The joys of parenthood are numerous and immeasurable. But, let’s be honest. Kids can make it harder to get around! Travel is just not the same once they come into the picture and things just take a little longer than they did when it was just you. I, for one, am glad to hear about all the new children’s products that are on the market today– products that are created for the sole purpose of making life ‘on the go’ with kids a little easier.

One site that has recently shown up on the UpTake radar is Tots On-The-Go. This site was started by new parents, dedicated to sharing the wealth of quality travel products out there for children. They offer the finest in strollers and travel baby products. Check out their website or drop by their showroom in Richmond, Virginia.

Traveling does not have to stop with parenthood, you just have to be prepared!

Thanks to Graham and Sheila for the stroller picture!

On our recent trip to Alaska (the 49^th state, celebrating their 50^th anniversary of statehood in 2009) we spent some glorious time in Denali National Park. We saw caribou, grizzly bears, ptarmigan, snow hares, mountains, glaciers, cruise ship tourists, but not a lot of families. That is too bad, since Denali Park is completely family friendly! Here are my recommendations for a family trip to this great national park up north:

Check out the Denali Visitor Center

The friendly rangers will help you plan your trip in Denali, whether you choose to camp, hike or take a short park tour. Good to know for families – the Visitor Center has Junior Ranger Backpacks, available for checkout. They include binoculars, pens, paper and activity books. If you are only in the park for a short time, the rangers also have Junior Ranger Activity Books – help your child complete the activities and become a certified Junior Ranger!

Stop by and explore the Murie Science and Learning Center

Serving as the winter visitor center for the park, during the summer the Murie Science and Learning Center is a great educational destination for families. My kids enjoyed exploring animal skulls and touching fur. The Center also offers week-long Family Field Seminars, specifically designed for families with children under 9.

Take a shuttle bus ride into the park

For our daylong trip in Denali, we hopped aboard one of the green shuttles to visit the inner park. After picking up our tickets at the Wilderness Access Center (WAC) we boarded a bus for a 6-hour tour into Toklat, about 50 miles into the park. Shuttle and tour busses are the only way to see the park, as cars are not allowed past mile 17. Frankly, I would rather leave the driving to someone else! The bonus for families – children under 14 ride free with their parents. Word of advice; be sure to pack plenty of snacks and water for the trip, as there are no concessions past the Visitor Center.

Join a ranger-led program

One of the easiest ways to learn more about Denali is through ranger-led programs. Many programs are offered daily, including hikes and nature programs; check with the Visitors Center for details. Our family enjoyed all our interactions with the park rangers, who were a wealth of knowledge and very willing to take the time to answer our questions. We even learned that mosquitoes in the park are vital to the eco system, pollinating the blueberry bushes, which are important to the health of the local grizzly bears.

And finally, leave some time to get out of your car and explore the park on foot. The park is outstanding and the beauty needs to be explored from the ground. For more ideas, check out Alpenglow Visitor Guide, a publication highlighting current events at the park.

Sheila Scarborough (About her, Twitter, LinkedIn) has developed one of the top family travel blog franchises out there, previously at http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Seafarer/ on BootsnAll. On August 18, she moved out of her comfy old home and into a fresh new domain called FamilyTravelLogue. Frankly I can’t think of a bigger stressor for a Website owner or blogger than moving your domain! I know, cause we just went through with this at UpTake.

Sheila told me that she is focused on independent family travel for “non-Martha Stewart” parents! Not sure what that means, but I have loved the independent, can-do, spirited, “grab life by the horns” feel of the blog.

The blog has the following areas of focus:

FamilyTravelLogue Accomodations include:

• All-inclusive resorts
• Hotels for Families
• Resorts

Theme parks:

• Six Flags
• Walt Disney World

Vacation ideas:

• Beach vacations
• Road trips

Destinations

• all over the place!

Travel guide with specific topics like:

• Travel insurance
• Why travel with kids?

This last category is something that many of us feel strongly about here at UpTake. Some of Sheila’s thoughts:

For the enjoyment of travel with kids to outweigh the aggravation, you must thrill to the demands of teaching and the delights of discovery. You must be willing to make up your own lesson plans and be able to appreciate having the entire planet as a classroom.

Finally, you have to enjoy being a teacher even when your student doesn’t grasp the lesson immediately, or even that day/month/year….

Patience has never been one of my virtues, but through my travels with two very different children, I have learned that things sink in when you would least expect, and that’s why you must gently persist, sometimes even in the face of intractable opposition….

Kids learn that there is no substitute for actually being there. There’s nothing more magical than being able to say, “I’ve stood on that spot and met those people and eaten their food and learned about their history.” Every continent becomes your children’s neighborhood.

With enough travel and exploration, they are at home in the world.

As a parent, that is the finest reward.

Amen. As a dad with a 2-year old and a 6-year old, I know it can be a PITA to take the kids along. But equipping my kids with a global perspective is one of the best things that I think I can do as a dad. And, by the way, I’m not going to let them stop me travel anyway, so they might as well come along!

Kim Kavin is a freelance writer, photographer and published author based out of Long Valley, NJ. She was formerly the Executive Editor of Yachting Magazine. Her writings have appeared in media publications like Elite Traveler and Traveler Overseas. She has visited more than two dozen countries, and she writes prolifically, literally about ‘everything’. Another one of her books – Everything Family Travel Guide to Northern California and Lake Tahoe – is set for a launch in November 2008. So I asked her a few questions about the book and her career as a travel writer.

Question: Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself, and how you got into travel writing?
Ans: I’ve always been good at writing and editing. In first grade, I found some typos in a textbook, and my teacher helped me write a note about them to the publisher. It was a natural that I’d become the high school newspaper editor, a journalism school graduate, and then a professional journalist.
I actually started out professionally as an editor working in newspapers, but decided I wanted to work regular hours and write about more than crime and politics. I answered an ad in Editor & Publisher for an “outdoor magazine editor” near where I lived. It turned out to be Yachting magazine, and I got the job as executive editor. After a few years there, I realized that the writers were having all the fun, so I quit and went freelance. I started out writing about travel onboard yachts, and the books about general travel were a natural outgrowth of all my reporting experiences around the world.

Question: You have written books about everything from cruise vacations to a kid’s guide and timeshares, not to mention about writing for magazines itself. For 2008, you have two books, one which is a travel guide for the New York area, while the second one is a guide for Northern California and Lake Tahoe. I understand you live in New Jersey, so the first book would come naturally to you. How about the California guide? Why choose Northern California? How long did it take you to go around this area?
Ans: The Northern California idea actually came from the publisher. My editor at Adams Media asked me if I’d done any traveling there, and I had, because my husband and I have good friends who lived in Santa Cruz at the time. So I knew a fair amount about the area before even beginning the research for that book.
I don’t think a travel writer’s home base has anything to do with the areas she can cover. I travel so much for assignments that I know some Caribbean islands and Mediterranean ports better than the towns a few miles away from my own bedroom.

Question: Related question – Could you describe the California guide for our readers? I understand it has 432 pages. What is it about? Which are the major locations, what kind of travel tips? Is it a travelogue with restaurants and shops and stuff or do you focus on the natural beauty of the region, or both, or something else?
Ans: The Northern California book follows the standard Everything Guide format, which means straight how-to and general information that will help with planning a vacation. There are chapters on everything from San Francisco to Wine Country to Gold Country, as well as tips for places to visit whether you’re traveling as a couple or with children. There are extensive listings of restaurants and hotels in each chapter, too, so that no matter which part of Northern California interests you, you will be able to plan your vacation soup to nuts.

Question: The title of your book contains San Francisco, Yosemite, Monterey and Lake Tahoe. Which part of Northern California do you like the best?
Ans: I’m personally a fan of Napa and Sonoma, which is California Wine Country. My husband and I love wine and food, and Northern California labels are a big part of our life out in New Jersey. I think anyone who drinks California chardonnays or pinot noirs regularly would enjoy touring the wineries, learning about food pairings, and such.

Question: People in Socal might feel a bit depressed that you chose to ignore them. Any plans to do Southern California? And how does California compare with the East Coast?Ans: If the Everything Guide editors want a book about Southern California, I’d be happy to write it. I have friends and family from Los Angeles to San Diego, and it’s beautiful out there.
As for California versus the East Coast, I would simply say that they’re different. They’re both great in their own way. I live out East because that’s where most of my family is located. If somebody told me we were all up and moving to San Francisco, I’d go along without a single complaint.

Question: You were a copy editor and have been in other editorial positions for mainstream magazines before you got into the travel sector. Is it any different, or do you just do the same thing?
Ans: I get to leave my desk now. That’s certainly a lot more fun. And instead of interviewing police officers and politicians in fluorescent-lighted offices, I get to hang out with tour guides and restaurant owners on beaches and mountainsides.
Being a full-time freelancer also means I get to pick and choose my projects instead of doing whatever the new corporate boss wants on any given day. I must say that’s pretty great, too.

Question: You have any other passions or hobbies, other than writing?
Ans: I like to hike, which I do most every day with our two dogs. They’re probably my biggest passion. I’m one of those weirdos who treats the dogs like kids. They sit on the couch and eat better food than most people.
I’m also a fan of scuba diving, which I do every chance I get. And my husband and I both like to cook, so that’s a bit of a hobby as well.

Question: Are you currently writing any new books, or have plans for one? If so, what is it about?
Ans: I’m currently finishing the Everything Guide to Las Vegas, after which I will immediately start writing the Everything Guide to Italy.

Question: Any advice, tips or suggestions for travel writers?
Ans: Fill up your notebook and take lots of pictures. I find that I always return home from an assignment with vastly more information than I need for whatever book or article I was sent there to collect. I can almost always use the “leftover” content in other magazines, on websites, or as the basis for new book proposals.