TERRE, ITALY***

From SoulTravelers3.com; photo courtesy of SoulTravelers3

This trio has been on the road for some time. Born to middle-aged parents, five year old “Mozart” has been to many countries because her folks retired early, sold everything, invested wisely, and live frugally. They travel for much of the year in a small RV, then like to settle for the winter someplace warm—typically Southern Spain. This was their favorite stop of 2009: Cinque Terre, Italy.

P.S. Also check out this amazing VIDEO from them, featuring Mozart playing her violin all around the world! You’ll want to watch it WITH your kids…

***HAWAII: THE BIG ISLAND & KAUAI***

From thevacationgals.com; photo courtesy of gohawaii.com

Jennifer is a travel writer and mom of two, living in California. I asked her why she loves going to Hawaii so much, when SoCal has its own beautiful beaches, and she said, “It’s a good solution for kids—easy flight, it’s still in the U.S., but there’s great diversity in the islands and a South Pacific feel that makes you feel like you’re really away. It’s a continuously interesting travel experience for parents since there’s everything from lux to adventure travel.” They did four days with the grandparents on the BIG ISLAND and then went on to KAUAI by themselves.

P.S. Jennifer loves all of Hawaii, not just Kauai, and recommends Maui for families with toddlers.

***HAWAII: THE BIG ISLAND***

From Travel-with-Teens.com; photo courtesy of 2009@travel-with-teens.com

Mary is the mother of two, now 16 and 12, but when they went to the Big Island of Hawaii last year with Dad, the kids were 15 and 11. Mary obviously plans activity-based exploration, a wise choice for trips with kids this age, and their first reports make me want to go back to Hawaii—where I had several adventures with my own family, growing up. You can see the Top 10 list for them, which links to unique reports, including exploration of volcanoes, a Place of Refuge hike, and killer snorkeling spots.

***CALIFORNIA: SEA WORLD (SAN DIEGO)***

From TravelSavvyMom.com; photo by Jamie Pearson

I love this blog that combines reviews of family friendly hotels with related destination articles. Jamie travels with her two young kids, and now she’s made me—a woman raised in SoCal who avoids the Big Parks As Much as Possible When Home—yes, me, want to return to SeaWorld, with my own kiddos. Sigh. I’ll just add it to my LegoLand and DisneyLand itinerary and get ‘em all done at once. Kids will be ecstatic. And it sounds like I might have some fun too…

**BONUS**
This was her beautiful post on the Big Island of Hawaii (noted also by Jennifer and Mary above as 2009 family highlights), another favorite stop for the Pearson family in 2009!

***FREDERICKSURG, TEXAS***

From Wandering-off.blogspot.com; photo by Sarah V.

Willkommen to Texas! An hour north of San Antonio, Sarah—once an art history instructor, now a travelin’ mom—has discovered this charming German town among the hill country of Texas, filled with historic buildings. It was so great, she went back twice (and it wasn’t just for the beer)! See the first of her two posts HERE.

P.S. I also liked THIS LIST of things to do in Fredericksburg.

***LAS VEGAS WITH KIDS: Really!***

From thevacationgals.com; photo by Beth Blair

I always inwardly cringe when I hear of families trekking to Las Vegas with kids in tow. Yeah, I know there are great pools and shows and a couple of rides they can go on. But all I can see are kids hanging out next to adults at the slots—is that even allowed??—or stuck in their hotel rooms, nice, though they may be. Here, in this report, Beth has found a place that even Provincial Me would sanction as a great place to go with kids. And they are fully licensed—meaning they can take care of/entertain your kids while you go to the show or gamble the night away! This is a place every family needs to know about if Vegas is in their future travel plans. Read Beth’s report HERE.

***OTHER GREAT POSTS WITH HELPFUL INFORMATION***

BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY POOLS

From TravelMamas.com; photo courtesy of Grand Wailea

Whether we’re stopping for the night on the road, or heading to the tropics on vacation, my kids always want to know about The Pool. Colleen has rounded up the best of the best for families from around the world, including North America, Cancun and Hawaii. One she might not know about, and where we stay every year en route to the lake house in Montana, is the Best Western Kelly Inn & Suites in Billings, with indoor water park. It’s amazing! But if your travel plans aren’t taking you through the Big Sky state, check Colleen’s post out HERE (as well as “honorable mentions” in the comments that follow.)

DISNEYWORLD: With a twist (of lemon in your lemon drop)

From travelingmamas.com; photo by Walt Disney World

Tim and I were shocked to find an Italian trattoria in California Adventure/Disneyland during our trip in 2009. Shocked and completely delighted. Growing up, hooch was verboten in the world of Walt. And I can see Disney’s point—the last thing you need are drunk adults in an amusement park. But after twelve hours on our feet, negotiating lines and bathrooms and rides with three kids, having a glass of red melted away the angst and helped us concentrate on all the good. In this post, Shannon, a traveling mom, shares her insights on everywhere you can score an adult beverage in Walt Disney World.