Road trips are the preferred way to travel for many of us right now. When it's safe, heading out on road trips or just traveling across the country for one reason or another can really blow off a lot of pent-up steam. It will be such a relief to get out there and really explore – even if it’s entirely a domestic trip. Perhaps you need a trip away from the kids or you need to be away from your desk ... Read more
Flying With a Toddler
The last time I flew with my youngest she was 2 months old. It was was an easy and smooth trip with no hiccups. Flying with her at 18 months as a toddler, meanwhile, was ... challenging. My mistake was choosing an evening flight. My daughter's normal bedtime hit during the end of the flight. I could tell she was tired, yet she was ready to play. She refused to be rocked or nursed to sleep, yet ... Read more
Quick Stop at Joe Huber’s Family Farm in Indiana
We made a last minute decision to drive down to Louisville, Kentucky, for the weekend to visit Graham's parents. To break up the drive back on Sunday we decided to check out Joe Huber's Family Farm & Restaurant, which is about 40 minutes outside of Louisville. We had our dog, Capone, so we couldn't do all of the activities, but we wanted the girls to pick up little pumpkins and I wanted ... Read more
Our Cabin Stay in Au Train, Upper Peninsula Michigan
Our Upper Peninsula trip in June was relaxing and quiet, just what we were looking for. We found a dog-friendly cabin rental on Airbnb* and booked a couple of nights in Au Train. The cabin was part of a resort of cabins on Au Train Lake, Michigan. After booking we decided to stay another night, so we booked a separate stay in one of the other cabins (since ours was booked the last night). Our ... Read more
Things to Do in Munising, Michigan | Upper Peninsula
I really enjoyed our family's relaxing trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which is a 5.5 to 6 hour drive from Chicago. I was pleasantly surprised that family-friendly and dog-friendly things to do were plentiful in the area. I'm sharing some ideas to get you started on your trip planning to the UP, although I acknowledge we have a lot more to see. We mostly explored the Au Train and ... Read more
Family-Friendly Florida Attractions on Our Wish List
** This post about family-friendly Florida destinations is sponsored by VISIT FLORIDA. All opinions are my own. #FindYourFlorida When we visited Florida for the first time as a family of three in 2017, I was pleasantly surprised by how familiar the state felt to me. When we pick a travel destination, we always prefer places where we can see an abundance of fauna and flora, and Florida has no ... Read more
Flying With a 2-Month-Old Baby
I mentioned last year that we canceled our trip to Puerto Rico right after the hurricane because the island was hit hard (No hotels were available at the time.) and pregnant women are advised not to travel to places affected by Zika. We ended up with Southwest Airlines credit to use before it expired at the end of June. I didn't think I would be able to use it after giving birth, but we asked ... Read more
Our Stay at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort in Hawaii
We're typically low-key travelers who prefer affordable places to stay that are easy to get to and conveniently located near the activities we enjoy. However, the booking of our Hawaii trip was a bit last minute because we had to cancel our Puerto Rico plans. That meant that almost all the Big Island hotels in the Kailua-Kona area were near capacity and we had to book whatever was left. We decided ... Read more
An Unforgettable Hawaii Beach Day | False Ballistic Missile Threat
When you wake up one morning, grab breakfast and begin to get ready for a beach day, you don't expect to hear what sounds like an Amber Alert ringing on your phone. I looked at my screen and read aloud the words I was seeing: Extreme alert BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL." This is not a drill. How could this be? I immediately suspected a ... Read more
How to Make Your Road Trips More Eco-Friendly
** This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EarthDayDriveAway #CollectiveBias It's no secret my family goes on a lot of road trips. Some people think we are a bit crazy to travel far distances by car, especially with a toddler and a dog, but we love being on the road! In the past we have driven from Chicago to the Florida ... Read more