Parenting tips

When I reflect on my teenage years, I remember the peer pressure, the pimples, and the sting of social awkwardness. I especially remember the feeling of my parents just not "getting me."

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rob Hamill , a 60-year-old former rowing Olympian from New Zealand, about how the murder of his brother by the Khmer Rouge inspired his family's decision to live at sea.

As a frequent traveler, I stockpile airline loyalty points and frequently earn upgrades to first class, business class, or premium economy.

My kids are teenagers now, but we've been taking them on cruises since they were tiny. Each time we returned from our days at sea, I told my husband how much I wanted to take his parents on a cruise with us, as it seemed like the perfect multigenerational vacation to me for a variety of reasons. My father-in-law passed away unexpectedly last year, and the devastating loss made me even more determined to get my mother-in-law, who my kids call Grammy, onto a cruise ship with my family.

Last summer, my husband and I spent five days celebrating my 40th birthday in my favorite place: Bermuda. We relaxed on the sandy, white beach and floated on the crystal-clear water as long as our hearts desired. We did what we wanted, when we wanted, with no one altering our schedule but us. For just under a week, we left our children with their grandparents to celebrate my milestone birthday. It was what we needed, but it all began with guilt.

When it comes to a family vacation, there is nothing I love more than cramming our SUV with various gear, driving away from our house in the middle of the city, pitching a tent, and sleeping on the ground next to my entire family. The sleep is often mediocre, we all end up smelling a bit ripe by the time we leave, but the time away together surpasses any other travel experience.

Last month, I was just wrapping up a short but sweet family vacation in Hawaii with my husband and our 9-year-old twins. It had been mostly uneventful in the best way, and we spent our time perfectly balanced between relaxation and light adventure — swimming in the pool and the sea, horseback riding, doing archery, and eating well.

"You're a masochist!" another dad exclaimed during our daughters' playdate when I told him our flight itinerary.

Road trips are the ultimate symbol of freedom, discovery, and the boundless beauty of the US. On many such trips with my family, it has not been just the destinations but also the journey that holds the magic; the open road itself becomes a vehicle for family memories and shared experiences.

It was Christmas Day, and we were about to fly from Miami to Panama City. Before we even took off, my husband was ready to lose it, not because of something the airline did or an annoying passenger but because of the lack of space.

Our family of five travels fairly frequently. We've been to Iceland, Amsterdam, Portugal, Hawaii, London, and more with our kids as they’ve grown. One of the best ways we’ve managed to make the trips enjoyable for all of us and to stay connected to our kids while on vacation is to schedule “home days.” 

If there's one rule grief counselors and bereavement support groups agree on, it's that making a big decision following a loss is not a good idea. Whether it's changing jobs, discarding keepsakes, or selling your home and moving, the general advice is to wait from six months to a year before embarking on a path that could be life-altering.

When my husband and I started toying with the idea of taking my teenagers on a whale-watching expedition cruise, we had no idea what to expect. While we’d cruised on several major cruise lines in the past, hopping on a 100-passenger ship run by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions felt far different than anything we’d done before.

From when I was around eight years old, my family visited the same place over and over again every summer: Mystic, Connecticut.

The first time I spoke French in front of my 12-year-old niece, she was shocked. She'd never heard me speak in a foreign language before, but there I was, ordering a couple of croissants and some bread from a curbside storefront in Paris.

By the time I finished high school, I had already visited well over a dozen countries.

Traveling with kids is no easy feat, especially on long-haul flights.

Since having children 10 years ago, I've never been away from them for more than two nights. And those infrequent two-night mini-getaways have been with my husband. So, in 10 years, I've never traveled alone.

While we were growing our family, my husband and I raised our kids in the Middle East, starting from when our oldest child was a toddler up through her middle school years. Since we were already on that side of the Atlantic, halfway around the world from our native United States, we seized the opportunity to travel and experience nearby locations.

As a child, I eagerly awaited the annual road trips across the US with my parents and two siblings. Those childhood adventures ignited my wanderlust and inspired me to visit all 50 states, a journey I completed more than a decade ago. My parents often tease me about the time my 6-year-old self declared during one of our cross-country trips, "This isn't a vacation. We're just driving!" But little did I know that those seemingly endless miles would leave an indelible imprint, filled with laughter, bonding, and unforgettable memories, shaping me into the avid traveler I am today.

When my oldest daughter was 6 months old, my husband and I flew cross country with her to go on a road trip up the California coast.