OFFICIAL “PIN IT TO WIN A TRIP TO ITALY” CONTEST RULES

We've already shared where to go this season whether you're a ski-lover or still a little hesitant to hit the slopes. But what about a good old fashioned family ski adventure? We've got five family-friendly resorts around the U.S. and one in eastern Canada where there are plenty of snow activities to keep everyone busy. Okemo Mountain Resort, Ludlow, VermontOkemo hosts a wide range of family-friendly fun, offering everything from snowcat rides and snowtubing areas to zipline tours and a roller coaster built right into the snow. Try your hand at snowshoeing at the Okemo Valley Nordic Center, take a dip at the indoor pool, do some laps around the Ice House skating rink, and warm up afterward with s'mores at the Coleman Brook Tavern. The Okemo Ski & Ride School offers seven fun programs for children ready to start out on the mountain, giving parents the chance to hit the slopes knowing their kids are in good hands for the day. Penguin Playground Day Care is available for kids as young as six months old to age four, while several skiing lessons and private workshops are based on age group—two advanced ski and snowboard classes are geared toward seven to 14-year-olds, giving them some more freedom on the mountain without being completely unsupervised. Kids' Night Out also takes place every Saturday night for children ages six months thru 12, giving parents the night off after a long day on the mountain. How to get there: Driving directions from all angles are available on the resort's website. Visitors coming from New York City can hop on Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express with service to Rutland. Both Albany and Manchester airports are about a two-hour drive from the Okemo Mountain Resort—another option is flying Cape Air (partners with JetBlue) from Boston's Logan International to Rutland Regional Airport. Wachusett Mountain, Princeton, MassachusettsAbout an hour outside Boston, Wachusett Mountain sits at 2,006 feet, taunting ski and snowboard enthusiasts to leave Bean Town behind for the day and hit the slopes. But what about the kids? A variety of children's programs are available including Polar Kids, a beginner-friendly full or half-day experience for children ages 4-12 with trained ski and snowboard instructors to show them the ropes. (90-minute classes take place twice daily for from $45 on weekdays or for from $60 on weekends; equipment rental is an extra $20). How to get there: The Wachusett Ski Train connects the Princeton ski resort with Boston's North Station on weekends with trains leaving at 8:35 a.m. and arriving at the Fitchburg commuter rail station by 10 a.m. (Ski Train tickets cost $10 per person each way). From the station, complimentary shuttles are available to take you to and from Wachusett Mountain, returning skiers to the station in time for the 5:35 p.m. train back to Boston. Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, CanadaIf you've got a valid passport and the urge to explore ski options outside the U.S. without traveling too far from home, consider visiting Mont-Tremblant, a vibrant ski town located 90 minutes outside of Montreal. Not only is it relatively accessible for skiers in the northeast (thanks to a new 90-minute direct flight from Newark on Porter Airlines), it's known for being an incredibly family-friendly ski resort. Choose from snow tubing, ice skating, snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, dogsledding, snowmobiling, paintball, ice fishing, or take the family along for a sleighride. The resort offers Kidz Club Daycare for children ages one to six ($99 for a full day), where kids can do arts and crafts and play games on and off the snow. Children ages three and four can participate in Mother Nature Camp, a cross between ski school and day care that allows parents to take on the mountain between 9:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. daily (prices vary). How to get there: Direct flights are available from Newark and Toronto, with connections to Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C. and several other U.S. cities through Porter Airlines—shuttle service is available from Mont-Tremblant International Airport to area hotels for $35 per person round-trip. Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, CaliforniaFamilies will love the SnoVentures Activity Zone, where kids ages 6-12 can ride mini-snowmobiles around a smooth outdoor course ($25 for every 15 minutes), go snowtubing down the hill ($20 per hour, ages three and up), or try out snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, dog-sledding, and horse-drawn carriage rides in the snow (prices vary). Off-mountain family activities include miniature golf, a 30-foot tall indoor climbing wall, and a skyjump bungee trampoline, while an aerial tram ride to High Camp el 8200 takes you to ice skating facilities and a large swimming pool and hot tub area with views of the Sierra Mountains and Lake Tahoe (re-opening in Spring 2013). Children ages 3-13 can also take group or private ski lessons (prices vary). How to get there: 72 non-stop flights are available daily from 15 U.S. cities through Reno Tahoe International Airport. Make it a familly road trip: the resort is located 42 miles from Reno, 96 miles outside of Sacramento, and 196 miles from San Francisco. The entrance is six miles north of Tahoe City and Lake Tahoe's North Shore on Highway 89. Beaver Creek Resort, Avon, ColoradoFamilies will find activities for every night of the week—everything from storytime and skiing with forest service rangers to complimentary family snowshoe tours and disco-themed ice skating nights—as well as kiddie menus, magicians, and family entertainment at the resort's restaurants. Snowtubing, ice skating, and guided tours of the mountain are also available. Half-day and full-day child care is available for $108-$135 and accommodates children ages two months to six-years-old. Sip hot cocoa for free each morning at 9:30 at the top of the Centennial Express Chairlift #6 and save room for complimentary cookie time at 3 p.m., a daily event that makes the entire resort smell like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. How to get there: American Airlines, Delta, and United Airlines all fly into Eagle County Airport (30 minutes from the resort) while other airlines service Denver International Airport about 100 miles away. By car, Beaver Creek is 120 miles west of Denver and 20 miles east of Eagle on I-70. Colorado Mountain Express shuttle buses are also available from either airport to a number of area ski resorts, as well as a Ski Lift Rideshare Program geared at helping skiers and snowboarders meet up and carpool to their mountain destinations. Tell us: Where is your favorite place to ski with the whole family?

Most beaches need umbrellas and blankets to brighten up the landscape. Not these nine stretches of sand. From iconic pink sand beaches in the Bahamas to a green beach in Hawaii, we've rounded up nine beaches around the world that you have to see to believe—and we show you exactly how to get there. SEE THE WORLD'S MOST COLORFUL BEACHES! BLACK SANDMuriwai Black Sand Beach, New ZealandBlack sand beaches are typically a result of an island's explosive volcanic past—the rich color is a result of a mixture of iron, titanium, and several other volcanic materials. New Zealand's stunning Muriwai Black Sand Beach is a 37-mile stretch of sparkling black sand and home to New Zealand's largest colony of Gannet birds. Hike up the scenic trail at the southern end of the beach to two viewing platforms for great ocean views and a peek at the birds in their natural habitat, where nearly 1,200 pairs nest between August and March each year. See it for yourself: Just a 40-minute ride west of downtown Auckland, Muriwai Black Sand Beach can be a day trip, or book a room at the Lodge Escape at Muriwai for from $120 a night. Feeling gutsy? Try a two-hour lesson from the Muriwai Surf School (from $60 per person including equipment). GREEN SANDPapakōlea Beach, Big Island of HawaiiLocated on the southern tip of Hawaii's Big Island, Papakōlea Beach is more commonly referred to as Green Sand Beach. And for good reason. The sand here is made of tiny olivine crystals from the surrounding lava rocks that are trapped in the 49,000-year-old Pu'u Mahana cinder cone by the waters of Mahana Bay. The density of the olivine crystals keeps them from being washed away by the tide, resulting in a striking olive-green accumulation along the coastline. Swimming is allowed but waves on the windy southern coast can be particularly strong. And while it's tempting, it's bad form to take the sand home with you. See it for yourself: Papakōlea Beach is equidistant from both Kona and Hilo, and well worth the scenic two-hour-and-15-minute drive on Highway 11 (look for signs for Ka Lae, or South Point between mile markers 69 and 70). You can also take the two-mile hike along the southernmost point in the U.S.A. for a glimpse of the uniquely olive-green sand. RED SANDRed Beach, Santorini, GreeceSantorini's Red Beach (also called Kokkini Beach) is set at the base of giant red cliffs that rise high over crystal-blue Mediterranean waters. The colorful red sand is a result of the surrounding iron-rich black and red lava rocks left over from the ancient volcanic activity of Thira, the impressive volcano that erupted and essentially shaped Santorini in 1450 B.C. Nowadays, the beach is popular with sunbathers, though you'll want to rent beach chairs to avoid sitting directly on the coarse sand. And it's best to visit in the early morning hours—the sand heats up under the warm Mediterranean sun. See it for yourself: The easiest way to reach Red Beach is by boat from Akrotíri or Períssa on Santorini. Pair your trip to the beach with a visit to the ancient Minoan Ruins of Akrotiri, a 10-minute walk away. PINK SANDPink Sand Beach, Harbour Island, Eleuthera, BahamasA lot goes into making this Pink Sand Beach so… pink. The three-and-a half-mile-long stretch gets its hue from thousands of broken coral pieces, shells, and calcium carbonate materials left behind by foraminifera (tiny marine creatures with red and pink shells) that live in the coral reefs that surround the beach. The pink sands can also be found on Harbour Island's Atlantic side and along the Exuma Sound—Lighthouse Beach, Surfer's Beach, Winding Bay Beach, and French Leave Beach are also famous for their rosy sand. See it for yourself: Several flights to Eleuthera are available through Bahamasair from South Florida, or opt for one of several ferries or water taxis from the other Bahamian islands. The five-hour Eleuthera Express from Nassau costs $35 per person one-way. To get to Harbor Island from North Eleuthera Airport, take a 10-minute taxi ride (about $5 per person) to the boat dock and a 10-minute water taxi (also about $5 per person) across to Harbor Island—bicycles, scooters, and golf carts are available for rental once on the island, while walking tends to be the preferred form of transportation. PURPLE SANDPfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, CaliforniaHave you ever heard of purple sand? Head to the northern coastline of Pfeiffer Beach, where patches of violet and deep-purple sand can be found. The source is large deposits of quartz and manganese garnet originating in the nearby hills being washed down from the creek to its final resting place along the Pacific. The purple sand is more likely to be seen after storms during the winter. Swimming is not recommended because of strong currents and a number of sharp purple rocks offshore, which also contribute to the beach's rare coloration. See it for yourself: Pfeiffer Beach is located just outside Big Sur State Park about an hour south of Monterey, or roughly two hours and 45 minutes south of San Francisco along Pacific Coast Highway 1. Keep an eye out for Sycamore Canyon Road just past mile marker 45.64 and continue through Los Padres National Forest—if you are driving from Northern California, turn right approximately 0.66 miles after you see the park ranger station. Parking is available for $5 per vehicle. ORANGE SANDPorto Ferro, Sardinia, ItalyThe northern corner of Italy's island of Sardinia is home to Porto Ferro, a one-and-a-quarter-mile stretch of oddly orange-colored sand thanks to a unique mixture of the area's native orange limestone, crushed shells, and other volcanic deposits. You can also find 65-foot-tall ochre-colored sand dunes behind the beach on the way to Lake Baratz, Sardinia's only natural salt lake. The area is known for its scenic bike and hiking paths, and three Spanish lookout towers—Torre Negra, Torre Bianca, and Torre de Bantine Sale—that date back to the 1600s. Boating is the best way to explore this pristine area of Sardinia, which is also a popular spot for diving, surfing, and windsurfing. See it for yourself: Ryanair offers affordable round-trip flights from many Italian cities to the town of Alghero on Sardinia, with prices from Rome's Ciampino Airport starting at around $69 per person. Once on the island of Sardinia, Porto Ferro is just 19 miles outside Alghero—drive northwest toward the town of Capo Caccia, turn right, and continue up the coast to reach Porto Ferro. WHITE SANDCrescent Beach, Siesta Key, FloridaA lot of places boast that they have white-sand beaches, but it doesn't get much whiter than Crescent Beach, located on Siesta Key, a barrier island just off the coast of Sarasota, FL. The sand here is 99 percent pure quartz, which has traveled down Florida's rivers from the Appalachian Mountains. The best part about this sand's fine texture: Not only does it feel like you're walking through powdered sugar, but because of its unique quartz makeup, it will never heat up no matter how hot the Florida sun beats down. You'll also find coral and other diverse rock formations at the southern end of the beach at Point of Rocks that make this a great area for diving and snorkeling. Alas, it turns out there may be one beach with whiter sand: Hyams Beach in Australia is now listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the whitest sand in the world. See it for yourself: Siesta Key is about a 20-minute drive from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport—travel south on U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) to Siesta Drive, turn right and go over the bridge to Siesta Key, bear left at the first traffic light, follow State Highway 758, and make a right at the second traffic light at Beach Road. Park in the lot on the left and walk five minutes south to reach Crescent Beach. GRAY SANDShelter Cove, Humboldt County, CaliforniaOne word best describes Shelter Cove: remote. It's worth the trip to see the gray-colored sand, the result of years of erosion of the nearby gray-shale cliffs along the shore. The area is also known for its scenic coastal drives, hikes, and an abundant source of wildlife at the nearby 68,000-acre King Range National Conservation Area, home to sea lions, bald eagles, and Roosevelt elk—even Bigfoot himself has been spotted roaming the woods here. See it for yourself: Make the four-and-a-half-hour drive north from San Francisco on Highway 101 to Northern California's Humboldt County. Shelter Cove is along "The Lost Coast" just above Mendocino County and about an hour south of Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Look for the Redway-Shelter Cove exit on U.S. Highway 101 and drive onto Briceland Road to get to the northern part of the beach. MULTICOLORED SANDRainbow Beach, AustraliaRainbow Beach makes up for its small size (just 0.62 miles) with its many colors. There are 74 different hues, a clandestine combination of erosion and iron oxide buildup that has been occurring since the last ice age, and the makeup changes. There is a sad romantic story behind the colors as well. According to an ancient Aboriginal legend, the sands became colorful as a result of the rainbow spirit falling onto the large 656-foot tall beachside cliffs after losing a battle over a beautiful woman, leaving his beautiful colors to rest on the beach for all of eternity. See it for yourself: Rainbow Beach is a three-hour drive north of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast of northeast Queensland. Greyhound Australia offers shuttle bus service to Rainbow Beach from Brisbane International Airport—prices for a round-trip adult ticket start from $114 per person including taxes. Another bus company, Premier Motor Services, offers similar routes for from $60 per person for a round-trip ticket.

By now, we all know about the addictive photo-based app Instagram, and it was only a matter of time until smartphone users would get the opportunity to make our photo feeds move. Vine, a new free Twitter-backed iPhone app, has been described as "the Instagram of amateur videomaking," with a user-friendly interface to seamlessly post six-second video clips on-the-go. Here are eight great tips for sharing your Caribbean island hopping or European backpacking adventures. Learn the hard way, before you jet. Using this new app may come natural to some, but to others may take some practice along with trial and error. Because Vine does not give you the option to save or store video clips on your phone, you can either shoot and post in the present, or if not satisfied, delete and start over. Learn the technical side of the app before accidentally deleting a once in a lifetime whale-watching scene from your Alaskan cruise. Get ideas and inspiration from fellow travelers. Check out the curated #travel category in the Explore section to see where others are jet-setting and how they are creatively documenting their adventures. Rule out what not to do for your videos and get inspired by styles you hope to try out yourself. Plan out your video, just like you planned your vacation. Okay, perhaps not as detail-driven, but having a rough idea of what you're about to shoot and how to execute it makes a major difference. Vine gives videographers a spectrum of options, from one 6-second long frame to as many as 12 back-to-back half second ones, for their post. Let your subject go through the motions, not the camera itself. If you're shooting from a high-speed rail through the rolling hills of Italy's Tuscany region, let the passing vistas be the main motion. Actively moving the camera itself can easily sour a repeating video clip, and even nauseate your beloved followers. Slow and steady, there's no race. On the other hand, when given the opportunity to pan across a static scene, such as the irresistible panoramic view from your balcony in Playa del Carmen, keep your camera at one steady level. Plant your feet, twist your upper body to the left, tap to record and slowly pan to the right. Don't forget about sound. Documenting an opera in the beautiful Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg, Russia, is worthy of your followers' ears, but awkward breathing sounds resulting from your phone being too close to your face during the performance...not as relevant to the scene, nor appealing. Be seen! Make sure to hashtag the videos you're proud of, so the world can see (and be envious of) your two-week trip to Southeast Asia: #southeastasia #indonesia #bali Keep it rolling. The only way to churn out great videos on your travels is to practice, be creative, and have fun with it. Weeks, months, and years from now you'll appreciate your stop-motion video clip of that last night's Santorini sunset.

Whether it was a girlfriend getaway to Costa Rica or a romantic trip to the Swiss Alps, our readers have found great deals thanks to BT. Be inspired by their stories, and then check out our Real Deals section to find your own perfect deal. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE DREAMY DESTINATIONS! COSTA RICAAn unforgettable girlfriend getaway"Costa Rica was always on my must-see list. Then, last December, my friend Karen and I found a Costa Rica deal from Capricorn Leisure in Budget Travel. It included airfare, hotels in three different areas, a half-day volcano trek, and a car rental. It was too good to pass up. In fact, it was so good that our friends Kathy and Teresa also wanted in. I was the navigator—I'm not so good with a stick shift. Some of the mountain roads are an adventure in themselves—very, very rough. But it was fun! It was the first time the four of us had all traveled together. We went zip lining, we drove and drove to a spice store in the middle of the rain forest, and at one point we were surrounded by hundreds of hummingbirds. When you're traveling with your girlfriends, it's kind of like, 'Oh, whatever. Let's just do it!'" —Nancy Miller, DeWitt, MI Do It Yourself: A similar seven-night itinerary starts at $1,209 per person with Capricorn Leisure, including airfare, car rental, and hotel stays in Arenal, Monteverde, and Liberia. 800/426-6544, capricornleisure.com. PERUHotel staff that go above and beyond the call of duty"I'd never heard of the Inkaterra Lodge before it became a part of our Escapes Unlimited trip to Peru, so it was a pleasant surprise. Beautifully designed, and the meals were the best we had on the trip—I had to bring home a copy of the lunch menu knowing no one would believe the sophistication of the offerings. But the most amazing part was when I lost my passport, which had been inside my otherwise empty money belt. Once I mentioned it to the security people at the lodge, they not only searched the grounds, but also sent people up and down the river to all the places we'd stopped, like the butterfly house. No luck, but what an effort!" —Sheldon Roth, Northridge, CA Do It Yourself: A similar two-night itinerary with Escapes Unlimited including a stay at the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica starts at $570 per person including airport transfers, meals, and jungle walks. A five-night itinerary to Peru starts at $1,999 per person, including airfare between Miami and Lima, transportation within Peru, tours of Lima and Cusco, plus a visit to Machu Picchu. 800/243-7227, escapesltd.com. BORNEOA knowledgeable guide saves the dayThe right tour guide can save your trip, but did you know he or she could save your life? It happened to Marvin and Felyce Thomas of Melbourne, FL. They were on a hike with their guide, Frankie, in the Semenggoh Nature Reserve on a Sayang Holidays trip to Borneo. "He pointed to this tree, and there was one of the deadliest snakes—a pit viper. I wasn't even five feet from it," Marvin says. Fortunately, not everything Frankie shared was that dramatic. He taught the couple traditional Iban dinner etiquette and, during an impromptu drive to a cemetery, how they should drop coins from the car window to pay the spirits who the Chinese believe own the road. "All tour guides have knowledge, but Frankie was a natural-born teacher," Felyce says. "He was superb." Do It Yourself: A similar nine-night itinerary with Sayang Holidays starts at $3,499 per person, including airfare, transfers, hotels, and tours with an English-speaking guide.  888/472-9264, sayangholidays.com. SWITZERLANDRecommendations from local experts"I've been a BT subscriber for years, and in 2008 I saw a listing for Untours. I thought there was nothing in Switzerland to interest me—but my husband is a mountain man. In Oberhofen, we were lucky enough to stay with a wonderful gentleman, Mr. Tanner. He suggested places to go, and he'd watch the weather report for us and say, 'Yep, weather's going to be good. Do it.' It's a much nicer experience, living in a house instead of a motel. You see people walking to school, saying hi to each other. It was an immersion, but I felt right at home." —Rosemary Lyford, Dunkirk, NY Do It Yourself: A similar seven-night trip with Untours starts at $1,459 per person including private accommodations, airport transfers, and the services of a local representative. 888/868-6871, untours.com. CAMBODIAPersonal touches 9,000 miles from homeOn her 55th birthday, Sandy Snowe received a cake in her hotel room—9,000 miles from her Merritt Island, FL, home. "It was absolutely gorgeous," she says. It was also one of many personal touches she came to call "Andrea moments," after Andrea Ross, whose Southeast Asia tour company Journeys Within arranged Snowe's Cambodia trip. Snowe found Journeys Within, then less than a year old, through its first Real Deal, and Ross has developed a fondness for Real Deals fans, too. "BT readers are the people I stay in touch with," she says. "They set us up for success." Do It Yourself: A similar seven-night trip with Journeys Within starts at $1,500 per person, including time at Angkor Wat and in the cities of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, domestic flights within Cambodia, and many meals. 877/454-3672, journeys-within.com. CHILEAN PATAGONIAHome-cooked meals amid beautiful scenery"My wife, Sarah, and I live in Manhattan. As lifelong big-city dwellers, a Knowmad trip to Chilean Patagonia was a 180-degree change for us. We wanted to be immersed, not pampered. Only twice did we eat in restaurants—instead, we ate with our hosts in local homes. We stayed with a couple in Cochamó Valley—at one point, we were eating fresh salmon the husband had caught the day before from the river that runs through their property. What I remember most: the wood stoves. There's one in everybody's kitchen, going 24 hours a day. The coffee's always on, and you can smell the wood smoke all throughout the house. I'm desperate to find a way to import the stoves to New York—I just don't know of too many landlords who would allow it." —Ben Sevier, New York, NY Do It Yourself: A similar eight-night itinerary with Knowmad Adventures starts at $2,170 per person, including activities like biking, hiking, and horseback riding through Patagonia. 877/616-8747, knowmadadventures.com. TURKEYA private tour through hundreds of years of historyFran and Bill Howard have braved their share of crowded bus tours—in Peru, Costa Rica, etc—-and they were all fine. After all, travel is supposed to be a social endeavor, right? So imagine the Howards' surprise when they signed up for a 10-day, seven-city vacation in Turkey with Foreign Independent Tours—and they were the only people in the group. "We were really surprised they didn't cancel," says Fran, of Laguna Woods, CA. The best part, aside from the fact that they could sit in any seat—or every seat!—on their VIP bus, "was that they had a personal tour guide. He was willing to stop anywhere they wanted, as long as they got to their final destination on time every day. "If it was there, we saw it," says Fran. "St. Mary's house, the city of Metropolis, Cleopatra's swimming pool—which people are still swimming in—the Trojan Horse, temples, stadiums. We certainly got our money's worth." Do It Yourself: A similar nine-night itinerary with Foreign Independent Tours starts at $1,129 per person including ground transportation, guided tours of historic sites throughout the country, and overnights in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Kusadasi, and Canakkale. 800/248-3487, fittours.com.