(MONEY Magazine) – Disney World aside, the travel biz has never much catered to the needs of parents. But these days, with families accounting for roughly 75% of U.S. leisure travel and with a staggering 4.2 million babies born here last year, times are changing. Kid-friendly packages are now found year round, not just when school's out. Here's how to make getaways fun for you and the little ones too: -- Involve your kids in vacation planning. ''You can't surprise your child with a trip, then expect him to love it,'' warns Sally Grotta, co-author of the forthcoming Green Travel Source Book (John Wiley & Sons, $14.95). -- Inquire about family packages and discounts when you book. Ramada International (800-228-9898) and Westin Hotels & Resorts (800-228-3000), for example, let children under 18 stay at no extra charge in parents' rooms. Sonesta Hotels & Resorts (800-766-3782) offers free kid-care activities for five-year-olds to teenagers at six locations, including Orlando and Aruba. Other hotels charge about $25 a day for similar day-camp programs. -- Call hotels or resorts directly. Don't rely on toll-free operators to tell you about activities for children. -- Attend day camp with your child for a while on the first day, advises Dorothy Jordan of Family Travel Times newsletter (212-206-0688; $5 an issue). After canvassing packagers and agents, we found five terrific family spots: -- Home away from home. Rent a two-bedroom condo through Creative Leisure (800-426-6367) in the spanking new Kahili complex at Kapalua, Maui. Cost: $773 for one week, excluding air fare. Maid service and a rental car with unlimited free mileage are included. -- Cruising. The S.S. Norway, flagship of the Norwegian Cruise Line (800-327-7030), offers year-round programs for kids ages six to 17, including ship tours and junior Olympics. Costs for a week run $1,195 to $5,495 per adult and from $645 per child. Air fare from 150 cities to Miami is included. -- Saddle up. At the Paradise Guest Ranch (307-684-7876) in Buffalo, Wyo., you and kids six and older ride the trails in the Big Horn National Forest, while younger children poke along on ponies back at the ranch. A week's stay in a two-bedroom log cabin: $850 per adult; $750, kids six to 12; $350, three to five -- meals and activities included. -- By the sea. Lounge on the private beach at Boscobel Beach (800-858-8009) in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, or try scuba and snorkeling lessons at no extra charge. The price: $1,350 a week, excluding air fare, for a suite that sleeps two adults and two kids. -- Yankee welcome. The Tyler Place (802-868-3301) on Lake Champlain in Highgate Springs, Vt. offers 165 acres for biking, swimming and canoeing. Morning and afternoon day camp includes fishing, horseback riding, gymnastics and nature walks. For a two-bedroom cottage or a room at the small inn: $85 to $130 a day for adults and half that for kids, including meals. For more options, call: Just Me & the Kids Travel (800-828-3088) in Watkins Glen, N.Y., which packages individual or group jaunts for single parents and kids; GrandTravel (800-247-7651), based in Chevy Chase, Md., which specializes in unusual summer trips for (doting) grandparents and grandkids; and Carousel Press (415-527-5849), which publishes the Family Travel Guide Catalogue ($1), a list of 100 family travel guidebooks.