Book Review: The Family Traveler's Handbook

I can't recall the first time I stumbled upon The Mother of All Trips. I do know that Big Arrow (now 4) was just a baby, I was finally starting to feel my feet under me again after becoming a mom, and I was beginning to fantasize about actually traveling with him (beyond the grocery story, mommy and me class, and the library). It was one of the first family travel blogs I ever read, and to this day, it remains my favorite. Mara Gorman's writing challenged me intellectually, her stories made me laugh, and her tips gave me the confidence to feel like I, too, could follow in her family's footsteps and create our own travel memories.

I'm excited to share that Mara has written a book, called The Family Traveler's Handbook. I'm listing a few reasons I love it so much below, but in short, it is now going to become my go-to baby shower gift. And if you're a parent, at any level of travel savvy, you need it too. (You can buy it on Amazon here.)

How to Help Kids Remember Travel

Occasionally I'll read articles by or about naysayers when it comes to family travel. One of their biggest arguments against traveling with young kids is that these children will never remember the experience, thus making it not worth the effort or the cost. I find this logic really faulty for a few reasons:

• Remembering a trip isn't the point. I love traveling with young kids in part because it teaches them flexibility, patience, diversity, proper behavior on airplanes, in restaurants, how to sleep away from home, etc. They may not remember the specifics, but these lessons become ingrained in them at a young age via travel. And hopefully, we'll reap the rewards as they get a bit older. 
• Important time together as a family. When my husband has time off and we decide to stay home, we inevitably get caught up in projects or chores around the house. When we travel, we simply spend time together away from those distractions, enjoying one another and our surroundings.

• YOU will remember it. Someday the Arrows will grow up and leave our nest. I hope that in 20 years I'll be sitting on a beach with my husband, enjoying retirement, and reminiscing about watching our boys splashing in the water as babies.
• My experience shows that young kids often DO remember trips!

With the exception of trips we took before he turned 2, Big Arrow (now 3 1/2) remembers and frequently talks about all of our vacations and many outings we take. Sometimes he'll comment on something that to me was completely insignificant, months and months after we return home, like what color train we took in Boston or that time we let him take his shoes off at a restaurant.

I'm sure he doesn't remember everything, and he may end up recalling very little by the time he's older, but seriously, who cares?

But if you DO care, here are a few ways we keep the memory of vacations and adventures alive in our boys:

1. Read books. This doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money on a book about every destination (although they'd make great gifts or souvenirs). We check out books from the library, or we read general books that have an element related to where we're going or where we've been.

A few recommendations:

• 1001 Things to Spot on Vacation: We've gotten a lot of mileage out of this book because it covers so many different types of trips. Plus, it's a great one for planes or car rides because there is an interaction component to it. It's like the Where's Waldo of travel.
• A series of board books called Good Night Our World. These location-specific books cover everything from Martha's Vineyard to San Francisco.* (Kudos to a loyal ASF reader for starting us on these with the San Francisco book!)
• Jessica at Suitcases and Sippy Cups recommends the Toot and Puddle* stories. I've seen the show a few times and it is really cute.
• Colleen from Travel Mamas suggested the Madeline books, the Curious George books* (I second that!), and also recommends Barefoot Books for a good selection of multicultural books.
• Crystal from Naked Salsa said her 3-year-old daughter loves Biscuit's First Trip.* Big Arrow really enjoys the Biscuit books he has.
• A fellow travel mama and ASF Facebook fan suggests Angela's Airplane.*

2. Play pretend. I'm always catching Big Arrow deep in an imaginary storyline with a plot that I can barely follow. Often his imagination takes him somewhere we've been before or recalls a particular event we went to. When I caught him "playing zoo" with Little Arrow a few weeks ago, I couldn't resist capturing it on video. He got a little silly when he realized I was filming, naturally. But bonus points for the creative use of a baby gate!



If your kids need a little encouragement when it comes to make-believe, you could think about where you've traveled lately. Perhaps a pretend trip to the museum or an imaginary airplane ride!

3. Pictures and video. Maybe it's just my kid, but Big Arrow is obsessed with seeing himself, whether it is in pictures or video. (In fact, he's asked to watch that zoo video about 30 times.) This is a great way to keep those memories fresh. You could even make small photo books for them to flip through after a big trip and display photos in their bedroom.

4. Just talk about it. Sometimes when we have time to kill (often in the car), I'll ask Big Arrow what he remembers about a vacation. Or what his favorite part was. Or what he didn't like. (This is often pretty funny, actually.)


I don't do these things with my kids because I'm desperate for them to remember our travels or because I'm super mom. Like I said, I don't really care. I see enough benefits to traveling when they're young to do it anyway. I just happen to love travel, so reading vacation books instead of another Elmo one or talking about our favorite museums while driving home from preschool is just fun for me (and hopefully them).


This post is a part of Travel Tips Tuesday at Suitcases and Sippy Cups and Walking on Travels.


*Affiliate links.

Visiting Madison, Indiana with Kids

Forgive me. I sat down to edit pictures of our visit to Madison, Indiana to share with you. Then I realized that every photo I took was essentially just a portrait of one of the Arrows.

Good mom, bad travel blogger.

Well, while you stare at my kids (they are pretty adorable), I'll offer up some ways to enjoy one of Indiana's most picturesque towns.

Nestled right into the rolling hills along the Ohio River, it's such a lovely spot that we couldn't resist the temptation to venture into town more than once during our weekend camping trip to nearby Clifty Falls State Park. Earlier in the day when energy was high after a lunch at the Lighthouse, we let Big Arrow stretch his legs along the brick pathway that runs along the river itself.

Sky looks ominous, huh? Ten minutes later, we were safely in our car while it stormed!

There's plenty of space for kids to romp, and plenty of benches for parents to rest. Or giggle at your big brother, in Little Arrow's case.

For kids, a real highlight of the riverfront area is all the cool boats and barges you see making their way down the Ohio. You can get an even better view with the binoculars for a quarter.

Just north of the riverfront area is charming downtown Madison. Later in the day, we headed there for dinner at legendary Hinkle's Sandwich Shop. Hinkle's is famous for their hamburgers (which I wrote about for Visit Indiana), but Big Arrow really enjoyed showing off his strawberry milkshake mustache.

Unlike some historic districts, Madison was very stroller friendly. Little Arrow helped me out by demonstrating.

But truly, even if you don't have kids, Madison is a really special place for a weekend getaway. Lots of beautiful old homes, fun little shops, unique restaurants. Beyond Madison itself, you've got Clifty Falls (one of my favorite state parks) and Hanover College, a really pretty college campus.  But you'll just have to take my word for it on that.

At least I proved that it's a great place to take pictures of your kids.

This post is part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

PS: This was my first trip where I took my camera off its automatic setting. I was pretty pleased with the results. If you're looking for ways to improve the photos you take of your own kids, I highly recommend this book (affiliate link):

5 Toys for Babies AND Preschoolers

We've taken a lot of road trips this summer. Even when you have the luxury of more space than you would if you were flying, you can't exactly pack up the whole toy chest to entertain your kids while you're away.

Now that I'm a mom of two (I'm still getting used to the sound of that, 7 months later!), I'm finding that toys that can serve the dual purpose of entertaining both my kids are the first that get packed when we hit the road. Here are a few of my favorites (affiliate links). And keep reading for a special discount on one of these items!

1. Color-Changing Touch Board from Lakeshore Learning: I was sent this cool touch board (pictured above) from the folks at Lakeshore Learning a couple of months ago and it has quickly risen to the top of my favorite toys list. Big Arrow has long been obsessed with his Magna Doodle and I thought this would be a fun alternative for him. If you're not familiar with these, they're sort of like a mood ring... they change color based on temperature.

Big Arrow draws pictures, makes hand prints, foot prints and more. Little Arrow loves banging on it, chewing on it, and drooling on it. (Water actually makes a cool effect on it, so Big Arrow thinks the drooling is hysterical. Luckily, it's easy to clean.) They like to sit around it together and giggle. I'll admit that I sometimes find myself playing with it, too.

While it's not a small toy and won't slip into a diaper bag, I like to keep it tucked into the back of the passenger seat. That way we always have it on hand as a quick distraction during a long ride in the car.

Want one of these touch boards or something else from Lakeshore Learning? Save $15 off your order of $75 or more by visiting LakeshoreLearning.com/specialoffer. Offer is good for 30 days after visiting the page. (Or save $5 for a $25+ order, or $20 off a $50+ purchase.)


2. Fisher Price Snap-Lock Beads: I never would have guessed this toy could serve a purpose beyond delighting a baby, but my nephew proved me wrong last week. He spent about 30 minutes playing with them, having a puppet show, swinging them around, etc. Big Arrow, always one to admire his older cousin, is now really into them too. Little Arrow has been a fan for a couple of months now.

3. Fisher Price Alphabet Blocks: Blocks are a dime a dozen, right? Not with these! Each letter has a different fun activity lodged inside, making these entertaining for babies and preschoolers. Big Arrow builds elaborate structures with them, while Little Arrow just likes to shake the rattle ones and chew on the rest. Even better for trips is that they come in a convenient carrying case so you can keep them organized among the rest of your toys. If  you don't have room for all 26, just pack a few of your favorite letters (we love the rotating queen inside of "Q" and the rattling strawberry seeds in the "S").

4. Munchkin Bath Letters and Numbers: Our favorite bath toys when traveling. Just throw a few in your toiletry bag and you've got instant bathtime entertainment. It also helps Big Arrow, who can sometimes be a little skeptical of bathing in unfamiliar places, feel right at home. They stick to the surface of the tub so he can move them around (smarty pants is even starting to spell words!) And they are among Little Arrow's favorite things to chew. (You may have noticed that chewing is a common theme among his toys.) You can also throw them in your beach bag for a few playthings in the ocean, lake or by the pool.

5. First Library sets: We always travel with books. Great entertainment for the car ride, and reading a book or two is part of our naptime/bedtime routine. These come in a variety of characters/themes (we have Cars and Sesame Street). They're small and light enough for babies to fumble around with (and chew... sigh). And also short and simple enough to hold Little Arrow's very limited attention span. But Big Arrow still loves to flip through them all. Plus, for travel, I love that they come in a compact little box and don't get mixed up with other things inside big bags. Essentially, it's like traveling with 12 books in the space of 3 or 4.

What toys do you always pack when traveling?

This post is a part of Travel Tips Tuesday at Walkingon Travels and Suitcases and Sippy Cups.

Disclosure: I was provided with a Touch Board from Lakeshore Learning for purposes of a review. All other toys were purchased by our family or given to us as gifts. All links above are Amazon affiliate links.

Support Passports with Purpose

A while back, when I was a full-time working gal at a startup nonprofit, my boss encouraged me to read a book that he loved: Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood.* It is the true story of a former Microsoft executive who left the corporate world behind to change the world, one library and donated book at a time. Inspired by his travels to third world countries and burnt out from the 9 to 5 grind, he started a nonprofit called Room to Read that does just that: builds libraries from the ground up in some of the world's poorest communities. The experience, cooperation, and resulting educational resource changes these villages forever.

So what does this have to do with Arrows Sent Forth? I'm one of the many travel blogs supporting a program called Passports with Purpose, where we encourage donations with the ultimate goal of building two Room to Read libraries in Zambia. I participated in Passports with Purpose in 2010 also, and well over $50,000 was raised to build a village in India.

What's really fun about this fundraiser is that with each $10 donation, you can choose a particular prize to be entered to win. There are more than 88 prizes to choose from, ranging in worth from $100 to $4,200. Here are a few of my favorites:

• A $1,000 voucher to HomeAway: I'm a lover of rental properties when traveling, and I've used HomeAway many times. I also won a trip to Boston through a blogging contest they sponsored. It's a very reputable company with properties in just about every vacation spot you can imagine.
• Buckeye Lodging Package for Two: a 2-night stay at any Ohio State Park Lodge, including breakfast, dinner and gift shop credit. I've stayed at several Indiana State Park Inns and have always enjoyed that experience. I'd love to explore my neighbor to the east just a bit more with this prize.
• 2-Night Stay at the Affinia Hotel Manhattan: I really want to take my kids to New York, it's my favorite American city. But the cost of overnight lodging has kept us from booking a trip. Problem solved if we were to win this!
• 3-Night Stay for a Family of 4 at Beaches in Jamaica: I went to Jamaica on my honeymoon and would love to return with the whole family.

Click here to see the full list of Passports with Purpose prizes.

A much younger Big Arrow plays at our local library.

I'm a lover of libraries. Big Arrow and I visit our local library just about every week. He loves story hour and devours the books we bring home with us. I can't wait to introduce Little Arrow to such an amazing place. I can't imagine a world without libraries and books, but for so many people around the world, something as simple as a shelf of books is an inaccessible luxury. By supporting Passports with Purpose, you can do your part to change that for two communities in Zambia.

You must donate by December 16 in order to be entered into the prize drawings!

 
*Links to my Amazon Affiliate account. A small portion of any sales made through this link will come back to support this blog, but this does not in any way increase the cost of purchase for you.

Swan Boat Rides in Boston

Prior to heading to Boston this summer, I checked out the famous children's book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey* from our library. I was hoping it would be a simple way to introduce the city and some of the sites to The Arrow before arriving. (If you're not familiar with the story, it's about a family of ducks who settle in the Boston Commons.) Alas, while he is a voracious reader, he never really took to the book and hardly glanced at it in the weeks preceding our trip. Not a total loss, though. I loved it and flipped through it several times before I returned it.

That book, in combination with several blog friends' recommendations, put a swan boat ride in the Boston Public Garden at the top of my list of things I wanted to do while visiting the city. So on our first morning there, we made that our first stop.

We arrived right as it opened at 10 a.m. and only had to stand in line briefly. It gave us a chance to watch the first few boats depart.

Insider Tip: If you find yourself waiting in a long line for the boats, I'd tag-team the parenting. Have someone wait in line until you get close to the boat house, while the other runs around in the park with the kids.

The ride itself was a pleasurable 15 minutes or so. Just long enough to hold a toddler's attention without getting too wiggly.

The Gardens itself are a beautiful spot in the city and you get a pretty good glimpse of them throughout the boat ride. Even if you don't have kids, it's a pleasurable experience. At least, that's what I hope these two travel companions would say. (My poor brother and sister-in-law got dragged on all kinds of toddler adventures while we were in Boston.)

After taking a boat ride, you're only steps away from a carousel, playground and the Boston Common Frog Pond. We walked by these fun attractions, but they weren't open for the day yet. If you time your visit right, you could easily fill a morning or afternoon in this part of the city.

If You Visit:
Swan Boats
The Boston Public Garden is bound by Arlington, Boylston, Charles and Beacon Streets. The Green Line Arlington Station is the closest T stop.
$2.75 for adults, $1.50 for children 2-15.
The 2011 season has concluded. The swan boats will begin running again sometime in April of 2012.
Insider Tip: There's not really a good place to park a stroller. We had a cheap one with us, so we felt comfortable just folding it up and parking it near a bench while we rode the boat. If you're traveling with an expensive stroller, consider bringing a lock of some sort to protect it from theft.

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Like what you see? Then "like" Arrows Sent Forth on Facebook! You might also enjoy my Boston Trip Report, chronicling our 5 days in the city.

*Links to my Amazon Affiliate account. A small portion of any sales made through these links will come back to support this blog, but this does not in any way increase the cost of purchase for you.

Book Review: Around Boston with Kids

My husband has often commented that he thinks I enjoy planning our trips more than actually going on them. He's wrong, but he has a point. I think it's fun to dig in to a new location in advance, learn about its attractions and what makes it special. While I certainly don't plan our vacations down to the minute, I like to have a general sense of some things we might do once we get there, what attractions might be good to do in one day together, and some restaurants we might want to check out.

But when it came time to plan our trip to Boston, I was still pretty under the weather until just a few weeks before leaving. That left me with not as much planning time as I'm used to having. While the trusty internet provided some general ideas, I was searching for a more comprehensive source, and something that might be geared toward kids. Fortunately, my local library had a copy of Around Boston with Kids by Lisa Oppenheimer.* It's from Fodor's, a popular publisher of travel guidebooks.

Around Boston with Kids, 2nd edition, by Lisa Oppenheimer

The version my library had was from 2003. So I definitely still needed the web to confirm admission prices (ooh, it would have been nice if the prices from 2003 were still valid!), hours and such. (An Amazon search shows that a 3rd edition was published in 2007.)

What I loved about Around Boston with Kids:

• There were an abundance of ideas (a total of 68) and they ranged from the typical (aquariums and children's museums) to unique (arboretums and art parks).
• While all the attractions listed are kid-friendly, they're not all kid-exclusive. The inclusion of George's Island is a great example--it's actually more geared toward adult visitors, but kids have a blast running around the grounds of Fort Warren and playing on the small playground. I share this approach to traveling planning since becoming a mom. I don't think travel should completely revolve around the arrow. I think he can have fun at places adults find interesting, too. And he usually does.
• For each attraction listed, the author provides at least one or two kid-friendly restaurants nearby. Sometimes when traveling with a toddler, our biggest challenge is figuring out where to eat on the fly. We visited one of her recommendations and it was spot on--not only was it a great place to take the arrow, but the adults had some wonderul food as well.
• The attractions are listed and described in alphabetical order, making them easy to find if you know what you're looking for. But the book also contains some general groups and listings in the back that make sorting our your ideas much easier. Categories included the usual "Free Activities" and "Rainy Day Ideas," along with lists for specific interests like "Sports" and "Animals." I really liked her ideas for "Tiniest Tots" and "Tire Them Out." You can also search by neighborhood, which was helpful when we made a somewhat spur of the moment trek out to Cambridge.
• I especially appreciated the inclusion of specific age recommendations. As the parents of a toddler, we often find that just because a place is listed as "great for families," it's not so great for our family. What a 10-year-old enjoys has very little to do with what a 2-year-old likes. And vice versa.
• If you're renting a car during your visit to Boston, she includes lots of ideas outside the city as well.

Since my far-fetched dream is to someday write a family travel guidebook of my own, I can't help but point out what I might do differently.

What I'd Improve:

• I wish the author had included a few sample itineraries. It would have helped me to formulate how I might combine some of the attractions in one day.
• Along that note, a map with each attraction marked by number would have been helpful, to get a sense of what was near what. (I read a review of the 2007 version* which praised the maps found in it... so I bet they worked that issue out in the newer version.)
• The inclusion of each attraction's nearest T stop or public transporation directions would also have been of great help and saved me a little time in additional research.
• I'm always a bit dismayed when I see national chain restaurants recommended in a guidebook. Am I the only one who prefers to eat in local establishments when traveling? (Or frankly, even when not!) The author didn't include many chains, but there were a few listed. Just a little personal pet peeve of mine.

If you're planning a trip to Boston with kids, I'd definitely seek out Around Boston with Kids* (even if you can only get your hands on a 2003 version*). A quick search on the web suggested that Fodor's has also published similar guides for San Francisco, Washington DC and New York.* If you're a little more 21st century, Amy at Pit Stops For Kids wrote the Ultimate Boston with Kids Guide... Lots of great suggestions here.

What are you favorite go-to guidebooks when trip planning? Or am I the only old school enough to still be cracking open books and visiting the library?

This post is a part of Works-For-Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.

*Links to my Amazon Affiliate account. A small portion of any sales made through this link will come back to support this blog, but this does not in any way increase the cost of purchase for you.