Nancy from Family Travel Network is joining us again today to talk about great kid-friendly destinations and resorts.  If you missed her last post on tips for traveling with kids you can check it out here .

We’ve been covering family travel online since 1995 and we’ve found so many family-friendly destinations and resorts. Often, the right one for each family will depend on their children’s ages and the family’s interests. Some family favorites in the U.S. are:

Orlando (all age groups)

Hawaii (especially school-age kids and teens)

New York City (especially with school-age kids and teens)

Miami

Washington D.C.

San Diego (all age groups)

Florida Keys (big with teens and school-age kids)

Los Angeles

Phoenix

Tampa

Ft. Myers

Boston

San Francisco

Denver

Alaska (school-age kids and teens)

San Antonio

Ski/Mountain Destinations (Utah, Colorado, Vermont, New Hampshire, etc.)

Internationally, we’ve found that families love the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada (especially for skiing), Europe (especially London, Italy, Barcelona and the Greek Islands) and the South Pacific.

There are lots of kid-friendly resorts and hotel chains – both domestically and internationally. Many domestic hotel chains, such as Hyatt, Loews and Hilton, have instituted special programs for kids and families. Marriott has some cool Nickelodeon-themed weekend programs being rolled out this year.

Internationally, there are some really great family-oriented chains in the Caribbean, Mexico and Costa Rica. For families with young children (babies, toddlers up to 3+ years of age), some standouts include:

Beaches Resorts (babies and toddlers)

Club Med Resorts (selected ones that have baby and toddler programs)

FDR Resorts (babies and toddlers – cool vacation nanny program)

Four Seasons Nevis (program starts at 3 years of age)

Casa de Campo (babies and toddlers with vacation nanny option)

Atlantis (cool things for families with young children – program starts at 3)

Our Lucaya Resort

Almond Beach Resort

Coconut Bay Resort

Smugglers Notch Resort (babies on up)

Whistler Blackcomb

Beaver Creek

The Tyler Place (Vermont, summer only)

Families with school age children have so many great resorts from which to choose, including all of those above plus Palace Resorts, some SuperClubs properties, Real Resorts, Barcelo Resorts, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Four Seasons Resorts, Ritz-Carlton Resorts, Grand Velas Resorts, Marriott properties, Elite Island Resorts, and a whole lot more.

When the kids get to be teens – things turn interesting. Some resort chains have special programs just for teens, including:

Beaches Resorts

Club Med

Atlantis

Casa de Campo

Smugglers Notch

In addition, kids that age love adventure-type vacations to destinations such as Costa Rica and Alaska, plus trips to Hawaii, Europe and other destinations. There are so many things for families with teens and young adults to do.

Nancy, Family Travel Network

Thank you Nancy for your great tips and destinations for family vacations!  You can find more of her tips and more at www.familytravelnetwork.com.

Where do you like to take your kids on vacation?

Sean C., Delta Vacations

Our guest blogger for today is Nancy from the Family Travel Network, where she is giving you tips for traveling with young children.  Next week she will be discussing kid friendly resorts and destinations.

Tips for Traveling With Young Children.

* Sign your little one up for frequent flyer programs. It’s amazing how fast those miles will add up.

* Schedule flights that coincide with your child’s nap schedule. If it’s going to be a very long flight, red-eye overnight flights also work out well.

* If your child is old enough, talk with him/her ahead of time about your trip. Read stories about flying in planes and talk about what to expect. Preparation always helps.

* Print out your boarding passes ahead of time for flights that allow online check-in.

* Bring along food and healthy snacks, and buy water before getting on the plane. If you need infant formula, bring along plenty of that, too. You never know how long you’ll be on the plane and it’s a good idea to keep your kids on their regular eating schedule if possible.

* Bring along an FAA approved car seat on the plane.

* Do not check your stroller – airports are big places. Keep your child in his/her stroller and check it at the gate.

* Dress your little one in comfortable clothes (darker ones hide stains) and bring along an extra change of clothes and some zip-lock plastic bags in case of accidents.

* For infants and toddlers, bring along as well as plenty of diapers, wipes, and a small container of baby bath soap & wash cloth, just in case of accidents.

* Pack a small first-aid kit with everything you might need, including children’s Tylenol, a digital thermometer, band-aids, children’s antihistamine, a nasal aspirator, and other items.

* Consider bringing along Ear Planes to keep ears clear and pressure free if your kids are old enough to use them.

* Don’t forget one of family travel’s best kept secrets – the travel knapsack – to keep your child entertained throughout the trip. Load it with cool items including story books, activity books, finger puppets, felt books with stick-ons, magnetic games, small dolls/action figures, and other items.

* If your child has a favorite item that you can’t replace – such as a beloved blanket or toy - don’t take a chance that it could get lost and ruin your trip. Bring it with you in your carry-on luggage.

There are lots more tips for traveling with young children, but hopefully these will help.  You can find more of Nancy’s tips at (www.familytravelnetwork.com)

Do you  have tips for traveling with kids? Comment here or tweet us @deltablog.

Nancy, Family Travel Network