Day 1: Milan (12/26)
We did a great job of sleeping on the plane so we arrived rested and ready to take on the day.  I always recommend the overnight flights to Europe. As soon as the dinner service is ended, it is time for my turtle neck pillow and my eye shade and I am out. That way you arrive well-rested to conquer your first day of vacation.
 
We rented a car ahead of time in Milan for pickup at the airport. We didn’t need it to explore Milan since it is a very walkable city, but we needed it to get to Madonna di Campiglio for the skiing. The rental car center was attached to the airport in the parking deck. We quickly learned that none of the cars were large enough for the four of us, and our four large, hard sided bags. To be fair, even if we had used soft-sided luggage it still would not have all fit. (For the record - I was very proud of my efficient packing of ski clothes and my capsule collections and keeping it all to just one bag, but I digress.) We literally had to go back to the rental counter 3 times and get assigned multiple different cars and try the luggage Tetris game in each of them (and failing in each of them) before they were able to give us their version of a Jeep Cherokee, which held us and all of our bags - but only if the back seat folded down on one side, and the boys squished next to each other for the while ride. Not ideal. Not very comfortable, but we made it work. Because it was the absolutely the largest car they had.
 
Now we were  hungry and eager to see the sights.  It was not a long drive into the city, and we were able to park in a garage near all of the shopping.  to see some of the highlights. In fact, we were very close to the Instagram famous sandwich shop. Unfortunately the line itself was something to behold. We passed and headed on to the main plaza and the cathedral.
 
The Piazza del Duomo, and the pigeons, were both overwhelming. We walked all around the cathedral and enjoyed the architecture from all sides before heading inside. This also allowed us to get some freshly baked pretzels and some beverages from the holiday market along the way.
 
After taking in the enormity of the Duomo, we ventured to the roof for the indescribably breathtaking views. The combination of the architectural detail, the views of the city, and the complexity of the design combine to be something I could not have even imagined.
 
From there we had to experience the beauty of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and make a visit to its most famous resident – the bull mosaic.
 
After some gelato we wanted to explore more of the city, so we headed towards the
Sforzeco Castle. It was a lovely walk, and the castle was an amazing reward.  From there we headed into Sempione Park and visited the famous Mermaid bridge and the famous arch.
 
We were enjoying Milan so much that we left a bit later than we had initially intended, so it was dark for most of our drive to the Dolomites. Our destination was the Beverly Hotel in Pinzolo.  The drive was dark and twisty, and the roads were extremely narrow as we passed through various villages. It was nerve-wracking and mentally exhausting. But the hotel exceeded all of our expectations, and dinner was amazing.

Day 4: 1st day in Venice  (12/29)
We got up early for our drive to Venice, knowing it would take about 3 hours. Driving the narrow country roads in the daylight was still nerve-wracking, but at least we could see how beautiful the towns were. We returned the rental car in the parking garage just over the bridge, then took a water taxi to the hotel. In addition to the fabulous reviews and its great location, I had selected the Hotel Dell’Opera because it has a water gate/entrance and I wanted the boys to
experience the city by water upon arrival.
 
After dropping off our things, we headed out to take in the sights. We started at St. Mark’s Square and got some lunch nearby. We unfortunately missed our timed tickets to the rooftop access tickets to T Fondaco dei Tedeschi, at Calle del Fontego Dei Tedeschi, Rialto Bridge. But if you can make that happen, I hear the views are great.
 
We had a 4pm meeting time with our guide for a sunset boat tour of Venice (The Secrets of the Grand Canal – Boat Tour from Viator). Our guide was a graduate student at the university, and was a wealth of knowledge about the city, the neighborhoods, and the history. The city was showing off between all of the gorgeous the buildings and their Christmas light displays. But the view of the large. Christmas tree at St. Mark’s from the water was just stunning.

Dinner that night was a casual affair at Rossopomodoro, near St. Mark’s at Calle Larga. I am sure that some people would say that it is a bit touristy, but the food was solid and plenty, and it was exactly what we needed after a day of over 22K steps. There are quite a few places just like it in the immediate vicinity – all of them are good. We ended up eating at couple of them.
 
Day 5: 2nd day in Venice (12/30)
I could go to art museums all day long, but I am realistic and acknowledge that I was traveling with teenaged boys who – while they love art museums as well – would easily become maxed out on art over the course of the next week if I didn’t mix it up a little. So I was excited to find the Doge’s Palace, Prison and Secret Passage Way tour from Get Your Guide. It was super cool, with exclusive access to the back passageways of the Palace, and we were able to visit the cell where Cassanova was held prisoner before escaping. And we got to walk over the infamous Bridge of Sighs.

​Day 6: 3rd day in Venice (NYE)
Today we took a morning water taxi to Murano, and thoroughly enjoyed the glassmaking experience at the Original Murano Glass OMG Factory and Showroom. Afterwards, we had an extremely memorable lunch at Ristorante La Fornace. The views back over the lagoon towards Venice were just beautiful, and the food was wonderful. I highly recommend making reservations ahead of time. 

After lunch we took the water taxi to the Peggy Guggenhim Collection museum.  I had bought our tickets ahead of time to ensure that we could visit, and since the museum is relatively small I would highly recommend doing the same. The collection is so unique and from such a pivot moment in modern art – it feels like you’re in a time capsule. I loved it.
 
From here we took the water taxi back to St. Mark’s Square.  I was feeling artsy and creative after the museum, so we headed to Harry’s Bar for some history and literary vibes before heading back to the hotel. Unfortunately I crashed when we got back to the hotel and spent NYE in bed with a fever and a horrible sinus infection, but the boys ventured out and enjoyed the fireworks at midnight. The photos were beautiful.

Day 9: Travel to Rome
The next morning was another early train for us (9:28am) which got us into Rome a few minutes before noon. Our first stop was the Hotel Abruzzi, located just to the edge of the plaza of the Pantheon (one of our absolutely favorite spots in Rome). Surprisingly, our room was ready so we were able to drop off our bags and settle in a little before heading out to have some lunch and explore.  The boys could not wait to see Rome!
 
We spent the afternoon exploring the ancient part of the city, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi fountain, and searching for the Roma soccer store, of course. I was excited to explore the Castillo de Sant’Angelo (also known as the Museum of Hadrian). I had never been there, so I was fascinated by the history of the ancient castle.  And since we arrived in the late afternoon, we left at twilight and the result were some remarkable photographs. We saw a lot, and covered over 25K steps.
 
Dinner that night was at Rimessa Roscioli, which came highly recommended from my cousin Nicole and her husband. They had lived in Italy for a while on sabbatical, and they had some phenomenal recommendations for us. This was definitely one of them. It surpassed all of our expectations and was another truly memorable meal. Oh - and we joined the Roscioli wine club. But I digress…
 
Many nights on this trip, the boys would want to get back to the hotel by 9pm to watch whatever professional European soccer game was on TV that night. At dinner the conversation turned to the fact that we would be getting back to the hotel just in time for the Roma soccer game to start. So I asked “Roma? As in Rome?” Because I had seen on the map that while we couldn’t walk to the stadium, it wasn’t that far away. We impulsively bought tickets online from the Italian version of StubHub before we even left the table at the restaurant. We hopped in an Uber and got there just a few minutes after the game started. And it was epic. It was everything you wanted a European soccer fan experience to be: Loud, yelling, flares in the fan zones, paddy wagons already parked outside as a deterrent to hooliganism. It was impulsive, a bit expensive, and absolutely worth it.

We needed to head to our hotel, and since it was next to the airport we knew it would be a bit of a taxi ride. So for our last stop, we visited the cats at the Largo di Torre Argentina, one last time.
 
 
Day 13: Depart
 
​As you plan your own trip, please be sure to visit B visit my list of Top 10 Travel Essentials.
 
And as promised, here is my Restaurant list for Rome:Salumeria Roscioli
note: They also have Rimessa Roscioli next door – same food, more casual setup.  (This was our favorite restaurant of the whole trip. SO good! We even signed up for the wine club while we were there and it’s been great.)

Il Chianti Vineria
If they have the puntartelle salad….wow! Bitter and crunchy with anchovy dressing if you like that. I do!

Piato Romano
 La Gattabuia
Nannarella

And if  you have time, definitely go to the Jewish Ghetto for the artichokes alla giudia…but Roman style artichokes are also really delicious.
Giggeto al Portico Di’Ottavia

Nonna Betta is really good.

Ristorante Velavevodetto  *****This place is cool because it is built into a cliff that was basically a garbage heap for ancient people to dump their jugs and broken pottery. There are glass panels in the walls for you to see piled up ancient shards of pottery. (This recommendation came from my cousin while she was there on sabbatical.  They loved it, and it sounds cool but without a car it’s a bit far. Just something to keep in mind).
 

When traveling, there are a few things that you can do ahead of time to protect yourself in case of emergency.  If you’re lucky, you’ll never need to implement any of this and your partner will just think you’re a little paranoid. But the minute you need to act on any of this, you’ll be so glad that you did.

1.  Travel Insurance:
Always buy the travel insurance. If you or someone in your group need emergency care and or a medivac, it can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Take the insurance. It’s worth it.
 
2.  Medical Benefits:
Make copies of your medical cards, and keep the phone number for your insurance handy.  My US health provider also provides telehealth internationally. Check to see if yours does as well. And be sure to get international insurance for the duration of the trip.
 
3. Prescriptions:
I make a small dopp kit of just medicines. This is a list of possible prescriptions you should bring with you. Since they are prescriptions, I bring them in my carry-on: 
Z Packs
Azithromycin
Epi pens
Plus any prescribed medications you may be taking
 
4.  OTC:
I have another small makeup bag that I fill with general medicine cabinet items that we may need. Suggested OTC medicines to pack:
Gas X
Immodium
Advil and Tylenol
Dramamine
Claritin and or Zytrek D
A decongestant
Benadryl
 
5.  First Aid:
A first aid kit with band-aids of a variety of sizes, Neosporin, an ace bandage, tweezers, alcohol wipes, some gauze pads and some waterproof tape. I pack this in a ziplock bag so it is easy to see everything in it in an emergency, and it’s easy to squish into daypacks.
 
6.  Vaccines:
Be sure to check the CDC website for any recommended vaccines for your trip. DO this as soon as you book it, as some vaccines will need to be ordered by your doctor’s office, plus there may be a period of time that needs to pass before they are effective. Or there may be a series of vaccines needed (e.g. rabies).
 
7.  Passports and Visas:
Take photos of your passports – both the picture pages and the bar code in the back, and any visas you may need for this trip. Email them to yourself and keep it in the cloud. Print two hard copies and leave one with a friend or family back home, and place a second copy in your luggage, separate from the passports.  This will make it much easier for state department and embassy officials to issue emergency passports in case they are stolen or lost.
 
8.  State Department:
Register your trip with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) with the state department. Also, make a note of the addresses and phone numbers of the US embassies closest to the cities that you’ll be visiting.
 
9.  Credit Cards:
Make copies of your credit card information and the customer service phone numbers. Be sure to put international travel alerts on your cards as needed.
 
10.  Connectivity:
Make sure you have what’s app downloaded to your phone and that you are comfortable using it. Internationally that is how everyone will want to contact you – for drivers, reservations, or even your hotel. Also, I highly recommend that you bring a fully charged battery bank with you each day. You won’t always have a chance to plug in and charge, especially if you are remote.
 
 

​The seventh and final stop of the tour may have been my favorite.  It was at One Stone Ital Shack for a vegetarian appetizer and some juice. I had the soursop juice and it was sooo good.  But I always like vegetable fritters. These were spinach and broccoli and were perfect.

FRIDAY:  Our last day in paradise.  Strictly a pool day.

All in all, I would recommend the Food Tour, and it was a lot of fun to do it as a group (there were 8 of us). But you’ll definitely want to start with an empty stomach. And for those that are curious, my step count for the food tour was 6,504 steps.

Overall, Antigua was gorgeous, the weather was perfect (especially for "low season", and it felt a little bit like Bermuda.

​We have been so good during the past year.  We’re good about keeping our distance, wearing our masks, staying home and away from others.  I watch the news and it feels like I am still that nerdy honor student and I am the only one following the teacher’s instructions. All that to say – we needed a break. So we decided to go to Florida for Spring Break. We stayed at my in-laws house (they’ve had their shots), brought the dogs along (they needed a change of scene too) and did two of the Disney Parks.  We let the boys choose – they picked Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.
 
We learned a few things and I thought I’d share them in case anyone else is ready for a break as well.
 
1. Tickets
You need to buy your tickets really far in advance.  They are still only letting in a third of the capacity of each park.  For Hollywood Studios, the capacity is 60,000,  and for EPCOT it is 110,000.  At 30% capacity for each park during COVID – it was actually kind of nice.  I didn’t feel like I was walking around with throngs of people, and while the lines can seem long without the Fast Pass, they actually all moved rather quickly.
 
There are fewer shows and attractions to entertain guests.  And some favorites, like the Test Track, have been completely altered to remove the high-touch pre and post ride environments.  But overall, it was a better experience in many ways.
 
So back to the tickets – you need to make a reservation and then buy your tickets.  The Disney website does a good job of showing which parks are available on which days. If you are planning on going to Hollywood Studios for Star Wars Galaxy Edge, then you will want to make your Cantina reservations immediately after you make your ticket purchase.

Hollywood Studios:
1. Virtual Queue for Rise of the Resistance
The other issue is the limited amount of guests that get to experience the Rise of the Resistance.  If you have a valid ticket and Disney Park Pass reservation, then you’ll be able to access the virtual queue through the “My Disney Experience” app. 
 
Luckily we had friends who told us the tricks to make this successful:
1. You need all of the tickets linked to one person’s Disney app / phone. 
2.The morning that you’ll be going to Hollywood Studios, you’ll need to wake up early.  Have the app open by 6:45 AM, and keep refreshing. 
3.At 6:59 refresh again and it will load for you to select all your riders. 
The boarding Groups go really fast.  We did this and at 7:01 we were in Group 51 (!). 51!  Which is approximately sometime after lunch or in the afternoon. 
4.IF you do not get into a Boarding group in the morning, you can try again once you are inside the park at 1pm. Same thing – have the app open early and keep refreshing.

The app will send you a push notification when it is time for your Boarding Group to ride. At that point you’ll have 1 hour to make your way over to the ride.
 And yes – it was as awesome as we expected.  Totally worth getting up early for the tickets.
 
2. Food
I was really worried about food, especially since my guys are always hungry and I had read that all of the grab n go snack carts at the park were not operating. 
My advice?  Don’t feel like you need to make a reservation for meals, other than the Cantina.  Many of the food options like the Backlot Express and Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo offer mobile service.  You place the order through the app, and then go get it.  Other places like PizzaRizzo also have mobile ordering and plentiful outdoor dining space as well. This option worked great for us. And there were still beverage stations to get sodas and waters along the way.
 
3. The Lines
When we arrived, we went right to the Rock 'n Roller Coaster, and the line was only 20 minutes.  Which was awesome.  Then we went next door to the Tower of Terror and the line seemed to snake through the park forever.  It ended up being a 45 minute wait, but it kept moving. They have marks on the ground that are 6ft apart for every queue, so as the line moves, it really does feel like it’s moving quickly. The longest line we had all day was for the Millennium Falcon at 60 minutes.  But I know if the park was at full capacity the wait would have been much longer. 
 
My husband and I haven’t been to Hollywood Studios in over 20 years, when it was still MGM Studios. So going back with our boys and experience the entire park with them was a lot of fun.  They loved the Rock ‘n Roller Coaster as much as we knew they would, and while they’ve never seen the Twilight Zone, they enjoyed the Tower of Terror and the views from the top, before the drop.  Plus, Star Wars was amazing. I love that we got to experience it together.  And yes, we made our own lightsaber at Savi’s workshop.  I was grateful to get the opportunity to drop a small fortune on a faux weapon since my little one is only 10. For him, it was a great experience. If this is something you want to do as well, or build your own droid, then you’ll also want to book that experience as soon as you buy your ticket. Even with limited attendance they fill up quickly.

EPCOT:
1. Rides at EPCOT
We arrived on the first day of the EPCOT Flower and Garden Show. So while The world of Energy is being renovated into Guardians of the Galaxy and won’t open until 2023, and the Ratatouille ride isn’t open yet, it still felt like there was a lot of “new” things to see and explore. And we were lucky – when we got to Norway, the line for the Frozen ride “only” started at the edge of China.  It also moved quickly and we were on the ride in just 25 minutes.  Later in the afternoon the line was switchbacking through China, so you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on the wait times on the app and plan accordingly.
 
2. Food in EPCOT
In EPCOT you’ll DEFINITELY want to make food reservations, and make them early.  The food is one of the highlights of pretending to travel the world while at EPCOT, and with seating at just every other table they fill up quickly.  We ended up having a terrific lunch in Mexico (we love the Diablo Margaritas with the jalapenos) and dinner at the Biergarten in Germany.  Both meals were great, and my picky eaters found lots of things they liked.  The bonus was that one of the few shows we saw all day was the band at the Biergarten.  They were great, and even played the cowbells and the Alphorn.  We loved it, even though we were informed that the dance floor was closed.  Like I’d get any of my guys on the dance floor with me even if it wasn’t.

 3. Shopping
 One disappointment at EPCOT were the shops.  The selection in the shops wasn’t what it usually is,    and our favorite shops like the Sportsman Shop in England and the bazaar in Morocco were closed.    We were all disappointed, though of course we understand.  Somehow I still managed to buy a large amount of tea in England, but if you know me then you know that’s not really a surprise.
 
4. Steps per day
I remember the last time the awe went to the Magic Kingdom that my steps at the end of the day was around 10,500 and I thought that was a lot.  At Hollywood Studios I hit 18,647 steps, and at EPCOT I hit 17,433 steps.  Did we get around more and see more because of less crowds? Absolutely. It was definitely a more pleasant navigation experience.

Cocoa Beach
A couple of recommendations:
1. Skip the pier and go to the Beach.  We like to park at the Alan Shepard Park and Beach Access, behind the “Famous” Ron Jon Surf Shop.  They have a big parking lot and lots of access points.
​
2. Dinner on the water
There are a lot of restaurants at Port Canaveral, and most of them get really crowded. Which wasn’t what we wanted during Covid, especially since masks seemed optional to a lot of the locals. Instead, we had a great dinner and sat outside at Gator’s Dockside. They had a large outdoor area, the tables were spaced far apart, and the musician they had that evening was good too. As an aside, I always tip the musicians at beach bars like this – especially if they’re pretty good.  It’s good karma and I ask you all to do the same.
 
3. Another Dinner Option
On this trip we tried a new place, Florida's Seafood.  And it was so fun.  The food was solid, but the kitchy décor was fantastic. If you are going to go kitch, go all they way, And they did.  From the faux stuffed alligators peering at us through the foliage to the sharks hanging from the ceiling, it did not disappoint.  Plus the boys got frozen mango slushies in souvenir glasses that came with toy sharks in them for the win.

​4. Lunch Option
This trip we also made a stop at Coconuts on the Beach in downtown Cocoa.  This was our last lunch of the trip before heading home.  And I have to say it was a great sendoff. I had the grilled mahi tacos with key lime slaw and they were great. I might make this a tradition every time we depart for home.
 
The best part of a vacation is that it’s nice come back home.  And I am SO glad that we were able to take a family Spring Break.  Let me know if you have any questions about the trip – I’m happy to help as you plan your own!

​Why am I writing about travel during a pandemic? Because I cannot wait to travel again.  This was the last big trip we took as a family before the lockdown. I am sure some of you are planning on a Hawaiian trip once it is safe to do so, so I thought I'd share our itinerary that worked well with our kids at a variety of ages (16, 14, and 8). 

​And why the Big Island? My husband and I have been to Hawaii a number of times, and we have been to all of the islands expect Nihue. Mike had taken the boys to Oahu a few years ago, so we wanted to build on that experience by taking everyone to the Big Island. It is my favorite of all the islands.  It’s amazing to think that there are five different climates at the same time on this island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. And that it has an active volcano.  It’s pretty cool.
 
Where to Stay:
We knew the kids would enjoy the Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel. But instead of staying at the resort proper, we stayed on-site but at one of the time share condos called the Kohala Suites. This worked out much better than squeezing all five of us into a single hotel room, and was less expensive than having to get two rooms. Plus, it had the added advantage of a kitchen with a full-sized fridge, microwave, stove and a dishwasher.  Resort living is nice, but we also enjoy shopping locally and making some meals on our own.  We also like to get an early start each day, so the other advantage was being able to make an early breakfast each day on our own.
 
Day 1: Travel Day:  Arriving from Atlanta, we arrived in Kona around 8:30pm after a brief stop in Seattle. It was a long day for everyone, especially the kids.  We arranged for a rental jeep ahead of time, and it was waiting for us in the airport parking lot. The drive to the hotel was about 45 minutes.
 
Day 2:  Explore and Beach Time
On the first day we wanted to explore our immediate area. We made a run to the market to stock our fridge, and stock a cooler for lunch. Then we made a quick stop next door at the main part of the resort so the kids could explore the lagoon, the pools, the rope bridge and see the dolphins.  But then we loaded back into the car and headed to the beach. That’s what we were there for - sandy toes and snorkeling.

Our first stop was Hapuna Beach for some boogie boarding and sand castles.
Then after lunch we headed out to a different beach - Holoholokai Beach park -  for some snorkeling. We appreciated the trees on the beach here for their shade. And there are a lot of tidal pools in the lava rocks for exploring.
 
We had dinner at Lava Lava Beach Club. This quickly became one of our new favorite spots on the island. The location was beautiful, the food was terrific, and they have lot of cool things to do while you wait for your table. Like take a million photos of the sunset while playing ping pong.

Day 3: Volcanoes!
Getting to Volcanoes National Park is a fascinating drive / climb through the  middle of the island.  The landscape is like nothing you’ll see anywhere else, if you can even see it at times through the fog. Once entering the park itself, I highly recommend stopping in the visitors center not just to get your parking pass, but to explore the exhibits and watch the short movie. It is very informative and gave the kids a greater appreciation of what they were about to see.
 
We hiked two different trails around Kilauea that day – the Sulphur Banks Trail and the Crater Rim Trail. Before leaving this area and driving down toward the coast for the Chain of Craters, you have to check out the view from the Volcano House.  This historic building was built in the 1930s and has a great Western vibe to it. Plus it has a great view of the crater itself.

While driving down the Chain of Craters to the ocean we made three stops along the way.
And after getting all of our photos of the Lava arch and the ocean (beautiful!) we headed out of the park.
 
By this time of day, my kids were getting hangry.  We stopped at a supermarket and got Poke bowls and sushi. It is amazing to me to variety of marinades of poke that are available to choose from – at the supermarket!! You pick your flavor of poke, if you want white or brown rice, and if you want seaweed on top.  Done.  And Yummy.

Our next stop was the green sand beach at Papkolea at Mahana Beach.  It’s one of only 4 green sand beaches in the world. We got there late in the afternoon and we should have just taken our jeep on the trail. Instead we hiked it. Three miles each way. Not our brightest move. So glad we had a big, healthy lunch to carry us through. We got back to the car right after dark.
 
It was getting super late, so on our way back to the resort we stopped for dinner. By accident we discovered the fun Coconut Grove Marketplace in Kona and had the perfect late evening meal at Ocean’s Sports Bar & Grill. There was something on the menu for everyone – no complaints – which is always a win!
​
​Day 4: Snorkeling at Mahukona Beach Park and the Black Sand Beach at Waipio’o
Mahukona Beach Park is unusual in more ways than one. For one, it is not a real beach, but an abandoned commercial harbor run by the Kohala Sugar Company (the harbor was closed in 1956). Remnants of the area's commercial past can still be found under water and are in fact one of the main attractions. This is not what you imagine when you picture a typical Hawaiian paradise, but it's super cool. The water here is calm and clear, and the snorkeling is awesome. Underwater you’ll find some old mill equipment and machinery and even a shipwreck nestled in between beautiful coral reefs. Be sure to bring an underwater camera.

After snorkeling we headed on to the cute little town of Hawi in North Kohala.  This cute little town is very charming and full of art galleries, boutiques, and restaurants. It is also the bicycle turnaround for the Ironman World Championship in October.  We got some mango shave ice and then lunch at the Bamboo Restaurant & Gallery.  They told us it was once voted the best restaurant on the island and I believe it. 

Then it was on to Waipio’o Bay and the Waipio’o Black Sand Beach. The road to get down to it is just to the left of the Waipio’o Lookout, and it is steep and a bit intimidating. But it’s definitely but worth the drive. 

​For dinner we cooked fresh fish and pasta back at the condo. Which was perfectly relaxing after an adventurous day.
 
Day 5: Beach Day
We started the day early at Kekaha Kai State Park. The sand here is great and there is a lot of room to spread out.  There is a cool rock tunnel at the far left side of the beach for the kids to explore before the tide comes back in.
 
For the evening we had tickets to the Legends of Hawaii Luau that night at the Waikoloa Resort. We had to get cleaned up and get there a bit early so we left the beach with time to relax and read back at the condo before heading over.  But we highly recommend the Legends of Hawaii Luau. I’ve attended a Luau on almost every trip I’ve taken to Hawaii, and this was by far the best one.  Plus, before the show started they had lots of tables with local artists showcasing and selling their work.  I always try to support local artists on trips like this.

Day 6: Seahorse Farm!
 We started the day at the Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm. This was a must visit for me, and the tour was fun and  very informative. The Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm is an organic Hawaiian based aqua farm that also works to save endangered species.
 
All tours are led by naturalists and biologists with special training in ocean conservation. Everyone gets to hold a seahorse in the touchtanks. And if you wanted to, you could even order your own seahorses! They have resident seahorse and aquarium experts to provide you with guidance in setting up your own healthy and happy seahorse tank back  home.

Just down the road is Wawaloli Beach Park – we spent some time climbing the rocks and exploring the tidal pools here.  It is just south of the airport and the Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm. 
 
The highlight of the day was Snorkeling with the Manta Rays that evening with Fair Wind Cruises on the Hula Kai Night Manta Snorkel Vessel. Mike and I had dove with the Manta Rays on our Honeymoon 24 years ago (!) so it was fun to do the snorkel version with our kids. And can I just say that at 9 years old, Liam was incredibly brave and trusting and jumped into the dark ocean with us. He was fearless!  And we were rewarded with multiple Manta Ray visits.  It was different than our first Manta experience, but just as exciting.

Since check in for the Manta snorkeling was at 5:15, dinner would have to be afterwards. So for Dinner we stopped for pizza on the way back to the resort at Kona Crust.  We totally felt like locals here, and the pizza was terrific. 

Day 7: Resort Day and Thanksgiving
On our trip, this day was also Thanksgiving.  So clearly not a lot was going to be open.  I spent the morning exploring the Waikolao Petroglyph Field with my boys.  They loved it, and the best part is that it that actually runs through the middle of the resort. At the end of the trail, you are very close to the King’s Shops shopping center.  Some shave ice and mini golf there is always a hit. But a word of caution - definitely wear sneakers  or something Teva or Keen-like. You don’t want to be on this trail with just flip flops.

We spent mid-day at the resort since we had not really spent any time there up until this point.  We had lunch by the lagoon, then swam and snorkeled in the lagoon, and had a series of very competitive Jenga games with the giant sets they had outside.   

For late afternoon and sunset we headed to Kekaha Kai (Kona Coast) State Park for some beach time.  Not only was the beach beautiful, we had it mostly to ourselves, and we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset and a lot of sea turtles.  
 
For our Thanksgiving Dinner, we grilled out using one of the outdoor pavilions at the condo.  This worked out perfectly.  We had a sushi appetizer, then grilled some fresh fish and vegetables, and served it along with some tropical fruit and enjoyed it outside in the beautiful weather. It wasn’t your traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, but it was perfect.
 
Day 8: Snorkeling
The kids really wanted to do some adventurous boating and snorkeling.  We booked the day with Fair Wind Big Island Ocean Guides, and had a great time.  Their boat is a giant, double decker boat with two spots up to jump off of, and two 15ft slides off the back.  So once you’re done snorkeling there is still lots of fun to be had.  They have snorkel equipment if you don’t have your own, and they have tubes and floatation devices if you want to just float around.  My older kids also did SNUBA so they could get a feel for what scuba diving is like since we’d like them to get certified ad go diving with us.  The instructor was great and encouraged them to throw up some shakas if they were having fun. On the boat they served fruit and pastries for breakfast and then grilled out for lunch. It was all good. Even my picky eaters asked for seconds. 
 
Our trip was a morning trip that took us to Kealakekua Bay and the Captain Cook monument,  The British established the Captain Cook monument in his memory on the site where he was killed in 1799. It can only be reached by hiking to it (which takes 2-4 hours), or by boat. The tall, white obelisk was erected in 1874 and then deeded to the United Kingdom.  The chains around the monument denote the land that belongs to the UK.  Since the area was designated a Marine Life Conservation District in 1969 and fishing is restricted, there is abundant fish life in the bay.  As a result, the snorkeling was amazing.

That night we decided to visit our favorite Lava Lava Beach Club once more.  This time we got a table on the sand. The food was great, the weather was perfect, and our toes were in the sand.  It was a perfect way to end such a great day.

Day 9 Hilo and Umauma Falls Zip Lining
 
We started our day driving to Hilo where stopped to grab a quick early lunch from a food truck at the farmer’s market, and we did a little shopping there too.  The handmade quilts and bracelets were popular with my crew.
 
From there we headed onto Hakalau to go to the Umauma Falls Experience Zip Linline. Fourteen waterfalls, 9 longlines, and amazing views.  Flying through the air at 65mph is a great way to experience the falls.  The scenery was beautiful and we all had an amazing time. 
 
From Hakalau, you aren’t far from two more beautiful stops.  The first stop is Akaka Falls State Park. Akaka Falls is a stunning 442 ft tall waterfall.  There is a very accessible loop trail through the park with beautiful views of the falls along the way. The trail was its own little photo safari because the rainforest itself was beautiful.
 
The second stop is Wailuku River State Park and Rainbow Falls. It is 80ft tall and flows over a lava cave. The lookout is only 0.3 miles into the park. As is implied by it’s name, there is a good chance that you’ll see a rainbow here, especially early in the day when the sun is behind you. The size of the falls depends on how much water is falling on the watershed above the volcano.  If it’s been raining for a few days, it’ll be roaring.
 
After viewing the waterfall from the lookout near the parking lot, walk around to the left to go to the alternate viewing area. The alternate view higher up on the falls is also beautiful.  And then to your left is the other highlight of this park. It is a massive, ancient Banyan Tree.  It is over 600 years old, and is It is covered in fig vines. It’s canopy is so massive that it is hard to actually capture the scene in a single photo. It is eerie, beautiful, and serene.
 
If you want to follow the trail by the water a little bit further, you’ll arrive at Peepee Falls and the Boiling Pots (terraced pools that bubble like they’re boiling).
 
After all this adventure, we headed into downtown Hilo to find a place for dinner. We decided on Café Pesto, and it was terrific.  We could also tell there was something going on in town.  A parade maybe? It turns out that we had amazing timing.  From our table at the window we could see the start of the Hilo Christmas Light Parade.  Once we finished, we found a spot on the curb and watched the beautiful parade go by, the harbor in the background, and with floats and boats covered in lights.  It was a wonderful surprise that we’ll never forget, and it totally got us into the holiday spirit.  Even though it was 80 degrees outside. 
 
 
Day 10: This was our last day.  And since the flights back home don’t leave until very late in the evening (9:35 in our case) there is plenty of time to have a fun and memorable last day on the island.  We decided to go horseback riding. 
 
We went riding with the Dahana Ranch is Waimea.  It is family run, and been in their family for generations.  It goes on and on - further than the eye can see. The vistas were beautiful. The staff was super patient and kind, and the horses were very well tempered.  It was a rainy, foggy day up in Waimea that day, but we had a fantastic time.  I highly recommend going riding on the big island.  If you didn’t know, the Big Island has a long history of ranching and horses.  The first cattle was introduced to the island in 1793 by Captain Vancouver, and the first horse was brought to the islands in 1803. The ranches of Hawaii have played an important role in the economy and culture of Hawaii.
 
We had checked out of our room that morning, but had packed a quick change bag for after horseback riding.  We spent some time at the resort pool after cleaning up, and then headed into Kona for dinner before continuing on to the airport.  We went back to the Coconut Grove Marketplace  and had dinner on the upstairs deck of Humpy’s Big Island Ale House.  We were rewarded with a perfect view of a beautiful sunset, and enjoyed watching the beach volleyball games in the courtyard.  It was a perfect ending to our Hawaiian adventure.
 
I hope this trip outline is helpful. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have as you plan your own itinerary - I'm happy to share what we know. #shaka and Aloha!

We love traveling to London. In many ways it feels like home, and a lot like New York.  We are often asked by our friends for a list of some of our favorite places to check out, and some cool ideas for the kids.  This list is certainly not complete, but is a good start.

The Delaney’s Favorite Spots in London  (Beyond the regular stops of the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge Museum, the Victoria & Albert, and Hyde Park)
 
1. Hoxton Street Monster Supply Company
This was one of our favorite finds on a trip with the kids. Super clever, and the store front is a as cool as the website. The kids got great souvenirs for the friends, and all proceeds fund an after school creative writing program for local kids.
 
2. The Churchill War Rooms
We have been here a number of times and still enjoy it. You will definitely need 1 ½ hours here, if not 2 hours. If you time it right, you can go when they open (9:30am) and finish up in time to cross the park to see the changing of the guards over at Buckingham Palace at 11am.
 
3. Leaden Hall Market
Leaden Hall Market served as the exterior shot and inspiration for Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron in Sorcerer’s Stone. It is located at Gracechurch street and Lime Street.
 
4. Covent Garden, Transportation Museum, and Masala Zone
We love Covent Garden. The market has lots of vendors with unique items, the food selections are great, and the setting is very Instagram worthy. It is often decorated for the season as well. It is also the location of the Transportation Museum (which the kids love). In our estimation, it’s the best transportation museum outside of the one in York.  If you are not going to head up to York, then don’t miss this one.
 
Not far from here is our favorite outpost of an awesome Indian restaurant called Masala Zone. There are a few locations in London, and each is decorated differently. This one is filled with countless puppets depicting an Indian wedding.  It's really remarkable.

5. Old Greenwich
The Royal Observatory in Old Greenwich is definitely worth the trip. In order to get to Old Greenwich you will take an extra-long train ride which gives you a tour of some non-touristy parts of London like the Dockyards, which is the hipster place to live. When you arrive you can stand on both sides of the Prime Meridian.  And the town has some of the best little fish and chips shops. Plus it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
 
 
These four can go together:
6. Westminster Abbey
Historic, beautiful, and amazing, then they have the best scavenger hunt for the kids. Even the big kids love it. When the kids hand in the completed form in the gift shop they are rewarded with a very large gold chocolate “coin” of Westminster. It was a lovely surprise.
 
7. The London Eye
It seems little cheesy, but its so cool. You will get some fantastic views and photos of the city. The lines can be long, so you may want to buy your tickets online, or by them or another time and return.
 
8. Tower Bridge
After the London Eye, walk along the Embankment towards Tower Bridge. The Tour at Tower Bridge is totally worth it, as are the street musicians and artists along the way.
 
9. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
You can easily walk here via the Millennium Footbridge – it is just a short distance from the end of the bridge on the same side of the river as the London Eye. This replica of the original is super cool for theatre nerds like me. The tours are great, and you can book tickets ahead of time for shows if the schedule works for you. Afterwards, you can take the short walk to the Tate Museum, another favorite.
 

10. Liberty London
I love tea. My favorites are the Royal Blend and the Jubilee Blend from Fortnum and Mason, and the Assam Tea from Harrods.  But the one souvenir I try to get is teapots, and they are hard to find, Liberty has the best selection, and the building is gorgeous. The main entrance is on Marlborough.
 
11. Portobello Road Market
On Saturday mornings It opens at 9am with over 1,000 vendors. It is so much cooler now than when we went back in college. It goes on and on…it’s like a living museum for the kids. We’ve bought a bunch of antique prints and maps here – all vintage and early 1700s. As our little ones says, they are cool because they are older than our country.

12. St. Irmin's Hotel
Located near Buckhingham Palace, this hotel has a storied history all its own, full of spies and history.  I think it may be my favorite hotel in the city. They have a great scavenger hunt for the kids. It kept them busy and taught them (!) some history along the way while we enjoyed a couple of gin and tonics in the beautifully decorated lobby bar. In fact, I was so inspired by the decor that I replicated some of it at home.

13. A Premier League Football (Soccer) Game
Our family are West Ham fans since my father in law is from there, and when we last went to London, West Ham was playing away at Fulham Football Club. We got tickets to the game, and sat in the Fulham section. And while we disappointed not to experience London Stadium, we fell in love with the history of Craven Cottage. And it was the authentic experience, complete with pouring rain.  We met the loveliest people who told us we had to try the pies from the concessions, as each stadium has an unofficial competition to see who has the best ones, and Fulham's were the best. I have no point of comparison but they were awesome. he rain stopped as the match ended, and the stroll along the Thames as we wandered back to the bus stop after the game was beautiful and gave us a glimpse of old London. We loved it.
 
14. London Pass
Since you’ll be traveling to some of the touristy spots (an especially if you travel over the summer or the holidays), I highly recommend buying the London Pass before you go. It gives you discounted admissions, and you get to cut the line (“Fast track”) since you’ve already paid. This will absolutely save you a ton of time during the high seasons. And you can buy it with or without travel. I recommend buying it with travel, then you will already have your underground (Oyster Cards) and bus passes taken care of. Easy peasy. We usually do the 3 day pass since we tend to leave London after a few days. But you MUST purchase this before you go… you cannot buy it once you arrive.

 I grew up in New York, and miss the beauty of Long Island and the hum of the city . We've taken the kids back quite a bit, but our littlest was too little to remember. And he desperately wants to go see it.  For his 10th birthday I had planned a trip to NYC with his best friend (also just turned 10) and his mom (one of my best friends). And they had not been to New York, either.

As to pandemic got worse, it became clear that our trip would need to be cancelled.  I hate it that we don't know when we can reschedule it.  But I'm documenting the outline of our plans here so we can implement a version of it when we can make it back. 

This itinerary is very different than the ones I had when traveling there with our daughter and we went to tea at the Plaza (a family tradition), shopped in SoHo and saw at least one Broadway show (the last trip it was Dear Evan Hansen). So here we go:
 
Five Days in New York with 10 year old Boys:
Day 1: Times Square, Rockefeller Center and 5th Avenue
These days I recommend flying into Newark and take the train in. So much easier than dealing with the construction at LaGuardia. When will that be done again?  
I had booked us at the New York Hilton. It’s so convenient and close to everything. And we booked it super early so we got a great rate.
After dropping off the bags, we were going to head to Times Square (the boys had only ever seen it on TV) and the TKTS booth and then grab some lunch. After loading up on lunch, we were going to the Intrepid Air and Space Museum. That would take most of the afternoon. When we were done there, I was going to have us grab a cab back to the hotel and take the boys exploring around Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and then grab dinner at the Burger Joint, made famous by Anthony Bourdain. If there’s room, we’d head to Serendipity for dessert.
 
Day 2: Central Park, the Museum of Natural History, Central Park Zoo, the MET
The plan was to start the day at the Museum of Natural History (Night at the Museum is still in heavy rotation in our house), then head to the Central Park Zoo at lunchtime, and end the day with the highlights of the MET.  For dinner we had reservations had NINJA New York which sounded perfect for the boys, and I am so sad to hear that after 15 years it is now permanently closed..
 
Day 3: The Highline Park, Chelsea, the Village, and Brooklyn
The plan was to start at the Vessel and Hudson Yards and then walk down the Highline. After wandering  through Chelsea and the Village (and stopping at the Jackie Robinson Museum) we would have lunch at Jekyll and Hyde. After some shopping and gelato in Little Italy we were going to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and check out DUMBO before heading to the Nets game that evening.
 
Day 4: Lower Manhattan, Statue of Liberty, One World Trade, and the Seaport
Today we were planning to start at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, then exploring One World Trade and Calatrava's Oculus.  After exploring the Seaport for lunch, and maybe getting gelato at Little Italy we were headed to the Bronx to see the Yankees that night.
 
Day 5: Midtown, Empire State Building
This was our last day.  We had planned to start at the Empire State Building (weather and view permitting), and lunch at Wagamama (a favorite of the kids when in London) before heading back to the hotel to pick up our bags and head back to the airport for a late flight home.

If you have older kids and are looking for unusual things to do, this is list of 689 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in New York from Atlas Obscura.
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