THINGS TO TAKE

Google searches for hiking gear are 200% to 300% higher than they were last fall.  It seems like families have decided that the safest way to get out of the house right now is to get outdoors.  Fall and spring are the best seasons for hiking because they’re the most temperate. …

I love the first few days of fall when the sun is bright, the air is crisp and cool and it feels good to slip back into my favorite jeans, a cozy sweater and my favorite pair of boots. Fall boots have a lot of jobs to do. I like …

Updated April 2020 Summer shoes: My daughter puts her favorite pair on in early May and I pry them off her feet in late September, at which point they’re almost falling to pieces. Kids’ summer shoes have to play a lot of roles. Kids want them to be cool and …

Books have both inspired and informed a lot of my travels. And they’ve taken me places I haven’t been and might never go. I’ve gained as much insight into people and cultures from a good novel as I have from any travel guide.  Books are an escape from the here …

Technology can make your life easier when you travel, or it can just be more stuff to carry and keep track of. And the last thing you need when traveling with kids is more stuff to carry and keep track of.   No matter where you are headed, here are tech …

My first attempt to travel with arts & crafts supplies was not what I expected. The first time I handed Tiny Traveler a box of crayons on a plane she was not quite 2. She was mostly entertained by taking them out of their plastic box and putting them back …

I loved it when Tiny Traveler’s favorite toy of the moment was something small that we could take with us wherever we went. Here are 18 toys, plus 4 sand toys that are fun play items in general but particularly ideal for travel. There are items for babies and toddlers …

When I was a kid building sets met Lego or Lincoln Logs, and not much else. So I think it’s awesome that there are so many different kinds of buildings toys out there today, incuding a few that are made specifically for girls (My STEM-loving Tween Traveler gets a lot …

Few things absorb a child’s total attention like a good puzzle. So you’d like to bring them with you in the car or on the plane. But all those pieces—egad! Well, here is a roundup of puzzles that travel well. Some are great for in-transit; others offer some versatility that …

A flight attendant on British Airways once complimented me for playing Go Fish with Tiny Traveler instead of letting her bury her nose in videos while I did the same (which I am guilty of, too, sometimes). I don’t mind playing games when we travel. Long Flights, car trips, layovers …

I try not to be the parent who hands my kid a tablet the second we turn the car ignition on or buckle our airplane seatbelts. Even in a small seat there are more ways to entertain yourself than with videos and computer games. But the older tween traveler gets …

Costa Rica is a popular destination for families because it’s budget-friendly, relatively safe, not a long flight and has lots of light and moderate adventure opportunities to suit kids of every age. For this Costa Rica packing list I’m drawing on my experience traveling to Costa Rica with *Costa Rica …

Updated June 2020 We’ve taken some pretty long road trips as family travelers. Six hours to Montreal, seven to Pittsburgh and more than nine to the Outer Banks, just to name a few. We are those crazy parents who try to avoid handing our child an electronic screen the second …

Men are hard to shop for. If you ask them what they want they often can’t tell you, And they have knack for going shopping for themselves right before Father’s Day or Christmas or their birthday to buy that exact thing you were planning to get (or had already bought). …

I always enjoy going to baby shows and seeing all the new gear for parents, especially the items that supports parents who want to get out, travel and be active with their little ones. Here are some of the best new products to help you with eating, sleeping, diaper-changing and …

Updated December 2020 Staying organized and packing efficiently is one of the biggest challenges to traveling with kids. A good bag—durable, well designed and washable—helps tremendously. No one needs all the suitcases, carry-ons and daypacks we list below, but one of them might be just the thing you need. We …

I have my list of absolute travel essentials (sun screen, passport, etc.). And then I have my list of things I can live without but are awfully handy to have along. These are the things that justify their room in my suitcase or tote bag by making travel a easier, …

Icelanders like to say there’s no such thing as cold weather; you just need warm winter clothes. Winter family travel opens up all kinds of possibilities from visiting popular cities in the quiet off-season to getting outdoors together at snowy resorts. But you do have to dress right so you …

Updated December 2020 Christmas shopping is now in full swing. And while you might have the kids covered, it’s your husband or wife you’re probably still worrying about. No fear! Here are 17 great gift ideas for the men and women in your life who travel for fun or work …

Updated June 2020 Sandals can be my best friend whenI heads out on a family summer vacation. The right sandals are cute and comfortable. They go with jeans, shorts and sundresses, keep your feet happy when you’re sightseeing all day and look stylish enough for that cute café or stylish restaurant. …

Updated May 2020 A beach-house vacation is perennially one of the most popular types of vacations for families. It’s easy to see why: The beach provides free entertainment for the kids. A kitchen gives families the flexibility to cook as much as they want to. If you get a rainy …

One of the first things I did when we started traveling as a family was to buy a very large suitcase. For many of our trips, it’s easier to manage one big suitcase than keep track of several smaller ones, especially in those early days when you have an active …

Update June 2020 Moms pack for the kids, for the plane or car, and ready the house. Somewhere amid all that, we hope to have time to throw a few things into a suitcase for ourselves. Then we cross their fingers that we haven’t forgotten anything important. So it helps …

Updated May 2020 I love the beach. I grew up being carted to one of Long Island’s many long stretches of beach once a week. And try to head there with my own child almost as often. Beach getaways haven’t changed much since I was a kid, especially when it …

I always travel with ziplock plastic bags (often Ziploc but other brands, too). Some leave the house filled with things, but I usually toss 3 or 4 empty ones in my suitcase and carry-on or backpack, too. They’re handy for organizing, separating dirty and wet things from clean and dry …

We recently went out scoping travel products for new moms, and found a half dozen strollers we wish were available in our days of traveling with a very little one.  Our general rule for airport/train/subway strollers is that you should to be able to close them with one hand and a …

Every trip I’ve ever taken has begun with a decision about what I will carry. Will I take a big old suitcase or carry-on? Do I want a stylish purse or a functional shoulder tote. Do I have something that’s both? Will I need an evening bag? Of course my …

Whether it’s summer vacation or the holiday season on the horizon, it’s certain that far-away relatives will start clamoring for you to hop on a plane and fly home for a visit with your little one—again. They seem oblivious to the headaches of holiday travel or can’t believe you would really …

Updated November 2020 I love books. So do my husband and my daughter. We use fiction and non-fiction books to learn about places we visit.  And we rely on stories to learn about places we have not yet gotten to.   A good book can give kids a sense of …

Keeping hungry kids sated gets a little easier as they get bigger—and new products come out all the time to help parents traveling with little ones. Here are some products and ideas that helped me (or would have helped me) a lot when I was traveling with a small one. …