Posts in Travel
Traveling with Kids: Sea Crest Beach Hotel
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Last weekend I had the lovely opportunity to visit the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in Falmouth on a media visit. I took Laurel and Vi on my own since Jon was working all weekend and despite missing him, it was a fantastic visit! And totally doable parenting solo due to various amenities. In a nutshell, I think Sea Crest is utterly perfect for families, but here are 12 specific reasons why I recommend you consider visiting.

1. Location. One of the great things about the Upper Cape is that that it means less driving, coming from the city. Located in Falmouth, Sea Crest is about 1 hour, 15 minutes from both Boston and Providence, RI.  

2. Beach proximity. Sea Crest’s positioning right on Old Silver Beach is part of what makes the experience so amazing and also convenient for parents. Even though I toted a well-stocked bag with me, I had to head back to the room with one or both girls many, many times (potty! milk cup! change of clothes! etc!). It was great that our room was mere steps away.

3. Room options. The hotel offers a variety of accommodations, including several types of guest rooms (I highly recommend ocean front) + they have a 3 bedroom cottage, which would be great for larger parties. I also asked about adjoining rooms (early on Jon and I discovered the beauty of this when traveling with Laurel), and they do have some available in case you need a larger setup and the cottage isn’t available. Of note, though the hotel has 264 rooms, the rooms are spread out over eight 1-2 floor buildings so it doesn't feel monstrous at all. All rooms come with standard amenities, including a mini-fridge, which is perfect if you need to tote allergy-friendly foods as I do.

4. Beach-side service. I’m not going to lie, I'm a person who really, really appreciates convenience and a helping hand, especially when I’m traveling alone with my kids. Sea Crest has chair, umbrella, and towel service and you can basically set up camp for the day -- just leave a few non-valuable personal effects on your chairs and staff and other guests know not to flip your space. Also, later in the afternoon when my sister and her family arrived to hang out, we enjoyed a beach cocktail via the roaming server; the berry mojitos were divine!

5. Pools. Need a break from cleaning up sandy feet? Outdoor plans blown by a rainy day? The property has both indoor and outdoor saline pools.

6. Family friendly (+ grown up) dining options. Sea Crest offers a range of dining options. On a return visit, I’d love to try Shutters (the fancier restaurant) with Jon, but alone with the kids, the buffet breakfasts at the Ocean View Room were perfect. There were lots of cold and hot options, including waffle and omelette stations (Laurel LOVED the waffles). It was perfect for getting a range of food quickly. We also dined twice at Red’s Restaurant (which also has a poolside bar and takeout window if you want to tote lunch to the beach) and I was very happy with the food there. I’d say the only thing I wished were different was that the kids menu items came with a little fruit or vegetable on the side. There’s also a cafe with Starbucks. Mmm...Starbucks. Also of note, despite the size of the property and the fact that it's peak season we never had to wait for a table. They clearly have the dining mechanics down.

7. Ice cream. Yes, this deserves its own bullet. Right near the pool, Sea Crest has its own little ice cream/snack store. I recall there were about 8 flavor options and along with my sister's family we collectively tried almost all of them. Totally delicious.

8. Fitness options. My main fitness activity was giving Vi uppies across the sand (no small feat), but Sea Crest has a fitness center, beach volleyball, bike rentals, water sports, and a yoga/Pilates room (when I got there I learned that my sister teaches yoga there on Wednesdays...CRAZY!). There’s also plenty of golf to be had nearby. I'd love to go back with Jon with us so we could do some paddle boarding (I couldn't negotiate this alone with Laurel and Violet).

9. Activities for kids. In addition to a tween room and arcade, there’s regular programming through the day for kids (field day, parachute games, arts and crafts, etc.), including outdoor movies on a mega screen in the beautiful courtyard.

10. Service in general. Top to bottom, the service at Sea Crest was wonderful -- friendly and helpful, though not overbearing at all.

11. All inclusive-ness of the property. Though I always love exploring when we travel, given that we were only in Falmouth for about 36 hours and given that I was solo with the girls, I loved that the hotel had everything we needed. We were having so much fun that we never even left the property!

12. Off-property attractions. The flip side to #11 is that Sea Crest is close to lots of great local attractions. On a longer visit, I'd love to support the rest of the local economy! Last summer we spent an afternoon in Woods Hole and I'd love to get in some more time there.

In summary, the Sea Crest Beach Hotel is wonderful -- it's a fantastic destination for families, and they also have meeting and event spaces (I'm fantasizing about hosting a conference there and Laurel was so excited to spot a bride on Saturday!). I’m eager to return and am already thinking about booking a trip before the end of the summer or in the fall). I recommend you consider visiting soon!

Disclosure: my accommodations and some meals were provided per my media visit; all opinions on the awesomeness of the property are, of course, my own.

Image credits: Christine Koh

Local, Travel Comments
Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome
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I'm planning on being off the grid for most of the weekend on a fun little adventure with Laurel and Violet (feel free to follow along on Instagram!) so I wanted to share this week's edition of Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome a little early. Enjoy this roundup of reads and visuals that caught my eye, and be sure to check out the 34-event Weekend Roundup if you're looking for something to do this weekend! Have a wonderful weekend!

- So thrilled about the launch of ONE’s Girls & Women site!

- Because PANDAS.

- Honored to be on this list of top 25 family travel blogs!

- Incredibly proud of my friend Katherine Stone for helping so many women rise from postpartum depression.

- How to create the perfect gallery wall.

- This is what happened when I drove my Mercedes to pick up food stamps.

- Then and now photos.

- I think Massachusetts deserves higher than #13 but I’m totally biased.

- Moscato mojitos -- a friend made these last weekend and they were delicious!

- World Cup soccer stats erase the sport’s most dominant players: women.

Image credit: lemon pie ice cream via Pinterest

8 Tips for Camping with Kids
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Following my tips about booking a camping trip + gear essentials, the final post I wanted to share about camping is about tips for the camping trip itself. But quickly, before I do that I wanted to share a recommendation from Kris-Ann. Kris-Ann's family participated in a Become an Outdoors Family Camping Workshop last year, which included lessons on how to start a campfire and how to set up your tent, as well as other activities. So cool!

Now, here are 8 tips for camping with kids. Feel free to add any others in the comments below!

1. Give your kids jobs. Giving kids jobs will make them feel that they are part of the team, and also helps kids really experience what camping is all about. Kids can help gather kindling, set up the tent, arrange items inside the tent, etc. Laurel and Vi were really helpful with both setup and breakdown!

2. Go over ground rules. We didn’t have a ton of rules, per se, but remember that kids will not necessarily have the same context as you do for experiences like this. Our main issues were to talk to them about fire safety, water sources, and trash/food cleanup.

3. Explore the grounds. Laurel and Violet are 6.5 years apart so obviously, their physical abilities are very different. If we had stayed two nights I think Jon and I would have probably split up, with one of us taking Laurel on a longer hike and one of us taking Vi on a short hike or to scrabble around the woods. But a simple exploration of the grounds -- walking to the beach, climbing rocks, finding the general store -- all made for good adventures.

4. Go device free. Seriously, you’re in the woods -- enjoy unplugging your family! I loved kicking back and relaxing with the girls amidst a pile of books and magazines. They never once asked, “Where’s the kindle?”

5. Enjoy the slowness. One of my favorite things about camping is that it really strips life to the basics; it’s wonderfully slow and simple and I suggest enjoying the slowness! My friend Charles referred to this as “saving the time to breathe.” Charles shared: “Sometimes it's tempting to do the hike and the swimming and the campfire social and the kickball game and the boating... Overtired kids don't make good tent mates.” So true!

6. Embrace the small teaching moments. Related to #2 and #5, we found that many of the tasks associated with camping offered an opportunity to teach the girls about something practical in a setting where we had the time to slow down and chat and teach (vs. just doing it ourselves). For example, we taught the girls about building a fire, how to identify poison ivy, interacting (or not interacting) with animals, etc.

7. Collect nighttime needs while it’s still light out. I really didn’t want to be fumbling around in the dark so after dinner I collected and arranged in the tent various things we might need in the middle of the night, such as water bottles for everyone, flashlights, and extra clothes in case of accidents.

8. Keep them up. We put the girls to bed around their usual bedtime and in retrospect, we should have kept them up until it was totally dark and they were really tuckered. What with different surroundings and sounds, the girls had a harder time falling asleep which led to many frequent visits to the tent. Next time we'll keep them up late!

Do you have other tips to share about camping with kids? Feel free to comment below!

Image credits: Christine Koh

Camping with Kids: Gear Essentials (& Little Luxuries)
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Today I'm following up on last week's post about booking a camping trip with kids to share about how to prepare for the trip. The final post in the series will be about the actual camping but booking and assembling gear are the first things you'll need to do so here we are! Here are 36 things I recommend packing, reflecting both gear essentials and a few little luxuries.

But before I get into the basic gear needs, keep in mind that you don't need to break the bank buying all new stuff. Ask friends and family and see if anyone is willing to lend you items. We’ve both borrowed and lent; in general, people who have camping gear are happy for that gear to get some use more than a couple of times a year! Another option if you're hesitant about taking the plunge to buy all new gear is to rent gear from a place like REI. OK, now on to my list!

Shelter

1. Tent. I highly recommend having two shelters, both for sleeping purposes and to have a little more space to spread out. Our two-part tent (similar to this tent + screen room) worked great. Note: get a tent with a fly in case it rains; a groundcloth also is helpful though we didn't use this one this time around.

2. Sleeping bags. You might be able to get away with blankets for the little ones but we ended up getting sleeping bags for the girls too, which they loved.

3. Sleeping pads/mats/mattresses. You can opt for roll up mats or if you’re going to bring inflatable mattresses, get a good one. I highly recommend the AeroBed, which is the only inflatable mattress we’ve used that isn’t flat by morning!

4. Lovies. We limited Laurel and Violet to 1-2 stuffed animals each. They were happy to have them.

General Campsite Needs

5. Firewood. There were options to buy firewood at and near the camp, but we brought a bunch of collected wood from home. (It was a good mission to have the girls collect fallen branches!)

6. Matches. Make lighting fires easier...

7. Flashlights. The girls loved each having a little pocket flashlight and the grownups had full size ones.

8. Paper goods. We brought toilet paper for peeing in the woods and paper towels for mess cleanup.

9. Observation tools. Vi had a little cheapo magnifying glass that she loved using to inspect nature treasures. We also had a pair of binoculars with us.

10. Maps. Yes, paper maps. Depending on where you go, remember you might lose your signal and GPS. Go old school and bring maps!

11. Hiking gear. If you’re going to do day hikes, bring a backpack, whistles, and whatever else you’d like.

Food & Fluid

12. Food. Plan out your meals in advance to prevent excess and waste. We only needed two meals on site, so we brought hot dogs, veggie burgers, and quesadilla fixings (+ snacking veggies and fruits) for dinner and eggs and cereal bars for breakfast. We brought canned soup and beans as a backup but didn’t end up eating them. We also brought plenty of snacks + s’mores supplies for dessert. I also recommend precutting all your fruit and veggies (and anything else that requires cutting) at home so you don't need to bring a knife and cutting board.

13. Cooler. We left our cooler in the back of the car to reduce animal interest.

14. Water jugs. We brought three gallons of water with us.

15. Water bottles. It's hard to stay hydrated as you do at home. I recommend bringing one large (Nalgene-type) water bottle for each family member and keep refilling from your water jugs.

16. Can opener. If you’re bringing canned goods.

17. Cooking spray. Avoid a spill and bring spray instead of liquid.

18. Stove. Jon has a great Primus two-burner stove. It was easy to set up and cook with. (We thought about bringing a small grill but skipped it to save on space.)

19. Propane tanks. To hook up to said stove.

20. Cookware. We brought a small fry pan + pot. It was perfect for making quesadillas, hot dogs, burgers, and eggs.

21. Plates and utensils. We brought reusable plastic plates and cutlery. We used small quantities of water to scrape and rinse dishes and then poured the water into the fire.

22. Stovetop espresso maker. I am one of those people who loves a cup of coffee first thing in the morning and it was like a slice of heaven to have coffee just like we have at home at camp via our little Bialetti stovetop espresso maker (I even brought sugar and heavy cream...sooo good!).

Clothing + Activities

23. Clothing. I especially recommend light long layers to give you protection from mosquitos. (Also bring socks for the same reason, even though it's summer.)

24. Raincoats. Even if rain isn’t in the forecast, bring them. We ended up using ours as an additional layer of protection from the aggressive mosquitos.

25. Hats. Good for sun protection and also as an added layer of defense against mosquitos (do you sense a theme??).

26. Swim gear. Bring bathing suits, towels, goggles, and life jackets for little ones in case you make it to the water.

27. Shoes. Bring at least two pairs, in case one pair gets soaked. Laurel and my trekkers worked great!

28. Books and magazines. Go device free and bring books and magazines. It was so nice to relax and kick back and read with the girls. Activity books are also a nice option.

29. Little treats. My friend Charles recommends having some small treats at the ready: "Hide some small, fun 'stocking stuffers' for use in critical moments if necessary. Pokemon card packs, small Lego items, and coloring/sticker books have worked well for us - especially key on long drives!"

Personal Effects

30. First aid kit. We never travel without one.

31. Bug spray. OMG ESSENTIAL (mosquitos adore me and Laurel). We brought several different eco-friendly kinds (Quantum Buzzaway, Badger Balm Anti-bug Balm, All Terrain Kids Herbal Armor) and they all worked great.

32. Sunscreen. Ever essential.

33. Antibacterial wipes. Handy for when you don't want to trek to the bathroom to cleanup hands.

34. Diapers and wipes. If you’re still in the zone.

35. Toothbrushes and toothpaste. Oral hygiene = good.

36. Facial wipes. I brought facial cleansing wipes, which made it easy (and refreshing) to clean up at the end of the day. Like my coffee, they felt like a little luxury from home.

*Note: this list doesn't reflect all the things you would need to camp with babies. Feel free to weigh in on that topic in the comments!

Do you have other recommendations for preparing for a camping trip with kids? Share them in the comments below!

Gear, Travel Comments
Camping with Kids: 5 Tips for Booking Your Trip
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Though I’ve done a couple of backpacking trips (a million years ago), I was initially hesitant about the idea of camping with the girls. I mean, I loved the idea but wasn’t sure how our fiery Vi would take to it. And while there were some inevitable squabbles (no different from home!), for the most part we had a great time. This and next week I'll share a few posts about camping with kids because many people have asked me about it (in the vein of it seeming impossible). Today I’ll start with the first step: 5 tips for booking your trip.

1. Start close. I recommend starting with a short radius, not only so you don’t have to spend a ton of time in the car, but also so that if for some reason things go awry, you know you can pull the ripcord and be home in a reasonable time. (In general, I’m a proponent of sticking with a commitment, but there’s comfort in knowing you could pull the ripcord if you needed to, even if you don’t!) We booked at Pawtuckaway State Park & Campground in New Hampshire, which was about 1 hour, 20 minutes from home -- the perfect distance to get woodsy but not be too far away.

2. Scout out the family friendly factor. Pawtuckaway ended up being super family friendly. In addition to trails, there was a beach, fantastic playground, canoe and boat rentals, and a cute little general store where you could get everything from beach toys to puzzle books to ice cream treats. It was really perfect for families.

3. Be strategic about campsite location. When you’re booking your campsite, think about positioning. For example, Jon smartly booked us at a site on a dead end so we didn’t have a ton of traffic coming through. Also, I recommend positioning yourself close (though not right next to!) bathrooms depending on where your kids are at with the potty situation.

4. Try one night to start. For peace of mind, try one night first to see how it goes. No doubt, it would have been more efficient for us to book 2-3 nights given that it takes some effort to get packed and organized (I’ll cover that topic in a separate post), but for our first time camping as a family, we felt better just committing to one night.

5. Just do it! I know many people are hesitant about trying camping with kids, what with gear (again, I’ll get to that in a separate post!) and different temperaments but I recommend you just do it! It’s simply wonderful to be in nature and away from devices and household chores...to live more slowly, even if it's just for a short stint. In the grand scheme of things our camping adventures was less than 24 hours but it was fun and different (and incredibly affordable!) and we plan on going again!

Do you have other tips for booking camping trips with kids? Feel free to share them in the comments below!

Image credits: Christine Koh

11 Essentials for Traveling with Kids
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Today, Rene shares 11 essentials that help keep her kids happy and entertained while traveling:

Traveling with kids can be challenging, but if you're prepared with plenty of activities (and snacks!) you can keep your little travel companions happy, which will keep you happy. Here are my favorite sanity-saving essentials (aside from the usual diapering items) that will make the trek easier for everyone.

1. Comfortable headphones will help kids tune out to in-flight entertainment (with kid-friendly volume control) or block excess noise while they're trying to sleep.

2. Magnetic play sets are great for travel. Few dropped and lost pieces = good.

3. Melissa & Doug's Water Wow! books offer a simple and mess-free way for younger kids to 'paint' while on-the-go.

4. My kids love their lovies and these smaller scale Pillow Pets double as a pillow or snuggly companion, and are easy to stow away.

5. A travel lap desk keeps small toys and crayons contained and provides a surface for coloring and eating.

6. Toss pureed snack squeeze pouches into your carry-on for snack emergencies. Even bigger kids (and parents) won't fuss about slurping down a tasty snack on the run.

7. Load up your phone or tablet with cool apps to calm tempers during long flights or layovers. Here's a roundup of great apps for kids; the Cool Mom Tech team also regularly updates this Pinterest board of cool apps for kids.

8. After you get through security, fill your reusable (preferably indestructible) sippy or sport water bottles at the water fountain. You'll save a fortune in bottled water costs, and hydrated travelers are happy travelers!

9. Classic Colorforms are a great, compact activity that won't damage surfaces, like plane or car windows.

10. Origami projects will keep big kids (and adults!) occupied and whittle away at travel time. (And boredom.)

11. Good books are great for passing travel time, especially for independent readers who can lose themselves in a juicy chapter book! Check out these roundups of 50+ kid approved books, picture books with strong female leads, books for boys, books for strong and smart girls, and 80 books for your booklist (because hey, maybe with the above recommendations, you'll have time to kick back and enjoy a novel!).

Anything else a must-have when you travel with kids? Feel free to share them in the comments! And if you're looking for more travel tips and inspiration, prowl the travel archives!

Image credits: per product links above

Travel Comment
Traveling With Kids: 12 Ways to Make Your Life Easier at Disney
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Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Disney with Laurel, Violet, and my Mom for a preschool media event. I admittedly was a little concerned about how the trip would go, given Violet's fiery nature and some sensory sensitivity issues, but it was an amazing adventure. I found myself making notes about the things I wanted to share that made our life way easier at Disney. I hope these tips are helpful to you as you consider or plan a visit to Disney!

1. Book a resort hotel. I highly recommend booking a Disney resort hotel, both for logistical (see #2 and #4) and recreational reasons. Because the reality is, there likely will be times when you want to be close to home base and relax. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is simply awesome. The hotel is situated to provide savanna views in which a variety of animals and birds roam (it was rather mind blowing for my city kids to look out the window and see giraffes and antelope!), and offers lots of kid-friendly programming and a kid’s center. The pool is also great and the shallow wade-in side + deeper side/slide made it fun for both Laurel (9) and Violet (almost 3 at the time).

2. Use the Disney Magical Express. OK, so this is awesome. Disney offers free motorcoach transit via the Disney Magical Express to and from select WDW resort hotels. This service is so great that I'd recommend you first check which hotels offer Disney Magical Express and then select from those options. Simply make your reservation and special luggage tags will be sent to you. We checked our luggage in Boston, bypassed baggage claim in Orlando, headed straight for the DME Welcome Center, hopped the bus to our hotel, and our luggage later arrived directly to our hotel room. AWESOME. On departure, simply check in at your hotel's Magical Express desk and the next time you'll need to handle your luggage is at baggage claim at your destination airport. Not having to schlep luggage while negotating the girls, Vi's stroller, and my mom was beyond fantastic.

3. Bring your own stroller. If you have even a remotely “uppies!”-prone little one (as I do), bring your stroller. Disney does have strollers available on site, but for little ones you’ll want your stroller to help you get through the airports. Also, there are designated areas to park your stroller at Disney and it will be easier to spot yours in the sea of strollers if it’s your home model. I brought our Maclaren Triumph and it was perfect -- lightweight but fully functional.

4. Use Magic Bands. Magic Bands are simply awesome. You can use them to enter the parks, unlock your hotel room door if you’re at a Disney resort (OMG I loved not having to scrabble around looking for a room key card), check in at FastPass entrances (see #5), and use them for Memory Maker photos.

5. Use FastPass. In general, I’m not super patient waiting on long lines and it’s even worse with an almost 3-year-old in tow. I simply love FastPass. I almost felt a little bad blowing past people in the regular line, but I was so, so happy to use it!

6. Download the My Disney Experience app. The (free) My Disney Experience app is super handy for things like making reservations and checking on wait times on the go. It’s also GPS-enabled if you need help getting from the tea cups to Thunder Mountain.

7. Map your route. I'm a fan of jotting notes on paper maps and I recommend getting the brochure maps in advance and plotting your route so you’re not backtracking all over the place (like we did on Day 1 at the Magic Kingdom before I got my hands on a map).

8. Survey your crowd. As you map your route, check in with your kids about what they want to see most then plan accordingly. For example, if your kid's top priority is to meet Minnie Mouse (as Violet's was), try to plot your route so you arrive just before or at the begininming of the meet and greet start time so you’re not standing in a huge line. Given #5, I prioritized FastPass attractions!

9. Enjoy the shows. Initially, the girls were really excited about rides so I was laser focused on that aspect of the parks. However, at Hollywood Studios I realized how awesome the shows are (we saw Disney Junior Live + Beauty and the Beast). Not only are the productions fantastic technically (this former theatre geek notices everything!) but the shows offer you a chance to sit and relax for 20-40 minutes, whereas if you’re on and off the rides all day you’re on the move pretty much constantly.

10. Pack wisely. I'm a light packer and in my opinion the essentials are: water, snacks, sunscreen, wallet, phone (I used my phone camera to take pictures during the trip), and maps. For the first time in a million years, I also felt compelled to bring a change of clothes in a plastic bag for Violet and this proved to be a major life saver on the last day of the trip, when Vi barfed all over herself (and me). Travel and different foods can take their toll on kids; it’s good to be prepared. (Next time I'll also pack myself a backup shirt!)

11. Be flexible. Though in general, yes, it’s good to plan, be flexible. The reality is, the Disney properties include an abundance of entertainment options. It is totally fine to not see everything (is it even possible to see everything??), especially if it means you can enjoy a more relaxed vacation with your family. My general approach was to query the girls and my Mom about what seemed most fun (#8) and notate those things on the map (#7) and then visit what we had energy for or didn’t have a huge wait (not everything is FastPass accessible #5) and not worry about the stuff we didn’t visit. It was awesome.

12. Have faith. Disney is a truly incredible operation. Obviously, there’s no shortage of kids’ activities, but it also feels as if they are prepared for anything. There are baby care areas, the transit system is incredible (without any pre-planning it was super easy to navigate the monorail, tram, and buses), and the staff takes dietary issues seriously. This may seem crazy, but I actually decided to take a big leap and see if I could get Vi off her rice milk bottle on this trip by going cold turkey. I told her several times in advance of the trip to prepare her and she did it no problem. However, when I did ask if rice milk was available (in a cup) at meals, the waitstaff immediately asked if I wanted to talk to a chef about any allergy concerns.

In a nutshell, I was thrilled to see how doable Disney was while traveling with three people (ages 2, 9, 78) with very different needs. And this was possible thanks to both logistical tactics (#1-10) and mindset (#11-12). I hope these tips are helpful to you and if you have others, I'd love to hear about them in the comments below!

+ + + + +

Disclosure: I traveled to Disney as part of a preschool media event. My family's travel expenses were covered, with the exception of one freakishly expensive airline ticket. Editorial was not required in advance to attend; I'm sharing this post because I want to help make your life easier if you head to Disney, and so I can remember these tips the next time I visit!

Image credits: Christine Koh

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Travel Comments
Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome
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Happy Saturday and happy March everyone! Between travel, school break, and then some more travel, it feels like a million years since I last posted a Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome. But it certainly isn't because it hasn't been awesome. I'm glad to get back this week; here are some great reads, visuals, and resources that I found particularly awesome this week. Enjoy!

- My friend C. C. Chapman is awesome; here’s what he’s doing for Mercy.

- As if I needed another reason to eat Ben & Jerry’s.

- As if I needed another reason to love Paul Rudd.

- Different teas and what they help with.

- Incredible paper versions of famous dresses.

- Incredible photos of abandoned places.

- Stunning portraits of the world’s remotest tribes before they pass away.

- Online resources for affordable curtains.

- America’s best cities for hipsters (#14 represent).

- Eight ways to use your smartphone to make your life easier.

- Use old dried out markers to make watercolor paint.

Image credit: homemade watercolor paint

Friday Find: Travelpro Luggage
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For my trip to DC, Jon lent me the Travelpro luggage I bought him for Christmas (since my options were either too big or too small). And now I need to continue to borrow Jon's or buy my own! This luggage is compact (though it features expansion opportunity), awesomely lightweight, and features 360 degree wheels that make it easy to navigate through the airport and into those tight bathroom stalls. Travelpro makes bigger sizes too, but I recommend staying small; the less space you have, the less unnecessary stuff you'll pack!

Want more Friday Finds? Check out: ridiculously awesome pants, parachute cord crafts, and Where Is The Cake?

TravelComment