Winter is a tough time of year to pack light, but it IS possible to do so. The easiest solution: winter wear that packs down small. We love our 'puffies'! The best packable jackets keep kids and parents warm during winter travel, but fit well into suitcases for carry-on travel: What Pit Stops for Kids' Dad is wearing: Arc'teryx Atom LT: No one does lightweight, quality, technical jackets … [Read more...]
Travel gear we use: packing cubes and TSA bags for the family
October 28, 2016 By
Today in our Travel Gear We Use series, we're talking about using packing cubes to make family packing easy! Below are the packing cubes we use for every trip, as well as the carry-on liquid quart bag we recommend. Many families consider packing cubes just for air travel, but we use them every time we pack. Most recently, packing cubes made our lives easier en route to a Lake Tahoe vacation … [Read more...]
Travel Gear We Use: Four most comfortable travel pants for moms
October 14, 2016 By
A few great pairs of travel pants go a long way...my favorites have gone from Northwest hiking trails to European cities to Central American marketplaces, and many more locations in-between. If you plan to pack light and travel carry-on only, it's essential to bring a few pairs of pants that can do it all. For women, here are my absolute most comfortable travel pants: Toad & Co Cassi … [Read more...]
My oh my: Which insulated water bottle to buy?!
September 23, 2016 By
At each season's Outdoor Retailer show (where new products from outdoor and travel brands are showcased and introduced), one or two top travel trends always emerge. This summer, one of those trends was insulated water bottles. It started with HydroFlask, and now, it seems every water bottle company has their own version of a double-walled, vacuum-sealed, stainless steel water bottle. Which to buy … [Read more...]
Travel products to protect against Zika Virus
September 9, 2016 By
We love family adventure, but we're careful to be mindful of threats to family safety while we travel. Before you go to Central or South America, or the Caribbean, make sure you pack these travel products to protect against Zika or other mosquito-borne illnesses. And of course, always consult a health care professional before any trip to a destination known to have a Zika threat, to discuss any … [Read more...]
Travel Gear We Use: GoTenna review
July 8, 2016 By
When we visited Paris last winter, we spent a wonderful day in the Louvre. At least, it was mostly wonderful, except for the two hours we spent looking for each other. My husband had our two older sons in one section, and I had our youngest in another, and our plans to 'find each other later' went woefully sideways. We both had phones, but had put them in airplane mode to save on our international … [Read more...]
Aventura capri breakdown: Which Aventura capri pant to buy
July 1, 2016 By
For today's Travel Gear We Use, I want to take a moment to compare various style of my favorite travel pants and capris. If you've checked out Aventura Clothing, you can probably see why this brand is my favorite for traveling in. Aventura clothes are almost all organic cotton, which don't wrinkle, they're designed for an active lifestyle, and they're comfortable and practical. Me, wearing … [Read more...]
Travel Gear We Use: Ecoths shirts for teen travel
June 3, 2016 By
We've been singing the praises of men's clothing line Ecōths for several years now. Part of my favorite clothing company, Aventura, Ecōths is all about comfortable, practical men's wear that's environmentally and socially responsible. Not only are many of the offerings made from recycled or organic materials, Ecōths' GOOD SAM program has donated over 150,000 meals across the US to local food … [Read more...]
Travel Gear We Use: Camping Comfort Items
April 20, 2016 By
We used to be hardcore minimalist campers...until we starting reviewing camping gear. Then we realized there's a whole slew of fun, convenient camping items we now can't live without. Turns out, we like to be comfortable! While we still camp in a minimalist fashion when it comes to backpacking gear, we've added the following camping comfort items to our car camping experience. Big Agnes … [Read more...]
Travel Gear We Use: Best cameras for small hands
April 15, 2016 By
A good camera or HD video device is essential gear for most families traveling today. We agree, and take it one step further: it's wonderful to put the camera in the hands of a child. Kids become more engaged with their surroundings when they have some control over documenting the trip, and we find our tweens and teens pay better attention on historic site visits or at natural attractions when … [Read more...]
