What is not to like about a gal whose blog and Instagram is branded The Traveling Fro?
My guest this week, Amari, is living my dream life…one where you see a travel deal and you just take it. She took a trip every month this year and made it to Milan for under $450. I paid more to go to California this spring! You’ll love her easy laugh and her sense of adventure!
Here are her favorite travel websites:
If you want to see where Amari is headed or has been, catch her on her blog or follow her on Instagram @thetravelingfro.
]]>- What age do you think I should start traveling with my kids?
As soon as you can. Stop talking to me and go plan a trip! Okay, for real. Both our oldest kids had been out of state with 3 to 6 hour drives under their belt by 4 weeks old. Traveling is all they’ve ever known and I think it makes them better travellers as they get older. - What is “drivable distance”?
Our average trips are under 8 hours but we have driven to Mississippi, Tennesee, and Florida. Those are between 15 and 22 hours for us. - How do you do it?
Well, like I said, they’re kind of used to it for started. We listen to music we all enjoy. Each child is responsible for packing a small backpack of quiet activities to keep them occupied during the drive. Ty still needs some help but he’s getting there. We’re blessed to have car sleepers so usually part of the drive is spent sleeping. Our kids also don’t show signs of car sickness so now that PJ reads he’s golden. We also get stories on CD or mp3 from the library and we all love Adventures in Odyssey and similar radio dramas. We pack lots of healthy snacks for everyone so we don’t have to spend money on overpriced stuff at rest areas. Patrick and I usually split the driving. - What about DVDs?
We’ve decided that car movie watching is not for our family. The kids have never had the option so they’ve learned to use other activities to pass the time. - How do you handle hotels?
I will say we camp whenever possible to save money and for the learning experience. We try to get a room with 2 double beds, a pull out, and a refrigerator. Often these are called suite-syle rooms. In reality 2 double beds will do since Ty still fits in a pack ‘n play. Then the two older ones share a bed and Patrick and I get the other one. Our kids all share a room at home so they’re used to falling asleep with eachother and go down fairly easily. Since we travel so often, they’re used to doing our bedtime routine in various places. They’re pretty flexible. - How often do you travel?
It really depends on our schedule and Patrick’s job situation. We probably head to the in-laws 3 times a year and go away 3 to 5 other weekends a year.
I’m probably missing some other ones but that’s a good start. Since we’re on the travel topic and you know I love a good deal, I want to mention a new site that I learned about from BzzAgent. It’s called SniqueAway. It’s kinda like a deal of the day site for luxurious hotels. Most of the ones I see, make me want to pack a bag and leave tomorrow just for an adventure. The price is right in most cases and would let us explore some cities we haven’t been to yet. The catch? You need to be invited. I got my invite from BzzAgent and now I’m inviting you. Click here to check it out.
]]>Kids, with their faster metabolisms, also get cranky when they’re hungry. Cranky kids usually means a downward slide of bad behavior which results in a cranky mom.
If you’re anything like us, you spend a lot of time in the car and sometimes find yourself gone longer than you thought and completely unprepared when it comes to sustenance.
Experience tells me that a last minute trip to Target on the way home from school with 3 kids who are probably due for a mid-afternoon snack and a mom who is too budget and diet conscious to stop and buy a fast food snack is the perfect storm for whiny-ness and meltdowns.
Solution?
Keep a snack with low glycemic index in the car for such as time as this. It should also be a snack that easy to eat in the car and doesn’t spoil easily.
For us it’s various forms of pretzels. Other options would be seeds, nuts, and crackers.
Our kids (and I) do much better when we have a little carb/protein boost.
You might also want to keep a couple extra bottled waters for good measure.
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