Travel with kids forums on Poorbuthappy.com

trekaroo - kids. trips. tips.

By brennan on May 21, 2009, 22:35.

Hi all- Just wanted to announce that a few months ago, we launched a site 100% focused on traveling with kids. Whether it's near, far, or wherever you are, check us out for user generated reviews of activities and hotels specifically tailored towards parents who travel with kids. Would love to get your feedback on the site, it's still in beta. Right now, we're focused on the U.S. market, being that we're in California. http://www.trekaroo.com Thanks! -brennan

Slings!!!

By babygirl on May 11, 2009, 21:53.

When my daughter was a baby I used a snuggli (front carrier and was a nightmare to nurse with) BUT I thought it was the greatest thing!! It allowed me so much freedom and awesome closeness with my little baby. (It's funny because before becoming a Mommy, I thought they were horrible!! "Who the heck would walk around with their little baby just hanging there like that... GOD what a horrible Mother" Boy was I naive.) So.. the sling. I googled some sites and you can buy so many different kinds of slings and carriers now, very pretty colours, funky colours, extra padding, different styles too! (A lot more then when my daughter was a baby). Very very cool but THIS is awesome. Watch this video and anywhere you go you can create a make-shift baby sling!! I mean don't get me wrong, I know she's not the inventor of the sling but it's kind of neat that's she's done an instructional. I now consider myself fully prepared and might even try this out on someone's kid just for fun. haha. ;)) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=158240441827117948

Taking your kids to Goa for long-term stay backpackers

By Peter on May 7, 2009, 11:40.

Goa, a state in India, is a very popular beach place to go for backpackers and also for more upmarket travelers who come for a week or two. This is a short travelguide meant to reassure you that yes, it’s fine to take your kids to Goa, India and you don’t need to stay in a resort, you can travel independently. And you can spend a few months in Goa with your small children quite cheaply. We went for a month in January 2009 with a 1 1/2 year old. I was a bit worried before leaving, but now I can totally recommend it. Most backpackers stay away from the resorts and go to cheap hostels, or better, long term stay places, where you often get a kitchen, a bedroom and a living room. Mandrem (in the North of Goa, next to Arambol) is a great place to look if you’re looking to stay longer with small kids. You can rent a nice place fairly easily (but not if you arrive 2 weeks before newyears), and for cheap. It’s very nice to be able to cook yourself with kids. And there are a LOT of people doing this. There are even various childcare services. If you want to take a night off, it’s pretty easy to find a babysit. For long term stayers, I even saw ads for a children’s school in Arambol, that was open 3 days a week. The food in these touristy/backpacker coastal places is generally Indian with some Western stuff available. In the mornings, Amelia ate oatmeal, and at noon, for about 2 weeks straight, she ate spaghetti. Yes, I wish we had had a kitchen instead of staying in a hotel all the time with no way to cook ourselves. Indians are very friendly: they’ll often play with your kids, pick them up, etcetera. It takes a little getting used to, because in Europe nobody will touch your child without your permission, but it’s actually very nice – everyone was great with her. Even the young guys (the taxidrivers) loved playing with her. I really miss that. As for health, check our this post with the story of how she got sick and we had to go the hospital. Make sure to take medicines (also for colds!), but be reassured that there are decent hospitals available. We were careful washing her and with food, and she only got sick 1 night with a stomach problem (which isn’t so bad in the end). She had more problems with colds and an ear infection (things she also gets in Belgium), than with any India-specific diseases. As for dangers, I think probably the thing to be most careful about is the water, the second thing is the traffic, especially if you rent a bike (which a lot of people do). As for gear, there are 2 things I recommend to everyone: a sling (as in the picture below in the mirror), which is great for in the car and to carry them around sometimes, and a sleeping tent. We went a few times to see a concert in Arambol (there’s lots of music there), and sometimes in Mandrem, and Amelia would just go along (she loves the music): Here’s a picture advertising childcare services in Arambol. Amelia in the hotel & friend: And another picture of us: Changing Amelia on the train: The little babytent she slept in. She loved it, these things are great: In the taxi. The sling really helped whenever we were in taxis (which is a lot):

Mini babybed/tent to travel with toddlers

By Peter on Dec 31, 2008, 04:43.

I found this http://www.deryan.nl/site/?id=8&language=en It's a mini baby tent/bed that you can easily carry and travel with, for babies and toddlers. I like the idea, might try it out. Anyone tried anything like this?

Documents and legalities...

By babygirl on Dec 21, 2008, 20:00.

Here's some information from Foreign Affairs Canada on Travel with Kids. Passports, notarized letters, child abduction information as well. This site is great for Canadians traveling with kids, and has pretty much all of the information and links to what you need to know. http://www.voyage.gc.ca/main/before/children_travel-en.asp PS: Please feel free to drop in information about YOUR country in relation to travel with kids. It would be great to have a central source for people to refer to.

Towel Tabs

By babygirl on Dec 14, 2008, 18:19.

My sister (mother of a 4 & 6 year old) stole my towel tabs to use on the kids when they make a complete mess of themselves. These things are awesome. It looks like a roll of mentos candy (have to hide them from the kids because the tabs look like candy too), you add water and voila! You have a disposable face cloth. So cool and takes up no space at all in your pack or bag. In Canada you can get them at MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop).

8 more days until take off... I'm a bit bummed

By babygirl on Dec 14, 2008, 08:00.

I'm finding it really difficult to get excited over my upcoming trip leaving my daughter behind. This has to be one of the most difficult challenges as a single parent, having travel plans undermined and vetoed by your ex-partner. I probably could have forced my hand but she's a bit of a Daddy's girl and wants to make him happy. She would have felt guilty. Has this ever happened to anybody else? I've never had it happen to this extent before. He's given me a hard time about signing travel affidavits, passport docs, and it was always stressful and left to the 11th hour, but we've always ended up going through with our plans on schedule. I think it's Colombia as a travel destination this time around that's adding to his resistance. THAT I don't need at all. I have a difficult enough time getting my daughter to 'think outside the 5 star resort" as it is.

Guide to Single Parent Travel

By babygirl on Dec 9, 2008, 19:28.

"The most common mistake made by travel agencies, tour operators, and resort hotels is to assume that the travel needs and desires of single parents are exactly the same, or similar to, the needs of double parent families traveling together with their kids. Single parents often seek different agendas and must be twice as organized, twice as patient, and twice as creative to have a successful and fun trip with their kids.... http://www.singleparenttravel.net/2008/06/guide-to-single-parent-travel/

Single Parent and Sick

By babygirl on Dec 9, 2008, 19:09.

As a single parent YOU and only YOU are being counted on by your little ones. You don't have your partner to fall back on for support and that can be really stressful at times. Try being violently ill and having an 8 year old that just wants to go to the beach, NOT stay in the room while her mom can barely move out of bed. Has this happened to anybody? Unfortunately it happened to me, but LUCKY for me I had my mom with me, but I often wonder .... Having a childcare background, I've always been one to travel with creative supplies and other fun stuff, so we probably would have ordered in pizza, did arts and crafts and if you're lucky enough to be in a hotel, watched TV or a movie. What would you have done?

Travel with kids blogs

By Peter on Dec 7, 2008, 12:31.

There's a bunch of great blogs out there about traveling with kids, let's collect them on this page in the comments!

What do you recommend in YOUR city?

By babygirl on Dec 2, 2008, 18:52.

I came across this site, 'travel with kids' and they have a really cool list with what to do in a few different cities, some kid friendly information etc.... http://www.travelwithyourkids.com/destinations Check out the link. I'm going to add some stuff about my city. An insider tip from a mom I guess (and I'm also a bargain shopper). Maybe we can all do the same for our hometown? I always get the best tips and information from other parents.

Long flights with a baby

By Peter on Dec 2, 2008, 12:05.

In short: call your airline and get a bassinet! Here's a detailed blogpost about the experience: http://poorbuthappy.com/ease/archives/2008/05/01/4106/our-experiences-flying-from-europe-to-the-us-and-then-south-america-with-an-8-month-old-baby-5-tips-to-make-it-easy

Baby to India

By Peter on Dec 1, 2008, 10:58.

I've been hanging out on some other forums too since we decided to take our (1 1/2) year old baby/toddler to India for a month, and a lot of things I heard have made me doubt whether it's a good idea.. But today I went to the traveldoctor to discuss things (and get some shots), and she said lots of people take kids to India these days, it's totally *not* irresponsible. And that's from some of the world experts on global travel. So there you go, it's *not* irresponsible to take babies/toddlers to travel with you in India.

RTW year with your little one?

By babygirl on Nov 30, 2008, 20:55.

I've been following the stories of a couple of families that are doing RTW travel years with their kids (in one form or another). Some of these families are doing their travel year with preschoolers. It's something that I had considered with my teen and even my nephew (teen as well). What a cool educational experience it would be. But a preschool age kid? I can understand not wanting to stop your travel lust because you've become a parent. Fine. I can completely relate to that because I've always been a firm believer that just because we become parents, we still need to have "ME" time, activities, interests etc.... But would it not make more sense to wait until the kids are a bit older so they actually get something out of the experience? Just my 2 cents. I know we have some seasoned travelers on here, and some that are parents too. Very curious to see what you guys think. :)

Nursing kids while traveling

By Peter on Nov 18, 2008, 03:15.

Perceptive travel has a good post about nursing traveling moms: http://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2008/02/27/a-plea-for-nursing-mothers-traveling-without-their-kids/ "A letter writer in a non-travel magazine I get has sent out a desperate call for advice. She’s a businesswoman who travels a lot, but who also has toddlers and babies at home. Her problem? She’s devoted to giving her kids breast milk, and is having a hard time finding places in airports where she can use a pump to express milk. I don’t know how much play this issue gets in other countries, but in America breastfeeding has moved from a silent battle of wills to the forefront of what is idiotically dubbed “The Mommy Wars.” And there’s practically no place it’s more important than while traveling — whether traveling for work or pleasure, a mother’s got to feed her kids." Have you traveled while nursing, or, while having to extract milk for your kids at home?

Travel with kids: do not do it

By Peter on Sep 26, 2008, 04:13.

Hahaha

My teenager doesn't like to travel to 'FOREIGN' places!

By babygirl on Sep 25, 2008, 22:34.

Yes it's true. I've offered to take my 16 year old away for a few weeks over the Christmas holidays and suggested a couple places that have everything I want and everything she likes, (shopping, restaurants, music etc..) and she told me, "mom, I just don't like to go to foreign places". Hmmmmm. I'm quite certain she was switched at birth. Fine, so I asked that she give me some suggestions of places to go. Is it mean of me to tell her we're NOT going to Florida? She did however come up with some cool suggestions that are WAY out of my budget right now, like NYC, Paris (to see Jim Morrison's grave, ya she's a rocker chic at heart), Whistler BC (ummm we don't ski and I HATE SNOW). So what to do. Take her to the airport and drag her on the on the flight Guatemala City? Or tell her that San Jose is really the name of the airport in Orlando? I wonder if I'd get nabbed for kidnapping? haha. I even bought her a really cool red backpack from MEC. On the bright side of things I won't spend my travels shooing guys away from her if I leave her here with my mom. But as a parent I really want to expose her to other cultures and ways of life. I think it's the language barrier in part that intimidates her. What to do? Oh what to do?

Have baby will travel

By Peter on Sep 21, 2008, 08:21.

A good blogpost and discussion about traveling with babies: http://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2008/07/23/have-baby-will-travel-but-how-heres-some-free-highly-prejudiced-advice/ Some tips: 1. Nurse or bottle-feed during take-off and landing. This is a classic. 2. Cheerios are a parent’s best friend. I don't particularly agree with this one, but I might change my mind :) There's some more tips there, worth a look.

Camping with a 1-year old baby

By Peter on Aug 1, 2008, 05:26.

We're going camping with our 1-month old baby. So here are some things we're planning, I'd love more tips and tricks! - We'll take a sling, of course. - She'll sleep with us. - We'll have a sleeping bag for her. - We tested it in the garden yesterday. She didn't sleep good at all, waking up at 3am, so we ended up going back in the house to get some sleep. We'll try again :) - We'll use a plastic container to bathe her in, I think. More tips?

Basinets in planes when traveling with babies

By Peter on Jul 31, 2008, 01:39.

I posted my experiences flying US-Europe with a baby here: http://poorbuthappy.com/ease/archives/2008/05/01/4106/our-experiences-flying-from-europe-to-the-us-and-then-south-america-with-an-8-month-old-baby-5-tips-to-make-it-easy Have you tried this?

Games to keep kids busy

By Peter on Jul 31, 2008, 01:37.

What games do you play on the road to entertain the kids when you're traveling?

Traveling with small children and babies

By Peter on Jun 4, 2008, 03:29.

I was wondering if anyone has done some backpack-style long term traveling with young children (< 10) or babies, and would like to share experiences? We have a baby, and plan to have some more, and I am dreaming of taking them traveling around the world for a year or so when they're between 2 and 7. Of course, if one is, say, 7, the next one will be like 2 or 3 or 4. Is that too young? I've heard of people doing this, but is it worth the hassle? I'd love to hear your experiences!