Growing up in a world of adventure.
What’s one of the best, most useful travel tips out there and one you hear most often? For me it’s one simple piece of advice that seems to come up over and over again.
Following this tip almost always yields good results, and hey, if not, at least you struck up a conversation with someone new. You never know where that connection might lead you.
How did you go about choosing names for your children? Or if you don’t have kids, do you know how your name was chosen? Was there a process involved? Maybe you just knew all along…or possibly the name was already picked out for you because of family history or obligations. Whatever the case may be, I think the ways people decide on names is fascinating. .
Amazing, really. I mean, the possibilities are endless, and for me at least, the pressure to choose “correctly” can be overwhelming.
Names got tossed around all throughout both of our pregnancies. One of us would might make a suggestion, and if it was acceptable to both of us, we might write it down on our list. Then, after months of brainstorming, the narrowing down, nitty-gritty decision making happened in the same way: On vacation.
With a serious pineapple loving little boy on our hands, it would have been cruel of us not to visit the Dole Plantation during our recent visit to Oahu. Bergen (3-years old) cannot get enough of the stuff. In fact the other day when I ordered a pineapple-flavored soda at the Mexican restaurant we were dining at, he cried when the drink arrived as (we soon found out) he was expecting a plate of actual pineapple!
We planned for a morning visit, and thanks the resident alarm clocks surrounding our vacation rental, it wasn’t at all difficult to get ourselves there right as they opened their doors to at least try to avoid some of the inevitable crowds. The plantation is located in the town of Wahiawa, which in Oahu’s central valley, about a 40 minute drive from Honolulu, but only 10 minutes or so from our base in Haleiwa on the North Shore.
Truly trying to make the experience all about Bergen, we wasted no time dawdling around, and purchased our tickets for the pineapple train right away. Pineapples and trains: What more could a little boy ask for?
Once Bergen (3-years old) started asking us this each time we journeyed “away from home” after just a day or so on Oahu, we knew we’d found the right spot for our recent Hawaiian travels. Even though we took him on some pretty awesome adventures, from beaches to pineapple trains to historic landmarks and delicious meals, by the end of the afternoon or evening, he was always ready to return to our rental house.
Similar to our Kauai vacation rental set-up, we chose a home that was walking distance to the beach, but also close to town. At the same time, we also wanted the surrounding area to be quiet enough to be able to relax and recharge. Finally, let’s not forget that we’re flying all the way to Hawaii and staying for a week. The price has to be reasonable. Were we happy with our choice of rental? Absolutely.
Doesn’t feel so seasonal to be writing about sun protection as fall (in the northern hemisphere) has started, the clouds are beginning to roll in, and the daylight hours are getting shorter and shorter. Especially here in the Pacific Northwest, I have to admit, I start to get a little less anxious (okay, A LOT less anxious) about the possibility of the sun burning my family in the fall and winter months.
Still…
I apply a sunscreen each morning via my daily moisturizer. No matter the season or weather forecast. Admittedly, my skin is the fairest of fair, freckled, and just asking to be burned. I get sunburned just thinking about the sun. Not really, but I have been burned indoors. You just never know. It’s important to take a few sun safety steps no matter the season.
The other reason to be thinking about sun safety and protection this time of year? Travel.
With our careful planning and attention to detail, we never seem to think we might have a flight cancelled on us, or that we might actually miss a flight. However, the truth is, it’s inevitable and we can’t predict and control all of our circumstances.
On our most recent travel day back home from Oahu (after an amazing week spent mostly on the North Shore), we left ourselves plenty of time to get to the airport, return our rental car, check-in for our flight, and get on our way to Seattle. [Read more…]
We traveled back to Kauai this past fall for our biannual trip to the Hawaiian Islands! Yes, for the past 10 years we’ve made it our family tradition to travel to the Aloha State every 2 years. Here’s a quick recap:
There are places we travel to when after a few days or a week, we are ready to return home. Even if we’ve enjoyed ourselves, we’ve just simply had enough. On the other hand, there are places we travel to when after a week, we never want to leave!
On the last day we are plotting our next trip back. In fact, even in one case, we aren’t getting bent out of shape, when we miss our flight, and have to stay (and book a last minute hotel room) one more night!
That’s Hawaii for our family. It doesn’t really matter which island, though some of us have our favorites. Our state of mind relaxes once we are settled on the island. We get into an island routine where we actually want to wake up early, creativity flows, and we all just feel more content.
Lucky for us, our next Hawaiian adventure is quickly approaching. We’ll be heading back to Kauai in November. Our family tradition is to travel to one of the islands every other year in the fall.
When we returned from our week stay on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, aside from falling in love with this beautiful island, we learned one valuable lesson for beach travel. That lesson? Don’t over pack!
St. John, along with the rest of the Caribbean is laid back. And especially since we were staying at house with a washer and dryer, there was no need to pack outfits for everyday. When you have amazing (and world renowned) beaches to visit every day, the basics are all that’s necessary.
After traveling to Maui as a family of 4, we shared our beach vacation packing list for families. That packing list will get you started, but the Caribbean as we learned is a whole different animal. That being said, we wanted to highlight some essentials. We found the items on the following list to be extremely helpful in keeping us comfortable and protected from the elements (mostly sun, bugs, & humidity) while on the island.
Even more than coating ourselves with bug spray, on our recent trip to St. John, it was so important for us to slather on sunscreen from sun up to sun down. The Caribbean sun is powerful, and our pale Seattle skin was definitely not used to the constant sunshine. While on the island, we had the chance to try out the Babytime! Sunny Sunscreen. We were provided with a sample bottle in exchange for our honest thoughts and review.
Aloha from Maui! We are so thankful to be be back in Hawaii. Maui happens to be the first Hawaiian Island that I have visited–in 2008, Slaed and I got engaged here! We started our journey of becoming a family on the shores of West Maui, so it only seems fitting to bring our kids to share our love of this island with them.
Yes, the vacation style is a bit different, but we’ve already had a lot of fun reminiscing and pointing out special spots to Bergen and Georgia. In a small way, Bergen actually understands what we’re talking about, so that’s been neat to see.
Since we’re here, and beach vacations are so popular with families, I thought I’d share our packing list. On the list you’ll find all (most?) of the items we bring to prepare us for a beach vacation with babies and young children. We don’t bring the entire kitchen sink, but I must admit that we bring a lot! Some items, of course would depend on the type of lodging you choose, and whether or not your property owners have some of the things you need on hand, and weather is always a factor to consider…and consider again!
Just before the Diamond Celebration (60th Anniversary) hullabaloo at Disneyland got started, Slaed and Bergen (3.5 years old) squeaked in a visit to the park for the little guy’s first Disney experience. While I was somewhat bummed that I wouldn’t be present for Bergen’s introduction to the happiest place on earth, there’s definitely something to be said about a solo-parent and child trip. Bergen got the one-on-one attention that he craves, and the whole weekend was able to be focused around him and his preferences and needs making it all a huge success.
Parents have to do what’s best for their particular family, but we believe that 3 years is the best age for a first time visit. The child is old enough to understand and navigate on their own, there are plenty of rides for them to go on, and the experience for them is positively magical and awe inspiring. Slaed reported that our normally rambunctious little boy spent the majority of his time sitting, wide eyed with his mouth open captivated by the all of the action happening around him.
After months of preparation and research, combined with his own knowledge from numerous visits to the park prior, Slaed put together an amazing itinerary. Their experience, one day in Disneyland and one day in California adventure was nothing but positive. I picked his brain, and we’ve put together 9 tips to help parents plan and prepare for a trip that is just as successful.
Soon after Slaed decided to take Bergen to Disneyland, he purchased the Tear-Free in Disneyland book. He read it cover to cover, studying up almost every night during the months prior to their trip. The book is filled with practical tips and ideas for making the whole Disney experience positive and stress free. He learned a ton, and gained the confidence and bravery needed to tackle it all on his own. Many (but not all!) of the the tips that follow come from or are adapted from the book.
Make sure to purchase tickets directly through Disneyland. Doing so ahead of time will give you peace of mind, and save you from waiting in one more line! In our opinion, there is no need for park hopper passes when you are visiting Disney with little kids. Focus on one park per day. Slaed and Bergen spent one day in Disneyland, and one day in California Adventure.
You may know all about Disneyland, but mostly likely, and certainly in Bergen’s case, your kids have little to no idea what the park is really all about. Even if they visited as a baby or toddler, they are unlikely to remember much. Just like we build background knowledge before visiting a new destination, we worked to make sure he had an understanding of what the experience would be like. Our suggestions:
Plan ahead so you can shop sales and consignment stores for shirts, hats, and maybe even underwear for your big trip. Buying at the park (and in Downtown Disney) is very expensive and wastes precious park time. Slaed also bought a few small gifts (Tow Mater & Lightning McQueen hot wheel type cars & a small doddle board) to give Bergen once they arrived. This prevented Bergen from asking to buy things in the gift shops, and also gave him something to do while waiting in line.
Know the following about all the rides and attractions:
If you are interested in dining at any of the popular restaurants throughout the park, we highly recommend that you secure reservations ahead of time. Disney allows you to do this up to 60 days in advance. You can find a list of the restaurants here, but Slaed suggests the Blue Bayou, and recommends lunch over dinner to save money. Not only is the food tasty, but the atmosphere prepared Bergen for the Pirates of the Caribbean—a ride that was definitely a stretch for him as far as fear factor.
Contrary to popular belief, the stroller will actually just slow you down rather than making travel throughout the park quicker. Disneyland is crowded. You’ll constantly be running into people, will always have to worry about parking the stroller, and your child won’t really engage in the full experience. Go on walks frequently (everyday!) prior to your visit to Disneyland to build stamina. Overall, you and your child will do a lot of walking at Disneyland, but it’s never that much all at once since you just pop from ride to ride, attraction to attraction, etc.
Know whether or not your child is afraid of people in costumes, mascots, and dressed up characters. We were lucky enough to get to test this out during our trip to Oahu when we attended Aulani’s character breakfast, and we also attend plenty of sporting events to get an idea of how Bergen reacts to the mascots like the Seattle Mariner Moose. When he met Mickey for the first time, he was surprised at how big he was compared to the Mickey that he is used to watching on TV! If your child is too afraid, you can just avoid that whole aspect of the park experience. My friend Keryn from WalkingonTravels.com has an excellent post about tackling your child’s mascot/character fears.
This post contains affiliate links to our Wild Tales of…Travel and Adventure store on Amazon. If you purchase through link, we receive a very small percentage to help maintain and update the blog. Thanks for taking a look!
Come join the conversation! We’d love to have you join us on all of our adventures by “liking” our facebook page and following us on twitter! You can also keep up to date with each and every post by subscribing to the blog via email.
1. Klean Kanteen Water Bottle.
Bergen uses this water bottle all year long (he’s had it since he was about 1.5 years), but we find it especially essential during the hot summer months. Klean Kanteen bottles (I have one too) are easy to clean, BPA-free, and extremely durable.
Both Slaed and Bergen “live” in their Keen Sandals in the summer. Open enough to keep feet cool, but structured (and closed-toed) enough to hike, walk, ride bikes, wade, stroll the beach…you get the idea!
Super stylish, durable, and 100% UVA & UVB production for sensitive little eyes. Plus, if they are lost or broken within a year of purchase, Babiator will replace the glasses for free!
We tested out this sunscreen during our trip to Oahu last fall, and found it to be a reliable sunscreen–no burns, no sensitivities, just happy skin! The bottle is still going strong this summer, and I’ve found that I love it even more. Since its chemical free, its safe for the whole family–even little Georgia, and we’ve found that a little goes a long way. We’re actually using less of the Block Island Sunscreen to cover our skin compared to some of the more mainstream brands.
With Bergen attending forest school this summer (and for the upcoming school year) and for as much time as we spend outdoors in general, not to mention the unusually hot summer we’ve had this year, I love that we found this moisture wicking tee while shopping the North Face sales recently. It even has a pocket on the back of the neck that you can pack the entire t-shirt into! We think it’ll be his go-to summer shirt.
6. REI Sunhat
We are fair people, and need as much sun protection as we can get, so I love how much coverage this hat provides for Bergen’s face and neck. There’s a bungee on the back for adjustments, it’s made of moisture-wicking material, it’s lightweight, & dries quickly.
This post contains affiliate links to our Wild Tales of…Travel and Adventure store on Amazon. If you purchase through link, we receive a very small percentage to help maintain and update the blog. Thanks for taking a look!
Come join the conversation! We’d love to have you join us on all of our adventures by “liking” our facebook page and following us on twitter! You can also keep up to date with each and every post by subscribing to the blog via email.
Happy 2015! We hope your new year is off to a great start. Here in Seattle we enjoyed a quiet celebration with all four of us sleeping soundly when the clock officially struck midnight. Not to worry though: Two of us were up soon after though as someone was in search of another meal.
With a fresh start and a brand-new addition to the family, I’ve found myself reflecting often on the past year because let’s face it: Things will never be the same! Growing from 3 family members to 4 is a big change and babies create a whole new dynamic of family life. Routines, sleep habits, and the way we go about doing life are all shifting, so I’ve actually found it fascinating to look back at 2014’s adventures.
In order to get a complete look at our year, I decided to take it month by month. Some months were busier than others making it hard to choose just one highlight, so here you’ll find our most memorable and significant explorations.
In search of quick cold weather getaway, we traveled just an hour and a half or so to the small central Washington town of Cle Elum. Instead of mounds of snow, we found sheets of ice creating difficult hiking conditions, but we enjoyed the escape and chance to unplug (no phone service or internet access!) nonetheless.
Baby #2 is coming! Believe it or not (that’s me talking to myself) in just a few short weeks, we will be welcoming our second little adventurer into the world. He or she has already been coming along on quite a few journeys, and has probably logged more miles than Bergen (now 3 years old) when I was pregnant with him. We believe in the importance of traveling as a family, and more than ever we felt it was essential to build that bond as a family of 3 before adding another member.
I flew several times during the pregnancy, but it was on our last trip, a week in Oahu at about 28 weeks, that I really took notice and reflected on some best practices for air travel while pregnant. Considering that I’ve had more discomfort during this pregnancy, I was somewhat anxious for how this last set of flights would go. Not worried enough, of course to be alarmed or call anything off, but cautious.
In the end, I didn’t have much to worry about as the flights to and from Oahu went smoothly. With a few implementations and considerations, I was comfortable, and the experience wasn’t too far from flying without a mini “passenger”:
Historical sites with Kids. Important, right? How about young children though? Should visiting still be a priority?
In planning our recent trip to Oahu, a visit to Pearl Harbor was a must. With so much to see in the world, we’re not always sure about return trips to far away places. I didn’t want to miss my opportunity to take in such a significant piece of American history just because my child may be on the younger side of benefiting from and understanding the experience.
The more we talk and prepare our 3-year old for outings, trips, and activities, the more successful these experiences tend to be for our family. Yes, talking about what’s coming up can mean we are fielded with tons of questions, and the possibility of a little excitement and anticipation. However, at least at this point it doesn’t seem to be getting in the way or hindering any of the potential fun.
I’ve written about preparing kids and building their background knowledge for specific locales with children’s books, and also think picture books come in handy for general topics–like airplanes! Over the past few months, especially to get ready for our big flight to Oahu, I’ve compiled a handful of great stories and informational books to help guide little airplane passengers. The goal is to set-up expectations for behavior as well as get to know the ins and outs of airplanes and airports: All in hopes that a smooth, (mostly) tear free, flight happens for all passengers involved!
Hiking the Kalaulau Trail on Kauai’s Na Pali Coast
Maui
The Big Island
Kauai
Oahu
