ArcaMax

Big or small? No, not the size of your Christmas tree. We’re talking about holiday light installations around the country, from ones that light up neighborhood streets like Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, New York, to snow resorts to big, splashy ones in theme parks, Las Vegas and New York.

The light displays in the Dyker Heights neighborhood of ...Read more

Would you rather get a gift or be gifted an experience?

According to a recent American Express Amex Trendex report on shopping for the holiday season, consumers want to give something special, like a shared fun experience. Roughly one in three said they plan to gift their significant other or their children an experience. ( AAA projects 119.3 ...Read more

Would you rather get a gift or be gifted an experience? According to a recent American Express Amex Trendex report on shopping for the holiday season, consumers want to give something special, like a shared fun experience. Roughly one in three said they plan to gift their significant other or their children an experience. ( AAA projects 119.3 ...Read more

I get the appeal. You don’t want to be a guest (who wants to sleep on the lumpy sofa bed again?) Nor do you want to host (too many loads of laundry, too many meals to prepare).

That doesn’t mean you necessarily want to get away from your family. Multigenerational family travel grew by more than 35 percent during the first half of this year,...Read more

About this time each year, I can’t wait to get out on a bluebird day and ski down a perfectly groomed trail. But it’s going to be a while. Multiple knee surgeries have kept me off the slopes for more than two years (no, it wasn’t a ski injury!) My physical therapist asked me what goals I have after my most recent surgery this past month, ...Read more

Ready?

Just like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Travel Tuesday promises some of the best travel deals of the year.

According to Skyscanner, the Travel deals day became a post-Thanksgiving tradition as consumers shifted toward experiential spending rather than material gifts. Skyscanner notes that most ...Read more

Feeling overwhelmed?

We all are at this time of year when there Is so much to do and not enough time before the holidays.

Take a deep breath and get away – whether for a day, a weekend or longer – before the Grinch takes up permanent residence.

You don’t have to go over budget. Many families, especially with older and adult kids, ...Read more

What a nightmare! Three times we boarded different JetBlue planes at JFK and then deplaned. Instead of being on the beach by mid- afternoon, we were still stuck in airport limbo late into the evening.

The first two times there were mechanical issues; the third time, we were told the crew couldn’t fly because they had been on duty for too many...Read more

They won’t win any parents of the year contest.

The famous puffins of Iceland fly away and leave their little chicks to fend for themselves when they are just six weeks old, explains Mariana Veloso, a marine biologist with a master’s degree, who is our guide on a 90-minute Elding Puffin Watching tour to ...Read more

If only it were that easy.

The 15th Amendment to the U.S Constitution reads,“ The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” It ...Read more

Can art protect wildlife? Actually, it has, we learned at the unique National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Thomas Moran’s paintings of mountains, canyons and geysers helped convince Congress to establish Yellowstone as America’s first national park in 1872. Jackson Hole is the ...Read more

Ready to get out of the car? Leaf peeping through the windshield is so 20 th c entury, not to mention boring. Why not zipline above the fall foliage, bike amid the changing leaves, see the foliage from a train – or a vineyard, perhaps, time- traveling back in history.

These days, there are more active ways to enjoy changing leaves. The ...Read more

Time to get away? You can — even on a limited budget. You can easily plan an (affordable) fall getaway where you get outdoors biking or hiking, seeing wildlife amid the fall colors or alternatively, exploring a new city or heading to the beach during shoulder season. Get some input from the kids on what they would like to do. Revel in your ...Read more

Hope you have your witch’s hat and broomstick ready!

These days, whether you want to experience spooky rides, haunted houses or stay in a haunted hotel, Halloween events in many places have already started.

Just be mindful not to insist kids do anything they’re not ready for. That certainly includes homeandleisure/travel/takingthekids/s-3428135">Read more

They must have partied really hard. The 80-plus guests were lying on the black sand beach, intermittently groaning, or taking a restorative dip in the water.

We were on day four of our two- week Abercrombie & Kent Arctic Cruise Adventure “In Search of the Polar Bear”. We hopped onto ...Read more

It’s fall. Time to celebrate apples, cranberries and pumpkins. Time to appreciate livestock, scarecrows and everything chicken. Explore covered bridges. Raise a stein at a family-friendly Oktoberfest. Commemorate films, storytelling, architecture and regional foods.

Who doesn’t love a fall festival? Typically, they are free, offer all kinds...Read more

Margaret Brown never forgot where she came from.

The child of Irish immigrants, she married a Colorado gold miner who struck it rich – very rich. When the family moved to a big house in Denver in 1894, she used that newfound wealth to help support her extended family, build hospitals, parks, playgrounds and to help found the Colorado juvenile...Read more

No ketchup allowed! “Chicagoans take their hot dog toppings seriously: mustard, onions and tomato, neon green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle and celery salt are must haves. Make sure it’s on a poppy seed bun, but don’t you dare mention ketchup,” said the signage at the interactive and complimentary SKYDECK Museum at Willis Tower, ...Read more