Family Travel Fun: Not an Oxymoron. Really.

• Choose a cheap state. Average prices for hotels and food vary dramatically by state, according to AAA. The three priciest areas for hotels and food are Hawaii ($497 a day), D.C. ($378) and Rhode Island ($306). The lowest three: Kansas ($169), North Dakota ($173) and Nebraska ($175).

• Seek out family deals. Many hotel brands offer family packages. Common deals include kids stay free, kids eat free, and buy one room, get an adjoining one at half-price.

"Ask hotels about bed-and-breakfast deals," suggests Tom Parsons, CEO of Bestfares.com, an online discount travel site. "Sometimes you'll pay an extra $10 to include breakfast, but if that gets you a buffet for four, you come out way ahead." Hotels have more gimmicks than experts can keep up with; Parsons suggests that when you call to book a room you simply ask, "What specials do you have for kids or families?"

• Join frequent-flier and frequent-stay programs. Frequent-stay points or airline miles can be cashed in for free rooms. If you have some of either but not enough for a freebie, you might have enough for an upgrade from a room to a suite, which could save you the cost of a second room. Alternately, if you can upgrade to the concierge floor, you'll not only get free breakfast but often free drinks and snacks as well.

2. Choose a Destination

• Brainstorm options as a family. It's always a good idea to ask your kids where they want to go. But that doesn't mean handing over control of the trip to them, experts point out.

"It might be better to decide the destination, then talk about things you each want to do," says Susie Kohl, author of five parenting books, including most recently, "The Best Things Parents Do." If the parents happen to want to go to their child's number one choice, fine, she adds, but don't follow their wishes "because they demand or you're intimidated."

Gail Gross, an author and family expert who hosts the PBS show "Let's Talk," suggests that parents choose two or three destinations that are within their budget, then let the children vote. Or ask the children to write down five things they'd like to do; the parents can choose a destination that fulfills at least one wish of each family member.

• Consider a travel agent. If a trip to the library, a Web search of tourism bureaus and discussions with friends have left you paralyzed with options, consider a travel agent. The American Society of Travel Agents allows you to search for agents not only by location -- which is not that important in these days of e-ticketing and instant communications -- but by specialty, and even a destination within a specialty. (Go to www.astanet.com and click on "For Travelers." The society plans to revamp its Web site next month.)

• Think creatively. Want your kids to learn something on vacation? Inexpensive options recommended by experts include historical sites, especially those that create a living history environment with actors in period costumes; nature talks and walks led by park rangers; and history lessons offered by cities, such as the night-time walks in the steps of our forefathers operated by Philadelphia's tourism bureau (for details about the night walk: 800-537-7676, www.gophila.com). Two living history options within a few hours' drive of Washington include Fort Bedford in Bedford, Pa. (814-623-8891 www.bedfordcounty.net) and Colonial Williamsburg (757-229-1000, www.history.org). Most national parks and many state parks offer special programs (see resources box on Page P2 for details).

If your budget is more expansive, check out what's new with tour operators, hotels, resorts and cruise lines. Many traditionally adult-oriented businesses are now catering to families, notes Emily Kaufman, whose Web site, www.thetravelmom.com, carries tips, articles and ads. Cruise lines, she says, are moving to capture the family market and parents' desires to buy learning along with their trip. For example, some cruise lines in Alaska offer lessons on wildlife and geography, she says. The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. has created a "river bonding" experience in which kids and parents join for old-fashioned fun like flying kites off the stern or listening to a storyteller share river lore.