Great travel is the holy grail of family time: To see the world, expand our horizons, and experience unforgettable adventures together is everything we want our family time to be, all wrapped into one. That’s the dream anyway. The reality is that planning a big trip can be so daunting you want to throw up your hands and just stay at home. It’s no wonder all-inclusive resorts are so popular, just show up and your hardest decisions concern the buffet.

But there’s no substitute for amazing travel with your kids. If you’re like me you want to pack lots of stuff into your days, but not at the expense of having crabby, exhausted kids. There’s no reason to give up hope of doing the things you want or just sticking to vacations at Disneyland. Finding the perfect balance and knowing a few tricks to planning itineraries that optimize your days will help you have better, more adventurous vacations.

It‘s taken me years of practice to figure out how to plan itineraries that keep everyone happy, expose us to new experiences, and still feel enough like a vacation that I don’t need another one once we get home. The heart of my travel planning comes down to knowing how to balance cultural experiences with kid-friendly fun, while making the logistics as seamless as possible. I’ve boiled my technique down to 10 simple steps that anyone can do to have amazing vacations. If I can turn my grumpy kids into world travelers, you can too.

Believe it or not spring finally arrives this Friday! It is one of the loveliest seasons in Connecticut to see the green grass return and the flowers begin to bloom. Turn to the spring section of our 120 Things to Do With Kids in CT Before They Grow Up for some suggestions for how to welcome the warmer weather with kids. We only highlight one activity per day in this post, but you can find plenty of other fun options each day in our Event Calendar and March GoList.

This week opens with the last few events to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, including a free concert in Jamaica Plain and a St. Patty's Day Party for kids in South Boston.

The next celebration on the calendar is the official end of winter, and we'll take it! Most Bostonians won't be sad to see winter go this year, but there's still time to enjoy its last days by taking the kids snowshoeing or sledding while the last piles of snow linger on the ground.

Perfect for kids, Shadows Around the World and Shrek: The Musical open this week. On top of that, don't forget the Museum of Science hosts Free Film Fridays every Friday in March. Read on for our picks of the week, and don't forget to check out the full events calendar!

Looking for fun things to do this week in Westchester with your kids? Look no further, as our weekday roundup showcases our favorite events happening each day of the week!

Our top picks for this week happen to fall into two categories: arts-and-crafts and entertainment. If you’re looking to bring out the creative side of your kids, you can go either the Picasso route with Night Time Arts or the Ace of Cakes route with Cupcake Wars. For entertainment, one of several options is to venture back to the ‘80s (leg warmers and all) with OMG I Love That Movie! Film Series.

But don’t stop there: Read on for the rest and click through to our Events Calendar for more great activities happening this week and beyond. Plus, our March GoList highlights our top picks for the rest of the month and you can sign up for our FREE newsletters to get it all in your inbox!

Erin go Bragh! Tuesday is St. Patrick's Day and you can celebrate at the largest and oldest parade in the country. Plus, score some no-cost sweets, explore neuroscience and more. Bonus: All of this week's event picks are 100% FREE.

Although we only highlight one event per day in this post, you can find plenty of other options in our Event Calendar.

The sun is shining, the snow has melted and New York City finally seems to be easing into spring. All of this warm weather has got us thinking about getting outside for some fun, like working in a garden or enjoying a round of tennis. Happily, our sponsors are offering great deals for both! And when the inevitable April showers cloud the horizon, take advantage of these deals on indoor music lessons, live theater, birthday parties and more.

Since keeping music in schools -- in the most basic way -- has become something of a battle, fostering talent may sadly be the furthest thing from educators' minds.  If you're kiddo practices that violin daily, doesn't cringe when Mozart cues up on the iTunes playlist, and -- bonus! -- actually knows who Mozart is, you might be craning around for a classical music camp this summer.  Crane no more.  We've searched and found a handful in Fairfield County -- mostly intense, but all remembering to balance the music instruction with a good time.  If you need more ideas for an all-around artsy type, you may want to round out your summer camp search at upcoming Summer Camp Open Houses in Connecticut or by skimming our Summer Camp Guide.

OK.  I know.  The thought of getting your winter self into your summer bathing suit is…well…daunting! But if you can make it through the swimsuit trauma, there are some really fantastic Mommy and Me swim classes here in Fairfield County.  And I promise; having a child who is comfortable and safe in the water is well worth any swimsuit trauma!