Well, its been awhile.

2020 has been consumed by COVID and fire season here in Southern California and we’ve mostly quarantined and been keeping our circle small, but these wandering feet couldn’t go much longer without an adventure. We’ve been spending our weekends at the beach and finding new hikes to explore in our area which has been so much fun, but at the end of the day I need to escape. I need to sit among huge mountains and see beautiful canyons. I want to walk along the arches and glaciers that I’ve read about and seen pictures of.

One thing we love about being in California is the ease of jumping in the car and driving to really amazing destinations. Earlier this summer we camped at Zion National Park, and last year we drove up through Big Sur, Sequoia and Yosemite National Park. Joshua Tree National Park has become an at least once a year adventure that our kids look forward to, to climb on all the rocks

Enter 2020 and trying to figure out how to do a socially distant adventure with kids

We just returned home from our two week roadtrip through six national parks.

Josh worked from the road and the kids continued with their distant learning from their laptops. Our trip took us through the Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park and back down through Bryce Canyon.

We hit the road with three kids, 6, 4 and 2, so that will give you an idea of the level of difficulty our hikes were. Luckily we’ve done our research and there are some pretty spectacular hikes between 3-6 miles that little kids can enjoy, and we were determined to find them all.

Tips for planning a National Park Roadtrip with young kids:

Set your expectations.

Our number one tip for anyone traveling with kids is set your expectations. Expect your kids to whine and complain and tell you how hungry and bored they are for over 50% of the trip. Would it be family travel if that didn’t happen?! Whenever we plan to hike 5 miles, our kids make it three. If we plan on making it back in time for a fun dinner, we end up eating fast food out of the back of our car. Travel teachers our kids to be flexible, but as parents we also need to be prepared for all of our plans to be thrown out the window. If we set our expectations before we leave then we are better able to handle all the changes along the road.

Come prepared with food and water.

Kids somehow seem to always be STARVING and their hangry meter can go from zero to 100 in a blink of an eye. When you’re hiking or in the car, an easy way to appease the whining when they are hungry is to have healthy options on hand.

Water is tricky on car trips because the more you drink the more you have to stop. But you also want to make sure your kids stay hydrated on long trips, it’s a balancing act. We’ve found that with the car potty (see next tip below) that we can hand out the water freely knowing we can stop on the side of the road at any time. We also bring along electrolytes for kids and adults so after a long road trip if we feel dehydrated we can add some electrolytes easily and hopefully rehydrate everyone quickly.

On our recent two week trip we brought our cooler and regularly kept it stocked with fresh fruit, vegetables with hummus and protein options like peanut butter and cheese sticks so we always had healthy options, instead of relying on the gas station food when we stopped.

On hikes our big kids have hydration packs they carry on their backs. We’ve started the new rule if you want to drink water on the hike you carry you’re own. It makes hiking move quicker because instead of stopping every few steps when kids are thirsty, opening and closing our water bottles, they can help themselves to the water they are carrying.

We brought pedialyte electrolytes for the kids and Liquid IV’s for the adults.

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Bring a car potty.

Our saving grace and number one must have on every car trip with young kids is our car potty. Linked below. Gas station restrooms are almost guaranteed to be disgusting and when you’re hiking or out in the middle of national parks you can’t guarantee there is a bathroom near by. Especially traveling during COVID we’ve found most bathrooms are still closed along the way.

Confession: I have used the car potty numerous times. Let’s just say guys have it way easier when it comes to peeing in nature than us girls do.

I can’t even stress how much anxiety this takes away from us by having it in the car. Clean up is simple, there is a bag you tie up, throw it out and move on. Easy Peasy as my 1st grader would say.

Amazon Car Potty

Don’t forget the car potty bags

Be slow to pull out iPads.

Save the iPads for when you really need them. Give your kids the opportunity to look out the window and talk to them about the really cool mountains and animals they may be seeing. Save the electronics for when you have a long boring section of the road or are in the 13th hour of the roadtrip. Once you start the ipad it’s usually hard to turn them off without some complaining so we hold off as long as possible and bring drawing pads, books to read and try to discuss the different areas we are in with them.

Our list of distractions for kids in cars:

• We eat most of our meals in the car which helps time pass while they eat, and we don’t have ipads out during meals
• Kid podcasts (we use the Overcast app to download and listen to podcasts)
• Books on tape (we start a Spotify playlist of books and let them take turns picking the book)
• We play “The Animal Game” and take turns picking an animal and asking questions until someone guesses it.
• Pictionary. We have a travel dry erase board we draw pictures on and try to get other family members to guess what’s drawn.
• We have kid music hour – also followed by adult music hour. We definitely don’t listen to all kid music and podcasts all the time, we make sure the kids understand they get to pick the music and then its our turn to pick our music.
• We play the “Ask Dad Anything” game. The kids ask Josh any question they can think of and he tries to answer it. If he can’t we usually google it and find the answer. This always gets interesting and starts some good conversations!

As we mentioned above, come prepared on roadtrips with pre-made playlists. We have books on tape, podcasts and music playlists usually for everyone in the car pre downloaded and ready. Everyone gets their chance to pick the music in the car. No, your kids don’t control the music, you are not forced to listen to wheels on the bus for 15 hours of driving just to keep your kids happy. We use Spotify for our music and books on tape and Overcast for our podcasts.

Pack minimally

When you are stopping in multiple locations and getting in and out of the car, you want your bags organized… and trust me you are going to want less stuff. Especially when you’re bringing your own car, you’re going to feel like you can shove more in your car because there is space and you aren’t limited by a carry on or bag weight limit. Don’t fall to that temptation Pack what you need with a few extra outfits and leave the rest.

Take time to consider if you really need all 5 pairs of shoes and do your best to bring clothes that are versatile and layer. Especially when we travel with kids we know we aren’t typically going to any fancy restaurants so its easy to leave a lot of our nicer clothes/shoes at home.

For two weeks traveling through National Parks here is an overview of our clothing packing list:

• 7 outfits each/7 underwear/5 socks
• 2 pajamas
• 2 pairs of shoes (flip flops and hiking shoes)
• 1 bathing suit
• 1 warmer jacket
• toiletries

All five of us packed in two carry ons, so we could easily take our bags in and out of the car. We also each had a backpack with distance learning supplies/books and Josh’s laptop and work set up. We did laundry once after one week and after all

These 5 tips are just the beginning. They are the basics that help us survive road trips with our kids and make them doable with young kids. After so many adventures our kids are used to the routine. They know what to expect when it comes to eating and drinking on the road. As with anything the more you do it, the better you and your kids will get at loading up the car, minimizing and enjoying roadtrips together!

Leave a comment with more questions you have on roadtrips with little kids I’ll be answering more over the next few weeks!

We can’t wait to explore all of the incredible beaches Southern California has to offer. These are my mom opinion on where to go, what to bring, where to park and how to do it so you maintain your sanity and actually relax/enjoy a day at the beach with kids.

First up: Moonlight State Beach, Encinitas CA

Why I Love Moonlight Beach {Summary so you don’t have to read all the details if you don’t want to}

Moonlight beach was one of the first beaches we visited in Southern California and it has since become our home beach. We love the showers, clean bathrooms, ease of parking, lifeguards and concession stand. For us, it has everything that makes it easy to beach with kids.

If you want a remote getaway or a romantic day at the beach, I wouldn’t recommend Moonlight Beach, it’s packed with families and activity. On the other hand, if you’re bringing kids and a lot of plastic shovels this is where you want to be.

Parking

The parking is free and easy which is a huge plus. We usually arrive in the morning between 9-10 AM and have never had trouble finding parking. From the parking lot you have a steep ramp down to the beach, but you don’t have to cross any streets or go down loads of stairs to get from your car to the beach.

Why is that important? Because if you are like us and load up a beach cart with towels, toys, food, umbrellas and chairs, the walk from the car to the beach can feel long. We love being able to throw it in our beach cart (click here to see which one we use) and roll everything onto the sand. Also, without busy streets between you and the beach you don’t have to worry about your two year old (yes, I’m looking at you Henry) running full speed into the traffic.

Showers

We need showers. Our kids find ways to get sand everywhere. Every crack and fold and everywhere. The showers here are plentiful and do a great job of cleaning out the kids before the drive home.

Bathrooms

I understand you can “pee in the ocean”, but my kids like potties, and so do we. That being said Moonlight has great bathrooms, clean compared to many we’ve visited, and well take care of. They also have a family bathroom which is great if you are taking three kids with you solo.

Playground

We’ve been going to Moonlight beach almost every weekend and have yet to visit the playground. Not because it doesnt look incredibly fun and my kids don’t beg to go on it, but we are always so busy on the beach and so tired after we never have time. That being said, there is one and I’m sure one day we will fully enjoy all the swings and slides it has to offer.

Atmosphere

The beach is clean and by noon is filled with umbrellas, sunshades and kids running every which way. We love the energy and have always enjoyed meeting other families sitting next to us. Our kids love watching and playing with the other kids and if you want to escape the busy a 5 minute walk down the beach will give you more seclusion. We’re just saying, for families this beach is number one!

Lifeguards

Yes to safety, especially with kids. One more plus to Moonlight.

Concession Stand

Nathan’s Hot Dogs and Shaved Ice… what else do you need?

Fire pits/Volleyball courts and Party area

Early in the morning families will show up and stake out their area so if you are hosting an event make sure to grab your coffee and go. Near the concession stand there is a large area where you can put up a tent and chairs and bring a group.

We drive an extra 15 minutes to go to Moonlight. We love it and would rank it as one of the must visit if you are in Southern California with your family!

Temecula is known as Southern California’s wine country, which we’ve been exploring and can’t wait to fill you in on our favorite reds, whites and sparkling we’ve been drinking! We’ve planned so many adventures, all within a short drive from Temecula, so stay tuned! It’s only been a few months and we already love this city.

While I enjoy exploring new cities on foot, even more I love getting up in the air!

When I see our world from above, it reminds me how small I am, and how much is out there to see. This time I was given the opportunity to see my new hometown from 3,300 feet straight up in the sky. The mountains, wineries and lakes below me were even more spectacular than I imagined. I had no idea how mountainous this region was, and how incredible floating by it in a hot air balloon would be.

This was our first time up in a hot air balloon!

It’s always been on our bucket list, but the weather has never cooperated. This time, we were able to escape the fog and take off on a beautiful clear day.

At an average speed of 2.9 miles per hour we traveled a total of 4 miles, and reached a max height of 3,300 feet in the air.

For an hour, I was speechless, literally.

If you know me, you know I’m not often at a loss for words, but Josh had to check if I was OK halfway through the trip because I was standing next to him in silence. I was in complete awe of how peaceful it was floating in a hot air balloon and how unbelievably spectacular the scenery was around me.

I’m not sure what I expected when we signed up to fly through the air with California Dreamin’, but I wasn’t expecting the peaceful, serene experience that we had.

To set the record straight, the basket wasn’t rocking back and forth in the wind and there wasn’t any moment I felt unsafe. So let’s squash any preconceptions of a hot air balloon being a wild ride. This was the opposite. Serene, peaceful, inspiring are a few words that first come to mind, but truthfully I believe you have to experience it to understand.

In the meantime check out my pictures below, and you can imagine yourself up flying high with me.

We met at 5 am at a local winery and drove about 20 minutes to find our launch site. The morning we went up there was a thick fog cover in the valley so we drove further out to avoid it and have the best views.

The crew carefully laid a ground cover to protect the balloon from the bristle and then we watched the colorful balloon unfold, and huge fans start to inflate it. I definitely didn’t expect that one of my favorite parts would be watching the seven story balloon inflate. The sheer size of the balloon was impressive and with the mountains and sunrise as a backdrop it was a great start to an early morning.

Once the balloon was ready, we all climbed in the basket one at a time and our pilot took us up. He explained how the different air zones worked and how he was able to manipulate the balloon with the wind. Our pilot had gotten his license at 14 and has been flying balloons ever since. He learned the trade from his father who was up flying the other balloon alongside us that morning.

If you’re up in a balloon moving with the wind, you don’t feel the wind.

A concept that I didn’t understand until I was up 3,300 feet and couldn’t feel or hear the wind.

For an hour while we were floating in the sky it was completely quiet. Even our group of 12 people were mostly quiet. Of course our pilot would talk about the surrounding land and share stories about adventures he had gone on in other countries racing hot air balloons, but for the most part we were all quiet, processing how it felt to float among the clouds.

We watched the sun rise over the mountains and we flew very close to a vineyard, which I loved the clean lines of the vines from above. Everything about this trip was more than I had expected and I already can’t wait to go up again.

Our adventure ended with a delicious mimosa (or two), brunch and a taste of some local wine at their winery, Vindemia.

Most impressive?

They had the entire balloon packed up in less than 10 minutes. It takes me at least 30 minutes to get the kids in the car to go to Target.

A big thank you to California Dreamin’ for such an incredible opportunity to fly high above Temecula, my new home and somewhere that I think you should visit the next time you are in SoCal.

Stay tuned as I’m heading back soon to try more wines from Vindemia and I plan to keep y’all updated on my favorite places to eat, see and do around here.

It was crazy… But worth it.

Our kids are wild. ‘High energy’ is a nice way to describe them, but that doesn’t mean we shy from the challenge of traveling with littles.

We packed light, carry-on only, and folded up our double stroller and walked this city.

Luxembourg Gardens

We stayed in Saint-Germain-des-Prés (our new favorite neighborhood in Paris!), so Luxembourg Gardens was a short walk away and our first stop when we arrived in Paris.

Grab a vintage toy boat and chase after it, using the long stick to turn it around and push it back in the right direction. You pay per 30 minutes. Our boat got stuck under the fountain in the middle for a good 10 minutes until another boat came along and bumped it free. It was a beautiful day and the whole family had fun spending the day in the park!

Champs de Mars

Bring a baguette, ham, cheese and wine and enjoy an afternoon picnic with the family. If you have older kids plan to stay late and watch the Eiffel Tower light up.

Eat all the Sweets

Croissants for breakfast, macarons for lunch and crepes with nutella for dessert. French bakeries are a must while in Paris, and Laduree, one of our favorites, won’t disappoint!

Ice Cream truck for an afternoon treat during the summer heat:

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner in the Cafes

While some of the finest foods are prepared in Paris’ fancy restaurants, with two toddlers we weren’t in the mood to sit for hours while trying to encourage our two littles to sit still. Instead, we ventured to all of the different cafes and loved how easy it was to roll up our stroller to the table and enjoy our meal outside.

Carousels

Our favorite carousel was behind the Eiffel tower, probably because the backdrop was incredible. Your kids deserve to have fun too, and after a long day at museums and exploring the city, our kids couldn’t wait for their turn to go on an almost daily ride (at least once) on a carousel.

You can only expect so much from kids, and expectations can make or break a trip. No matter how many rounds on the carousel or macaron stops you make, you have to expect a tantrum or two. Remember they are only three

Our meltdowns usually happened in public places, like the Louvre. There’s only so much art a 3-year-old can look at before she grumpily sits down on the floor and refuses to move. I don’t blame her.

Instead of getting angry and letting a few tantrums ruin your trip, try to understand where she is coming from. She’s tired, hungry and bored. A perfect recipe for disaster. Bring food to eat, a stroller to nap in and make a game out of looking at the art in the museums. Have them find things starting with a specific letter or a specific color. Get your kids involved in the trip and let them voice their opinions about the art you are looking at.

Tips to survive?

Nap in the stroller

Almost daily we napped in the stroller. With a limited amount of time and a lot of things we wanted to see/do, we couldn’t always make it back to the apartment for a nap. The kids got used to sleeping and sometimes eating in the stroller on the go.

Take park breaks

After a long museum visit, find a park nearby (in Paris there is always a park nearby) and let your kids run off energy.

Bring snacks

Food can work magic when you have hungry toddlers (or adults).

Lower your expectations

Traveling with kids is a different type of travel. You have to expect to move slower, dine in different types of restaurants and not stay out as late. If you go in with high expectations and push your kids and they melt down you are going to be disappointed. We’ve always said it isn’t easy traveling with kids, but it is worth it, but don’t expect easy.

Add to my list in the comments, what was your favorite thing to do in Paris with kids?

Traveling with littles is hard. If we wanted easy we would stay home. There are a lot of concerns and doubts and extra baggage that we are lugging around now, that we didn’t before. That being said, despite the cons that people complain about when it comes to traveling with littles there is so many more pros that drives us to do it. With our most recent trip we’ve gotten a lot of questions surrounding traveling as a family and the idea of leaving your home for two months with kids. I wanted to answer them all on the blog in hopes of inspiring other families to travel more.

Why would you want to travel with kids?

Not everyone directly asks this, but I can hear it in some of my conversations with people. I get it, it’s harder. Like I said, if we wanted easy we would stay at home. We have routines at home that make life simple. We travel with our kids because we want to give them a worldview outside of our bubble at home.

Yes, adult vacations are way more fun. We get to do adult things and enjoy things like peace and quiet and eating in real restaurants and staying out later than 8 pm. But I didn’t have kids to leave them at home, I want them out with me learning through travel. I enjoy having them around, and I enjoy watching them take in the world and hear their questions as they experience new things. I think the lessons that they learn when they travel will help them as they get older and quite frankly I learn a lot by having them with me.

Traveling with kids is fun and enlightening, and you will be surprised how many people you meet and opportunities come your way because you have your kids in tow.

What do you expect your kids to learn at such a young age?

My three-year old studies everything. She watches everyone and listens. Travel has taught her at the very basic level how to interact with people. She has learned the entire world doesn’t revolve around her play schedule. She has to help on our travel days, because we don’t have enough hands to carry everything without her little hands. She can’t tantrum in the middle of the quiet train, she has to be aware of her surroundings, and she doesn’t always get what she wants. It makes her interact with kids who speak a different language, try new foods and sleep in new beds. She isn’t surrounded by toys, so she learns to play with what is available and she makes up games as she goes.

She’s doesn’t care about world history yet, and doesn’t appreciate the incredible views we are seeing, but she watches us and how we react. She sees how we stand in complete awe of some destinations and is learning to marvel at the beauty our world holds. She experiences us not rushing through, but taking the time to appreciate. She watches as we interact with the locals and we meet people we don’t know.

I could (and will) go on about what I know she is learning even at the young age of 3, but trust me, travel is so good for both of these littles.

How did you decide to go?

Travel is a priority of ours and so we simply decided to go, without over thinking it. We talked about it and we worked out some of the details: where, when, budget, etc. and then we bought our flight and committed to go.

There will always be an excuse for you not to go, and there will never be the perfect time. You are going to miss things back home, but you are also gaining some really cool experiences as a family. You can talk about traveling forever, my best advice is to buy a plane ticket and commit to going. The travel details you can figure out later.

How do you pick a destination?

First, we considered where we wanted to go, where haven’t we been, and where have we been but we want to go back to. We also take into consideration the age of our kids. There are certain adventures we want to have when our kids are older and will appreciate them more. At our current stage of 3 and 1, our kids are happy with a beach and a park nearby.

We both love Europe and it’s been 10 years since we’ve spent a summer over here. Josh had a conference in Paris so we started in France and planned our travels from there.

How (and why) do you go for such a long time?

How:

Josh works remotely, so as long as he has his computer with him and a good Wi-Fi connection, he is able to work. This summer isn’t a vacation, he is still working and I still take the kids home and put them down for naps and try to create routines in our new apartments. While we are traveling he maintains almost-EST time zone hours so he is still connecting with his team. For example while we have been traveling this month in France he shifted his work hours from 2 – 10 pm. He is out exploring with us in the morning, I bring the kids home and do lunch, nap time and then usually end the day in a nearby park before bath and bedtime, while he finishes up work.

Why:

I like traveling for a longer time, especially with kids, because it gives you time to adjust to the new location and timezone. You don’t need to rush around to see everything in one week, you have the time and flexibility to explore. Kids move slower and need naps, so you can’t run from sunrise to sunset unless you want cranky kids at the end of the day.

We do one thing a day, we move slow, we take breaks and our kids are happy. We get the chance to become locals, even just a little bit. We go back to the same cafes so the owners get to know us, we grocery shop and do laundry just like we do at home.

How do you afford it?

We used points for Lottie and my big flight from the US, and Josh expensed his flight because he was coming over for a work conference. Dudeman is still free, but that also meant he was sitting on our laps for 9 hours!

We bought cheap luggage ($15 a piece) that fit the tiny dimensions of the cheap airlines over here. So we flew cheap and made sure our luggage fit in their size requirements, so we wouldn’t get hit with their $60 per bag fee if we had to check them.

We don’t go out to fancy restaurants while we travel, we don’t take expensive tours, we don’t go shopping. There are a lot of ways to spend money when you travel, and we don’t do any of those. We do a lot of walking and local transportation. We do self guided tours, we spend days on the beach and in parks and walking through the city exploring on foot. This may not sound like a vacation to you, but we love it. It lets us not only save money but get to know the city outside of the tourist destinations.

We don’t skimp on everything, there are things that you need to spend money on when you travel and that’s ok! We just spend where we prioritize as important and we save on everything else.

We always rent through Air bnb so we have space to spread out, a kitchen to cook meals in and laundry to clean our clothes in. We usually end up eating breakfast and dinner in the apartment and go out for lunch at a cafe.

This time, since we were gone for two months we put our house on air bnb for the first time (more to come on my thoughts and feelings on that soon). With renting our house out while we are gone we’ve already made back our monthly mortgage and more which has helped re coop some of the money while we travel.

Don’t you get lonely traveling away from home?

We miss our friends at home and our playdates and neighbors and parents, we are blessed with an incredible tribe back home that keeps our family growing. That being said, leaving for two months doesn’t change those relationships. Yes, I miss them but they are busy with their lives at home and when we get back we all plan meet ups and have a lot of summer fun to catch up on.

Are you concerned about safe areas while traveling with kids?

Safe is relative and dependent on a lot of factors. Generally with all of our travels, we’ve found if you keep common sense in your decisions, you aren’t out late into the night, and you talk with locals about areas you should stay away from, you will be good. I’m always aware of my surroundings, whether I’m visiting Barcelona, New York City or my hometown.

We never walk around with money belts under our clothes, but we do limit the cash we carry and usually only bring one credit card out with us. We pay attention to our surroundings, and we don’t leave our bags and cellphones out on the table asking someone to walk away with them. We teach our kids to stay close, but we still let them run and play. There is a balance, but I think it all boils down to common sense and staying aware.

What do your kids eat when you travel?

Food. It’s amazing when you stop worrying if your kids eat, you realize when they are hungry they will eat. Similar to when we are at home, sometimes my kids barely eat anything for a few days, and the next two days eat everything in sight. I don’t micro manage what they eat, I continually offer them healthy food throughout the day, and when they are hungry, they eat.

You can find kid-friendly foods in any country, it might look different from your food at home, but that’s a good thing. The point of travel is to start introducing your kids to new flavors, and encouraging them to try things that are outside their normal.

Some staples we pick up at the grocery store when we travel with kids:

• Fresh fruit is always a big part of our diet when we travel because our kids love it.
• Milk, yogurt, museli/oatmeal
• Carrots
• Avocado
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Bread/meat/cheese for sandwiches

What about routines?

We create new routines. We like that travel teaches them to sleep in new beds and to adapt to the situation whatever it is. So our routines look different depending on our hotel or apartment for the week. They fall asleep in one bed and we transfer them to a different bed, or we share beds, or we build a cot on the floor and they sleep there. We’ve done it all.

The routine is always dinner, bath, brush teeth, book and bed. We can do that routine in any country, in any bed.

What else? Leave your questions in the comments about anything travel and family!

Anyways let’s rewind together to 48 hours ago. I want to share how we got here and why traveling makes you a better wife or husband.

Our six hour flight from Philly turned into nine hours of sitting on an airplane because of one malfunction.

That was after our first flight, Indy to Philly, was delayed one hour and we waited 20 minutes for our gate checked stroller and bags to arrive off the plane.

The bags came, and we took off in a full sprint.

We had 10 minutes to find the transfer hub, and get on the bus that took us to our terminal. We found the hub and the bus, and of course that bus driver drove like a sloth (no offense, we were just in a big hurry). So we rode the short bus ride that felt like the longest bus ride to terminal A.

Next was the sprint…I mean sweat from A1 to A21. We didn’t know how far the gates were apart, we just knew the gate numbers. If you’ve been to the A terminal in Philly you know they are long. We ran. and ran. and ran.

If you have been to Philly and feel the urge to comment and insist you know the terminal and tell me –> “It’s not that far”, try holding a 16 lb wiggly baby, two backpacks and rolling a carry on … Oh, and all the while make sure the toddler next to you doesn’t have a meltdown, trip, or run into the airport transfer cars. Trust me, it’s far.

We got lucky. It was nothing that we did, or how fast we ran.

Two American employees were waiting for us calling our name. More than that they were making a pun [brownie points American]:

“Eaton party I hope you’re not eatin'”

You’re funny American Airlines. Touche.

We weren’t eating we were running. Literally.

Josh carried the 16 lb stroller in our new backpack carrier (did you see the video?), two roller bags and his laptop bag.

We were the last ones on the plane, and everyone turned and looked when this mom walked on with two kids in a full sweat taking out everyone down the aisle with all the bags and babies I was trying to juggle. So much so that a nice gentlemen insisted I leave my bags and he would follow me down the aisle to help. Probably more for the safety of everyone in the aisle seats.

I swore we weren’t going to make it. I’m not being dramatic, seriously I was laughing while we ran because of how ridiculous it felt due to how late we were. I have only seen this in the movies where people literally sprint through the airport, and I was doing it with a baby and a toddler.

They held the plane. Thank you American.

And then we malfunctioned … and sat. We sat for three hours. I was just happy to be on the plane, the malfunction didn’t bother me like it did everyone else around me.

Let me note the kids rocked the three hour delay on the plane. We walked the aisle and played with every toy we brought.

The takeoff the kids didn’t so much rock. At that point they had been up for way too long and they were tired. They screamed (sorry everyone on that flight) and then they slept. They slept the entire 6 hour flight (you’re welcome everyone on the flight). Josh and I, not so much. It’s hard to sleep when you have babies on you in an uncomfortable airplane seat, but we did what we could. Well I did, Josh watched a movie, while I did what I could to sleep.

Oh, I forgot you were reading this to find out how traveling strengthens your marriage.

Because travel puts you in stressful situations. It makes you constantly make decisions from simple where are we going to eat , to difficult logistical situations. You are put in new situations with new cultures. You might not be able to speak the language or read any of the signs around you. You are outside of your comfort bubble and because of that you feel insecure and on the defense.

You’re frustrated, in a hurry, all the feelings are heightened and you fight. There I said it, you fight. This sounds backwards, but you fight so much when you travel that you actually learn to get over the stupid fights quickly and become really good at communicating. And I would say that 99% of your fights when traveling or not traveling are the stupid ones.

You’re in a bad mood and picking a fight for no reason other than you’re hungry, tired or grumpy. But traveling forces the fights and that makes your relationship better.

You apologize quicker, you accept your part of the dumb fight and you all move on so much quicker. Decisions become quicker, you become more laid back not because you are this crazy calm person, but to survive traveling together you have to become laid back about some things, because a lot of things are out of your control. So you go with the flow more and you are OK with change and you realize that if you work together as a team you will figure it out and it will all be OK. It won’t be all as planned, but it will all be OK, and sometimes better than planned.

But just because you become more flexible, doesn’t mean you don’t fight.

Josh and I are great at communicating… and fighting. And with all the traveling you think we would have learned our lesson, but when you’re stressed you still occasionally snap and are forced to apologize and move on quickly.

Follow the next few months and I’ll be sharing more stories from our adventures in Europe!

Disclosure: This post about the new Wave Sky is sponsored by Mizuno through Fitfluential. All opinions are my own.

I ran my first marathon in 2010 in the Mizuno Wave Rider. I fell in love and for the last 7 years I’ve stuck with Mizuno running shoes for all of my runs. I was given the opportunity to test out the newly released Mizuno Wave Sky, and my feet couldn’t be happier.

Built for neutral runners, the Wave Sky replaced the Mizuno Enigma. While there is more cushion in the Wave Sky, you get the firm performance feel that Mizuno is known for.

Once you invest in a good pair of tennis shoes and understand the importance of taking care of your feet and how big of a role your shoes play in taking care of your body, you won’t just go to the store and pick out any pair.

I’m not a tennis shoe expert. I’ve had my gait measured, I’ve run a lot and I know what feels good on my feet.

These are comfortable tennis shoes. You put them on and you don’t have a “break in” period like I do with other tennis shoes. I’ve run in both barefoot and cushioned shoes and tend to alternate between a few different styles, but no matter what, I make sure they are comfortable on my feet from the first time I try them on.

The Mizuno #WaveSky is Mizuno’s new neutral trainer. The cloudwave technology makes you feel like you are literally running on clouds. Don’t believe me? Try them on for yourself!

Before taking off on my first 3 mile run in these great looking shoes I put them to the test with a short cardio burst in my driveway. My little future runner insisted on trying them on too. Mom tested, kid approved!

During my first run I was impressed with how light they felt on my feet. For being cushioned they were still very responsive as I ran. The Wave Sky has more foam than other Mizuno running shoes which gives your feet a super plush feel while you run.

And can we talk about how these shoes look?! My other Mizuno Wave Riders are Black and White so I love having these brightly colored shoes to show off on future runs!

You would be surprised, or maybe you wouldn’t, how many times someone has said to us:
“Why do you bother traveling with two babies”
“They aren’t going to remember”
“Life is hard enough at home with toddlers”
“You don’t have routines”
“How do you sleep in hotels together”

We are taking our toddlers to Europe next summer because Paris exists.

And yes they won’t remember walking along to Champs Elysees specifically, but I’ll take pictures and I’ll remind them. As they get bigger I’ll tell them stories of the first macaroon they tasted and their reaction the first time they saw the Eiffel Tower. Every trip, every walk down a new street, every interaction with someone that lives abroad will ignite the wanderlust inside of them.

We travel with toddlers because other cultures exists.

Not everything is how our bubble at home makes it appear. Different languages and foods are out there and I want them to start tasting the foods alongside me. Not because I think they are going to remember what paella tastes like but I hope to ignite their taste buds and a desire to want to try and discover new flavors.

We take our babies with us to opposite ends of the world not because it is easy.

Easy would be staying at home in our routines. We take them with us because it’s an adventure. We get to see the world through their eyes. Can you imagine what it’s like to see your first waterfall and how it feels to run into the warm Mediterranean water for the first time. The excitement that surrounds the simple things is why we take them. Things that we may glaze over or have seem hundreds of time. We get to hear the “o wow” come out of our little girl’s mouth as she learns something new and sees beautiful art and culture every day. My son is learning to walk not in our living room but in front of Segrada Familia in Barcelona. He’s first foods are fresh cheeses and meats from the markets. I understand that he doesn’t care, he would be happy with food from a jar, but the memories we are creating and the stories I will tell him I hope stick with him.

We bring them with us because I can’t spend even a few days without them.

Because this is my most precious gift I want to pass on. My love of travel. My desire to walk on beaches I’ve never walked before, and talk to people that speak different languages and live differently than I do. And despite it being inconvenient and more expensive and yes my one year old won’t remember it, I will. I’ll remember and I promise I will tell them stories of their first overseas flight and the first time they ate crepes filled with chocolate and how they played for hours with other kids that didn’t speak their language at a playground on the other side of the world. I’ll remind them and tell them stories and encourage them to keep going.

WASPcam

Christmas came early this year!

Our travels have taken us to some unforgettable places, and starting in 2017 we will begin traveling with the WASPcam 9907 4K camera to capture those adventures on video. When the WASPcam arrived at our front door, I couldn’t wait to try it out so I took it on a trail run with me that afternoon. I was happy that it came with a variety of accessory mounts to help get me started right away.

The WASPcam 9907 4K has loop recording, a new video time-lapse feature, and did I mention it shoots in 4K video resolution?! Find out below why this was the perfect camera to add to my wish list this holiday season, and why I suggest you add it to your own to capture your next adventure!

Why the WASPcam 9907 4K makes the perfect gift this year

It’s waterproof up to 98 feet without a case

This is one of the features we are most excited about. This camera will definitely be joining us on our next snorkeling and diving adventure. We wish we had this camera with us when we snorkeled in the Galapagos Islands and visited dive sites in the Gili Islands to capture swimming with sea lions and diving alongside sharks. I guess we’ll have to go back Also, we love that we don’t have to worry about an extra case, this caseless design is perfect for travelers who need to minimize their packing accessories.

The WASPcam records HD video up to 4K

WASPcam snaps photos up to 20 MP and records video up to 4K. Don’t know what 4K is? 4K is a much (much) clearer picture than we are use to. It means more pixels on the screen, creating crisper images with much more detail than before. More pixels, mean more information and detail, creating more engaging photos and videos.

It is GPS ready

You can purchase a GPS Kit and connect it to your camera. This will allow you to have the GPS location embedded in your video. You can view your route by watching your video in the GPS player, displayed as coordinates stamped on the bottom of your footage. As a runner and a traveler I love seeing where I’ve been, and plan on using the built in GPS to track my adventures.

It’s lightweight and compact

The size and weight of this camera is ideal for travel. We only travel with carry on luggage, so everything we put in our bags is important. This camera is small and light, but it’s video and photo quality exceeds any of our current cameras we travel with. We started traveling with a bulky DSLR camera, and are happy to have traded that in for such a compact, high quality video camera instead.

The camera connects to WIFI for live viewing

There is a 1.5 inch LCD screen on the back of the camera, but when I shot my videos I used the WASPcam app on my phone to view my video live. I connected my camera to my phone with WIFI, and from the app I could start and stop the video while watching my footage in real time.

This camera is the perfect gift for someone you know (or yourself!) who loves to capture their outdoor, active lifestyle on video. Take more adventures in 2017, and bring along the WASPcam to record them!