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If you're planning a weekend staycation or a holiday road trip this summer, how can you keep your kids busy in the car so you can stay focused on driving and avoid the dreaded "are we there yet?" Here are my ten top tips for toys and activities to keep the kids entertained, and the must-have travel necessities you don't want to leave home without.

When previous trips have left you sick of packing and unpacking luggage, of dragging large bags over cobblestones, and of carrying them up staircases that never end, cruises can look good. Suitcase weariness was why I decided to try another cruise this spring.

Apples to apples. That's the principle to keep in mind when comparing costs, both for living and for buying real estate overseas.

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Some of the most spectacular lodges are found right here in Canada. For those searching for a longer journey, booking a stay in a place like Soulshine in Bali or Borana Lodge in Kenya will be sure to fulfill, if not go beyond, your expectations.

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Over the past few years, I have had the pleasure of visiting Southern Italy for two key moments in my life: the first being my honeymoon, where my Italian-Canadian husband introduced me to the Italy he knows, and the second being his sister's Sicilian wedding. My in-laws have deep roots in the south, and now, so do I. So instead of putting together the traditional Sip, Stay, Shop travel diary, I've chosen four places in the most intense Italian sud -- an area still largely undiscovered by tourists -- that I simply have to see again.

The Adventure Gap is the distance between people who spend time in the outdoors and people who don't. Like many of the cultural disparities in our society, that falls clearly along racial and socioeconomic lines.

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For parents of children with special needs top that with a tenfold of anticipated stress and anxiety that accompanies the thought of maintaining a manageable environment while "doing Disney." Our main goal was to make this trip as easy and enjoyable as possible. Thinking through the many catalysts that could trigger a breakdown and the tools that we could use to manage them, here's how to take away the cringe-worthy worry, survive Disney with special needs, and keeping everyone smiling.

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Road trips are a quick and essential way to get a breather from the city. It keeps your cash saved while not skipping a beat once Monday hits (most of the time, at least). When searching for the right vehicle to take into the countryside, you'll want to watch for three features: terrain options, safety precautions, and temperature control.