travel planning - Pitstops for Kids

Travel Gear We Use: GoTenna review

July 8, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

When we visited Paris last winter, we spent a wonderful day in the Louvre. At least, it was mostly wonderful, except for the two hours we spent looking for each other. My husband had our two older sons in one section, and I had our youngest in another, and our plans to ‘find each other later’ went woefully sideways. We both had phones, but had put them in airplane mode to save on our international data plan. When I turned my phone on to contact him, he had his turned off, and vice versa.

Months later, I was introduced to GoTenna. The minute I saw what it did, I knew we could have used it in Paris. And in Rome. And in Costa Rica. And so on and so forth. GoTenna is a thin, 2-ounce wand that connects to a smartphone app via Bluetooth low energy (LE). It creates a low-frequency radio wave network for its iOS and Android app that reaches about 1 mile in skyscraper-filled urban areas, and, supposedly, up to 9 miles in most open outdoor areas (even longer on mountain tops).

How to use GoTenna:

When you buy GoTenna, it comes in a pack of two (for $199). I had ours set up in about two minutes. You just take the wands out of the package, and pull the little tab on each to extend the stick. When it clicks, you can see whether the GoTenna wand is charged by waiting for the light to blink. If it does, you’re in business. If not, charge the wands first using the included USB cords.

Once they’re ready, turn them off, and download the free GoTenna app. It will walk you through the activation steps, which, again, took me only a minute or so. You turn the GoTenna back on to pair it with your phone via Bluetooth (one wand per phone), add your phone number and name, and you’re in business. You can import your contacts, so it’s easy to find other people when you need to contact them (more on that in a minute) and download maps to use off-line (more on that, too).

Once you and a partner both have the wands paired to your phones, you can use them offline to contact each other. Each GoTenna has a nylon loop so you can attach it to a backpack, jacket, or hat. You don’t hold it; you need it to have a clear path to get a signal. Think of GoTenna like a messaging app: it has the capability to send messages and location, but not much else. You cannot use GoTenna to send photos or video, make phone calls, or scroll through social media. It’s like a walkie-talkie, only much better.

You do everything you want with GoTenna from the app.

Send one-on-one messages: this is the primary thing we’ve done with it. You can send messages to anyone in your contacts who also has a GoTenna (this is the reason for the pack of two).
Send Shout messages to everyone in the area with a GoTenna: A ‘shout’ message is basically a general message that will go out to everyone with a GoTenna within range. Not many people have these, so it’s not much of an issue right now, but in theory, you could use this feature to send out a general invite to meet up at a location at a concert or festival to meet other users, or send an ‘all call’ as an emergency.
Send emergency messages: this feature is deceiving, because GoTenna cannot actually connect with emergency services (a con to using it, for sure). It can only connect with other GoTennas (not satellites), so this emergency feature is just a ‘shout’ set in priority mode. If anyone nearby is also using GoTenna, they’ll get a message that someone needs assistance. I guess it’s better than nothing.
Use maps: I love this feature. While online, you can download tons of pre-existing maps in GoTenna’s app. (This feature is under ‘location’). Then you can use the maps while offline. We could have used this in Paris, and we will be using it in Central America this fall.

When and why to use GoTenna:

GoTenna is touted as a solution for communicating in the outdoors, when traveling without coverage, and during natural disasters other situations when off the grid. I initially thought I’d like using the wands while backpacking and camping, but in practice, we leave GoTenna at home during outdoor trips. Why? The range isn’t long enough for hikers or campers to communicate with family back at home (reason #1 I’d use it), and to use it hiker to hiker, we’d also have to carry multiple cell phones in the wilderness, which would require bringing solar chargers. While we might do this occasionally (I love the Waka Waka solar charger for this purpose), most often, we’re tech-free in the wilderness.

So what DO we use GoTenna for? International travel. We’re also glad to have it in case of a natural disaster when we may need to communicate off the grid, but primarily, it’s a wonderful tool for travel. When we travel internationally, we pay for limited service plans, so more often than not, we’re in Airplane mode and offline. With GoTenna, we can continue to communicate when we separate during the day, and we can use the maps. The teens and I used GoTenna last month in the Caribbean, when we were doing different service projects a few miles apart, and we’ll use it again in Costa Rica and Panama later this year. The only place we’ve used GoTenna where it’s only worked so-so was on a cruise ship. I think all the metal walls and doors messed with it.

Pick up GoTenna for $199 or look for it at REI. If you travel even a few times per year off the grid (or in Airplane mode), it’s well worth the investment.

Disclosure: We were given a GoTenna to test, for the purpose of review. As always, all opinions are our own.

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Trip planning with Momaboard Family Trip Planners

April 6, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

I have a confession: I love planning trips. For me, it’s like a puzzle to put together or a painting to outline and fill in…first you choose your family travel destination, then you book airfare and hotel rooms, then finally, you fill in the details of what you’ll do, where you’ll eat, and what you’ll see.

It’s this last part that can be tricky, however, especially in a brand-new-to-you location. For our most recent major trip to Paris, I tried out Momaboard‘s Family Trip Planning Service (FTPS). This online service is wonderfully simple: you select the city of your choice, you read about the local, parent expert for that region (Mombassador), and you click ‘Let Momaboard Plan My Trip’. Don’t worry: they don’t plan the whole thing, and they don’t book things for you. (This fact appeals to a control freak like me.) Instead, you fill out a short questionnaire about your trip (who’s going, your dates, what you like to do), and the Mombassador provides you with a day-to-day itinerary with suggested activities, dining picks, and routes.

How I used the Family Trip Planning Service:

When I discovered Momaboard’s FTPS, I already had several days of my Paris trip pretty well organized. However, two additional days were still blank slates on the calendar. When I filled out my questionnaire, I asked Paris Mombassador Coralie Grassint to focus on these two days, letting her know what I already had in the works for my additional days and what I still wanted to see, such as the Montmartre neighborhood, Notre Dame, and the Louvre.

After only a few days, Coralie provided me with a detailed itinerary (again, just suggestions) that I could access via the Momaboard site using a secure password. From there, I was able to download the entire itinerary as a PDF, which I saved on my phone for reference during the trip.

When I clicked on the locations, they expanded, showing me more details. At the bottom, I was given maps and specific walking and metro directions, in addition to generalized tips and helpful local phone numbers. Here’s what an expanded page looked like:

The way Coralie organized the activities per day was extremely useful, because while I knew basically what I wanted to do, I wasn’t sure which attractions to bundle together in each day, based on proximity and walking routes. Perhaps most useful of all, Coralie included restaurant picks for each day, based on both kid-friendliness and location. More than any other feature of the service, I used these restaurant recommendations. Without them, I would have had no idea which dining establishments to try in each area. (By the way, I told Coralie that we planned to eat at casual, budget-friendly restaurants, but I could have asked for upscale recommendations.)

Using the PDF, I added some of my two day itinerary to my TripIt app for easy reference, but also kept both a printed and digital copy of the entire itinerary so I could use it as needed. I found the level of involvement to be just right: I was still in control of my itinerary and could tweak it at will, but I had solid recommendations from a local parent at my fingertips.

So what does it cost?

A Momaboard itinerary of 0-7 days is $50, and an 8-14 day itinerary is $100. If you’ll be spanning multiple cities, you can email for a quote. We only needed advice for two days, but had I known about the service sooner, I would have asked for our full Paris week to be included. The suggestions based on your kids’ ages and interest combined with the step-by-step directions for navigation make a Momaboard itinerary absolutely worth the cost. I’m sure I’ll be using them again when we travel internationally.

To create your own itinerary:

Start at Momaboard.com, and follow the prompts to select the city you’re headed to. Their list of destinations can be found here.

As we disclose whenever applicable, we were offered a Momaboard itinerary free of charge, for the purpose of review. I’m sure I’ll be using them again, on my own dime!

Tips for AirBnb Italy: Where to stay in Florence and Rome

March 16, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Originally thought of as only a step up from couch surfing, Airbnb has caught on with family travelers in the US. But what about using Airbnb while traveling abroad? We used Airbnb exclusively throughout Italy, and found the process to be just as secure and convenient as in the states. If anything, Airbnb Italy owners were even easier to work with, and the lodging savings were even better!

Airbnb Italy: Where to stay in Florence and Rome

When renting with Airbnb, it can be hard to know much about the apartment owner or manager. Will he or she be the type to welcome you with a bottle of wine and a binder of suggested itineraries, or be more hands off? You can’t be certain, but while reading reviews, look for information about the owner in addition to the apartment itself. The ‘best’ owners will receive glowing reviews of their own.

We had the pleasure of staying in this lovely Florence apartment, which was only steps from the central Ponte Vecchio bridge. Tucked away behind a pottery shop, this apartment was absolutely ideal. (The photo above is the actual entrance to this apartment.) Better yet, no one was using the owner’s second apartment rental, and she graciously offered our family both. For the first time in a week, our family of five was able to spread out. Our owner was the ‘bottle of wine upon arrival’ type, and even scoured the neighborhood for Christmas Day restaurant reservations for us. Truly, this was above and beyond.

The apartment we rented had a living room, bedroom with extra day bed, and pull-out bed to sleep five. There was a full kitchen (without oven…just stove top) and a dining table. All the little things were there: a hair dryer, shampoo and soap, detergent, and kitchen staples such as olive oil and coffee filters. A grocery store was located just around the corner.

We had a small patio and air conditioning and heat, plus the second apartment with all the same amenities. In fact, the apartment layouts are almost identical. The only exception: the bedroom is bigger in the lower apartment and the living space is bigger in the upper apartment.

In Rome, we rented from Airbnb again, and again, we had a great experience with the owner in terms of the accommodations, communication, and ease. We rented this unit, which was located in an upper middle class neighborhood directly on the Tiber. We were in easy walking distance of the Vatican area, a ten minute walk to Piazza Populo and Villa Borghese, and only meters from the Metro station where we could grab a train to other points in the city. Our longest ‘commute’ was to the Centro Storico (old city) where we spent a lot of time. It was a thirty minute walk without much in terms of metro access, but the entire way was scenic.

This apartment was by far the roomiest we had in Europe, with two bathrooms (a luxury!) and three bedrooms (one of which could be a living room space instead). The kitchen is very small, but we used it for snacks and breakfasts, opting to eat out for dinners. The grocery store is just around the corner, though it does close early and open late by American standards. We felt very secure here, as the apartment building had a doorman and a very elegant lobby. We loved all the space we enjoyed here; our only complaint: the street noise could get loud. I used ear plugs.

What to expect with any Airbnb rental in Italy:

Communication from the owner. You should hear from them within a week of your check-in date, with detailed instructions for finding the apartment and asking about your arrival time. Download the AirBnB app for the easiest communication.
Personal greeting. You will be met at the apartment by the owner or manager and given a tour.
A per-night, per-person lodging fee. This is paid in cash to the owner (usually at the end of the stay). It’s 2,50 euro per person, per night in most cases.
Feedback left for you after you depart. Remember to leave the owner feedback as well. This helps both of you for future trips.

What to expect only sometimes:

Some apartments require a deposit, usually in cash, which is returned before your departure. It will be disclosed whether this is required in the apartment description on AirBnB.
Some will have a bottle of Italian wine ready for you to uncork. Others won’t even have a bottle opener in the house. You just never know!

Hitting the road with a pint-sized co-pilot: Safety tips for single parents

February 8, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Just because you are a single parent with small kids doesn’t mean you can’t – or shouldn’t – get out there and see the world! It does, however, mean that there are some safety considerations particular to your situation that you should think about before hitting the road.

Join a car club

If you aren’t already a member of an auto club such a AAA, now is a great time to sign up. Should something happen while you are on the road, such as running out of gas, a dead battery or the need for a tow service, your membership will allow you to make one simple phone call and have an expert come to your rescue. Getting stranded on the side of the road is scary enough at any time, but when you have your little ones with you it’s much worse. Don’t rely on the kindness of strangers to bail you out; ensure you have an up-to-date auto club membership and save yourself that worry.

Send your car in for a checkup

Before you head out on your road trip, it’s always a good idea to send your car in for servicing to ensure everything is in good working order. Have them change the oil and filter (which will help with gas mileage at home and on your trip), check your fluid levels and the pressure in your tires as well as your brakes.

Check your locks

Don’t underestimate the power of being able to lock your doors when you travel alone with your kids. Of course you won’t leave your kids alone in the car while you travel, but even if you stop to answer your phone or look at a map, it’s a good idea to lock the car doors just to keep out any unsavoury types who may be lurking about.

Don’t travel with cash

You never want to advertise that you are carrying large amounts of cash on you. You never know who is watching you, and flashing cash about makes you an immediate target. Instead, pay for gas, your hotel, food, etc. with a credit card and save a small amount of cash for incidentals and consider having traveller’s cheques on hand as a backup to your cash.

Pack wisely

When travelling solo with little ones, there are certain packing concerns you should make. Be sure to pack your cell phone, charger and preferably also a car charger to keep your phone handy an ready to go at all times. Pack snacks and drinks to eliminate the need to stop as often as possible (the less often you have to get in and out of your car, advertising that you are the only adult with the kids, the safer you will be).

Stay safe in your hotel

Choose a hotel rather than a motel. Motel rooms typically feature direct access to the outdoors, which is less secure than a hotel with more controlled access. Even better, choose a hotel with either a doorman or one that requires guests to swipe their key card to gain access to the building for an added level of security.

If you are planning on taking a singles trip, there are lots of online resources for your information. Sites such as www.singlestravelservice.com offer a wealth of travel ideas, destination suggestions and travel tips for singles who love to travel.

Where to stay in Paris on a budget with kids

January 25, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

When we planned to spend five days in Paris with kids, we knew we’d be on a budget. To make it possible for us, we chose to book a HomeAway apartment rental in an outer arrondissement. This arrangement allowed us enough sleeping space for our family of five, a kitchen to cook some meals in, and a washing machine for our laundry. We already trusted HomeAway, as we use this site for ski vacations in the States. Abroad, we had the same positive experience we’re already accustomed to, even in Paris on a budget.

Why stay in the Montmartre neighborhood:

Montmartre is a neighborhood of contradictions: it’s both touristy and authentic, tacky and elegant. During our week-long stay, we found that the atmosphere changes as you climb the hill: at the bottom, you’ll find a working class neighborhood with more than its share of night clubs, but at the top, the elegance of Sacre Coeur awaits, with smaller cafes and street artists. The latter is filled with tourists, but below, we found a more genuine Paris experience, where the restaurants and stores served the locals…and were priced accordingly.

Pros:

Staying outside the most popular arrondissements can save money on accommodations.
The Montmartre neighborhood (and the 18th arrondissement) has a local, artsy vibe that’s fun for older kids and teens.
The Chateau Rogue metro station is convenient to downtown.

Cons:

While Montmartre is a destination in itself, it’s not in the heart of the go-to tourist attractions: you’re a metro ride away.
Can be loud at night in some areas.

Paris on a budget: Why apartment living is where it’s at:

We set up camp at this HomeAway apartment, located just steps from the Metro station and a five minute walk from Sacre Coeur. In the heart of the holiday season, we paid only $500 total for five nights, which is drastically less than we’d spend on two hotel rooms per night for our family of five.

While the space was small, we all had our own beds, and the space was functional. We saved even more money by eating in several nights during our stay. Directly down the street from our apartment was a convenient grocery store where we stocked up on essentials, and several bakeries were just below us. We stocked up on breakfast items, coffee, bottled water, snacks, and the makings of a few easy meals, such as soup and baguette. We still ate most our meals out, but having some in saved us time and money.

You never know how hands-on or hands-off your host will be when you book through HomeAway, but this time, we hit the jackpot. The owner of this apartment was very communicative and helpful, both before our trip and during. She met us with a smile when we arrived tired after a transcontinental flight, and spoke English well enough to give us a tour of the small apartment (we don’t speak French). Renting this apartment also gave us access to free WiFi, a laundry machine, and the extra space of a living room.

A few HomeAway tips:

Download the app for easy communication with your host.
Book early for the best pricing, but don’t be afraid to try for a last-minute booking…some hosts discount their properties if unsold during peak weeks.
Read the fine print: check to see if you’ll need to leave a damage deposit or any required city tax fee, and whether it will need to be in cash. For our rental, a €250 cash deposit was required (returned on departure), and this would have been a pretty big hiccup if I hadn’t been prepared ahead of time.
Check both the map in the listing and the reviews. Look for information on the host as well as on the property itself.

Montmartre during the Christmas season:

While I’m now sold on staying in Montmartre during any time of year, it was particularly magical during the Christmas season. A ten minute walk from our apartment found us at the top of the hill by Sacre Coeur, where we had a great view of the Eiffel Tower and festive lights twinkled from every corner.

The above post was written in partnership with HomeAway. As always, all opinions remain my own.

Booking a family travel rental with Kid & Coe

January 18, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

In multiple posts, we’ve recommended booking vacation rental homes when traveling with kids. We’ve had nothing but good experiences doing this, and have always appreciated the savings and local feel. There are a lot of vacation rental companies out there, and we thought we’d tried them all. When Kid & Coe approached us, we were intrigued.

We decided to book a short family trip with Kid and & Coe for this spring, when we’ll be touring some colleges with our high school-aged son. The booking process was easy, and I was really happy to see quite a few affordable nightly rates (they start at €90 per night worldwide). We simply input the city we were interested in, added our dates and family size, and scrolled the list of available homes. You can even see the first available date for each property at a glance. Once we’d narrowed down our search, we contacted the host, just like you’d do at AirBnb. Kid & Coe oversees the process, so you feel protected as a consumer.

So what makes Kid & Coe different than all the others?

It’s all about traveling with kids. Instead of scouring listings looking for properties that will be kid-friendly, they ALL are. They look for properties that meet the requirements of family travelers with kids of all ages; most are set up with cribs, high chairs and toys for younger guests, and all are in desirable family locations around the world. So families can live like locals and get that authentic experience, but still know their rental will have a high chair or game console. Even though we have older kids, I appreciate this because it means the rentals will be near public transit lines, in safe neighborhoods, and hosted by people who are pro traveling with kids.

The booking process:

If you’ve used other vacation rental sites in the past, the booking process at Kid & Coe will feel familiar. If you haven’t, this is great one to start with, because the founders have kids and understand traveling with kids. When looking through properties, you get a detailed area map, description of the property and what kid-friendly amenities it has, including little details non-parents might not think to include. For example, while looking at a property in Portland, a note read, ‘has a shower but no bath’. While this might not matter to some travelers, parents with young kids and babies know this is a problem!

We’ve booked a Kid & Coe property for later this spring, and are looking forward to reviewing the actual experience. Look for a post describing our rental weekend to come!

Have you used Kid & Coe? Where, and what was your experience?

How to plan a Paris itinerary with kids

January 13, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

With its 20 arrondissements connected by a busy metro system, Paris can feel intimating at first. The key to planning a Paris itinerary with kids is to plan your days ahead of time, grouping destinations by proximity and utilizing walking tours to bridge the gaps (figuratively and literally).

When planning our five days in Paris, I started by making a list of our must-do’s, which included the usual suspects: the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, and d’Orsay. Of course, at this point in my planning, I knew I was missing a lot. To properly fill out my itinerary, I utilized itinerary planning services that offer local recommendations, walking tours, and dining picks. Once I had ‘B list’ destinations and restaurants in the mix, I organized my days based on where we could walk after only one or two metro rides per day. Finally, I bought every ticket possible ahead of time, including Paris Museum Passes, which allowed us to skip every entrance queue we found (and we found quite a few).

Itinerary services we recommend:

Momaboard:

I’ve known the folks at Momaboard for years, and I was thrilled to learn they’d launched their trip planning program. Momaboard pairs traveling families with local experts with kids of their own. After a brief questionnaire about our trip, the ages of our kids, and our interests and goals, our Momaboard expert put together several days’ worth of itineraries for us, including detailed directions, dining recommendations, and fun facts en route.

How I used this information: certainly, families can use the itineraries ‘out of the box’. They’re ready to go. However, since I already had a very loose sketch of our our days would look, I instead mixed and matched the attractions suggested. For instance, our Momaboard itinerary suggested a morning in Montmartre followed by an afternoon near the Eiffel Tower. I did both, but broke them up into two different days. By far the most useful part of our Momaboard itinerary: the dining recs. We are not foodies, and we have hungry teens to feed, and all the restaurant picks were right on target for us.

TraveLove:

We also tried out Travelove on this trip. Similar to Momaboard in that Travelove uses local itinerary-builders and asks families questions ahead of time, Travelove printed us a multipage, bound guidebook with custom itineraries, walking tours, and maps…lots and lots of useful maps. They also put together a journal/activity book for our ten-year-old that included custom-built questions and activities based on our particular itinerary. He had a lot of fun with it.

By far, the best attribute of our Travelove service was the walking tours suggested. They went point-by-point, with great maps and descriptions. For instance, they put together an excellent walk from the Tuileries to the Lourve, which we actually walked in reverse. Starting at the Lourve after our morning there, we walked along the Seine past the booksellers, Latin Quarter, and Notre Dame, learning things along the way.

Here’s what our itinerary looked like by the time we’d implemented both these services and gathered ideas from other guidebooks. (I recommend Rick Steves.) Our must-dos we started with are highlighted.

Day 1:

Metro from our neighborhood in Montmartre to Musee de Lourve. Morning at the Louvre, followed by a walking tour along the river through the Latin Quarter to Notre Dame. Dinner in the Hotel D’Ville area. Metro back ‘home’ in time to walk to Sacre Coeur at night to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle.

Day 2:

Metro from our neighborhood to the Eiffel Tower area, where we booked a morning Fat Tire Tour of the Concorde and Invalides area. (See separate post.) Lunch at street vendors under the tower, followed by a stop at a creperie recommended by Momaboard. Timed tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower at sunset.

Day 3:

Metro from our neighborhood to the d’Orsay Museum, followed by a shorter stint in the Rodin courtyard (recommended by a tour guide). Built-in ‘free’ afternoon; we spent it watching the new Star Wars movie followed by a visit to the Paris catacombs.

Day 4:

Toured the area near the Arc d’Triumph and Champs Elysees, including dining recommendations from Momaboard. We concluded our day with a boat tour along the Seine, and explored the seasonal Christmas markets. Almost all of this day was built out based on local recommendations.

Day 5:

Viator tour through Normandy to see D-Day beaches and museums (see separate post).

Getting around:

We used the Paris metro system exclusively. We found it very easy to use once we got our bearings, with good signage and multiple stops. Each day, we hopped on the metro from our Montmartre neighborhood (Chateau Rogue stop) and rode it multiple times per day. To do this, we found multi-day metro passes to be crucial (see below).

A word on the Paris Museum Pass:

The Paris Pass allows families to skip the long lines at museums, and gives parents the freedom to plan shorter museum visits (with the pass, it’s no big deal if you only spend 30 minutes checking out 2-3 major works). Kids are free at almost all museums (18 and under) which is wonderful, but if they don’t have a kids’ Paris Pass, you’ll still need to wait in line to get them a ticket (silly, I know). Because the Paris Pass comes included with a multi-day metro pass, it may be worth it to pay for kids’ passes along with adults, so everyone can skip the lines. Without these passes, we would have waited over an hour to get into the Lourve and Notre Dame each (instead we walked in immediately). Look for the Paris Pass or advanced tickets queue, or ask for it. Note: a few locations indicate they ‘don’t guarantee line skipping’, such as Notre Dame. I asked the guard at the start of the line politely if we needed to wait in line, showing our Paris Pass, and he waved us right in.

General tips:

Seek out the less touristy cafes and food carts, but not at the expense of hunger. After hours in the Lourve, we knew we should go in search of a crepe or baguette, but everyone was hungry and tired and ready to revolt if we walked in the wrong direction. The museum cafe sufficed (and actually had very good takeaway sandwiches).

Give kids spending money: there are so many tempting treats as you walk along the streets in Paris, you’ll be saying ‘no’ every ten minutes if you’re asked to open your wallet that often. Give kids money of their own to spend on tasty but small change treats such as macarons, eclairs, and crepes.

What are your best tips for touring Paris with kids?

Holidays away from home: Tips for preparing kids

December 16, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

At least every other year, we travel during the holiday season. This means my kids are pretty accustomed to celebrating holidays away from home, and as a parent, I’m pretty good at making Christmas special…wherever we are. This year, we’ll be celebrating Christmas Day in Italy. In the days leading up to the holiday, we’ll be renting a HomeAway apartment in Paris. Here’s how we’ll celebrate the holidays away from home:

Think of your trip as a gift in itself:

Older kids and teens should be able to appreciate that a family trip during the holidays costs money and can be considered a gift in its own right. To help kids take ownership of this gift, allow them to plan a portion of your vacation, pick one special activity each, or otherwise engage in the planning process. Spend a day doing each child’s special outings or attractions, if possible. As an alternative idea, gift kids souvenir money (in the currency of the destination) and don’t put any restrictions on how they spend it.

Help kids feel oriented by ‘rerouting’ Santa:

A recent study by HomeAway has shown that 84% of families will spend the holidays together. But traveling to be with family can have its difficulties. It’s hard to change the way gift-giving works in your family if you have Santa believers among you. And kids can feel genuine worry that Santa ‘won’t find them’, causing unnecessary stress during a happy vacation. HomeAway has solved this problem with their ‘Rerouting Santa’ microsite. Check it out: RerouteSanta.com. Just tell Santa where you’ll be, and he’ll find you!

Consider gift-giving in a new way:

For our upcoming trip, we simply won’t have room in our carry-on luggage to bring gifts halfway around the world. Instead, our school-aged kids (and we parents) will be gift-giving on the go. We’ll each draw a family member’s name, and shop for them while we travel. We’re focusing on smaller, stocking-stuffer type gifts in order to keep the ‘stuff’ we haul around manageable. If you have more space, such as a car trunk, you could adapt this system to include larger gifts.

Alternatively, parents can gift kids with one smaller gift per day during their trip, instead of all gifts on Christmas morning. For those celebrating Hanukkah, this ‘new’ system will feel even easier to implement. Gift kids with small toys, crafts, goodies, and games they’ll use during your travels.

Bring holiday decorations:

I love bringing decorations with me on trips when possible…so much so that we have an entire post on decorating your home rental, condo, or hotel room. It’s especially easy to decorate a HomeAway house for the holidays: ask the home owner if there’s a stash of holiday decor you can access…chances are they’ll leave them out for you or decorate before your arrival. We like to bring small strings of lights operated on battery pack (these can even be adorned to strollers or backpacks!).

Ask your home owner for seasonal events and tips:

We asked our Parisian hosts for their top holiday events in Paris, and almost immediately, I received an emailed list of events and happenings during our stay. Inspired, we did the same for our Italian hosts! Plan to attend at least a few holiday events in your destination to add cheer and keep ‘normalcy’ for kids who are used to plenty of seasonal hoopla in their home town. Some of the best activities include parades, holiday window shopping, and light displays.

Best travel experiences of 2015: Our top family trips

December 7, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

In the travel industry, there are a lot of articles and advertising messages that tell parents to hurry up and see it all. Go before they grow up. See it before they’re out of school. You only have X number of years left. While I appreciate the effort to get families out their front door, I urge parents to remember that primarily, travel is about time together, sharing experiences and new places, wherever that may be.

Fun contests like the #LuvRitzSweepstakes get this, and help parents take the pressure off travel and add the fun. After checking out our favorite destinations for 2015, let us know where you’d like to go, for a chance to win $5000 in Southwest gift cards. (More info below!)

In the meantime, here are our top travel experiences for 2015! We logged over 70 travel days in 2015. We visited many good destinations, a few just ok ones, a couple of duds, and a handful of absolutely amazing ones. Picking just five for our top travel picks proved hard, as usual!

Three Bars Ranch, Cranbrook BC:

Snagging the top spot is an all-inclusive dude ranch tucked into the Canadian Rockies. Three Bars Ranch eclipsed even our already high standards when it came to dude ranch vacations (Wyoming’s Triangle X Ranch made our top five in 2014). What made it so special: somehow, the team at Three Bars have managed to find that perfect balance of relaxation and adventure, all wrapped up in a friendly atmosphere. It’s 1/3 summer camp, 1/3 cruise, and 1/3 mountain lodge. A week at Three Bars actually leaves you feeling refreshed, instead of needing ‘a vacation from your vacation’.

Black Hills, South Dakota:

Readers of Pit Stops for Kids know we like our vacations rugged, usually with some mountain air thrown in. I didn’t expect to enjoy South Dakota as much as I did. What made it special: beyond Mt. Rushmore, much more history awaits, ready to be peeled like layers on the proverbial onion. Badlands National Park doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves (think of it as a less crowded Canyonlands), and Custer State Park sports over 1000 buffalo, making us wonder why more families don’t opt to come here in lieu of Yellowstone.

Hanalei, Kauai:

I haven’t met a Hawaiian island I didn’t like, but I fell in love with Kauai. With a less touristy and more artsy feel than any other tropical island I’ve experienced, Kauai also offers some of the best hiking I’ve seen. We recommend basing a stay in the small town of Hanalei (or in a home rental in nearby Princeville), and spending the majority of your vacation on the wilder, rainier North Shore. Hit an authentic farmer’s market, swim, and try surfing, kayaking, snorkeling, or tubing. Check out all our Kauai coverage.

Palm Beach, Florida:

Families on the East Coast wanting sun, sand, and Caribbean waters can find all of the above within an easy flight or drive into West Palm Beaches. (There is something to be said for accessibility!) I liked the way city and ocean meet in West Palm Beach, making it easy to spend a full day in the surf followed by a night out with kids in one of the many open-air restaurants. Plus, there are excellent harbor waters in the area, perfect for kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding. This part of Florida has interesting history, too: we liked checking out the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. Hands down, stay in a Marriott Vacation Club property like Oceana Palms for the convenience of in-room kitchens.

San Juan Islands, WA:

If you want one location that combines family-friendly activities, outdoor exploration, fine dining, and quaint town life, and you’re on the wrong coast for a visit to Nantucket, head to San Juan Islands, WA. What we love: the natural beauty of the islands, the ferry-entrance, the many state park beaches and coves, the cute towns, and the excellent lodging options. To up your adventure a few notches, book a 2-3 day kayak trip with Crystal Seas.

Honorable mention: Idaho Panhandle

We have to give this awesome region of Idaho a shout-out, because it never fails to surprise us…in great ways! In summer, families can base themselves in either the mountain lake towns of Coeur d’ Alene or Sandpoint, or tuck themselves into the mountains at Kellogg or Wallace. This entire area is rich in mining history and abundant with outdoor opportunities: bike on the newly constructed Hiawatha trail, kayak or swim, or fish. In winter, the skiing is excellent (and affordable) at Silver Mountain and Lookout Pass.

Where would YOU like to go?

Ritz and Southwest Airlines want to know where you want to go and how you enjoy Ritz Crackers. One lucky winner will win $5,000 in Southwest gift cards! Just Tweet or Instagram your response along with #LuvRitzSweepstakes to be entered. (Example: “I want to go to #Dallas for the holidays and enjoy Ritz Mint Thins #LuvRitzSweepstakes”) Personally, the peanut butter, banana, and honey snacks get my vote!

Need more inspiration? Read about our best trips of 2014 and top experiences of 2013!

I partnered with Southwest Airlines and Ritz Crackers on this post. All opinions and destination picks remain my own.

How to plan a stress-free family holiday while pregnant

November 25, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

Welcoming a new arrival to your growing family is an incredibly joyous occasion albeit with one small exception; planning your family holiday! During this time it can seem daunting to plan a relaxing vacation abroad which will accommodate for all of your pre-natal needs. To help rectify this issue, here are some helpful hints that I’ve found can reduce the stress that often accompanies planning a family holiday while pregnant:

Investigate airline policies before booking flights:

‘Flying whilst pregnant’ is not a term which appeals to many expectant mothers. Fortunately, I’ve found that if you carry out some online research into airline policies before booking your flights then you can choose the method of travel which best suits you. In these instances, I agree with Flashpacker Family blogger Bethaney Davies who advises;

“Flying can be uncomfortable at the best of times… Look into the quality and comfort of the airline, especially the seats, before you book any flights. If you can afford it, business class makes for very comfortable pregnant flying!”.

In this manner, I have also found it useful to capitalise upon airline early boarding policies. By investigating their guidelines with regards to pregnant women and contacting these particular airlines before arriving at the departure gate, you can board early without a fuss and present any medical notes that need to be shown which deem you are safe to fly. Not only will these steps avoid any inconvenient documentary complications upon boarding, but they will also equip you with additional time to settle your children, get yourself comfortable and put on some DVT socks before take-off! Once in the air, I would also advise you to drink plenty of water to remain hydrated and to take short walks along the aisle at regular intervals to boost your blood circulation.

Implement emergency contingency plans:

In my experience, I’ve found that if you dedicate some time to planning for any emergency that may occur whilst you are abroad then you can grant yourself peace of mind throughout your family holiday. Even when I think that I’ve accommodated for every eventuality, I still invest in a family travel insurance policy to account for any circumstances that I might have overlooked. As this guide for expectant mothers conveys;

“Having the right travel insurance for your holiday is always important, especially when you’re pregnant. Expecting a child makes you more vulnerable than the average traveller to potential risk. On the off-chance you do need to cancel your trip and hurry home or require medical care, travel insurance will have you covered”.

If you look for travel insurance policies which will cover you and your family against the cost of lost luggage, stolen or damaged possessions, cancelled flights and accommodation as well as any medical expenses you may incur, including the cost of transporting you home should you fall ill, you can remain calm and confident that you, your family and your baby’s welfare will be safeguarded whilst abroad.

Don’t underestimate the importance of taking breaks:

Above all else, if you wish to have a stress-free holiday whilst pregnant, you should make your rest and recuperation periods a priority. As travel blogger Frances M. Thompson explains;

“While my initial reaction was to see tiredness as an inconvenient side effect of pregnancy that I had to battle with, a firm but fair piece of advice from my midwife soon made me realise tiredness was my body’s way of telling me it needed all the energy it could gather to put into growing my baby so I’d better rest up to gather more for it to use “.

Consequently, regardless of whether you plan a beachside break, a weekend away in a capital city or a relaxing retreat in the countryside, I’ve found that taking frequent pit stops throughout your holiday itinerary will enable both parent and baby to remain happy and healthy. By interspersing your family-friendly activities with relaxing excursions, such as sunbathing or even a few prenatal massages at your hotel or holiday resort, you can ensure that your family enjoy a memorable vacation whilst simultaneously safeguarding your health and the development of your baby.