We paid $110 for our membership to Habitot Children's Museum in Berkeley, CA. On a recent trip to Seattle and New York to visit family, we used our Habitot pass to get into three different museums. Our two-year-old son had a ball each time, and it cost us nothing, while separate admission each visit would have totalled nearly $100.

More info on reciprocal Children's Museum Memberships here:

http://www.childrensmuseums.org/visit/reciprocal.htm#network%20

A day trip traveling through the Alaska wild countryside by rail is a real treat for the whole family. It is very clean, organized and family friendly. The dome cars are fun and the commentary is interesting. The seats are comfy and the on board gift shop and snack bar handy. We saw moose, a fox, bald eagles, glaciers, historic towns and much more as we chugged along. Many trains sync up with other excursions like Bay cruises & dog sledding tours. This train system is the only one left in the US that still stops to pick up local folks who wave it down. We met many local Alaskans also taking advantage of the railroad service. It 's truly an Alaska experience. The Alaska Travel Bible, Milepost (I bought mine on Amazon.com gently used) has everything you'll need for an informative pleasant trip.

Connie

Just wanted to say we had a great time during our trip to my husband's home country, Nigeria. We gathered quite a bit of experience traveling with our 2-1/2 year old. It turned out a bit easier than I expected and it was wonderful for our daughter to meet her relatives abroad.

There is a lot of planning that needs to be done. Also, if you're going to a country that is off the beaten track, I recommend knowing someone who lives there or a native who could travel with you. Otherwise, if you're going alone, pick a country with a sizeable tourist industry like Morocco or Kenya. The reason is they have more infrastructure and basic necessities that we take for granted in the US.

There were quite a few foreigners flying into Nigeria with us, but most seemed to be on business or expatriates visiting family. Once we got into the city of Lagos, I really didn't see any other Americans.

My daughter actually did pretty well. Before we left, I went on a big shopping trip and bought quite a bit of shelf stable pre-packaged goods, like applesauce, fruit cups, crackers, cereal, etc. I bought single serve/snack packs so that I didn't have to take the outer packaging. The best find was single serve Horizon organic milk, which is shelf stable. It's packed at an ultra high temp into "aseptic" packaging, which allows it to sit on the shelf without spoiling. It does have to be refrigerated after opening, but it will be fine at room temp for a couple of hours. Everything I bought was great to have on the plane and ensured that we didn't get too hungry because of the time change and foreign foods. My husband and I ended up partaking as well when we got the midnight munchies.

We came prepared with all of the shots. It's important to check the CDC website and also discuss with your doctor. I also got Malaria pills, but luckily we did not have any problems with mosquitoes. I think that is because we were off-season. It still was a good idea to be prepared.

There are some limitations for children under 2 years on immunizations needed for Africa. Another reason to wait until your child is older than 2 is that they spend less time on the floor as they get older. So, they are more likely to avoid picking up germs and dirt. If you are planning a trip and would like any advice, feel free to reply to this post with your questions. I recommend the adventure!