Cruises offer families a great vacation. But you must choose the right sailing. Years ago, before our first voyage, we worried that we’d come home fat, bored and broke. Instead, we had one of our best family vacations. Here are some tips to find the ship of your family’s dreams.

Consider renting a houseboat to see a bit of Europe and to stretch your budget. We did and had a great time exploring the Venetian lagoon.

Dogs add excitement to winter adventures in Maine. The Telemark Inn offers sled dog outings, mushing packages, snowshoe excursions and skijoring. The country lodge, located in Western Maine on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest, serves as the base for New England Dog Sledding.

Our favorite time to visit Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, is winter. After all, the worst thing about Yellowstone National Park is the summer crowds and the best things are the wildlife and the geothermal features. In winter the former are gone and the latter remain.

Open year-round, Wintergreen gains fame for offering the Mid-Atlantic’s best skiing. Located on nearly 11,000 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains and in the valley of Wintergreen, VA, the property offers skiing, snowboarding, tubing and ice skating plus extensive children’s programs and a spa.

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