Today’s tighter budgets require parents with toddlers and teens to be more creative in their vacation planning. Some parents are choosing places closer to home, while others are opting for vacation rental homes over hotels or choosing to take trips partly or completely supported by grandparents or other family members.

Just as there are a wide variety of ways to get more for your money out of every trip, there are a wide variety of places families can choose to go on any given vacation. That’s where Joanne O’Sullivan’s book “101 Places You Gotta See Before You’re 12!” comes in handy.

For families with little ones up to pre-teens, this book offers a wide variety of ideas about how to spend precious days off. According to the author: “I came up with the idea for the book after reading a book for grown-ups with a similar title but a lot more places. While it would be nice if we could all get to the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids, I thought there was a need for an alternative for families who don’t let limited time and money dampen their spirit of adventure.

“There are so many other amazing places to explore, places you can reach on a quick trip, a weekend, or even after school or soccer practice: historic places, scientific places, fun places, kooky places, spooky places, places for art lovers, animal lovers, nature lovers, sports fans, and people who love to eat.

“I organized the book into 101 ‘types’ of places so there’s no pressure to try to see a specific place that won’t fit into your budget or schedule. For example: If you live on the East Coast and can’t quite make it to the Grand Canyon any time soon, you can check out some other cool canyons: Cloudland Canyon in northern Georgia and Alabama, Genessee Gorge in upstate New York, or Agawa Canyon in Ontario (which has the added distinction of being acessible only by steam train!).”

If you’ve got kids and are looking for some vacation inspiration that fits within your budget, I highly recommend it.