Ultimate Guide to Planning a Trip to Ireland in 2023

Are you planning a trip to Ireland? If so, you have come to the right place! For the last 20 years I have taken a family trip to Ireland almost on a yearly basis. Because of this, I often get emails asking for help in planning a trip to Ireland. “What should I do in … Read more

The Ultimate Guide to Exploring Yosemite with Kids

A family trip to Yosemite National Park is the quintessential American summer holiday. Exploring Yosemite with kids while camping (or glamping as it is for us!), splashing through rivers, and spying out some of the best natural scenes in the US is one of the best trips you can do with your family.

If you are planning a visit to California’s most iconic park, we have laid out all you need to know in order to have the best trip ever in Yosemite with kids. Below are our top picks for things to do in Yosemite National Park with kids as well as options on where to stay and eat. Trust me, seeing this national treasure through your little one’s eyes is a truly magical experience that you will not want to miss.

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10 Amazing Budget Travel Destinations

From Asia to Central America, this year’s list of the best budget travel destinations has something for every type of traveler. Whether you want to stick close to home or venture off the beaten path, we have scoped out some of the best in cheap destinations with amazing experiences. 

While some of these may be a bit more adventurous than some of you are looking for, we also include several places in the US that are a bit less touristy than your typical Los Angeles or New York trip while still offering a ton of things to do, amazing places to eat and fun for all ages.

If you see a place that strikes your fancy, there are so many amazing travel deals right now. Read our post on how to travel more and check out Flighthub to see what they have going right now!

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7 Documents You Need When Traveling Abroad

Planning a trip abroad requires you to considering many things, including what documents you will need when traveling. Travelling abroad requires packing all kinds of items – including certain important documents. Without some of these documents, you may not be able to travel. In other cases, they could be handy to have in case of … Read more

Travel Planning: A Resource Guide

Last week, we talked about researching where to go, but we didn’t delve into the nitty gritty of where to research flights, accommodation and things to do. This is an extension of research, but also begins to get into the logistics of travel planning. Logistics is another thing that I love about travel planning. Details, details, details.

Below I provide my favorite resources for finding flights, car rentals, accommodation and more.

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Where to Stay in Mumbai: An Insider’s Guide to the Best Hotels in Mumbai

Heading to India and wondering where to stay in Mumbai? We have you covered with our insiders guide to the best places to stay in Mumbai from hotels near the Mumbai airport to hotels in Bandra and beyond. Some of the best hotels in the city are not located in the main tourist areas, but … Read more

Tips on Planning a European Family Vacation

One of the most stressful parts of travel for many people is the process of actually planning the trip. This is particularly true if you are heading abroad with your family for the first time. You want everything to be just perfect. But, the logistics involved in planning a trip to Europe can be quite overwhelming. I have found the more prepared you are, the more likely your trip will go off without a hitch. This all takes a lot of time, patience and skills in list making!

To help you get started on planning your dream trip, read on for my suggestions on how to get started planning a perfect European family vacation. So get ready to eat authentic Italian food, visit monuments you have only read about in books and make your travel dreams come true.

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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Tips for Flying with a Baby: Carry-on Essentials

Flying with a baby is daunting for most parents. Preparing and packing carry-on essentials is one of the most important aspects for your baby’s first flight. In my son’s first 2 years of life we traveled from India to Ireland to the US and back racking up platinum status with Delta! After so many flights … Read more

Travel Planning: Checklists for Travel

Travel Planning: Checklists for TravelThroughout this series, I have covered the basics of how to add more travel into your life, how to research for a trip and where and how to book the trip. For the final step of travel planning, depending on what type of trip you are taking, I have put together some timelines, checklists for travel with some tips on how to make it easier. These are the things I tend to think about and/or use for each of our trips. Make sure to add in your own as well so you don’t forget things that are particular to you or your family.

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Travel Planning: Researching A Trip

Travel Planning: Researching A tripLast week I wrote about how you can add more travel into your life, but for many people, it’s the travel planning that is a huge barrier to actually getting out the door. Being a researcher at heart (and through training, I have a Masters in Research Psychology), this is one of my favorite parts of travel. However, I know that travel planning is insanely daunting to many people, including my dear husband!

To help you add more travel to your life, I wanted to also provide you with some of my how to’s for planning a trip, short or long. The first post in this series is researching a trip.

One of the best parts of trip planning for me is the research aspect. I love reading about travel, learning about destinations and checking out photos of places around the world.  I have lists and lists of places I want to go and things I want to see for pretty much every country in the world. This part of researching for a trip is an ongoing process. I love my Listography app where I can easily jot down thoughts, locations and ideas when I see them.

I realize though that not everyone has these massive lists to inspire and guide their trip planning process. Instead, they feel overwhelmed and need a lot of help to plan or research a trip. If that is you, then continue reading for my tips on the first step of travel planning: how to research for a trip.

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7 Tips on How to Travel More

I often get asked how I am able to travel so much with my son. Do you homeschool? Are you loaded? Is your travel free? All valid questions. Traveling with a family is difficult once children are in school and have limited time off, but it is not impossible. Travel is also much more expensive than solo travel when you could sleep in less than stellar hostels or easily couchsurf and travel in dodgy local buses. But, again it is possible for most families to add more travel into their lives with a few small changes in their lifestyle and knowing where to look for cheaper travel options.

I am a travel blogger, which means I do get to go on some trips for free (or actually I would say for a barter if you count the countless hours I spend writing about them), but by and large most of the trips I take are self funded in some way or another. So how do I do it?

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Tips to Survive the Rickshaw Run

Tips on Surviving the Rickshaw RunYou’ve done it, you have taken the plunge and signed up for the Rickshaw Run. Congratulations! It will be the best adventure of your life, I promise.  But it won’t always be easy!

The Rickshaw Run is adventure travel on steroids. It is intense, unconventional and most of all, occurs in a country known to be chaotic, infuriating and intoxicating. You will not leave this journey without learning something about the inner workings of India and how you manage under extreme stress. (If  you have no idea what I’m talking about, read our intro post here.)

Having already lived in Mumbai for 5 years, we were at an advantage while doing the Rickshaw Run. We had a much better sense of how the country worked as well as a bit of the language under our belt. We saw some fellow teams suffer unnecessarily along the route without an insider’s knowledge of India.  So, without further ado, here are some tips to help make your journey a little easier!

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My Top 7 Travel Essentials

Travel Essentials
Photo via Flickr

As I began packing for my next trip I realized that I have a few essentials that go with me regardless of my destination. Many of these items, in some form, have been coming with me for the last 15 years! If they are this essential to me, perhaps you will also find them useful in your travels.

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Family Fun at Xcaret in the Riviera Maya

Xcaret, Riviera MayaOne of our most memorable days during our visit to the Riviera Maya region of Mexico was our last minute trip to Xcaret (ish-car-et). Skeptical, but lured in by the advertisements, we weren’t sure how we felt about spending our last day at a cheesy Disneyeque theme park, but we were game to check it out.

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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with Kids

One of the main reasons we chose the Big Island over the other Hawaiian Islands was to visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. My son had seen a brochure about the park at a friend’s house last summer and has wanted to go ever since. Turns out, this was the highlight for all of us. There is so much to … Read more

Rickshaw Run: The Beginning

On a day to day basis it was the longest most frustrating 14 days of our lives, looking back it was the most amazing and adventurous 14 days. I should be scared, but I am not. I am full of excitement and anticipation sitting in the long line of rickshaws waiting to launch from Pondicherry. … Read more

Insider’s Guide: The Best Things to Do in Mumbai

The Insider’s Guide to Mumbai series is loaded with information to help you visit and explore this expansive and vibrant city like a local. After living as an expat for so many years, I found that to really get to know a city quickly you need to stay outside of the tourist zones and hang out and eat where the … Read more

Insider’s Guide: How to Ride Mumbai Local Train

The Insider’s Guide to Mumbai series is loaded with information to help you visit and explore this expansive and vibrant city like a local. After living as an expat for so many years, I found that to really get to know a city quickly you need to stay outside of the tourist zones and hang out and eat where the … Read more

What are kid friendly destinations?

One of my fellow family travel bloggers posted a question on their Facebook page a while back asking where people thought of when they thought of kid friendly destinations. My initial response was Costa Rica, mostly because we were in the midst of planning a trip there. But then I realized that every place is kid friendly … Read more