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Articles, Apps, Columns, Books, Broadcasts; Leader in family travel for 20+ years; Columnist/Blogger Adventure Living; BellaOnline.com; Former USA TODAY travel editor/ digital producer

Highly respected family travel expert, Candyce H. Stapen has authored 30 travel guide books—including two for National Geographic– developed FamilyiTrips apps, written 2,500+ travel articles for a variety of outlets, appeared on the TODAY Show and other broadcasts to talk about travel.
Please follow her @familyitrips

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Featured articles:

All in the Family

This summer create family bonds the easy way: take a multigenerational trip. Vacations that bring together grandparents, their adult children, as well as the grandkids rank among 2015’s hottest travel trends. Some 36% of American families said they planned to take a 3-generation trip by mid-2015, according to a 2014 AAA poll.

MD Magazine, February 12, 2015 Read More

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Okavango Delta, Botswana and Kenya Migration

Photos © A. Kempler

How to Explore Botswana’s Okavango Delta

Ears twitching and snouts semi-submerged in the water, the hippos, in chorus-line formation, stare back at us as the guide maneuvers our small boat through the grass-lined channels of the flooded Okavango Delta. A young bull elephant, his reflection caught in the silvery water, cools off by arcing his trunk and spraying his back and a crocodile suns on a sandbar.

MD Magazine, December 1, 2014 Read More

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Dream Trips: Catching the Migration in Kenya

Two-by-two, the wildebeest come in a seemingly endless line of gray that cuts through the Masai Mara’s golden plains. The wildebeest and their migrating companions, the zebra, move toward the Mara River. Hundreds upon hundreds of animals mass on the savannah just above the river bank, braying as they push into already crowded circles.

MD Magazine, December 1, 2014 Read More

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Tips, News, Deals, Blog Posts

Hotel fees catch travelers off guard

WUSA-TV, DC’s CBS affiliate, July 11, 2014

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American Craft Council and SOFA Shows

Some craft and art shows are worth traveling to, especially the American Craft Council (ACC) shows, hosted in Baltimore, Atlanta, St. Paul and San Francisco, as well as Sculptural Objects and Fine Arts (SOFA) yearly show in Chicago. At these events, you can find high-quality handmade objects. Even if you can’t buy, go ahead and browse.

www.BellaOnline.com, February 22, 2015 Read More

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Best Caribbean Beaches

The Caribbean is known for its glorious beaches and some of the region’s best fringe Anguilla, Turks and Caicos and Aruba. Follow this guide to some top spots. Grace Bay Beach–12 miles of white sands—is the big draw on Providenciales, affectionately called “Provo,” the main tourist island of the Turks and Caicos chain.

www.BellaOnline.com, February 21, 2015 Read More

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Touring President Lincoln’s Washington, D.C.

This Presidents’ Weekend and through spring, take part in special events and exhibits throughout Washington, D.C., including an historic all-night vigil, to mark the 150th anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, who died in the District, April 15, 1865.

www.BellaOnline.com, February 9, 2015 Read More

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Share a meal when traveling?

MealSharing.com, a new website service, connects travelers with locals who, in their own homes, cook meals for visitors, often for a small fee to cover the cost of the food.

www.BellaOnline.com, January 27, 2015 Read More

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Washington, D.C.’s, Other Air and Space Museum

If your visit to the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum in downtown Washington, D.C., got you excited about airplanes, then be sure to visit its companion facility, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center located near Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, VA.

www.BellaOnline.com, January 14,2015 Read More

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San Juan: Trendy Santurce Near Condado Resorts

Santurce, an up-and-coming neighborhood in San Juan, draws locals in their twenties and thirties, and increasingly, millennial travelers who like the still-rough-around-the edges vibe as well as the bars, restaurants and burgeoning art scene.

www.BellaOnline.com, January 4,2015 Read More

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Historic Homes and Art in Winston-Salem, NC

The Winston-Salem, North Carolina, art trail weaves together a tale of tobacco, textiles and three historic houses: Reynolda, the former manor of R. J. Reynolds; the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), once the residence of textile industrialist James Hanes, and Graylyn, the estate built by tobacco executive Bowman Gray.

www.BellaOnline.com, December 8, 2014 Read More

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Tucson, AZ, Highlights

Tucson gives you mountain views, desert landscapes, sunny skies and upscale resorts. An extra bonus: you can learn about Cold War secrets. On your visit, don’t miss the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the Titan Missile Museum, or a stay at The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.

www.BellaOnline.com, November 20, 2014 Read More

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Laughs at Sea: Cruise Ship Comedy Clubs for summer family travel

For many cruise passengers, one of the best parts of their voyage isn’t the elaborate buffets, the casino bets or the booze. It’s the belly laughs. These days, several major lines are showcasing more humor by way of their comedy clubs. Forget about the stuff-food-in-your-face jokes; the performers and the material are better than ever.

“Back in the day, being labeled a ‘cruise ship comedian’ certainly carried a negative connotation, as it was believed that performing on a cruise ship meant it was either the beginning or the end of your career,” says Mark Tamis, Carnival Cruise Line’s senior vice president of guest operations. “That is certainly not the case these days.

Cruise Critic, August, 2014. Read More

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Best new products for summer family travel The right gear and gadgets go a long way toward making a family vacation successful. These new products make traveling easier for families by doing away with such common “trip-ups” as bored kids, lost dogs, cramped tents, too much to carry and not enough luggage.

USA Today, June 2014. Read More

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Family Cruising Basics Two million kids younger than 15 sailed the high seas in 2013 on lines that are members of the Cruise Lines International Association Industry.
Cruise Critic, May 14, 2014. Read More

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10 Tips for Cruising with Teens Why cruises work well for teens and how to plan the best voyage for your family, as well as some rules you might want to consider for smooth sailing.
Cruise Critic, June 2014 Read More

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Get Patrick Henry to take a Selfie. The bewigged gentleman wearing spectacles leans over his demitasse at Charlton’s Coffeehouse in Williamsburg, the capital of the colonies, points to a visitor’s cellphone, raises his eyebrows and declares, “That looks like the work of the devil, madam.”

MapQuest, June 12, 2014 Read more

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Use Photos to engage with Locals on Trips How to teach your kids to give back and engage with locals while traveling?

When visiting poor areas in developing countries, we take Polaroid photos of willing people and give the images to them as gifts. Even in the digital age, many people in rural areas do not have photos of themselves.

www.bellaonline.com Read more

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Book: An Explorer’s Guide to Virginia

Lush vineyards, exciting cities, deep history, space-age science – VA has lots to offer. (Countryman Press)
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FamilyiTrips

Stapen has taken her love and experience of travel writing and combined it with her entrepreneurial spirit to launch FamilyiTrips, a series of user-friendly and informative family travel apps. Stapen wrote DC With Kids, and noted journalist Deb Geigis Berry wrote Boston With Kids and NYC Family Guide.

Featured Articles

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Featured Book

“A classy series with encyclopedic coverage.”
–National Geographic Traveler
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