Let’s brush up on some Middle Eastern geography: Amman is the capital of Jordan. Yemen is the one next to Djibouti. Oman, the sultanate next to the United Arab Emirates, is the Middle East as travelers would like it to be: ...

Good gifts can generally be gauged by their physical size.

For example, anything bigger than a bread box is bound to be bad news. (Read: Malibu Barbie Beach House, useless kitchen gadgets.)

Lena Wald knows that good things come in ...

Fun in the sun can be very one-sided.

You’re the one layering on the lotion and zinc. It’s you who has to make sure all the hats are covering all the right places and lug all the umbrellas and toys — ...

Eating Pop Rocks while drinking Coke has never killed anyone. Babies born in flight do not get free air travel for life. And Neiman Marcus never charged its customers $250 for a cookie recipe. All fiction.

But there is one ...

Small is so the new big.

Just look at all the folks trading in their Hummers for sporty hybrids. Or replacing their double-D implants with B cups.

The next rung on the less-is-more ladder: Tumbleweed houses, tiny custom shelters perfectly suited ...

These days, it’s no figure of speech to say that you shop till you drop.

The act of getting dressed (must impress snooty sales girls), driving from one boutique to another (intense road rage), rummaging for pieces you can afford ...

Does the mere thought of air travel with kids make you shudder? Fear not. With planning, the right gear, snacks galore, and a few of the invaluable tips below, you can take to the skies and leave the sedatives behind.