Selling travel to children is no easy task. Make no mistake, when you book a family trip that involves little ones, it's the kids you really have to sell. Make them happy, and Mom and Dad will be beyond thrilled.

I speak from experience. I've passed my love of travel on to my kids. When the temperature finally took a dip this week in New York, my four-year-old suggested we leave and go some place warm. My seven-year-old already has a list of places she'd like to go, including Hershey, Penn. for obvious reasons; Montana, because of the Disney show Hannah Montana; and Italy, one of Mom's favorites.

I am always searching for the next great family vacation for my own list. And so are almost every Mom or Dad I speak to about travel. Trips taken with children make up about one-fourth of all leisure trips, according to the Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell and Yankelovich, Inc. 2006 National Leisure Travel Monitor. Not only do families represent big business for agents, they also are big money clients. The incidence of travel with children is the highest for the $100,000 plus annual household income group, according to the Travel Monitor. Close to one-half of these upscale travelers state they have taken one or more trips with children.

If you're not a parent or grandparent of young children, you probably know people who are. The best way to find a place for families to travel is by talking to families who have been there. On so many of our trips I have talked to families who return to the same hotel or destination year after year. They're happy, the kids are happy, and the resort starts to feel a bit like visiting family without all the stress. That's the feeling we get when we stay at Club Med Sandpiper in Port St. Lucie, Fla., for example.

When my girls were babies, my husband and I needed time without them to rest and enjoy our own time -- together and separately. A resort that includes childcare for babies is not that common. We were thrilled with Club Med Sandpiper. It was our family vacation of choice for five years in a row. It is one of the few properties that have a program for children as young as four months. It is still a place we enjoy staying at, with great children and teen programs that take young guests through age 17.

For me, it is the age of the kids that is the single most important factor when deciding where a family should head. When my little one turned three last year, I felt the whole world opened up to me. Most children's programs take kids three and up if potty-trained. For my family right now, the three most important travel features are kids' camp, golf for my husband and a spa for me. We're looking to relax and not do extensive traveling once in a destination. And we are not alone.

Many resorts are responding with more family features. La Costa Resort and Spa, well-known for its golf courses and spa, has added a heavy push to get family business by opening a new children's center and a teen lounge last year. My family found happiness there last summer.

One of the hardest parts of selling to families with school-age kids is that they may be limited to traveling only during the school holidays. I believe travel is one of the best educations any child can have, but teachers and principals don't necessarily agree with me -- officially anyway. But many parents, it seems, do agree with me. More than six in 10 leisure travelers are willing to take their children out of school for a vacation trip, according to the Travel Monitor. I try to extend long holiday weekends so the kids will only miss two or three days of school. It comes down to personal choice on this one.

I'm already looking forward to the time my youngest is truly able to do activities with us. Adventures by Disney, Disney's new family tour program, is on my list when my little one gets slightly older. The Wyoming tour program, visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, looks like an ideal choice for those who want to experience a bit of America's beauty. I also can't wait until I can take my kids on a cattle drive, white-water rafting and hiking through one of my favorite summer destinations: Vail, Colo. And yes, when they are able to understand its true beauty beyond the gelato, I hope to take my family to Italy.