Eileen Ogintz
Eileen Ogintz's 3-year-old son, Matt, once pushed a hapless kitten into the pond at a Wisconsin cottage her family had rented for the weekend. "I thought the kitty wanted to go swimming," Matt explained. The furious owner insisted they pack up and leave immediately. The embarrassed parents drove home four hours to Chicago in a downpour, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Eileen Ogintz was a national news correspondent for the Chicago Tribune then. The Tribune's travel editor encouraged her to write a story about her son and the Wisconsin cat. That story led to others and soon Eileen's family-oriented travel pieces evolved into the nationally syndicated weekly column "Taking the Kids."
The Taking the Kids series of travel guides for children and the book "Are We There Yet?: A Parent's Guide to Fun Family Vacations," which won a Parents' Choice Award, followed, along with numerous books, including her two latest, "A Kid's Guide to New York City" and "A Kid's Guide to Cruising Alaska," both co-written with her daughter, Reggie Yemma.
"Taking the Kids," which is syndicated by Tribune Media Services, appears in major U.S. newspapers and on Websites like CNN.com and is the only national family travel column in the country. The column has won several national awards, including most recently the John Southam Award.
Today, Ogintz contributes to numerous national publications and has appeared on "Today," "Good Morning America" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show." She is often asked to speak on family travel and how those in the travel business can best meet families' needs.
Ogintz, a 20-plus year veteran of the newspaper business, holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and has taught journalism at Northwestern University, New York University, Colorado College and Quinnipiac University. She lives in Connecticut.
Eileen Ogintz Samples
Taking the Kids -- and making time for romance
Where's the music? We succumbed to the sales pitch for the "romantic," albeit pricey gondola ride early one evening on Venice's famed canals, but our gondolier, decked out in the traditional striped shirt, didn't sing, much less talk to us.
Taking the Kids -- on an un-cruise cruise
For once, we're masters of our own destiny -- in paradise, no less. Really. Now if we can just survive the week of togetherness!
Taking the Kids -- to Hong Kong
All I'm supposed to do is "take a step forward and look at the sky." But it's not as easy as it sounds. It is 8 a.m. in Hong Kong and I'm jet-lagged. I can't believe I'm here.
Taking the Kids -- and learning African-American history in Boston
Sure we've all heard of Paul Revere and John Hancock, but what about Crispus Attucks?
Taking the Kids -- and learning a snow sport
There's nothing like a New Year's resolution you can actually keep. Just ask Chicago mom Andrea Guthmann, who resolved to embrace new challenges.
Taking the Kids -- to a museum this holiday season
Leave the crackers and chips at home; ditto for the carbonated drinks and smelly cheese. No, we're not talking about what grub not to pack for your next road trip or flight.
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