Traveling with children can be a stressful time for parents, and surrounding passengers. Unlike environments that allow parents to simply "walk away" from a crowd if a child is disruptive, when traveling by plane, everyone is a captive audience with nowhere to go.

After a preposterously positive TSA screening experience before my flight from Hilo, Hawaii, to Maui last week, I get it. I know why the agency assigned to protect America's transportation systems has a few fans -- and an apologist or two.

Parents these days might be understandably discouraged from family vacations, especially to destinations that require more effort to travel with kids. But if you don't go now...

Whether it's baby or parent who needs a dose of natural Vitamin D, these resorts will make sure every member of your family enjoys a well-deserved beach vacation.

Sixty percent of travelers said that what matters most when thinking about a dream trip is to have an authentic experience. We want to show the kids the world, traveling to foreign cities. We want to share the excitement of seeing exotic wildlife. We want to cruise and kick back on a beach, enjoying first-class service all the way. It's easier than you think.

The hardest part of traveling with kids is striking the right balance between the challenging and the comfortable, the strange and the familiar.