Kids Travel Blog Recommendation - Baby Loves to travel

I've found a great kids travel site called:

http://www.babylovestotravel.com/

It's written by an Australian lady with 2 kids living in the UAE with her Canadian husband. She has loads of great articles and Travel Questions.  Here's an interesting one on coping with jetlag:

http://www.babylovestotravel.com/airtravel/little-observations-on-jet-lag-and-toddlers/

I want this! Kids Travel Sickness Lollipops

Keep your kids quiet and ease travel sickness?  Yes please

Every toddler loves a lollipop and what better to keep them quiet on a plane than give them one of these on take off....

I bought a pack for my upcoming flight to LA this weekend.  Will keep you posted as to how effective they are.

Weekend away from London: week in Cornwall with 17 mth old

By Georgina Sturmer

Sometimes you just need to get away from London without the hassle of flights and jetlag.  In October, however, you can't rely on sunshine, so we wanted to stay where we knew that we could entertain our toddler, come rain or shine.  We spent 4 nights at Bedruthan Steps in Mawgan Porth, followed by 2 nights at the Red Barn near Bude.  Here's what we thought:

Bedruthan Steps
http://bedruthan.com/
This hotel bills itself as a luxury family friendly hotel with a stunning view across the Atlantic.  And they really know what they are talking about.  We stayed in a villa suite (with a separate room with 2 bunkbeds and space for a cot) which had French windows leading directly out to an outdoor play area. The food is excellent, with one restaurant catering all day long for family meals (with bibs, plastic cups and sippy cups all available) and another restaurant open for grown ups to enjoy a nice meal without the kids.  Jamie Oliver's Fifteen is nearby, as are lots of gorgeous beaches and other good places to eat. We had a few minor gripes, for example, there are lots of stairs to get from the main hotel area down to the villa rooms which is a bit of a hassle with a little one.  But all in all, this is the perfect place to relax and have a proper holiday.

View from room 111 at Bedruthan Steps

The Red Barn
We found this place http://www.venn-farm.co.uk/redbarn-01.asp on the Baby Friendly Boltholes website http://www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk/ and stayed there for 2 nights after Bedruthan Steps.  After the ease of Bedruthan, it was a bit of a shock to the system to have to cook for ourselves (and our toddler!) again but other than that, the Red Barn was lovely.  The main living area is spacious and very stylish, with 2 decent sized bedrooms (one Master with a double and one Twin with space for a cot) and a lovely bathroom.  The whole place has been kitted out to a really high standard the owners obviously take great pride in what they do.  The kitchen is lovely to cook in, and the lounge has a great selection of DVDs, games and books although the TV is a bit small.  If you're lucky enough to have sunshine, there is a BBQ on the decking and if not there is a fire in the lounge which kicks out some serious heat.  We were provided with a travel cot and a highchair, and stairgates which were incredibly useful.  Our little girl loved playing in the garden and visiting the chickens each morning to find eggs for breakfast.  If you do choose to stay here, and we would recommend it, just be careful as you drive up to the property.  The single lane track gives way to an even narrower driveway, so just hope that you don't bump into anyone coming in the opposite direction.

Four Seasons Family Travel Blog

Did you know that the Four Seasons has a family travel blog?  Neither did I.

But it's actually very interesting.  Of course it's a walking advert for Four Seasons Hotels.  And yes, the contributors are Four Seasons employees who probably get to travel at discounted rates and have top notch service thrown at them.  However, they do offer some interesting ideas on where to go with kids

http://family.fourseasons.com/

Jetset Babies - Baby supplies shipped to your holiday destination

Here's an interesting idea....  A company that will ship baby supplies to your holiday destination.
I came across this website by accident and if you are travelling within the US and concerned about luggage allowance etc, you should definitely check it out.

http://www.jetsetbabies.com/index.htm

The company offers a wide range of goods from food & drink, baby toys, bath time, diapers to pool toys.  Simply check with your hotel that they will receive a package on your behalf and then place your order at least 14 days prior to your visit.

The website mainly focuses on US travel but it does offer shipping internationally.

Trip Review: Sri Lanka with a 1 year old

A big thank you to Samar for her wonderful report on travelling to Sri Lanka with a 1 year old.  Sri Lanka has long been on my bucket list with dreams of curries, elephant safaris, tea plantations and golden beaches....

Sri Lanka Review

We decided to go to the Cultural Triangle as we're a little bored of beach vacations.  The biggest issue with this is the long drive from the airport.  150km takes 4-5 hours.  We specifically booked flights that meant we would be driving during my daughter's nap/sleep times so in the end the drive wasn't that bad.  Basically the roads are single lane, poorly paved, if at all, and all going through little towns so slow traffic.  But lots of fun/interesting stuff to see along the way.

We stayed at Ulagalla Resort, an eco friendly place on 50 acres near Anaradhapura:

i-escape.com/ulagalla-resort/overview

We chose it because we wanted a private pool villa and loved the rest of the atmosphere.  We were not disappointed!  Gorgeous place - lots of natural wildlife - iguanas, monkeys, birds, peacocks all around us, and the most amazing staff of any resort we've ever stayed.  They would sweep in and take our daughter as soon as she started to fuss and walk her around and play with her so we could eat in peace. She loved all of them. The food was delicious and the chef prepared all my daughter's salt-free with no problem. The veg is all from their on-site organic garden.  One day we even went with the chef to pick our own veggies from the garden and then had a cooking demonstration.

The sights were totally worth it and we were able to do them quite easily with our 1 year old.  Sigirya - a palace on a mountain known as the Machu Picchu of the East was our favourite - we climbed the 1300 steps with our daughter in a carrier.  Anaradhapura and the cave temples at Dhumbulla were also fantastic.

Loved our trip - wish there was a direct flight to Colombo (currently you have to stop in Singapore) or we would have booked another one - this time to the beaches perhaps.  People of SL are truly wonderful - friendly and warm and helpful.  Would definitely recommend that people go before the roads are paved and it gets busier - we didn't see many tourists and loved that!

More Hand Luggage Tips from www.traveling-kids.blogspot.com

This lady writes a great travel blog.  If you are travelling to Canada, make sure you give it a good read as she is based out of Vancouver and has lots of advice.

I'm really trying to pack the best hand luggage of my life for our Texas trip next week!  Here's the advice from Traveling-Kids.Blogspot.com

http://www.traveling-kids.blogspot.hk/2011/01/what-to-pack-in-your-hand-luggage-when.html

Family Friendly Chiang Mai

I've mentioned in a previous post that Dragonair have started direct flights from Hong Kong to Chiang Mai - hooray!

Sassy Mama recently stayed at Le Meridiens, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.  Check out the article here:

http://sassymamahk.com/sawadika-family-friendly-chiang-mai-and-chiang-rai/

On offer are temples, markets, Tiger Kingdom, Monkey Centre, Crocodile Farms....

For older kids you can't beat the elephant trekking and a day at thai cookery school

If you have unlimited cash, stay at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai.  Their Gecko Club welcomes children 4-12 and offers complimentary games and activities daily.  If you wish to nurture your own culinary genius, why not pack your kids off to the Gecko Club and enrol yourself at their onsite Cooking School?

Toddler milk on vacation

My sister gave me a great piece of advice following her recent New England Road Trip.

If you are travelling with a milk drinking toddler, pack some 'Growing Up Milk' in your suitcase.

There are lots of milk products on the market but I have just bought:

Whilst liquid restrictions mean I might not be able to take this on the plane, at least I'll have this at the ready once I get my luggage.  It will save you having to make a dash to the nearest supermarket or even wait for room service to bring up milk.  And if you're even more organised, test it out on your toddler before your trip!

Five Star Kids

My great friend Adam recently chanced upon an Australian kids travel magazine in an airline lounge.  Entitled 'Five Star Kids', it has some great ideas on where & how to travel with your kids super luxe style.

There's an online version here:

http://www.luxurytravelmag.com.au/FiveStarKids

I am particularly inspired by Bronwyn Ridgeway's article on travels in India:

http://www.luxurytravelmag.com.au/India

Luxury houseboat - yes please!

Packing List: 2 week US roadtrip with 16 mth old

Who:  My sister Georgina, her husband and 16 mth old daughter
What:  2 weeks travelling around Boston & New England in September

What I Packed in Suitcases
Clothing - Vests, sleepsuits, day clothes, socks, buggy blanket
Buggy - Citi Mini Baby Jogger
Travel Highchair - Baby Polar Gear Booster Seat
Swimming - Swim nappies, UV swimsuit, inflatable ring
Changing - Nappies, nappy sacks, cotton wool, baby wipes, hand gel, disposable changing mats
Toiletries - Nail scissors, bath thermometer, calpol, teething granules, Karvol, shampoo, bubble bath, hairbrush, toothpaste
Toys - Couple of soft toys, favourite book and stacking cups.  The cups are so versatile as you can play with them in the hotel, bath or at the beach.
Food & Drink - Bottles, bottle washing up brush, spoons, toddler milk, finger food, sippy cup, bibs.  Also an ice pack, tupperware and small freezer bag.  Most of the places we stayed at had a freezer so I would keep the ice pack in there when were in the room and then use this to pack snacks & meals.
Baby Monitor - BT150 which can play music and displays temperature
Shoes - sandals, jelly shoes (which she refused to wear)
Sleeping - Grobags, travel cot sheets
Reins - Littlelife Toddler Animal Daysack (which we didn't end up using as she is not yet steady enough on her feet)

What I wished I had packed
-  Car Window sunblind.  We didn't think of bringing ours and I really wish I had done to keep the sun out of her eyes on long car journeys.

What I didn't bother taking
Car Seat - we just rented one directly with our Hertz car rental
Travel cot - we booked most of our accommodation in advance and in each case we had a crib (cot) or pack & play (travel cot)

What I packed in hand luggage
Travel documentation - Passport, insurance details, red book
Clothing - change of clothes for us all.  When she did vomit onboard, my husband was absolutely covered in sick
Changing - Nappies, nappy sacks, baby wipes, hand gel, disposable changing mats
Food & Drink - Bottles, toddler milk (preordered Boots airside), snacks, sippy cups

Flight Review: British Airways - London Heathrow to Boston with 16 mth old

Who:  My sister Georgina, with her husband and 16 month old toddler
What:  British Airways BA0239 departs Heathrow 7.30pm and arrives 9.40pm.  The return leg BA0238 departs Boston 8am and arrives Heathrow 7.25pm

Check-In and Departures
Heathrow Terminal 5 is pretty easy to navigate for families:

• Family friendly lanes at security
• Baby milk and food available to preorder from Boots
• Plenty of places to eat, Carluccio's landside, and Wagamama, Giraffe and Plane Food airside
• Plenty of baby changing facilities that are separate from the male/female toilets so that you can go in together

Boston Departure (International Terminal) was pretty basic.  Baby changing facilities were in the toilets so you can't go in there together (dad was pretty happy to get out of nappy changing duties).  They made me taste my baby formula at security and I could not see anywhere in the terminal to buy more formula (or baby supplies).

Bassinet

BA offers 'car seat' for older babies that fits in the same place as a bassinet in the bulkhead seats.  They generally carry enough of them on board, but just in case there weren't enough, we asked for one at check-in, at the gate and when boarding as well.

Onboard

The car seat was big enough for our (large) 16 mth old but she wasn't totally happily sleeping in it. She spent the flight partly on our laps and partly playing on the floor. We lined the car seat with our Moorck baby hoodie which did keep it nice and cosy and also acted as a barrier when she vomited everywhere.

Arrival

We were greeted on arrival in Boston with an horrendous queue that was over an hour long.  We waited for a few minutes with an overtired baby and no buggy (you have to wait until baggage reclaim to collect it) and I then went up to the front to ask to be let through as we had a young baby and they let us through straight away.  Taxis into town are easily available and pretty affordable.

Travelling to the US? Check if you need an ESTA

My friend was headed to the US on a business trip via Vancouver.  Having been planning my own US road trip I mentioned the word ESTA to him....  His response, Esther?  Who?

Well here's the thing... if you are travelling to the US under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) YOU REQUIRE AN ESTA!

Luckily most applications get a response immediately so you don't have to panic.

Check here to see if your country requires you to have one:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html#countries

Here is the form for your ESTA:
https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

To complete the online form, have all your family's passports (children require ESTA), wallet and travel details e.g. Flight Number, Address on Arrival

An ESTA will cost approx USD $14 and you can pay by Credit Card.

For further questions, check out this useful site:

http://www.essentialtravel.co.uk/magazine/q-and-a/esta.asp

I Want This!: Kidz Gear Headphones

My daughter always complains her headphones are too big on planes.  So when my friend Claire showed me a pic of her son with his funky Kidz Gear headphones, I knew I had to get them....!

http://www.gearforkidz.com/

Kid Friendly Travels in Cyprus: The Anassa Hotel

The ever entertaining Giles Coren wrote a great article in The Times entitled 'I swore I'd never fly with a baby'.  If you have paid to subscribe to The Times then read it here:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/travel/holidays/family/article3530818.ece

If not, I'll highlight what Giles has made sound like the perfect Cyprus getaway hotel at The Anassa

• A program called Baby Go Lightly.  Wow, you can order all your baby kit to be ready for you, from potties to baby baths to baby gyms and buggies.  I have never seen such a comprehensive list - hotels should take note of this service, this is the way forward!
• A well staffed creche for 4 mth to 47 mths.  Yes you do have to pay for it but at 30 Euros per half day, that's not too bad and worth it for a suntan & read of a book....
• For the older kids, a complimentary kids club 4-12 and a teen club for 12-17
• Kids pool with loads of inflatable toys