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

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.

metro-center-station

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. 

Tips for planning winter travel: SnowCast review

This post brought to you by SnowCast. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Pit Stops for Kids.

We love winter trips at Pit Stops for Kids, but traveling during the winter months to and from most North American destinations requires more trip planning and preparation than the average vacation. We recently returned from a long weekend ski trip to Colorado, and used the following tips to have a safer and easier travel day on both ends of the trip.

keystone-resort-vacation

Predict snowfall with SnowCast:

We recently checked out the SnowCast app, available for iOS, which can show users how many inches of snow may fall in any location. Once the app was downloaded to my phone, I was able to choose the ‘now’ option to see how much snow to expect immediately, or the ‘later’ option to see how much snow was predicted to fall up to 48 hours later. Because I was departing from a wintery location as well as arriving to one, I used the app to see how much snow to expect both at home on our departure day as well as at our destination.   

With this information, I knew if I needed to wake up earlier than planned to get to the airport (the answer was no, I would not need to shovel out my car) and if I could expect a longer commute to the ski resort once I landed (the answer was yes, unfortunately!). I found the SnowCast app to be easy to use, with a clean interface, and I love that it gets its predictions from NOAA, which is where I turn for snow forecasts already. 

snowcast

Download the app

Prepare your car for winter trips:

If you’re driving instead of flying for your winter trip, use a weather tool like SnowCast to prepare your car as well as plan your route. We absolutely always have the following items in a tote at the back of our car during winter weather trips:

  • snow chains (that fit our car…check tire size)
  • collapsible snow shovel
  • extra gloves, a head lamp, and a small tarp (fold the tarp to use if you must kneel or lie on the snow to put on chains)
  • a blanket or two
  • one case of bottled water

I like that I can use SnowCast mid-trip, checking conditions as I go. We’ll have it at the ready on our next winter road trip, which will be in a few weeks.

Pack carefully for winter trips:

I hate over-packing almost as much as I hate checked luggage fees. However, it’s very hard to pack light for a family trip in winter. Here’s what we do:

  • On ski trips, bring ski or snowboard boots in a boot bag as your ‘personal item’, and rent skis or boards at your destination.
  • Wear bulky winter items such as boots or jackets on the plane to save room.
  • When headed to warm-weather destinations, utilize airport coat checks…you can leave your winter coats at the airport, and retrieve them before heading back out to the cold parking garage!
  • Roll thinner winter items, such as thermals and wool socks, to save space.
  • Use packing cubes to store like-items that may only come out once or twice during a trip, such as extra sweaters or winter gloves.

What are your best tips for winter trips?

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The best countries for family vacations: where to go now

The best gift every parent can gift to his child is the ability to travel. But to travel anywhere without much of the thought giving is not really considered being an excellent way to do it. To gift your children all the best, you should, at least, try to consider visiting these countries I am going to mention below.

japan

The team behind the Travel Ticker helped me to find these countries, and I can’t wait to share the list with you. All of them are truly amazing, and just perfect for a fun, educational and pleasant family vacation!

Greece – for better history knowledge

This is nothing surprising – Greece is the mother of the whole western culture. From architectural to philosophical traditional and Greek mythology – everything originated in this amazing country thousands of years ago. So logically, the best place to learn all about what Greeks gave to us is in Greece!

The best destinations to visit with children definitely can be in Athens, the historical center of the whole civilization, also Crete and Rhode Island’s too. In Greece, you can even get into a tour about Troy war and visit all the exact places ancient Greek consider being holy. For example – a birthplace of the love goddess Aphrodite!

Tip: Hostel Bay Greek island hopping ferry routes are a great way to visit the Greek islands.

Belize – for the chance to meet exotic animals

Belize, a small country in the Caribbean should also be worth considering if you want to travel somewhere not that far away and full of interesting activities you can do with kids. The island is pretty isolated, so wanderings around here won’t be interrupted by tons of cars. And that also means that here you won’t meet millions of tourists too – so it can be a perfect place for relaxing and pleasant vacations with children for sure.

Kids here can meet real exotic animals like monkeys, crocodiles or turtles and have a blast while diving, snorkeling or just biking around this small country. Just don’t forget to apply the sun cream because you are definitely going to spend your whole time outdoors!

best-countries-for-travel

Bali – for another chance to meet animals and amazing local culture

Bali, a tropical paradise, can also be an amazing holiday destination for families of any size and age. Many hotels even offer special packages with events to entertain the little ones while you can enjoy yourself somewhere light and warm.

Kids here can also enjoy surfing, hiking, museum seeing, biking, sailing, animal visiting, elephant safari-ing, water slide riding or just hanging on the beach building castles. In Bali, you can also visit some traditional festivals and celebrations which all welcome kids too. So, Bali really has it all to make a perfect time with your family!

Japan – for unusual and exotic culture

As foreign visitors to Japan know, sometimes the locals will keep their distance. But not so when you are traveling with babies or children! In fact, everywhere you are going to visit you will always hear a silly Japanese word “kawaii” which literally means “cute!” And that always means friendly locals and a great place to be, am I right?

Traveling with children can also open some doors for you. It can be easier to negotiate the price in markets or even to hunt geishas in Kyoto to take some pictures with you. Every Japanese person will love to come by and check out your cute baby for sure. And that will actually erase the borders and let you experience a bit of the real Japan easier.

Netherlands – for active fun

And finally, Netherland should get an honorable fifth place in this list too, since this amazing country is super family and kids’ friendly. Filled with kid-friendly food such as French fries and pancakes, tons of kids’ parks and museums specially made for children to be able to touch and fell it is a real dream come true! You can really say, that both the capital Amsterdam and the whole country is just one giant playground for your little ones.

If that is not enough for you, then I can also add the fact, that here renting a bike and biking throughout the city and the whole country if you wish, is a piece of cake. Netherlands government really worked hard to develop one of the best bicycles infrastructures in the world, and it would be a sin not to try that out with kids too! 

Top hotel chains for family travelers

We get asked for hotel recommendations all the time. And we have plenty to give: after all, we spend over 100 nights per year in hotel rooms, suites, vacation rentals, and condos. While specific hotel picks in family travel destinations are important, it can be equally useful to know which are the top hotel chains for family travelers…no matter where you’re going.

top-hotel-chains

We have our favorites, which we’ve broken down into a variety of family travel categories, with the overall winners below:

Best boutique/lifestyle hotel chain:

kimpton-hotel-lobby

We love frequenting boutique hotels with kids, especially during city travel when location and character are most important to us. The best boutique and lifestyle hotels offer something beyond the cookie cutter amenities of more mainstream chains, with X-factors like rooftop decks, s’mores on the courtyard, wine hours, and funky furniture. They can turn a standard stay into a memorable one! The only downside: sometimes, boutique hotels will lack amenities such as free parking or complimentary breakfast, so budget accordingly.

Winner: Kimpton hotels

Kimpton wins at making families feel welcome with special touches in many of their city hotels such as goldfish ‘pets’ and hot cocoa bars for the kids. Our favorite Kimpton stay included a family game night hour and resident dog in the lobby. Read a review of a favorite Kimpton property.

Runner up: Lark hotels

Many boutique hotels are located in urban areas and–let’s face it–cater mostly to business and adult travelers. Lark is different in that their properties tend to be situated in popular vacation destinations, such as Nantucket or Newport.

Best ‘bang for your buck’ hotel chain:

where-to-stay-in-dc

Let us elaborate: when we say ‘bang for your buck’, we’re talking about value, not cheap prices. Our picks in this category include hotel chains that focus on giving the most for the price, including extras that will save families money as they vacation.

Winner: Grand Hyatt (club level)

For years, I assumed that upgrading to club level at a Grand Hyatt hotel would be a frivolous expense. Not necessarily. Upgrading is typically only $75 more per night, and gives families access to a club level lounge serving food and drinks all day long. With some planning, families of 4-5 people can save far more than the price of the upgrade by eating in the lounge most meals. Plus, it’s far more convenient and comfortable than finding dining options out every day during a city trip. Read a review of a Grand Hyatt club level stay.

Runner up: Embassy Suites (Hilton)

Embassy Suites could have also won in our ‘all suites’ category, but we’re placing it here because most properties in this brand offer value on multiple fronts. Not only do families get the space to spread out in suites, but the free breakfasts are the highest quality in the business. Some properties also offer complimentary cocktail hours. Review of our favorite Embassy Suites.

Best luxury hotel chain:

Ritz Carlton laguna niguel

Ready to splurge? Many deserving hotel brands vied for our top spots in this category, and quite frankly, we have our favorites across many brands at specific locations. But this post isn’t about specifics…it’s about winners across the board. Who we picked:

Winner: Ritz Carlton

Time and again, Ritz Carlton delivers on prime location, beauty, service, and amenities. Will a Ritz stay set you back? Absolutely. Expect to pay extra for freebies at budget resorts, such as parking, breakfast, and WiFi. But also expect to be wowed with things like butler services, turn-down, and amazing ambiance. Read about our favorite Ritz Carlton stay.

Runner up: Fairmont

I’ve always loved Fairmont hotels due to their physical beauty, inside and out. At many a Fairmont, families will feel like they’re staying in a castle or mansion. Details abound, such as infused water in the lobby, cookies at bedtime, and planning programming just for kids. Read about our most magical Fairmont stay.

Best budget hotel chain:

IHG villas

When we say ‘budget’, we don’t mean cheapest. ‘Cheapest’ is a very simple thing to find–a quick scroll through Expedia will find your winner. ‘Budget’ to us means cheapest with amenities we need. What amenities are these? How about free parking, free WiFi, and free breakfast. What might but might not be included: customer service worth mentioning, location, pools, or rooms beyond the uninspired standard.

Winner: Holiday Inn Express (IHG)

It’s nothing flashy, but consistently, we’ve had good stays at Holiday Inn Express hotels. When you just need a place to lay your heads, and want competent service, clean rooms, and a free breakfast that doesn’t suck (or only sucks a little), this is your pick.

Runner up: Best Western Plus

For us, Best Western Plus would have made the top spot, but many properties have room rates a bit too steep for us to consider ‘budget’. However, like Holiday Inn Express, Best Western Plus properties can be counted on to be quality stays, and often have extra amenities like nice pools or on-site dining.

Best suites-only hotel chain:

marriott-vacation-club

Yes, you can find a suite in any price range, but for families, finding a economic hotel that still provides ample space is like hitting the jackpot.

Winner: Marriott Vacation Club

We’ve yet to meet a MVC property we don’t like. Like Grand Hyatt or Embassy Suites, this chain is all about value over budget price. Families get condo-like suite living with full kitchens (a big savings when vacationing and eating out), plus tons of family-friendly programming options in vacation destinations. MVC properties shine on the amenities front too: they have some of the best pools, beaches, and playgrounds we’ve seen, and most include free parking. Read about just one of our top Marriott Vacation Club stays.

Runner up: Holiday Inn Club Vacations

Always in a vacation destination that appeals to families, Holiday Inn Club Vacation properties are similar to MVC, with a (usually) lower price tag. While they don’t have quite the polish of the latter chain, they do offer up value for families in condo-style vacation villas, amenities like nice pools and dining options, and sometimes, shuttles to popular sights.

Best moderate luxury:

omni-hammocks

What sort of category is this? The one for those of us who enjoy luxury, but can’t always swing a Ritz stay. If that’s you, read on.

Winner: Preferred hotels

Definitely check the PreferredFamily.com website before looking for a Preferred hotel in your vacation destination, because most of these hotels have independent names. However, across the brand, they shine as moderate luxury options that include family amenities that may be missing from top luxury brands, such as child proofing in rooms, family-friendly dining, and toddler pools. Read some of our tips on the PreferredFamily blog list.

Runner up: Omni hotels

Often located in cities popular for family travel, Omni hotels give parents luxury while offering kids fun amenities, like backpacks and kid packets upon check-in. You’ll still pay for extras like parking and breakfast at most Omni hotels, but their prime locations and spacious rooms may make up for this. Read a review of our favorite Omni.

Tip: learn how to use IHG points toward your next hotel stay, no matter the category.

What is your favorite hotel brand for family travel?

PCT section hiking with teens

We’ve been wanting to backpack on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) long before it was cool. This summer, my 16-year-old and I finally set out, tackling almost 70 miles of the PCT in Central Oregon. We built up to this trip with years of family backpacking, including several 3-4 night trips, starting when my son was just a toddler. How did we fare? We had one of our best backpacking trips ever!

hiking-PCT

Our PCT section hike spanned over 65 miles from Central Oregon’s Mckenzie Pass by Sisters to Olallie Lake, outside Detroit, Oregon. It took us through the Jefferson National Forest and Jefferson Park, past the three Sisters peaks, Broken Top, Three Fingered Jack, Mount Washington, and Mount Jefferson. Every day brought new scenery, from forests depleted by fire to mountain meadows still filled with wildflowers, to rushing creek crossings, to mountain ridge lines, saddles, and peaks.

Jefferson-peak

My son and I felt a keen sense of accomplishment as we navigated landmarks along the trail with our PCT data book and topographical maps, found our own water resupplies, made and broke down camp every night and morning, carried everything we needed on our backs, and relied entirely upon each other for basic survival. This trip was a chance for my son to shine as a young man, for me to let go a bit as a mom, and for both of us to bond. We met amazing people on the PCT, both fellow section hikers like us and thru-hikers going to Canada. The community spirit was uplifting, the scenery breathtaking, and the uninterrupted time in the wilderness invigorating.

A day in the life of a PCT section hiking with teens:

PCT-hike

Each section hike will look different, depending on where you start and end, of course, but a typical day on the PCT for us looked something like this:

7 am: Wake up. Stumble out of sleeping bags on stiff legs, retrieve the food bag (hung in the night to discourage critters from nibbling), and start boiling water for coffee and oatmeal (assuming we had enough water to spare for a hot meal).

8 am: Change into hiking clothes (our only hiking clothes), doctor any blisters on our feet, and tear down camp. This involves washing any dishes (we quickly learned to have as few as possible), putting away our stove and cooking pot, stuffing our sleeping bags and pads, taking down our little tent, and filling our water bottles for the day.

8:30 am: Hit the trail. Depending on the day, we hiked between 10-15 miles. Some days, we took a break mid-morning at a water source to cook a meal if we hadn’t had enough water to do so earlier, other days we hiked straight until lunch. When is lunch? When we were hungry. Regular rules about meals and routine don’t matter on the PCT: our bodies very quickly adjusted to a natural rhythm of eating when we were hungry and sleeping when we were tired.

Mid-day stop at a vista, lake, stream, or otherwise interesting landmark: Some days, we’d go for a swim in a lake if one crossed our path, other days we washed our clothes in a creek or sat on the saddle of a ridge, taking in the view.

Late-day stop: We’d always stop at least once or twice per day to filter more drinking water as the opportunity arose. We had to keep a steady eye on our drinking supply and the water sources listed in our data book. Every day, we ran into others on the trail, and we always stopped to talk a bit. We met wonderful people, all on the PCT for essentially the same reasons as us: to commune with nature, to challenge themselves, and to live deliberately and peacefully.

lake-on-PCT

5-6 pm: Arrive at the night’s camp. Where was camp? Wherever we could find one. We always had an ‘ending mile’ planned (aka, mile 14 of the day, for instance) that was near some landmark desirable for camping, such as a lake or stream. However, campsites didn’t always appear on cue. We sometimes stopped shy of our goal, but more often hiked further, in order to come to a good campsite.

7 pm: Set up camp, make dinner (usually mashed potatoes or noodles, as we always craved carbs), and filter water, unless at a dry camp. If we had wet clothes we’d washed in a lake or stream, we hung them to dry.

8 pm: Do any dishes (remembering to follow Leave No Trace practices), string up the food bag, make sure all our supplies are tucked away in our bags, get in our sleeping bags. Once in our sleeping bags, we’d study our topographical map to get a preview of the next day’s hike, then read our books until we fell asleep (usually as the sun went down around 9 pm).

campsite-on-PCT

How to plan:

Readers of Pit Stops for Kids may remember we started planning our PCT section hike months ago, using information gleaned from PCTA.org. Click on our post, ‘How to plan a multi-night PCT hike with kids’ for details on how we chose when and where to hike.

Since that post, our section hike plan changed a few times. We lost some participants, making the trip a mother-son endeavor, and gained support via car in the form of a trailhead drop-off on Day 1, a check-in and resupply late Day 2, and a pick-up on Day 6.

Once we knew where we wanted our hike to start and end, and how many days we had to accomplish our goal, it was a simple task to break down the trip in miles per day. We then cross-referenced this information with the possible ‘drops’ along the trail (places we could be met by others who could give us aid), and determined to have just one drop during our 6 days out. To do all this, we used the Pacific Crest Trail Data Book and the topographical map dedicated to Central Oregon’s section of the PCT (available at outdoor stores or online).

three-fingered-jack

The data book will tell you where along the trail water will be available (in the form of a creek, stream, pond, or lake), but does not tell you where to find campsites (though some GPS programs do). In many sections of the PCT, hikers are permitted to camp anywhere they find an established campsite. You can tell an established site because the ground will be packed down and there may be a small spur trail leading to it from the PCT. Often, other hikers will mark good campsites with cairns (piles or rock), handmade signs using sticks for arrows on the dirt, or trail marking tape.

How to pack:

When we backpack for a weekend or up to three days, we like a few luxuries in our packs, such as hammocks, camp chairs, and java presses. I know, I know. But when we section hiked the PCT, we went bare bones, in order to be as lightweight as possible. Here was what was in our packs (and nothing else), for a total of about 25 pounds per pack:

Clothing:

  • 1 set of hiking clothing (quick dry pants, t-shirt)
  • 3 pairs wool hiking socks
  • 2 pairs underwear
  • 1 set of base layers (long underwear, preferably wool)
  • 1 down or down-alternative jacket (lightweight, easily stuff-able)
  • 1 rain jacket
  • 1 pair of lightweight sandals
  • 1 pair hiking boots
  • sunglasses
  • sun hat
  • thin gloves

Equipment (divided between two people):

Food (again, divided between us):

We have a tendency to over-pack food, and we managed to do this again, even though we meticulously planned our meals. We have much smaller appetites than we anticbackpacking-foodipated, given how much we worked on the trail. We could barely manage to eat about 300 calories each during the evening meal, and we calculated double this amount. Whoops.

Breakfasts:

  • instant oatmeal packets (mix the hot water right into the paper sleeves if they’re the lined kind)
  • instant coffee (for us, only Starbucks VIA will do)
  • handful of dried fruit

Lunches:

  • protein bar of your choice
  • dried fruit
  • veggie chips or pita chips
  • tube of peanut butter to spread on chips
  • envelope of tuna
  • beef jerky
  • snickers bar or M&Ms to snack on

Dinners (one of the following):

  • instant mashed potatoes (we like Idahoan)
  • Top Ramen
  • dehydrated backpacking meal
  • mac and cheese
  • instant soup
  • envelope of smoked salmon or jerky to add to the carb-heavy meals

We essentially rotated these basic foods over and over. And yes, we got tired of them.

Tips we learned on the trail:

Look for trail signs: while many places along the PCT are not officially marked with mileage and other helpful tidbits, other hikers have often left signs to follow. Look for cairns that will direct you to the correct trail, or hand-scratched ‘pct’ letters in logs or even rocks. During one lucky moment, someone just ahead of us on the trail had made an arrow of sticks to indicate a hidden spur trail to an excellent camping site. When we met her later, we thanked her! Another time, we were almost out of water when we ran across a stick with these words in Magic Marker: “Washington Pond: 1/4 mile, muddy but if desperate?!” We were!

sign-on-PCT

Stop to talk with other hikers. They’re awesome, down to a person.

Let your kids have responsibilities. During our hike, my son was pretty much an equal with me, making important decisions and partnering in all the tasks and work. We both loved this. He’s preparing for bigger and longer hikes in his future, and I will know he’s prepared.

Stop to rest when it feels right. A few times on the trail, we pushed ourselves for no reason other than to ‘make good time’. When the only task of the day is to hike to the day’s destination, don’t be afraid to spend the whole day doing it.

Eat when you’re hungry. Once, we stopped at a creek mid-hike and decided to get out the stove and make a big bowl of chowder at 3 pm. It was supposed to be our dinner, but we wanted it then. We didn’t regret it.

Don’t duplicate equipment. It seems silly now, but we brought two stoves (very small and lightweight) and two pots (not so lightweight). We thought we might want to convenience of boiling two pots of water simultaneously (to have coffee and oatmeal at the same time, for example). We ended up preferring to have patience rather than carry the extra weight.

Issues to be prepared for:

When hiking most of the day, every day (regardless of mileage), certain physical issues may occur. It’s not fun to talk about, but…

rain-PCTChaffing: Skin rubbing against skin for hours at a time can cause major discomfort in sensitive areas. The solution: antibiotic ointment or Vasoline applied before hiking. It can also help to change underwear.

Diarrhea: Lots of water, plus lots of physical exertion, plus exposure to the elements and different food than usual can wreak havoc on the digestive system. Give it a day or two before worrying, making sure you continue to hydrate. Of course, make sure to filter or boil all water.

Bad moments: There will be low moments. Maybe the incline in the trail will seem endless, or a wind and hailstorm will beat down. Maybe you’ll be thirsty or hungry or your feet will be in agony. It’s good for kids (and adults) to remember that pain, discouragement, and suffering can be temporary, and that they can get through these times. Truly.

Blisters: AKA, the bane of my existence on the trail. I always get blisters, no matter what preventative measures I take. Bring lots of moleskin and athletic tape, use skin-tac to make your skin around the blister tacky before applying moleskin or bandages, and make sure your shoes fit properly. If you have tips for avoiding or fixing blisters on the trail, please let me know.

Dehydration: Ask your hiking partner when he or she peed last. Trust me, it’s an acceptable question on the trail.

Was it all worth it? Absolutely. Would we do it again? We definitely will, in-between more 2-3 day backpacking trips with all the kids.

How to use IHG Rewards Club points this summer

This post brought to you by IHG Rewards Club. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Pit Stops for Kids.

IHG-points

Summer is the busiest travel season of the year for families. But if you travel year-round, as we do, it’s also the season to build up hotel reward points!

Think you don’t travel ‘year-round’? Do you travel with your children for sports tournaments or dance competitions? Do you visit grandparents or other family members for the holidays? Do you take spring break getaways or weekend escapes? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, you are indeed year-round travelers. And year-round travelers need to take advantage of hotel reward point programs like shareforever.ihg.comIHG Rewards Club.

the-springs-two-room-suite

How IHG Rewards Club works:

First, you need to sign up. It’s free and easy. After signing up, you’ll earn reward points for every stay. Why should you focus on earning reward points this summer? Because of IHG’s Share Forever Rewards program:

  • Earn 500 Points for your next IHG hotel stay from May 1, 2015 – September 2, 2015
  • Earn another 500 points for that same hotel stay to share with another member! (Or keep the points for yourself!)
  • Earn from 68,500 to 115,500 “Share Forever” bonus points plus a maximum 58,500 bonus points to share, or keep.

After a summer of building up points before the September deadline, you’ll have a nice stockpile to use for fall and winter travel plans.

How to redeem IHG points:

Sometimes, the hardest part of using any rewards club is redeeming your points. When looking for a hotel through the IHG website, login with your IHG Rewards information before shopping for a reservation. When you search for a specific city and dates, the available hotels will now list both the cash room rate and the number of points as two options for booking.

hotel pool fun

Here’s how IHG Rewards Club has worked for us:

Often during our travels, our hotel stay is a major part of our vacation. We choose our resort with care, and it’s important to us that it reflect the atmosphere and culture of our destination, whether that be a beach stay or a ski vacation. These stays cost us more than if we’d simply chosen the cheapest hotel available, but we earn points during the trip.

Later, we use these points to take care of the many ‘pit stop’ hotel stays we need during travel the rest of the year. For instance, when our son’s soccer team traveled for a major soccer tournament, hotel rooms in Las Vegas went through the roof (due to demand). Instead of paying a high price for the room we needed, we used IHG points. The stay felt free to us, even though we’d earned it through our hotel stays earlier in the year.

Because IHG hotels include properties in the Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, Candlewood Suites, and Staybridge Suites hotel families, along with higher tier brands such as Intercontinental and Crowne Plaza, we’ve never had trouble finding a hotel that took our points, no matter where we’ve traveled.

What to do with leftover points:

Here’s my #1 pet peeve about hotel loyalty points: I always have an odd amount leftover after redeeming for a stay. For instance, just last week, I used 20,000 for an overnight at a Holiday Inn Express, leaving me with 5,000 points in my account. In most cases, this is not enough for a stay. Next time I want to use my points, I won’t be able to…right? Not with IHG. Leftover points can easily be applied to a stay you’re paying for in a number of ways, including upgrades to better views and promoted room packages. Or, if you have just a few points, you can hang onto them and buy a few more during your next purchased reservation. For instance, when I booked the Holiday Inn Express, I noticed that for just $40 more on the room rate, I could have gotten 5,000 extra IHG points for my stay.

Ready to try? Register Now.

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Leave No Trace principles every family needs to know

With Earth Day coming up later this month, April is the perfect time to talk about caring for our public lands. My kids have heard the Leave No Trace mantra since early childhood, but it’s always good to brush up on best practices for preserving the wilderness we love.

leave-no-trace

 

This season, Leave No Trace launches a multi-year, Leave No Trace in Every Park campaign. Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers will be visiting ‘hot spots’ across the country (severely impacted areas), giving them attention and helping educate the public. I was lucky enough to sit down with one of them to ask top questions most families have about leaving a lesser impact on the wilderness.

Q: I am aware of the seven principles of Leave No Trace. Is there a ‘crowning’ principle in particular families would bear in mind while in the outdoors?

We encourage people to think of the cumulative impact as a crowning idea for the principles. Over one billion people visit federal and state lands each year. If one person leaves an impact such as litter, feeds wildlife, takes an item out the environment, or walks on a non-durable surface it will not impact the outdoor area significantly, but the cumulative effect of these impacts happening repeatedly over time would have a dramatic impact.

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Q: How does trail cutting or ‘bush-whacking’ hurt the wilderness environment?

We encourage people to walk in the middle of the trails even when they are muddy. If you walk around the mud you will erode the sides of the trail making it wider and you could crush vegetation on the edge of trails.

As trails widen vegetation diminishes and eventually land management agencies will have to fix the trail. Along the same lines, we encourage people to not cut switchbacks since it can result in the hillsides between the trail to erode.

If a group of people wants to hike off trail we encourage them to disperse, rather than hike in a single file. By dispersing people won’t step on the same spot, which can cause a new undesignated trail to form.

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Q: Could you describe best practices for finding a suitable campsite in backcountry situations when established sites are rare?

If established sites are rare and the land management agency does not have designated spots that are provided for campers to use we recommend the following considerations. Camp 200 feet (the equivalent to 70 adult paces and 100 kid paces) away from water, trails, and other campsites. Find the most durable surface available such as rock, sand, snow, or dry grass to camp on. If you find a site that is showing some signs of impact, such as significant soil compaction, stay there, but if it is only showing small signs of impact leave it alone for the area to recover. Move on to another more durable site that is showing no signs of impact. Bonus: dish washing tips and car camping tips!

Q: What’s the best way to completely put a fire to ash and ensure it’s safely out before leaving?

Fires are a great part of camping; they give us light, warmth, and s’mores! Making sure that we are responsible with our fires ensures safety for you, other visitors, and wildlife.

Before having a fire, ensure that they are allowed in the area you are camping in.

Ensuring that your campfire is out completely before you leave or go to bed is a very important part of camping. First, choose firewood that is no larger than your wrist as it will burn to ash more easily than larger wood. Check local firewood regulations as some areas do not allow wood not from the area to be brought in as it may harbor invasive insects.

backpacking foods for kids

Be sure to burn all wood to ash. Then, you want to guarantee your campfire is out cold. First, use plenty of water and sprinkle it over the ashes: to help the process use a stick to stir the ashes while pouring the water. If the fire area is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave or go to bed. Bonus: how to build a mound fire.

Q: Tips for carrying out all trash? For instance, our family always unwraps food items as much as possible before departure, so there’s less trash to carry out later. 

We encourage people to take a trash bag along with all of their other essential items for any outing. Repackaging food before heading to the trail helps decrease the amount of trash you will have to pack out. We also encourage people to even pack out all food scraps. Human food is unhealthy for wildlife; they become dependent on humans for food and become attracted and conditioned to human food and trash. Which is unhealthy for both the wildlife and humans. Fruit peels can take up to 2 years to biodegrade and most are not native to the areas they are left.

We like to say, if you weren’t there would it be there?

Q: Young kids naturally enjoy making forts, rock dams, or other ‘structures’ at backcountry campsites…how can they channel this desire to create and explore in line with Leave No Trace practices?

We get this question all the time. It is important to educate children on the importance of Leave No Trace while still inspiring creativity and fostering a sense of adventure to connect kids to the outdoors. We still encourage children to play in nature and still follow Leave No Trace. Kids can still build forts or structures at campsites and then before leaving they can simply dismantle the structures.

If kids want to collect items, first make sure to check the rules and regulations of the area to make sure it is ok to collect something.

We encourage only taking one item instead of several, this generally also makes that one item more important to the child as they often attach a special memory to one item they have really given some thought to during an adventure.

Q: A nitty-gritty bathroom-related question: Leave No Trace has always stated that human waste and soap or shampoo should be 100 feet from water sources. What about rafting companies’ ‘dilution is the solution to pollution’ method? 

Usually in the backcountry, we want to be 100 feet away from any water sources, trails, and campsites when doing dishes or bathing.

However, western river corridors sometimes have different recommendations for human waste and gray water. In river corridors, the river is usually the most durable surface. The rivers in deep canyons present difficulties for the normal recommendations because you usually cannot get 100 feet for gray water or 200 feet for human waste disposal away from the water.

Leave No Trace recommends packing out all solid human waste with a reusable, washable toilet system. Always follow local regulations as some areas allow the use of bag-type systems to pack out human waste. Often, urine and strained gray water are required to be deposited directly into the river.

The old saying goes, “dilution is the solution to pollution.”

 

Thank you, LNT, for helping educate Pit Stops for Kids families!

Facing serious concerns when traveling with kids: how to get past the ‘fear factor’

 

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Any parent traveling with kids off the beaten path has fielded questions from nay-sayers:

“Are you sure it’s safe to travel to Mexico?”

“You’re taking your kids how far along what trail?”

“How long will you be gone?”

“Solo, you say?”

As a parent who makes her living encouraging people to travel with their kids, I bristle at these fear-based inquiries. They are not grounded in research, but are rather knee-jerk, emotional responses to individualized worries. The good news: traveling parents need not listen to them.

However, we all know that as beautiful as the world is, terrible things do happen. They happen at home, they happen at school and work, and yes, they happen to families when they’re on vacation. Even though I believe strongly in the power and wisdom and sheer, live-altering joy of travel, my heart and stomach lurch just as quickly as any other mother’s when I read or see reports of tragedy while traveling.

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There are risks we all assume when we step outside our front door, whether to go to the grocery store or another continent. Airplanes do crash. Cars do, too. Terrorists attack. Civil unrest, political strife, and diseases are sadly, alive and well on our planet, and awful things do happen. Which risks to assume and which to avoid can only be made on a personal level.

It can be hard to make these decisions with healthy perspective when tragedy strikes close to home. I can clearly remember learning of the death of a child on an amusement park ride days before visiting the same park with my own family, and of an accident on a cruise ship just before embarking. Most recently, I was made aware of this news story, in which 15-year-old Tyler Madoff was accidentally killed at sea during a Bold Earth trip.

A Pit Stops for Kids reader brought it to my attention, with the question, ‘why didn’t this story get more attention? What can we do to travel safely with our kids?’

My own 15-year-old son had just returned from a very smilier trip, an adventure service trip to Costa Rica, and the terrifying thought, familiar to all parents, passed through my mind: it could have been him. It sent a shudder right through me, and for weeks, I struggled with how to address this question and the larger issue of keeping our kids safe while traveling.

How do you accept tragedy, and keep exploring?

First, my heart and thoughts go out to Tyler Madoff’s parents, and all others who have experienced such a tragedy. And then, I do my best to separate logical safety concerns from generalized fear. Some accidents are just that…freak occurrences no one could avoid…abroad or at home. Was this the case in Tyler Madoff’s situation? I can’t be sure without knowing more details…more safety considerations may have been prudent, but the travel operation in question does have a good reputation. Things simply do happen which are out of our control. But what about the rest of the time? What about all the travel decisions we make or place in others’ hands which could factor into the overall safety of our trip?

costa-rica

My reader offered some guidelines, parent-to-parent, that she hoped would help. I saw wisdom in them, and would like to list them here, expanding where I feel I can offer insight.  There are simple measures parents can take to make sure children are in the safest care.

1. Research destinations before you book a trip. There are no shortage of travel websites and handbooks. A few useful sites are TripAdvisor and Fodors, Camp Ratingz and Choice Camps. Checking out the travel company’s Facebook profile (and any related groups) is always helpful as well.

Certainly, it’s worth taking the time to check up on a tour operation or destination via social media. Poll your own friends or followers, or send a general inquiry into the Twittersphere. While reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor should not always be taken at face value, reading through at least a dozen reviews should give parents a general sense of guest satisfaction. Of course, the absolute best recommendations come from people you know. In the case of international travel, always—always—be up-to-date on the political temperature of a foreign country. Check travel advisories via your home government pages. If in doubt whether a fear is legitimate or not, talk to people who have traveled to your destination within the last few months, not people who have ‘heard’ something is unsafe via a friend of a friend or Fox news (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

Hiking Mt. Roberts

2. Ask the right questions. Before booking a travel tour, ask what isn’t included in the cost, and why. Is there travel insurance, or should you purchase that on your own? What kind of risk management policies are in place? What are the training qualifications of the tour guides?

It’s surprising to me how often this last question is not asked by parents, especially when leaving children in the care of others.

I am a generally trusting person, but trusting a care giver or tour operation based on trust of a brand is simply not enough. Yes, reputable destinations and resorts will absolutely strive to have the highest standards and using a brand you already trust is a great start, but ultimately, the responsibility is the parents’ to check credentials and qualifications.

3. Make sure your kids are prepared! If your child knows what to do in case of emergency, you’ll feel a lot more confident. CPR training, swim lessons, or simply informing them where to go or to whom they should speak if they feel like they’re in danger can go a long way when they’re on their own, as this Daily Beast article displays.

I love this tip. While parents need to be empowered, kids do too. Because we spend a lot of time in the outdoors, and I have outdoor safety training, my kids are very up-to-date on wilderness safety. They know what to do if lost, when encountering wildlife, and if they need basic first aid. We’ve started to ski more aggressively in the backcountry, which means I’ve been researching avalanche safety courses we can take together. We will not be exploring in snow country until this is done.

When it comes to international travel, my kids know how to contact us and family at home in other countries, and we always go over safety rules and back-up plans before entering crowded areas.

Basically, all the suggestions above follow one key guideline. Use common sense. Take reasonable precautions. Keep valuables in a safe place, have copies of important documents at all times, and use reliable, reputable transportation and services while traveling. Follow signage and heed posted warnings, and don’t take unnecessary risks.

Will you be embarking on an excursion to a particular tidal pool, bay, trail, or landmark? Do your own research about this place, instead of relying 100% on guides.

I’m not suggesting going it alone…we believe strongly in hiring local experts…but don’t follow blindly.

Your safety, and the safety of your children, is ultimately your responsibility, in so far as this is possible to control. The example that comes to mind is the dangerous yet exhilarating Angel’s Landing knife-edge trail in Zion National Park. People die there annually, mostly due to not listening to their own internal guidelines, knowing their own abilities, and trusting blindly that if there’s a trail maintained by a government agency, it’s for them. Not always. Again, even in our lawsuit happy world, I believe parents are ultimately responsible for their own wellbeing and their children’s wellbeing.

As for the risks you cannot control, you’re every bit at the whim of fate while in your own home as while traveling. Explore this beautiful world, share its people and sights with your children, and enjoy life!

Many thanks to reader Sue J. for taking the time to email her concerns to Pit Stops for Kids. Photo credit: Amy Whitley, Flickr/xlibber, and Brisbane City Council.

Five budget travel hacks you thought you’d outgrown

You traveled extensively as a young adult, but now you’ve settled down with a job and kids. Think your budget travel days are behind you? Think again! The following budget travel hacks can still be implemented with kids in tow. All that’s needed is a little flexibility, nostalgia, and sense of adventure!

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1. Take the bus or train:

Train travel is admittedly less convenient in the US than many points abroad, but great deals and experiences can still be had. Get out of the ‘road trip by car’ mindset and save on gas money on your next trip by booking Amtrak or VIA Rail (in Canada). Reserving sleeper compartments is a blast, but often more expensive than flying to your destination. Instead, use the Amtrak Fare Finder to locate Saver and Value coach seat fares for day time rail journeys. Stay the night in cities in-between for a road trip on rails. On VIA Rail, rail passes can be bought for youth, perfect for regular routes (such as to Grandma’s house). Plus, the scenery on VIA Rail cannot be beat. Grab a seat in an observation car and soak in the views for a fraction of the price of airfare. Read an entire post on affordable rail travel.

riding-amtrak

2. Stay in a KOA:

Have you visited a KOA Campground recently? They’re no longer you mom’s budget campground. KOAs are designated as Journey, Resort, or Holiday campgrounds now, making it easier to discern before booking what might be in store. What’s a Journey campground? It’s a pit stop…a place to stay near major roads and interstates while you’re traveling. Given the choice between a basic roadside motel room or a campground with a cabin and plenty of outdoor space, we choose the latter every time. Want to ‘glamp’ instead of camp? Try a KOA Destination or Holiday property. They’ll be located near major attractions and have plenty of on-site activities. We think there’s a time and place for both types of KOA resorts, and you’ll save money every time.

KOA Kabin

3. Eat at farmer’s markets:

Remember your bohemian days, when you ate and drank your way around new cities, soaking up the culture and learning about its people and history through tactile experiences and carefree exploration? You can still do this with kids…er, sort of. While the ‘carefree’ aspect of your trip may be lost to nap time schedules and early bedtimes, families can still find the heart of any city’s personality in farmer’s markets and street fairs. Instead of stopping at a fast food restaurant en route, seek out the area’s farm-to-fork offerings. On weekends in cities and agricultural areas, this will likely be in the form of a farmer’s market. On weekdays, look for food trucks or natural grocery stores. Buy the makings of a picnic, and eat at a public park, historical site, or designated nature area. The food is likely to be fresher, healthier, and cheaper, and everyone will burn off energy.

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4. Stay cheap on a farm or ranch:

Farm stays are the very definition of family travel chic…they’re adventurous, ultra-local, and an absolute blast for kids. The nightly rate at most farm stays may not be cheaper than your standard B&B or hotel, but all those extras you usually have to buy when traveling with kids will disappear, like entertainment and food. Kids are content to roam the farm, help with chores, and play in a hayloft instead of requiring expensive admission tickets to museums and attractions. Farms and ranches offering stays range considerably, so do your research before pulling in. While some farms offer complete cabins or condos for families, others provide single guest rooms. The best will cater to families with included interaction with any animals on premises.

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5. Backpack:

Have you been reminiscing about that summer you backpacked around Europe? Kids can certainly accompany you, though in some cases, hostels that charge a price per ‘head’ won’t be as economical as they were when you were single. Instead, look for European campgrounds located just outside major cities (some of the best we’ve seen are located in Croatia and Slovenia). If you’re craving a wilderness adventure, don’t shy away from backpacking in national parks or national forest service land with kids. Families who are prepared for a backpacking trip, and remain flexible en route, can have a very rewarding and low cost adventure the kids will remember for years. Learn how to plan a multi-day backpacking trip.

Mist Trail Yosemite National Park

What are your best budget travel hacks? What ways does your family save money while traveling?

Tips on living abroad: A Better Life for Half the Price

If you’re a serious lover of travel, it’s crossed your mind at least once, and you probably flirt with the idea regularly: what if we were to move outside the country, and explore a different culture indefinitely? 

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As a travel writer who could work from anywhere, I’ve considered the idea more than most parents I know. Most recently, I toyed with dipping my toes in the expat waters when I crunched the numbers on a whirlwind European trip and found it would actually be cheaper to stay longer in a less-traveled country and base ourselves in one location with a long-term home rental. Intriguing…

I personally know several expats with families, including my Practical Travel Gear editor Tim Leffel (also of Perceptive Travel and Cheapest Destinations blog). His latest book, A Better Life for Half the Price, came out in late 2014, and is well worth the read for anyone who loves the travel lifestyle. Outside-the-box thinkers be advised: you’ll want to start packing your bags.

a-better-life-for-half-the-priceA Better Life for Half the Price takes a very approachable and no-nonsense tack; even if you’re not in the serious planning stage of moving abroad, it’s an engaging read that makes you think differently about how to travel on a budget. Leffel writes conversationally, and gets to the heart of an expat’s motivation: the desire to do more, see more, and live more with less. Yes, the book covers the practical stuff, like moving your pets and getting a visa, but does so in a way that makes you feel like you’re sitting down to coffee with a friend to hear his experience and get a little advice, not like you’re reading a how-to book.

The book is structured with the nuts and bolts up front: how to reduce your bills abroad, what you can expect to be cheaper (and what won’t be), and how to make a living. The secondary chapters get into the heart of the planning stage, with 18 separate chapters on specific countries. This is where the no-nonsense part comes in, as Leffel is upfront about the pros and cons of each region. There’s no ‘best place’ to live, but rather a clear best place for each individual or family. Readers are likely to find theirs in this section.

So after reading the book (and talking with other expat friends such as Andrea Fellman of Wanderlust Living), will I be moving my family? Not yet. For the time being, my husband’s job (and the necessity of keeping it) keeps us grounded in the US, but I will never say never. And in the meantime, my mind has been opened to what possibilities exist, even–or especially–for families like ours, on a budget.

Photo credit: Flickr/sweetviscape

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of A Better Life for Half the Price for the purpose of review.