Gear for traveling with kids: 11 useful products

Cruising the internet, and just thinking about and planning ahead for my family's trip to Sweden (again!) this summer, I find I've been looking at a lot of travel gear lately. Here are some of the items that caught my eye, and that seem like they'd be useful when traveling with kids.


1. Travel Tot's Travel Childproofing Kit
This kit contains a variety of items like plug covers, door-knob covers, and sliding door lock to help you child-proof a hotel room or other accommodation your staying in while on holiday. My kids are old enough now that I don't need it, but this would definitely have come in handy when they were younger. It's available from Amazon, or directly from Travel Tot.


2. QuickSmart 3-in-1 Travel Bassinet
This is an item I wish I'd had when I traveled with the kids when they were babies. A diaper bag, diaper change station, and bassinet all in one. It would be a great way to get your little one a place to sleep while you're on the road, or at an airport.


3. Buggy Hook for Stroller
Such a simple little thing, but so handy if you've got a bag to tote along with a stroller. If you're bringing a stroller on your trip (or even just for everyday activities when you've got the stroller), this hook that can hold a bag securely would be a great add-on.


4. Zippered Hanging Travel Mate Toiletry Kit
I love these types of hanging toiletry kits (I have one myself) because they can hang on a hook instead of taking up counter space. This one looks especially good because you can easily see what's inside. Great for any kind of kids' travel supplies since you wouldn't have to dig around inside to find things.


5. Deluxe Wonder Wheeler
This isn't so much for air-travel, as for days at the beach. I can totally see myself using this: last year I lugged our old stroller to the beach just so I wouldn't have to carry everything but that was not ideal. The Wonder Wheeler holds beach chairs, a cooler, beach umbrella, and a bunch of other stuff. I love it.


6. SteriPEN Traveler Handheld UV Water Purifier
If you're traveling anywhere the water supply might be suspect, this device could come in really handy (and save you or your kids from a case of severe stomach upset...). The SteriPen looks like a pen, you dip it in a glass or bottle, and just over a minute later that water is safe to drink.


7. LifeProof iPhone Case
I don't even have an iPhone myself (sorry!) but I still know this thing would be great for any parent traveling with their iPhone. It protects your phone from water, dust, and impact damage. There's also a similar case for other smart phones: Krusell SEaLABox.


8. Flip MinoHD Video Camera
This little thing has 8GB of memory, and you can record 2 hours of video on it. It's small, it's supposedly easy to use, and it definitely looks less intimidating to me than old-school video recorders. I've been resisting getting a video camera, but I might go for one of these.


9. Victorinox Swiss Army 8GB Secure
This is a Swiss Army tool with an 8GB flash drive. The drive contents can be password or fingerprint protected. A flash drive is always handy (I put contact information and copies of travel documents on mine when we travel), and the tools would be handy for any traveler. I especially like the scissors: my kids both hate labels in their clothes, and it would be nice to have something to cut with when I'm out and about. The blade is removable, so this tool would be allowed on planes, according to Victorinox' information.


10. Toothpaste 2 Go 
This is a really neat product: it comes with a "transfer system" that lets you put the toothpaste from your big tube at home into smaller, travel-sized tubes. Definitely useful if you want to bring toothpaste with you on a flight! It's also available on the company's website.



11. Toweligator Beach Clamp
These crocodile-shaped clamps with a flexible tail, were designed to hold your towel down safely on the beach. According to the Toweligator website, they can also be used for a variety of other purposes, like hanging swimsuits to dry, seal snack bags, or hold your glasses out of the sand. I love the look of these, and I could definitely use something to hold down our towels on the beach in summer.

8 stroller-friendly walks & hikes in & around Vancouver

Going for a walk or hike is a great way to get some exercise, some fresh air, and get your kids moving. Whether my family is at home or traveling, we usually try to get some walking or hiking in every week.

For younger kids, long walks or hikes can be a challenge though and you might still want to bring along a stroller so that you can keep walking even when the shorter legs get tired. I'm sure most parents have heard the dreaded "can you carry me?" at some point! And if you're the parent of a child that isn't walking yet, then a stroller (or carrier!) is a necessity.

Not all trails and walks are great for strollers, but here are 7 places in and around Vancouver where you can comfortably and easily go for a walk even if you're pushing a stroller.

Third Beach in Stanley Park, Vancouver.

Stanley Park
In downtown Vancouver, there is really no better walk than Stanley Park's Seawall. The scenery of the city, mountains, and ocean, is unbeatable, and there's some great people- and dog-watching as well. The route is paved all around the park (the trails through the woods are not however), and there are lots of nice stops along the way: Vancouver Aquarium, Third Beach, Prospect Point, various playgrounds, and more.

Lynn Headwaters
Located in North Vancouver, Lynn Headwaters Regional Park offers a smooth, level gravel-trail along the river. Just follow the lower part of the Lynn Loop trail, and you'll enjoy some nice river and forest views, without having to go into the rough with the stroller. The upper part of Lynn Loop involves stairs, rougher terrain and steeper inclines and is not for strollers. However, my 5 and 9 year old do great on that part of the trail too these days.

Looking at a dead crab in the sand at Crescent Beach.

Crescent Beach
This wonderful stretch of beach is located in White Rock, south of Vancouver. There's a gravel trail along the beach that is perfect for strollers and for small children. The beach is great for beach-combing, digging in the sand, throwing rocks or just sitting down and having a snack.

Ambleside Park
From this park in West Vancouver, you get some great views of Lion's Gate Bridge, and of Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver across the water. The beach is really nice here, and the walkway along the water is paved all the way.

Granville Island
The public market on this island in the middle of downtown Vancouver, and all the other little shops and eateries here are very popular with locals and tourists. It's a great place to go shopping, or eating, or walking. There's a walkway that goes around Granville Island, mostly following the water. Part of it is boardwalk, and part of it is paved. Easy walking, and it goes right past the playground and water-park.

The beach at Spanish Banks.

Spanish Banks
Spanish Banks is one of the best beaches in Vancouver (I'd say Third Beach is better, but it's also smaller and more crowded), and it also has a nice, level walking trail running along it. Walking here you get a great view of the water, the ships, the north shore mountains, and downtown Vancouver. If you want to go for a longer stroll, you can keep walking past Jericho Beach at one end of Spanish Banks, and continue along the water all the way to Kitsilano Beach. 

Steveston
This part of Richmond, has a lot of great trails and walkways and all of them are easy to walk with a stroller or small children. There's a gravel-trail that loops around Garry Point Park , or you can walk through the village and keep going to the historic part of Steveston. 

False Creek North
This area of downtown Vancouver, along the inlet known as False Creek, makes for a great urban walk. The trails are all paved, and there are little parks and playgrounds along the way for you and your kids to enjoy. It's easy to get to if you're a tourist staying in downtown Vancouver, and it will give you a different perspective of the city than when you're just driving through.

Guest-writing at FlipKey: 10 Greek islands to visit

The Myrtos beach in Erisos/Kefalonia. Photo by Christos Vittoratos.

It's always a lot of fun to write for other sites, and of course, it's always a thrill to be asked to contribute! Today, my post about Greece is up at FlipKey, a vacation rental site. Thanks so much to the team at FlipKey for having me!


Here's my post, and I have to say that writing it gave me a real craving to head back to Greece! Such a beautiful part of the world.

• 10 Greek islands to visit

Photo by Christos Vittoratos via Wikimedia.

7 rules I live by when flying with my kids

Flying with my kids on our most common long-haul trip between Vancouver, Canada and Stockholm, Sweden, sometimes feels like a marathon race combined with an obstacle course. It's the kind of activity where I always feel like I have to "stay in the zone" (as they say in sports) in order to get to the finish line in one piece.

Over the years, I've learned a few tricks, or rules, that I now live by on every trip. They work for me, and they make getting there with my wits and belongings just a little bit easier.

1. Always look back
If I've been sitting down somewhere, or standing around in one spot for a while (in the airport or on the plane or anywhere else), I always look back to check if I've forgotten anything as we're leaving. It's so easy when I have the kids with me (or even if I don't!), to put something down and then forget to pick it up. It's kind of like checking your blind spot when driving, and I know it's saved me from losing stuff on more than one occasion.

2. If it's valuable, keep it on you
This kind of goes with the first rule. Anytime you put a bag or purse down, there is a chance you'll forget it (or that someone will grab it). Items I definitely can't travel without, such as passports, cell-phone, credit cards, money, and assorted travel documents stay on my person at all times. I carry them in a small travel purse that I do not take off or put down anywhere, until we reach our destination. This is especially crucial when I'm doing the long-haul flights by myself with the two kids.

3. Check and double-check with the airline
A few weeks before we travel, I always double-check with the airline that everything I've asked for has been done: seating, kids' meals, getting a bassinet (when the kids were babies), and so on. These days, a lot can be checked online, though sometimes I still end up calling the airline to make extra sure that humans, as well as computers, are aware of my requests. I've avoided our family being seated far apart on the plane on more than one occasion by doing this. Most airlines are quite accommodating to seating families together, so if you can't do it by using the online check-in, then call the airline or ask at the check-in counter.

4. Kids' movies come first
The individual entertainment screens available on most long-haul flights are a great way to keep kids entertained. To buy myself as much peace and sanity as possible, the first order of business when I sit down with my kids on a flight is to get their movies working. Usually, the movies won't come on until the plane is in the air, but I always try to quickly get their headphones ready (this is easy since I bring kids' sized head-phones for them). Once my kids are watching something, it's a lot easier for them and me to relax.

5. Don't worry about nutrition, worry about full stomachs
It can be really hard to get your kids to eat on a flight. They may be uncomfortable and anxious, and the food on board probably looks and tastes different than they're used to. The solution I've found is to let my kids have a big, familiar meal before a long flight (chicken nuggets and fries will do), and then bring enough snacks on board so I know they have something to eat even if the airplane food isn't to their liking. If they only eat pretzels, lollipops and granola bars, so be it. I'll make up for it with fresh fruit and vegetables once we land!

6. Go to the bathroom!
I know my kids are sometimes too excited or anxious on or before a flight to really "feel" if they need to go, so if we have some time to kill and there's a bathroom, I will take them in there and hope for the best. It's so much nicer to do it that way, rather than wait for the panicked emergency run when we're standing in the security lineup. On board, if I see there is no lineup for the bathrooms, I will ask my kids if they need to go too. Waiting for an airplane bathroom at the back of a long lineup with a child doing the potty-dance can be pretty harrowing!

7. Make it sound good
I find that my kids respond a lot better to requests for good behavior if I phrase it in a way that sounds exciting, rather than an order. "Put your seat-belt on NOW!", is often way less effective than "Let's put our seat-belts on so we can get to grandma and grandpa!" But when I'm exhausted from a long day of travel, and the lack of sleep and the cramped quarters and the hustling from flight to flight is wearing me down, it can be hard to sound like a reasonable, intelligent parent, but I do try.

Making air-travel earth-friendlier? Trees, carbon footprints & more

Air-travel is not environmentally friendly. Airplanes do emit greenhouse gases, mainly carbon-monoxide, as well as other pollutants. They also contribute to "noise-pollution" in some areas. This is an "inconvenient truth" for those of us who like to travel far and wide, but also consider ourselves people who care about the environment.

Of course, air-travel isn't all bad. Traveling by plane makes it easier for people to visit other parts of the world, to learn about other places and meet people from different countries and cultures. It helps tie the world and the people in it together, culturally and socially.

I don't think it's a viable option to give up on air-travel (though I know some hardcore environmentalists would disagree with me). But here are some things we, as individual travelers, can do to ease our conscience (if we feel the need to do that), and help the environment, even if it's just a little bit.

Buying carbon offsets
This means that you pay a fee to help "offset" the carbon emissions caused by your trip by doing something (for example planting trees) to counteract the emissions caused by your travel choices. There are various websites and organizations that can help you do this.

If you want to try it, a good place to start might be The Suzuki Foundation's guide to purchasing carbon offsets. In this guide (which was published in 2009), there is an evaluation of various carbon offset vendors.

Planting trees
Planting trees is one of those immediate, hands-on, feel-good things we can do to improve the environment. And if you have kids, they'll probably love it. Whether you plant trees in your own backyard, participate in tree-planting projects locally, or support organizations who do it in other parts of the world, it's something children can understand and relate to quite easily.

Some websites with resources and information are Treelink, and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Flying "green" airlines
Air-travel is not environmentally friendly, but some airlines are trying to brand themselves as "green" and are also trying to do things to reduce the environmental impact of airplanes. Some airlines are purchasing carbon offsets, or trying to improve their fuel efficiency. There are also projects underway to develop renewable fuels for airplanes.

Seatguru has some information about what various airlines are doing to go more "green". 

Choosing "green" accommodation
Going green by doing things in a more environmentally friendly way is becoming more popular with many hotels and resorts. For example, a hotel might do things like recycle their garbage, and reduce the use of water and electricity.

Two websites that try to help travelers find "greener" travel options are Responsible Travel and Green Hotels.

Other things to do:

• Travel close to home - This is one tip I don't really live up to myself, since we visit my family in Sweden at least once a year and the only way to get there from Vancouver is by plane. However, traveling close to home is a very effective way to reduce your carbon emissions.
• Don't fly if you can help it - Traveling by train, boat, or bus impacts the environment less than traveling by air. Sometimes you have to go by plane, but other forms of transportation can work just as well or better in some cases. Train trips are an adventure in themselves, for example.
• Get involved - Volunteering your time can be a great way to help the environment, and get your kids interested in that environment. Big organizations like Earthwatch have projects all over the world. On the local level, you might also find great organizations to help out and support. In Canada, for example, there is the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup project, which organizes local cleanup efforts all over the country.

Earth Day 2012 - Why being outdoors is great for kids

April 22nd is Earth Day, and all over the world people are celebrating by connecting to nature, and sharing ways to take care of the environment.

The Earth takes care of us. To spend time outdoors, in the world, in nature, experiencing and exploring our natural environment, makes human beings happier and healthier. I see this in my own children: a day on the beach, or hiking a trail, or playing in the park, or helping out in the garden makes them a lot calmer and improves their mood better than any indoor activity.

Being outdoors is good for kids, this is a scientific fact, and here are some online articles that prove it (if you need more proof than your own observation!):

Several studies have shown that regular, unstructured playtime in nature makes kids smarter, calmer, more self-disciplined, more cooperative, and happier.

Source: How to get kids to play outdoors.

It is beneficial in a wide variety of ways: 

Studies have provided convincing evidence that the way people feel in pleasing natural environments improves recall of information, creative problem solving, and creativity. Early experiences with the natural world have been positively linked with the development of imagination and the sense of wonder. Wonder is important as it a motivator for life long learning. There is also strong evidence that young children respond more positively to experiences in the outdoors than adults as they have not yet adapted to unnatural, man-made, indoor environments.

The natural world is essential to the emotional health of children. Just as children need positive adult contact and a sense of connection to the wider human community, they also need positive contact with nature and the chance for solitude and the sense of wonder that nature offers. When children play in nature they are more likely to have positive feelings about each other and their surroundings.

Outdoor environments are also important to children's development of independence and autonomy. Outdoor space allows children to gradually experiment with increasing distance from their caretaker. While the development of greater independence from toddlerhood to middle childhood can happen within the confines of indoor spaces, safe space outdoors greatly adds to the ability of children to naturally experiment with independence and separation, and the adult's willingness to trust the child's competence which is essential for separation to happen. This is particularly important for children who live in small and crowded homes.

Source: Children's Outdoor Play & Learning Environments - Returning to Nature.

Playing outside means happier kids, who laugh more.

As part of this year's Child of Our Time series, Dr Livingstone's team studied play, and found that the more children played, the more they laughed, especially when outside. They found the children who played most laughed up to 20 times as much as the children who played less.

Source: BBC - Children who play outside laugh more.

And for some tips on how to encourage outdoor play, this article from sparkpeople.com is a good read: 

• 14 ways to encourage kids to play outdoors.

Happy Earth Day, and enjoy the great outdoors today, and all other days (at least if the weather isn't too nasty...).

Hiking Minnekhada Park, Coquitlam, BC

View across the marsh.

It was a beautiful day in my neck of the world today. To enjoy the sunshine, my family headed out to Minnekhada Regional Park for a hike. This is a beautiful park, with trails that loop around a small marsh (a rather lake-like marsh I will say). There are lots of birds, bugs, and even a few beaver lodges plainly visible in the water!

A slug with some kind of accessory on his back.

The trails around the marsh are a little steep at times, but my 5 and 9 year old did great (with occasional whining that quickly subsided). For the first time, we hiked around the entire marsh on the High Knoll trail, rather than cutting across the middle, following the Mid-Marsh trail.

The kids pointed out this fancy bug to me!

This made the hike a little longer than on previous visits, but it was still a beautiful trail and a very do-able hike for the kids.

There's lots of parking at the Quarry Road entrance to the park, and picnic tables can be found near Minnekhada Lodge if you're looking for a spot to sit down and snack!

18 of my kids' favorite places around the world

The world is full of wonderful places. My family has gone to some of those wonderful places, and I hope we will go to many more. Here, in no particular order, are 18 of the places my kids have loved, and still love to go.

1. Burvik, Sweden
This is where my parents have a summer place, and this is where we've spent almost every summer for the last 5 years. There's water, there's a small beach, there's frogs and fish and flowers, and sometimes a hare outside the window in the morning. Doesn't get much better than that.

2. Leos Lekland, Skellefteå, Sweden
The only indoor jungle-gym in my Swedish home-town Skellefteå. When we visit in the winter, this is a great place for the kids to burn off some energy without freezing their noses off. Bouncy-castles, ball-rooms, giant inflatable slides, corkscrew slides, tiger slides... It's a zoo, but it's a fun one.

3. The Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver
Otters, belugas, bats, spiders, jellyfish, sharks, tortoises, parrots, baby wolf-eels... and that's not even the half of it. This place is so kid-friendly and my children just love getting up close and personal with all the critters. The Aquarium is definitely a place they love to go, anytime of the year, whatever the weather.

4. Science World, Vancouver
Interactive and educational fun, where the exhibits are made to be touched, climbed, squeezed and generally handled by kids. We always have a blast here, and I think the recent renovations improved a lot on an already fantastic place to take the kids.

5. Stanley Park, Vancouver
Going for a walk, playing on the playgrounds, looking at the squirrels... there's always something to do and see in this park.

6. On board the Skytrain, all around Vancouver
My kids love to ride this public transportation anywhere and everywhere. Not a bad way to spend a day. 

7. On the ferries of the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia
Traveling, as in actually being in the process of going somewhere, can be an adventure in itself. Going on the ferries up the British Columbia coast is definitely fun in itself: the views are spectacular, and it's just a great ride.

8. Steveston, BC, Canada
Whether we end up walking around Garry Point, or hike the waterfront through the village of Steveston, this is always a great place with the kids.

9. Lynn Canyon, North Vancouver
My family's favorite weekend-hiking spot right now. The suspension bridge adds some drama, and the trails are great for kids: not too easy, and not too challenging either. 

10. Centennial Beach, Tsawwassen
A fantastic playground next to an amazing beach. It doesn't get much better than that.

11. Third Beach, Vancouver
One of my favorite beaches. Stunning views, nice water, and often some wild-life to watch, whether it's barnacles on the rocks, eagles high above, stranded jellyfish and crabs, or a seal poking its head out of the water. 

12. Playa Ingles, Gran Canaria
This very popular beach in Gran Canaria became our favorite spot when we were there in the spring of 2011. Great sand, great waves, brilliant sunshine. Our kind of beach. Sure, it's crowded, but that's because it's a nice beach! 

13. Baby Beach, Maui
When we visited Maui in 2009 this was the perfect beach for us. The kids could go in the water without getting knocked over by the waves, which meant that the grownups could relax and enjoy the sunshine and the ocean. Next time we go to Maui, they might be too big for this beach, but it was perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

14. DT Fleming Beach Park, Maui
Another fantastic Maui-beach. Great sand, rocks with all sorts of aquatic life clinging to them, waves (too big in spots, but the kids still enjoyed the water's edge), and turtles swimming further out.

15. Blue Lagoon, Iceland
Mineral-rich, Geo-thermally heated hot springs to bathe in, right in the middle of Iceland's amazing landscape: that was really something special for the kids to experience. My daughter can still mention how she thought the steam rising off the water might have been dragon's breath.

16. Point Roberts, WA, USA
Fantastic beaches for beach-combing and gathering beautiful rocks. Also a perfect place to fly a kite.

17. The pool
Meaning any pool, anywhere. There's a reason my family always travels with swim-suits: you just never know when they'll come in handy!

18. Our backyard
As I'm writing this, it's mid-April and the kids are discovering the joys of the backyard again after the winter. Trampoline, the garden, the grass, the earth-worms, the plants... it's a great place, and no airplane tickets needed to get to it either.