I visited 'the Hamptons of the South'. My vacation in this Florida hidden gem wasn't as expensive as I expected.

Amtrak is launching a new route between Chicago and Miami this fall that will whisk passengers from the Midwest to the Sunshine State in 47 hours.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Thursday and started her devastating path up through the southeastern United States.

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Monet Hambrick, a 36-year-old travel blogger based in Florida who shares itineraries and tips for traveling with children on her blog, The Traveling Child. Monet shares two daughters with her husband James Hambrick: Jordyn, who is 10, and Kennedy, who is 8. Monet has been to 50 countries so far in her life, while her daughters have been to over 35. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Aman is well known for its ultraluxury resorts and hotels found in some of the world's favorite cities, like Tokyo and Venice, Italy, as well as destinations as close as Utah and as far as Phuket, Thailand.

In addition to its four world-class theme parks, Walt Disney World is home to two water parks of the same caliber. Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park and Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park have the same level of theming and the exciting blend of thrilling and family-friendly attractions as Disney's other parks. Besides jumping into the pool at your Disney World hotel, there's no better way to cool off on a hot Florida day.

Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" returns to the U.S. next month, and while I'm no Swiftie, I have a 9-year-old daughter who's a massive fan. I may not be able to belt out the lyrics to many of her songs, but I do have a ton of experience leveraging my travel credit cards and knowledge of points and miles to make memories with my family.

There are two types of train trip: The long, slow, and often luxurious train journey that takes you through beautiful scenery that you book specifically to spend time on the rails; and the speedy, no-nonsense, cheap train ride you take to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. In the first category, you’ll find grand trips like Australia’s The Ghan, South Africa’s Blue Train, and Britain’s Caledonian Sleeper. In the second, there are trips from London to Brussels in just two hours, from Rome to Venice in four hours, and from Miami to Orlando in three hours. And if you’re a train traveler who belongs to the second category and likes getting places fast without flying, there are plenty of trains in this world that do just that at speeds previously unimaginable on land, including the fastest train in the world and its closest competitors.

When you board Amtrak’s Auto Train, you’re doing something unique that happens on no other train within the Amtrak system. First of all, you and your vehicle (car, motorcycle, van, small trailer, or SUV if it meets the measurement limits) must both be on board. You can’t go without it and it can’t go without you.

A yellow ribbon fluttered in the breeze, staking off a small section of beach preventing a loggerhead sea turtle nest from being disturbed. Nearby, on the wide stretch of beach that fronted The Singer Oceanfront Resort, children splashed in the waves while their parents relaxed under beach umbrellas and sipped cold drinks from coconuts delivered by attendants.

With four theme parks and two water parks to explore, any fan knows it takes more than a day to experience Walt Disney World Resort. Thirteen miles from the “Most Magical Place on Earth”, Kissimmee is the best place to stay for a Disney marathon. Florida’s lakeside city has its own airport and Amtrak station and offers a wealth of restaurants, entertainment, and amenities to streamline a stay.

Twenty miles south of Orlando, Kissimmee is a hub for family vacations in Florida. Walt Disney World Resort is a 15-minute drive from the lakeside city which makes an equally convenient base for LEGOLAND Florida, Peppa Pig Theme Park, Cape Canaveral, and the Atlantic coast. The “Vacation Home Capital of the World” isn’t short on thrilling rentals with themed bedrooms to delight toddlers through to grandparents. These are the coolest Kissimmee vacation rentals for families in Florida’s entertainment capital.

The US housing market is gradually tilting more toward buyers.