By John Frenaye

Travel columnist

updated 1:05 p.m. ET Nov. 29, 2005

Way back in September, my editor asked me for a schedule of columns through the end of the year. This sort of advance planning doesn’t really suit me. I can barely plan for tomorrow much less for the next three months. Why should I do something today that I could just as easily do tomorrow? Well, tomorrow has arrived, and three months ago I promised my editor a column on “In Places for Kids.”

But what’s in and what’s out?

I am a travel professional, so I have a wealth of resources at my fingertips: hotel reports, resort and cruise reports, operating reports from my agencies, and consultants’ comments. I also have the ability to survey almost a thousand professional agents on the Tripso Forums. I started to do my homework, but something just wasn’t right.

Although I have been accused many times of acting like a kid, reality says that I am not a kid. What the heck do I know about the “in” destinations for kids, anyhow? So for this week’s column, I deferred to the true experts — Miss Perdue’s third-grade class at Central Elementary School in Edgewater, Maryland. A couple of second- and fourth-graders snuck in, too.

I posed a simple question: “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?” Now I offer you the Top 5 Destinations for Kids, by Kids:

Number 5: Madagascar (with thanks, no doubt, to Walt Disney Pictures)

“I want to go to Madagascar because it sounds cool and I think it would be very fun to go there. I really want to go there someday. I think the little animals are really funny.” — Madison, Third Grade

“I want to go there because it has lots of plants. Also, because there are a lot of beaches.” — Elizabeth, Third Grade

Number 5: China (yes, it was a tie for fifth place)

Slide show   Alluring Asia From Seoul to Shanghai and Thailand to Tibet, Asia’s diverse cultures and landscapes are a traveler’s dream! more photos

“China, because I can learn a new language, meet new people, and eat lots of China foods. I can have lots of new friends.” — Mariah, Third Grade

“I want to go to China because I want to see if they have different money and I want to find out what language they speak. Also, I want to go because I want to see what kind of food they eat.” — Glen, Third Grade

Number 4: Italy (grown-up surveys support this “in” choice)

“Because, at my house we have a lot of things about Italy. My mom’s mom’s cousin has a house there. My parents talk about going a lot. So I think I am going in one or two years. My parents, together, have mostly gone there about 19-25 times!” — Madeline, Third Grade

Number 3: Jamaica (another perennial favorite)

“I want to go to Jamaica because I love tropical places with fruit and warm air. I also want to go to Jamaica because there are lovely beaches and chilly pools. They have fancy hotels too! Jamaica serves fancy food just like Hawaii. In Jamaica, people set up shops and you can buy tropical clothing and jewelry!!!” — Julia, Second Grade

“I would go to Jamaica because it doesn’t have winter and you could always go to the beach. Also, you can play in the sand anytime.” — Kaylin, Third Grade

Number 2: Kenya (adventure travel is on the upswing across the board)

“I would like to go to Kenya because Kenya has beautiful culture and land. Also, Kenya has safaris and I could see all the animals. I also would want to meet the people and learn about them.” — Justin, Fourth Grade

“I would travel to Kenya because there is lots of good animals to hunt.” — David, Fourth Grade

“I would want to go there because we learned a lot about it in Fourth Grade. Also, I have a pen pal there and would like to meet her. The last reason I would like to go to Kenya is because I want to learn more about the culture.” — Hannah, Fourth Grade

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