“It’s 9:30. Going to breakfast—Garden Café. Don’t forget ship’s tour at 10— meeting at Reception desk.”

I once left that note in our stateroom on the Grand Princess.

It’s one example of the sea-going modus operandi my wife and I have developed so that we can find each other and coordinate our activities on a large cruise ship.

Life on the high seas is a world away from what it is at home. Day-to-day routines are so different that many cruisers have established procedures so that they can more easily relax and enjoy themselves on board.

Baseball fans can tell you all about early spring fever. Family travel columnist Lynn O’Rourke Hayes scouted out some of the top locations in the U.S. to catch spring training.

Here’s how it works: In the world of Major League Baseball, spring training is comprised of practices and exhibition games which runs for nearly two months, starting in mid-February.

Spring training takes place in two states: Florida and Arizona, with teams broken up into the Grapefruit League and Cactus League, respectively.

It’s been four years in the making, but the new luxury express train from New York City to Atlantic City finally opened for business last weekend and hotels and casinos are hoping that it will rev up business in the recession-starved town.

The train, dubbed the Atlantic City Express Service (ACES), was a $20 million joint venture between Borgata, Harrah’s and Caesars and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

It made its inaugural trip from Penn Station on Friday with a healthy handful of passengers onboard, including New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine.

While we may miss the summer, there’s nothing like watching the leaves turn at the beginning of autumn.

Sure, you can head to the northeast to witness the changing of the seasons, but when everyone else has the same idea—well, let’s just say you’re more likely to find yourself gazing at the back of an SUV than the foliage, or elbowing other camera-toting leaf-peepers to capture that perfect shot.

But, it’s not only our northeast states that enjoy the colorful spectacle. Here are some alternative options to watch the leaves fall this month and beyond.

With Election Day only a few weeks away, you may be tempted to stay home glued to the television as Barack Obama and John McCain duke it out.

But now that “patriotism” is the buzz word of the month, why not show your devotion to our great country by taking a presidential tour? Turns out, there are literally dozens of presidential libraries and museums scattered around the country.

So if you’ve already taken a class trip to Washington, D.C., and oohed over Mount Rushmore, here are some other spots where you can bone up on your presidential history, from George Washington to George W. Bush.

When renting a car abroad, older travelers may find themselves paying extra, or even unable to rent a car altogether. Here’s what you need to know.