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If you are like many of us, you spend more time than you would like nagging your kids to go outside more and text their friends less. I am not sure exactly when I became my parents but it definitely happened. Sometimes a cool new toy can be just the thing to get them excited about the great outdoors, whether on a camping trip or just fun in your backyard. Here are some of our best ideas, just in time for the holidays.
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Phelps Lake in Grand Tetons National Park
I am forever on the lookout for gifts that are practical and needed but also fun. That's a hard combo to find. We travel a great deal and the kids always look forward to their next trip so I often focus my gifts on something they can use on their next adventure. These are a few things that have been winners for us.
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In this day and age, it’s almost inevitable that you will buy an electronic device for your child. It’s also been our experience that a portable media device can make long hours of travel much easier for the entire family. But what is the best option?
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This Osprey Jet backpack has earned its stripes hiking all over the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. But it has been a valuable addition to our trips all over the US and the world. It might be a little dingy but this grey and red backpack has been a familiar site everywhere my nephew has visited over the past 3 years.
Have you ever had a piece of travel gear that turned out to be the best investment ever? We bought an Osprey Jet 3 years ago for a 6 year old that is such a thing. It has been to over 12 states, 13 countries, hiked in 6 national parks, and flown over 100,000 miles.
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Image from Amazon.com
Traveling with kids always involves carrying more stuff than you think. I was ecstatic when the kids moved out of car seats and diapers as it cut the amount of luggage I was hauling around significantly. But they still needed a booster seat. Enter the Bubblebum booster seat. Invented by a Mom in Ireland who also disliked lugging large, plastic booster seats on trips, the magic of these seats are that they are inflatable.
View from the huge deck of our Sydney Airbnb. One of my best finds ever.
If you are new to the world of Airbnb, let me just say it will open your mind to what can happen with travel accommodations. No more tiny hotel rooms, tip- toeing around as soon as the kids go to bed. Cook full breakfasts in your own kitchen and do laundry mid-trip. So grab a glass of wine, a comfy spot on the couch, and follow these steps below to find your amazing Airbnb.
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Americans leave over 659 million paid vacation days on the table each year. Does this sound like you? January 30 marks the big day when Americans are reminded and encouraged to schedule their vacations for the year and take advantage of their accrued vacation days. Simply Awesome Trips takes the guesswork and logistical planning off your plate and most importantly saves you hours of time planning a vacation.
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Cowboy Ridge Cabin in Big Sky, MT
Staying in a hotel can be great, especially for short stays. But for longer trips, I look for an apartment or house to rent. Finding the right property takes quite a bit of time, but it’s worth the effort. Here are some tips when searching VRBO.com for that perfect vacation rental.
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A dream trip to Sydney, Australia in 2017 was everything I wanted it to be. Here's hoping next year's trips are as good as this one.
Where will you go in 2018? No clue? We've got lots of ideas from weekend getaways to overseas adventures. Too exhausted from the holidays to think about spring break or summer vacation? We've already planned your trip for you. Where to stay, where to eat, and where to play. Convinced your kids might never get off their electronic devices? Our itineraries provide tried and true activities that we tested on our own kids and they said were better than Minecraft.
Read MoreWhere to stay, eat, and play. Find out with one click. You will have all the info you need to plan the perfect vacation. Destinations range from mountain getaways to national park explorations to international journeys, all delivered to your email as a PDF file for easy printing or viewing on any mobile device.
A pre-planned trip itinerary will save you hours of groundwork and provides great tips for your family, allowing you more time to enjoy the fun. Many itineraries are free, others are priced from $5- $15. Money-back guarantee. Get inspired for your next vacation!
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It may be our mid-life crisis. My husband and I are obsessed with adventure camper trailers. We want one. We don’t want your typical “RV type” trailer that you pull behind your truck. We want a super light-weight, go anywhere, down any forest road, cool looking, tough, off-road camping trailer. We want tent camping combined with “glamping” amenities. We imagine super easy “pack up and go” family camping trips to quiet forests isolated from humans and surrounded by the sounds of nature and our happy children. Cue rainbows and unicorns here.
Read MoreI love gear. Let me just state that first. I am a gear collector who can browse an outdoor store looking at gadgets I will probably never need but just look cool. If I am looking for something I need, I will research for hours until I find exactly what I want. I love a well- designed object that does what I need it to do without extraneous and usually useless gimmicks.
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My twin nephews on the train at Houston airport. They were so excited when we had to switch terminals because they got to ride a TRAIN. I had to laugh despite my annoyance at the gate change.
I do love to travel. I don’t always love traveling with kids. Sure watching them enjoy the view over Paris or the New York skyline is cool. The first time they try a new food and like it or join in a Greek folk dance at a taverna are good moments. But along with the happy moments come a whole lot of aggravations too.
Read MoreFirst off, why do I need a lounge pass? I get this question. I had never understood why anyone would pay $500 a year for a lounge pass. Yes, airports are overcrowded and overpriced places full of mostly useless hoops to jump through, but it is just a fact of life and you get on with it. Then one of my siblings began using a credit card with lounge access and I have begun to see the light. Especially when traveling with children, a lounge can be a blessed reprieve. It’s a quiet oasis in the middle of civilized airport chaos.
Read MoreSo you may already know I am a believer in letting go of the worries about too much screen time while traveling. It’s just not a battle I like to pick, especially when there is so much downtime involved in traveling, from long car rides to delayed planes. I especially like to use the bait and switch tactic: “You can play on your iPad but only an educational app.” It is the modern version of my parent’s “You can watch TV but only PBS.” There will be whining but they usually will pick being forced to learn something rather than not playing at all. And I feel less like I am copping out on my parenting responsibilities as I enjoy a peaceful cup of coffee (or pint of beer).
Read MoreI can share a lot of stories about traveling with children over the years- from 3am wakeups in Hawaii (it’s one way to make sure you get the beach to yourself) to meltdowns on a boat tour in Copenhagen with an hour still to go. When that happens, you can definitely pick out parents from non-parents among your fellow passengers by whether they are giving you sympathetic looks or glares. There have also been many fabulous experiences as well, like a whole new army of sandcastle builders or a new appreciation for mid-afternoon ice cream breaks. These are just some of the tips learned over the years that have smoothed the way to great trips and helped avoid disaster.
Read MoreFirst off- Happy Spring Everybody! Not that this winter has been anything winter- like (at least for us in the South) but I still love the dogwoods blooming and the first days of T- shirts and sundresses. It also seems happily coincidental that this is the time of year it worked out for Amy and I to begin our website. Since this is our first blog post ever, I feel like it is a good time to explain a little bit about what we are about.
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