Our SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is kicking in, so we’ve been looking for things to keep the spirits up:

• Travel + Leisure recently announced their 20 Favorite Green Hotels. We read a complaint that only one was in the US, but we’ll take what we can get and just hope for more closer to home…
• This link to unusually beautiful photos of Geneva reminds us that, relatively speaking, our winter is not so bad.
• Kids love silliness and honestly, so do we. Indulge them on Halloween or on your next vacation: go here and teach them how to say “oh my God, there’s an axe in my head” in several languages (including Klingon) .
• If your vacation photos elicit oohs and aahhs at their beauty, you’ll be interested in Photopreneur’s post on how to make money with your vacation photos.
• Finally, go global tonight with a list of Halloween traditions from around the world.  Happy Halloween!

When you get tired of herding your little ones to and fro, you can practice those skills during a special getaway on a ranch, with horses and cows that may actually prove to be more pliable than your own offspring. Rancho de los Caballeros is located northwest of Phoenix, a drive of approximately 1.5 hours. Open from October to May, the ranch is spread out over 20,000 acres, with 100 horses to explore the trails and a golf course to provide non-equine related activity. Relaxation is offered in the form of a labyrinth walk and a multitude of treatments offered by the spa. (more…)

Hard to believe but the winter holiday season is almost here, and with it comes many options for winter vacations, one of which is the Teddy Bear Tea package at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess in Bermuda, offered for families of 2 adults and 1 child. Teddy Bear Teas on weekends will also feature that most special of guests, Santa himself. And since this is all about the season of giving, the package includes a charitable donation. Teddy Bear Tea includes:

• accommodations on a Fairmont Gold club-level floor
• a Fairmont teddy bear
• admission for 2 adults and 1 child to the hotel’s Teddy Bear Tea at the Heritage Court
• a $30 donation to the Children’s Ward at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital or the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute

This package is available from December 1 through December 23. Rates start at $309 per night, do not include taxes, gratuities or resort fees. Package is based on double occupancy and is subject to availability. Additional tea reservations for more children may be made at $19 per child. For more information on the Fairmont Hamilton Princess or to make reservations, click here or call the hotel directly at 800.441.1414.