Oh if we could only curl up like pigs in a blanket and drink coffee all day in front of a fire today is the kind of Monday in Seattle that would warrant that. The rain is pouring, the heater is on and I just want to burrow somewhere toasty and not come out until the sun decides to show up again. But we rallied and made pancakes and somehow made it to school. We even managed to get a smile out of the eggs while we were cooking so at least in Seattle we’re optimistic.
We need to be because I was also totally gearing up to book a trip out of here this morning and I waited too long and I saw the flights SKYROCKET so now instead of travel dreaming, I’m thinking of things to buy on a Monday when my feet are planted firmly on the ground. (I’m hoping the flight prices come back down again….oh dear. I hate it when I wait too long!)
If this Map book is not on your shelf right now and you have kids who love to travel, we have gotten so much mileage from this book. The pictures are interesting and we love to point at places and dream together. I also have a list of airplane books here that my kids have loved over the years too! (Do you have any travel favorites for kids? Please let me know!)
I have delayed buying this for too long, but I am finally signing my guys up for a Little Passports subscription. It’s about the price of three lattes each month but I think it will inspire my whole family with dreams of the big big world we live in. I’ll let you know what we think. (Have you signed up? What do you think?)
Passports with Purpose, starts today too and it’s a fabulous program that this year is going to help bring books to kids who need them in Kenya and it’s supported by so many of my favorite travel bloggers and it all supports a great cause. I will be looking through and donating this week so I hope you check them out too:)
And this scarf I saw on Cosmos Mariners Travel Gift list is so perfect for travelers with its hidden pocket to tuck passports or other things into while you’re on the go. I think it’s the perfect scarf for school drop-off too so I’m definitely putting it on my wishlist too!
I’m also looking for a new lens for the Samsung NX500 I traded my old camera in for last month at the Pix2015 conference in Seattle. It’s been such a great travel camera so far and I love how easy it is to use. I was in the habit of just using my phone, but because this camera uses WIFI to transfer images to my phone, I’ve been bringing it with me more often. So if you’re looking for a travel camera, this might be a good one. I think it might be fun to get a bigger lens and see how that works too!
And my favorite travel guide books since our college traveling days, the Lonely Planet Guidebooks finally made a US Magazine so I’m also contemplating subscribing to that as well. If we can’t go anywhere at least we can surf the world from the couch and it’s nice in a world of tech when we can still get inspiration from print.
So wherever you are, I hope it is warmer and less dreary where you are today and if you’re shopping something fabulous I’d love to hear! And if you’re in Seattle like me and could dream of going away anywhere today, where would you go? I was thinking of getting away to Florida and Toronto when I was booking my travels this morning because I haven’t been to either of those places in so long!
Happy Monday!
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
It’s so cold and rainy here too! We’ve been inside way too long also! I told my husband a few more days of this and we will have cabin fever for sure. We don’t go traveling yet (I did a lot when I was a kid) but we go on plenty of adventures and life with out the outdoors is no fun for my tots
Hopefully you get a sunbreak soon too:) It is totally difficult to be stuck indoors-especially with young kids!
Even though it was cold and windy, the sun was actually shining here in Wisconsin. Although, traveling somewhere warmer does sound really nice….and it’s not even that cold yet. Thanks for all the travel/gift ideas. I’m going to check out that scarf!
Yes! The scarf looks amazing! So glad you have sun in Wisconsin:) It’s always nice to hear:)
I know how you feel about waiting last minute for flight tickets. One time I thought I would get a better deal if I waited a bit, but I ended up paying way more than I wanted to. Haha. It was so disappointing and I’ve definitely learned my lesson. I really hope the price of your tickets go down!
Thank you for overcoming the gray rainy day to share such wonderful bits of information.
The wind is blowing us away in St. Louis! But the sun is shining and I am thankful. I have the travel bug as well, just to go and experience something else for a while. Here’s to dreaming big with your family!