Smuggler’s Notch is a year-round resort located in Jeffersonville, Vermont, less than an hour from the U.S.-Canada border. It is routinely named by Ski Magazine as one of the “Top 20 Resorts in the East” (often taking the top spot) and was named one of the “Best Ski Resorts in the US and Canada” in Conde Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards (2023) and the “Best Action-Packed Mountain Resort for Year-Round Fun” in Good Housekeeping’s Family Travel Awards (2024). Does Smugg’s live up to the hype, and if so — what causes it to be such a standout among families and skiers alike?
A laid-back, family-friendly rustic mountain retreat in the middle of a long Ukrainian winter? Yes, please!
In late February, after seven months of suburban Kyiv city life, we made our way to Voevodyno, a family-friendly resort in the fresh air of the Carpathian Mountains. It was the break we needed.
Lviv . . . the most beautiful, romantic, full-of-personality little town in Ukraine there ever was. Not that I've been to that many towns in Ukraine quite yet, but I imagine that this is the best one (shhhhhh, don't tell Kyiv). It's quaint, historic, lively, full of stunning architecture, offers unique restaurants and fantastic parks . . . and we barely even scratched the surface. Like barely even scratched the surface.
In August, we traveled internationally during COVID-19 with our four kiddos, one big, loveable Golden Retriever, and about 1,000,000 bags. If a similar trip is on the horizon for you, here's our story and my tips for how to make the trip as safe as possible, and (hopefully) less stressful.
Romantic hilltop towns. Medieval town squares. Vineyards as far as the eye can see. Farm-to-table restaurants. Italian wine. Pecorino cheese. Olive groves. Ahh, Tuscany.
We just returned from a wonderful week in this paradise. We explored seven towns in seven days, ate fabulous food, and ran free in the most beautiful town squares. We visited family farms, saw saffron-picking and cheese-making in progress. We explored old fortresses and cycled along ancient city walls. We ate gelato every.single.day. The kids filled their pockets with olives, wine corks, acorns, and fall leaves. After all, it's the simple memories that are sometimes the most treasured ones.
Newport, RI.
Holy moly.
We had the absolute best year in Newport, Rhode Island (2018-2019). Being from Florida, I was not sure what to expect of New England in general, but man — I was impressed. From the people to the coastline, lighthouses, and small town vibe, we loved Newport. In fact, we loved it enough to consider buying a forever home there. Like, seriously. And we’re still looking. So don’t get any ideas and steal our dreamhouse. Okay? Thanks
We just returned from one of our favorite spots in Zakopane, entry point to Poland's stunning Tatra mountains. On the first night of our four-day stay, my 7-year old asked, "can we stay for two months?" My kids absolutely adore the Tatras, not only for all for all of the beauty and fun winter and summer-time activities it has to offer, but also because of our choice of lodging - the Tatra Chalet. With multiple trips to the Tatras under our belts over the last few years, I want to shout from the mountaintops (and I could, literally, if I was there right.now) what makes our vacation time there so fantastic, so that others can find the same joy and respite in this spectacular place.
I'm guilty of it.
Whenever a long weekend comes around, I check Google Flights for cheap tickets from Krakow to another close-by European destination. After all, you can get from Krakow to Stockholm direct in under 2 hours for under $50/person round-trip. And when we were looking for a place to spend our fall break, we settled on Italy because flights to Bologna were only $75/person round-trip. Stupid cheap airfares, short flights - and just like that, you are in eating the most amazing kannelbular (cinnamon rolls) in Sweden or dancing in the medieval squares of Tuscan hill-top towns. We did this for our first two years in Krakow - nearly every break the kids had, we jetted off to another country. And it was fantastic.
Back to Tuscany . . .
After the first part of our week which included visiting the picturesque, tall-towered town of San Gimignano, biking the medieval city walls of Lucca, and running free on the lawn in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, we geared up for another three fabulous Italian towns: Siena, Florence, and Pienza.
