Great Travel Links for 25 August 2008

Welcome to the normal Monday offering; travel-related links from around the Web. It’s tough to keep up with the flood, but I do try to find the good nuggets, and I always look beyond US-based publications for travel tips and ideas.

From Slate: The best (and worst) travel gear for parents.

From Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald: Is a cruise a good idea for family travel? Tales from one set of parents –taking kids on a cruise in two boys and a boat.

From UK newspaper The Independent: The complete guide to Idaho, and from travel planning site Uptake, top 5 summer activities in Sun Valley, Idaho.

From National Geographic Traveler magazine’s Intelligent Travel blog: Volunteer/voluntourism vacations for families.

From Gridskipper: Where to eat crepes in Paris.

From the Perrin Post at Conde Nast Traveler magazine: The perfect travel snack for kids.

From the Perceptive Travel blog (where I’m one of three authors) Antonia Malchik, a new Mom, says she’s ready to travel, but how? After a few trips with the baby, here’s her free, highly prejudiced advice.

From the UK’s Guardian newspaper: Top free family outings in the UK and from the UK’s Telegraph, an intrepid tour of England with a toddler includes chocolate at Cadbury World in Birmingham.

I spent some time ranting recently about the sorry state of US travel, and I’m here to warn you again to watch those fees and surcharges. For example, Delta doubled the fee for second checked bag (on top of the fee for that first bag.) On US Airways, that’ll be $2 apiece for a soda or even any water, so you’d better bring your own. An $80 fuel surcharge is coming up on Northwest, and JetBlue is charging $7 for a pillow/blanket combo.

Gadling says that surprising airfare specials may put Asia within reach of your budget.

Los Angeles Times Travel: Mackinac Island, Michigan is great for family travel.

Some noteworthy articles on Education.com:

Disney update: From BlogHer: working in the shadow of the Magic Kingdom (playing Jack Sparrow) and a new discovery - Twisney.com, sending live updates and photos, by visitors, from Walt Disney World in Orlando and Tokyo Disneyland. For more detailed Disney how-to, start with the Intro post to my series on surviving Walt Disney World with kids.

From CNN.com Travel: Take a road trip that retraces civil rights history in Alabama.

From Brave New Traveler: 5 tips every traveler should know about Internet security and using Internet cafes, plus 30 songs that capture the spirit of travel (with videos.)

Thanks to some of my Family Travel fans and their recent shout-outs that include us in their favorites lists:

The Q Family Adventure: Five travel blogs I love
Travel Hacker: 100 best travel journal blogs.
FoXnoMad: The travel blogs I read regularly.

Finally, from the new site TravelMuse: Here’s a surprise in Branson, Missouri; a permanent Titanic exhibit housed in a giant replica of the ship.

(Update - I apparently didn’t have comments enabled when I published this, but I think I’ve fixed it now. Please let me know at sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com if you still have problems.)