I love rail travel: I find a train journey to be restful, peaceful, and productive for a work-from-the-road type like myself. My kids enjoy it as well: they appreciate the mobility afforded (compared to air travel), the extra leg room, and the fun dining and panoramic cars. However, train travel today is not always the economical choice it was just a few decades ago. Price a multi-day rail journey … [Read more...]
Day in the Ozarks with kids: Dogwood Canyon
April 26, 2017 By
A day in Dogwood Canyon Nature Park is a great way to get an introduction to the beauty of the Ozarks with kids. Privately owned and operated as a non-profit by Johnny Morris, the owner and founder of Bass Pro Shops, my first impression of Dogwood Canyon was that 1. it’s beautiful enough to be a state park or otherwise preserved by the US government, and 2. that Morris is doing a pretty good job … [Read more...]
Travel Gear We Use: best carry on luggage for kids
January 20, 2017 By
Welcome back to our Travel Gear We Use series. Today, we're recommending best carry-on size luggage for kids. When packing for a family trip, we are big fans of using carry-on luggage (here's an article on flying carry-on only). Why? Flying carry-on only saves money, helps kids become more responsible for their belongings, and keeps 'baggage' at a minimum...literally. Our favorite carry-on luggage … [Read more...]
Travel Gear We Use: Winter jackets that pack down small
December 30, 2016 By
Winter is a tough time of year to pack light, but it IS possible to do so. The easiest solution: winter wear that packs down small. We love our 'puffies'! The best packable jackets keep kids and parents warm during winter travel, but fit well into suitcases for carry-on travel: What Pit Stops for Kids' Dad is wearing: Arc'teryx Atom LT: No one does lightweight, quality, technical jackets … [Read more...]
Family ski wear checklist: What you need and which brands are best
November 25, 2016 By
Ski season is upon us, and if you're a skiing family, you're busy cataloguing your gear and checking to see what fits each family member. If you don't ski often, you may not be outfitted yet at all. If you only ski once a year or so, we highly recommend using a ski wear rental service like Get Outfitted (see our full review), but if you plan to go several times this winter, it's worth investing in … [Read more...]
Travel gear we use: packing cubes and TSA bags for the family
October 28, 2016 By
Today in our Travel Gear We Use series, we're talking about using packing cubes to make family packing easy! Below are the packing cubes we use for every trip, as well as the carry-on liquid quart bag we recommend. Many families consider packing cubes just for air travel, but we use them every time we pack. Most recently, packing cubes made our lives easier en route to a Lake Tahoe vacation … [Read more...]
4 reasons Tampa Bay is great for kid visitors
October 6, 2016 By
The Tampa Bay and surrounding areas offer a variety of family-friendly activities to experience on your next visit. With exciting theme parks such as Busch Gardens and Adventure Island, the best blue water beaches in the nation, and plenty of museums and nature trails, you and your kids are sure to have a full itinerary during your Florida stay. We’ve narrowed down the best kid-friendly … [Read more...]
Travel Gear We Use: best overnight backpack brands for kids and youth
May 6, 2016 By
As an editor at Practical Travel Gear and a gear reviewer for OutdoorsNW, I test a lot of travel products and outdoor gear. Some of this gear we keep and continue to use as a family, and some of it gets pushed to the wayside. Some of the most-frequent questions I'm asked on Pit Stops for Kids is related to what to pack, what to bring, and what to wear. Our Travel Gear We Use series will address … [Read more...]
Exploring Christmas markets in Belgium
November 30, 2015 By
For our upcoming European vacation on a budget, we researched Christmas markets in France, Italy, and Belgium. While the country is still on high alert as officials ensure safety following the Paris terrorist acts, sources from both Flanders and Visit Brussels say that as of this posting, Christmas markets in the area will proceed as planned. Here's what we learned about exploring Christmas … [Read more...]
Touring breweries and wineries (and how to take home souvenirs)
November 6, 2015 By
Indulging in a libation or two while on vacation has always been popular, but with the number of microbreweries and wineries popping up all across the country, it's now a legitimate way to experience a new destination. Here's how to drink in the local culture, touring breweries and wineries on vacation, even with the kids in tow. How to find the best local beer and wine: You've arrived at … [Read more...]
