KinderJet.com - Family Travel Blogs

Our passports expired a couple of weeks after we returned from our trip to Florida in February. We knew it was coming up, and even considered getting new ones before the trip, but for various reasons, decided to wait until we got back. Of course, things got busy and we left it for a while. No big deal. We just returned from a  trip, we won't need passports anytime soon. Then, it was a few weeks after they expired, and my husband and I started to get nervous. A little jittery. Just a bit...panicked. OUR PASSORTS HAVE EXPIRED!!! What if we decide to go somewhere and we can't get new ones in time??? What if a great travel opportunity comes up, or a business trip is required??? Oh my goodness, we NEED to get to the passport office right away!

Hey, KinderJet-setters. We all love to travel with our families and discover more about our big, beautiful planet. Let's do our part to keep it beautiful. See how many things you can unplug and turn off in your house tonight, and think about how many of them you could unplug and turn off every night. See if it saves you money on your power bill, and put that extra into your vacation fund. 

When our youngest son was a year old, he didn't like sleeping anywhere but in his own crib. Did we stay home for a year? No. But we did have a few trips remembered for their sleepless nights and family nap times. There was Sleepless in the North, Sleepless in Banff, Sleepless at The Lake, followed by Camping Sans Baby (AKA: Baby's Weekend with Grandma), and then, eventually, he outgrew it and became okay with sleeping in the pack n play...or where ever.

When you live somewhere in the world that actually has Winter weather, you may plan a mid-season vacation to somewhere sunny and warm. We live in such a place, and have frequently chosen Florida and Southern California as our Winter getaway destinations. Many fellow traveling families head even further South to Mexico, or the Carribean. A staycation for us this time of year is a ski weekend in the mountains.

I read alot of family travel blogs, and come across even more while doing research for this blog. The ones I enjoy the most are the true stories of people actually traveling with their kids, and the challenges and rewards that go with those adventures. What drives me a bit crazy (I am constantly planning new trips with my kids, so we already know I am a bit crazy!) is when travel writers review destinations, accomodations and activities that sound absolutely fabulous for traveling with kids, except for the fact that they are mostly inaccessible to normal families. 

The reality is that many of us who love traveling with our children cannot afford to stay in super-expensive theme hotels, cannot access behind the scenes tours, and cannot get the extra special treatment given to travel writers who are hosted by tourism promoters. Don't get me wrong, they have earned their special tours and some families are in the position to access those same travel perks. But as a regular family, I wanted to know where to get the best deals on accomodations, how to find the sights-less-seen yet available to all, and when to travel to popular destinations to get the best experience for the whole family. I wanted to find out from real families how to get the most vacation bang for my money and time.

Like many of the Amazing Race destinations, I wondered if Panama would be a great family vacation destination. But as I started to dig, I found that as usual, everywhere has something for families.

And sand...and beach...and more sun. For those of us who have been shoveling and bundling this past couple of weeks, these deals are a dream come true.

San Diego Winter Sale! Save up to 30% on hotels! - Expires 2/29/12

Making plans for holiday family travel? Whether you're looking for a sunshine getaway, or heading for the slopes, there is a deal waiting for you!

Save up to 35% on Veracruz hotels! Dance, Dine, Celebrate in Mexico! - Expires 12/31/11

When I look through what is available for making travel with baby easier, it almost makes me want to have another baby...almost. We traveled with our youngest when he was 4 months, one year, eighteen months and two years. He was a pretty good traveler, and there were lots of things we chose not to bother taking, because they were to cumbersome in the airport, or because we just didn't think it would be worth the effort. But there are a few things on the market now that make me think "Wow! That would have made things a lot easier." Here are my top 5 picks.

Portable Travel Beds - Most places we traveled had pack-n-play type cribs available on request, but I do remember the hassle of having to take our own on a flight, and these smaller versions of baby bed away from home would make life so much easier. And they would be great for camping, too!

Here's a little incentive to start planning that next adventure.

Last Minute Vegas & More Deals! Hotels from $108 - Expires 9/16/2011

Two weeks in Budapest, Hungary. And so many stories to tell. Most of them not even mine. But I am a story teller, so I will tell them anyway. Let's begin with the reason for this particular trip.

I am a little late with today's tips. Why? No special reason. Just starting to enjoy our vacation too much, and forgetting about work. That is the point, after all. ;-)

Here are a few great reasons to start planning your next family vacation.

On vacation, every day is...

At KinderJet, we can't get enough of reading about the travel adventures of families.

I read a great blog post about Vancouver, BC this morning.

Traveling Canucks

I love finding information about my travel destination provided by locals. I want to know where parents who live there take there kids for fun on long weekends or school breaks. I want to do what the locals do.

We picked up a 3 month family pass for $250 which gave us unlimited access to all the mall attractions. It was totally the way to go. Getting tickets for each attraction seperately would have been roughly the same amount of money so it made sense to get the pass. We didn't feel pressure to stay in any one area and when we got tired, we took breaks to eat or relax before going back for more.

The first day we went to the Under The Sea Caverns. Totally cool and one of the best areas of the mall. In addition to seeing sharks, sea turtles & penguins (none of which I had ever seen up close), they had a touch pool filled with sting rays which we got to feel. I can't remember if the Calgary Zoo let you touch them when they had their exhibit, but I never did so this was a great opportunity. My 3 year old wasn't too keen but the five year old and I got to feel their smooth backs as they swam by. It was very cool.

 

Then we headed over to the Sea Lion Rocks show was awesome. We had great seats in the middle near the front (rush seating, although with all the little kids, nobody was pushy). The kids really enjoyed seeing them up close....and they get close! The show was just long enough to entertain without wearing us out.

 

The next day we headed to the indoor water park. I went here when I was in my late teens and remember it being ok....but not great. I had a totally different experience this time!!! There are two different areas for the kids which are awesome, the waves in the main pool were just wild enough (as long as my kids were wearing a life jacket), the hot tubs were lovely and my husband and I both took turns going down the "extreme" slides. Super fun for everyone and a nice break from the -30 temps in Edmonton that day.

 

This video might make you a little dizzy, but if you grab some 3D glasses, it could be kind of cool!

 

We spent about 5 hours there and my youngest had a little rest on the deck chairs in between our activities. Afterward, we went to the Spaghetti factory for some dinner. We were all starving!!! But regardless of what time of day you go, it's busy here. We had to wait 15 minutes for a table at 4:00 in the afternoon. Some glow in the dark mini-golf and we were ready for bed.

 

Galaxyland is the other attraction we went to that weekend and it was so fun we ended up going for a few hours each of the 3 days we were there. (another reason to get the unlimited pass). They had lots of rides for kids of all ags and a huge play area with slides and balls and tunnels, you name it! The big slides were even fun for the adults and thankfully they had stairs so we didn't need to climb up the apparatus to get up to them.

 

The boys also had their first taste of go-carts which, although s...l...o...w.. were a good intro into the activity.

 

It was great time had by all, and hopefully we will get back there before our 3 month pass runs out in June. Next time, a better hotel....maybe a condo so we can do our own cooking? And more time for the waterpark I think. West Ed delivered! A fun weekend getaway.

 

Oh, and shopping?

Well we didn't do any....but I was so tempted. The shoes! Such lovely shoes......maybe next time ;-)

In March 2005, we took our 2 four year old boys to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, along with my brother and his family. A trip to LA with little kids is quite a bit different than the trip we took last week.