‘The kids now prefer trains to planes’: How I took my family on a 7-day rail adventure around Europe

Western Washington State boasts four incredible travel destinations — Seattle, the San Juan Islands, the Olympic Peninsula and Mount Rainier.

Looking for a springtime pick-me-up? These free travel contests, giveaways and sweepstakes could be just the ticket to have you winging to far-flung getaways with just a little luck. From big-ticket prices from famous hospitality brands to short weekend trips closer to home, these are some of the top competitions worth considering.

Attention United Airlines travelers: The carrier's loyalty program is now making it easier for friends and family members to book award travel using MileagePlus miles. Making for a more streamlined and user-friendly loyalty experience, United announced the addition of miles pooling, which will allow members of all ages to share and redeem miles in one account.

A volcano in Iceland has erupted for the fourth time in three months, with this being the most powerful so far.

Stepping into the lobby of the Gellért Baths in Budapest is like stepping back in time. Having resisted the temptation to look at photos of the baths online, I was thrilled at my first sight of the spectacular art nouveau interior.After changing, my husband and I did a few laps of the main indoor pool, admiring the intricately decorated columns surrounding us. Afterwards, we explored the building’s labyrinth of geothermal pools before emerging on to the enormous roof terrace. There, we swam in the heated outdoor pool under bright sunshine.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Karen Edwards, who blogs about her family's life abroad. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Bjorn Bender, CEO of Rail Europe, is a man who knows trains. In the last year alone he travelled roughly 75,000 kilometres across Europe.

A destination rich in history and culture, Washington, D.C., has endless attractions. More than simply the nation’s capital, a politician’s escape or a school field trip destination, Washington has become a vibrant melting pot of excellent hotels, standout dining and ample cultural experiences.

Randy and Kit Cassingham sold everything for a dream: to live out their retirement years on a residential cruise ship.

Certain things will make your jaw drop when you arrive in the Faroe Islands: the mountains, the sea view, and the cost of everything. It turns out that being located in the middle of the North Atlantic – where most things have to be imported – has a price, and that price is in Danish Krone, the islands’ official currency. The good news is that we have some ideas on how to keep your budget manageable.

Earth Day, celebrated each year on April 22, has evolved into the largest civic event on the planet since its origins in 1970, activating billions across 192 countries to safeguard the planet and fight for a brighter future. Its impact thus far has resulted in hundreds of millions of trees being planted, $7 billion in school grants, 2.7 billion Acts of Green and 36 million cleanup volunteers. This year’s theme, “Planet vs. Plastics,” calls to advocate for widespread awareness on the overall concerns associated with plastics.

It's time to end the phrase "the kids are finally old enough to travel."Parents frequently wonder what the best age is to take their kids on vacation, when are they going to remember everything or are they too young or old for a big trip. My advice: Take them everywhere. Don't let kids hold you back from spending a month in Europe or backpacking through Southeast Asia or road tripping across the U.S. Unless there is a specific age restriction, there's no reason to leave the kids at home. I learned this the hard way. On our first Christmas markets river cruise, we left the kids at home. We didn't think that river cruising would be a good fit for them. Boy did we regret it. Everytime we left the ship to go to a market, we were reminded how much they would have loved seeing the shops, Santa, the merry-go-round, the ice rink or the Ferris wheel, and there were tons of children onboard, too.