Some spend their Mother’s Day going by spa; I spent mine going by jeep.
I hope you all had a fantastic Mother’s Day weekend! For me, it was one wonderful birthday celebration sliding into a most memorable weekend getaway, checking out a place that’s been on my to-do list for some time.
Safari West is a 400-acre wildlife preserve and African-style tent camp located just outside of Santa Rosa, California. It’s just over one hour’s drive north of San Francisco on Highway 101, and a fabulous stop to add to your family’s Northern California Road trip. I’ll have more photos of what you’ll find and all the details to help plan your visit–or overnight stay!–soon. And yes, we did get a turn to ride on the top of the jeep–right through the ostriches and cape buffalo, so it was a turn well-timed indeed. 
It’s been a busy week here! But so many great things are underway, including a gear giveaway I’ll be kicking off next week, sponsored by one of my favorite brands! If haven’t subscribed for email updates yet, please do so you won’t miss the announcement–or your chance for an extra entry.
Have you taken a look at the homepage this week? We’ve redesigned to help you find the info you need even faster at TravelswithBaby.com. If you have a chance, please take a look and let me know what you think!
This post is part of the Photo Friday fun at DeliciousBaby.com.
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby
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Hug this.
If you saw my previous post, The 5 Best Places to See California’s Giant Redwoods and Giant Sequoias, you already have a good idea of just how much our family loves to visit the big trees found along the West Coast. It was fun to stumble upon this Hawaiian variety on our recent trip to Maui, when we drove through the lush Iao Valley. I am completely fascinated by banyan trees and their ability to “put down roots” from above, like the seeming trunk to the right of my daughter in this photo, which began with a simple root descending through air.
The kids were very intrigued by this banyan, which made it all the better when, after understanding this seeming goliath, we arrived at the famous banyan tree in Lahaina, which occupies nearly a city block with root-trunks too numerous to count!
Do you have a favorite tree to share today on National Arbor Day? Feel free to leave a comment with your link below! This post is part of Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.com.
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby
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Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.
Off of the airplane and into the sand. Quite literally.
What? This photo doesn’t show enough of the beach to guess? Come on, for some of you here that would have been WAY too easy. I’ll give you a hint though: You can be there in under ten minutes when leaving Maui’s Kahului Airport (provided you find it on the first try). One more hint: There are no signs to this beach.
Of course, the only hint you may need is that it’s the first place WE went after collecting our rental car.
Got a guess? Leave a reply below (and no, you don’t have to fill in all those fields if you don’t feel like it). Have a favorite beach in Maui you think we should check out while we’re here? I want to hear from you!
Well, time for a hand of UNO. Jetlag seems to have left the building only one day in to this trip!
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby
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Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.
The upside of jetlag in Kauai? Coffee on the beach. At sunrise. And happy kids.
One of my favorite activities during our visit to Kauai last year was one of the simplest and easiest things I did there: Drink coffee on the beach at sunrise while the kids played on the beach.
Easy, indeed, with this small beach just a brief stroll across the lawn behind our condo at Castle Kaha Lani, and such fantastic driftwood to keep the kids entertained building sculptures and forts, and writing names in the sand.
And easier, still, with mainland jetlag on our sides.
I hear a lot of concerns about jetlag from parents preparing to travel with a baby or young child (click here if that’s you), but let’s not forget that it can sometimes work to our advantage–as I hope it will in getting us up to the top of Haleakala before the sunrise on our upcoming trip to Maui! (Crossing fingers.)
If you’re planning–or even contemplating a trip to Kauai with your kids, check out my Kauai with Little Kids board on Pinterest, and see all Travels with Baby Hawaii family travel tips and recommendations in Destinations. This post is part of the Photo Friday fun at Deliciousbaby.com. More posts, tips and pins to come!
Related posts and pages:
>>> More Kauai travel tips and recommendations
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby
www.travelswithbaby.com facebook twitter pinterest about the author
Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.
At the end of the longest line I’d ever seen for check-in… can you tell who’s been enjoying my cafe’ creme?
Sure, some travel bloggers will dazzle you with gorgeous photos of exotic destinations. And I like to do that, too. But at Travels with Baby Tips you also get the other side of the coin! Here’s what family travel really looks like, packing 5 winter coats and hats and scarves for an overseas flight, along with two students’ worth of independent study materials, two laptops, trusty travel stroller, believe-it-or-not our toddler travel bed is even packed in one suitcase, and all of us made it to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on time to wait in the longest line I’d ever seen for check-in at an airport.
Not to worry, our fight was delayed two hours–and when the beautiful people representing our airline saw the three musketeers, they let us jump the queue. I love visiting France with little kids!
GIVEAWAY IN PROGRESS! Have you entered to win the CARES flight harness I’ll be giving away this Friday (go to the post here for details)? I’ve enjoyed reading your comments so much and really appreciate the feedback and shares – more sharing, please!
Related posts and pages:
- My recommended Paris airport shuttle with car seats and boosters
- Ask Shelly: Best way to fly to Paris with baby using American Airlines miles?
- Tips for riding Paris buses with a stroller
- >>> See MORE Paris and Europe family travel tips in Destinations
Safe journeys,
Safe journeys,
Ask me? Beats the heck out of traveling solo.
Here we are, my firstborn and I, on the ferry to Koh Phi-Phi, just before we were instructed to climb down a ladder into a wooden longtail boat bobbing beside us. For most able-bodied passengers, this would not be a big deal. But I had a baby to carry–and both boats were moving. Fortunately I had my trusty Moby Wrap to whip out and wind around myself, which allowed enough slack to slip her into it still wearing the life jacket.
Piece of cake–when you’re prepared!
In case you missed my big news a couple of days ago, I received the bronze award in “Travel Blogs” from the North American Travel Journalists Association. Excited? I drove twice past my son’s preschool the first morning I’d found out, and still today wore two different colored socks to a school meeting without realizing it!
At the same time, I’ve had a good laugh at how the “other guys” who won silver and gold must be wondering how a blog about traveling with babies and little kids could have any business being listed next to theirs. After all, even my travel hero Rick Steves advises against traveling with young children (if necessary, bring leashes and Valium, he recommends).
I’ve benefited from much of his travel advice, but I’m glad I ignored that bit. Aren’t you?
Well, I’m in such a good mood, I think I’m going to have to give something away very soon! Keep watching…
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby guidebooks
Sorry, no kids splashing in fountains on a sunny day during this visit!
The great thing about dragging your three kids to Paris in winter? There is much to do inside! And no, thankfully, it didn’t rain the entire time. On this day, we took some obligatory photos by the Iron Asparagus before heading to the L’Aquarium de Paris (more commonly called “CineAqua” as it shows kids’ movies all day) located between our perch here at the Trocadero and the bridge to the Eiffel Tower behind us.
Sure, it would have been nice to see Paris when it sizzles, and take a romp through the fountains by the Louvre and Tour Eiffel like the kids pictured in our travel guidebook, but we had Paris without the crowds! In fact, when we called on the Eiffel Tower that evening, we waited a mere 5 minutes to ascend! Which brings me back to the next Ask Shelly question I’m working on… stay tuned!
How about you?
Do you prefer traveling in the “off season” or “shoulder seasons”? Does avoiding peak travel times help your family travel better – or farther?
Related posts:
- France – My recommended Paris Airport Shuttle providing car seats and boosters
- France – Montmartre Carousel, Paris
- France – Car seat advice for Paris airport shuttle with baby
- France – Paris: 5 Best with Children Under 5
- France – Best baby-friendly cafe in Paris
- France – Finding diapers in France
- France – Tips for juggling toddler naps while visiting Paris
- France – The captivating carousels of Paris (with some free in December)
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby
Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.
What’s even better than a really cool old carousel in Paris? A TWO-STORY really cool old carousel in Paris!
Last December, we had a Travels with Baby Traditions guest post from Parisian mom Camille Spanjaard, who revealed her children’s three favorite carousels in Paris. She also shared tips about the many free carousels around the Paris during the month of December (read all about it here). So it was a great pleasure to be back in the city myself, discovering just how many carousels there ARE in Paris–all year!
While many of the old beauties enchanted my children, all three were momentarily speechless when we happened upon our first TWO-STORY carousel in Paris, located at the bottom of the steps leading down from Basilica Sacre-Coeur. A good thing, too, as the playground they’d been promised there had been removed in favor of open space for kids riding scooters (alas, we had no scooters).
For more Paris-with-little-kid tips and advice, visit the Destinations page. And for more Travels with Baby Traditions, celebrating family traditions the world over, click here.
Related: My recommended Paris airport shuttle providing car seats and boosters
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli
Author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby
Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.
Bronze Award Winner in Travel Blogs from the North American Travel Journalists Association
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