Shelly Rivoli's

Travels with Baby

The best adventures with your child begin here.

Home Products & Gear Travel Planning Guide Books Tips Blog About

Give Thanks for Holiday Travel

On November 27, 2008 · 1 Comment

Here’s a snapshot of us in Sleepy Hollow, New York, kicking off the holiday season on our first cross-country trip with a baby. It wasn’t Thanksgiving just yet, which made it a little less crazy, a little less expensive, a lot better weather-wise than it might have been otherwise, and it was worth the journey simply for the spectacular autumn color we Californians soaked up while riding the Metro-North along the Hudson River.

But this was a particularly special occasion for us. We were introducing our Baby Angelina to “the relatives back east,” including her 92-year-old great grandmother who’s own mother’s name had been Angelina–the first to travel overseas from Italy by way of Ellis Island. I will always be thankful we were able to make that trip, and did. Just four years later, we are minus two of the generations from this picture taken during that visit: Nanny and our dear Poppa Ray (Tim’s dad).

At a time when travel is increasingly expensive and budgets are tighter than ever, those of us setting out on the highways, sitting out on the tarmacs, or riding along on the rails should embrace the privilege of holiday travel and visits with extended family more than ever as well.

Wherever your family celebrates today, give a few extra hugs, take more pictures than you might have, and help teach your kids how very special those grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles really are to you—and what a lucky thing it is be able to spend some time together.

Time to call the taxi now. We’ve got a “Thanksgiving Train” to catch!

Be sure to check back Monday when I’ll be announcing the three * very cool * prizes I’m contributing to the Passports with Purpose travel blogger fundraiser. At $10 per tax-deductible raffle ticket, these are incredible bargains that I happen to know traveling parents can appreciate!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby

The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

Tagged with:
 

Give Thanks for Train Travel with Children

On November 25, 2008 · 2 Comments

Ever since the first mention of this year’s Thanksgiving, the girls have been anxiously awaiting their next trip on what they are calling “The Thanksgiving Train (exclamation point).” I can relate. When I was young, my family traveled by train over many Thanksgiving weekends from Oregon to Seattle to visit relatives. For my brother and I, it was always an adventure–a chance to meet other kids, explore fascinating ViewLiner cars and snack cars, and of course: flush the toilets to see the tracks whizzing by below. Like most kids growing up in the States, train travel was a novelty for us and we counted ourselves lucky to do it at all.

When we became “big kids,” with passports and rail passes in hand, we dove into train travel in Europe head first, naturally. But it’s not as easy to travel around the U.S. by train. Amtrak’s routes are limited, sleeper cars for a family are steeply priced, and most often you’ll still need a car at the other end which tempts most people to just drive theirs instead.

That’s why holiday travel to visit friends and relatives may be the perfect opportunity for many of us to do a little U.S. train travel. If the obvous benefits of not having backseat hostages in heavy traffic aren’t excuse enough for you already, consider these points:

1. You may have relatives happy to greet you at the station with their own car–and possibly even a borrowed or rented car seat.

2. On peak traffic days like Thanksgiving, you’ll stand a chance of actually arriving by Amtrak faster than you would by car (probably not so most other times).

Heading to Grandma’s for a long Thanksgiving weekend with promises of marshmallows in the fruit salad, pie with whipped cream AND ice cream, a new kid’s movie to watch in the evening, pajama parties while mom and dad disappear for a date (exclamation point) and so on, we can’t get there fast enough. But that’s when the usual 1 hour 15 minute drive to Sacramento easily becomes 2 hours and 30 minutes, and feels more like 6 hours.

If you don’t relish the thought of an extra hour or more spent creeping along down crowded interstates and highways this Thanksgiving, particularly with a toddler strapped in your backseat, I’m with you. For us, weekend Bay Area traffic can be bad enough, so when it comes to Thanksgiving weekend, we are onboard with the Amtrak plan.

We can board the Capitol Corridor at Emeryville and arrive at the Old Town station in about 1 hour and 30 minutes, chugging by way of the C&H sugar mill and expanses of wetlands dotted with more egrets than we can count, neither of which we see when driving by car. With little ones along for the ride, it’s been easy to nurse the baby when feeding time was upon us, hop to the loo to exercise potty power just in time, and keep our toddler amused as we smile smugly to ourselves and think of the cars idling on Interstate 80.

We explore the train cars, make faces at the conductor, color pictures, read books, enjoy snacks, sip hot chocolates, and arrived almost too soon for all the fun we are having. From our first Thanksgiving Day arrival with the fanfare of Grandma waving to us and waiting on the platform with big hugs ready to hear all about the Thanksgiving train adventure, it was clear that this should be and would be a new holiday tradition for us.

Although you can no longer see the tracks whizzing by when you flush the toilets on Amtrak, I highly recommend taking the train wherever possible as an alternative to driving with kids during the big holidays. Bring toys, bring snacks, bring a deck of matching cards. And instead of converting 4-letter descriptors of the drivers in front of you into child-friendly euphemisms, spend some quality face time with your kids. After all, isn’t that what family holidays are supposed to be about?

Tips for your trip:

To see if Amtrak is an option for your holiday travels, visit http://www.amtrak.com/ and see their route maps and interactive atlas.

Remember that AAA members get a discount for leaving their cars behind, too, and children 2 years to 15 years old ride for half price on most Amtrak trains. Babies under 2 years get a free ride.

In California, Amtrak has added extra cars and hundreds of seats to each of it’s popular “Thanksgiving Trains” (Pacific Surfliner, San Joaquin, and Capitol Corridor) in anticipation of the highest number of holiday train travelers yet. Tickets for all but the Capitol Corridor must be purchased in advance.

For more tips on planning train trips with children in the U.S., Canada, or Europe, check out Part 6 of Travels with Baby, where you’ll find 40+ pages on the subject including great scenic day trips by train, sleeper car info, best family pass info, and more.

Winner of “Get a Baby Bedtime Routine that Travels…and Grooves”: Congratulations to “Jesi and Joe” and their 11-month-old twins who will indeed have some familiar music on their next trip. Strap on those babies and groove! Contact me with your details and I’ll get your Lullaby Exercises CD/DVD set out to you ASAP.

Safe journey,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby
Get 20% at Amazon + Free Super Saver Shipping when you buy from Travels with Baby Books!

Tagged with: •
 

Packing Tips for Holiday Travel and Best Baby Travel Moments Winner

On November 21, 2008 · 3 Comments


Baggage Tips as you Pack for Holiday Travel

I know many of you will be playing “Suitcase Jenga” this weekend as you get ready for Thanksgiving travel with your little ones. Don’t forget these tips as you pack:

Best Baby Travel Moments Follow-Up: Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s Free Book Friday. I really enjoyed reading your Best Baby & Kid Travel Moments, and glimpsing the vastly different snapshots of your adventures—from hopping public transportation for the first time with an infant and managing two young children on a day trip to the zoo to catching a ride to town on a donkey (with a 1 year old + luggage) or riding a camel to the Saraha with a young child.
Everyone seemed to share a feeling of newfound confidence and pride as a parent by venturing out with their children, whether close to home or onto a playground in China or into a café in Italy. If you haven’t read the comments yet, check them out at the Best Baby Travel Moments post.
The randomly selected winner of the gift copy of Travels with Baby is “Soup of the Day,” so please shoot me an email via my contact page at http://www.travelswithbaby.com/ with: the name(s) you would like me to inscribe your book to with any special wishes, what you would like your gift note to say, and the address where you would like it sent.

Current Giveaway: Have a tip to share on how you help your child get to sleep in strange places—or a lesson learned on how not to?! I have another giveaway in progress for a DVD/CD combo set of the travel-friendly Lullaby Exercises by Chicks-n-Chickens (makes a great gift for new moms). Post your tip in the comments for Get a Baby Bedtime Routine that Travels by Monday night. I’ll announce the winner next Tuesday.

Pictured Above: As I strolled down the hall while mentally sifting through best baby travel moments this week, I stopped in my tracks as I passed this shot of me celebrating my birthday at Pompeii with Baby Angelina on my hip. What a day, what a moment. As I look at the picture, I still feel just as I did then and there contemplating “How lucky am I?” (This photo is part of Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.com.)

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby
Get 10% off from Amazon + an extra 10% off when you buy from Travels with Baby Books! Click here

Tagged with: • •
 

Kids Fly Free to Disneyland, Eat Free and More

On November 20, 2008 · 2 Comments


To those families hoping to do the “full-meal deal” Disneyland Resort Vacation experience in 2009, take a look at the promotion just announced by Alaska Airlines. Families that take advantage of Alaska’s “Kids Fly Free to Disneyland” packages for will get more than just free airfare for the kids.

Here’s what you can get:
- Roundtrip airfare for one child (2-11 years) per adult from Alaska and Horizon departure cities (prices will vary based on city).
- Four nights for the price of 3 at the Clarion Hotel Anaheim Resort.
- Free lunches and dinners from the kids’ menu each time the adult buys one entree (one free child per purchased adult entree) at the Clarion.
- One 5-day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Bonus Ticket for one child and one adult.
- 1,500 bonus miles for each passenger, in addition to the miles earned en route if you book through Alaska Air Vacations online.

To get the deal:
- Book before March 18, 2009
- Travel between January 7, 2009 and June 17, 2009
- And go to www.alaskaair.com to click on the special.

A few extra tips:
- Book early to get the best deal since space is limited.
- Trying for spring break or early summer? You can “change up” your destination airport within the area and/or hotel if you like with their vacation booking engine, which may be helpful for finding your best deal if the initial advertised deal sells out during your dates.

And don’t miss my two giveaways still in progress:

Free signed, gift-wrapped copy of Travels with Baby mailed to the recipient of your choice with your gift note. Ends tonight!

Free Lullaby Exercises CD/DVD combo set ($29.95 value). Ends Monday.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby
Get 10% off from Amazon + an extra 10% off when you buy from Travels with Baby Books! Click here

Tagged with: •
 

Get a Baby Bedtime Routine that Travels… and Grooves (FREE DVD giveaway)

On November 18, 2008 · 2 Comments

I think I finally found the antidote for the Post-Trans-Atlantic-Flight-Jetlagged-Baby Blues. And I’m giving it away to one lucky reader.
Whether you’re landing in the unfamiliar setting and soundtrack of a relative’s home or the the crazy new time zone of Rome, the question of how you’ll help your child adjust to changes in sleeping routines can have everything to do with how prepared you feel for your journey–and an awful lot to do with how much you’ll be able to enjoy it.

I’ve learned that one of the best things you can do is to make your bedtime routines as portable as possible. But how about a bedtime routine that is not only portable, but helps you relax and unwind–and even get some exercise at the same time? What I would have given to have had some Lullaby Exercises at my disposal one bumpy night in Barcelona, and certainly after a midnight arrival in Mexico. Some familiar soothing music my daughters knew meant bedtime, and some clever ways to work out my leg cramps and stiff back after the long flight would have been most helpful.

Lullaby Exercises is the brainchild of Darcy Albrecht, a mom of two boys and longtime exercise enthusiast. It didn’t take her long as a mom to figure out that having a baby actually means wearing a baby much of the time. That’s why her entire exercise program is designed to do with your child in a baby carrier or sling (or even in your arms for the Sleep set). And while you’re not likely to take along your child’s familiar crib from home, the motorized swing with four settings, or the zany mobile of stuffed animals that plays Beethoven and Bach, chances are you will have your child’s carrier or sling along.

I first met Darcy and her “chicks” (read on) in the green room at ABC before her segment on The View from the Bay, which you can watch here (don’t miss the second set with demo). I thought it sounded like a great routine to take on the road with babies, and then I started to hear the tales of how it had indeed helped some of the mothers while taking first trips with their babies.

Darcy’s program includes an upbeat “Groove” set followed by a soothing “Sleep” set. Since no one likes to move and groove more than a fussy baby, you’ll see that the Groove set actually turns into a snooze set for many babies on the DVD, and may do the trick for yours as well. The Sleep set is soothing enough to put on repeat as desired after you’ve put your baby down.

Our Test-Drive of Lullaby Exercises

As for my test-drive of the DVD, I thought better than to put my 30-pounder in the Ergo on top of my baby bump, and instead let the extra pounds from my 6 months of pregnancy fill in instead (and it did). I assure you I did improvise during the baby squats and tummy exercise segments. But while the routine is not for prenatal use, I have to say it got me moving and grooving in spite of my awkward self.

To my surprise–and delight–my girls wanted to join in half-way through the first Groove tune: “Silly Little Mama.” Without discussion, Angelina threw on her doll’s baby carrier and took her place next to me. I caved in to Rozzie’s demands and whipped up a toddler-sized sling out of a blanket and in went the stuffed animal. Though we looked like a most unlikely trio of “chicks and chickens” as Darcy likes to call mamas and their exerbabes, together we grooved.

The Lullaby Exercises are set to original music by Lisa Phenix with lyrics new moms can appreciate (with songs like “Chocolate = Love,” we could all be moved to firm up our lower halves). The moves are are easy to follow along with your first time through. The set comes packaged with the instructional DVD (option of watching and hearing just the music without voice over when you’re really ready to Groove), and also the music CD–either of which travels much more easily than a vibrating bassinet.

I look forward to lullaby-exercising Baby Boy Rivoli in 2009. Who knows, if the girls stick with it we may just take our family routine on the road (look out Matt and Mozart). More information about Lullaby Exercises, and and I should mention some other great baby products and gifts that are handmade by moms in the U.S.A., at www.chicks-n-chickens.com.

Free Lullaby Exercises DVD-CD Set Giveaway:
“How Do You Help Your Child Sleep in a Strange New Place?”

I have a FREE Lullaby Exercises DVD/CD combo set to give away. Just post a comment below (at www.travelswithbaby.com/blog for those who are reading this in syndication) about what you’ve done to help your baby or child sleep in a strange new place, or… what you vowed you would do differently next time when it didn’t go so well!

Post your comments by 11:59 p.m. Monday. I’ll
announce the winner on Tuesday, so be sure to check back then so you can email me your address if you are the winner!

Free Book Friday in Progress… “Best Baby Travel Moment”

There’s still time to win a signed, gift-wrapped and gift-noted copy of Travels with Baby to have shipped to the friend of your choice FREE (which could of course be you!). Post a favorite “Baby Travel Moment, or moment traveling with children of any age by 11:59 p.m. this Thursday at the blogspot post. The winner will be announced this Friday.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby
PUBLISHER’S DISCOUNT: Click here to get 20% off Travels with Baby at Amazon.com

Tagged with: •
 

Best Baby Travel Moments (Free Book Friday)

On November 14, 2008 · 18 Comments

Here we are (I’m the one behind the camera) at Inspiration Point on our first trip as a family to Yosemite National Park. Yes, that’s a soul patch on Tim, and no we didn’t actually hike with our infants’ heads dangling like wet spaghetti. We try to make a pilgrimage to Yosemite each year, be it in spring, summer, or fall, whether we are lucky enough to have the highly competitive reservations for camping or the comforts and conveniences of staying in a cabin or lodge.

As with any place a family visits annually, seeing the pronounced changes in its children from one year to the next, Yosemite will always have a special place in our hearts. For us, it’s where Angelina took her first independent steps right in the Upper Pines Campground (the year after this photo was taken), among other great memories. It was also during the trip when this photo was taken, that Tim very innocently asked me, “So, what do you want to do next?” He, of course, was thinking in terms of eating lunch, hiking up the falls, or something of a more logical nature.

I, however, was thinking of the bigger picture: of how incredible it felt to be out in the world with our infant in spite of how hard it could be to simply get out the door with her at home, of how I would live my life as a new mother, of what I might do next with my writing career. And it was there on the valley floor that I first described what would become my second book: Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children.

We found ourselves back at Yosemite just a few weeks ago, coinciding with the 1 year anniversary of its publication. What an amazing journey it has been since that afternoon in Yosemite, when we had no idea just how many adventures were in store for us as new parent. The chiding barrage of baby-loving Buddhist monks Bangkok, the surprise grand escorted entrance at the Louvre in Paris simply because we had a stroller, climbing up ancient Mayan stone steps with my second-born on my back, watching my children climb all over the Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park, watching my big girl riding her tag-along bike so proudly through Yosemite Valley.
There have, of course, been many challenging moments along the way. But while the words “travel” and “baby” are all too often followed with a groan by people who associate the two with noisy flights and slow-moving families at airport security, some of us know better. As the song “Moon River” attests, “There’s such a lot of world to see.” And who is luckier to see it than the mom with a baby on her hip or a child at her side?
Win a signed “Gift Copy” of Travels with Baby:
In celebration of Travels with Baby‘s first birthday, I’m giving away a signed and personalized copy of the book. The winner can keep the book as a gift for herself (or himself), or send it to a friend as a gift–in which case I will include some lovely wrapping and a gift note from you. Early holiday gift? Present to the new parents in your life? You decide who I’ll send your new book to.

To enter: simply post a comment below with one of your favorite moments traveling–close to home or far afield–with your child before 11:59 p.m. next Thursday, 11/20. If you don’t have an email-linked Blogger account, send me a copy of your comment via email to my first name at TravelswithBaby.com so I can reach you if you are the winner (I won’t email you otherwise!). Subject line: “FREE BOOK – your comment ID.” I’ll announce the winner next Friday.

I’ll have more giveaways and some fantastic prizes for traveling parents coming up between now and New Year’s Day, so stay tuned. And once again, I’m participating in DeliciousBaby.com‘s photo Friday, so head over there to see more fun travel photos–or post one of your own!

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby
PUBLISHER’S DISCOUNT: Click here to get 20% off Travels with Baby at Amazon.com

Tagged with:
 

What can you do if your baby or toddler gets sick during travel?

On November 12, 2008 · 1 Comment

On Friday, I was a guest on ABC San Francisco’s The View From the Bay, where I discussed more ways you can help ensure healthy travels with babies and young children — certainly a topic of concern this season — and what you can do in case they get sick during your trip. Click here to watch the segment.
Here are some additional tips to help as you gear up for your family’s next trip.
What can you do to help before you even leave home?
Ask about an advice line or email address. If you don’t already know of one, ask your doctor’s office if there is an advice number you can call or an email address you can use for questions in case your child becomes ill while you’re traveling. Your health insurance provider might also have a number you can use to reach an advice nurse 24 hours a day. Since the service isn’t always widely advertised, it can be worth a call to your health insurance company to find out.

Create an iHealth Record (now a.k.a. Google Health). An iHealth Record stores each family member’s health information in one convenient, secure place. Prescriptions, allergies, vaccinations, blood type, and insurance information can be instantly accessed by a medical professional if and when needed anywhere in the world where internet access is available. Ask your doctor or find out more at www.iHealthRecord.org.

Pack your child’s “Travel Kit.” More than what simply goes in the diaper bag or carry-on, your child’s travel kit has basic products and items that can help your child through a wide range of difficulties that might crop up in your travels but could be hard to come by while en route, on a day trip, late at night, or in faraway destinations. Recommendations for your child’s travel kit-and a modified version that is approved for carry-on can be found in my book

Travels with Baby.


Stay healthy! Make sure everyone in your household is getting reasonable amounts of rest and drinking plenty of fluids–especially children who have had runny noses or congestion in the week or two prior to travel. Drinking extra water helps the body stay healthy and cope with the stresses of travel in many ways. If you’ll be flying or driving through mountain passes, the extra fluids will also help thin any mucus that might block the ears and make it difficult to adjust to changes in pressure.

 

So what happens if your child still gets sick while you’re away from home?
Don’t panic! Monitor the symptoms the same as you would at home. Encourage rest and fluids, much as you would at home. Take advantage of the helpful items you have in your child’s travel kit, and try to all put your feet up if you can.
If your child gets a high fever, a fever that persists, or you need advice on over-the-counter remedies you haven’t used for your child before, contact your doctor’s office or advice line.
If you need to find a doctor away from home, in Canada or in the U.S., you can visit the American Academy of Pediatrics online and find referrals throughout North America. Website: www.aap.org/referral.
If you’ll be traveling overseas to a remote or less developed region, consider registering with www.IAMAT.org, the organization that can help you find English-speaking and Western-trained medical help should you need it.
You’ll find many more tips and advice for healthy travels with children in Travels with Baby, including information on vaccinations and travel shots for babies and breastfeeding mothers, treating common ailments on-the-go, the carsickness survival guide, food and water safety for wee travelers, and more.
Safe journey,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby
PUBLISHER’S DISCOUNT – Save an extra 5% off Amazon’s discounted price & qualify for FREE shipping when you buy from “Travels with Baby Books”

Tagged with: •
 

Finding Diapers in France

On November 7, 2008 · 2 Comments

Here we are, strolling along the winding narrow streets of Antibes in the South of France. After a visit to the bustling outdoor market, the vibrations from cobblestones send Angelina off into a deep slumber. I revisit this scene in my mind’s eye often, and the feeling of being so fortunate to simply be present somewhere extraordinary with the people you love most at your side.

One helpful lesson we learned on this trip was that, while you can buy Pampers virtually anywhere in the world nowadays (really), you have to know WHERE to find them first. We weren’t finding Pampers in the usual grocery and sundries stores where we expected to see them–right along side the baby food and related items we did see. It became a great diaper mystery: everyone seemed to be out and our supply was running low.

I finally asked a local mom-in-the know in this small town. It seems the French, who rightly take such pride in their cooking and cuisine, take to heart the sentiment that you shouldn’t doodle–or sell doodle-related products–where you eat. So for diapers in France, as in many other European countries we learned, head to the pharmacy.

For more tips from our travels with baby in France, check out my tips that ran in this feature “Paris Avec le Bebe.”

While it wasn’t our first trip overseas with a baby, visiting France with our first travel baby was still a fantasy come true for me. After traveling with Tim for years, crossing through our beloved France every chance we got with both of us assuming that it would have to end after we became parents, we were back at some of our favorite, and even most romantic haunts in Paris–with this tiny little co-traveler drawing our attention to the smallest details we might never have appreciated otherwise, and reminding us of our greatest accomplishment yet: her.

As I march through the final half of this pregnancy, I’ve set a goal for myself to revisit some of our favorite travel photos and tips we’ve learned along the way with our first two travel babies each Friday, participating at the same time in Debbie Dubrow’s Photo Friday at Delicious Baby. Of course, I’ll still have other tips and photos to share along the way… and a couple of free signed books you can win for yourself or have shipped as a gift to a friend, so stay tuned.

And speaking of tuning in: If you happen to be near your TV or computer this afternoon, watch for my on ABC 7 San Francisco’s The View from the Bay. More details at http://www.travelswithbaby.com/.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Tagged with: •