Welcome to Stack the Miles!
Inspiring families to explore more, spend less, and see the world together.
Family Focus
Practical trips that work for real kids, real schedules, and real parents.
Smart Spending
Points, miles, and strategy to stretch your travel budget further.
Cultural Connection
Helping kids learn the world by experiencing it — not just seeing it.
Hi, I’m Mel — a mom, teacher, and family travel planner.
I help busy families travel farther, spend smarter, and plan trips that actually work with kids, without burning out or blowing the budget.
Here you’ll find real-life itineraries, honest destination guides, sports travel tips, and simple ways to use points and miles to make travel more affordable. Everything here is based on trips we’ve actually taken as a family.
Start Here: Plan Your Trip
Choose your travel style below to find guides, tips, and real-life experiences that make planning easier.
What to expect in Italy with kids, including Rome, Venice, and the little things that make the trip easier.
Planning a trip to France with kids, including what’s worth it and what to skip.
Easy day trips, castles, and what travel actually looks like in Germany and Austria with kids.
Planning your Disney World trip? Start here for hotels, park strategy, Lightning Lane tips, and ways to save money.
Where to eat and drink at Disney World, including restaurants by park, dining plan tips, and what’s actually worth it.
Complete gluten-free guide to Disney World, including park-by-park tips, snacks, and what actually feels easy (and what doesn’t).
Packing lists, weather survival, and real-life tips to make tournament weekends easier for sports parents.
Everything you need to plan your Cooperstown baseball tournament—from costs and packing to what to expect during your week.
The tournaments, games, and sports travel experiences that have shaped our family trips.
What to do in Boston with kids and teens, plus easy ways to plan your days without overpacking your schedule.
Visiting NYC with kids, including what’s worth it, what to skip, and how to make the most of your time.
Family-friendly Philadelphia travel guides featuring museums, historic attractions, food spots, and things to do with kids, tweens, and teens.
Tips for choosing a family-friendly all-inclusive in the Caribbean or Mexico and what’s actually worth it.
Tips for visiting Universal with kids, including rides, planning strategies, and what to expect.
Family travel tips that make trips easier, including packing, travel days, and planning around busy schedules with kids.
From indoor water parks and snow tubing to rafting, hiking, and family weekend getaways, we’ve spent years exploring the Poconos with our kids. Browse our favorite resorts, activities, and family-tested tips.
What’s New? – Helpful Travel Tips
If you’re planning travel tournaments, Disney trips, or family vacations, these are the posts readers find most helpful.
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How Independent Are Players at Cooperstown? What Parents Should Expect
How independent are players at Cooperstown? Before our son left for Cooperstown All Star Village, this was one of the questions I searched. I knew the players stayed in the bunkhouses with their teammates, but I couldn’t quite picture how much we’d actually see him during the week or how much he would be expected to…
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How a Cooperstown Baseball Tournament Is Different From a Regular Travel Baseball Tournament
How is a Cooperstown baseball tournament different from the travel baseball tournaments your family has played all season? I knew before we went that Cooperstown would be different because I’d spent months researching it. Even so, I don’t think I fully appreciated just how different it would feel until we were actually there. A Cooperstown baseball tournament feels…
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Cooperstown Tournament Tips: 20 Things Every First-Time Family Should Know
If you’re looking for Cooperstown tournament tips, you’re probably wondering what families wish they had known before tournament week. We felt the same way before our son’s first trip. We read Facebook posts, asked other baseball parents questions, and still found ourselves learning a few things once we actually got there. Some of these tips saved…
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Cooperstown All Star Village Daily Schedule: What Tournament Week Looks Like
The Cooperstown All Star Village daily schedule is one of the biggest unknowns for families planning their first tournament week, and it can have a huge impact on everything from sightseeing to dinner plans. Before our trip, I kept wondering what each day would actually look like. Would we have time to visit some places…
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Inside the Cooperstown All Star Village Skills Competition
The Cooperstown All Star Village skills competition is the first big event of tournament week, and it sets the tone for everything that’s about to come. Before the first pitch is thrown, families gather around the fields to watch players compete in the week’s first event. During the preliminary rounds, most of the spectators are families from the…
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Cooperstown All Star Village Food Guide for Players and Parents
Before our week at Cooperstown, one of my biggest questions was about the Cooperstown All Star Village food. What would the players eat? Where could parents grab meals? Would I be able to find gluten-free options? After spending a full week at All Star Village, I realized there are plenty of choices for both players…
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Best Things to Do at Cooperstown All Star Village Besides Baseball
If you’re looking for things to do at Cooperstown All Star Village besides baseball, you’ll find there’s more to the week than just your team’s games. Before our trip, I expected we’d spend most of our downtime exploring Cooperstown. I had a running list of places I wanted to visit, but I quickly realized there were…
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What to Expect on Your First Day at Cooperstown All Star Village
The first day at Cooperstown All Star Village is exciting, busy, and honestly a little overwhelming. Between checking in, carrying what feels like a mountain of baseball gear, finding the bunkhouses, watching the skills competitions, and trying to figure out where you’re supposed to be next, arrival day can feel like a whirlwind. Before our trip, I…
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What It’s Like Staying at Cooperstown All Star Village: Inside the Bunkhouses
If you’re wondering what it’s really like staying at Cooperstown All Star Village, one of the biggest questions is where the players sleep, what the Cooperstown All Star Village bunkhouses are really like, and what everyday life looks like once they move in with their teammates. Since my kids have both spent years away at…
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Welcome to Stack the Miles
Hi, I’m Mel — a teacher, mom, and family travel planner helping families travel farther, spend smarter,
and make unforgettable memories using real-life tested advice from our own trips.
All content © Stack the Miles. Photography and imagery include original family travel photos and select licensed stock for visual storytelling.