5 fabulous family-travel websites

canadacool.com While provincial and territorial tourism sites post tons of info, the beauty of this site from Ontario-based travel writer Lucy Izon is that it engages kids in destinations with bite-sized factoids. Click on Ontario and you learn Goderich has the world’s largest salt mine; surf eastward to discover that a chocolate shop in New Brunswick is credited with inventing the heart-shaped chocolate box.

vagabondfamily.org This site combines real-life experiences — say, the joys of exploring the riverfront in Phnom Penh — with a lot of tips on how you can do it too.

havebabywilltravel.comAimed at the stroller crowd, this site comes from Corinne McDermott, a mother of two. tripadvisor.comNarrow the focus of this gargantuan site with its Family Travel section under Trip Type. The individual hotel reports can vary widely but, overall, there’s always an assuring consensus.

familyvacationcritic.com Part of the TripAdvisor family, this is a well-organized site that shares destination ideas and top 10 lists. While there’s not much on Canada, there are lots of details on travelling across the US as well as handy lists of the “best family ski resorts” type. Plus, there’s also a focus on what many families want: deals.