Travel Gear Archives - Page 6 of 14

Stylish Quilted Koala “Mommy & Me” totes keep you organized on-the-go

If I could name one thing that keeps me sane as a mom of three kids, my answer would undoubtedly be “organization”. Gone are the days of happy-go-lucky Leanne where I would simply grab my purse and leave the house. Now going anywhere requires a few lists: the must-haves, the would-be-nice-to-haves, and the if-I-have-time items. I’m constantly organizing things into small piles each night, prepping what I can ahead of time so that our mornings and days run a little smoother, and for the most part I would say that I’m pretty well organized and we haven’t had any major catastrophes in terms of planning.

And, while I never committed to a full diaper bag with my two older children, I’ve reached the point where the “mom purse” is getting out of control. As if leather purses weren’t already heavy on their own, I’ve been known to find full-fledged rocks in my purse but there by my little darlings. Rocks, people. I carry around rocks in my purse.

Obviously, a mom purse is not the right solution to keep us organized on-the-go. What I have been searching for is a bag from Quilted Koala, the makers of the perfect lightweight 100% cotton tote bags totes to organize everything I haul around each day.

Great gifts for Dads and Grads from AT&T

When it comes to gifts for dad, you really can’t beat awesome tech accessories, and you can find all sorts of great tech gifts at AT&T. This June AT&T retail stores are offering a variety of gadgets under $100 that make great gift ideas for Father’s Day and Graduation that we adore, and I’m sure your dad or grad would as well.

One of our favorite items on the gift guide is the Braven BRV-1 speaker. We got one of these awesome Braven speakers from AT&T earlier this year and we absolutely adore it. It can go anywhere, do anything, and it sounds amazing. It’s rugged enough for camping and can even handle damp conditions. You can check out our full review here.

Neposmart: the customizable and wireless camera system that grows with you

The sound of little feet running around the house can be quite comforting, but it’s pretty awful when those sounds are followed by a loud thump or crash. This is why as soon as our kids were mobile we started looking into cameras to use throughout the house to better keep an eye on the kids – day and night.

What started off as a baby monitor search has morphed into a search for a camera system that can be used well after the baby stage to keep our whole house secure. With break-ins becoming more and more commonplace, we wanted something that would allow us to watch our home, even when we were across the country.

Our search led us to the Neposmart IP camera system, which was the only system we found that had everything we were looking for and more. This is far more than just a wireless home security camera; the Neposmart is an intelligently designed system you can operate remotely via your smartphone to survey and interact with your home.

Clean up in seconds with Lay-N-Go ~ a totable mat for everyone in the family

Now that we’re in the early stages of re-baby proofing our house for our new little one, I’m realizing more than ever all the small choking hazards that litter my floor as the kids play. Since getting rid of toys that have small parts isn’t really an option with a LEGO fanatic and a whole house full of miniatures, I’ve been brainstorming ways to corral the toys and keep the little ones safe. I’d be mad at all the little pieces everywhere but it’s not entirely their fault as our current system involves dumping bins which causes small pieces to scatter. And, in all fairness, they are actually quite good about picking up the pieces when they are done playing, which is why the bin system works for us. It was an obvious improvement upon the toy box system which had little pieces in thin layers along the bottom of the box, but clearly neither option is going to work well once we have a mobile baby.

While looking for something that allowed the small toys to be put away while still allowing them to be accessible, I found an awesome company called Lay-N-Go. Not only do they solve the problem of how to store all those small toys, their products also add the benefit of giving the kids a safe place to play with those toys, and an easy clean-up process.

Be your own WiFi hotspot with an AT&T Unite for GoPhone mobile hotspot by NETGEAR

Before, when I would travel, the most important thing to me was a comfortable bed and a shower, with a breakfast being a really nice bonus. Now, I would never book a room without WiFi because I've seen what happens when we try to vacation without it. Let me tell you, there's an awful lot of time spent searching for cafes with WiFi and parking ourselves at a back table while the rest of the family waits for whomever was unlucky enough to get the S.O.S. call from back home.

Yes, I know… we shouldn't be on the internet while we're supposed to be on vacation and surfing the internets doesn't count as real surfing, blah blah blah. But, the reality of owning a business, especially one that is web-based, is that having internet access during trips is often non-negotiable.

Thank goodness the internet can now fit in my purse or coat pocket thanks to the AT&T Unite for GoPhone mobile hotspot by NETGEAR. Never again will I pay crazy hotel internet rates or deal with {gasp} broken internets now that I can literally access AT&T's 4G LTE/4G service where available and get secure WiFi on the go.

Comfort and luxury in the road trip-ready Lexus RX 450h

By Tyler, Editor and Author

Were you looking for us a few weeks ago and expecting to find us holed up at home with our newborn while adjusting to life as a family of 5? If so, you were probably very disappointed to find our car in the driveway but no one at home. But really, how could you possibly sit at home when you have this beautiful Lexus RX 450h waiting for you to drive it? We took advantage of having a fancy new vehicle to explore in and instead spent our time off enjoying the islands around us, visiting family and friends near and far to show off the new babe, and using it as a great excuse to take some road trip adventures to corners of the Pacific Northwest we don’t often see while having some much-needed family time. When you think road trip mobile you probably don't first think of an SUV, but our week with the Lexus RX 450h has certainly changed my mind. Although it has all the comforts and luxury of a bigger car with hidden consoles, reclining rear seats, and ample leg room in both the front and rear seats, as a hybrid it still has amazing gas mileage on par with a sedan.

First Ascent Girls’ Downlight Hoodie from Eddie Bauer

Every parent knows the dilemma of the cheap kid’s coat. At first it seems like a great idea as it costs very little and you reason with yourself that they will only wear it for a short time, so why not? Then you find yourself needing to replace it halfway through the season due to normal wear and tear or you end up going somewhere truly frigid and you realize quickly that the cheapy coat isn’t really cut out for freezing temperatures.

Parents, put your money away at the discount store and instead go for a good quality coat. You won’t regret buying a coat that truly lasts, never goes out of style, and keeps your kiddo comfortable in mild to extreme temperatures. Trust me, your kid will thank you for it. It may not have the newest Disney character on it or have glitter and hearts, but once your kid gets used to the comfort of a good coat, none of that will matter.

Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition with FreeTime offers entertainment at home or on the road

As someone who is on the go a lot with kiddos, one of the main things I get asked about from friends, family, and readers is about essential gear for family travel. And while my “essentials” list has changed based on the ages of my children, there are a few things that never change. One of those things is the prevalence of tech gadgets. It’s true that tech gadgets can change your life dramatically and make life easier, especially when traveling, but there are also some huge downfalls.

One major concern is being weighed down with technology instead of making life easier. When we’re talking DSLRs, laptops, smartphones, tablets, action cams, and more as well as all the accessories and gear that go along with all those tech accessories, you can easily fill up a suitcase – and that’s before you pack any toiletries, clothing, or footwear.

So, I always say that when traveling, less truly is more. If you can go without a full laptop simply by packing a small add-on keyboard to your tablet, you are going to be a whole lot happier when packing, lugging your tech bag through airports and onto airplanes, and going through airport security – especially when you’re also corralling kids. By pairing your tablet with lightweight accessories and gadgets as well as apps to make your tablet function like a laptop, you can truly ditch the extra weight and end up with a versatile go-to device for everything from reading by the pool to editing work documents.

For this reason I love the Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition that is an ideal tablet for kids but also packed with features to make it perfect for adults, too. A few weeks ago my son got to play with one of these awesome tablets at the TravelingMom-Techlicious Holiday Tech and Travel Show in Seattle #TNTSeattle and he was so sad to say goodbye to it when the time came. Amazon saved the day {and month, and year} by sending us home with one of our own to play with and both kids were quickly smitten.

Beat holiday weight gain with the Jawbone UP24 from AT&T

It’s only the first week of November and I already feel like hibernating for the remaining winter months. It's getting rainy and cold here in Seattle and my living room is feeling awfully cozy with the fire going, so it's easy to just close my eyes and curl up on the couch. But, the one thing that's keeping me going and staying active? It's my Jawbone UP24 from AT&T that helps keep me in line if I'm not meeting my step goal or I'm going over my calorie goal. Did you know that AT&T carries a bunch of tech-savvy solutions for fighting off this season of eating more and exercising less? More than just phones these days, AT&T stores offer a variety of wearable technologies for consumers interested in health and fitness, such as the UP24 from Jawbone I was raving about earlier this year. With activity/sleep trackers, smart watches, pulse monitors, arm bands, scales and much more, AT&T has everything you need to stay within your fitness goals and beat this holiday weight gain. You can see their whole line by clicking here.

Travel must-have for kids: The LeapPad3 learning tablet

My kids are pretty awesome travelers for the most part. They can handle short flights like pros and are the best road trip buddies on long car rides. But, as it turns out, they are pretty awful redeye international travelers. Go figure.

When I look back now, I can’t help but ask myself what I was thinking taking two small kids on packed overnight flights that included 4 airports, long layovers, no meals, and a trip through customs. Oh, and did I mention I am very pregnant and have a hard time getting comfortable in even the plushest digs?

Seriously. What on earth was I thinking?! Having taken dozens of flights with them before, some of them international and some of them redeye in which they handled themselves perfectly, I was clearly going into things far too cocky considering the itinerary and their ages.

Thank goodness our friends over at LeapFrog realized that even good travelers could use something to pass 14+ hours of travel and they sent us their newest tablets, the LeapPad3 to use on our way to #BeachesMoms Social Media on the Sand conference. I spent the night before our big trip loading up on learning software, TV shows, and music to put on the tablets in addition to our collection of software cartridges from our original LeapPad, and I’m so glad I did. This awesome show? This was my view during one of our shorter flights. Would you believe that she is rocking out to the old classic "Do you Know the Muffin Man"? Someone download this girl the Frozen sing-a-long, stat.