Guides and itineraries from a working travel advisor, built to capture the essence of a place and leave room to discover it for yourself.

A calm first-timer's plan for Disneyland with young kids: how many days, where to stay, tickets, and a simple 2-day route.
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A toddler-tested half-day at the Aquarium of the Pacific. When to arrive, what little kids love, parking, and tickets.
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Seven days through Alfama, Belém, the historic center, and Sintra.
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Seven slow days through Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. Autumn foliage, a Nara day trip, and one full day to get pleasantly lost.
Read the guide →Family-tested reviews of real stays: room-by-room, with the details most reviews leave out. See all hotel reviews →

An apartment hotel steps from Taipei Main Station: unbeatable location, in-room laundry, and the caveats.
Read the review →Loft rooms, free laundry and parking, walkable to Fengjia Night Market. One of my favorite recent family stays.
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Taipei's old blacksmith lane is now its prettiest afternoon: vintage shops, specialty coffee, night-market food, and where to stay a minute from the MRT.
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Brand new, genuinely beautiful, and yes, pricey. What we ordered, what it cost, and whether to bring the kids.
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You don't need a whole day. Arrive at 10am opening, do the Infinity Mirrored Room first, and be out by lunch.
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LA to Taipei is nearly twelve hours. I prepared obsessively. Some of it helped. Some I only figured out mid-flight.
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One week in Taipei, one week in Taichung, two kids under three, and the travel insurance lesson I'll never forget.
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Photo by Aayush Gupta on UnsplashMost travel guides are one person's week. Here's what makes this one different.
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Photo by Louis Droege on UnsplashMost travel blogs say every month is great. Here's the real answer, and when you should actually go.
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