Is the French Riviera too chic for a toddler? Emphatically non! This is the major vacation destination for the French, who are very family oriented. Families with small children are everywhere, except in a few small pockets where the vibe is too chic for les petits.

Is there summer in Sweden? Why yes there is, and I experienced it firsthand two years ago. It may not have been hot but it’s warm and often it’s even sunny — especially in the South.  While some Swedes go really far South (hopping on flights to the Mediterranean), many prefer to drive to the country’s […]

So you’re deciding whether you should spend a few days in London or Berlin – you’re lucky to have the choice but making it won’t be easy! While it’s a big decision where to spend those precious few vacation days, the good news is that you can’t go wrong with these two capitals of cool. […]

One of the toughest decisions when traveling is how much time to spend relaxing and how much time to spend sightseeing. Cramming in too many activities can leave you without a real appreciation of the destination, but seeing too little can leave you unsatisfied. As someone who typically errs on the side of doing too […]

When I first learned that legendary Polish composer Frederic Chopin and his lover Parisian writer George Sand lived in a monastery when he spent time in the gorgeous Spanish island of Mallorca, I was puzzled as to why anyone would want to live there if they weren’t monks. But then we went to visit the […]

Whenever I hear of someone visiting Santorini, I feel a twinge of jealousy. Like, how come they get to go there, too? It’s not fair. Only I should get to go there. Even though Santorini is among the most visited islands in Greece, it’s such a special place that it manages to feel like your […]

A delicious six-course Italian tasting menu overlooking Lake Geneva? Yes please! Not only did we have an unforgettable stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Des Bergues Geneva, but we also had an unforgettable meal at Il Lago, the hotel’s signature Italian restaurant. Switzerland borders Italy, and 6.5% of Switzerland speaks Italian (typically Swiss Italian) as […]

It’s so nice when my toddler, husband and I can agree on something when we’re traveling or even when we’re not traveling. We all agreed that by far the best part of Geneva’s Botanic Garden is the Carrousel des Fables, which translates to the Carousel of Fairy Tales. This beautiful carousel has unexpected animals that […]

Geneva is an elegant city and the pinnacle of elegance is the Four Seasons Hotel Des Bergues Geneva, which opened in 1834 as the city’s first hotel to welcome visiting statesmen. Now elegant is typically not the kind of adjective that you would align with family-friendly… and yet, the Four Seasons Geneva was family-friendly beyond my wildest dreams, the kind of vivd, travel-fueled dreams that an early-rising toddler usually disrupts.

It’s so nice when you don’t have to worry about seeing a famous landmark because there’s no way you could miss it. That’s exactly how I felt about the Jet d’Eau in Geneva. I only had one full day of sightseeing in Geneva, and I had a few things to tick off my list. What a relief that the Jet d’Eau, an enormous water fountain in Lake Geneva, was easy to spot from multiple vantage points in the city.