Backpack, that is.

Maybe you’ve given your tot his own Louis Vuitton luggage set. Or you’ve gone the other route and prefer to let your 5-year old drag a Jansen sportsac through the airport.

If you’re like us, however, you fall somewhere in the middle. Louis Vuitton, God help us, not yet. But the ubiquitous monotone backpack? Too anonymous and boring. God forbid Junior puts it down at the airport, you’ll never find it again.

Enter Little Packrats. This company, created by mother-of-twin-boys Cathy Berse-Hurley, makes backpacks that are creative enough to catch a child’s fancy without being too whimsical. They’re small enough for a toddler to carry while still being “cool” enough for the teen set. While these bags are not big or sturdy enough to use as checked luggage, they’re great for carrying games and other “keep busy” items on board. (Which should reduce the burden on your shoulders by half, no?)

Made of durable vinyl, these will appeal to those who eschew leather. But even fans of animal hide will appreciate the quality of these bags, and with most of them at $40 a pop, you can equip your kid with a full menagerie for school and travel.

No, we haven’t decided to change our name. Artisans of Leisure has been around longer than we have, and they’re much more than a blog. To us, they’re sort of like, well, GOD. In the form of a travel planner.

Picture this: a family of 12 ranging from a great-grandmother in her 80s to a 3-year old tyke, all heading to Russia. Or a father who gives all of his daughters customized trips to anywhere they want in the world when they turn 15.

Artisans of Leisure has handled all the details of trips like these, and they can handle yours too. What makes them such a standout company in our minds? For one, no age minimums (to which we say fabulous). If you want to head to China with 10-month old Junior in tow, no problem. They’ll help arrange babysitters and age-appropriate itineraries, and will happily build in some down time for naps.

As the name would suggest, this is no ordinary group travel company. For one, all the hotels you’ll be booked in will be top-notch (hello, spa, goodbye, Elmo). Trips include a private car and driver as well as private transfers to and from the airport. They cover any and every destination around the globe: the website gives examples of itineraries for some of their most-requested destinations, but they ‘ll plan a trip for just about anywhere your heart desires.

Your itinerary is tailor-made to fit you and the people in your group. While in Vietnam, you might visit the leading national theme park in Saigon as well as drop in on a Buddhist monastery to meet with monks. In England, a drive to Windsor Castle, home of the Queen, could include a stop along the way to play at Legoland, if that’s your cup of tea.

And did we mention that oh-so-important word, private? Meaning that when your 10-month old starts screaming his lungs out as you tour Hong Kong, the only ones who’ll be bothered are the rest of your family. (Which means, we hope, a little less glaring.)

Because the itineraries are customized for each group (and “group” can be anywhere from 2 people to 20, it’s up to you), costs will vary. One thing you can be sure of, though: a vacation that will be worth every pretty penny.

www.artisansofleisure.com 800-214-8144

If you’re a parent (which we’re kind of assuming you are) and a subscriber to travel magazines like Travel + Leisure (call us crazy, but we figure that’s a safe bet) then you probably already know that T+L has a great publication called T+L Family. With tips, reviews and all things family- and travel-oriented, this magazine is right up our alley. We just wish it came out more than 6x a year…

If you’ve never heard of this pub for parents, which has been out for a few years now, it might be because you can only get T+L Family if you’re a subscriber to the parent publication - you won’t find it on newsstands, you can’t subscribe to it on its own and they don’t really get overly aggressive with the marketing (which we are actually thankful for, as we get enough junk mail and spam as it is). Go to the T+L website, type in your account information for your T+L subscription, and you’ll be able to request an additional (and free!) subscription to the family edition.

They’ve also added the Travel + Leisure Family Club, a membership club providing travel deals, concierge service, retail discounts and more - all with the family in mind - for the price of $139 a year. Although we love that this exists, we’re not convinced of the real value of it yet: free concierge service and discounts are plentiful through credit cards or membership in any variety of clubs. The real hook here is the travel discounts, which we can’t quantify yet but which we hope will include a lot of A-list places - you know, the types of places we’re trying to keep tabs on right here at COL.

If you want to take the plunge right away, call 800-552-7885 or click on the link above. Once you do - or if you already belong - let us know what you think as you use the service, and if you’ve nabbed any great deals or otherwise gotten good mileage from this club. If you want to wait a while, we’ll report back to you over time on what we’re seeing… Stay tuned.