best mini travel coloring books for toddlers and kids

Posted on May 14, 2012 by admin

This is the coloring book that I want to use when I am on the go with my kids.  It has amazing illustrations and both my children simply adore it (one boy age 7, one tomboy age 4).  The only problem with it, is that it is very large.  What I would do to have a pocket size version (Owl publishing please take note).  When I have my giant Let’s make a Deal  handbag, this is not an issue, but if I am traveling light, it is a problem.  In such a case, I prefer the the following mini coloring books. They are great because they are about 5″ by 6″, come with 6 washable markers and fold up into a nice little box.  Every time I pull one of these out of my bag, people ask me where I found them….. and who doesn’t want to help fuel the Disney money-making machine?  Oh yes, and they are reasonably priced from $5-$10 a piece. Continue reading →

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pack for a purpose

Posted on May 8, 2012 by admin

I was thrilled a while back to discover the type of charitable organization that I wanted to align my family and business with.  Although my children are young, I found the methodology behind Pack for a Purpose® something they could easily understand, especially since it involved supporting a community project and children.   It also led to many discussions with my 7 year old about why he should look at his education as a privilege and not repeat the same mantra every morning “I hate school ! “.

As promised in an early post, here is how it went, and it could not have been easier. Continue reading →

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boutique hotels with kids mayan riviera (playa del carmen – tulum- isla mujeres)

Posted on April 27, 2012 by admin

Regular readers will know that I have a bit of soft spot in my heart for boutique hotels that can handle a brood of children (or at least one). I have always held dear a pre-child trip to Tulum, Mexico and was excited to see what I could now find for my family.  As always my criteria is good value, great style, nice food.  Here are my picks for boutique hotels in the Mayan Riviera, south of Cancun, including Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Isla Mujeres, with babies, toddlers and kids.

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oh the woes of carry-on luggage

Posted on April 21, 2012 by admin

It has been a while since I have done the carry-on luggage thing.  I have blamed it on having children, but the reality is I really love to travel with a lot of stuff.  I relish in being prepared for any scenario be it a hurricane, or an unexpected invitation onto George Clooney’s yacht (still waiting). That said, I decided it was time to try again when I realized that it was going to cost $400 in baggage fees if the whole family checked bags on an upcoming trip (courtesy of American Airlines).  There is another reason I wanted to try, however, and that is because I want to feel like I can still be low maintenance (my husband tells me that I am now a strong medium).  Regardless, I was up for the challenge. Continue reading →

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why i love airbnb for family vacation rentals

Posted on April 17, 2012 by admin

Airbnb

Homeaway.com used to be my favorite website for vacation rentals with kids. As of today, I am a convert to airbnb.com.  After doing some research for a trip to Paris and reading an article in fast company magazine naming airbnb as #19 on the list of world’s most innovative companies, not only do I want to buy into the brand and hang out with the founders, I want to book something with them.  Essentially what these guys did for the vacation rentals business was to take everything that was difficult and wrong about it, and make it right. I could have told you what was wrong with it too as I tried unsuccessfully one evening five years ago to book a Manhattan apartment through vrbo.com.  Instead of trying to solve the problem, however, I opened a bottle of wine and booked a hotel for double the cost.

what makes them better :

  • the website is much prettier and easier to navigate than those of their competitors
  • the founders look cooler than what I imagine the people at vrbo or homeaway to look like
  • the website has a very easy filter so you can look specifically for family and kid friendly accommodation
  • they take some of the risk out of vacation rentals by holding back payment to the renter until 24 hours after check-in
  • to those who choose to rent their homes through airbnb, they offer a $50,000 guarantee to secure against the rare event of theft or vandalism
  • in most areas they offer address verification and professional photography services  (much nicer than those low resolution photos taken by owners on  vrbo.com)

vrbo.com photo with signature misty borders

typical professional quality photo from airbnb.com

what they need to improve upon:

  • they still do not lead the market in number of listings in certain areas

Example:  while the listings in a center such as Paris are plentiful, I could not find any    listing on Isla Mujeres in Mexico (vrbo.com had 9, homeaway.com had 57).                           If  recent history is any indicator, this gap should shrink rapidly.

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free earplugs for your neighbors when flying with baby

Posted on April 11, 2012 by admin

Years ago, before I had kids of my own, a friend of mine told me a story that stuck with me.  After a long business trip, she boarded a plane to find herself seated close to a baby. Just as that sense of impending doom was coming over her, the baby’s parents leaned over, apologized for the potential inconvenience, and handed her a pair of earplugs.  My friend, who did not have kids at the time, thought this was an incredibly considerate thing to do, and went on to tell many people about this wonderful family.

It has taken me a while to get around to this but I have always wanted to put together a little card and earplug combination for traveling families.  Share one of my posts, sign up for my feed, follow me, retweet me, like me, show me some love in any fashion, and I would be happy to send you some of these for free.  Just shoot me off an email after at  tara@pintsizepilot so I know where to send them.


 

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best family friendly vacation rental apartments in paris

Posted on April 5, 2012 by admin

“Splurge and stay at hotel Le Meurice ! ” I must have read this 10 times when researching where to stay with my two children for a trip to Paris this upcoming summer. Who wouldn’t want to stay at this gorgeous Dorchester Collection hotel with their amazing family program, including carousel rides and a wooden boat for each child to sail in the Tuileries garden?  There was just one hitch….did I read that right? Was it almost $1000 a night?

Plan B was now put into action.  The task ? Find an (almost) equally charming vacation rental apartment.  Although there would be no au pair to spirit my children off for a carousel ride, it did have it’s perks, including the illusion of living like a local.  Since not everyone wants to stay up until 2am scouring the internet for family- friendly and kid-friendly apartments in Paris like I do, I thought I would share with you some of my findings. Click on the link or photo for more information.

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seattle for the weekend with kids

Posted on April 2, 2012 by admin

Taking the kids to Seattle?  Please let us share with you our top kid-friendly picks of attractions, hotels and restaurants in the emerald city.

what to do:

where to stay:

where to eat:

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child free cabins on westjet airline

Posted on April 2, 2012 by admin

A reader sent me this link yesterday.  Since we all need a little humor on a monday, please take a moment to watch it.  It’s very funny !

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ride-on carry-on luggage seat for toddlers – as seen on shark tank

Posted on March 29, 2012 by admin

A reader sent me a Shark Tank youtube clip of an adorable couple, Darryl and Randy Lenz, presenting a travel chair for kids that they had bet their future on.  If you have not seen it, Shark Tank is a show that gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true, and possibly make a business deal that will make them a millionaire.  The Lenz’s product,  a ride-on carry-on luggage seat attachment for airports, was first conceived by flight attendant and mom Darryl when her son was two (he is now sixteen) . What I loved about their pitch on the show, was that they were so realistic about their product even admitting that it looked a little “red neck” (which it does),  without diminishing it’s potential.  I have always used the Trunki ride on carry on suitcase for my kids but had I known this existed, it would have been a toss up for me.  While this isn’t as cute as the Trunki (shown below), the seatbelt would be a huge asset when running from airport gate 8 to 80.

Now if you had the same questions as me, here are the answers:

It is designed for kids 8 months – 5 years and comes with a three point seatbelt.  The head rest can come out to become a snack table. You can buy it on Amazon for less then $50.  Pretty clever there Darryl and Randy !

You may also be interested in this post on the Trunki:

what on earth is a trunki ?

 

 

 

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