California Cowboy Country

Trade the traditional resort vacation for a one-of-a-kind family adventure at Alisal Ranch, a luxurious 10,500-acre guest ranch in California’s beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. This fall and winter, your family can save 25% on select Sunday through Thursday stays with Alisal’s Ranch Reset offer. Your stay includes a luxury ranch cottage, full breakfast and dinner each day, beverages at the ranch’s bars and restaurants, an in-room welcome amenity and a cozy Fireside Favorites basket. Children age 6 and under stay complimentary.

Spend your days enjoying the great outdoors with hiking, biking, fishing and exploring the ranch’s private lake. Horseback riding, archery, golf and spa treatments are also available for an additional charge. For families who want to make the most of their stay, the Adventure Alisal package includes two ranch activities each day.

The Ranch Reset offer is available for new reservations on select midweek dates from October through January 2027. A two-night minimum stay applies, and holidays and blackout dates are excluded.

Adventure at Sea with Aurora Expeditions

Looking for a family vacation that goes far beyond the ordinary? Aurora Expeditions has just expanded its voyages to welcome children ages 6 and older, opening the door for families to experience some of the world’s most extraordinary destinations together.

On these small-ship expedition voyages to Antarctica, the Arctic, Europe, Asia and Central and South America, your family can get up close to wildlife in its natural habitat, explore remote coastlines by Zodiac, meet local communities and learn from expert expedition guides. Rather than simply sightseeing, children have the opportunity to experience glaciers, whales, penguins and remote cultures firsthand turning a family vacation into an unforgettable learning adventure.

Aurora’s purpose-built expedition ships offer a more intimate way to explore, with expedition teams leading shore excursions, wildlife encounters and educational programs onboard. It’s an especially appealing option for families with older children and teens who are ready for something more adventurous and meaningful than a traditional resort vacation.

And there’s an added incentive for families: children ages 6–15 can receive savings of up to 50% off the best available fare on eligible voyages!

Rosewood Bermuda Full STEAM Ahead

We love a resort with a quality children’s program. Rosewood Bermuda has reimagined its program to feature more hands-on and educational activities beyond basic crafts and movie nights.  In partnership with Water Lilies of Bermuda, the new Rosewood Explorers Club now features a variety of STEAM activities to help connect your children to the culture and environment of this island destination. Highlights of the program include:

Bermuda Cultural Arts Integration: Join Gombey educators and traditional craft makers to learn about the destination’s history, design and engineering principle through artistic expression.

Island Science & Nature Studies: Learn about native herbs and plants through wild botanicals, wild edible foraging, culinary and medicinal lessons, and sustainability conversations with local herbalist Dr. Doreen William-James.

Marine & Environmental Exploration: Engage in coastal environmental stewardship activities like beach bombing for plastics to reuse for arts and crafts.

Creative Engineering Challenges: Participate in hands-on building experiences like miniature bridge-building, wind-powered designs and other small-scale innovation projects.

Guest Specialists & Community Presenters: The kids’ club will also feature a rotating panel of experts from the arts, sciences and local heritage community.

Additionally, other kid-friendly activities at the resort include aquatic play with certified professionals and a Junior Golf and Tennis Academy. Now through the end of the year, the resort is offering a free night with a 2, 3 or 4 night stay! And we are also part of Rosewood Elite, an invitation only program that adds daily breakfast, upgrades, welcome gifts and additional benefits to each Rosewood stay.

Family-Friendly Rome Retreat

How does a peaceful hotel retreat amid the energy and excitement of Rome sound? Six Senses Rome offers families a wonderful blend of luxury, wellness and authentic Roman experiences. Opened in 2023 with just 96 distinctive rooms and suites, the hotel is tucked just off Via del Corso, placing many of Rome’s most iconic sights within easy walking distance.

What makes Six Senses Rome especially appealing for families is its thoughtful programming designed to help children connect with the destination. Young travelers can explore Italian culture through hands-on experiences such as cooking classes, fresco workshops and Gladiator School, while the Earth Lab introduces them to sustainability through fun, interactive activities. At the Alchemy Bar, your children can even create their own customized skincare products, and kids’ yoga offers a chance to slow down and recharge after a busy day of sightseeing. Children are also treated to special welcome amenities, daily ice cream and mocktails, making them feel genuinely welcomed rather than simply accommodated. Kids ages 3–11 dine at 50% off, while children under 3 eat free.

For families who need extra space, the hotel’s Family Time package offers 50% savings on a connecting or adjacent Deluxe Room when booking a Deluxe Junior Suite or Deluxe Suite. The package also includes daily breakfast for the family and access to the hotel’s spectacular Roman Baths for guests ages 16 and older.

It’s an ideal choice for families who want to experience the best of Rome while having a beautiful, tranquil retreat to return to at the end of the day.

Trip Review: An Italian Art Adventure

The Gottlieb family from Jacksonville, FL, grandparents traveling with their 18-year-old grandson, celebrated his high school graduation with a special arts-focused journey through Italy. Their itinerary included Rome, Florence and Venice, making it an ideal first Italian adventure as a multigenerational family.

Their trip began with two nights at Singer Palace Rome, where they especially loved the warm and welcoming staff. In Rome, they enjoyed a variety of private half-day tours of the Colosseum area, the Jewish Ghetto and the Vatican. They were particularly impressed with their guide for Jewish Rome but noted that every guide throughout the trip was outstanding, sharing not only their knowledge but also their genuine love for their city and its history.

On their journey north, they stopped in Siena for a privately guided tour of this beautiful medieval city, followed by lunch before continuing to Florence. Their three-night stay at Grand Hotel Minerva was enjoyable, especially the rooftop bar with its spectacular panoramic views of Florence.

Their private and eclectic half day tour experiences in Florence included a city highlights tour, visits to the city’s renowned art museums and a fascinating artisan tour featuring traditional workshops for paper making, goldsmithing and mosaics. The family told us the artisan experience was a real treat and one of the unexpected highlights of the trip. To cap off their Florence stay, they enjoyed a memorable pasta and tiramisu-making class in a chef’s home, which doubled as a delicious and memorable dinner.

From Florence, the family traveled by train to Venice, where they spent two nights at Violino d’Oro Venezia, ideally located right on a canal. They loved the hotel’s unique layout, which spans three interconnected buildings…a maze they quickly learned to navigate! In Venice, they capped off a great trip with several more half day tours of St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, and also a private boat excursion to the islands of Murano and Burano.  Here they met local lace and glass artisans and even participated in a private glassmaking workshop. Their Italian adventure came to a colorful close with a Venetian mask-painting workshop.  And a private canal boat ride back to the airport for their trip home.

The Gottlieb family’s trip is a perfect example of why custom travel is such a wonderful way to experience the world as a family. Every element was thoughtfully chosen around their interests, ages and budget, creating a trip that felt personal and meaningful to everyone.  It was certainly jammed pack, but worthwhile for the amount of time they wanted to travel.  And, as they told us, “Every little detail turned out just over the top!”

Travel Tip: New EU Air Regulations

A package of reforms granting additional rights to air passengers was formally approved by the Council of the European Union. The new rules are to go into force in mid-2027. What are the new rules for air travel in Europe?  And will the US ever catch up?

• Children below 14 will have the right to sit next to their parents without seat reservation fees
• Pregnant people and those with reduced mobility will also be able to sit next to a travel companion without seat reservation fees
• Airlines will be obliged to correct false spellings of passenger names on tickets free of charge
• They will also be required to provide printed boarding passes to checked-in passengers at no extra cost
• Airlines, intermediaries and booking platforms will be required to display fares including cabin baggage by default to enable an easier price comparison
• Passengers who miss the outbound leg of a return ticket will be able to take the return flight with no penalty
• Passengers who are forced to travel in a lower class than booked will receive automatic refunds