HomeAway - Pitstops for Kids

How to save on accommodations for your next family vacation

January 15, 2018 By Amy Hagstrom

Getting ready to plan your holiday travels? Early planners can reap the benefits of early bird specials, deals, and savings, making family vacations more affordable. Here’s how to save on accommodations for your next family vacation:

Think long-term:

Instead of chasing last-minute deals, parents planning ahead have time to earn loyalty rewards. Start here, with a comparison of hotel loyalty reward programs to figure out which one is right for you. Then, if you have team travel, school field trip travel, or business travel between now and your family vacation, bank those points!

Plan to stay in one place:

Instead of booking hotel room stays in multiple destinations, plan to stay in one place for the length of your vacation. Rent a vacation home instead of paying for rooms (usually the best deal if staying for a week or more). The family will have room to spread out, you can save dough on meals in, transportation, and laundry, and everyone will feel more relaxed. Our favorite home vacation rental sites to work with:

HomeAway: Best for international rentals, city rentals, and off-the-beaten-path rentals.

Dwellable: Best for deals, resort-town rentals.

VacationRoost: Best for luxury rentals, ski town rentals.

Let someone else find the deals for you:

Sites such as HotelsCheap.org can find the best rates based on current room occupancy (and vacancies). What many parents don’t realize: using a discount hotel site can work when planning travel in advance, too. Be sure to add your hotel loyalty program number to your stay when you arrive; the front desk staff can do that for you. I spoke with HotelsCheap about planning family vacations. Read the interview here for inspiration!

For more options, check travel deals at ChameleonJohn.com. They have coupons and deals for 100’s of travel portals and hotel booking sites. Make sure to check them for better deals and savings.

Find hotels with concierge lounges and clubs:

It sounds like upgrading to a concierge level or paying for club lounge access at a hotel would be an extravagance. In fact, it can save families money, if they utilize it properly. For instance, Grand Hyatts offer their Grand Club, which, in most cases, includes a full breakfast spread, cold drinks and snacks all day long, and lunch offerings. In the evening, families can find appetizers and desserts. In some cases, an upgrade to club level is under $75 per night, which, for a family of four or five, can be the cost of a meal out. Plan to eat breakfast in the club, grab drinks for your day out, then eat dessert there at night: even if you’re away from the hotel most of the day, you’ll save substantial money. Select Starwood hotels offer their SPG Kids Pass upgrade during the summer months, which allow kids all-inclusive dining.

Remember that the extras add up:

If you’re staying at a luxury hotel that does not offer a concierge level worth paying for, remember that little things, such a parking, breakfast, and wifi, can add up over the course of a stay. To save hundreds over the course of a 3-4 night stay, it’s often easier to downgrade your hotel for its free amenities than find a web deal or coupon code. Pick a hotel away from a city center to get free parking, free breakfast, and free wifi. Bonus points if it’s right on a public transit line, so you don’t have to pay for parking in the city or resort town, too.

Where to stay in Paris on a budget with kids

January 25, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

When we planned to spend five days in Paris with kids, we knew we’d be on a budget. To make it possible for us, we chose to book a HomeAway apartment rental in an outer arrondissement. This arrangement allowed us enough sleeping space for our family of five, a kitchen to cook some meals in, and a washing machine for our laundry. We already trusted HomeAway, as we use this site for ski vacations in the States. Abroad, we had the same positive experience we’re already accustomed to, even in Paris on a budget.

Why stay in the Montmartre neighborhood:

Montmartre is a neighborhood of contradictions: it’s both touristy and authentic, tacky and elegant. During our week-long stay, we found that the atmosphere changes as you climb the hill: at the bottom, you’ll find a working class neighborhood with more than its share of night clubs, but at the top, the elegance of Sacre Coeur awaits, with smaller cafes and street artists. The latter is filled with tourists, but below, we found a more genuine Paris experience, where the restaurants and stores served the locals…and were priced accordingly.

Pros:

Staying outside the most popular arrondissements can save money on accommodations.
The Montmartre neighborhood (and the 18th arrondissement) has a local, artsy vibe that’s fun for older kids and teens.
The Chateau Rogue metro station is convenient to downtown.

Cons:

While Montmartre is a destination in itself, it’s not in the heart of the go-to tourist attractions: you’re a metro ride away.
Can be loud at night in some areas.

Paris on a budget: Why apartment living is where it’s at:

We set up camp at this HomeAway apartment, located just steps from the Metro station and a five minute walk from Sacre Coeur. In the heart of the holiday season, we paid only $500 total for five nights, which is drastically less than we’d spend on two hotel rooms per night for our family of five.

While the space was small, we all had our own beds, and the space was functional. We saved even more money by eating in several nights during our stay. Directly down the street from our apartment was a convenient grocery store where we stocked up on essentials, and several bakeries were just below us. We stocked up on breakfast items, coffee, bottled water, snacks, and the makings of a few easy meals, such as soup and baguette. We still ate most our meals out, but having some in saved us time and money.

You never know how hands-on or hands-off your host will be when you book through HomeAway, but this time, we hit the jackpot. The owner of this apartment was very communicative and helpful, both before our trip and during. She met us with a smile when we arrived tired after a transcontinental flight, and spoke English well enough to give us a tour of the small apartment (we don’t speak French). Renting this apartment also gave us access to free WiFi, a laundry machine, and the extra space of a living room.

A few HomeAway tips:

Download the app for easy communication with your host.
Book early for the best pricing, but don’t be afraid to try for a last-minute booking…some hosts discount their properties if unsold during peak weeks.
Read the fine print: check to see if you’ll need to leave a damage deposit or any required city tax fee, and whether it will need to be in cash. For our rental, a €250 cash deposit was required (returned on departure), and this would have been a pretty big hiccup if I hadn’t been prepared ahead of time.
Check both the map in the listing and the reviews. Look for information on the host as well as on the property itself.

Montmartre during the Christmas season:

While I’m now sold on staying in Montmartre during any time of year, it was particularly magical during the Christmas season. A ten minute walk from our apartment found us at the top of the hill by Sacre Coeur, where we had a great view of the Eiffel Tower and festive lights twinkled from every corner.

The above post was written in partnership with HomeAway. As always, all opinions remain my own.

Holidays away from home: Tips for preparing kids

December 16, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

At least every other year, we travel during the holiday season. This means my kids are pretty accustomed to celebrating holidays away from home, and as a parent, I’m pretty good at making Christmas special…wherever we are. This year, we’ll be celebrating Christmas Day in Italy. In the days leading up to the holiday, we’ll be renting a HomeAway apartment in Paris. Here’s how we’ll celebrate the holidays away from home:

Think of your trip as a gift in itself:

Older kids and teens should be able to appreciate that a family trip during the holidays costs money and can be considered a gift in its own right. To help kids take ownership of this gift, allow them to plan a portion of your vacation, pick one special activity each, or otherwise engage in the planning process. Spend a day doing each child’s special outings or attractions, if possible. As an alternative idea, gift kids souvenir money (in the currency of the destination) and don’t put any restrictions on how they spend it.

Help kids feel oriented by ‘rerouting’ Santa:

A recent study by HomeAway has shown that 84% of families will spend the holidays together. But traveling to be with family can have its difficulties. It’s hard to change the way gift-giving works in your family if you have Santa believers among you. And kids can feel genuine worry that Santa ‘won’t find them’, causing unnecessary stress during a happy vacation. HomeAway has solved this problem with their ‘Rerouting Santa’ microsite. Check it out: RerouteSanta.com. Just tell Santa where you’ll be, and he’ll find you!

Consider gift-giving in a new way:

For our upcoming trip, we simply won’t have room in our carry-on luggage to bring gifts halfway around the world. Instead, our school-aged kids (and we parents) will be gift-giving on the go. We’ll each draw a family member’s name, and shop for them while we travel. We’re focusing on smaller, stocking-stuffer type gifts in order to keep the ‘stuff’ we haul around manageable. If you have more space, such as a car trunk, you could adapt this system to include larger gifts.

Alternatively, parents can gift kids with one smaller gift per day during their trip, instead of all gifts on Christmas morning. For those celebrating Hanukkah, this ‘new’ system will feel even easier to implement. Gift kids with small toys, crafts, goodies, and games they’ll use during your travels.

Bring holiday decorations:

I love bringing decorations with me on trips when possible…so much so that we have an entire post on decorating your home rental, condo, or hotel room. It’s especially easy to decorate a HomeAway house for the holidays: ask the home owner if there’s a stash of holiday decor you can access…chances are they’ll leave them out for you or decorate before your arrival. We like to bring small strings of lights operated on battery pack (these can even be adorned to strollers or backpacks!).

Ask your home owner for seasonal events and tips:

We asked our Parisian hosts for their top holiday events in Paris, and almost immediately, I received an emailed list of events and happenings during our stay. Inspired, we did the same for our Italian hosts! Plan to attend at least a few holiday events in your destination to add cheer and keep ‘normalcy’ for kids who are used to plenty of seasonal hoopla in their home town. Some of the best activities include parades, holiday window shopping, and light displays.

Where to stay on Kauai North Shore: HomeAway vacation rental pick

April 15, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

We recently spent 10 days exploring as many off-the-beaten-path locations on Kauai we could. Our home base: this North Shore Kauai vacation rental. Located in the resort community of Princeville just a few blocks from the ocean, the home was perfect for our extended, multigenerational family of 11. If you’re wondering where to stay on Kauai North Shore with your family, read on!

When we booked this home through HomeAway, we were given maps and detailed information about where the house is located. We worried the neighborhood would feel to ‘suburban’, or, as one of my kids put it, ‘like it could be anywhere’. I understood what he meant: would our vacation rental and its neighborhood look just like our street at home?

The short answer: no, it did not. With plenty of grass for the kids to play on, beautifully landscaped around lush gardens, our vacation home felt like a tropical bungalow tucked into the jungle. I could meditate in the garden, even while the boys played football around the side of the house. We could sit out on our spacious lanai and watch the sun go down over the breathtaking mountains. And we could even see a waterfall from our upstairs bedroom window. ‘A regular suburban neighborhood’, it was not.

The house’s greatest asset aside from the lovely grounds is the spacious kitchen and pretty lanai with ample outdoor living space. Families can find a BBQ in the back, and just as important after days of swimming, a spacious laundry room off the garage. Several boogie boards, a surf board, some snorkeling gear, and other beach equipment (including a cooler) save families money on rentals.

A large master bedroom is located upstairs, with three more bedrooms downstairs (one of which has bunk beds). The house has three bathrooms, but only one shower and one bath. This was a problem for us, no doubt about it: one shower for 11 people needing to rinse off after a beach day? It got ugly! However, we knew this would be the case from the get-go: HomeAway clearly describes all layouts and house configurations, and several reviews brought it to our attention as well. Vacation rental tip: always read the reviews from past guests!

We had wifi, parking for two cars (or more), and ample space and amenities for enjoying big family meals. We had movie nights and Mai Tai nights (virgin for the kids, of course), and game nights. We didn’t have a pool, and frankly, we didn’t miss it. With so much swimming in the ocean every day, we were ready for some fun out of the water by evening.

Nearby amenities and activities:

If you opt for a Princeville North Shore rental, you’ll be within walking distance of at least one beach (at the base of the St. Regis), Queen Emma’s Baths, and Hideaway Beach. You’re also close to golf. You have the Princeville shopping complex just outside the Princeville planned community (about 5-10 minutes away). There you’ll find a thorough (yet expensive) grocery store, the best shave ice on Kauai, Kauai Shave Ice (best, in our opinion, due to the natural, non-GMO flavors used), several restaurants, and the North Shore General Store, which is both a convenience store and a great take-out location, with pizzas, plate lunches, and sandwiches.

Just about 10 minutes away is the town of Hanalei, which is adorable, right on the shores of Hanalai Bay, and offers everything you need in terms of activity rentals, restaurants, and surf. The start of the Na Poli Coast is just a bit further, and you’re 45 minutes from Lihoe and only 30 from Smith’s Luau and other West Shore gems. We found Princeville to be a great home base, and we certainly didn’t mind doing some driving…there’s so much to see on Kauai!

Pros of a Kauai vacation home rental:

Space and price are the top reasons we love renting vacation homes from HomeAway. Our rental came out to under $300 per night, for a family of 11. No where on Kauai could we find three hotel rooms for the same combined price. We always save additional money by buying and cooking our own meals. If this sounds good, here are other indicators a vacation rental home is for you: 1. you want space for the kids to play, 2. you want to be able to do your laundry easily, 3. you want to be able to separate kids and parents so Mom and Dad don’t need to go to bed at 8 pm.

Cons of a Kauai vacation home rental:

Renting a house for your Hawaii vacation may not be for you if guest services and hotel pampering are a big part of your vacation experience. This is true everywhere, not just on the Hawaiian islands. When you rent a home, some of the nitty gritty details you may not want to think about on vacation fall to you: do we have enough toilet paper? Should we run to the market for trash bags? Where do we take the recycling? Is the fridge leaking? If you’d much rather not think about such things (and are willing to pay more for that privilege), opt for a hotel or resort stay instead.

Want a preview of some of the nearby activities on Kauai? Check out our video:

Other reasons you may not want a rental home:

if you don’t want to drive often in your car to reach amenities such as tennis courts, golf courses, and beaches
if you don’t wish to stay in a neighborhood or town (preferring a resort atmosphere)
if you don’t want to shop for food and cook your own meals

Have you rented a vacation home on Kauai? Where?

Winter vacation home rental process made easy

January 2, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

Ever rented a vacation home for a family holiday? Worried it might be a complicated process? Not sure how to go about it? Pit Stops for Kids can help! This post was originally published in 2010, when we rented our first winter vacation home in Lake Tahoe through HomeAway. In the years since, we’ve rented homes several times, including two more Tahoe homes (once through Northstar California, and once more through HomeAway). Most recently, we rented a beautiful West Tahoe home for Christmas week, which was big enough to house our whole extended family. In March, we’ll be renting from HomeAway again on the island of Kauai.

There are other great vacation rental sites (we also use VacationRoost), but because the bulk of our knowledge is in renting from HomeAway, we’ll focus on this company for the purpose of this post. There are many reasons why a vacation rental might be the right choice of accommodation for a winter stay, including space to spread out (and bring all that winter gear), washers and dryers, perhaps a hot tub, and the ability to cook in-house.

HomeAway makes it easy to find the right vacation rental for you and your family. Starting at their homepage, just click on ‘Find a Rental’. Enter where you’d like to go and when, and browse the available rentals. You can sort the selection by price, bedrooms, or even number of reviews. I like that the weekly and daily rental prices are listed right on the main page, so I can quickly get a feel for what homes in my desired location will cost. When you click on ‘details’, you get a map, tons of photos, and a list of amenities.

Once you’ve selected your desired rental, contact the owner. This, too, is easy: the rental owner’s contact information is listed right on the main page of each rental property description. I really like that with most rentals on HomeAway, customers work directly with the owners, the people who know the rental and surrounding area personally. Keep in mind that since all owners are different, the HomeAway process may feel different each time you rent. During our first Tahoe rental experience, after making contact, I got a confirmation from HomeAway immediately, telling me exactly what to expect. In my case, the owner of my first rental (this beautiful home in the Twin Bridges community of South Tahoe), emailed me a rental agreement within hours, along with a friendly greeting filled with such enthusiasm for her property, I wanted to pack up and go right then and there! During my second Tahoe rental experience, the owner preferred to call me and set up the rental agreement via phone. In this case, I worked with HomeAway less (though still had their support).

Pay your deposit (if applicable), sign your rental agreement, and count the days until your vacation, secure in the knowledge that HomeAway has your back. I was glad to see that even after I’d taken care of business with my property owner, the support for HomeAway continued. I was offered rental insurance, additional deals and incentives for future stays, and assurance that any additional help I needed was only a phone call away. Note: in most cases, a deposit will both hold your reservation and be applied to the total cost of your rental. In the case of our second rental experience, our owner preferred to keep the two separate. We paid our deposit, then paid our total cost for the rental, then got the deposit back in the form of a check. Be sure to ask owners which way they like to conduct business so you know what to expect.

Expect a warm welcome. Both times we rented a winter home through HomeAway, we hadn’t even arrived at our vacation rental yet, and I already knew the home fires would be burning brightly (so to speak). Both property owners went above and beyond, sending me a full inventory of items and supplies available to me in the home during my stay, just so I wouldn’t need to wonder whether to pack a snow shovel or a set of sheets. They also sent information on the local scene, grocery stores they recommend personally, and local service numbers should I need them.

Ask questions about the possibility of power outages, local snowplow schedules, and alternative heat sources: This is crucial when renting in winter! During our 2010 winter vacation rental experience, we enjoyed an epic snowstorm. The power went out several times, but our home had a back up generator, which we knew how to use. Our owner had included full instructions. In our second rental home this past Christmas, we had ample parking space away from snow plow routes, but during our first rental experience, we had to move cars on snow plow days. Ask for this information so it doesn’t blindside you! Find out whether you’ll need fire wood, and know where candles and matches are kept in the home just in case.

And if you’re not sure what you’re looking for? If you’re undecided as to the sort of vacation you want, or if you’d like HomeAway to keep an eye out for the perfect rental for you and your family, fill out their Ultimate Travel Picks form to be sent alerts and info on rental availability tailored to you.

Pit Stops for Kids partnered with HomeAway for some, but not all, vacation rental reviews. All opinions are our own.

Read more about vacation home rental in our Home (Away) for the Holidays series.

Skiing with a Tween at Sierra-at-Tahoe

December 29, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

This post was originally published as part of our Home (Away) for the Holidays series.

It’s easy to find kid-friendly skiing in Tahoe, but what about those hard to please tweens and teens? I spent an extra day at Sierra-at-Tahoe last week with Nate, during which we noted what worked for his age group (middle school) and ability level (advanced).

Sierra at Tahoe is not too big, and not too small…it’s just right! Because of its manageable size and centralized layout, it’s easy for older kids and teens to split off with friends or siblings and meet back up with parents. All runs end in a major lift, lodge, or restaurant, a design element that would give me the confidence to let him explore a bit without an adult.

It’s challenging. I love that Sierra intermixes beginning runs with intermediate and advanced; it allows all members of a family to ride the lift and spend the majority of their day together. But the best part of this feature is the way terrain parks, trails, and tree skiing branch off from easy and intermediate runs. I don’t know how it is in your family, but my older kids love these features, and it’s nice that they’re so accessible. Each terrain park at Sierra is clearly marked as containing Small, Medium, or Large elements, and each place we cut off a run to powder ski through trees fed easily into a trail or run below. Nate and I especially loved exploring the Huckleberry Gates section of the mountain, a truly challenging series of back-country chutes that felt like an entirely different experience every time! This area is not open all day, so be sure to check signage or ask lift operators for updates.

It knows how to feed your tween. Ski resort food is expensive, and tweens and teens can eat their weight of it after hitting the slopes all morning. I loved that Sierra at Tahoe offers affordable options. We ate at the 360 Degree Smokehouse BBQ at the Grandview Lodge, which was great for several reasons. First off, due to its location at the top of the mountain, it was easy to access and uncrowded. Secondly, the food was fantastic, and generously portioned (my two younger kids could have easily shared an entree). Better yet, if you’re feeding the entire family, their Family Meal Deal is truly a deal for $45. Families pick three types of BBQ meat entrees, then get four huge sides and four drinks. (We ate at the tasty Aspen Cafe in the Main Lodge during our first ski day, and paid over $50 to feed the same amount of people.) Best of all, this top of the mountain lodge offers complimentary boot warming while you eat. Just hand the attendants your boots on the way in, grab a pair of cozy slippers to wear in the restaurant, and trade them back in when you’re ready to head back outside. Great, right? Yeah, we could hardly believe it, either!

Grab a pair of slippers…they have your size!

It’s clear to us why we kept hearing the same thing from Sierra guests while riding up the chair lifts and hanging out in the lodges…that Sierra at Tahoe truly is a local favorite: it has just enough of everything–at a decent price–to keep everyone in your group happy, including those notoriously hard to please teens. What’s more, during our time enjoying their slopes, we never came across a Sierra employee who wasn’t cheerful, helpful, and willing to go out of his or her way to make sure we were having a good time. I can see why locals and traveling guests alike feel they’re getting a lot of value for their vacation dollar here. And best of all, when paired with one of the HomeAway vacation properties right at the base of the mountain, you can forget the commute: you’re only five minutes away from Sierra at Tahoe!

As stated previously, Sierra at Tahoe generously hosted us during this portion of our Tahoe Holiday. This compensation came with no expectation of a positive review. Read all our articles in our Home (Away) for the Holidays series!

Home (Away) for the Holidays: Preparing for winter driving

December 10, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

During the holiday season, the Pit Stops family is often on the road, en route to Lake Tahoe, California or Central Oregon for a family ski vacation. If you’ll be traveling in winter weather as well, revisit our Home (Away) for the Holidays series, with tips on getting a holiday vacation rental, playing in the snow, and preparing for a winter vacation.

Our first challenge? Packing all the trappings of Christmas into our minivan. There’s really no good way to do this, especially if your kids are young enough that a visit from Santa is expected at your destination. We made it work with the aid of our roof bag and my husband’s natural packing skills.

Which led us to our second challenge: preparing our car for winter driving conditions. Like many parts of the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year, our route from Oregon to Northern California has the potential to turn from dry roads sunny skies to snow, ice, and chain requirements. If you, too, plan to tackle winter roads this holiday season, consider doing the following:

1. Give your car a check-up. Get the oil changed, check the battery, brakes, and windshield wiper fluid levels before you depart. Make sure your spare tire is properly inflated and ready to go. Fill up on gas before tackling any summits or snowy highways where you may be delayed.

2. Find room for the essentials. I know your car’s already filled to the brim, but you absolutely want chains (made for your car’s model), a collapsible snow shovel, a flashlight, and winter gloves handy. I’m embarrassed to say we’ve been caught unprepared before, and there’s little worse than bumbling around in the dark without the right equipment. You’ll also want plenty of bottled water and snacks in the car in case of road closures or delays.

3. Stay updated on road conditions. Check road condition websites before departing (we’ve bookmarked CalTrans and ODOT), and receive updates on the AM dial of your radio. Be prepared for check-points for chain installation and removal.

4. Have a back-up plan. No one wants their travel day to end at a closed or hazardous highway or interstate, but it does happen. Have a few places in mind where you could spend the night if necessary. It’s always better to stop early and wait out a winter storm rather than get too far, just to turn around and head back.

Try to go with the flow, take your time, and take the opportunity to stop and play in the winter weather along the way!

Have a safe holiday, and be sure to follow our Tahoe adventures in our Home (Away) for the Holidays series.

Home (Away) for the Holidays: Dreaming of a White Christmas (pitstopsforkids.com)
Home (Away) for the Holidays: Introducing an Alternative to Hotels (pitstopsforkids.com)
Home (Away) for the Holidays: The rental process made easy (pitstopsforkids.com)

Thimbleberry Cabin: winter escape in Southern Oregon Cascades

March 10, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

For a year-round mountain getaway in the Northwest, families can’t beat the Southern Oregon Cascades. Easy to access from I-5 (to Highway 140), this region south of Crater Lake National Park and west of Klamath Falls is rich with national forest land, lakes, and recreation. We love the area’s ‘off-the-beaten-path’ feel (and the fact that it’s only a few short hours from several Oregon cities)! Situated in the midst of this wilderness is Thimbleberry Cabin.

Pit Stops for Kids reader Cristie Fairbanks of Southern Oregon recommends Thimbleberry, located seven miles from beautiful Lake of the Woods on Highway 140, for its family-friendly location and features. A HomeAway rental property set apart from any other resort or facility, Thimbleberry sleeps five comfortably with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a full kitchen. “With a short walk from the house, you can backcountry ski or snowshoe in any direction through national forest and BLM lands, and the cabin is only one mile from Pacific Crest Trail access. The cabin rental also comes with a variety of snowshoes and sleds (as well as other seasonal equipment) that you can use right on the one acre property or take with you on an adventure.”

What to do: In winter, you won’t need to stray far from the cabin. Sled or enjoy snow play right outside your door, or connect with the Pacific Crest Trail for a longer trek. Visit Summit Snow Park for snowmobile or cross-country fun, and Fish Lake (adjacent to Lake of the Woods, Highway 140) offers even more snowshoe and cross-country ski trails. Extra Tip: In summer, swim, fish, and boat on Lake of the Woods or Fish Lake, or explore the Sky Lakes Wilderness, (access to trail head on Highway 140 across from Fish Lake), our family’s favorite place for a day hike or backpacking overnight.

Day trips in the area: Within easy driving distance is Crater Lake National Park (check road conditions and closings in winter) and Shakespearean Ashland, Oregon.

Where to eat: If staying in a rental cabin such as Thimbleberry, be prepared to bring all of the food you will need. The closest store and restaurant is located at Lake of the Woods Resort and is not always open. With a kitchen and BBQ at Thimbleberry, however, you won’t want to bother with eating out!

How to get there: From I-5 in Medford, Oregon, follow signs to Highway 140. Follow 140 east toward Klamath Falls.

Ashland on Dwellable

Best Ski Towns: South Lake Tahoe, CA

March 2, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

Spring is a wonderful time of year to spend in South Lake Tahoe! Skiing and other snowsports are still on offer, and sunny skies and warmer temps make hiking and lake days possible, too.

Note: As travel today remains uncertain, please keep your safety and the safety of others in mind at all times. If you are comfortable with traveling, please travel responsibly and within regulation as any travel is at your own risk.

If you do decide to travel at this time, here are our recommendations:

Wear a face mask.

Bring hand sanitizer and wash your hands on a regular basis.

Check official websites before your trip for the latest updates on policies, closures and status of local businesses.

Book a hotel with free cancellation in case you need to change your plans at the last minute.

During a time when many vacations are not possible, outdoor activities in road trip-accessible locations offer the ability to safely social distance. Hotels.com asked me to share my favorite activities and tips for exploring South Lake Tahoe, so start here as you plan a safe and responsible vacation.

Having grown up in the Tahoe area, I am no stranger to the Sierra snow, sunny weather, and beautiful scenery that makes this family ski haven an obvious choice as a ‘Best Ski Town’. Split by the California/Nevada border, families are presented with the best of two worlds in South Tahoe: on the Nevada side, bustling businesses, resorts, and casinos. On the California side, a quiet ski village. We recently returned for a week of fun, powder, relaxation, and more powder; the following is a round-up of what makes Tahoe the perfect town for traveling families.

Where to ski: With so many world-class ski resorts dotting the shore of Lake Tahoe, you really can’t go wrong finding slopes that won’t disappoint. If you want to enjoy your family ski vacation without breaking the bank, however, we recommend Sierra-at-Tahoe. Located on the South shore of the lake near Twin Bridges, Sierra-at-Tahoe is truly committed to a family ski experience. You’ll find runs expertly groomed with families in mind, dedicated ski school instructors, extreme attention to the details of resort layout, and prices that make other Tahoe area resorts’ fees seem laughable. We’re expert skiers, and found Sierra’s slopes to be challenging beyond expectation, and yet families with beginners are catered to as well. We don’t know how they do it, but they do!

Where to stay: It’s hard to go wrong! If you want to stay on the Nevada side, you can opt to be at the heart of the action at the base of Heavenly ski resort, or away from the crowds closer to Sierra-at-Tahoe. There are many lakefront hotel options in South Lake Tahoe as well. Look for suites or condos run by hotels and resorts, which will allow you to have more space and the use of a kitchen.

Where to eat: Hands down, the best food we ate in South Lake Tahoe was at Freshies (3330 Lake Tahoe Blvd). This ‘hole in the wall’ location inside a small strip mall serves up excellent Hawaiian specialties, great microbrews, and kid favorites like rice and noodle bowls in a fun setting. Be sure to arrive early to beat the crowds; word is getting out about this restaurant!

What to do when not skiing: South Tahoe is full of options for non-skiers, so what you choose will depend on the ages of your kids, how much time you have, and their sense of adventure! We loved sledding at Adventure Mountain (Hwy 50), a tubing mecca just outside of town. If you’re up for a longer outing, consider a snowmobiling cruise with Zephyr Cove Resort, located in town. South Tahoe on the Nevada side also provides plenty of distraction in the form of evening shows, buffets, gambling, and movie theaters.

How to get here: From Reno, Nevada, take Highway 395 to Highway 50 into town. From Sacramento, take I-5 to Highway 50.

Read more Best Ski Town picks!

Disclaimer: This post has been written in partnership with hotels.com. All opinions remain my own.

Our top ten national park travel moments

February 21, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

Posing on the brink of the Angel’s Landing knife edge.

The Pit Stops for Kids family does our best to do more than ‘talk the talk’ of family travel: we pack up the kids and walk the walk…through rainforests and woods, deserts and beaches, striving to take our kids beyond the boundaries of what they know of our corner of the natural world. I suppose it’s no surprise that our top travel moments have occurred on just such ‘foreign’ soil as our own national parks, a land which, despite many visits, remains largely undiscovered:

10. Watching Toby canoe across Grand Teton’s Jackson Lake under a mid-morning sun.

9. Feeling swallowed whole in the cold and eerie gloom of the Oregon Caves’ Passageway of the Whale.

8. Nate’s absolute joy upon dipping his bread into Many Glacier Hotel’s famous Swiss fondue.

7. Toby’s deep breath before disappearing into an ancient kiva within Mesa Verde’s Puebloan ruins.

6. Coming to a ‘black bear traffic stop’ on Glacier’s Going to the Sun Road.

5. Sweating in the rock solid desert heat under Arches National Park’s Double Arch.

4. Spending a lazy afternoon escaping Yellowstone’s crowds in the Firehole River.

3. Attempting to traverse the ‘knife edge’ on Zion National Park’s Angel’s Landing (and failing to find the nerve).

2. Standing amid the utter isolation of Death Valley’s empty landscape.

1. Watching my kids sworn into 12 junior ranger programs in two years.

This post has been entered in the Grandtourismo HomeAway Holiday-Rentals travel blogging competition in conjunction with HomeAwayUK.