There is no doubt that family ski vacation is expensive. There is no sugar coat about it. There is only a small window each year for you to enjoy this winter sport and there are only handful of ski resorts you can visit. So when planning a family ski trip, starts with answering these three questions: What mountain should we ski/snowboard? Where should we stay while we are there? and how much we are willing to spend on lift tickets and equipment rental?

A family ski vacation can easily cost a family thousands of dollars, but there are budget tips to help family to get by on about $150 a day per person. Here are some money saving strategies for planning your next family ski trip.

Ski During Off Season

Ski resorts are busy during holidays and school break. The full peak season typically start after Christmas. So you can snag a great deal if you plan your trip before or after those peak season. A trip to Colorado mountain ski resorts after Thanksgiving or before Christmas will save you several hundred dollars on lift tickets and accommodation for a family of four.

Visit Areas with Multiple Resorts

In the areas with multiple ski resorts, the competition will drive cost down and be beneficial to us, family travelers. The Salt Lake City or Colorado mountain towns, such as Breckenridge, Vail or Keystone, have several resorts within driving distance so you will have more choices and deals to choose from.

Ski at “Low Keys” Resorts

If flying to Salt Lake City or Colorado is out of your budget, it doesn’t mean you can’t still plan for family ski vacation in other low keys ski resorts. California and Washington in the West coast have several ski resorts within driving distance and West Virginia & North Carolina offer ski slopes that can be fun for the families look for ski near Atlanta with out the high price tag.

Stay Up to Date with Package Deals

Even before the ski season starts, sign up to resorts’ newsletter to receive update and deals. Many will offer great deals for family travel like Kids Stay Free & Ski Free. Flexibility is the key to be able to take advantage of this kind of deal because most of the time the deal will have restriction and will not be available during peak season. Hence, tip #1.

Make it a Group Vacation

Most ski resorts will offer group rate if you have 15 persons or more. If you can get a group of friends together, plan your vacation together will save on lift tickets and ski rentals. Most time you can save up to 20% of the normal rate. For family of 4, you just need 3 more families to join your trip. The planning doesn’t involve more work. You will need to call ahead and make a reservation for your group.

Go with Multiple Day Passes

If you already know you want to ski more than one day, purchase multiple day pass will add additional saving to your lift tickets and rental. Most resorts will offer additional discount for multi-day passes and even upgrade option to seasonal pass. For families, most resorts will also offer free child lift ticket with adult ticket purchased.

Pack Lunch and Cook Dinner

For many families, cooking during your vacation is the last thing you want to do. But when you travel with your family eating out every meal can add up rather quickly. Instead, pack simple sandwich for lunch will save at least $30 for a family. Lunch at ski slope can be expensive and you will also be wasting time lining up with other skiers for lunch line at the food court. Bring it along if skiing with a backpack, or store it in a cooler in a locker. At dinner time, a quick simple meal will satisfy everyone and keep the money in your wallet. Staying in an accommodation with small kitchen will cost a bit more but will give you space and ways to save on food.

Family Ski Tips & Resources from Other Travel Bloggers

General Family Ski Tips

• Family travel tips: How to get kids ready to downhill ski – From Mother of All Trips
• Tackling Tahoe with Toddlers -  From Frisco Kids
• Tips for Family Ski Trips from a Former Scaredy Cat Skier – From Travel Mamas
• Tips for Planning the Best Family Ski Vacation – From Ciao Bambino

Location Specific Family Ski Tips

• Kids Ski – Free! If They’re In The NY 4th Grade Ski & Ride Passport Program – From Albany Kids
• Review: Smuggler’s Notch in Winter with Kids – From Jersey Kids
• Slopeside Condo – From Bedroom Slippers to Ski Boots at Sunday River – From Albany Kids
• Whistler Weekend – From The Travelling Mom
• Whistler Wonderland – From The Travelling Mom
• Whistler Trip Report Jan 2009 – From Wander Mom
• First Ski Lesson at Whistler – From Delicious Baby
• Family Winter Ski Vacation in Tahoe – From Road Trips for Families

Do you have other budget tips to plan family ski vacation to share?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Travel Tips: How to Plan a Family Ski Trip on a Budget is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Family vacations are a time for making lasting memories with the ones you love, however getting through the airport – past the gift shops and fast food restaurants – to your flight and on your way to your destination can be stressful when you have kids in tow.

Whether you’re heading to the mountains, beach, or grandma’s house, flying doesn’t have to be a dreaded hurdle to leap over on your way to vacation bliss. Follow these mom-tested family air travel tips, and you and your little ones will be airborne and on your way to having fun in no time.

1. Check-in with your airlines before you leave

Most airlines allow passengers to check-in for their flight and print their boarding passes at home, and some even offer the option of check-in using your smart phone. By checking in ahead of time, you and your family will avoid standing in a long line for your boarding passes, which is tedious for anyone, but it’s especially difficult for antsy little ones. If you don’t have a printer or forget to check-in prior to arriving at the airport, you can also use a self-serve kiosk to speed up the process.

2. Travel light

If possible, limit what you and your family brings on the trip to what will fit in your carry-on baggage. Most airlines allow each passenger one small piece of luggage and one personal item, such as a purse, small backpack, or laptop case. Tell kids that they will have to carry their own bag for the trip, so that they don’t pack more than what’s necessary. Carrying on your bags will also save your family money since most airlines are now charging fees for checked luggage. If you have to check luggage, make sure to find out your airline’s baggage limits prior to departing, since the rules vary by company. Also, make sure all bags – especially children’s – have an identification tag, whether they’re being checked or not.

3. Fuel up

Have your family eat a meal or substantial snack prior to leaving for the airport.. This is especially important if you have kids who tend to get grumbly tummies when flying. Eating beforehand will help you avoid unnecessary trips to the airport food court where the options tend to be unhealthy and pricey. If you’re going to be airborne for an extended amount of time, pack a healthy snack for your family to eat while they’re en route. You may also want to bring empty water bottles to fill once you’re past airport security, so you can avoid purchasing drinks near your gate or on the flight.

4. Be prepared for airport security checkpoints

This can be one of the most stressful parts of traveling with children since it requires showing IDs and getting through the x-ray machines. The Transportation Security Administration is required to screen everyone and their bags, regardless of age, so be prepared to show your family’s IDs and know what you can and cannot carry on to the plane. If you are traveling with an infant, you must carry him/her through the x-ray machine. You cannot leave the child in their stroller or carrier. Some good news about security checkpoints is that the TSA now allows travelers ages 12 and younger to leave their shoes on through the security checkpoint, so no more wrestling with shoelaces before and after screenings!

5. Reserve your airport parking

Online sites, such as Airport Parking Reservations, now allow travelers the convenience of pre-booking their airport parking space. With these sites you can check rates and availability for any type of parking you’re looking for – whether you prefer a garage space, covered lot, outdoor parking, or valet service. By reserving your parking space ahead of time, you save time and money, and you don’t have to stress about searching for a spot once you arrive at the airport. Plus, a reserved spot is extremely helpful if you and your family are running late for your flight or if someone has to use the bathroom!

So what other tips you have to help reduce stress on family air travel?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 5 Simple Ways to Make Family Air Travel Less Stressful is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

There is no doubt that you will encounter the lines, really long lines, in Disney World’s theme parks and Walt Disney World Resorts.

The most important thing you can do to help ease that boring lines is to prepare your family mentally and physically.

One of the best way we have used in countless times during our family vacation is the trusty portable electronic toys like LeapFrog Leapster (when they were toddler and pre-schooler) and Nintendo DSi (now that they are in elementary school).

I can’t tell you how much whining we saved during our trip to Disney. From waiting to get on the Disney’s bus back to our fabulous hotel at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to waiting for a good meal at Yak & Yeti in Animal Kingdom.

For us, it’s also a little reward for them during our trip. They don’t usually spend a lot of time at home with this toys. We keep it locked up at home. So it’s something that they look forward to and it’s part of our travel that they love.

However, I do wish that there will be more educational games in Nintendo DS. When we had Leapster, it was pretty easy to find educational and fun games for them.

Check out other travelers pictures from Delicious Baby Photo Friday.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The Best Way to Combat Long Lines in Disney World is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

For Thanksgiving break, our family travel to Florida to get some fun in the sunny Kissimmee and Orlando. I was also blogging about our experience at Visit Kissimmee Blog.

We seem to go to Florida at least once a year. It may be because the nostalgic reason that pulls us back from living there for almost 10 years or the magical pixie dust from Walt Disney World. But for whatever reason, after numerous road trips down I-75 from Atlanta to Orlando, never once did we stopped at Cracker Barrel.

But it was changed on this trip. We visit Cracker Barrel not once but twice during our trip in Florida. The first visit was during our road trip down from Atlanta.

Family Friendly Stop Along the Highway

Cracker Barrel is a chain restaurant that you can easily find along the highway in most states. It’s not just a restaurant though. It’s an old country style restaurant and store.

On our visit, we were on a road for almost 10 hours for what should have been an 8 hours road trip (that will be another post in another time). So we were in need of a break. A real break not just a quick stop at the rest area or a drive-thru at McDonald. So we decided to stop at Cracker Barrel for dinner and enjoyed a sit down meal to stretch our legs.

The front porch invites you to sit down and enjoy a leisure evening with a set of chess ready for you for a match with your kids.

As soon as you walk inside the store, you will be overwhelmed with various products in the store. It’s the old country store similar to Mast General Store in Asheville. Needless to say, my kids’ mood had shifted from being grumpy to happy in an instant. That’s a good sign in my book.

Even with the evening hour, the restaurant is rather empty with plenty of tables so we got seated right away.

The food.. oh.. the food.. hmm.. How should I say this? I think the food is nothing to write home about. It’s typical southern comfort food. Or it might be a long drive that subdue my appetite. Mr. Rojo said his breakfast meal was pretty good though. So you might want to try out the breakfast menu instead. They do serve breakfast all day. But we did enjoy our fun on the peg game that was available on each table. We loved it so much that we bought one for each kid so they can practice and become a genius.

After the meal, that’s when the fun started. We took our time checking out the store. I love to check out the old toy and other snacks. Too bad that it was late in the evening so candies was out of the question for this trip. It was a good call on our part to stop here.

Another neat feature that make Cracker Barrel unique is the ‘Books-On-Audio’ rental program. Basically, you can rent an audio book for $3.49 per week and return at ANY Cracker Barrel. It’s a great cheap entertainment option on a road.

So if you are on a long road trip and look for a break, Cracker Barrel might not be a local restaurant but in a pinch it’s a great stop for kids and adults as well.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Road Trip With Kids: Fun Family Friendly Stop for Family Travel on the Road is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

For active Twitter users especially the travel bloggers or travelers, #TravelTuesday is one of the most active and fun day of the week. It started by @WhereIveBeen to help travels to connect and share their favorite URLs, pictures, blog posts and more!

Bring Travel Tuesday to the Blog

I tend to miss out on the fun during the day and hate that I don’t have enough space to highlight my favorite tweets of the week. So I decided that every Tuesday I will bring #TravelTuesday to my blog. Each Tuesday, I will highlight great travel-related posts I have found.

So without further ado, let’s meet my first 5 #TravelTuesday Twitter for this week.

Great Family Travel Tip for Many Uses of Ziplock by @DeliciousBaby

@DeliciousBaby is a great resource for family travel including tips, travel stories and review for kid-friendly hotels. I have been following her blog religiously.

This week, she provided a great list of 20 reasons to bring the ziplock bag when you travel. I mean can you say cheap iPad bag?

Top 10 Things to Do With Kids in Sydney, Australia by @DavidRobertHogg

@DavidRobertHogg is the man behind the blog – My Little Nomads, which is full of great family travel tips to many great destinations. The blog is a great resource for family with kids who plan to travel to different parts of the world whether it will be Thailand, Japan, Greece or Australia.

The latest post, Top 10 Things to Do with Kids in Sydney, is one that I will definitely come back to read over and over again. I love post about things to do with kids in a city and I love it even more when that said city is Sydney, Australia. We have been dreaming about planning a trip to Sydney for a while so this post is a great starting point for us.

Exploring Thailand by Train by @ThePlanetD

@ThePlanetD is one of my favorite adventure couple in the blogosphere. Their site, The Planet D, is a great resource for travelers and travel bloggers who want to get more information about adventure travel, exotic destinations, or travel tips. In addition, travel bloggers will get the benefit of their insight about how to become a full-time travel bloggers. What I love about Dave & Deb is their transparency and their willingness to share and help others.

This week post that I want to highlight is a great post about train travel in Thailand. Hello!! What not to like when they talk about travel to Thailand. Exploring Thailand by Train gives readers the alternative way to explore Thailand that most visitors might not think about.

Volunteer Mentoring Youth in Asia Continue Years After by @ShannonRTW

@ShannonRTW is the brain behind A Little Adrift blog. Shannon blogs about her RTW trip and many interesting things she did along the way. When I first started reading, I was pulled to her blog from her compassion. Her blog is such an inspiration for me to try to find a way to give back during traveling.

Her latest post is a great example of what an inspiration she is to the travel blogging community. A Little Volunteering…Continued Mentoring Years Later shows that sometimes the best gift you can give to a person is your time and your compassion!

The World is Pretty in Pink by @JenLaceda

@JenLaceda is a super woman who has not only one but three blogs that are filled with beautifully written posts and amazing photos. I don’t know how I found My Folie A Deux but I knew that I spent half a day just reading her archives and looking at those beautiful pictures from her travel all around the world.

And today’s post will give you the best way to see her talent. The World is Pretty in Pink is a photo story from Jen to show her favorite places around the world and they are all in pink!

I hope you visit and follow them if you don’t already do.

So leave me a comment and let me know your favorite #TravelTuesday post or tweet this week!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Twitter Travel Tuesday: Travel Stories from All Around Twitter World is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Travel with kids can be a budget buster for many families but there is a way for you to help save on your next trip with a little planning.

Recently, I have been introduced to a new group deal site that focuses on family-friendly products and activities – Savvy Source.

I am fortunate to live in Atlanta where we have probably one of the most daily deal sites in town.

But even if your city doesn’t have any similar deal site available, you can still check out the destination of your next vacation.

Here are the deals I found in Savvy Source this week from major cities:

San Francisco Bay Area:

$47 for: Family membership to the Oakland Zoo ($95 value)
Have a zoo-per day with the bears, elephants, lions and more.

Atlanta:

$25 for: Art classes and workshops at The Little House of Art ($50 value)
Get your up-and coming-artist started on the road to creativity.

Charlotte:

$10 for: Three dance and fitness drop-in classes at Funkytown Parties ($20 value)
Get movin’ and groovin’ at the coolest party spot in town

Dallas Fort Worth:

$22 for: Family 4-pack of admission tickets to Dinosaur World
($45 value)
Travel back in time to when dinosaurs roam the earth

Houston:

$25 for: Pop-In Playtime Bounce Card (10 visits) to Pump It Up ($50 value)
Head to the Inflatable Party Zone and get ready to bounce the house!

Minneapolis:

$26.5 for: An ‘I Get Around’ journal kit and Open Studio 2 Experience at Kiddywampus ($53 value)
Inspiring little ones to create and explore

New York:

$42 for: Pioneer Membership to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum ($85 value)
With all-new exhibits and programs, little ones will be seeing the world with fresh eyes

Philadelphia:

$10 for: Paint your own pottery at The Mud Room ($20 value)
Mud, masterpieces, and memories!

San Francisco Bay Area:

$50 for: Family and Caregiver Membership to Aquarium of the Bay ($100 value)
Go beneath the waves of the San Francisco Bay and discover an underwater world.

Seattle:

$25 for: Eco-friendly toys and crafts at Planet Happy Kids ($50 value)
Making kids happy while keeping the planet happy

I love the family membership program in many children museums, zoo or aquarium. Check out their detail and you might be able to use it in other cities as well!

Also you can join their partner program and receive commission on referral to your friends and families.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Saving Tip on Family Vacation Trip: Check out Local City Deals is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Last year, travel blogger community started by Katie Sorene from Tripbase shared ‘3 Best Kept Travel Secrets‘ with one another. What started as a way to connect to each other has gone viral and has become a launching pad for a way to help a great non-profit cause.

What is The Travel Secret E-Book Series?

Tripbase has collected and compiled many incredible secrets into a Free Travel Secrets E-Books series. There are over 150 travel bloggers contributed their unique and inspiring travel tips and secrets over the course of the project. Each one of the travel secret is compiled into a series of unique travel e-books.

There are many e-books in the series that help in any type of travel styles. For my family travel readers, you can see my ’3 Best Family Travel Secrets’ in the Family Travel eBook.

Who is “Charity:Water”?

Charity: Water is a great non-profit organization that aims to help bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. The organization operates with the help of private donors that allows your donation to go directly (100%) to the water project.

What Is In It For Me? And How Can I Help?

You can help bring clean water to many developing countries around the world by donate to Charity: Water campaign or download our Travel Secrets E-Book series.

I’ve helped, please help too

Download Free eBooks

led by Tripbase

So in a sense, you get free valuable travel e-books from many talented and well-known travel bloggers/writers and you will help contribute to the Charity: Water campaign.

For every person that downloads a Travel Secrets eBook Tripbase will make a $1 donation* to the fantastic cause, Charity: Water.

* $1 Donation per download up to $5,000, half a dollar to $10,000, and 25 cents to $15,000. Total donation cap is $15,000.

So what are you waiting for? Download all 7 E-Books (there might be more additional ebook in the future if they receive more tips) and help bring clean water to developing nations!!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Free Travel Secrets E-Books for a Great Cause is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

When it comes to flying, I don’t think I can consider myself a flight expert. But with a few international flights with kids under my belt, I think I have learned a few things or two over the years. As we plan a Summer trip to Thailand with our kids, I start to collect information and start planning. One of the first thing is to secure a ticket to fly back from the land of the free to the land of smiles.

Getting Cheap Tickets

There is a great article from Frugal Traveler on booking a flight the frugal way. What a perfect timing! So this post won’t be talking about how to score the cheap flight to Bangkok. Because quite frankly, I just use the Thai travel agent. I think they have provided the best price.

Things To Know Before Flying with Kids

Getting tickets is just the beginning of your trip. It’s something that I used to think that I can now relax and plan my itinerary on my destination and get to the airport with plenty of time to board my flight.

Oh.. How wrong was I!

There are a few things you must do before (way before) you trip to help ensure that you will have a smooth flight.

1. Sign up for that reservation notification – Flights DO change!

Once you have booked your tickets and received your reservation, go ahead and give them your information (email or phone) so they can contact you if there is any changes in your schedule. Trust me, you will want them to contact you. Or make it a schedule to check your reservation every other weeks to see if there is anything changes.

My recent trip to San Diego I didn’t know about the schedule change till it was closer to our departure date. By that time, I was too late to be able to assigned seats for us to sit together. I forked up a few more bucks for extra legroom so that at least one of us will sit with our kids.

And I just got off the phone with Delta to book myself and my kids on a new flight back from Narita to Atlanta. Why? Because the flight from Bangkok to Narita has new schedule and I will only have less than an hour for the connecting flight. Luckily, I received notification way before my travel date that we are able to get booked on the new flight and get a good pick of good seats.

2. Find the best seat and get it assigned

If you plan ahead and book your flight early, your chance of getting your seats together with your family and your kids is high. So don’t wait until the last minute. Go online and pull up your reservation to get the best seat you can get.

I typically use Seat Guru or Seat Expert to check out for the best seat. I have to say it doesn’t give much of the ‘Best’ seat but it will give you enough information to make a good decision.

I didn’t know before checking their sites that on one of my flight half of the economy class will be equip with power outlet. Traveling with kids in this digital age, power outlet is like pure gold. So I wouldn’t have known that with our economy class ticket we will get the privilege to have such amenity!!! Needless to say, I go ahead and get our seat in the front section to secure myself a seat with outlet. Now, if I know how to find it on the plane.

3. Online check-in but double check your gate at the airport

With the airlines charge you from checking your bag to checking in at the counter, it’s probably one of a must do before you leave your house heading to the airport. Checking in online will not only save time but money when you fly with your kids. You don’t have to wait at the counter and can proceed directly to the gate.

But one travel tip based on my own mistake is to double check your gate at the airport before you start marching down the walkway. We did that before.. Trusting in the accuracy of the boarding pass in my hand, we headed to the wrong gate. Luckily, the new gate wasn’t too far from the original one.

However, when we travel internationally I still need to check in at the counter. Since we will be checking in our luggage.

4. Find Things to Do at Your Airport Beforehand

There is no doubt that half of your travel time will be spending at the airport. And if you have bad luck like us you might get stuck at the airport for longer than you want.

So before you head out, do a little research to check out if your airport for your connecting flight or your departure flight has any family-friendly facility. There are several resources that compile an extensive list of children play area in the airport in the US and major international cities. The most comprehensive one that I have found is the Kid Airport Diversion guide from Cheapflights. But make sure to double check with the airport website for more update information.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Flying With Kids: Things to Know Before You Board That Flight is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

With so many cut back and changes in airlines industry, it’s safe to say that delay at the airport or for your flight is something we have to plan for. If your flight is on time and you don’t have any delay, consider it’s a blessing.

Our recent flight from Atlanta to San Diego was a blessing. Thanks to some of the travel tips I have gather from more experience travelers. We didn’t encounter any issues at all.  Actually, I took it back. We did had an hour delay due to the glitch in the system. It was a blessing that we were able to arrive on time after all that delay.

However, the return trip was a total opposite. We had a connecting flight at Washington DC. After we landed and headed to our gate for our connection flight to Atlanta, we found out that there was a mechanical issue with our plane so we would have to wait 4 hours before the next flight. FOUR … FOUR hours in the airport on Thanksgiving Day nonetheless!!!

So how did we survive 4 hours delay at the airport with 2 kids? Here are travel tips to kill time without killing each other.

1. Explore

Airport is a big place. It’s like a city of its own. Since we just got off from the plane, it’s a great way to stretch out your legs as well. We walked around to check out the shops. But this could only last for so long. The little legs needed some rest. Plus we each had to carry our own carry-on so it was time for the next plan.

2. Stake your claim

Our next move was to find an empty and quiet area that we could sit back and relax. The area near our gate was too busy so we looked around a bit to find totally empty gate. We found our home away from home for the next 3.5 hours. A quick meal at the gate was all we did before the kids moved on to the next activity.

3. Play that game

This was the time to take out all those games and toys that we had been carrying around. We started from the card games which they really enjoyed. Then moved on to their personal Leapster games. Ah.. I couldn’t praise enough of how much I love Leapster® Learning Game System. It’s a life saver to many of our trips.

4. TV online

By the 3rd hour, there were only so many games they could enjoy. So I moved on to our next action plan – TV shows. Ok.. so the cat is out of the bag, my kids watch TV a lot during the weekend. They are Star Wars the Clone War fanatic. Luckily, we were traveling during the FREE Wifi Week. I was able get the internet access and get a few new episodes from Hulu. We didn’t bring any of the movie DVDs with us this trip. So Hulu definitely saved the day for us.

5. Stretch and clean up

Finally, we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was time to pack up and get ready for our flight. We did another round of running and walking to stretch out our legs. We brushed teeth, washed our face and changed the kids into their PJs since the flight was now so late that we would arrive at around midnight. They were all ready and hopefully went to sleep on the plane.

I can safely say we survive and it wasn’t as bad as I imagine.

So how about you? Have you had any other experience with long delay during your trip? What other tips you can share?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Family Travel Tips: How to Survive 4 Hours Delay at the Airport is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

I’m long overdue for this post… But it’s better late than never, right?

I have been nominated to participate in Tripbase’s “3 Best Kept Travel Secrets” game by our great Adventure Travel friends, Dave and Deb of The Planet D and my travel Twitter friend, The Word Wire.

“The aim of this game is to unite travel bloggers in a joint endeavor – to create an amazing list of top travel recommendations across the globe to share with the entire online travel community.” – Katie from Tripbase.com.

So here are our 3 Best Kept ‘Family’ Travel Secrets

1. Kids do NOT need a lot of toys to entertain themselves

Yes, when you travel with kids you MUST prepare some busy travel bag for them. But you don’t have to go overboard. A few toys that they love and a couple new toys will be suffice. Sometimes it’s better to use whatever available in your surrounding to distract them from boredom.

Our recent air travel, I was able to entertain Mr. Z for almost an hour with the safety document. He loved to study the whole thing. He sat there quietly and listened very carefully to the flight attendant during take off. He then continued to study all the exits and informed me that I had to put the mask on myself first before put it on to him.

2. Kids love to carry their own bag

I don’t know about yours but mine were looking forward to carrying their own carry on luggage even before our trip. I made a point to show them their luggage. I let them walk around the house a couple times to get used it but after that I put it away (you don’t want them to get tired of this new excitement before the trip). I also let them pick out their own outfits.

So if you plan any family trip, I strongly suggest considering having a carry on for each kid (probably will work best if your kid is already in school). It will give them the sense of responsibility and make them feel like a grown up. Plus who doesn’t want to save $20 per bag to check in the luggage.

3. Best souvenir is the one they make it themselves

Last week, I was talking about one of the best souvenir we bought from our San Diego Trip. It’s not only a cheap and very affordable souvenir but it also gave the kids a chance to see the whole process of making their own souvenir.

They picked what style they want. They pushed the coins in. They turned the wheel (a little bit of work out here). And voila, they had their own penny to put in their collection.

Now, I’m supposed to tag other bloggers to join in this fun. But since I’m so late to the game, I’m not sure if there is anyone else left that hasn’t been tagged. Here are my nomination and sorry if I double tag you. :)

- Jen @ Two Kids and a Map
- Mara @ Mother of All Trips
- Colleen @ Travel Mamas
- Bridget @ Family Adventure Guidebooks
- Jody @ Have Kid Will Travel

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) My 3 Best Kept ‘Family’ Travel Secrets is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

When we travel what we got back after each trip is always a really great memory, but no matter how good we are trying to be financially we tend to pick up a few things or two as our souvenirs. There is no doubt that this habit tends to be the reason we blew our vacation budget.

Penny Collector Souvenir

During our San Diego trip, I have found a new family best budget friendly souvenir for our kids.

The Penny Pressed souvenir is the best souvenir that won’t break your budget.

This little machine will cost you merely 51 cents for each penny pressed. The kids enjoyed turning the wheel to press their penny. Each machine will have different styles for you to pick from.

I really love the styles they have in there as it represents the place we visit. I would really love to take the picture of some of the pennies we have but it’s just too hard to take the picture of that little pennies.

This is not anything new. We have done this in the past. But what make a big difference in this trip was we purchased the collector book. It was a great way to store the pennies we had from each location and the kids were so looking forward to finding the machine whenver we visit a new park. Just see how many we have collected for just one trip. Ok.. We let them pick 2 pennies each. Even with that, it will be just less than $5 per kid and they can go back and look through them.

This post is part of Photo Friday. Check out other travelers fun Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Hosted by Cecily and Rachael

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The Best Budget Friendly Souvenir when Travel with Kids is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

I was afraid.. very afraid to fly with kids across the country.

We travel quite extensively over the years but mostly by car. It’s not because I don’t want to fly but it’s just way cheaper to drive for a family of 4 than fly.

However, our trip to San Diego we had no other choices but to fly. With a lot of new security regulation, the way we used to fly is no longer valid. There are new rules on things you can or can’t bring on the plane. When we travel with kids, we tend to prepare and pretty much bring the whole house with us. So this is a new challenge for us.

There are several things I have learned during our trip. It might be simple common sense but I think for a non-frequent flyer this might be a useful information to put it out there.

The Gears

I had big goal to pack only carry on luggage for our 7 days trip and I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself to be able to accomplish that.

We had 4 carry on luggage, 3 backpacks, 2 booster seats and 1 camera bag.

Kids had their own carry on luggage and their backpacks. I picked up the carry on from Walmart of all places. I don’t know how durable it will be since this is our first trip. But overall, it’s very easy to handle for small kids. It’s big enough for them to pack all their clothes, shoes, blanket and small toy.

Their backpacks are their busy bag plus snack bag. I put several toys based on their interests. But the major lifesaver is Leapster.

We also found out after our first leg of the trip that we could easily strap our booster seat to our carry on luggage. If you don’t have that you might want to bring the bungie cord with you. It will help free your hand.

Family Tips:

• For school age kids, have a carry on luggage and backpack for each kid. They can handle it easily.
• Pack simple and new toys for their busy bag in the backpack.
• Have a couple snacks and buy a bottle of water after the security check
• Strap booster seat to the adult carry on for easy travel.

The Security Check

I printed out our boarding pass before hand. So we didn’t have to stop at any counter to check in. We proceeded directly to the security line.

I was very anxious about this process but we did pretty well. Here are some tips I have learned.

• Take care of kids stuff and put theirs on the bin and have them wait in the front.
• The staff was very nice and asked if they wanted to feed the dragon. It helped keep them occupied while we were busy with our own stuff
• Leave nothing in your own pocket. Put everything in your carry on or backpack before hand
• Don’t wear belt and keep it in the carry on. You can put it back after the security line
• Put ziploc bag of your liquid on top of the carry on for easy access. If you could, you might want to retrieve it before hand and carry it in line to put it in the bin

After 5 bins, 4 carry on luggages, 3 backpacks, 2 booster seats and 1 camera bag we went through the line without any problem.

The Gate

Each airport is like a big city by itself. So one thing I have learned was to double and triple check your gate before  heading there. I was relying on my gate number from my boarding pass that I printed out but later found out that it was at the different gate.

They did warn me on the boarding pass that it might change! So double check your gate even after you have received your boarding pass.

We Made It

Once we went through the security check, it was a breeze. Now we just had to wait for our boarding. During our trip, we were faced with a bit of the hiccup. We traveled during the day that FAA computer system went down and they announced that the flight will be delayed indefinitely!! Luckily, we were able to leave only about 30 minutes later than schedule. Now, on the way back that was another story for another day.

But for now, I could say that my fear of flying with kids have been reduced.

Do you have any tips for non experience flyer?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) The Confession of A Non-Frequent Flyer Mom is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

A couple weeks ago we took the kids out for a quick Fall hike at Amicalola Fall. It all started from being stuck inside the house for the whole week from the flu. We all needed fresh air.

Amicalola Fall is our favorite close-to-home hiking place. It’s only less than an hour away and it has very easy trail for family with kids.

My long time readers know how we are such a city family that is working on enjoying more outdoor activities. So hiking is another one of my goal to try to do with my kids this year.

In order to make hiking with kids fun and successful for family, I have learn a few tips from my own experience.

Here is 5 Steps to A Successful Hiking with kids

1. Choosing the right trail

You know your kids’ strength and limitation so choose hiking trail that suits your family.

On our first visit to Amicalola Fall a couple years ago, we knew that Mr. Z wasn’t ready for 300+ steps to go up to the Fall yet. So we drove up to the parking lot that connects to an easier trail.

This time around they were ready and eager to do the walk themselves. It wasn’t without whining but they did it!!

2. Dress in layers

Fall hiking is different than Summer or Spring hiking that the weather can be vastly different between the time when you start your hike and when you are half way into your hike.

Dress in layer will help you maintain the comfort.

3. Make it fun

Walking by itself can be BORING. Find interesting things and discuss about it. Or invent a treasure hunt game to make the hike less of a work but more of the play.

Check out Geocaching for even more fun in treasure hunting. Lora at Tripping With Kids has great post about her experience and tips on how to get started.

4. Frequent stop

We are not racing with anyone so go ahead and stop as frequently as they want. Those little legs need a break once in a while or in our case once every stop we can find.

Take advantage of the rest to get some fun pictures.

5. Don’t forget snack and drink

I couldn’t tell you how much I love Kids Camel Pak we got from REI store. It’s a must-have for us now. Kids are motivated to walk longer with water they can drink at anytime.

Plus I think the cool factor does play a big role for my kids. It makes them feel like a real big people with their own snacks and drink. Little incentive goes a long way.

Do you have other tips for family hiking with kids?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 5 Tips for Family Hiking With Kids is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Thinking about jumping on the priceline bandwagon but don’t really know how to start bidding on priceline?

You are in luck. I won’t claim that I’m an expert in Priceline because I’m sure there are plenty of people who have used them extensively. However, I have used it with success a few trips that I am able to give you a few easy tips to get you to a good start.

Now, if you are unsure whether to use priceline vs traditional hotel booking, you might want to step back and evaluate your options carefully. This post will talk about steps to take once you have made up your mind to go with priceline.

1. Research your accommodation area and location

It’s best to know where you want to stay in your city destination. If you have no clue, you might want to start from asking your friends, checking websites with destination recommendation, joining travel forum to get inputs from other travelers.

My first step for this is always check some of my favorite family travel blogs like Travel Savvy Mom or Delicious Baby for family-friendly area to stay. Then I hop to Trip Advisor forum for more details information.

Trip Advisor forum is a great resource. My advice is to spend sometimes searching on the forum before asking. You might already find your answer.

Arming with a couple options of area to stay, I log in to BetterBidding.com – a Priceline and Hotwire forum. This site is fabulous for priceline bidding tips and info.

2. Check hotels listing in your desired area

Now that you know which area you would love to stay, your first stop should be the sub forum for the state that you want to visit in BetterBidding website. In there, you can check out the hotel listing (Keep in mind that this is a user based forum so take the information as it is but don’t expect 100% accuracy on the hotel listing).

This listing will give you the general idea of the possible hotels that you can win. Again, make sure you are comfortable with the choices. If not, move on and book the hotel yourself.

Also, make sure that you are comfortable with hotel amenities. One big caveat for priceline is that there is no guarantee that you will get 2 Queen Beds. And the room is always the general guest room. So if you are looking for a suite or different room type, you will have to resource to other hotel booking sites.

3. Determine how much to bid on priceline

Right about this time, you are probably ready and itchy to start the bid. But hold your horse.. You have a couple more steps before entering that first bid.

What is the best bidding amount? That’s the biggest question because you don’t want to bid too high that you overpay for the hotel. Yet, you also don’t want to bid too low that you never get a chance to win and wasting your time there.

First, check the winning bid for hotel in your area on BetterBidding. They also have new feature that you can even see the wins for the same date as your travel date. This will give you a general idea on where to start.

Next, you can check Hotwire price for hotel with similar star ranking and in the same area with the same date. Having the information from Hotwire will help to put a top bid for your hotel. You don’t want to bid higher than what you can get from Hotwire.

Also make sure that when you look for winning bid, check the date. Because date does play a big role in your rate. Booking during high season will yield a higher rate than booking during low season. So don’t get fixated to the winning bid of other travelers because they might not have the same date as yours.

4. Learn the trick to rebid after rejection

Based on Priceline’s rule, when your bid gets rejected, you have 2 options. You can either wait 24 hours to rebid or you can change your search criteria like different date, different hotel ranking or different location. However, with all the hard work you have done to research the best possible location with best possible hotels, you probably don’t want to change those criteria. There are a way to get around this. Here is how.

First you need to learn the bidding zone in your city destination and available hotel levels (stars). Let’s say there are 5 bidding zone in a city and you bid 4 stars hotel in zone 1. Now, you must check to see how many zones in that city that have hotel with less quality (3 stars or less). And with luck, Zone 2,3, and 5 has only 3 stars or less hotels. That’s mean you can add zone 2, 3, and 5 to your rebid with a guarantee that you will still get 4 stars hotel in zone 1.

Another tip to keep in mind is that always start your bid with the highest stars hotel. Priceline will allow you to add lower quality hotels to your rebid but not the other way around. So if you know that you can go with 3 stars hotel, start your bid with 4 1/2 stars to see if you might be in luck.

5. If all else fail, wait and be patient

What to do after all these steps and your bid is still rejected with priceline counteroffer?

Wait. Don’t accept the offer. It means you are very close to the accepting bid. So if you already use up all your rezone bidding, wait till the next day to rebid.

Hope these steps will help you to save big on your next trip.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 5 Easy Steps to Start Bidding on Priceline is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Is it possible to take your kids along on your business trip?

I just recently came back from my first Blogging conference – Type A Mom Conference. It was a great learning and networking experience for me. I met so many wonderful bloggers – the ones I have known for a while like  TheVacationGals, TravelMamas and HaveKidWillTravel; the ones I have heard of like SecretAgentMama; the ones I have never read like BoogersAndBurps, MusicSavvyMom and RockandRollMama, and the ones who live in my city like MyHomeSweetHome and TheBlogRollers.

I look at this conference trip as part of my business trip since I really do want to improve my blog and make it better. But I can’t possibly pass up this opportunity to make it a family trip.

I think with a little bit of planning you can make it work for your family. However, it doesn’t mean it will work in all business trips. Here are 5 tips on how I successfully took my kids on a business trip.

1) Do your research for childcare

The most important thing to consider whether you should take your kids on a work-related trip is childcare. You don’t want to leave your kids in a hotel room all day with TV on.

There are a few alternatives to that. In our case, my husband took a few days off and graciously accepted the role of daddy daycare during the conference. I research on things to do and gave him a few choices to start but he also enjoyed explore the town on his own as well.

Another option is to check the conference you attended if there are any kids program. The Type A Mom conference did a GREAT job in accommodating parents. They offered Kidcon which was a kid program sponsored by iRobot. My kids were not in the program but I have talked to a few people whose kids attended and they were very happy with the program.

2) Accommodation Type

Choose where you stay is another way to ensure a fun trip for your kids and success for you. Typically, hotels for business travelers have similar amenities that parents are looking for like small fridge, swimming pool, or microwave.

Location is equally important to the accommodation type. You want the hotel to be centrally located so they can get out and explore while you are in the conference.

3) Plan for things to do

I did some research before the trip on things to do. Check out the conference information section. They normally provide you with the local information and resources that you can use. Check out local bloggers.

I also do the same research as our normal vacation trip. I typically check TripAdvisor, Yelps, Chowhound and that city website. These are great resources to start.

4) Set aside family time

With busy schedule during the conference it might be hard to find the time to spend with your family. I found that by checking out the sessions in advance and know the schedule, you will be able to add family time into such hectic schedule.

See if there are free time during lunch that you can grab a quick lunch with your family. Or plan a nice breakfast in town before the day starts.

5) Spend extra day before or after the conference

If your schedule permit, look into adding a day before or after the meeting for a fun family time. Normally, on the first day of the conference, they won’t start until the evening. Try arriving early so you can enjoy a day with your family before heading out to a conference.

On this trip we arrived early and enjoyed hiking in the park before headed to town and registered for my conference.

We also left late the next day after spent another full day on a tour.

Overall, we had a great time on our family/business trip. Keep in mind that not all trips are alike. So you must know your own expectation and find out what is a good fit for you and your family.

How about you? Have you done a combine family/business trip before? What other tips you have that helped make it work?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 5 Tips to Take Kids on Business Conference Trip is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

My long time friend who know me or Mr. Rojo well enough probably do the double take and wonder if this is really our blog. What with all the camping posts! Well, I can’t promise you that this will be my last post about camping because we are already cooking up our Fall camping trip. As I have said it before and will say it again that we are not outdoor type family.

We love going to Walt Disney World, shopping at the outlet mall and hanging out by the pool after a long day. So camping is probably one of the last thing they will think we will do as a family.

It’s not easy to step out of our comfort zone. It’s a work-in-progress. So if we can do it, I think you can do it too. Keep in mind that we are not talking about backpacking and trekking 5 miles to your camp site nor primitive camping. We are talking about camping in style. Hey! At least we are camping.

So how did we do it? Here are our 5 Baby Steps to Ease Your Camping Phobia

1) Take a baby step:

If you have never gone camping before in your life, don’t go out and book the next campsite at the Smoky Mountain Park that you will have to hike and camp out with no modern amenities like electricity or water.

Start out small like camping in your backyard. And even then, it might still seem scary at first. How about talk to a few friends to do backyard camping together? Camping with a group of friends is fun and their kids will be your kids instant play mates.

Or if you feel like you can step up a bit, you can find local nature center that provide overnight camping at their center. You will be in a good hand and still yet get to enjoy outdoor experience

2) Comfort is everything:

When camping with kids, you want everyone kids or adults to be comfortable. You don’t want to deal with cranky kids after a sleepless night.

The best advice I got from my friend was to get the biggest tent I can get. What a great advice! You want space that you can move around. Don’t just think of tent as a place to go to sleep.

A big enough tent can be a sanctuary for kids at night to play together without being eaten alive by bugs.

A big enough tent will allow you to have separate bed from your kids. I love my kids but I am done sleeping on the same bed. They can move like nobody else. At the end of the day, you want to be able to sleep. Sleeping outdoor out of your own home already hard enough for newbie like us. You don’t want to add the kick factor to the equation.

3) Bring YOUR comfort toys:

This advice is not only applied to kids. I’m sure each of us adult have something like book, laptop, ipod that keep us sane. Bring them! When things get tough, you can just spend some quiet time relaxing.

For me, I love the kindle application I download on my iphone. I don’t have to bring big, heavy books. Plus I can read them at night without having to use lantern or flashlight.

For Mr. Rojo, it’s a laptop. A few minutes playing computer game helps him to forget about that noise next to the tent.

4) Location, location, location:

Do a research and look for campground with all amenities that suite your need. Here are a few must-have for us on our first camping trip

• Within driving distance to our house. Just in case it doesn’t work out. We can just pack up and head home.
• Must be near the water. I think that campground nears water will give us better breeze at night.
• Must have restroom. We got it and more. The campground also has shower and laundry. Perfect. Next time, I can even pack less.
• Must have electric hook up. Yes! We need it. We want it and we are not shame of it.

5) Timing is everything

Even though the thought of setting up a campsite and then having to take it down a couple days later doesn’t seem worth while. You also don’t want to plan your first camping trip to be a week long.

Why not try it out for a weekend. If you like it, then next trip you can always extend your trip.

I think camping doesn’t have to fall into the typical stereotype of ‘roughing it’. I hope that these 5 simple steps will help get you outdoor and enjoy nature.

What other tips do you have to help making camping more fun or easier?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 5 Baby Steps to Ease Your Camping Phobia is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This post continues on my cruising saga in the past couple weeks starting from why we love cruising with our kids and showing how I save on planning our cruise vacation.

Once all the planning is done, you would think that you are done with spending. Not so fast! It’s true that cruising is All-Inclusive which mean everything is included in the cost except your own spending on the boat and off the boat.

So today I want to share 5 Expenses that you might not have thought or aware of when planning a cruise vacation and ways to keep the lid on those expenses so you won’t have to come home with a huge bill waiting after the fun vacation.

1. Watch Out those Fancy Drinks

We don’t drink period. Mr. Rojo has some scare about his liver enzyme a few years ago so we practically cut out all alcohol beverage from our house. So it does help us cut down dramatically on the spending in this category.

Some cruise line will provide free soda drink (like Disney) but some cruise line will only provide water and ice tea. So if you can’t live without soda, you can bring your own in your suitcase.

As for wine and other beverage, I’m not quite sure since I didn’t even bother to check. But I believe you can bring one bottle per person. Check with your cruise line on their rule.

Check on cruise boards like Cruise Critic or Cruise Mates on more tips to cut down on beverage cost.

2. Portrait Picture? What pictures?

Family portrait on the cruise is a big business and a money maker for cruise line. You can end up spending a fortune if you blindly pick every single pictures ever taken on the ship.

If you think you absolutely must have those portrais, check out a package and see if you can get discount.

I have seen the light and aren’t too crazy about those pictures so we came out pretty good at the end with a couple pictures of our whole family. That’s pretty much what we got.

3. The Shopping Spree

In each port of call, you will most likely have a flyer in your room the night before about the great discount if you shop at certain approved store. I rarely look at those. I LOVE to shop. Who doesn’t. But I also love to explore and spend my money on something else that I couldn’t have when we are back home. Buying a watch or jewelry isn’t high on my list.

But if it’s what you are looking for, then shop smart and watch out for your budget. This one is a big one that can blow a big hole in your wallet if you are not careful.

I don’t have much self-controlled myself when it comes to shopping. So I set a limit on 1 sourvenir per person per port. At least they will get to pick something from each place that we visit. For the kids, I told them $10 maximum and Miss J has learned that rule by heart. It’s all about training them young. :)

4. Tips

Alright, yes maybe they did tell you about tips. But most people forget or didn’t think about adding it up until the last day. The cruise line is pretty good at providing the information of suggested tip per person per night. The tip ranges from $10-$15 per person per day.

I have also heard that some cruise lines have moved to add service charges instead of tipping. So make sure to check your cruise cost before shelling out those cash at the end of your trip.

5. Expense on Port of Call Day

The port of call day is pretty much a free style day. You can do whatever you want. Majority of passengers choose to disembark and enjoy sightseeing or exploring the city for a day.

If you plan to explore, don’t forget the cost of food and transportation during the day as it does not include in your cruise cost. The ship still provided food on board but most countries have strict rule of bringing fresh food, fruit and vegetable to their countries. So you can either eat before you leave, plan and budget for local food (which I love to do. Otherwise why visit if you didn’t get to taste local food), or pack package food that allows through custom.

Another expense during the port of call day that can be a major budget buster is the excursion fee. Try to avoid the idea of doing it all. I try to limit to one excursion per port. You will have less than 5-8 hours at the port so make sure that you check all the excursion time and length before signing up. Remember that the excursions provided by local companies are for all cruise ships so they might not know about your ship time.

Is there other expenses that I might have missed from your past cruise experience?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 5 Expenses Not Include on Your Cruise is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

As a newbie in the camping world, I have learned a lot during our first family backyard camping. The vast varieties of camping products are mind-boggling. Who knows, there are that many types of tents, sleeping bags and sleeping pads.

It was overwhelming in the beginning but we sorted it out with the help from our friends and online information. So I want to put this post out to help other families who are looking into venture out into the unknown of camping with kids for the first time.

- Practice make perfect
If you have never camped before in your life, it’s a good idea to try setting out a tent in a house or in a backyard first. With the improvement in tent these days, it doesn’t take long to put it up as long as you read the instruction carefully. Oh! And make sure to use the right pole. :)

- Buy the biggest tent you can afford
For a family of 4, a tent that sleeps 4 might be too small. Yeah.. You might say but my kids are small, they don’t need a lot of space. OH! They do. Kids love to jump and run around. So a tent with enough headroom for you to stand up and for them to jump will give you some peace. Otherwise, you will be yelling ‘No Jumping’ all day long.

-Rent equipment is good but buy cheap one is better
At first, I was considering renting camping equipment from REI. It’s a good option since we don’t even know if we will like it and return to the wilderness the next time. However, after looking at the price, you can get a cheaper tent from Walmart or Target. Plus even if you might end up using it only once, you can always sell it on Craig’s list or ebay. I mean if you have money to spend, then by all means get the Hobitat from REI. I would love to have one. But our Coleman 8 does the job and it has plenty of room

- Before bedtime, everyone MUST go potty
It’s not fun for a 3 AM bathroom trip even if it’s just walking upstairs to your own bathroom inside the house. Make sure all the kids and adults have done their business before light out.

- Don’t forget bug repellent even in your backyard
Bugs do live in your backyard as well. So even if you don’t have to get in a car and drive to  your campsite, you still need that bottle of bug repellent lotion to fight off little buggers at night. I am the lucky person though bugs never bother me. Maybe because they are too busy taking care of Mr. Rojo. We might need to look into some bug repellent candles or lantern. Any recommendation?

I’m sure I will have more tips once we go on our ‘offsite’ camping trip.

So is there any tips you have for first-timer in family camping?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 5 Tips for Family Backyard Camping from First Time Camper is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Thailand is a land of smiles but it’s HOT. Seriously, I came from Thailand so I knew. We were joking that there are 3 seasons in Thailand – HOT, HOTTER and HOTTEST. How did we survive such climate? It’s all about knowing what to do in such situation.

1. Arm yourself with umbrella or hat to give you shade

You will see a lot of people in Thailand walk around with umbrella or something to cover the Sun. Because we know that it’s hot and we don’t want to get burn.

2. Keep it cool from the inside out

There is nothing beat the heat better than a good ice-cold popsicle. Forget about sugar. You and your kids will need to cool down from the inside. One of the best thing Mr. Rojo loves is Watermelon Slushy. It’s refreshing!

3. Use that fan

You know.. that fan that you see they sell it all over the sidewalk. Pick one up. It won’t cost you an arm or a leg but it will save you from the heat exhaustion. It’s all about the circulation.

4. Seek out shelter throughout the day

No matter where you go in Bangkok, there will be plenty of shade or indoor place for you to escape from the heat. Being, it’s a coffee shop, a restaurant, a bookstore or even a Sala. Take a break and give yourself a rest before heading out again. Here was Mr. Z and Miss J during our quick break. A little handheld game came in handy.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Bangkok with Kids: Tips to Beat Bangkok Heat is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

We did it! We had our first family backyard camping this past weekend. Well, before any of the outdoor enthusiasts said anything, you have to know that we (especially Mr. Rojo) are not outdoor type family. We don’t like hot and humid weather. We don’t like bugs. We love technology and gadget. We don’t like roughing it. So for us, to step outside our own comfort zone and sleep outside in a tent is really big deal. So I just want to post about what are things we bought in order to make this camping more enjoyable.

This will be more so for families who are looking to try something new, who don’t have any experience like us. Also this is not a complete list to allow you to go camping just yet. Just think of this as a dress rehearsal for your camping. We ate at home, shower and play inside (since it was hot in the evening) before we headed down to our tent. This list will get you started on enjoying family time outdoor in your backyard.

- Family Tent: We have a great advice from several of our friends to buy the biggest tent you can afford. For a family of 4, we opt for Coleman Concept 8-Person 14′ x 9′ Tent. Another tip is to buy the cheapest we can find. So Coleman tent seems to be a good choice for us.

- Air Mattresses: Another great tip from our friend. Get the most comfortable mattress you can find. We are car camping so we don’t have to worry about getting the lightest sleeping pad. We already have one air mattress but we will need another one for the kids. We chose Coleman Queen Sized Air Bed because it was on sale and it’s just a few dollars more expensive than Full-size. It’s always good to have enough space at night.

- Sleeping Bags: We can’t sleep without sleeping bag. We are not sure which one to get since there are so many types for different climate. But I know that we are just starting out and we won’t be doing any extreme camping. So we opt for the middle of the range temperature (40 degree). I figure if we will camp in a colder weather, we might just pack more sweaters and blankets.

- Tarp: Why tarp? Well, I couldn’t even find a footprint for our tent and tarp is probably cheaper. We bought tarp that a bit bigger than our tent size which I think it’s a really good idea. It will allow you to get in and out of the tent without tracking the dirt inside.

- Air Pump: We picked up Coleman Rechargeable Air Pump for our air mattresses because it doesn’t come with it. We could have gotten the air mattress that has the built-in pump but it will cost more. Plus we can use this air pump with another air mattress that we already have.

- Lantern: Since we know that we will always camp where there is electrical outlet at the campsite, we chose Coleman Rugged Rechargeable Lantern so that we don’t have to worry about the fuel or battery. This lantern has pretty good lighting and also has nightlight feature.

- Kids’ flashlight: There must be some incentive for the kids to make camping fun. And I don’t think it can be any cheaper or easier toy than a flashlight. We picked Coleman Kid’s Companion Flashlight and Lantern from Walmart. It’s more than just a flashlight. They can pull it out to make it a lantern or use it as nightlight. Perfect for their midnight dance.

Stay tune for our post on tips we learn from our first sleeping in a tent experience!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Things to Pack for Family Backyard Camping with Kids is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

My good friend just recently came back from their Summer vacation in Europe. I’m so excited to talk to her about her experience during her trip. Her first stop was in Paris. She gave me great tips on things that went wrong during her trip.

Double and Triple check your hotel information

When they arrived in Paris to their hotel which they booked online, they were in for a surprise to found that their hotel has no A/C. Apparently, it is typical to a lot of hotels in Paris. This is one thing that I have never known about before but now I know that it will be one of the feature I will make sure to check.

Verify the museum hour for different days of the week

When you travel back and forth between time zone, the jet lag and the date change can get to you. Make sure to double check the date and time of the operating hour as it may be different each day. And check your calendar when you arrive to make sure that you know what day you are of the week. :) It happened to me a lot especially when I flew back to Thailand. I have to stop and think what day was it.

Don’t forget about the Metro System operating hour

When we travel, we could get carried away visiting all those fabulous tourist attractions that we forget about how we can get back to the hotel. The night time at the Eiffel Tower is one of the amazing sight to see. But make sure you have a way to get back to your hotel because the Metro System might not be operating after the light show.

Give yourself time to adjust

It will be best if you give yourself some time after arrival to adjust to the travel exhaustion and jet lag. So give yourself one extra day to relax instead of doing lot of sightseeing the first day.

Do you have any tips before anyone heads to Paris to share?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Travel With Kids: Tips Before You Go to Paris is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Washington DC with Kids: DC on a Budget is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Half of the fun of traveling is the planning part. The time spent surfing the internet to read all you can about your destination, where to stay, what to eat, what to do..

Matt from Frugal Traveler has a great post on his blog today. I have learned so many new tools that I can use on my future planning. Check it out here.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Travel Planning is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This week, I haven’t been around blogosphere much. Here are the carnivals that I participated in this week.

1) Delicious Baby presented Carnival of Cities: The best way to get to travel around the world without leaving your house.

2) Living Almost Large presented Carnival of Money Stories: The Cartoon edition is very clever and fun. You have gotta read all the cartoon. It will lighten your day from all this financial crisis news.

3) Fix My Personal Finance presented Money Hacks Carnival #33th: The Octoberfest edition is filled with goodies for your finance, investing, saving, retirement and career. Just drink responsibly.

4) Dollar Frugal presented Festival of Frugality #146th: The Benjamin Franklin edition has great round up for overall financial advice from wall street to main street.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Around the Blogosphere is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Last week I was featured in a few money carnivals. Each carnival has such a great post. It took me a while to check them all out. Sit back, relax and check out all the posts.

1) The Financial Blogger presented Money Hacks Carnival # 32: The Have You Ever Edition featured my Coupon of the 21st Century.

2) Funny About Money presented Carnival of Money Stories #78: With the delay, you get twice the stories this week. So it’s a great place to read about various money stories ranging from trying to have a baby, buying a house, getting rid of the house and living on the road, cooking on your vacation and even green cleaning products.

3) Value For Your Life presented Festival of Frugality #145: The Gratitude Edition has a great round up and provides a new perspective during this turmoil time, to be greatful with the positive things in your life.

4) Trip Delivery presented Carnival of Cities: I love this carnival. It gives me a chance to go around the world without even leaving my house. Check out trip from Chicago to Washington DC down to Atlanta. Then cross the Atlantic to London, Amsterdam and around Europe.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Around the Blogosphere is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

I have been featured in a fews of the great carnivals this past week. Each of them has a great list of posts. It’s worth to check them out.

1) Living Almost Large is hosting Money Hacks Carnival #29, The Food Haven.. Check them out after your lunch or dinner. Otherwise, you might be drooling all over your computer.

2) Frugal Babe is hosting Festival of Frugality #142. Check out posts ranging from food, recession, saving, shopping, frugal living and everything else in between.

3) Family Travellogue is hosting Carnival of Cities. A great carnival with a lot of great posts of 2 weeks worth. Give you a chance to travel around the world from US cities like my submission of Chattanooga trip to Pattaya, Japan and London.

4) Georgia On My Mind is hosting Georgia Carnival #44. If you are Georgia blogger or plan to visit Georgia, this is a place to check out. Great round up of anything Georgia.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Around the Blogosphere is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This Monday I want to do a quick round up on my participation in the Carnival around the blogosphere.

Georgia On My Mind presents Georgia Carnival Edition #38.

Perceptive Travel presents Carnival of Cities. Check out cities from Seattle to Beijing.

Credit Card Lowdown presents Carnival of Money, Growth and Happiness #49. With 22 posts participated in this carnival, you will learn great saving tips perfect for this economy.

Mrs. Nespy’s World present Money Hacks Carnival #17. A geat post with the Music of the ’80s theme. Very great round up from Money Hackers around the blogosphere.

Mrs. Micha present Carnival of Personal Finance #158. The Vampire Slaying edition is a great carnival for Buffy fan and non-fan. Lots of great posts here about saving, frugality and money in general.

Here we are people. My round up for this past week. Thanks for including my post to these carnival. How about you? Have you been on any carnival this past week?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Around the Blogosphere is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

I’m pretty much a newbie in the blogsphere. So everyday I discover brand new (for me) blog that has been around for a while. These are my new find for this Friday that I digg!

1) Money Hacker Network – A place for Personal Finance Blogger to share and discover each other. I just recently join this group.

2) Cheap Healthy Good – Great blog for food and tips on grocery shopping. With detail recipe and picture, I will sure go back to visit weekly.

3) Get Rich Slowly – Personal Finance blog that tells it like it is with no sugar coated.

4) Wise Bread – A blog community with a group of writers focusing on Frugal Living, Life Hacks, Personal Finance, Deals and more.

5) Are We There Yet – Away.com Family travel blog with loads of information.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Five Finds for Friday – New Blogs I Discovered is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

I know that it will not do justice to have only 5 travel blogs since we all know that there are more than you can count blogs out there. But each day I only have limited amount of time to read so here is my top 5 right now. Ask me again 2 months from now and my list might have changed.

1) Family Travel See The World with Your Kids – This is a great blog with lots of information for traveling with kids. I love to travel and I know that having kids does limit my ability to just pack up and go in the moment notice. But I refuse to give up on traveling. I know it’s stressful, expensive and exhausting but it’s priceless! We have travel as a family but not as extensive as I would like. This blog gives me a lot of good ideas and tips!

2) Real Travel – The real story from the real traveler always inspire me. It’s nice to see how the real people travel not just the journalist. Plus I get to read about different places that will inpire me to plan my own trip.

3) Less Than a Shoestring – Travel can be expensive if you don’t know how to make it more affordable or if you just want all 5 stars hotel and service. But travel doesn’t have to be all about luxury. It is more about seeing the world and learn about new cultures, new cities or meet new people. This blog has a lot of great tips on traveling on a budget. Who wouldn’t love that!

4) Traveling Mamas – A blog by 4 traveling mommies. Each one brings a different view from different part of the counties. A great blog for overall traveling info, news, or ideas especially for places to visit with kids. It doesn’t hurt that they have giveaway on the regular basis. ;)

5) Everything Everywhere – An internet company owner turns world traveler. His blog is as fascinating as the man himself. I love to see where he will be the next day. What a fun way to see the world through other people’s eyes.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Five Finds for Friday – Travel Blogs I Love is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

TGIF.. everyone!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Five Finds for Friday – Cruising is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Today I stumble upon a great blog on Intelligent Travel about the great suitcase just for kid. Trunki – Part suitcase, part toy.. what not to love. Basically, it’s a suitcase that your kid can ride on it instead of just pull it. It’s the mix of ride-on toy and suitcase. I have to put this on my must-buy list for our cruise. Seeing that there will be a long line to get on a cruise, this will help entertain them for a while. Plus, we have bi-annual trip to Thailand so it will be a big help at the airport.

There are 2 colors for the original Trunki which created by British designer. And they even have a name for each color. How cute!! When I checked on the UK site, there are more designs but I guess for the US customer we will have to wait. Or you can order online and pay for the shipping for the second generation of this design.

So I checked out on Amazon and found the price here:
=> Trunki – Trixie Pink $39.84 for Pink color
=> Trunki – Terrance Blue $34 for Blue color

Well, there will be a test run soon. So more report to follow..

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Can I ride? is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

I want to start a new ritual on my blog. Five Find for Friday will be about five things I find useful for Friday. It will be something that will help in planning a great weekend trips or an upcoming vacation.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Five Finds for Friday – Budget Travel is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

As our cruise vacation is approaching (Yeah!!!), I have learned so much during this process. A lot of people might wonder why since this is not our first cruise. True. But this is the first cruise that I handle all the booking and planning myself. Our Disney Cruise was handled by a friend so I didn’t have to worry about shopping for the cheapest one or learning other tips from other cruisers (much to my regret though). So this time, I determined to learn more and be a more educated traveler (or cruiser in this matter).

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Smart Saving on Cruising is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog