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You are here: Home / Archives for Travel tips

Travel Tips: Keeping Your Family Safe While On Vacation

May 20, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Keeping Your Family Safe While on Vacation

Guest Post

So you’re planning your family vacation? You probably have a dream where the vacation goes perfectly. In these fantasies your family creates beautiful, stress free memories that will be remembered fondly. Unfortunately life does not always turn out the way we want. A child wanders off or a family member becomes injured or arrested. At that point instead of enjoying your vacation, you are spending hours franticly trying to locate the family member. By planning ahead your family will be able to deal with any major problems that can turn your vacation into a nightmare.

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Know the Laws

We’ve all heard this story—repeatedly. Upstanding American citizen travels to an exotic location; he or she unknowingly or knowingly breaks a law, and suddenly the individual is facing jail time or major fines. The nightmarish result? Family separation, major fines that can sap the money needed to survive the rest of your vacation, and potentially harsh prison sentences. This is especially a concern when traveling outside the country to regions that are not as forgiving as the American courts.

What can you do to prevent an unfortunate arrest? When traveling to different locations in and out of the United States it is the traveler’s responsibility to research the laws of the region. The supreme court of the United States has ruled that ignorance of common laws is not an accepted defense in criminal trials. You cannot expect countries and states to bend laws for travelers when your own country or state would hold you accountable if you unknowingly broke a common law.

Name Card

Before leaving the country fit every family member with a name card or tag. They can store it in their wallet, purse, or in their backpack. The older members of your family may scoff at this idea, but an accident may occur that leaves the individual unable to communicate with authorities. A name card with all the vital information will give authorities all the information needed to contact family members.

Name cards can also be used by family members that lack the communication skills or maturity to find their way back to family when lost. The cards should be written in both your own language and the language predominately spoken in the region you are visiting. There is no point of having a name tag if no one in the region can decipher it. The name tag is a very simple and cheap way of assuring that family will be able to be located.

Phones

Phones can go a long way in ensuring that your vacation does not become a nightmare. If you lose sight of one of your children, a phoneless child will have to locate a phone before he can call for help. Each family member having cell phones will allow family and parents to call the child as soon as they realize he has wandered off. It’s as simple as pulling out a phone and punching a few buttons.

If your children do not already have cell phones, temporary track phones can be purchased for around $10-$20 dollars. You can pre-purchase minutes for the family to use. Purchasing 60 minutes of call time will cost around $20. Forty dollars is a low price to pay to ensure family safety.

Smartphone GPS Tracking Apps

Phones and name cards while important still leave your family vulnerable. Children may be too young to properly provide visual cues to their location or they may not be able to locate a responsible, trustworthy adult to help them locate you. Installing GPS trackers like LifeCam 360 Family Locator and Traceper onto your smartphone will allow you to locate the exact location of family members. Many GPS tracker Apps are free to use. It is as simple as downloading the software and setting up the software to keep track of all the phones in your family. Smartphones can even be set to track non-smart phones for a small fee.

When planning a vacation, you can do a lot to ensure family safety by spending some time researching the laws of the region. The safety and wellbeing of family can also be increased with the proper technology. Name cards, phones, and smart phone tracking technology will make it a breeze to figure out where missing family members before stress and fear turn your dream vacation into a nightmare.

Naomi Broderick is a professional writer who’s secure in her abilities and even more confident in her parenting. When she’s not juggling her three children in the front yard she writes for ProtectYourHome.com, a leader in security alarms.

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: Keeping Your Family Safe While On Vacation, Know the laws, name card, Travel tips

Travel Tips: Two Places to Stay In The Amazon

January 22, 2013 by Momstart 1 Comment

Whether it be a couples get-a-away for Valentines Day or a family adventure, NOMADICO has to covered with eco-friendly trips to Latin America, providing enriching cultural interaction with the local people while including visits to historical sites and physical activities and I want to try them out. They sent me a list of different things to do and places to stay in Latin America and I’d love to go. I’ve always been interested in The Amazon and here are two places they recommend that you stay.

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Where to Stay in The Amazon

Huaorani Adventure  – an unforgettable experience that offers an opportunity to interact firsthand with the Huaorani people – Ecuador’s most isolated and perhaps most intriguing indigenous tribe. The Huaorani eco-lodge is in the midst of a primordial jungle where one can kayak, hike, camp and visit Huaorani villages during the day with the help of a bilingual naturalist guide.

Highlights
  • Interacting with the Huaorani people
  • Explore Oxbow Lake
  • Canoe the Shiripuno River

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Kapawi Adventure – one of the most remote, ecologically responsible and cultural sensible Amazon Jungle Eco-lodges in the world. A visit to this Amazon Jungle Lodge contributes to sustainable socio – cultural communities and the protection of a unique natural environment. Explore the Pristine Amazon, take a evening trip down the Kapawi River,  bird watch in Claylick, hike  along the Pitzacocha and  Pama trails discovering  the many ways the rainforest benefits the Achuar people, test your skills at a blowgun contest, hear a tutorial on Achuar face painting, learn about Arutam, the spirit of the forest, and more. The Kapawi lodge is couples friendly and family friendly. It’s a community owned ecolodge that supports an indigenous population.

Highlights
  • Explore the Pristine Amazon
  • Witness the Wildlife
  • Discover the Achuar Community

Photos and information provided by NOMADICO.

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: amazon, The Amazon, travel, Travel tips, where to stay in the Amazon

Latin America Travel Tips: Where to Stay and Things to Do in Galapagos

January 21, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Blogging has allowed me to travel to so many places in North America and I hope that in the next few years that it expands to travel in other countries and even continents. Nomadico Travel sent me a list of places to stay in Galapagos and I can’t wait to actually stay these places myself. Nomadico Travel is committed to preserving the local cultures and environments of the countries they visit. They work hard to support locally owned hotels and lodges that have environmentally friendly practices. They employ local tour guides that give travelers an insider’s perspective, and donate a portion of profits to support indigenous rights campaigns and non-profits that protect the precious environments of Latin America.

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Photography Credit: Nomadico

For the walker/hiker, Nomadico offers several walking tours in the Galapagos islands. With the Multi – Island Adventure,  travelers leave the crowds behind and spend time actively exploring the islands in a path less traveled, kayak along the Cristobal Island Bay, and snorkel at Leon Dormido, and more.

The Isabela Walking Tour offers the exploration of  Isabela, the largest of the Galapagos islands, covered in over 60% of the flora and fauna of the archipelago and is the only one straddled by the equatorial line. Find different species of parrots, macaws on one of the best natural attractions, the Claylick and visit one of the Achuar communities.

In Quito – visit the colonial centre of Quito, see the Plaza de Independencia, XVI and XVII century churches, including the monastery of San Francisco, a building begun only 5 days after the founding of the city. Lunch is served, tat the rim of the extinct Pululahua volcanic crater, then the Ethnographic Museum, situated right on the Equator.

In Otavalo whether by foot, riding a horse or biking along mountain trails participants see the beautiful patchwork quilt of local farms, gorges humming with birds, the humid high mountain cloud forests, as well as waterfalls and the cool clear mountain lakes of the Mojanda region; visit indigenous markets, the Raptor Rescue center, Inca ruins, and kayaking through Volcanoes Lakes, then dine on traditional Ecuadorian dishes prepared with fresh organic products and grains directly from the farm.

Highlights of the Cotopaxi Highland Adventure include adventure biking, ziplines Over Mountain Valleys, riding with the Chagras. This expedition is designed for the more adventurous traveler with horseback riding, mountain biking, trekking, hiking, mountain climbing, rappelling, bird watching, camping, as well as cultural exchange with the local communities available, as well as a visit to an ecological reserve on the slopes of the Mt. Pasochoa volcano, known for its forests, rivers and spectacular waterfalls, high in the Andean forest.

The Cloud Forest itinerary includes hiking above the Clouds, first Class bird watching, Cock-of-the-Rock Lek, and biking in the Forest. The lodge has 3 cabañas and sits on 44 hectares (110 acres) of land.

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: Galapagos, Latin America, Nomadico Travel, travel, Travel tips

Sony UltraViolet Digital Movies Perfect For Road Trips, Flying and Waiting

July 20, 2012 by Momstart 7 Comments

If I had been more thoughtful about this I would have figured all of this out before I left for my road trip. I mean, even though we had a great time doing it the old fashion way, a movie here and there would have been fantastic. Watching TV in a hotel is not appropriate anymore. We tried watching a few shows and then I would quickly change the channel because the language or what was on was just sparking questions I didn’t really want to answer.

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imageUltraViolet is a great way to access your movies while you’re on the road. Your devices are more than likely compatible. It works for the iphone, iPad and for Sony devices just to name a few. We have the Sony Tablet and took that on our road trip with us. I should have loaded it up with movies like The Smurfs. When you buy new movies that have the Ultraviolet sticker on them then they come with a code you can use to claim a digital copy formatted for your selected device.

Gail digital access to your entire entertainment library with UltraViolet. The new online cloud-based digital service allows you to upload, store and watch all your favorite movies, whenever and however you want…whether on the road from your iPad, in the airport on your laptop or even from your smartphone while you’re sitting waiting on your doctor.

Here is a small list of Sony Pictures Movies with UltraViolet

· The Vow
· Men in Black (I and II)
· The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
· Moneyball
· Friends With Benefits
· The Smurfs
· Jack and Jill

How to Sign Up to UltraViolet

· Get Your Code: Locate the slip of paper inside your SPHE Blu-ray box that contains your UltraViolet code.

· Sign Up: Although there are a couple ways to sign-up, I recommend going to Flixster.com and click on the “Sign Up” button to create your account. Please note that Flixster will redirect you to also create an account at UVVU.com* (which is necessary to access UltraViolet).

*You will only need to do this the first time you sign up, after that you can access your Flixster account directly without also needing to login to UVVU.com.

· Redeem: At Flixster, click on the “Redeem Now” button (or go to Flixster.com/UltraViolet) and select your movie. Click the “Get Started” button and follow instructions to enter your special code. The movie will then be added to your collection and available to stream, watch via mobile device or download for offline viewing.

Need more help?

· I recommend watching the short video in the lower right hand corner at: http://uvvu.com/ for a great overview of what UltraViolet is and how it works

· FAQs:

Then if you need help each movie will give you step by step directions on how to use your code and add the movie to your account.

 

We received sample movies from Sony to test out how well UltraViolet works.

Filed Under: Tech Tagged With: digital movies, road trips, Sony, tech, Travel tips, ultraviolet

Goby 50.00 American Express Gift Card & iPad 2 Giveaway

May 6, 2011 by Momstart 836 Comments

Oh, I’m quite happy to announce that I’m hosting another giveaway for Goby.com again. Last year, I had the opportunity to introduce you all to them. Goby is an excellent site for families or anyone looking to go on a trip, and it’s almost summer!!!. Goby is a search engine all about finding things to do. I found the searches to be accurate and fun. I also feel that with google and other search engines you have to be specific for travel, and it’s hard sometimes to create the results you are actually looking for. Goby organizes your query results in a meaningful way instead of spitting back a series of web pages that happen to contain your key words. For taking trips and finding things to do, Goby is the place to go.

goby logoIn other words, goby.com is an activity search engine for finding cool things to do with your family.  Whether you have an afternoon to spend or a whole vacation, goby has over 6 million things to do in every city and town in the United States.  Now, goby has released version 3.0 of the goby iPhone app.  The new goby app introduces the goby fun feed.  The app syncs to your Facebook profile and automatically puts together a stream of events and activities for you in your location. 

To celebrate the launch of the goby app and fun feed, goby is giving away a brand new iPad 2 and a $50 gift card to put towards your next adventure.  There are two main ways to enter and a few more for fun:

Enter to Win:

50.00 American Express Gift Card

iPad 2 (possible entries across all participating bloggers)

To Enter:

Go to goby.com.  Use the what, where when fields on the homepage to find and adventure near you.  Post the link in the comments of this blog along with why you chose your adventure.

Extra Entries:

List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig, stumble, like or share on Facebook (or use any of the share options listed below)

Tweet & include the giveaway link:

Enter to Win an iPad 2 @MomStart #Giveaway http://networkedblogs.com/hxmLI

50.00 American Express Gift Card #Giveaway @Momstart http://networkedblogs.com/hxmLI

for 5 entries –

Go to the iTunes store and download the NEW goby app for iPod Touch/iPhone You’ll receive an emailed receipt – email this receipt to emily (at) goby.com for 5 ENTRIES toward an iPad!  Be sure to mention that MomStart.com sent you.

You must leave a comment for every entry. This Giveaway Ends June 15th. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: Goby, goby.com, iPad, iPad 2, search engine, Travel tips

Traveling with Children is simplified by Baby Safe Travel

December 27, 2009 by Momstart 5 Comments

gogo Kidz Travelmate by Go Go Babyz

Baby Safe Travel is the resource that my husband and I wished we had found sooner. We have traveled with our children and car seats and luggage and getting in and out of the airport is a huge head ache. I’m sure that most of you that are traveling for the holidays can relate. If you haven’t made it home yet you might still be able to make  your trip easier. Just look at their travel tips section. They break their tips into categories of Infants, Crawlers, Walkers and Multiples because you know that opens up another can of worms. It’s one thing to travel with one child, but two or more in car seats is even more trouble. Baby Safe Travel also has a Baby Boutique with everything you need from Car Seat Covers to ride on suit cases.

 

 

When traveling with your baby, things will not always go according to your schedule or your plan. Your adventure will be more fun and rewarding if you can leave lots of room for spontaneity, allowing your baby to help you stop and smell the roses. So remain flexible. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. And, most important, plan ahead.

Taken from Baby Safe Travel Tips

 

Baby Safe Travel sent me a gogo Kidz Travelmate by Go Go Babyz. I haven’t had a chance to review it yet. I’m going to Texas in February so I’ll be able to review it then. I’m going to be taking my kids to their grandparents while I go to Blissdom. Then I’ll be able to write a review. I will tell you though that one of the moms in my MOMS Club said that it was a life saver while she was traveling with her son. She purchased one from a friend and has used it more than once. Her husband was there when she was talking about it and he completely agreed with her. The only thing he didn’t realize was that she paid for it. He thought they were still borrowing it.

Product Details:

gogo Kidz Travelmate by Go Go Babyz

New ratcheting, quick-release strap

Easy to attach and remove in just seconds

Lightweight: weighs only 5 lbs

Telescoping handle with four positions

Sturdy, soft 5 inch quick release razor wheels for easy removal

Compact: 5 inches deep, 17 inches wide, 28 inches high

 

 

Look forward to a review in February.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: Baby Safe Travel, Car Seat Covers, gogo Kidz Travelmate, Ride on Suit Case, Travel tips, Traveling with kids

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