Travel

May 2008: Abby and Elijah on the way home from Turkey

1. iMac- I know this is technically not a travel item, but I do take it everywhere. Because the iMac only has the monitor, keyboard and mouse, we are able to pack it up in its original box and use it as one of our pieces of luggage when we fly overseas. I would be in serious trouble if anything ever happened to my iMac because I keep almost everything on there.

2. Kindle- I was not a believer in the Kindle when Joe first bought it, but after reading on it once, I loved it! I actually prefer reading on the Kindle now. It is nothing like a computer screen, so it is easy on your eyes. And for our lifestyle, it allows us to have a lot of books on hand without having to use up luggage space and pounds with bringing lots of books. The only downfall is once you buy one, others in your family are going to want one of their own!

3. No Jet Lag- This is a great natural way to help fight against the jet lag of flying. It doesn’t remove all feelings of jet lag, but it definitely lessens the effects when taken as directed and incorporated with some of the other tips for reducing jet lag.

4. Calms Forte- This is a great way to help excited kids calm down on a plane. Not only is it natural, but it won’t have the opposite effect and make kids hyper, as things like Benadryl do. I feel much better giving them these tablets than I do giving them a medicine than don’t need. And they make an adult formula too!

5. Pea Pod- I love this travel bed due to how small it is when it is packed away. The traditional pack ‘n play type beds are still pretty big, heavy and bulky when folded up, but this folds up into a small light bag. It is great to take on vacation, as well as using for traveling overseas. We know when we put it in the contract to have a crib in our apartment, that doesn’t always mean there will be one when we get there. This is a great thing to have on hand, just in case. And if you take it as a carry-on during air travel, if you are stuck in a long lay-over somewhere, you can open it up and have a place for your child to sleep while you wait. I wish they made these in adult sizes!

6. CARES Child Safe Aviation Restraint- This is a great product to sue for children 2-44 pounds instead of bringing a car seat on the plane.  Check your car seat with your luggage and use this to save yourself a lot of pounds of weigh that you are carrying through the airport.

7. Veggie Wash- Not very travel friendly, but we love to bring this overseas with us when we can’t get as much organic produce. This has been one of our favorite home products for years. Fruits and veggies just don’t taste as good now just being rinsed off in water.

8. Color Wonders- I love the markers and coloring books by Color Wonder for plane rides. You can be a respectful rider by not having your children write all over everything and your children can still enjoy their arts and crafts. There are coloring books as well as just blank paper, and you can build up quite a store of markers (as we have) after buying just a few books since they all come with a set of markers.

11. Kidz Gear Headphones- When we traveled and tried to share our headphones with our kids, I was always putting them back on their heads every 10 minutes. Joe found these and they have been fabulous for the kids when listening to music or watching DVDs on long trips. They fit great and have a separate little volume control on the cord.