10 Holiday Gift Ideas for Travel Families

10 Holiday Gift Ideas for Travel Families

Almost everyone has someone in their family who loves to travel -- or wishes they traveled more. So, for this holiday season, we've got some ideas for you. Most of our gift ideas would be great for families but they could definitely work for anyone you know who likes to travel. We've tried to include a few ideas that are simple and easy and then a few ideas that might require a little bit more thought. We'd love to hear what your favorite travel-themed gifts have been over the years.

1. Try the World subscription box. One of our favorite gifts last year was a Try the World subscription box. This subscription box gives you the opportunity to discover the world through food. Every month you receive a themed box with a selection of curated foods. You also get tips on how to recreate a cultural experience at home. So far our girls have loved trying the variety of foods from Argentina, Brazil, Japan, France, and Italy. There are a variety of gift options you can pick from.

2. Scratch off World Map. This is on our personal "want" list because it is a fun and interactive way for our family to see which countries we have visited while also learning more about geography and the world. We love to pull out maps and discuss where we are traveling next, so this way we could also scratch off countries as we visit them.

3. Travel Books or Magazine subscriptions. We can't even begin to tell you all of our favorite travel books. We do post about some of them on our Instagram account every once in a while. Some of our favorite travel series are the Lonely Planet books for kids. You could also gift a subscription to National Geographic Kids or Time for Kids. Another idea might be to buy children's books about countries or cities that you know a family is traveling to. For example, for our younger kids we've loved the "Madeline" book series and the M. Sasek "This Is" book series.

4. Travel accessories. Almost everyone can use new travel accessories and they are especially great stocking stuffers. Think headphones, eye masks, toiletry kits, passport holders, luggage scales, stroller/car seat bags, luggage tags, etc. You really can't go wrong with any kind of big or little travel accessory because these kinds of things usually get worn out over time. Some bigger travel accessories for families might include travel booster seats, travel highchairs, strollers, a portable crib, baby carriers, etc.

5. Packing Cubes. If you follow us on Instagram you know that our packing cubes have been life changing. It is so much easier to pack and unpack when you use packing cubes. We used packing cubes on our Europe trip this summer as we hopped around to four different cities in three weeks and they made me actually enjoy (gasp!) packing. We especially love our TravelWise packing cubes and if you are new to packing cubes we'd recommend checking out the 5 piece weekender set that they sell on Amazon (it is usually a pretty good deal).

6. The Gift of an Experience or a Class. For the family that has everything, or for families who don't want to accumulate too much stuff, you can give the gift of experience. A few years ago my brother and his wife signed me and my husband up for a chocolate tasting class at Tony Caputo's in Salt Lake City. Caputo's offers the largest selection of premium chocolate in the United States. We learned about chocolates from around the world and got to taste them. It was an awesome experience. Some other ideas might be: a museum pass, zoo pass, subway or train tickets, tickets to a local show or event, airplane mileage, etc.

7. Travel games for the whole family. This is one of the simplest gifts you can give any travel family -- games! You can find travel size games at any big box store or online. Some of our favorites are UNO, Monopoly, Connect Four, Battleship, checkers, and just regular old playing cards. We even have a jumbo checkerboard that folds up easily that we like to travel with.

8. Boogie Boards. Last Christmas our kids received LCD writing tablets from their grandparents. My kids use these tablets on the airplane, road trips, at church, and in restaurants -- basically everywhere. These tablets let them use their imagination to write and draw and they are small and portable. If you do buy these for a friend, pick up an extra pen or two because they sometimes get lost...

9. Chatbooks subscription. Most people who travel also like to keep track of the memories they are making. We post a lot of pictures to Facebook and Instagram of our adventures. But, we also like to keep a photo album of our travels. Since we don't have the patience or time to create and design our on photo books, we've relied heavily on Chatbooks. Chatbooks is a subscription service that helps you create photo books automatically from your Instagram feed and you can also upload additional images from Facebook or your camera. For $8 per book, we think it is an amazing deal. So far we are on volume 56 of our Chatbooks. Our kids like to regularly pull out our stack of books and glance through them to re-live our trips and memories.

10. Ring Doorbell. For any tech-obsessed travel families, you should check out the Ring doorbell. This doorbell basically lets you answer your door from anywhere using your Smart Phone. It has wide angled HD video, smart motion detection, and cloud recording. They say, "it’s like you’re home even when you’re not". So if you travel a lot, you might want to add this to your Christmas wish list asap.

Did we miss anything you have on your Christmas wish list? Have you given any amazing gifts in the past to travel families? We'd love to hear your ideas. 

Travel to Cuba (Legally) as a U.S. Citizen

Travel to Cuba (Legally) as a U.S. Citizen

Since September, Americans have been able to fly direct to some cities in Cuba from Florida but just this week several airlines launched direct flights from locations throughout the U.S. to the city of Havana for the first time in 55 years. By the end of the year there should be flights from Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, New York, and four from Florida — Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa. Of the 20 daily nonstop flights allowed to Havana, 14 will be from Florida, home to the U.S.'s largest population of Cuban Americans. We had the opportunity to travel to Cuba in November and we have gotten a lot of questions about how we did it because there are still certain restrictions on travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens. So, I thought I'd put together some details here and then I'll add some additional posts later about where we stayed and what we did.

Understanding the U.S. Travel Restrictions
This next part is going to sound confusing -- but I promise I will help you understand it. In order to travel to Cuba as an American citizen you must fit into one of the 12 categories of legal travel. These categories include: educational activities and people-to-people travel, professional research or meetings, public performances/clinics/exhibitions, religious activities, humanitarian projects, journalistic activities, family visits, activities by private foundations/organizations, support for the Cuban people, exportation/importation of technologies, certain export transactions for private use, and official U.S. or foreign business. I don't know about you, but when I read this long vague list I was a bit overwhelmed and still didn't see how I could legally travel to Cuba.

From everything we read and researched we found out that the best way to travel to Cuba legally (if you are an individual that wants to see the country and learn about the people and not just sit on a beach or snorkel) is to choose the category "educational activities and people-to-people travel". If you want to just go to Cuba to sit on a beach you can't (legally) -- and, honestly, there are a lot of other countries where you can do that. The reason you should want to go to Cuba now is to experience the rich culture that has been basically hidden from Americans for the past 50+ years and interact with the people. In 2014 Obama made it legal for Americans to plan their own "people-to-people" trips to Cuba. Before that you had to go to Cuba with an organized group if you want to go.

The other requirement within the "educational activities and people-to-people" travel category is that you have a full-time travel itinerary planned. But, this doesn't mean you need to join an organized tour or plan every little thing out ahead of time. We prepared a list ahead of time of the things we wanted to do in the country in case we were asked any questions as we were leaving the country (we weren't) and I kept a list on my phone of everything we did every day in Cuba in case we were asked to show proof of our full-time itinerary on the way back into the U.S. (we weren't). We did hear from some people that U.S. Immigration/Customs agents sometimes randomly select people to interview but we didn't notice that happening on our flight. All in all, in terms of immigration/customs we didn't really notice anything different traveling between the U.S. and Cuba than we did when we traveled between the U.S. and France (aside from the much shorter Cuba flight!)

Booking Airplane Travel and Visas
As of this week it looks like JetBlue, American, United, and Delta all have flights to Cuba from the U.S. When you book your airline tickets online the airline will ask you which legal travel category you fit within. You choose which one of the above categories works for you. Also, if you book an Airbnb apartment they will make you check a box as you book a rental that affirms you are traveling within one of the legal categories. When you arrive at the airport the airline will have you fill out paperwork to get a Cuban travel visa. You will also note your category on this paperwork and sign it. The visa we got from JetBlue cost $50 per person. Some websites say you will need medical insurance but we were never asked for any. We did have to fill out paperwork as we entered the country about our health status, but that was it.

Cuban Requirements
When you enter Cuba you will fill out immigration/customs paperwork. We had to write really fast because our flight was so short (the pilot said we'd be up in the air for about 20 minutes). When we landed we went through the usual border patrol that you have when you enter any country. We handed them our passports and they asked us questions. The main questions the Cuban authorities asked us as we entered the country had to do with where we were staying and for how long, who we were traveling with, and what we were doing in the country. I printed out our hostal addresses so it was easier to just show them where we were staying. Each interview was fairly short -- although I was still a little nervous at first because it is a Communist country. After the brief interview we went through metal detectors and then you could collect your baggage (we only brought carry-ons). We also turned in our health questionnaire as we left the airport. Aside from all that, entering Cuba was easy, and the really exciting part was exploring the country.

Money and Internet/Phones
Just in the last few months the U.S. phone companies and credit card companies have been formalizing relationships in Cuba. Some phone carriers have roaming plans now for Cuba. We have AT&T and T-mobile and our phones worked but the pricing was still very high. We did not use the roaming and relied heavily on WiFi. Right now WiFi is still hard to find in Cuba, a lot of parks have it but not very many other places. We laughed every time we found a huge group of Cubans and tourists standing together using their phones in a plaza or park because it was a sign WiFi was near. Usage and access to internet is controlled by the government. So government run hotels also had WiFi. In order to use the WiFi throughout the country you had to buy a ETECSA WiFi card (it took us a while to find some because a lot of places run out of them). We bought 1 hour WiFi cards throughout our trip.

None of our credit cards or debit cards worked in Cuba so we had to plan ahead and bring cash. We just brought American cash and then changed it periodically for the Cuban convertible peso (CUC). 

Why Travel to Cuba Now?
To visit Cuba is to step back in time. It doesn't have a lot of commercialization yet, unlike other Caribbean countries, and it has a vibrant culture, beautiful art scene, amazing architecture, and it seems a little bit mysterious. A lot of people we talked to want to travel to Cuba now before Starbucks and McDonald's are on every corner and some of the authentic charm is gone. Some people we visited with think Cuba will stay the same for another 50 years. I think the unknown is making Cuba a hot spot to travel to right now. So, if you've been nervous about going or confused about how to make it work, feel free to contact us with any questions via our Contact Us page. We hope our tips above help and make it seem a little bit easier to understand. You can do it. Anyone can go. Now is the time to plan and make it happen if you want to see the real Cuba. 

Gratitude When Traveling

Gratitude When Traveling

It's not a secret that travel can be stressful, especially when children are involved.  But if you add in children, security checkpoints, long airplane flights, and a ton of holiday travelers it can make for pure craziness. There are long lines at security, people are in a hurry, and there are just more people traveling -- often people who don't travel very much. I usually find myself extra frustrated when I'm traveling during this season, but one way that I've found to combat my attitude is to focus on gratitude.

I'll admit, gratitude isn't always easy when you are traveling. For example, I'm not usually grateful when TSA makes me unwrap my Christmas presents or wants to do an extra search of my backpack or sippy cups. And I'm not always nice. But, last year we did an experiment with our kids that involved kindness and gratitude while traveling that really worked and improved our perspective too.

On one of our travel days last year we decided that we were going to help make people's day better. As we arrived at the airport we started with smiling at everyone and thanking the baggage handlers and Delta counter workers as they took care of our suitcases and printed our tickets. Next, we made sure to be gracious and thankful towards our friends at TSA. While we wandered the airport waiting to board, we looked for opportunities to open doors for people and to make friendly comments.

As we boarded the plane to get ready for our journey we went out of our way to be kind towards the flight attendants and to let them know how grateful we are for what they do. We also looked around for other families on the plane and gave them encouragement and looks of sympathy when they had children cry or act out. We had decided that on our travel day we were going to be the passengers that made everyone's day better, not worse. And, not surprisingly, in return we had a better overall travel experience.

When you spend your time focused on the negative things around you it can be hard to see anything positive. But, when you look for things to be grateful for AND you take the time to let people know that you are grateful for them it can be life changing -- for everyone.

So, as you travel this holiday season, I hope you'll look for ways to show gratitude. There are opportunities all around us.

Five Tips for Enjoying Travel with Kids

Five Tips for Enjoying Travel with Kids

Does anyone really enjoy traveling with their kids? I think you know our answer. YES! Or why would we keep doing it? (You can learn more about our family's love of travel here and here). We've pulled together five quick tips for how to enjoy travel with your kids more: 

1. Do your homework. Research and plan. If you aren't prepared, it is chaos and it's not fun. We recently spent a weekend in Dallas at the Texas State Fair. The fair was amazing but also very crowded and busy. Luckily, we had spent some time ahead of our visit to decide our highest priority activities and map them out so we avoided a lot of craziness.

2. Incorporate things you want to do and what your kids want to do so everyone has fun. This summer when we were in Paris I had a list of museums and sights I wanted to visit as a family. But, not everything we had planned seemed exciting to our kids. To compromise, most days we spent a few hours at a park or doing a kid-friendly activity and then we spent a few hours shopping or visiting a museum that I wanted to go to. It didn't always work out perfectly, but we managed to have a lot more fun than we would've if we had just dragged our kids around.

July 2016 in Paris, France

July 2016 in Paris, France

3. Try something hard or new so you can bond even more as a family. One of our all time favorite activities this summer in Haarlem was renting a bakfiets (Dutch cargo bike) to ride around town. I tried to drive my girls on the bike, but I ended up tipping it over. Luckily, my husband came to the rescue and drove the girls around while I followed on anotherbike. We were able to experience life like a traditional Dutch family and we all had a wonderful time.

July 2016 in Haarlem, Netherlands

July 2016 in Haarlem, Netherlands

4. Stop for treats. A lot. This is pretty self-explanatory. We always stop for treats. In Europe we probably had 2-3 treats per day because it was so hot and the kids had to walk so much. There is something about a treat that improves everyone's mood.

July 2016 in Copenhagen

July 2016 in Copenhagen

5. Appreciate the little things. A lot can go wrong, but you can focus on the good. Every once in a while on a plane all of my kids are happy and entertained for 5-10 minutes and it is pure bliss. When that happens I try to soak it all in and remember that feeling of peace amidst the chaos. When we choose to focus on the positive instead of the negative it can change our whole day.

And, when all else fails, anticipate the memories. It's not always easy to travel with kids, but it doesn't have to impossible or scary. And, a lot depends on your attitude.

Jet Lag + Kids

Jet Lag + Kids

Jet lag + kids is not fun. It can take days or weeks to adjust to different time zones and each child adjusts differently. But, if you are prepared it can definitely be easier. This past summer we were in three different time zones in one week and it got a little bit crazy. But, here are a few things to think about if you are worried about jet lag.

1. Take an overnight flight and then immerse yourself in your new schedule right away. Set a routine, follow local mealtimes, and try to stay awake. If your kids need a nap, let them, but keep it short. We dragged our kids ALL over Amsterdam after we arrived. It was the middle of the night and it was hard to keep them going. But, our efforts definitely paid off later.

2. Hydrate. Lots of water. On the plane and in your new destination. This one is pretty self-explanatory. And, our kids were begging for water. So I think they felt the dehydration.

Wandering Amsterdam and trying to stay awake.

Wandering Amsterdam and trying to stay awake.

3. Get outside. Get sunlight. Get to a park. Move around. If you stop, you will want to sleep. We stopped and sat on a bench in the park and I literally thought I was gonna fall asleep right there. I really wanted to just go to sleep for days. But, it did help to stay outside and force ourselves to wander around.

4. Take it slow. Build in time to recover from travel and adjust to your new time zone. Don't expect to hit the ground running like you do when you travel without kids. We gave ourselves three days to adjust to our new time zone. We took it easy and didn't really plan a lot. We mostly just explored our new city and played at the park.

5. Plan for early mornings/late nights and nighttime disruptions. Have some quiet activities your kids can do if they wake up and some light snacks to eat. We made sure the kids had a few books nearby to look at when they woke up and we grabbed a quick non-sugar snack (my favorite thing was cheese or bread). Everything we read said that kids often wake up because they are hungry. We didn't interact with them much though and we mostly just encouraged them to get back to sleep. After a few nights they were on a pretty normal schedule.

Even when I'm prepared for jet lag, it still makes me a little anxious, especially because I know I'll be tired too. But, I try to remember I WILL sleep again, and so will my kids. We also tried to take advantage of our slightly disturbed schedule and stayed out later and explored Amsterdam after dark. We wandered the city, got treats, and stayed out past 10pm. So, even though our bodies were confused about the time we didn't let it stop us from enjoying our visit.

I'd love to hear your jet lag tips and good/bad experiences.