Many families are reducing or even eliminating their travel budgets this year.  What are the benefits of vacation rental properties for families?

With vacation rentals, the space is key for families:  Kids can run freely. Parents can enjoy their own room and don’t have to split the kids between two double beds and if you’re traveling with older kids you are saved the expense of booking multiple hotel rooms.   I personally find having a kitchen the best feature in vacation rentals.  Kitchens allow you to save a lot of money by avoiding the outrageous costs of mini bars, room service and eating out for every meal. Staying in for breakfast and letting the kids stay in their pajamas is just so much easier and more fun.  Plus, when you recall your favorite family vacations you never picture your family crammed into a hotel room.  But if you stay in a vacation rental, I bet you will have lasting memories of your family sitting around the table during a meal, talking, laughing and feeling a true sense of relaxation and contentment.

HomeAway offers these cost-cutting tips for that family vacation:

* Stay closer to home- drive instead of fly
* Stay in a vacation rental instead of a hotel
* Travel with extended family or another family to split costs and double the fun
* Save money and your sanity by preparing meals in your vacation rental instead of always going to a restaurant
* Check HomeAway.com for Special Offers and VacationRentals.com for deals and freebies

What are some of the most popular places for HomeAway vacation homes for families?

Vacation rentals are always a better option in accommodations for traveling families because they get come with more privacy, amenities and multiple bedrooms. However, some of the most-popular destinations for family travel include: Destin and Orlando, FL (Disney is always tops for families), Hilton Head SC, Cape Cod MA, San Diego CA and Outer Banks, NC.  Here’s a list of vacation rentals that show the perks and variety of family-friendly vacation rentals on HomAway.

What are some tips or suggestions you’d give to first-time vacation home renters?

Here are a few helpful tips for first-time renters, but for a full breakdown of how to rent a vacation rental check out our how-to list.

* Book with a reputable site with a substantial inventory.  Using sites like HomeAway.com, VRBO.com or VacationRentals.com, travelers can easily find and compare thousands of properties from around the globe.  The more choices that are available, the more likely you’ll be able to find a property that has availability and meets your needs and budget.
* Talk to the homeowner—Once you find a home that you think may work, contact the property owner or manager directly to ask questions about the rental and the area to make sure its suitable for your group.  Having a conversation with the owner may enable you to negotiate a price that’s more within your budget, find out great local spots to check out while visiting, or if it turns out they’re booked, they may be able to refer you to another property nearby.
* Read reviews—Sites like HomeAway.com feature reviews from previous guests, which can come in handy for getting a first-hand account of the property
* Register your trip—All of the properties listed on the HomeAway sites are protected by the HomeAway Rental Guarantee.  Travelers who register for the free-guarantee are covered up to $5,000 in the event that the vacation rental book is determined to be not-legitimate.
* Get it in writing—Make sure you have a rental agreement that clearly states the homeowner’s rules and policies regarding check-in/out times, cancellations, etc.
* If possible, pay by credit card.

These are some valuable tips, Justin. Thank you for describing the advantages of renting vacation houses for family travel planners on a budget.

Here is a big one. We have an 18-year-old son with autism and a daughter also with special needs. Despite the autism, he is very social wanting to play with younger children, which can make a family destination stressful for us.  Any suggestions? We usually do beach vacations in Michigan and have done Florida before. We live in the Chicago area. I also think a connecting flight would be hard for us. Any “special” all inclusives you may know about?

This one was a tough one for the Mamas, as it’s not a travel niche we’re familiar with. The first thought that came to my mind, however, was the Azul property that I deemed the best family-friendly resort in the Riviera Maya: Azul Beach. With just 97 rooms, this property is small and easy to navigate. Here, the very friendly and accommodating staff gets to you know you (and your children) quickly, addressing you by name. I think if I had special-needs kids, I’d feel a great sense of peace, knowing that I was at a place where the staff cares about you and is very cognizant of making guests feel at home. Again, with special-needs children, I’d rather stay at a small resort than a big one, where my family and I are just “numbers.” Finally, there are non-stop flights from Chicago to Cancun (and then the resort is a short 2o-minute drive away).

Another close-to-home option might be an indoor waterpark resort. Now, these resorts — with enclosed, massive waterparks — could be totally inappropriate, depending on the abilities and personalities of your children. The water-play areas can be very loud (chaotic in fact) which can be overwhelming to any child. However, indoor waterpark resorts are incredibly convenient — all of your entertainment, from family-friendly dining to the waterpark to arcades and other diversions, is inside the resort. No need to venture off. Check out the various locations of the Great Wolf Lodge. Find many other resorts in Sandusky, Ohio, and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

As far as other options go, you might check out this list of travel resources for children with special needs from Babycenter.com. Then there’s an entire site called Autism Travel that is dedicated to helping parents of kids with autism plan family trips.

Still another consideration: have you thought about a cruise? Accessible travel writer Candy Harrington suggested a Caribbean cruise. She took the time to write the following:

Personally I would recommend Royal Caribbean, as they have an excellent Adventure Ocean Program for kids from 3-17. Yes, I know your reader’s son is 18, but he is considered a special-needs child so they may make an exception for him. I’ve seen this done in the past, and so has my travel agent friend Connie George (who handles accessible travel). Basically you need to contact the special-needs department at the cruise line  to make sure that this will happen. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, you should work with a travel agent who is used to doing this type of thing.

I also highly recommend the Royal Caribbean ships as, they offer lots of fun things to do. This is especially true of the newer Freedom Class ships, which have lots of cool features like the H2O zone water park, the Surfrider, a rock climbing wall and even a miniature golf course. Lot’s of fun for the whole family. And while the kids are in the Adventure Ocean Program, mom can enjoy the spa services. Plus there are lots of fun things to do ashore as a family.

You just can’t get more all inclusive than a cruise. And many Caribbean cruises stop on a private island; since this family has enjoyed beach vacations before, that seems like a good match for them. Plus, with RCI departures from Newark, Miami and Baltimore, it’s easy to find a departure city with direct air service from Chicago.

Wow, Candy! Thanks for your insight. If any other folks-in-the-know or travel agents have suggestions for our reader, please let us know via the comments below. We’d welcome any other recommendations regarding suggestions for a top-notch resort vacation for a family with special-needs kids. Travel agents and travel experts, please chime in!

Honestly, part of me considered keeping quiet about this - giving myself a better chance to win - but then, that wouldn’t be fair. Solage Calistoga, after all, is a beautiful resort that is really child-friendly, somewhat of a rarity in upscale Napa Valley. Wine tastings and romantic getaways are more typical of Napa Valley vacations.

Just fill in this form to enter, and good luck. I entered too. The contest run ends July 17, 2009.

You might be wondering what ice cream has to do with travel, besides being the perfect snack along the journey (especially if you’re road-tripping in the hot summer months). Well, if you’re traveling through the Midwest with kids (or without!), you don’t want to miss Le Mars, Iowa, home to the Ice Cream Capital of the World Museum. More ice cream is made in Le Mars - home of Blue Bunny - than anywhere else in the world. Families can stop during a road trip, or take a side trip while visiting Sioux City (25 miles south of the museum) and learn all types of fun ice cream facts, play in an interactive game room and devour ice cream in the vintage 1920s-style ice cream parlor. (Cost to tour is minimal: $3 for adults and $1 for children age 5 to 12. The little ones are free.)

Until you can make it to the Ice Cream Capital of the World, let’s talk about how you can win ice cream during National Ice Cream Month.

We are giving away FIVE Bunny Bucks coupons, that’s five cartons of ice cream or five boxes of novelty ice cream treats (like ice cream sandwiches) to ONE Traveling Mamas reader. All you have to do is leave a comment about anything ice cream, such your favorite ice cream flavor, a childhood memory of eating ice cream cones, or a much-loved ice cream stand you uncovered while vacationing. The contest will run through July 8 when we will randomly select the winner and announce him or her on Thursday July 9. US residents only; one entry per person, please. Want to win even more? Head on over to Travels With Children to enter to win the Ice Cream Capital of the World trip package!

Good luck and Happy National Ice Cream Month!

I am thrilled that it sounds like the Skip Hop Duo Deluxe Edition Diaper Bag in Navy Blossom will go to someone who can truly use it.

Aisling, I’ll email you to get your snail mail address.

Again, we select all of our giveaway winners via the random number generator random.org. If you didn’t win this time, keep an eye on TravelingMamas.com — we love to give stuff away, and we’ll likely hold another giveaway soon!

At Sun Studios in Memphis.

Traditionally we talk to other traveling mamas here at Traveling Mamas, but we’re making an exception for successful travel writer and book author Candy Harrington. She is the editor of the print (and online) publication Emerging Horizons, and she penned Barrier-Free Travel, which will be released in its third edition later this summer. This heralded book is a “nuts and bolts guide for wheelers and slow walkers,” covering everything from the logistics of air travel and how to protect your wheelchair in flight, to how to find an accessible hotel room and how to book accessible shore excursions while cruising.

As Candy points out, she and her husband are parents to an aviary full of rescued pigeons and three ring-necked doves who reside inside their California home. Plus, there’s Agnes the chicken. (”Yes,” says frequent-traveler Candy, “We do have a bird-sitter.)

How long have you been a travel writer?

About 34 years now. Outside of a sappy advice column I wrote for a now defunct hometown paper (from age 8-17) I’ve pretty much always covered some aspect of travel.

How did you start covering accessible travel?

I’m able-bodied, and I pretty much got my start because of boredom. About 16 years ago I got tired of writing what I considered fluff. I was writing mainstream travel, I needed a change and a friend suggested accessible travel. Nobody was doing it at the time and it sounded challenging, so I went for it. My colleagues all thought I was crazy, but it’s worked out well for me over the years. It’s still a challenge, which is good for me.

Do you ever cover general travel anymore, or is all your work about the accessibility of a place pr excursion?

I don’t cover mainstream travel at all — just don’t have the time or inclination. I do however cover accessible travel from every possible angle — interviews, property reviews, new products, reader questions, op-ed pieces, destinations, cruises, best practices, legal matters, rules and regulations and the general nuts and bolts. It keeps me pretty busy.

This is the third edition of Barrier Free Travel; what’s new?

A lot of access laws and regulations have changed — in major ways — since the last edition, so I’ve included updates about them. This includes everything from the Air Carrier Access Act, Canada’s One-Person, One Fare regulation and Europe’ s EU PRMS (all concerning accessible air travel) to the landmark hotels.com settlement and even upcoming changes in the ADA regulations. And since cruise travel is such a popular subject with my readers, I added a new chapter about shore excursions, which includes the contact information for 45 local tour operators who can provide accessible shore tours. Additionally I updated everything and added lots of new resources, including a worldwide list of companies that rent accessible vans. And of course I threw in some new tips and tricks, as well.

What U.S. city is most friendly to travelers in wheelchairs? How about a foreign city?

In the US I like San Diego — very family friendly with good accessible public transportation, some nice hotels and lots of accessible attractions like Sea World, the San Diego Zoo and Hornblower Harbor Cruises. Plus they have a great access guide published by Accessible San Diego.

Outside the US, it’s a toss up between Vancouver and London — both offer excellent access — but if I have to pick one I’ll go with London.  The deciding factor is that all London Black Cabbies are wheelchair (and stroller) accessible. It’s the law, so in that respect they are even ahead of the US in access.

I’m assuming that in general, hotels, planes and public places have become more accessible in recent years. Is there still a hold-out anywhere — some place or some aspect of travel that is not accommodating to people with disabilities?

In the US, things are looking pretty good. Laws, including the ADA, have helped that; however in the past few years I’ve also seen a huge change in attitude from the hospitality industry. They are starting to look at disabled travelers as a market segment — one they want to attract. So I’ve seen many sites go above and beyond minimum access standards. I’ve even seen wheelchair-accessible tree houses in public spaces!

Worldwide, I’d say the biggest problem is with denied boardings to wheelchair-users by domestic airlines in Asia, Australia and Africa. In fact, Tiger Airways totally ruined one family’s vacation when they refused to board their daughter on a Singapore to Athens flight. The airline was well aware that she was a wheelchair-user, but when the gate agent saw her, her whole family was turned away. There’s not much you can really do about this, but it pays to be aware of the situation when traveling in those areas.

Candy at Bandelier National Monument.

Is there anything in particular that parents should keep in mind if they are booking travel for their wheelchair-bound or disabled child?

Probably the biggest hiccup comes when little ones get too big to fly in a car seat. Many parents forget that they will need to figure out some way to stabilize their child if they lack the balance or the strength to sit up unassisted. Sometimes this can be done with pillows and blankets (on airlines that still provide them), but it pays to plan ahead. And remember, you can’t bring aboard anything too bulky, or seating devices that are not FAA approved. If you can find a way to stabilize the child for take-off and landing, you can recline them for the duration of the trip. But sometimes this takes a little advance planning.

You’ve traveled all over the world. Do you have a favorite personal location? Or a spot to which you’d like to return?

Well, I’m a mountain girl, so I love Yosemite, but not in the summer as it’s way too crowded for my taste. I lived in Far North Queensland (Australia) for a few years, in a town called Palm Cove, and absolutely loved it. New Zealand, specifically the North Island, is also a favorite of mine.

What’s in the future for you? Will you keep on doing what you’re doing for a while?

I expect so. Emerging Horizons is doing well, and I will keep writing more books; and I get a lot of assignments from other publications and have several regular columns. I’m also accepting a lot more speaking engagements these days, which I really love. Accessible travel will probably be part of my life until I die. I can see myself slowing down, but never totally retiring.

What makes Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort so family-friendly? Let me count the ways…

1. Playground. As soon as we arrived, the kids made a beeline for the outdoor nautical-themed playground which sits next to one of the pools and the basketball/tennis court.

2. Beach. You can see the full beach in the top photo (taken from our room). There are tons of sand toys for the kids to play with and the kids especially have fun trying to “catch” the fish swimming along the shore.

3. Fantastic pools and water slide. This Loews has two pools, the shallower of the two is the landing pool for the water slide and is where most of the kids swim. This pool is  loaded with pool toys like kickboards and noodles. Small cabanas line this pool and are available for rent as are the larger cabanas surrounding the upper, more mellow pool. We enjoyed one of the larger cabanas for a day and thoroughly enjoyed the misters, cabana fan and mini fridge for keeping our water cool. There’s also a safe to keep your valuables so you don’t have to worry when you’re off enjoying the pools. I highly recommend  renting a cabana during your stay. It’s a great place to kick back and lets the kids relax in between water slide rides and swimming.

4. Summerfest on the Lake. From now though September 7, 2009 Loews Lake Las Vegas is offering weekends of fun for the kids. Kid’s Concierge, set up in the lobby, is the place to stop and sign up and learn more about the weekend activities and grab a snack. Some of the kid and family friendly activities you will want to check out are:

SushiSkool is a fabulous program where kids aged five and up learn how to create their own sushi rolls. The class is held every 1st, 3rd and 4th Saturday at 3pm. Cost is $20 and while the kids are in session the parents can hang out and enjoy wine and sushi for $25 (one adult per enrolled student).

Friday night parents can enjoy Date Night Movies and on Saturday night families can partake in Dive-In Movies at the pool. Both Friday and Saturdays evenings families can create memories with Smores on the Sand ($5 per packet). A fire pit is set up, ready and waiting to greet some unsuspecting marshmallows.

5. Kids Club. This it the ultimate reason to stay here if you want the opportunity to experience the glitz and glamor of Vegas without hauling the kids along. Kids ages 3-12 (if they’re potty trained) can experience several different activities (swimming, hiking, fishing, arts and crafts!) from morning to afternoon to night. Traditional kid-friendly meals are served.

The best part, Kids Club is the only fully licensed resort childcare facility in the city. What does this mean? Loews Kids Club is the only property that allows parents to leave the resort property while the kids are in the facility’s care (so go pop a few quarters into a machine at Mandalay Bay or watch Bette Milder sing her heart out). We took advantage of this wonderful opportunity and went over to the nearby Lake Las Vegas Village and enjoyed a wine bar, had a kid-free dinner, played a few slots and listened to live jazz - all while our kids had an absolute blast. They chowed on mac n cheese and pizza, made glow-in-the-dark bracelets and went out on an evening frog hunt - the highlight of their stay.

No matter what your thought is on Las Vegas being family-friendly or not, I am extremly impressed with the family-friendliness of Lowes Lake Las Vegas and recommend it to any family thinking about hitting Las Vegas for  vacation.

We’ve partnered with the folks at AllModernBaby.com to give to a lucky reader one of the site’s best-selling items: the Skip Hop Duo Deluxe Edition Diaper Bag in Navy Blossom. While I’ve not seen this item in person, reviews on the site suggest that the medium-sized shoulder bag has great pockets with magnetic closures — and that the color is closer to black than navy.

All Modern Baby is a contemporary children’s furniture site that carries leading manufacturers such as Stokke, DwellStudio, and Bugaboo. It sells not only items for the home, but also travel-related gear, too, like strollers and baby carriers. Many of the products are hip and high end (strollers for $1,200!), but it’s certainly a pretty, easy-to-navigate site for browsing and dreaming if prices are too steep for your pocketbook.

All you need to do to win this diaper bag is tell us in the comments why you want to win it: to have a spare one on hand, you’re expecting a baby, you’ve worn out your old bag… or you just think it’s cool!

Leave a comment below to enter until midnight Tuesday, June 30. We’ll pull a name randomly (with a random-number generator) and announce a winner on Winning Wednesday, July 1. Only one entrant per person, U.S. only; no immediate relatives of Traveling Mamas. Good luck!

Dazzled by Twilight is a store and tour bus operated by Annette Root, and she’s as passionate a Twilight fan as they come (Team Edward, I believe, but I’m not sure). She hired a fantastic Twilight guide, Travis, to show my group around. Yes, the group was all women - coincidence? I think not. Twilight fans skew strongly female. Check out the video below: Since the Dazzled by Twilight Tour is sure to be every teenager’s highlight of an Olympic National Park family vacation, I don’t give too much away.

Twilight may be why your surly teenager suddenly wants to visit Olympic National Park, but Forks is not only the setting for the incredibly popular vampire romance series. A true story, passed down orally throughout the years, was retold by my group’s travel guide in the Forks Timber Museum - yes, a dose of reality for the family may just cure that sense of being overpowered by vampire lore. For someone like me, that’s just what the doctor ordered.

Congrats, Reginald! I’ll email you to get your snail mail address.