(Family Features)As the days stretch longer, summer has a way of calling families to pack up and go, whether it’s for a weekend getaway, family reunion, road trip or one more beach escape.

To make the most of every moment, your accommodations matter. From convenient locations to family-friendly amenities, the right setup can ease the stress of travel. These tips can make your adventures more enjoyable, whether you’re hitting the road or catching a cross-country flight.

Pick a Place Where You Can Spread Out
Accommodations with spacious sleeping and living areas give everyone the room they need to recharge.

• Beds for Everyone: Look for hotels that offer generous family suites, some with over 700 square feet or those that feature clever configurations like bunk beds, giving everyone dedicated space to unwind. If you’re bringing the dog, ensure your accommodations are pet-friendly, too.
• Road Trip Ready: For families planning a road trip with multiple destinations, consider staying at hotels strategically located along popular routes for comfort and consistency. Some may offer distinct family accommodations, like the casitas unique to Hyatt Place Moab in Utah, featuring multiple beds, a living area, kitchenette, patio and more. The outdoor pool is also perfect for cooling down after a day of hiking.

Hotels with Amenities Parents Actually Need
Family travel can be full of unforgettable moments, but it also comes with a lot of logistics. From hungry kids to forgotten toothbrushes, choosing a hotel with practical amenities can make all the difference.

• Rooms with Kitchens: Guestrooms with in-room kitchenettes are ideal for prepping lunches or reheating leftovers, which can help save money. Even on an international adventure, hotels like Hyatt House Kanazawa in Japan offers fully equipped kitchens, including a refrigerator, microwave, stovetop, sink and dishwasher, making it easy to enjoy a little home-cooked convenience abroad.
• Family-Friendly Amenities: Whether taking a weekend trip or exploring a new country, look for hotels that make it easier to entertain. Consider amenities such as outdoor pools and hotels situated by popular attractions to keep the family engaged, like Hyatt Place Los Cabos. For longer stays, guest laundry facilities can help families pack lighter and stay fresh. Travelers can also consider dual-branded developments that combine the best of both worlds, like Hyatt Place LAX/Century Blvd and Hyatt House LAX/Century Blvd, offering flexible room options for multi-generational families and shared amenities under one roof.
• The Essentials: Packing for the family often means something gets left behind. Find hotels that offer programs that help fill in the gaps, whether it’s a phone charger, toothbrush or other necessities, available to buy, borrow or enjoy for free.
• Dining Options: Dining out can be costly and time-consuming. For families wanting to enjoy local flavors while keeping things simple, find hotels that offer daily breakfast and grab-and-go markets, like Hyatt House and Hyatt Place hotels. Many also feature lobby bars, and select locations offer signature restaurants such as Azotea Roof Top & Hacienda in the United Kingdom or rooftop bars like Pesca Rooftop in Florida, to keep everyone fueled without leaving the hotel.

Book Smarter for Longer Stays
Find hotels that reward you for your stay. For example, World of Hyatt members can earn up to 16,000 Bonus Points through an offer at participating Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotels when members register and then complete stays by Sept. 7.

• Stay three nights to earn 3,000 Bonus Points
• Stay five nights to earn an additional 5,000 Bonus Points for 8,000 total Bonus Points
• Stay eight nights to earn an additional 8,000 Bonus Points for 16,000 total Bonus Points

That’s extra value for taking your trip. With stays starting at 3,500 points per night off peak, a little can go a long way, especially if you’re planning more than one adventure. Travel smarter and visit Hyatt.com to discover how to do more and enjoy what matters most: time together.

See here for offer terms.

SOURCE:

Hyatt

(Family Features) Whether you’re hosting a summer barbecue or simply relaxing in your backyard, reducing outdoor pests can help ensure a more pleasant experience. Summer pests like mosquitoes are more than just a nuisance; they can carry dangerous diseases like West Nile virus, Zika virus and dengue fever.

Enjoy a bite-free summer with these tips to enjoy mosquito-free outdoor spaces.

Identify Common Breeding Grounds
Understanding where mosquitoes breed is the first step in controlling them. Common breeding grounds include stagnant water sources such as bird baths, clogged gutters, poorly maintained pools and more. Even small amounts of standing water in planters or yard toys can create a breeding area. Regularly inspect your yard for potential breeding sites and take action to eliminate or treat them.

Keep Pests from Entering Your Home
Long-term mosquito control requires ongoing effort and strategic planning. Installing screens on windows and doors can prevent pests from entering your home, and putting up mosquito traps or an automatic misting system can provide continuous protection by reducing mosquito populations over time.

Naturally Repel Mosquitos in Outdoor Areas
From using outdoor fans – mosquitoes are weak fliers and can be thrown off by airflow – to strategically placing torches, candles or diffusers including essential oils like citronella, there are plenty of ways to naturally reduce your chances of being bitten. In addition to citronella, eucalyptus and lavender can be used to repel mosquitoes and planting marigolds, basil and lemon balm around your entertaining space can also help.

Hire Pest Control Professionals
When natural methods are insufficient, chemical solutions can offer more robust mosquito control. Insecticides like permethrin and DEET can be applied to clothing and outdoor areas to kill mosquitoes on contact and repel them for extended periods. If DIY solutions aren’t cutting it either, many professional pest control services offer mosquito fogging or misting systems, which cover large areas (like your yard) and provide long-lasting protection.

Visit eLivingtoday.com for more summer lawn and garden tips and tricks.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

SOURCE:

eLivingtoday.com

(Family Features) Play is a universal language spoken by people of all ages. Through play, children learn to forge connections with others, build a wide range of leadership skills, develop resilience, conquer fears and navigate relationships and social challenges.

For babies and toddlers, play is about far more than just having fun; it’s about learning and building important skills, from cognitive and physical to emotional and social abilities. As children get older, play helps reduce stress levels, process difficult emotions, promote problem-solving and build confidence – skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Despite its importance, play is often undervalued and overlooked due to busy schedules, lack of resources or misconceptions about its benefits. Approximately 4 in 10 children ages 2-4 do not get enough responsive interaction or stimulation at home, based on estimates from UNICEF, and roughly 1 in 8 children under age 5 don’t have toys or playthings at home.

To overcome these barriers, it’s essential for parents and caregivers to recognize the value of both structured and unstructured play. Simple, everyday items – like kitchen utensils, cardboard boxes, leaves and stones – can be tools for imaginative play. Setting aside dedicated time for play, even in short intervals, can make a difference.

In honor of International Day of Play, consider these ideas to turn everyday activities into playful learning opportunities from UNICEF, which recognizes play as an important means to help children by providing access to evidence-based parenting programs and working with governments to prioritize play-based teaching and learning practices in schools and other learning environments.

• Turn a grocery shopping trip into a scavenger hunt to teach kids about different foods, counting and categorization.
• Role play or act out different scenarios you read in books or see in movies to help develop social skills and emotional understanding.
• Make important language connections when getting dressed, such as identifying different articles of clothing and teaching colors.
• Use bathtime to explore buoyancy and water with floating toys.
• Play “I spy” while driving in the car or going for a walk around your neighborhood to help kids identify different animals, shapes, colors and elements of nature like trees, clouds and more.
• Explore the kitchen through tasks such as choosing ingredients, measuring them and keeping time while cooking.
• Use puzzles and building blocks to help develop problem-solving skills and hand-eye coordination.
• Stimulate senses and promote fine motor skills through play with materials like sand, water or crafting dough.
• Make sorting laundry educational by asking children to match socks by color or size, reinforcing their understanding of sorting and categorization.
• Take turns doing the feeding at snack or mealtimes to build hand-eye coordination.

Find more ways to engage your children in fun, engaging play at unicefusa.org/play.

SOURCE:

UNICEF