All aboard for the most scenic and relaxing train rides in North America--and beyond…

By Kelly Wieboldt

Are you ready for a unique experience? A great train ride might be exactly what you are looking for! Once you're snug in your window seat, you've already begun.

The joy is in the journey itself. There is a feeling of old-fashioned civility that saturates the experience, while the thrills likewise seem to hearken back to another era--a leisurely conversation with a friendly stranger, sipping cocktails in the lounge car, being lulled to sleep by the comforting hum of clickety-clacking.

By Kelly Wieboldt

June 21, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- Traveling with children who are in preschool or kindergarten can be absolutely marvelous. Kids are such curious creatures at this age and interested in what's going on in the world around them. That said, patience is the name of the game when you're on vacation with three- to six-year-olds; they'll want to check out every bug on the hiking trail and every crab on the beach.