Hi, I’m Angela — mom to Ziggy, wife to Alex, and reluctant expert in finding beach rentals that are worth the money and restaurants that will actually feed a picky six-year-old. After years of US road trips, beach weeks, and resort stays, I’ve learned that the best family trips don’t just happen. They get planned.
This is Cozy Family Vacations — and our cat Snarf is also very much part of the team.
I’m a writer and editor who works remotely, which means travel has always been part of our family’s rhythm and planning it well has always been non-negotiable. My husband Alex and I have been figuring out US family travel since Ziggy was a baby, with Snarf along for most of the ride.
We’re a beach family, a road trip family, and an easy resort family — the kind who wants a genuinely relaxing vacation without spending a fortune or living on fast food for a week. Ziggy is six, obsessed with orcas, dolphins, monster trucks, and Minecraft, and is one of the world’s most committed picky eaters. That last part is honestly what changed everything about how we travel.
When you can’t just walk into any restaurant and call it a night, you start planning differently. You look for vacation rentals with real kitchens. You scope out grocery stores near your destination before you book. You figure out how to make a hotel room or a beach condo feel like home within the first hour — cozy enough that everyone settles in, eats something real, and actually relaxes. You get very good at budgeting, because a trip that works for your family takes thought, not just money.
That’s what this blog is about. Not picture-perfect travel — practical, cozy, well-planned travel that fits a real family budget and a real kid’s needs.
Here you’ll find US road trip guides, beach and resort recommendations, honest all-inclusive and cruise reviews, vacation rental meal ideas, and the kind of budgeting and planning advice that comes from genuinely doing the math trip after trip. I write about what we’ve actually tried, what worked, what we’d do differently, and how to spend smarter so the trip feels like more than it cost.
Because the best family vacations aren’t the most expensive ones. They’re the ones where everyone — yes, even the cat — actually has a good time.
Browse our most popular guides below, or start with the free family vacation planning checklist.