Make Sure You Pack These 12 Commonly Forgotten Items for Vacation

Summer travel is in full swing, so I thought it was time to share some of my best travel tips.

After years of traveling, I have learned to pack less. I remember taking a trip where I packed a different pair of shoes for 12 days. I had to pay more for my luggage due to weight, and half of the shoes went unworn.

In addition to this lesson, I have learned that there are some commonly forgotten items. These are items that we simply forgot or don’t think we’ll need. But when the time comes, you’ll be super grateful you included them in your packing list.

Something for Rain

I love my weather app, but I’ve learned that it is always wise to pack something for rain, even if there isn’t any rain in the forecast. A small umbrella or compact rain jacket can make a huge difference.

A Light Jacket or Shawl for Cooler Temperatures

I tend to always be cold on planes. It doesn’t matter if we are traveling south to a tropical destination, I am going to be cold on the plane. I also tend to get chilly in hotel rooms. That’s why I always pack a shawl that I can wrap up in on the plane and in my room as needed. You may choose a light jacket or hoodie.

A Small Purse

I’m all about my purses, but I’ve learned I need to also have something small to hold my essentials when I travel. I like to put a small wristlet inside my bigger purse that can hold my phone, lip balm, and a small wallet. It’s much easier to navigate the beach resort (the pool, the beach, etc.) with a wristlet than it is an actual purse.

Sun Protection

I always travel with sun protection – even in winter.

Wet Wipes

In addition to hand sanitizer, I like to pack a package of Wet Wipes. I use these to wipe down everything from the plane tray to my girl’s dirty hands. They make it easy to do quick clean-ups.

First Aid Supplies

I learned the hard way to never travel without my first aid supplies, including medicine. I take a small first aid kit with band-aids and a small pill organizer with my prescriptions, pain relievers, and Imodium.

Chargers

Chargers are one of the most commonly forgotten items for travel. I have found that in addition to my chargers, a power strip comes in handy. I have stayed in some places that don’t have enough outlets for charging all my family’s devices, and a power strip makes it possible. I also am a big fan of my electronic organizer for traveling.

An Extra Bag

I always come home with more than I took, so I have learned to pack a small extra bag in my suitcase for souvenirs.

A Water Bottle

I have always regretted not having my water bottle with me when I forget to pack it. Having a personal water bottle makes it so much easier to have access to water whenever you need it – and it is cheaper than buying disposable water bottles on your trip.

Lip Balm

Air travel always leaves my lips feeling dry, so I now make sure to always pack lip balm. It is also helpful in helping my lips adjust to different temperatures and environments.

A Nail Kit

I hate breaking a nail on vacation, but it happens. As long as I have a small nail kit, I can make my nails presentable and avoid accidentally scratching myself or someone else with my splintered nail.

A Laundry Bag

After many trips, I discovered the convenience of packing a separate laundry bag. Throughout the trip, dirty clothes get placed inside the laundry bag. At the end of the trip, I simply place the filled laundry bag in my suitcase. When I get home all my dirty clothes are in the laundry bag ready to be washed.

What items have helped make your travels easier?

Take Your Family to Costa Rica!

My family spent spring break in Costa Rica – and it was everything I dreamed it would be! Costa Rica has become a hot vacation spot for a good reason.

This small country, approximately the size of West Virginia, is home to white-sand beaches and tropical rainforests.

The beautiful country is excellent for families for many reasons, one of which is tourism. Tourism is the #1 industry in Costa Rica, so it is very easy to plan a family-friendly trip here.

Vibrant and Beautiful Scenery

Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. The lush forests and the gorgeous beaches are worth the trip itself. Everywhere you look is stunning. You can spend time on the beaches soaking up the sun or walking through a cloud forest.

Plus, the year-round tropical temperatures make it an ideal travel destination. However, given the tropical environment, you may want to plan your trip during the dry season to avoid too much rain. The dry season is from December to April.

Nature Front and Center

A huge part of the appeal of traveling to Costa Rica is the ability to view nature front and center. In addition to the tropical environment, you can also get up close and personal with tons of unique animals.

Costa Rica is crawling with wildlife – monkeys, sloths, frogs, and more. Additionally, there are tons of birds. More than 800 types can be found in Costa Rica, including toucans and macaws.

Amazing Resorts

Since tourism is the #1 industry in Costa Rica, you have your choice of excellent hotels.

My family stayed at W Hotel Costa Rica, and I highly recommend it. W Hotel is located in Guanacaste, W Costa Rica on Playa Conchal beach and a nature reserve.

This luxury resort offers impressive panoramic views, as well as fantastic amenities. The resort features a golf course, water sports, and a lavish spa.

We enjoyed our time spent at the pool and exploring the nature reserve. It was the perfect place for home base during our trip.

Dreamy Excursions

While we could have just stayed at the W Hotel every day, we did want to explore some of Costa Rica outside of the property.

We’d heard a lot about the hanging bridges in Costa Rica that allow you to walk through a forest canopy. For our handing bridge excursion, we headed to Heliconias Rainforest Lodge. It is located between Miravalles Volcano and Tenorio Volcano and offers spectacular rainforest views. There are trails and hanging bridges for you to explore.

Costa Rica is home to more than 25 stunning waterfalls, so you have plenty to choose from. We decided to visit Oropendola Waterfall, located in Rincon de la Vieja National Park. After you hike the short trail to see the waterfall, you can enjoy a swim in the beautiful blue waterfall waters.

Delicious Dining

As a foodie, dining is always a priority on my vacations. Costa Rica made this easy! Their delicious cuisine favors beans, rice, plantains, meat, and fish. In addition to the on-site restaurants at the W Hotel, we also visit popular local restaurants, Patagonia del Mar (seafood), Papaya Restaurant (Pacific Rim and Nuevo Latino fare), and Gracia La Vid (pizza).

Have you visited Costa Rica? What did you love? Tell me in the comments!

Why Your Family Needs a Staycation

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My followers know how much I love to travel. I mean, I LOVE TO TRAVEL. Traveling is an essential part of who I am. But, what may surprise you is that I also a good staycation. Just in case you don’t know – a staycation is a vacation spent where you live. Since my family is lucky enough to call NYC home, a staycation is super easy to pull off.

We had our own little staycation this past weekend and got to stay at the fabulous WestHouse Hotel in NYC. It was just what we needed after the busyness of the new year and before the start of actual vacation traveling. We feel relaxed and refreshed and ready to take on the weeks until Spring Break.

Today I’m sharing just some of the reasons why your family also needs a staycation.

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Less Money

Let’s be honest. Traveling is expensive. Many families have to budget all year to go on one family vacation in the summer. Plus, if you are traveling to a destination you can’t get to by car, you have to pay for your hotel and flight tickets. With a staycation, you have the option to stay in your own home or splurge and stay in a hotel in your own city. You will save tons of money simply by not having to fly.

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Less Stress

Family vacations typically require a ton of planning. And, even with all the best planning, traveling with kids is still stressful. When you choose a staycation, you will be much less stressed. You don’t have to worry about getting everyone from here to there or what will happen if one of the kids gets sick.

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Less Packing

Another bonus of a staycation is that it involves much less packing. If you choose to stay at your own home, it means no packing at all! Hooray! If you do opt to stay at a local hotel or resort, then you still don’t have to pack as much as usual because you don’t have to worry about “forgetting something.” Even if you do forget something, you can go home to get it.

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Less Busy

Possibly the biggest perk of a staycation is that it is much less busy. When my family travels, we want to do it all, which means we stay busy from morning to night. Our schedule is jam-packed. With a staycation, you can set a totally different pace. You can pick and choose just the things you want to do because there is no pressure to do it all. As a result, you will have a much more relaxed vacation.

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Less New

And finally, there will be less “new” that you feel like you have to do. As I mentioned, when we travel, we want to make sure we try everything. But, there is something nice about taking time just to do the things you really love. For example, during a staycation, you can visit all your old favorites around town that you haven’t gotten to in a while.

When’s the last time you had a staycation? What did you do? Let me know in the comments!

Why a Disney Cruise is Worth Every Penny

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Over fall break, my family went on the Disney Fantasy Cruise. It. Was. Amazing! I know people often wonder if the price you pay for a Disney cruise in comparison to other family-friendly cruises is worth it. I am here to tell you that hands-down, a Disney Cruise is worth every penny! By the time you finish reading about our over-the-top cruise, you will want to start saving your pennies.

Spacious Staterooms

Many families avoid cruises because they dread being stuck in a teeny tiny cabin on a ship with their whole family. This is not the case with a Disney Cruise. Not only is there so much to do on the ship that you will practically never be in the room, but their staterooms are spacious and very (very) nice. Our family has traveled and stayed at exclusive all-inclusive resorts, and this Disney Cruise stateroom was just as nice.

Outstanding Ports of Call

Part of the fun of going on any cruise is getting to travel to different destinations within the same week. Plus, this is such a fun way to start filling up your kids’ passports!

But what makes Disney’s ports of call stand out from other cruise lines is that you can visit Disney’s own private island – Castaway Cay! It is what dreams are made of!

We also visited Virgin Gorda in Tortola (British Virgin Islands) and Secret Harbour Beach in St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands). They were both beautiful. Visiting these islands felt like stepping into the perfect beach postcard.

Character Greetings Galore

If you think going on a Disney Cruise means you will see a few characters, you are wrong. You will not see just a few – you will see a ton! It is like Disney Character Greetings overload! My girls were thrilled to get to meet so many of their favorite characters. For those of you who travel to Disney World, you understand how challenging it can be to ride all the rides and get to meet with many characters. This is not the case on a Disney cruise (as my pictures show).

Delicious Dining

One of the best perks of going on a cruise is having someone else do all the cooking. And those doing the cooking on a Disney cruise are doing an excellent job! The food on the cruise is delicious, and they have various options. For example, my husband and I enjoyed an amazing meal at the restaurant PALO, which is an adult-only Italian restaurant. We also loved the chocolate covered strawberries we had from the Sweet on You Café.

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Fantastic Entertainment

It wouldn’t be a Disney Cruise if it didn’t include signature Disney entertainment. We were truly blown away by the entertainment options on the Disney Fantasy cruise ship, like the Aladdin Musical show. It was a quality show with wonderful actors, musicians, and dancers that entertained the whole family.

Disney World Fun at Sea

As a huge Disney World fan, I was thrilled to discover some of my favorite Disney Parks options were also available on the Fantasy Cruise. For example, the cruise ship has a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and offers a Royal Tea with Princesses. Since you typically dress up for meals and pictures on a cruise, these options are perfect for families with little princesses.

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The Amazing AquaDuck

Cruise ships keep getting cooler and cooler. And, the Disney Fantasy is one of the coolest! It has the first “water coaster” at sea. It is called the AquaDuck, and it is so much fun! This crazy fun water slide takes riders up, down, and around the side of the cruise ship, offering wild views and a wild time. But that’s not all. At night, the AquaDuck comes alive with multicolored lights making for the most fun water slide ever!

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Fun for Adults Too!

I’ve heard many parents say they are hesitant to go on a Disney Cruise because it is clearly geared towards children. While Disney Cruises are designed to be family-friendly, they are not just for kids. There are tons of things that are just for adults, such as the Senses Spa and the adults-only pool area.

Plus, many parents find their kids want to spend large amounts of time in the Oceaneer Lab (Disney Cruise’s youth program) away from their parents. Plus, the Disney Fantasy offers a childcare center and nursery. The Disney Cruise makes it very easy for parents to enjoy some kid-free time on their vacation.

The Absolute Best Customer Service

I don’t know if I have ever been more impressed with the quality of customer service as I was during our time on Disney Fantasy. It was amazing! Seriously, it was the best customer service we have ever experienced! From the time we arrived to board the ship until we said our final goodbyes, we were treated like guests of honor (even though we were on a ship full of people). They went out of their way to make sure every guest was having a wonderful time.

Magical Memories

Finally, I don’t think I can put a price on the magical memories we made on the Disney Fantasy. As someone once said, “The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories.” While on the Disney cruise, we laughed and had fun together as a family. We watched our girls light up when they met their favorite characters and fall asleep soundly each night with the help of pixie dust. Our Disney Cruise truly was an experience “where dreams came true.”

How I Make Kid-Free Travel Easier for Everyone

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It’s no secret that I love to travel or that I love my girls. It is also not a secret that I strongly believe parents should take kid-free vacations. You can read all my reasons why I am so pro kid-free vacations here. However, I realized that while I have told my readers the importance of heading away with their spouse and leaving the kids behind that I haven’t explained what I do to make it easier.

Mom friends, I am here today to make it easier for you to leave the kids at home. Whether you are worried about the logistics or the guilt, there are a few things you can do that will instantly make you and your kids feel better about your upcoming kid-free vacay.

I Leave Them with People I Trust

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First things first – I always leave my girls with people that I trust. Who these people are is going to be different for everyone, but here are some things that I think make it easier.

  1. Choose people your kids know. It is even better if you choose people your kids love.

  2. These people should know your kids. They should know your kids’ routine and their quirks.

  3. Pick people who will keep them safe but will also help them cope with you being away by filling their days with fun and happiness.

I Prepare Them in Advance

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My girls are old enough now that I can prepare them in advance for an upcoming trip. For example, I put it on the family calendar so they can countdown. I tell them where they will be staying and who they will be staying with. I also tell them the basics of where I am going and how they can reach me if they need me.

I Keep in Touch

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Today’s technology makes it so easy to stay in touch while you are away. You can even keep in touch while you are in the middle of the sea on a cruise! I know some parents worry that if their kids talk to them while they are away, then they will get more upset. This hasn’t been the case for our family. We call them and use video chat to stay in touch. We also send and receive pictures from their caregivers the entire time we are gone.

PS. A good cell phone call makes all the difference –, especially for international travel!

I Leave Them Notes

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I also like to leave my daughters little notes in their luggage for the days while I am away. Just like how I will leave a note in their lunchboxes, these little notes are sweet reminders that mommy is thinking of them even while I am away.

I Buy Them Souvenirs

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Like most moms, when I am away from my girls, I spend countless minutes of my time away thinking of them, looking at pictures on my phone of them, and shopping for them! How can I not, right?! It makes my heart happy to find gifts I know my girls will love while I am away and helps me when I am missing them.

What tricks do you have making travel without kids easier? Let me know in the comments!

Hong Kong... food and sights!

I used to go to Hong Kong once a year but after being a mom of two, the chance to travel to one of my favorite places just became extremely difficult.  But through some sheer miracle I got the chance to visit Hong Kong (for 2 whole days!)  So all I got to do was eat and eat and eat.  And try to visit the Big Buddha which I never got to do in previous trips.  Hard to believe but it looks like Hong Kong is becoming even more modern than I last remembered.  But more importantly, the food is always the best thing.  I got to eat at Mott 32The ChairmanLung King HeenTsim Chai Kee, and 忠記粥品 (only congee that was open in the morning!).  There's about a million other restaurants I would've loved to eat at...but that'll wait till next time!

The wonder and beauty of Macau!

It's been many years since I've gone back to Macau.  Back when I went, all I remember was the beef jerky and the very cool looking streets.  Now that I'm back, I still love the beef jerky and the very cool looking streets.  I think it's from all the Portuguese influence.  It has modernized a bit (from all the gambling investments) but the small streets are still there.  They're small streets with a lot of stores (lots of beef jerky stores...I told you they're very good here) and colorful apartments on top.  I was taken to quieter areas of Macau where there were a lot of trees and cool looking homes during the times when Macau was a Portuguese colony.  I had the pleasure of staying at the Presidential Suite at the amazing JW Marriot Macau and the views were a sight to behold.  I was lucky enough to finally have hairy crab at the beginning of the season for the first time...the roe really is something special (did you know there's a special way to eat it?).  Having lunch at Lai Heen was a pleasure, what a beautiful exotic room to be eating in.  Overall my short time in Macau made really want to go back there soon to experience more of the quiet side to this tiny side of China.

p.s. oh, the Portuguese egg tarts were a delight too!