Transportation to San Pedro

To get to San Pedro, you must fly to Belize City and either take the water taxi or a puddle jumper air plane. The water taxi was a short hour and 15-minute ride and half the cost, so we opted for that route.

Travel Tip: The water taxi makes one quick stop at Caye Caulker before arriving at Ambergris Caye. Remember to stay on the boat at this stop.

Ambergris Caye Accommodations

We found Trip Advisor to be the most helpful resource for locating a hotel on the island. Depending on what you are looking for, the island has accommodations that can meet every family’s vacation needs. We stayed at Banyan Bay at the south end of the island.

Although it was a little ritzy for my taste, we loved our ocean view, that the hotel had a good restaurant on site with breakfast included, and that it was a one-stop shop, sporting golf cart and bike rentals, a full service spa, and a concierge who could arrange ocean adventures for you.

Travel Tip: If you want wi-fi, air conditioning, and TV in your hotel room, be sure to check ahead and ensure the hotel has those amenities as not all do. Also note that most swimming pools are not heated.

 San Pedro Restaurants

San Pedro is known for its lobster. Lonely Planet books have never failed us in recommending the best restaurants when we travel. Located right on the sea, the Blue Water Grill lived up to the Lonely Planet’s recommendation and the Sea Grill was a perfect selection.

Getting Around the Island

Getting around town is fun. The island is only 5 miles wide and 25 miles long, so you don’t see too many cars.

Most people rent or own bicycles…

…or golf carts.

Travel Tip: I highly recommend renting a golf cart. It is a fun way to see the entire island and get around town. If you are staying for a week, I suggest the weekly rental. Otherwise, most places rent by the hour.

Grocery Stores

Eating out for every meal, especially in the peak travel season, can be pricey. Fortunately, Ambergris Caye sports a nice grocery store with lots of familiar US brands. I’m not sure what I’d use a cake mix for while on vacay, but it was nice knowing we could grab snacks and bug spray at a moment’s notice if we needed to.

Travel Tip: Most places in Belize accept credit cards, US dollars, and Belizean dollars.

Scuba Diving and Other Activities and Attractions

Belize is all about sea activities. With the reef a half a mile off the coast of San Pedro, most visitors explore via scuba diving, SNUBA-ing, snorkeling, or in a glass bottom boat. Companies like Ramon’s Village, organize trips to places like the Blue Hole and Sting Ray Ally for water enthusiasts.

Travel Tip: If you are looking for nice beaches and body surfing, head to Hawaii or other Caribbean beaches, like Magen’s Bay on St. Thomas. While San Pedro is surrounded by beaches, they are grassy with smooth water (no waves), and not ideal for playing in, especially for kids. The real water adventures are near or at the reef and beyond, further out or deeper down.

The Most Important Part of the Trip

Planning and taking a family vacation requires lots of work and can be stressful. My main advice is to plan well in advance and then let the Caribbean breeze get to you and unplug and relax while you’re on the island. Make time for moments with your kids and your spouse. Life at home can wait!

What are your favorite winter destination locations? Where do you most like to go on family vacation to unplug and unwind?

Culture

The capital of Nova Scotia, Halifax, flies under the radar much of the time. On first glance, it’s a sleepy, coastal city supported by agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry, and natural gas extraction. With Scottish/Irish heritage strongly imbued in the region, Haligonians (as they call themselves) celebrate their ancestry with lively music on just about any day of the week. Often, you’ll find rock with Celtic themes at one of the lounges dotting the downtown area, and the whole bar will be singing along. You’ll feel right at home in no time. Incidentally, one musical legend and one legend-to-be both hail from Halifax:  Denny Doherty, the lesser-known male founder of The Mamas and the Papas; and chanteuse Sarah McLachlan.

Festival

If there is any chance you’ll take the leap and go to Nova Scotia soon, try to get there for the Nova Scotia Ice Wine festival, February 2-12. Jost Vineyards is one of my favorites, and they will be participating with their award-winning ice wines. The festival’s location is up the highway from Halifax, but with such peaceful, rolling scenery, why not take the drive? Admittedly, when Nova Scotia is awash with the jewel tones of the autumn, it’s more interesting. However, to me, this province is beautiful all year since there are so many sounds, tastes, and sights to take it throughout the area.

Nightlife

Go to Halifax and have a lobster, which is exported by the planeload daily from the area, or fresh mussels at The Five Fisherman. Catch a hockey game at the Halifax Metro Centre with the local fans of the Halifax Mooseheads. Take a walk and wander around the cove. Chat with the locals. From unique boutiques and gift shops to bustling malls and districts, wherever you go in Nova Scotia, you are sure to find exactly what you are looking for to keep the family entertained.

If you love it the way I do, you’ll start making plans to return as soon as you can.

Have you ever visited Nova Scotia? If so, what was your favorite part of your visit?

Kristin works full time for SITA, is a mother of a sweet 2-year-old boy and wife to a fantastic 6th-generation Texan, living in Austin, Texas. Loves: her baby boy, airplanes, airports, classic cars, sports, Italy, and dessert; not necessarily in that order. Never met a cupcake she didn’t like. You can reach her via Twitter @AustinKVS or via her blog http://www.twocannoli.com.

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Buon appetito.  I look forward to my next visit to Rome, my family in tow.

Where are your favorite travel locations? Do you travel for fun or for business?

Kristin is a mother of a sweet 2-year-old boy and wife to a fantastic 6th-generation Texan, living in Austin, Texas.  Loves: her baby boy, airplanes, airports, classic cars, sports, Italy, and dessert; not necessarily in that order. Never met a cupcake she didn’t like.  You can reach her via Twitter @AustinKVS or via her blog http://www.twocannoli.com

Surprisingly, we found that rather than a luxurious hotel with eager staff at our beck and call, we were staying at something called an eco-resort. In tents. I’m not complaining, as they were nice tents with amazing ocean views, and we each got our own. As intended, the primativeness allowed us to truly appreciate and focus on the things we were being shown.

3 Technologies that Enhance a Vacation

I’ll discuss three of the handy technologies we used. In a few days, I will go more in depth in a post over at my own site, Dadventurous.com. Please come over and check it out.

Windows Phone

Keep in mind that for the most part we didn’t have phone service, but that didn’t mean our phones weren’t useful. The camera on my Samsung Focus (and pretty much any smartphone these days) can take higher quality pictures than the first digital camera I purchased 10 years ago (and I couldn’t surf the web on my camera). The phone is lighter, has much better storage, and even costs less than my original camera.

This particular device allowed me to take a picture almost instantly, even when the phone was locked. And, of course, it also records video! As I mentioned above, we did not have consistent internet or phone service on the island, but whenever we came into range, Windows Live allowed us to snap the pic and then immediately share it via Twitter, text, email, and even Facebook.

Portable GPS

We were also outfitted with a BackTrack GPS made by Bushnell. This light yet rugged device fed us the simple real-time stats such as  location, distance, and speed. But the fun part is that the information is all stored, allowing you to download it to your computer. I can now pull up virtually my entire trip and see a Google map of my travels as well fun information like elevation, temperature, and speed. Using a similar device, I recorded every single run I did last ski season down to the slightest turn (and fall).

Ruggedized Laptops

I heard of these before, but never saw one up close and personal. The demonstrations took place on the beach, right there in the sand and surf. We used a few different units including the Panasonic Toughbook, and each one was as sturdy and durable as they claimed. We poured water on them, buried them in the sand, and even threw one against a tree. They all continued to work as if they had never left their desks. Finally there are computers I would feel comfortable letting my kids use.

This was just a sampling of the devices and technologies we used to enhance our own Caribbean adventure. We would have had fun no matter what, but the technology our trip even better.

What tech devices do you bring with you on vacation? How do you use technology to enhance a vacation?

He went to school, did his homework, watched TV, and played a few video games. Perhaps he didn’t get enough “green time.”

A new report and parent guide “Green Time for Sleep Time” from the National Wildlife Federation says that most of America’s children are sleep deprived because they are not getting enough natural sleep-inducing light. When kids are not exercising and are over stimulated with electronic media during the day, it is affecting their quality of sleep at night.

This summer, our family went to Lake Powell in northern Arizonia for 5 days.

We enjoyed doing awesome outdoors activities in nature like surfing…

…and cliff jumping.

While we were there, we all fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow each night.

Now that we are home and back into our new school routine, I am noticing that we are spending more time indoors. Taking time out of our busy schedules to make sure we are not only exercising but that we are getting outside and exposing ourselves to natural sunlight is critical to helping us continue to get enough sleep.

10 Tips to Reducing Sleep Deprivation in Children

Here are 10 tips to help reduce sleep deprivation in children by having them take advantage of natural sunlight.

1. Go to the park and enjoy nature.
2. Help with yard work or gardening projects.
3. Ride your bike around the block.
4. Play catch in the yard with you, their siblings, or other neighborhood friends.
5. Take your dog for a walk.
6. Play outside at recess.
7. Go on nature walks or hikes. If your children likes photography, have them take photographs of their adventures.
8. Participate in an outdoor individual or team sport.
9. Oversee an outdoor scavenger hunt in your backyard, in your neighborhood, at the park, or at another outdoor location in your community (for example, the zoo, botanical gardens, etc.).
10. Have a picnic or BBQ.

The benefits of sleep mean a happier and calmer child, and one who can focus more on important activies. As a parent, what is not to love about that?

What outdoor activities help your kids fall asleep at night? What tips do you have for reducing sleep deprivation in children?

Top 10 Ways to Guarantee a Successful Girls’ Vacation

1. Wear matching shirts at Disneyland with the birthday girl’s picture on them.

2. Skip through Disneyland arm in arm.

4. Eat horrible Mexican food and laugh about it.

5. Even though the price is outrageous, spend the money to buy the picture of all of you in Space Mountain (the real one isn’t this blurry, I promise!).

Laugh hysterically at the picture the rest of the trip.

6. Try on Minnie Mouse ears and take pictures of each of you in a different set.

7. Make sure to save room for a churro. I didn’t and totally regret it!

8. Get a picture with Minnie!

9. Last but not least, get a Disney Birthday Button. Seriously! Everyone will tell you Happy Birthday! It’s awesome!

10. Most importantly, be silly!

What would be your ideal sister’s vacation? Where would you go? What would you do?

Located in the central United States on Lake Michigan, I learned recently that Chicago is also referred to as “The Paris of the Prairie,” a kind of calm cosmopolitan city with mid-western charm.

I visited last week for only the 4th time, but it was the first time I really got out and did any sight seeing. Having heard that Chicago’s architecture was fabulous, I set out to see as much of it as I could in one afternoon.

4 Ways to See Chicago’s Architecture

If you’re trying to squeeze in a lot of architecture in a short period of time, I recommend these four ways to see the sites.

1.  By boat! I had heard nothing but rave reviews of the Architectural Cruise by Chicago Line Cruises. On their website, it says:

Critics say that no other city has influenced and embodied the state-of-the-art in high-rise design and modern architecture as prominently as Chicago:  virtually every major architect has a signature building here.

I highly recommend this fascinating and informative 90-minute cruise, which comes complete with it’s own tour guide and even free cookies and lemonade.

2. By Ferris Wheel! Another architectural feat, the Chicago Ferris Wheel is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. The 7-minute journey, which only costs $6, gives you a bird’s eye view of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline.

3. By foot! Walking around the city gives you yet another perspective of the amazing architecture, getting you up close and personal with fun and sometimes quirky designs such as…

A larger-than-life-sized statue of Marilyn Monroe.

A statue of Bob Newhart sitting outside the entrance to the Navy Pier.

And a visual reminder of putting your foot in your mouth.

4. By highrise! Some of the world’s tallest buildings are in Chicago. Enjoying dinner at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building is a perfect way to watch the sunset.

And to see the city lights.

But however you choose to see Chicago, whether by boat, ferris wheel, walking, or from the 95th floor of a highrise building, just make sure to get out and take in the architecture (and afterward, follow it up with some deep dish pizza from Gino’s East Side and some Garrett’s Popcorn!).

What are your favorite big cities? What is it that you like about them? What are your favorite sites to see in them? Tips? Recommendations?

We waited in line and longer for the next flight, arrived in Amsterdam only to wait in longer lines, all to find out we weren’t going to make it to Nairobi in time to join our team on the flight to Kisumu, which would cause us to miss half of our trip. But wait! There were two middle seats. So Cooper Munroe (of The Motherhood) and I snatched them up and boarded the flight.

I don’t know if I was overly exhausted. Or maybe I was just used to choosing my seats, but my mind turned to my middle seat and focused on my future inability to sleep during the flight. I was so tired in that moment and starting to wonder if the trip was worth it when I remembered I hadn’t taken my malaria pill for the day.

In an instant, my mind shifted to the real reason for heading to Africa, which had nothing to do with landing at a specific time or which seat on the airplane I sat in. It had to do with Kenyans. Women. Global issues, including the very illness I was about to take a pill to help me avoid… malaria, which so many struggle from and many die from. I was humbled and suddenly remembered how lucky I was to have my health and the ability to help raise awareness let alone be on a flight to Kenya with a seat at all, regardless of where that seat was located or how much sleep I’d get over the next week. What an amazing thng to visit with mothers halfway around the world!

We safely arrived, immediately caught another flight, and then spent the day in a remote village outside of Kisumu in western Kenya. Our group went on house visits where women, men, and children were tested and some diagnosed with HIV.

I visited a hospital and saw women who recently had had c-sections who, after only a couple of days in recovery, would walk sometimes long distances home, alone, with their baby.

This is the recovery room. The blue things hanging from the ceiling are mosquito nets.

I saw teeny children some with pneumonia with IVs in their heads and others on oxygen tanks, fighting malaria, tummies extended, breathing rapidly. I was told that only a few years back this very village didn’t have such luxuries. By luxuries, they meant heart monitors and oxygen tanks. I thought back to when my now 8-year-old was laid up in the hospital for a week while the infectious disease specialist performed more than 2o0 tests to diagnose him. Those tests, the diagnosis, and its treatment were things I was so grateful for, but today, realized I took for granted.

I looked into a scared mom’s eyes and wanted to scream out that it would be OK. I wanted to give her a hug that I knew the feeling of being scared and helpful when watching a child struggle to live. I struggled with the urge to break down at the enormity of fixing global health issues and with breaking out in song that ONE.org is doing something about it, giving mothers around the world hope!

What is your “middle seat”? What do you get so focused on in your daily life that keeps you from taking actions, however simple, that will really make all the difference in those areas that matter most to you?

Take a moment, click here to enter your name and email address, and sign a petition to help fight global health issues in Africa. You can make a difference from the comfort of your own home and without spending a dime!

Photo credit (home visit, 2nd photo): Morgana Wingard, ONE.org.

What I was unprepared for was how Branson is the perfect place for a family vacation for kids of all of ages, which I found out on my recent trip there hosted by the Branson Conference and Visitor’s Bureau.

10 Family Friendly Places in Branson, Missouri

If you’re looking for a fun vacay, centrally located, a bit off the beaten path, and without all the crowds you’d find at a popular theme park destination location, check out Branson and the following family friendly places it offers:

1. The Dixie Stampede: A dinner theater, but country style where the entire family will enjoy the Civil War era with a little rodeo, trick riding, and flying pigs all while eating with your hands and stomping every time the host says: “Stampede.”
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2. Silver Dollar City: A lush, country-style theme park complete with country stores, jails, blacksmith shops, and more. Pathways are built around trees, providing lots of shade and making it a really relaxing environment. At the same time, the rides, appropriate for kids of all ages (even adults!), are fun and thrilling.
   
   
3. Branson Belle Showboat: I’m not gonna lie. I’m a sucker for steamboats. It stems from my love of Huckleberry Finn. And this one didn’t disappoint. While the food wasn’t the greatest, the show more than made up for it. Seriously! Who has a beautiful voice, plays the piano AND the violin good enough to make your jaw drop, and is an arielist? I know! Weird combination, but it worked! While my 8 and 10YOs were captivated, this may not be for younger kids since it goes until 10:30 p.m.
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4. White Water: A water park is a water park is a water park, right? Sure! But, a day at the water park is just what a tired family needs in the middle of a vacation. At white water, we felt a range of emotions: exhilaration in the wave pool, relaxation in the lazy river, adventure at the big slides, and family fun at Ohana Falls, where we got to sit in a mammoth inner tube and enjoy the ride down the slide as a family.
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5. Tracks: What boy can turn down go carting and bumper boat rides? Not mine! I took the afternoon off even though Tracks looked like fun and let @troypattee and our two boys enjoy a little father/son time. They were a bit disappointed they didn’t get to try out the four-story go-cart track, but had fun with the activities they did get to do and all came home exhausted, but happy!
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6. Noah the Musical: Sight and Sound is a theater and company with a mission to bring Bible stories to life. And bring Noah to life, they did! I was a little skeptical of this performance, thinking it would be really cheesy, but the live animals on stage and in the aisles were an awesome touch that captivated the kids. The music was beautiful, and the effects, making you feel like you inside the ark, were truly amazing. Whether you are Christian or not, this is a fun play to share with your entire family.
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7. Danna’s BBQ: Hitting a BBQ joint was a must for Branson. At Danna’s BBQ, we introduce our 10YO to pork-pulled BBQ and apparently, we changed his life forever. Not only did we not make him buy a kid’s meal, but he discovered a love for BBQ. Score!
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8. Titanic: This was one of the first things I remember about Branson—the Titanic Museum, shaped just like the Titanic, sitting on a corner right there on the main drag as you drive into Branson. I was tired on our last day and wondered whether I’d have the energy for a museum, but this interactive, self-guided audio tour definitely kept my interest. And not only my interest, but the interest of my entire family, which is saying a lot, considering we have two active boys. They were captivated with the various facts their audio tour guide shared with them and loved dipping their hands in the 28-degree water and touching ice, representative of the iceberg.
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9. Shepherd of the Hills: Our last activity was a horseback riding and zip riding adventure combined with a BBQ luncheon. Not a horseback riding fan myself, I went zip riding while Troy and the boys went on an hour-long horseback ride. We joined back up for lunch at which point we discovered that our very tentative 10YO wanted to try the zip rider. So, off he and Troy went and although he freaked out about an hour after the ride, he claims it was his very favorite part of the trip. As a parent, don’t you love seeing your kids overcome their fears?
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10. Lodging and Flight: Two important tips for getting to Branson and staying there. We flew into Springfield. If you are looking for the closest airport, this is not it. But, the hour drive is worth the trip and for us, worth taking Delta Airlines. In terms of lodging: There are lots of amazing options. We loved staying at Castle Rock Hotel. It wasn’t luxurious, but it had two major things going for it: 1) It has a water park, which is free to guests. The kids LOVED it! And 2) The rooms have two double beds and a set of bunk beds in a semi-private room with its own TV. Our boys loved having their own space. So did we!

My family just returned from 7 days at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. We crammed a lot of fun activities into our week-long adventure, including visits to Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. Not wanting to be completely exhausted upon our return, we did a few things before, during, and after our vacation to help us more fully enjoy the trip.

Here are 15 tips we recommend for getting a little rest and relaxation that will last beyond the trip.

Family Travel That Build Memories Without Leaving You Exhausted

Planning Tips Before the Trip

The first step to not crashing after you’ve returned from a family vacation is to plan well in advance. Check out these simple steps:

1. Do the family’s laundry a week in advance and set clothes aside for the trip so you aren’t scrambling at the last minute to find important articles of clothing and travel gear.
2. Pick up the house prior to heading to the airport.
3. Go to the grocery store and buy enough food (items that won’t spoil) to last you a couple of days upon return from your trip.
4. Create a detailed list of all of the items you’ll need. Make sure to include: band-aids, sunscreen with high SPF, sunburn gel, sunglasses, tissues, a mini first-aid kit, ample over-the-counter medications to accommodate a variety of potential illnesses, etc.
5. Get the suitcases out several days in advance and slowly start packing, crossing items off your list as you load them into your bags.
6. If you are doing anything that requires a reservation or tickets—theme parks, restaurants, shows, activities, events, flights, car rental, transportation, etc.—book everything online as far in advance as possible to take advantage of great rates.
7. Create a file for all reservations and print out confirmation documents to take with you. Have a back up of these confirmation documents in an email folder online just in case.

Creating Family Memories During the Trip

Many people make the mistake of planning well in advance only to push themselves beyond their limits while on vacation. Here are some simple tips for staying energized while on vacay:

1. Schedule your days around what works best for your family. If you’re a super spontaneous bunch, allow yourselves time to veer off the beaten path. If you do better in a structured environment, book reservations in advance and have a reliable watch to ensure you stay on schedule.
2. Build in ample down time for rest and relaxation. Things like an afternoon nap, lounging by the pool, laying out at the beach, taking in a movie, enjoying a cocktail or mocktail before dinner can make all the difference in helping you truly relax during your vacation.
3. Bring a couple of “laundry bags” to store your dirty clothes in during the trip—one for whites, one for darks, and one for wet clothes (if you go to the beach or to a hotel with a pool). This will allow you to easily unpack once you return from your trip.
4. Make healthy choices! Often on family vacations—especially on theme-park trips—families go, go, go until they fall in bed at night, exhausted. The result? The absolute need for massive recovery after the vacation is over. Instead, make choices that help you keep your energy high while on vacation: eating healthy, exercising, getting ample sleep, drinking lots of water are all ways to help your body from crashing after the vacay has ended.

Staying Rejuvenated After the Trip

If you took the time to pick up your house before leaving and ensured that there was enough food to last you a couple of days upon return of your vacation, you’ll immediately feel relieved when you walk through the door. In addition, after returning, do the following:

1. Unpack your luggage and put it away within 24 hours.
2. Start a load of laundry immediately after unpacking.
3. Get a great night’s sleep the first night you are back.
4. Wake up the next morning and have each family member share their favorite memory from your relaxing family vacation!

Now you’re ready for your next family vacation!

What is your family’s favorite vacation spot? What are your tips for planning a truly relaxing vacation?

Disclosure: Universal Orlando Resort provided my family this trip as part of a press event. The tips, insights, and experiences shared are all my own!