Hyatt, which launched its children's program in 1989, has long been a leader in family-friendly travel. At participating hotels, restaurants and room service always serve kids' menus and parents can purchase an adjoining room, when available, for their kids at a 50 percent discount.

The resorts that offer the well-regarded Camp Hyatt—32 properties around the world—host full- and half-day programs, as well as occasional evening activities, for ages three to 12. And once they sign up for camp, your kids get yearly birthday cards entitling them to a free ice-cream sundae at any Hyatt Resort, plus a passport to get stamped at other properties. After accumulating several stamps, young guests receive welcome prizes such as a plush animal or a compact-disc case.

Other important touches for families on the road include 14 kid-perfect pools, from Honolulu to Texas Hill Country, that recognize the essential value of a good pool. Not just a good pool, but an expansive watery fun zone of slides, flumes, wave pools, and lazy rivers that may well define your time away.