travel with kids

Where to Stay in Tucson with Kids

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If you are heading to Southern Arizona, you must visit the wonderful town of Tucson. Below we provide you with some great options on where to stay in Tucson with kids!

For me, when planning a trip somewhere, one of the biggest roadblocks is figuring out where to stay. Every destination is filled with so many options – from budget options and home stays to fancy resorts. Do you want to stay in downtown Tucson or near the University of Arizona? A historic hotel, bed and breakfast or you just want something with a pool and hot tub! This can be one of the most overwhelming parts of travel planning. After our 10 day visit and hours of research, I wanted to share it all with you. 

All of the hotels listed below are super family friendly offering various amenities to help you enjoy your time in Tucson. There are a ton of other options in the city that we also had the opportunity to check out, but these are our favorites that we would highly recommend if you are planning a trip to the Sonoran Desert any time soon!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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15 Fun Things to Do in Tucson with Kids

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Heading to Southern Arizona and looking for fun things to do in Tucson with kids? We have you covered here with our top 10 epic things to do in this adorable town.

Surrounded by 4 mountain ranges, bookended by a national park and situated on the banks of a river is one of Arizona’s most welcoming towns. Tucson, Arizona is well known for being a fun loving college town and a haven for star watchers looking to study the skies. It’s newest claim to fame as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy is quickly making a name for the town with the foodies.

Even with all the accolades, families often overlook Tucson, instead focusing their holidays on the big names of the state like the Grand Canyon and Route 66. And that is a shame. After 10 days in Tucson, we found it to be the perfect destination for a family vacation, especially for families who love the outdoors.

Additionally, Tucson provides a great deal of activities combining history, culture and science, making it a dream for homeschoolers or any family who likes to add fun, engaging educational experiences into their travels. Read on, for our top 15 things to do in Tucson with kids.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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10+ Awesome Stops You’ll Love On An Alaska Road Trip

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When you tell most people you are going to Alaska they assume you are going on a cruise. For years I also thought that was the only way to see America’s last frontier. However, the best way to get the full experience is to plan a perfect Alaska road trip itinerary full of stops most cruise ships don’t even see. The drive from Anchorage to Seward has even won awards for being one of the most beautiful drives in the country. During your road trip, you will be showered with breathtaking landscapes, stunning mountains, glaciers and of course wildlife.

While a cruise can provide a wonderful experience, not much can beat an Alaska road trip in my opinion. Road trips allow you plenty of time to explore a destination with spontaneity, allowing you to uncover hidden gems along the way as well as providing the ability to explore breathtaking landscapes off the beaten path. For families, it’s imperative to have flexibility which is another reason we opted to experience Alaska by land.

Read on for all of our tips on creating the perfect Alaska road trip itinerary starting in Anchorage.

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9 Amazing Things to Do on a Cook Islands Vacation with Kids

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If you are dreaming of a family friendly South Pacific island getaway, a Cook Islands vacation is the perfect choice. With lush tropical hillsides, miles of unspoiled beaches, and calm turquoise waters, the Cook Islands are unquestionably ideal for a romantic getaway, but also terrific for families with the abundance of activities, culture and natural beauty.

From hotels with kids clubs, kid menus and children-focused activities, to an island brimming with family friendly adventures, Rarotonga, the largest island in the Cook Islands, is a destination the entire family will enjoy. With a weekly direct flight to the main island of Rarotonga it’s an easy escape from Los Angeles. To help plan your fabulous tropical island holiday, check out our recommendations on where to stay, eat and what to do.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Guide to a Cook Islands vacation with Kids

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7 Epic Things To Do in the Riviera Maya with Kids (or without!)

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Visiting the Riviera Maya in Mexico is a dream destination for many people. And why not when there are a ton of epic things to do in the Riviera Maya from exploring the oceans, history and beautiful landscapes. Growing up in Texas and living much of my adult life in California it was a shock … Read more

A Costa Rica Family Vacation with Intrepid Travel

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A Costa Rica family vacation is a must do for those who love nature, animals and adventure. For outdoor families like ours, there is no better destination, especially when you have a nature obsessed kid! 

Having been to Costa Rica twice already, we were super excited when offered the opportunity to take a Costa Rica family vacation with Intrepid travel.

I have done two tours with Intrepid already and loved them both. My first trip was to China on my own as a 20 something traveler and last year I took an amazing Borneo family holiday with my 7 year old son in tow.

This trip to Costa Rica is a bit different, as it is a Solo Parent tour. I’ve wanted to check these trips out for a while. I even tried to book one on our around the world journey, but couldn’t get the dates to work. Thus, you can imagine how excited we were to finally get the chance to check out this variant of the family tours offered by Intrepid, all while in one of our favorite countries!

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Insider’s Guide to the Best Disneyland Rides for Toddlers

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Going to the grocery store with toddlers is a daunting and overwhelming experience for many, so you can imagine the level of anxiety that comes up for so many families when planning a trip to Disneyland with toddlers. This is even further exaggerated if you have limited time at the parks.

To help make your trip to Disneyland with toddlers easier and more fun for everyone, make sure to read our top tips on visiting Disneyland with toddlers. Here we share the best Disneyland rides for toddlers including where to beat the heat and what to do with kids who aren’t into the rides. Read on for all our secrets gleaned from our many years of visits throughout the years.

For those of you who are bravely planning to do both parks, check out our recommendations for how to do both parks in one day as well as the best rides to do with toddlers at California Adventure.

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15 Insider Tips for Visiting Disneyland with Toddlers

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Planning a trip to Disneyland with toddlers can be overwhelming. After several years of attending as season pass holders, we have learned the ins and outs on how to get the most out of a visit. Find out all you need to know on how to avoid screaming meltdowns from you and your toddler! Also, … Read more

10 Magical Things to Do in Joshua Tree (+ 1 Day Itinerary)

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Growing up in the 80s and 90s, Joshua Tree for me symbolized music, not a National Park.  But because of the music, the park has always held a certain allure. Once I discovered how close it was to LA, it moved to the top of my local travel list. But, even then, it took me almost a year of living here before I made it out. Now after several trips, it continues to be one of my favorite places in Southern California.

If you are like me and can’t ever find a weekend to go, dump the excuses and head out for a day trip! It is such a magical place that it’s worth the drive even for just the day. It will be a long day for sure, but if you have kids who will nap in the car, then go for it. Even my non-car napper managed to take a quick after lunch snooze and slept the entire way home. You will not regret exploring Joshua Tree with kids – and they will thank you!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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10 Must Visit San Francisco National Parks

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Do you love National Parks? Are you going to the Bay Area? Then find out 10 must visit San Francisco National Parks to put on your to do list!

During our recent visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, we unexpectedly found ourselves at a national park site that we didn’t even know existed. Researching this a bit more, I was surprised to learn there are 10 national parks near San Francisco. Considering how much we love the national parks and seek them out everywhere we go, you might find it surprising that we didn’t know about these parks. To our defense, there are over 400 sites in the US that the National Park Services manages, many of these being lesser known sites of historical significance.

While images of extraordinary natural landscapes of places like Yosemite and Yellowstone pop to mind when talking of the national parks, there are a great deal of wonderful sites located in busy populated urban areas. Many famous and well visited tourist sites are also classified under the park system (i.e. The National Mall in Washington DC), which most people don’t even realize.

For people visiting (or living!) in the San Francisco area, there are a great deal of parks that are easily accessible no matter where your trips takes you. As with all of the NPS locations throughout the country, these attractions provide an educational and fun adventure for kids and their parents, not to mention the awesome junior ranger badges!

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8 Super Fun Things to Do in Santa Rosa California

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Visiting the wine country of Sonoma County? Make sure to make time for these super fun things to do in Santa Rosa when you are there. For young singles and couples without kids, a weekend visit to Sonoma means soaking up the scenery, sampling first class wines and hopping from one beautiful winery to another. … Read more

10 Unmissable Experiences in Vietnam With Kids

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Vietnam with kids truly is the perfect trip for families looking for hands on educational and transformative travel. The country is teeming with unique activities and sites to visit that will appeal to all age ranges. From making things by hand to experiencing local life and immersing yourself in the culture through food, Vietnam family travel really has everything for all types of travelers.

After a few weeks exploring the country, we have come up with our top 10 things to do in Vietnam with kids (or even without!).

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The 11 Best Things to Do in Bangkok with Kids

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From the infamous Khaosan Road to ladyboys, Bangkok may not spring to mind as being the most child friendly city. However, if you stay outside of the backpacker tourist zone, you will find ample opportunities to explore, learn and experience an amazing side of Bangkok with kids.

I have loved Bangkok since my first visit more than 10 years ago and couldn’t wait to share my love of the city with my son. It’s always fun to revisit places with the fresh eyes of a child as well as look for things that may not be on every tourist itinerary but would be super fun for kids.

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What to Do in Hoi An with Kids (or without!)

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Hoi An is a picturesque UNESCO Heritage town on the central coast of Vietnam. Even being one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam, Hoi An continues to showcase a well preserved example of an ancient port town. It’s traditional wooden buildings provide a beautiful backdrop to experience all the things to do in Hoi An with kids (and without too!).

Even though much of the ancient town in Hoi An is filled with shops geared entirely to foreign visitors, the lanterns, cute shop fronts and small lanes continue to lure visitors with it’s great food and fun energy, especially once the tour buses have left for the day!

To escape the crowds a bit, here are our top picks what to do in Hoi An with kids.

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Gap Year Recap (Month 3): Panama, SLO CAL & Home

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Our third month of Gap Year travel was a bit different than what most people would do while taking a year off. We started off the month in Panama and then came home for 3 days to then set off again on a quick media visit to San Luis Obispo County a few hours north of Los Angeles. Finally, a few days before Christmas we were home for the holidays!

Cian had always said he was fine to miss school and fine to go away for the year as long as he could be home for two of his favorite holidays – Halloween and Christmas! So we made sure to make that happen. As much as I would have loved to keep on traveling from Panama all the way down to South America, I knew that he needed to be home for the holidays even if we couldn’t participate in all the holiday activities he normally likes.

So, here we go for our recap!

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Gap Year Recap (Month 2): Guatemala, Costa Rica & Panama

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It has been a month since we set off on our second adventure of our gap year and our first month of full backpacking type travels. (You can read last month’s recap here if you missed it.)

In the past 30 days we have been to Guatemala for almost 3 weeks, a short 4 days in Costa Rica to meet up with Paul and 1 week in Panama.

Overall I have to say it’s been amazing and all I had dreamed it could be. We have had so much fun, seen so much, learned so much and just enjoyed being together.

Cian really is an amazing travel partner. He keeps me grounded when I’m losing it, is always happy go lucky and ready for an adventure which helps me muddle through when I’m feeling negative about something and he just LOVES it all. It has been an absolute pleasure to show him some of my old backpacking towns.

We have made mistakes and are slowly figuring things out, but overall, I can’t imagine ever going back to our regular day to day life! Of course we will have to I guess.. 🙂

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The Graduate Hotel Madison – The Ideal Place to Stay

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Did you ever wish you went to sleepaway camp as a child? I never even knew these fantastical places existed as a kid, but now that I am an adult I wish I had the opportunity to go back in time and experience it. Lucky for me, on our recent trip to Wisconsin, we were hosted at The Graduate Hotel Madison which feels just like what I imagine an adult summer camp would be like!

Canoes hanging from the lobby ceiling, a collection of outdoorsy plaids and a casual collegiate vibe give an uber cool feeling to the hotel. I felt like I stepped into a Wes Anderson film as I walked into the carefully curated lobby filled with college students hard at work at the shared tables.

Located right in between the University of Wisconsin and the state Capitol, The Graduate Hotel Madison is perfectly situated for a college visit, a business trip or even a family holiday away.

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5 Family Friendly Things to Do in Clearwater Florida

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Heading to Florida? Make sure you check out all the amazing family friendly things to do in Clearwater Fl with kids and without! Florida is a family vacation paradise with its abundance of natural beauty, white sand beaches, vibrant cities and of course the biggest and best amusement parks in the country.

Last year I visited Clearwater Florida for a conference and fell in love. So when Expedia.com asked me to share all of the great family friendly things to do in Clearwater to inspire you to book your next family trip there, I jumped at the chance to share my love for this part of the United States.

Clearwater is on the Gulf of Mexico on Florida’s west coast not far from Tampa Bay, making it easily accessible even from the West Coast of the US. Visitors flock to this part of Florida for its continual sunshine, crystal clear waters and perfect beaches. In addition, Clearwater Beach has a great range of hotel options, making it ideal for family holidays.

Trying to figure out what all to do in north Floriday? My friend Rob has a great post on planning a north Florida vacation!

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The Dream: An Amazon River Cruise with Kids

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I wake up hearing the rain pound my windows. The rain is so loud that I feel like I am in an open air canopy with only wilderness surrounding me.

My bed rocks and rolls slightly, enough that I question whether I am still on the boat or if this is in fact all a dream. My semi-lucid state is punctured when I knock a beetle the size of a half dollar off my arm in panic.

It’s not a dream, I am really still here in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, staying at a luxury lodge after spending a week aboard the Jacare-Acu exploring the depths of the Rio Negro and the Amazon’s flooded forests.

Amazon River with Kids
Amazon River Cruise with Our Whole Village & Katerre

The purpose of our visit here is to find and experience the most authentic Brazil, exploring the flora and fauna on the majestic and mysterious Amazon River with several other families.

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Portable WiFi Hotspot: Internet on the Go

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As a traveler blogger, I’m constantly in need of WiFi when I travel. I have researched portable WiFi hotspots that are country specific, like when I went to Ireland I used an Ireland specific travel Wifi hotspot and when I was in India, I used Trabug, a mobile phone solution. While these were great solutions for those specific trips, with a solid month of travel in 3 different countries looming, I knew I needed something better than localized service. I am happy to report that I have finally found an awesome solution to providing global WiFi for me and my son when we travel – SkyRoam Solis.

Portable Wifi Hotspot provides great value all over the world, including in the Brazilian jungleThis orange portable WiFi hotspot is a lifesaver. If you are American you probably already know that AT&T isn’t the greatest phone company when it comes to international data plans, but I just haven’t wanted to switch since I have been with them forever, (probably the exact reason why I should switch!) which meant that I was left floundering and constantly on the hunt for free WiFi on our travels.  This is no bueno when you are traveling solo with a kid and need to get around easily and quickly.

Skyroam Solis to the Rescue!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

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