This was the most frustrating day of our Disney Cruise through the Mediterranean. It’s not that Sorrento and Pompeii themselves were bothersome or not worthy of a visit – quite the opposite, in fact! From great frustrations, one can learn great lessons. Here’s what I learned about how to make the most of your limited vacation days…

I am happy to announce my partnership with Best Family Travel Advice! If you are looking for help with packing, places to go, things to do, activities for kids, ANYTHING to do with family travel…throw it at us and we’ll do our best to get you expert travel advice to meet your needs.

Last week I asked parents to share their favorite travel tips for a chance to win a Marriott Tots Travel Too gift pack of goodies. From sentimental to practical, here are my top 10 travel tip picks from among the 56 entries.

Want to make traveling with a baby or toddler easier? Then you need to know about JetSetBabies! Enter to win one of two $50 JetSetBabies gift certificates.

It’s always exciting when I get feedback about how this site helps traveling families! Over the past couple of months, a few websites have written about TravelMamas.com and I wanted to share their stories and tell you about the rockin’ products and services these sites offer to traveling parents.

I hope you’ll swing by BreezyMama.com to check out my round-up of travel tips! I was asked to share my Top 10 Travel Tips for Parents by BreezyMama.com. While you’re there, be sure to enter to win a My Busy Kit to keep your wee ones content while traveling or enter to win a super-stylish Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag.

Expectant parents often take a babymoon, or one last hurrah vacation before that bundle of joy comes along to interrupt meals and make reading a magazine on an airplane impossible. Whether it’s your first baby or your fifth, a babymoon is a wonderful way to relax and celebrate couplehood with your partner before a baby’s arrival.

Looking for tips for keeping the kids happy and healthy this summer whether at-home or on-the-go? Listen to this interview with The Travel Mama (Me!) and Catherine McCord of Weelicious on Healthy Voyager Radio. I share some of my favorite travel resources and activities as well as what I think is hardest about travel with children (and how to handle it!).

We all have that vacation destination we daydream about. It might be a tropical island, where the water is crystal clear and the beaches are empty. Or, it might be luxurious resort with relaxing spa treatments and over-the-top customer service. Whatever type of vacation you are longing for, it CAN happen on a budget!

Usually my Disney-loving family flies to sunny Florida every other year to visit Mickey Mouse. This summer, however, I will be driving with my wife and two teenagers from central New Jersey to Orlando. My 17-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter merely tolerate each other’s company, at best. Right about now I can hear some of you saying, “Are you crazy?” Here’s how we plan to stay sane along the way.

Thank you to everyone who posted a travel memory on TravelMamas.com as part of the Lay’s Happiest Travel Memories Giveaway. This contest was so fun for me because I loved reading through all of your stories! A few memories were funny…many were uplifting…others brought tears to my eyes. To recognize some of the submissions, Lay’s will award a bag of potato chips to the top five best answers (as chosen by moi). I couldn’t narrow it down to just five so I’ve also included five honorable mentions.

Here are ten reasons to consider renting gear when traveling with your baby or toddler…

When we travel for fun, the focus isn’t on work, school, and never-ending to-do lists. Vacations allow us to spend quality time with people we love, live more fully in the present moment, take notice of our surroundings, and enjoy life. This must be why so many of my happiest memories have taken place while on a vacation. Read a few of my happiest travel memories and share one of yours for a chance to win a Southwest Airlines $200 gift card from Lay’s potato chips as part of their Happiness is Simple campaign.

Everyone’s looking for ways to save money during these tough economic times. If you or your spouse has a job that requires travel, why not have the family tagalong on the next business trip? You save money on airfare for one family member and score free accommodations for all.

Many parents who have a child with severe food allergies opt not to travel because they fear a negative allergic reaction away from home. Travel with a food-allergic child is possible. It just takes preparation, communication, and vigilance! Read these tips on how to travel safely with food allergies from Kate Newmyer, a mom who knows!

All week, this year’s best of the best has been featured on Travel Mamas in conjunction with the Anniversary Prize A Day Giveaway. Here’s a little round-up of this week’s posts and comments!

Do you have a great tip for traveling with kids? Share it and you could win $20 from KidsTravelHappy.com. Hopefully you’ll send me some great ideas to share with other Travel Mamas and Travel Daddies for future Quick Tips posts!

I waded through a sea of Google Analytics to tally up the most popular Travel Mamas blog posts of the year. Some of my personal favorites were also the most popular, but a few of my faves were among the site’s least viewed stories. This got me thinking…what is YOUR favorite Travel Mamas story? If you tell me, you might win a prize from KidsTravelHappy.com!

I was a guest on the Jetiquette Blog Talk Radio Show last week and I didn’t embarrass myself too horribly. Success! The topic was Travel with Children, which I happen to know a thing or two about. Looking for some travel tips or just want to hear how silly I sound on air? Listen to the podcast now!

Nancy Sathre-Vogel is a modern-day nomad and vagabond who travels the world in search of beads and other treasures. She is now pedaling the length of the Americas because her eleven-year-old sons have decided they want to get the Guinness World Record as the youngest people to cycle the Pan-American Highway. Read her reflections on the day she and her family began their journey and what they’ve learned and experienced along the way.

Roy Scribner is a Travel Daddy to three children who helps parents experience the great outdoors with their kids at CampingBlogger.net. He knows how to go at a kid’s pace when exploring on a hike and what activities to bring along to keep them happy back at the campsite. Check out his tips for a fun camping adventure for the whole family!

Every now and then I receive emails or comments from readers with helpful travel tips, interesting questions, or some thoughts about how TravelMamas.com helped them travel better with kids. I thought I’d compile a few of them to share with you in hopes it will help your family travels a bit!

Want to sneak away for a romantic trip for Valentine’s Day or your anniversary but can’t (or don’t want to) find a sitter to stay with your children? Bring the kids with! Here are a nine tips to help you and your other half keep your relationship merry by squeezing some romance into a family vacation!

Here are 14 tips on how to prepare for a Disney World vacation with children from Disney Expert and Author Lisa M. Battista.

Here are 20 tips on traveling with teens and tweens from Lisa T. Bergren, co-creator and editor of theworldiscalling.com.

I interviewed Carolyn Scott, a.k.a. the Healthy Voyager, to get some tips for staying healthy and fit while traveling. Read on to learn how to win three Healthy Voyager e-cookbooks plus a prize pack of healthful Bellybar snacks.

You want to visit family during the holiday season to introduce your little one to long-treasured traditions and catch up with far-flung loved ones. But you may be nervous about cramped sleeping quarters, squeezing in quality time with everyone on your must-see list, and staying sane on someone else’s turf. Here are some strategies to make sure your visit is as stress-less and joy-filled as possible.

Learn about the hazards of flying with a lap child in this interview with Louise Stoll, a grandmother and inventor CARES, the only compact child safety restraint approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for use on airplanes.

Whether paying a visit family and friends, traveling to a tropical destination, sailing on a cruise, or taking a ski vacation, get away this Thanksgiving. Here are six reasons to plan a turkey day vacation.

I recently learned seven tips for ensuring restful vacation nights for the whole family during an interview with Davis Ehrler, post-partum doula and creator of the 3-Day Sleep Solution workbook and educational DVD.

My preschooler daughter and I often get queasy while traveling by boat or airplane and sometimes even when riding in the car. Does this keep us from flying, cruising, or road-tripping? No! If you or your child suffers from motion sickness, there are plenty of options that can help ease the nausea caused by movement. Here are nine remedies that could help.

Most families I know have full schedules, so jam-packed with work, school, and extracurricular activities that they barely have time for family dinners anymore. So why not look at your flight as a way to spend some quality family time? Here are a few ways to make your flight an experience your kids will remember…and yes, enjoy!

Travel never used to phase me. And I thought it never would. Before having a baby, I wouldn’t hesitate to jump in the car and make a last-minute trip to Vegas bringing only a change of underwear and a toothbrush. Not so anymore.

Before we had kids, my husband and I traveled as often as we could—we’ve hiked in Patagonia, Chile; roamed around Ireland by car; honeymooned in Bali. Then our first child, Max, had a stroke at birth that resulted in cerebral palsy. Over the years, I’ve learned some key pointers for traveling with kids, whether you have a kid with any sort of special needs, or just a kid in general.

Not only do moms feel overwhelmed by the stress of long flights with squirming kids and sleepless nights away from home with over-tired tots, but also many feel discriminated against when traveling with children. Even with these challenges, moms want a break from the monotony and stresses of their every day lives. They need a vacation to plan and look forward to.

Asking the locals where to go feels so much more fun, immediate, and real. Here are some ways to get the insider’s scoop on your destination.

In an interview with PassPorter Coauthor Jennifer Marx, mom-next-door and Travel Mama inspiration, we learn Jennifer’s top tips for a Disney vacation and her favorite Disney park, restaurant and attraction.

Motels, hotels, resorts, and even some bed and breakfasts are making strides to not just tolerate, but to welcome their youngest guests. Many offer welcome kits at check-in, kids’ camps resplendent with child-friendly activities, and children’s menus in their restaurants.

“Eat while you drive. Stop to play.” I recently tested this tidbit of road trip advice from a friend, while trying to avoid the lure of my SUV’s built-in DVD screen.

A road trip to the quaint town of Julian, California reminded me to slow down and see things as children do…right now…right here.