Orhard Bars- Great for Summer Travel

May 17, 2012 by 2 Comments

We are constantly on the go around here, and having great travel snacks are a must. I know that for most families, having foods that travel well (whether you are going to baseball practice, Boise, or Bolivia) really simplifies your day. Nothing crimps movement like whiny, hungry kids! These are all natural and are a great choice if you have a child with allergies in your home, too- they are vegan AND gluten free.

Liberty Orchards just added two new flavors to the popular Orchard Bar lineup: Cherry Almond Crunch and Banana Mango & Macadamia. The all-natural, vegan and gluten free bars are loaded with nuts and fruit, sunflower and flax seeds. The result is a delicious burst of flavor rich in antioxidants (vitamins A & C), low in sodium, high [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, food, travel

5 Ways to Stay Healthy and Extra Comfortable When Traveling

May 17, 2012 by 2 Comments

Traveling can be a blast, and at the same time, exhausting. Jet lag, a lack of proper nutrition, and being
somewhere completely new combine to make it tough to stay healthy while you’re away from home.
That’s why the following provides five ways to stay healthy and comfortable when traveling.

First thing’s first: Get a nice pillow and blanket

Whether it’s that long bus ride or lengthy flight to your destination, a go-to pillow and down blanket can
be your best friends. You never know when a hotel’s pillows are going to be wonky, and gimmicky travel
pillows prove one size definitely doesn’t fit all.

Slip-on shoes

Another tip for the bus, train, or plane: Keep your feet comfortable. Slip-on shoes can do just that, plus
you’ll be even more prepared for airport security.

Carry a week’s worth of medication, cough drops, etc.

Depending on where you’re traveling, there can be an increased chance of getting sick.

And nothing ruins a business trip or vacation faster than being under the weather. No matter the length
of your stay, bring at least a week’s worth [Read more…]

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Perth, Australia

May 16, 2012 by 13 Comments

I have always wanted to go to Australia. There are so many amazing places to see and visit- Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef, Perth, the Sydney Opera House, more and more places spring to mind. Wait- Why Perth? Because it has a cool name and seems like a nice place to visit for so many reasons. Actually, according to The Economist, it is the eighth most livable city on the planet. Sweet, right?

Perth is the capital of western Australia and has a population of 1.74 million people, and was originally occupied by the Whadjuk Noongar some 40,000 years ago. Perth is also well known for its nickname the “City of Light.” It is called this because residents lit up all their house lights and streetlights as US Astronaut John Glenn flew over their city, twice! Once in 1962 when he was orbiting in the Friendship 7, and again in 1998.


Perth [Read more…]

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Campsite’s near Festivals

May 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

One of the best ways of knowing when summer’s arrived is when music festivals are being held. The
UK is one of the best places in the world to go watch live music, and no festival experience would
be complete without camping. However, while camping at the festival site can be fun, maybe it’s
better and more convenient to go to the festival venue from nearby campsites and caravan parks
from pitchup.com, where you have more space and more things to do before the first act takes to
the stage.

There are a number of benefits of staying at proper camping sites over camping at the festival itself.
One of those is the fact that you do not have to queue for ages to use some of the on-site facilities
such as toilets and shower rooms. Also, you have more space to roam, and campsites tend to be
much more peaceful than [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, travel

Beginners Guide to Chicago

May 11, 2012 by 4 Comments
As a military brat moving from base to base, I learned early on that home was always changing. When my younger sister decided she wanted something more stable, she set up a permanent home in Chicago. Since I was still in college, I was excited visit the Windy City and see what a real stable home was like. Since it was my first trip to the city, I did some research to stay within budget and see the hottest Chicagoattractions.
The Magnificent Mile
The Magnificent Mile runs along Michigan Avenue from the Chicago River to Oak Street and is part of an area known as The Loop. Once I decided what to see, staying somewhere near the Mag Mile just made sense. I was staying in a hotel because I didn’t really fit into my sister’s tiny one bedroom with her new husband.
I wanted a place that was comfortable, but not too expensive. For me, that place was the Fairfield Inn & Suites in downtown Chicago. Technically, the Fairfield sits in Streetville, which is a few blocks off Mag Mile. The advantage of staying near the Mile, but not quite on it, was price. The Magnificent Mile is the place to be in Chicago and hotel pricing reflects that. By staying just off, I still got the benefits of downtown while saving a few dollars. The Fairfield offered a nice breakfast, free Wi-Fi and location, location, location. It is also near the “L,” which was the easiest main public transportation option to get to my sister’s downtown apartment.
CityPass
Since my sister was new to the area and this was my first trip, we were not exactly sure what sites to see. One of her friends recommended we take advantage of the ChicagoCityPass. The CityPass gives you VIP admission to five must-see attractions in the city. It is a very ‘touristy’ thing to buy, but for a first trip, a viable option. By using the pass, we [Read more…]
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Enjoy Every Moment At #VirginiaBeach

May 10, 2012 by 5 Comments

What family can’t use a little more together time? This time of the year, everyone is thinking about travel, and one of the coolest places to be is Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach is a fun place to be for the whole family- close, exciting, and won’t cost you an arm and a leg to spend some time on a family-friendly beach.
There are so many things to do in Virginia Beach that your time will just fly by, leaving you wishing for “just one more day” of vacation.

There is a wonderful aquarium with a great Imax theater, the Virgina Aquarium and Marine Science Center. There are several shows available daily, including “Born To Be Wild” (which just sounds adorable). Coming up shortly is the “Sensible Seafood Fest”., which begins Thursday, May 24th 6-9PM. There you can sample food and wine from local vendors and learn about sensible seafood. Fun and environmentally friendly!

On a sunny day, you know you want to hit the beach, the pool, and all things water-related. Virginia beach has amazing water activities available, like sailing, fishing, and of course- Pirate Adventures! Yes, you read that right. Your kids will love Captain Jack’s Pirate Ship Adventures, where they will hop aboard and search the high seas for treasures.

Better not miss [Read more…]

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7 Tips to Prepare Your Family for International Travel

May 6, 2012 by 12 Comments
Travelling the world isn’t just an activity for single people, or for those without kids. There’s no reason that you can’t take your family with you to London, for example, or still have a wonderful time in Paris with three kids in tow. Travelling internationally will be a memory that lasts them for a lifetime, and one that you’ll want to share.Yet, travelling as a family is different in many ways than travelling alone, or without kids. In addition to the normal types of preparation, there are some things you need to do to get ready for a family jaunt across the ocean, including:

  1. Get your passports. You might not realize it, but it can take quite a while to get a passport today. While the stated wait time is six to eight weeks, it can arrive much sooner. Still, if you’re going to be travelling in the next two months, you’ll want to consider getting an expedited passport. It will cost more, but you can get your passport in less than a week using expedited service. (Sometimes, you can even have it in hand in just a couple of days).
  2. Get your vaccinations. When you’re traveling overseas, you’re going to be exposed to a number of different types of illnesses, viruses, germs, and more. You’ll want to make sure you have both yourself and your children in for a well visit to your doctor within about two months of departure. You’ll need to make sure you get the recommended immunizations. Your doctor should have access to a list of which immunizations are recommended for which overseas destinations.
  3. Talk to your kids about cultural differences. If you’re travelling to Sydney, things might not seem all that different to [Read more…]
Filed Under: family, travel

Guest Post- Finding Love in Nepal

May 5, 2012 by 3 Comments

This guest post is written by Brenda Stampton, who enjoys writing about travel and culture.

Well it’s holiday time again and I feel a deep need to tap into my love of traveling and love is the right word when talking about travel with my greatest love being the small but wonderful country of Nepal. How lucky I feel that I have had the luck to visit such a beautiful spot on my first foray overseas and found love in such unexpected ways. I very much hope others can find that too.

The greatest love Nepal ignited in me is the love of the simple. I have a habit of over complicating things but I discovered on my first trip overseas that a love of the simple translates into less is more. It lead to a much more stress-free way of traveling. Less clothes meant less foraging day and night into my bag which helped me feel lighter psychologically and I suppose more carefree and that is what holidays are all about. It also taught me that freedom in simply attained. I love that I’ve discovered that I don’t need much materially and it’s been a suprisingly easy learning curve. There is great beauty in traveling to your favorite places with a feeling of being unencumbered.

I found a love of the local people who taught me so much. I would watch what they did as things got hard and I learned that I too could cope when days were longer than expected. I loved that I learned that when times got tough through snow, heat, exhaustion or homesickness that you don’t panic you just break the day into smaller bits and keep the vision of that cup of tea that feels so nurturing at the end of a long day. I developed a love and trust in the [Read more…]

Filed Under: travel