Family Travel – Flipping Tourist

Blog, Family Travel, Paris, Travel, Uncategorized

72 Hours in Paris is Never Enough Time

January 27, 2022 4 Comments

BUT…With an abundance of must see and do’s when traveling to Paris I’m here to say there is never enough time. Whether you have 3 days or 3 weeks you won’t want to leave. Book the trip in the capacity that fits what you can handle at this time. You’ll have no regrets and will always leave wanting more. Isn’t that the best way to see the world?

Below is my perfect itinerary for 72 hours in Paris. Listing a few highlights that are great for families or even just adults.

When traveling with kids I recommend booking a flight that leaves later at night and will have you arriving in France mid-day. This (hopefully) ensures your kids have at least 5-6 hours of sleep. For example, our flight left at 10pm and our kids were able to fall asleep almost immediately. It was a 9 hour flight and with their internal clock, they actually slept until we landed giving them about 8 hours of sleep! When we landed they were well rested and ready to hit the ground running! Another perk to landing mid-day means that your hotel room should be ready by the time you arrive. At the least, you can always drop your bags with the bellmen.

The best start to the City of Lights is strolling sidewalks until a cafe catches your eye. I’ve never met a happy hungry kid. This stop will be rewarding for all! Bonus points: People watching, cappuccinos and Hot Chocolates!

Next stop: The Eiffel Tower. This is usually the number one request for any kid visiting France so save yourself the trouble of them constantly ~~asking~~ demanding “WHEN ARE WE GOING TO THE EIFELL TOWER”?! Seeing it for the first time will have your kids in complete awe! The best way to go up the Eiffel Tower with kids is to climb the first 2 floors! There are 2 different tickets you can purchase.

One is for the elevator from floor to top.
The other is to walk up to level two and then take the elevator. Our kids absolutely loved the chance to climb the stairs for a bit. We made lots of stops as they were just fascinated. There are little signs to read along the way for all the engineering nerds like us! On the 2nd floor (which is as high as you’re allowed to climb) we got in the high speed elevator. Kids loved having the best of both in Eiffel Tower Transportation. Regardless of which ticket you choose to purchase you’ll take elevator all the way down. Don’t forget to grab a glass of overpriced champagne to celebrate as you walk around the top two floors of the Eiffel Tower.

A stroll along La Rive Siene is an ideal way to enjoy the sunset before dinner. Also termed “L’Heure Bleue” – a French expression referring to ‘the blue hour’ at twilight each night. Take in the culture rather than trying to cram in another touristy stop before dinner.

Our kids did a “food challenge” before Paris.

Food Challenge = trying new foods we might find in France such as: Croissants, French Onion Soup, anything with garlic, escargot. *it doubled as an easy way to get them to eat a few more vegetables too! This challenge made dining at nice restaurants in Paris more fun. They were so excited to order and option to all the menu options!

DAY TWO

Take advantage of the time change and let the kids sleep in a little bit while you enjoy a cappuccino and croissant. At some point you will have to wake them up though – then head out for breakfast at another Parisian cafe. We are obsessed with both the St Germain and Montmartre area. I would introduce the kids to their first French Metro and get off at the Montmartre stop. Buy a pastry before you ride the funicular to Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur. You will enjoy your pastries while having magnificent views of the city. From there you will enjoy the vineyard and meandering through all the artists at work.

No Parisian list is complete without recommending a visit to the incredible Louvre. Quick Tip: Skip the Mona Lisa and head straight to Napoleon’s Apartment. And for a truly enjoyable family experience in the museum splurge on a family guide. If you have extra time before dinner everyone will enjoy wandering the Jardin des Tuileries.

DAY THREE

Time for family photos with the Madame Eiffel in the background. We booked an early morning appointment with LaMour De Paris and the photos we received back are true works of art (cute kids make us look cute.) This is the perfect day to have breakfast with a view of Madame Eiffel and now we are set to explore the quaint St. Germaine area.

A light lunch is recommended before you head to your Chocolate Tour. While the highlight is tasting sweets from six local spots, the tour is so much more. You will learn the history of Chocolate with some fascinating facts about famous Parisians of the past. Our guide was a real life Mary Poppins and the kids still remember much of what they learned that afternoon. They also wanted to take a bit of Paris home with them. This provided the perfect opportunity to head to one of the fabulous departments stores. We suggest either:

Printemps Haussmann – It first opened in 1865 and is now home to some of the todays most elegant stores and unique window displays. Don’t forget to enjoy the rooftop bar if you are visiting on a nice day.

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann– A little newer as it opened in 1894. Today it is still known for the incredible Art Nouveau Style and great deals. Time your visit right and you might even catch one of their weekly fashion shows!

***Hope you’re jumping at the chance to visit Paris! Even if just for 72 hours!***

Have you been to Paris? If so, let everyone know in the comments what your MUST see is? If not, let us know what you’re most excited about! Thanks for sharing!

Blog, Family Travel, Travel

Flying During a Pandemic

July 27, 2020 1 Comment

Masked and Mobile. Wheels up soon. — ***Masked and Mobile.***

Let’s address the 747 in the room. We flew during a pandemic. There I said it. So I might as well share what it was like to fly on in June and July in what is the weirdest year of my life: 2020.

Airport was empty — ***If I’m honest it was actually a better experience than typical air travel. Not many crowds and everyone just SO happy they have some freedom to travel again.***

I hadn’t been out too much since the Rona came to the States. Our abrupt return from Europe back in March is a story for another day.

I’d only been to a handful of stores in the past 4 months and out a few times for cocktails with friends sitting socially distant on patios. Living in our small community it has been nice to support small businesses when we can. But not having spent much time INSIDE anywhere made gearing up to head to the airport seriously weird. Think about it, an airport is like hitting up the grocer, the mall, an amusement park and indoor restaurants all at the same time. Wow it was stimulus overload just thinking about it. But I can tell you we dipped our toes in the travel waters and I’m happy to share what I think made it ‘enjoyable’ (or maybe we just call it ‘bearable’ because the act of getting from point A to point B during a pandemic shouldn’t really be labeled as enjoyable):

Photo Ops with the easy boarding — *Still in PJ’s. Happy to add a new face mask* *accessory* to her 6am flight uniform.

Early flights: We took a 6:30am flight so I felt confident it was first flight of the day = cleanest? I thought of it as equivalent to those early morning shoppers hours they offer to the elderly and immunocompromised. The airport was not busy at all. We even found a prime parking spot as soon as we pulled into the carpark. Despite zero lines at security, TSA pre-check was still appreciated so we didn’t have to remove shoes or the 85 electronics that we travel with as small business owners and 2 kids in tow. As a test I went through the ‘regular person’ line and was out of security only 1.5 minutes after my family. NOTE: *in the eyes of a 6 year old, I was still the ‘loser’. We love us some competition.
Bags of sanitizer: I put a handful of sanitizing wipes in multiple ziplock bags. Each bag had enough to wipe down our seating areas for each flight, as well as a few spare bags for our layover in Chicago. We would use all the wipes and then stash them inside an empty ziplock to throw away. It was like our very own virus capsule that I’m sure the TODAY show would love to get their hands on to test and scare the bejezus out of us all.
Prayer. Ya’ll God wants to hear from you and He is listening. Pray for safety and travel mercies and look for opportunities to make smart decisions. Anyway, just mask up and don’t forget to send your prayers up too!
Snacks: In an effort to keep things as self-contained as possible I packed every sweet and savory snack that my pink North Face backpack could handle. (I love this Lululemon backpack but it doesn’t hold near to feed a family of 4 on the road).

That’s it. Seriously – you don’t need to go crazy with your preparation. We wore masks and washed hands frequently.

***Bags of sanitizing wipes. The new airplane activity to occupy the kiddos. This is 2020.***

*Hand washing tip for kids (and some of you adults may need this too): We put a little ink stamp on their hand and they have to scrub hands until it disappears!

It has been 3 weeks since we’ve flown and we have all remained symptom/Covid free. Unless whining is a symptom. I’d say that a few of us have serious Post Travel Depression and aren’t fairing too well in the attitude department.

As for more on our experience in flight here are some highlights of how different it was.

***The required acceptance pre-flight.***

Southwest: The ‘Chick-Fil-A‘ of Airlines.

We flew Southwest from DFW – Chicago – MSP. We refer to our beloved Southwest Airline as our ‘private plane’ because we could always change/cancel/double book/book at the last minute. Basically we could treat a flight on Southwest as if we owned the plane!

The best part is Southwest currently boards only 10 people at a time (no red carpet or welcome cocktail, but leisurely boarding is what private jets are all about). And they mandate that the middle seat stay open (unless you are traveling together and WANT to use it (we DID NOT want to. LOL. But really, we didn’t). They will continue to keep the flights at this reduced capacity that allows ALL middle seats to remain empty thru September. Or possibly longer. We know all changes are fluid these days.

Middle seat empty on Southwest — ***Every middle seat stays empty!***

*Sunrise breakfast. Not always a fan of* *eat*ing on planes but feeling grateful to have a meal at 40,000 feet.

Love Field. The Tranquil Library of Airports.

***Her luggage tag says “You say lay over…I say Happy Hour”. LOL! But layovers are certainly less exciting when you spend it solely sanitizing and sitting. Away from others.***

Before boarding it was almost eerily quiet. Recognizing that this may have been the first mid-pandemic flight for most of us, we were all stone-faced and listening as the Gate Agent described the boarding process and reminded us of the rules that we agreed to upon checking in.

During the flight they reminded us that masks are mandatory except while eating or drinking. And to help keep those actions to a minimum they walked down the aisle once with a pre-filled cup of water and a small mixed pretzel snack.

Upon landing NO ONE clapped!! And I would say that is the biggest win of all! Why do people clap when a plane lands? I’m all for supporting people in the job they are doing, but why are we clapping for the landing? I can tell you in my experience people don’t clap during pandemic landings. Well done humanity.

I will end this anecdote by saying that I also appreciated that no one was crowding around the baggage claim. You guys – you NEVER needed to be crowding in the same area of baggage claim. No one would listen to me on this ~~opinion~~ fact, but now that we are all scared of germs I hope everyone will see how easy it is to spot and grab your bag from a safe distance.

***Why are they smiling? Because their parents didn’t have to fight the crowds of people that think hovering at the luggage belt is necessary!***

What are your thoughts on travel these days? Any flights you’ve taken or decided to re-book? Would love if you scrolled down to share in the comments 🙂

Blog, Family Travel, Travel

Zee Last Zurich Flight

March 27, 2020 2 Comments

As we slept soundly in our cozy Paris hotel room situated in the idyllic area of St. Germain du Pres, there was an announcement being made back in the USA alluding to a complete travel ban coming within 48 hours. Was it a game of ‘telephone’ gone horribly askew or did the announcement blatantly leave out some crucial facts to stir up a bigger mess? Either way jet lag (and pure excitement for another Parisian day) had me waking up at 3:30 am. I regretfully grabbed my phone to check the time – (why do we check the time when we wake up? How is that ever helpful to our sleep?) To my complete surprise, it was filled with over 30 text messages as well as long threads from the WhatsApp groups I have.

“GET HOME BY FRIDAY”

chocolat chaud {Hot Chocolate} — **Greenley embraced everything that makes the French, French. She would want to stay too.**

Do I wake Heath? No. Don’t panic. We will either go home or we will stay longer but nothing is happening at 3:30am.

Was it my audible sighs or the light from my phone? Not sure but something caused him to stir and I just blurted out what I knew.

His response to my proclamation stating, “We need to leave now or we might not be able to get home”: “Perfect” and rolled over and went back to sleep.

Ok, maybe it was discussed a bit more, but that is basically the result we both came to before falling back into a deep sleep only waking at 9am again.

I’ll go into more details on our discussions and what the following days in Europe looked like if you are interested, but today I want to share what it looked like as we neared the end of our time in Europe.

**Sledging in Switzerland**
(ok, fine. It was a fun alternative to skiing)

Matterhorn family photo — ***Not a single cloud in the sky. Ski goggles are just the bulkier version of sunglasses.***

***Final ascent to grab a bier and lunch before sledging all the way down.***

Sure ski lifts and mountain trains had shut down all over Zermatt (for those that don’t know our story, we arrived in Zermatt with SEVENTY pounds of ski equipment/gear to find out that we had lugged it all there in vain). But don’t feel too sorry for us – we learned about ‘skinning’ the mountain in true Swiss style and hiked daily to mountain top restaurants rewarding ourselves with delicious beers/views and sledging all the way down. But even with the ‘main’ attraction coming to a halt, the town bars and restaurants were still serving up yummy fondue and sincere hospitality.

It was hard to wrap our head around the urgency to return back to Texas versus enjoying what may be our last big vacation for a while.

Hot chocolate on a swiss mountain top — **Cute face, cute view.**

Zermatt Bier — **ZERMATT BIER after a 2 mile uphill hike = Liquid Gold.**

Not that we even had a true choice. Delta would not even consider changing our flights unless we wanted to fork over 12 GRAND to fly home early.

FRIENDS – I have never spent $12,000 dollars to GO on a trip. I was ABSOLUTELY not going to be spending even half that to COME HOME from a trip. early.

NOT HAPPENING.

I love Delta Airlines. And I had to trust that they would let me know when it was time to throw in the towel (for free).

That ‘towel’ dropped Sunday when they cancelled our Wednesday flight. After being on hold for over an hour (they had long since done away with the ‘call back’ feature. I assume they were trying to weed out the callers that didn’t have an urgent enough need to sit on an international call for an hour) the lady gave me only 2 flight options:

Depart on Monday (tomorrow)
Depart sometime next week (tempting)

We would make our way back to Zurich (while my dad and sister sourced hotels WITH A POOL for our last night before we returned to zee unknown). Zee journey from Zermatt to Zurich is one to ‘zeecus’ later.

Monday morning we traveled by desolate train only to arrive in an equally desolate Zurich airport. It was sad, but also incredibly lovely. Air travel with zero rush, crowds or that ‘pesky general public‘ has me dreaming of my grandmothers old travel photos. Where women wore hats and sipped martinis while boarding flights.

But I can assure you she never encountered the greeting we did as we arrived to check in with Delta:

*Gate Agent holding all our passports and lifting my sons new Swiss ball cap ever so slightly turns to me: “When did you graduate High School” (Is my anti-aging cream working or is this just an interrogation?)

His questioning continues (assuring me his first inquiry was not meant to be flattery): “What do you do for a living in the US”.

Well crap – how do I quickly explain that I mostly raise the kids, help my husband with his business, have my realtors license, do home staging as needed and also dabble in swim lessons during the summers. (Do I share all of this?) *I did*.

Gate agent was done questioning me. No one likes the over-talker.

Train to Flughafen. Empty. — ***Johnny Madison likes the over-talker. Because it takes one to know one.***
***(Empty Train Station in Zurich)***

To Heath the Gate Agent asked, “How old are you” (See Heath – you too should be using a night cream).

“What degree did you get from University”? (Heath now has questions for him. BOLD!).

And suddenly the gate agent says we may proceed with checking our luggage.

Zurich Airport. Ghost Town. — **May his eyes never see an airport so desolate again.**

Later that morning we would board our international flight with over 200 empty seats. Before takeoff the pilot and flight attendants would both announce that we were departing early and this was Delta’s “Last Flight from Zurich”. Even the crew that flew the plane over were dead heading it back to the USA sleeping in First Class.

***Over 200 empty seats on Zee Zurich Flight home***

But getting off this plane would prove to be the most interesting flight experience I’ve ever had. And you know I’ve spent some time at 35,000 feet. More to come…

Blog, Family Travel, Travel, Weekend Getaway

Spring Ski Season – do you need another reason?

April 23, 2019 4 Comments

Have your social media news feeds been filled with friends and family claiming ‘epic snow’, ‘best skiing ever’, ‘straight shredding’ or the bold claims of ‘First Tracks’? Ya’ll, they aren’t just exaggerating. It really has been one of the best years yet. And guess what? You still have plenty of time to make your own family {or friend} ski trip happen this year.

THIS IS NOT A TYPO NOR AN OLD POST! Many resorts are still open thru May this year due to ‘EPIC’ snowfall! I’ll include a link below to resorts staying open late this year.

Growing up in a ski-loving family I have an incredible love and nostalgia for the sound of the chair lift making its way up the mountain. If that sound immediately comes to mind for you, then you need to make your way to slopes. The soft buzz of the ski lift cables with the little bumpity-bump as your suspended chair cruises over the wheels propelling you further up the mountain. For me, only a new baby cooing can come close to raising endorphin levels like that sweet mountainous sound.

Ski Lift Loving — **Ski Lift Love. {ski photos help one learn how to photoshop because i promise you my nose was BRIGHT red in reality. #rudolph**

At the age of 3 my parents had me skiing. Even moving away from Colorado we would trek back annually for some of the best memories a little girl can dream of. I know every family has ‘their thing’. For me and the way I grew up, I wholeheartedly feel that giving your kids the gift of ski lessons is an awesome gift you can give for them. Just think: You get to do an activity with your kids as they grow older. You have their captive attention on ski lifts in between runs {something that no doubt becomes difficult to do as they grow older}. Plus you get to end your days with the laughter from silly falls and recapping favorite tree ski runs. And who knows – maybe one of you reading this is raising the next Lindsay Vonn!? If so, I want those front row Olympic tickets as my ‘thank you’ for this post.

G at 3 on the magic carpet — Even Lindsey Vonn had to start somewhere. This is G on her 3rd birthday! They call this the ‘magic carpet’, but I’d say it’s magical that my very ‘particular’ little girl loved skiing. Let them try…I’ll be you’ll be happily surprised!

And for the parents out there still wondering if they too should get their kids skiing, I’ll give you this one last sentiment. Think of a ski trip where there was that steep hill that you kept skiing past. Your friends were doing the big jump at the end. Your heart wanted to try it but your mind was like “Hell to the N!O! Think of the insurance deductible. This will really hurt if you fall and you’ll probably miss dinner too”, etc. (Does everyone jump to conclusions like I do when they are worried?). Then you finally either get up the nerve to try that big jump or you just get peer-pressured into going for it. Either way, you do it and the feeling of elation afterwards is incredible. Indescribable even. Your confidence soars and you’ll never forget that leap of faith. Well, that same feeling of pride comes from WATCHING your kids learn to ski. They take that leap of faith, putting on super short Frozen-themed skis and just point them down the mountain. We are not always given opportunities to do something for our kids that give both child and parent that equal sense of pride and accomplishment. #JustTryIt God gave us mountains and snow and man created the best way to experience it. (plus, it’s 2019 and ski gear has come a long way. The awesome quality means no one is whining about being cold like we did back in the ’80’s….with NO helmet) #survivor

Ski bunnies from the 80's — **No helmets and puffy mittens. You know this was a brutal ski day if goggles were in play because we usually just wore heart-shaped sunglasses. Skiing in the ’80’s was rad.**

**My cute cousin. Me blazing down the slopes (LOL) . And check out my moms earmuffs! #1980’s**

Sure it can be crazy expensive but there are ways around it and I’ll give you those money-saving tips in another post. Also – I bet if you added up your daily beach resort cocktails and half-eaten grilled cheeses, you’d just about equal a lift ticket so it really can be comparable to other vacation prices. *Another bonus….kids are working hard all day so they actually eat the dinner you buy them that evening. And if that fact doesn’t have you googling flights now, then I suppose your kids are better eaters than mine typically are?!

See On The Snow for a list of Mountain Resorts will be open thru MAY! Heath just returned from skiing Heavenly in Lake Tahoe last week and we can’t recommend this mountain enough. Especially for spring!

For Example:

Heavenly Panoramic. No Words. — **Lake to the far left. Green ranchland to the far right.**

You can ski all day and then enjoy a Pontoon lake boating adventure for evening. Standing from the top of the mountain you look to your left and see a pristine lake and to your right you enjoy beautiful scenery of snow flocked trees leading down to gorgeous green pasture. You have every weekend until Memorial Day to make your way to Heavenly

Quick Tips to make your spring ski weekend a success:

Book ski rental in advance with Christy Sports Booking even one day in advance saves you 20%. They usually send you a coupon as well so you can grab last minute forgotten items while renting and get a further discount.
If taking a little one to try skiing for the first time, talk it up to them, show videos of friends/relatives skiing and book your lesson in advance. You usually get a better rate and secure a spot. Again, these lessons are expensive, but think of it like this. You’re getting ‘babysitting’ PLUS your kid is learning a life skill. Put in the time and investment now and you reap the rewards in the coming years (and enjoy an adult lunch – rare on family ~~vacations~~ trips ).
If you are in need of lots of gear, think back to all those social media posts your neighbor put up over Spring Break. Most likely they aren’t going again this Spring, so reach out to see what you can borrow. If you prefer to buy, just know that gear is so well made these days it will last you for YEARS! I still have goggles and thermals that work perfectly 10 years later. Don’t judge.
This took a bit of a serious turn with the advice. But JUST HAVE FUN! It’s ‘seriously’ amazing to bask in God’s beautiful scenery while flying down the mountain. Even if you loose a glove, sorta wet your pants while trying to peel off layers getting to the bathroom or practically loose a limb schlepping all the gear to the mountain (I might have experienced in all 3 of these), it is all about the stories, the adventure and making memories.
Après Ski.

You have the rest of summer to enjoy summer! Will you get out there and sneak in a ski weekend this year? Or have I at least piqued your interest in booking a ski adventure for next winter? Let me know! I’m happy to post more tips on saving money, prepping, and where to go in the future!

Blog, Family Travel, Travel

SITTER SANITY – the splurge you don’t want to screw up!

March 8, 2018 2 Comments

Important Tip: When to splurge on a babysitter for your family vacation.

In case you’re already loading the car with 2 ankle-biters that won’t let you enjoy today’s blog, let me be blunt with the answer: Night two and Night four. For the rest of you, let me explain!

Please note that I didn’t say ‘if’ or ‘possibly’. Or for heaven’s sake, “we will think about it”. Trust me. Stop thinking and JUST! HIRE! THE! BABYSITTER! Unless you are raising perfect children a la ‘Leave It To Beaver’ (in which case this whole blog is probably obscene to you), you are going to need a break from the little ones. They depend solely on you for their survival and if you are literally keeping other humans alive, how are YOU getting a break on this so-called ‘vacation’?!

Wild times with the kids at the pool. — **Look at me! I’m a total super mom. Reality: pool was freezing. Greenley was whining. Johnny Madison wanted a different drink. I was on my fourth drink. It was 11am!**

Total cool mom wannabe move. — **Now I’m really laying it on thick. No seriously, I’m such a cool mom. Look how fun I am! Kids are not convinced.**

You think raising kids at home is challenging? Take them on a trip, deprive them of sleep, add in extra sugar and then use that overly cheery voice to bribe smiles out of them for photos all day long. Trust me. Someone is going to lose it and you don’t want it to be you! (Otherwise your cute little San Francisco family vacation will become known as ‘that week mom threw all our cookies out of the car and stomped on them’ or some equally frightful memory they will share about you for the remainder of their life).

While a babysitter won’t prevent all meltdowns completely, it will absolutely give everyone a break from the routine and something new to look forward to. And ya ya, I know. Mommy and Daddy look forward to the break more than the kids. But let’s remember who is paying for this trip. Check all your guilt at the hotel lobby! (Easier to do with cocktail in hand).

I have gone off track…but hope you are still sold on my idea…you MUST splurge on a babysitter during your family ~~vacation~~ trip. And to maximize the babysitting benefits there is one rule to follow: The nights you use this luxury. (My rule applies to any adventure that is 4 days or longer).

Book your sitter for Night two and Night four. Here is why:

Night one: Everyone is excited for the time away together. You are delirious from a day of travel and your personal excitement has you confused on how much work this trip is really going to be. Hang with your family and suck every bit of fun out of tonight because reality will set in tomorrow. (Oh ya, you’re also probably super tired from the travel day. Don’t try to be a hero by partying late tonight).

Night two: Get the sitter! DO NOT get caught up in the vacation high and think you can wait. Utilize the sitter while YOU are still fresh and while YOU can fully have fun with your spouse and/or friends. Do you need to get away already on Night 2? No! But that IS! THE! POINT! It will feel like a total luxurious splurgy vacation to go out. You can have drinks, laugh a ton and engage in lively conversation before your kids have sucked the life out of you. (Don’t nay-say me! They will suck the life out of you).

Heath peddling the kids like a boss — **Your load literally gets lighter if you treat yo ‘self to a babysitter on these family trips! Imagine biking to dinner without schlepping the entire family for once!**

Night three: You just had a sitter last night. Let’s not be greedy. You aren’t your children’s surrogate. You are their actual parent so spend an evening with them. Geez. (plus, you might be hungover/rundown from the prior night of fun. Just saying…).

**Still fresh! And loving time with the kids. This was Night 3 on a trip to Watercolor. These smiles won’t look as authentic on Night 5. #trustme**

Night four: You’ve now traveled with the kids and have spent several days of constant contact with them (minus that super fun night where you went out!). If you are true human (not those supermoms only seen on Instagram), your energy is probably waning. Take advantage of another night of fun before stage/night 5 exhaustion sets in. I hate to slap you with a fat dose of reality, but tonight is probably the last night you’ll still feel energetic on this special family getaway. Take advantage once again and let the sitter watch your kiddos while you reward yourself with the surrounding of other adults. Cocktails! Sunsets! Ooey-Gooey desserts! You know, the things that travel brochures hook you with. Have you looked closely at a proper travel brochure? There aren’t real children actually enjoying those moments. My family vacation photos have one screaming kid, while another one is covered in spaghetti sauce coloring on the wall. But not night four. Parents own night four! It’s the night when you load up your phone with vacation photos that make everyone jealous of your relaxing getaway.

Night five: If you didn’t heed my advice and get a sitter on the previous nights mentioned above (eye roll), then go ahead and go for it….but you’re going to be tired. I promise. At this point you’ve gone 5 straight days of playing the role of ‘Super-fun, active mom and rockstar wife who doesn’t really require sleep’. And this role play comes after you spent 2 full days packing and prepping the entire family for this ‘vacation’. Night five is when us mortals feel reality setting in. If you get a babysitter you’ll spend half your evening going back and forth from being excited for the night away…to just wishing you could be the one at home in bed…to being grateful you had the chance to get away…to just deciding to call it a night and get to bed early. Night five can be neurotic. Paying for outside help at this point can only increase those feelings of neurosis. #saveyourdollars

Nights 6-10: Fancy dinner reservations at this point will just not be as enjoyable. You’ve been immensely indulgent on vacation food for nearly a week now. You’re exhausted by all the extreme entertaining of tiny humans you’ve been doing. While a fancy night out is better than nothing…I promise you it won’t be near as enjoyable as doing this same type of date night while you were still fresh in the week! When my husband and I get all ‘fancy pants’ and hire another sitter towards the end of a vacation we have a SOLID method to making it work. Sitter comes late afternoon. We just grab happy hour, a sunset and then dessert. Just because we can’t stomach another full dinner doesn’t mean my belly can’t find room for cocktails and sweets. And don’t think we are sticking it out late night. We instruct the sitter to put those kids to bed at 7:30pm and we roll in at 7:32pm. Robes on by 7:34. Snoring by 7:35.

Some of you are all-star moms and love soaking up every moment with your kids. I love to soak up many minutes with my kids too. But my kids need a break from me. Or maybe they know I need the break, so they never mind when a lively, different version of ‘mom’ shows up to love on them for a few hours.

It can absolutely be a bit odd to try out a new sitter away from home, but we live in the 21st century. Recommendations can be found easily via your virtual network online. Major destinations also offer babysitting services (read: they are more verified and background checked than the Sorority girl you use at home just based solely on the idea that she pledged the same letters as you.). And if you are staying in a hotel they usually have their own sitters that they can recommend (and typically work for the hotel, therefore are vetted heavily!).

So! Freaking! Tired! Because this was night 5. Remember Night 5 and beyond: Stay home OR do the happy hour and sunset date. (This doesn’t apply to the Justin Bieber’s and Lindsey Lohan’s of the parenting world. Some people can party like it’s their job).

Full Disclosure: I screwed up on my babysitting tips during a recent trip to Cabo San Lucas. We didn’t book all of our sitters right away (as I recommend) and by the time I remembered to call back to the front desk, the only additional time they had available was the dreaded night 5. So we took what we could get but by night 5 we were so exhausted from playing the role of ‘wildly fun mom/dad’ in the hot Mexican sunshine for hours. By the time we made it to our private dinner reservation we could barely hold an interesting conversation. We literally talked about the pretty sunset, the deliciously crafted cocktail and then decided we really didn’t need dessert. I mean I had more stimulating conversation as I negotiated with spanish-speaking trinket sellers on the beach than I did with my own husband that night. And the only thing I was negotiating at dinner with him was getting the waiter to bring the check mid-appetizer. We were so tired! Let my mistakes help make your next trip a success.

Haggling for trinkets on the beach — **I was haggling for trinkets, not trying to arrange babysitting services here. Please – be responsible and use a trusted sitter on vacation!**

It is truly my {current} life mission to help everyone enjoy travel. Children are our greatest gift and they deserve to see the world. So many parents tell me, ‘”It’s just too hard to travel with the kids”. Hired help is a great way for you to find some sanity on your next trip!

Still nervous about getting a babysitter? Here are my final tips:

In a hotel ask the concierge (call ahead of time or ask as soon as you check-in for the best options). Some resorts even have kids clubs! We loved this one at our hotel in Dingle, Ireland
If you are renting a home ask the property manager about babysitting services or use Facebook for what it is actually meant for – getting connected with someone! (Note: If your children are wild heathens and you are trying to keep your AirB&B rating at 5 stars, I wouldn’t use the homeowners niece for this service).
Some cities (Fort Worth, NYC, North Carolina for example) have drop-in play care services! It’s an ingenious method that is growing and I will continue to hunt more of these options down in cities we are scheduled to travel to and keep you updated. This is a brilliant and safe way to give yourself a break!

What is your favorite family vacation spot?

Family Travel, Home, Travel

Flip to Trip

November 13, 2017 2 Comments

Imagine a life where you were dropped at an airport, skirted through the express security line, sipped on Fiji water while Priority Boarding your flight overseas. Then put that on repeat for 5 years. This was my life. Actually no it wasn’t – nothing was ever that smooth. Sure, I travelled internationally on a very regular basis, but it came with A LOT of hiccups. I still travel often, and the same trouble follows me. Begging to be put on flights when the door has already closed. Leaving my carry-on at the airport Sushi Lounge. Ambien-Induced conversations with flight attendants. And I haven’t even mentioned to you yet that I was a Travel Director in charge of ‘vacation ease and entertainment’ for elderly and wealthy people during my travel working years. This isn’t your same old boring travel blog. This is about my life as the ‘flipping tourist’. Now married with 2 kids and 37 years old. Not much has changed. I cause havoc and hilarity everywhere I go.

Filming A German commercial on the beach — **That time we filmed an infomercial for German Television!**

**That time we wish we were filming an infomercial so at some point production would come give us a break from these fake kids.**

Oh speaking of ‘Flipping tourist’. Sure, it’s a play on words as we all know that tourists are a ‘flipping’ pain. But now my husband and I are actually FLIPPING houses to fund our travel! Nearly five years of marriage and ready to flip our 6th home. He’s the numbers guy and I’m the idea girl.

Beyond flipping homes and traveling the world, we love to entertain! Heath acts as ‘Back of the house’ and I’m always ‘Front of the House’. Why flip homes if you can’t use them to entertain others and travel the world? We will share it all with you (as long as it’s entertaining. Like someone Ubering their forgotten passport to the airport and arranging its very own seat all the way to Puerto Rico or turning a cat-infested stairwell into a wine cellar that Alain Ducasse would be impressed with). We will spare you from the boring ‘flight delayed’ drama. Who cares unless it comes with $100 Vueve Cliqout airport credit while we brainstorm our next home and travel purchase.

**First Class always means champagne. Even better that it’s included so you don’t have to wake your sleeping toddler to pay $6. #Upgradebenefits #alwaysworthit**

Think of this blog as your one stop shop for interesting travel stories, incredible vacation ideas and renovation must-haves. There is nothing I love more than traveling and the best way for me to fund extraordinary adventures is to stay busy flipping homes. I think we’ve got some different perspectives on home remodels and I’d love to share those ideas as well.

Our son went from sleeping in a crib to slumbering away in this 14-foot sailboat. When people ask how the transition from crib to bed was for our family I can’t answer this question fairly. What little kid wouldn’t die over this bedroom? On night one we said, “all aboard” and he climbed in and has slept in it ever since!

When it comes to travel, we do it all including couples weekends and amazing group vacations with hilarious friends. Oh and we even love those family trips (NOTE: These aren’t vacations. They are clearly trips when anyone under the age of 20 is included), And yes, I’ll throw in some helpful hints and links because I suppose you might want to know where the best ceviche and wine in Spain would be).