trip-planning
When you are parents in Seattle and need a luxurious weekend away: 70-ish hours in New Mexico at the Ojo Caliente Spa Resort, one of the oldest spa resorts in North America and a few other ideas to dream about today
September 22, 2019Where can you go from Seattle that will make a weekend feel like a blissful forever and not have to travel a zillion miles to get there? The hubby and I had this remarkable conundrum this summer when my parents came to watch our guys and we had three days and two nights for a […]
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An In-N-Out burger right near LAX that’s perfect for people who love to see airplanes touchdown
May 8, 2019Have you ever been to In-n-Out Burger? My vegetarian boyfriend (now husband) was the first to introduce me to In-N-Out Burger back in Los Angeles, California when one of us wasn’t even in our twenties yet. It’s one of my favorite restaurants he told me, as I looked at the menu in total disbelief and […]
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Seattle restaurants with play areas for kids that you might want to know about if you travel here with your family
April 24, 2019It’s been a long time since my kids have needed a play area at a restaurant but I remember the days when it was so much easier to eat with the kids or eat with friends together with ALL of our kids when we knew there was an area that the little ones could hang […]
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Travel books and other things we’re loving in our house right now
September 27, 2018Every time we fly with my kids I look for travel books that inspire them to learn more about the place we’re visiting. Like when we recently visited Italy, I looked for books for them to learn more about Rome and Florence so they would be more excited when they saw these places in real […]
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We almost missed Rotorua and why you need to put this place on your New Zealand Bucket List with your family
September 19, 2018It almost seems like a dream that last year we spent 6 weeks out of our life traveling and adventuring in Australia and New Zealand with our kids. We have busy lives in Seattle and it was difficult to think about just packing up and leaving but we didn’t want to wait until the kids […]
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Glamping in the closest almost-Serengeti to Seattle at Safari West in Santa Rosa
September 10, 2018Anyone else think a private bathroom would make camping absolutely perfect? That feature alone makes glamping at Safari West a dream come true because the tents here all have their own showers and bathrooms and feel a lot like hotel rooms. But if you think waking up to giraffes and flamingos is magical and you […]
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I’m already making my summer plans for next year thanks to Predator Ridge Resort in Vernon
August 16, 2018Summers are for the Pacific Northwest and we do our best to explore this area as much as possible from June until the days get darker and the snow starts falling in the mountains. When there is a good chance of sunshine, there is so much nature here to see! And from Seattle, if we’re not […]
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Let’s Talk a Little on Why you might want to go to Great Wolf Lodge sooner than I did
July 30, 2018My kids have bugged me for years to go to Great Wolf Lodge and for years and years I have ignored them and made other plans. Our family tends to like outdoor things and nature-ish things and Great Wolf Lodge seemed like it would be the kind of chaotic, kid-filled place I would surely need […]
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Ps there really isn’t any WiFi in the wilderness (camping at Golden Ears park)
July 29, 2018I didn’t really believe there would be no internet on our recent camping trip. We live in an era where it seems that you can find anybody hiding almost anywhere in the world. I can shop while I’m at a baseball game. An internet void is almost incomprehensible. But no, if you are looking to […]
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Can we talk about all the windows at Headlands Coastal Lodge and Spa in Pacific City Oregon?
July 2, 2018A few weeks ago, my family had an incredible opportunity to stay at the Headlands Coastal Lodge and Spa in Pacific City Oregon. I have to admit when I first read about the hotel, I thought it was in Cannon Beach, another city we love to visit with our kids on the Oregon Coast, because […]
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How to get to Kittyhawk from Seattle with kids to learn about where the Wright brothers flew for the first time
June 6, 2018As with most things in my life before becoming a mom of boys, I cared as little about airplanes as I did about garbage trucks, diggers, bulldozers, buses and UPS delivery vehicles. But my guys have been enthralled with airplanes and everything travel since their first hotel stay at the Westin Grand Vancouver when they […]
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How to find out what to do in Seattle today with kids
June 1, 2018My kids are starting to grow up a bit and the need for me to find a kid-friendly restaurant ASAP or a play area that’s not too crowded before nap-time is not dire anymore, but I get asked a lot from friends and family who are traveling with kids what they can do in Seattle. […]
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What to do when you forget your laptop in the hotel safe when you check out (or anything else for that matter too!)
May 14, 2018Let me start by telling you that on this particular trip I had other grown up successes. I hung up all my clothes from my suitcase in my hotel closet and I never do that ever. Who has time for this kind of thing on vacation anyways? And I am always so paranoid about forgetting […]
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Always check your passport expiration before you book an international trip
April 22, 2018Better yet, why not go and check your passport expiration now and put a little reminder maybe 6 months before it in your calendar to make sure you review it in time. Even if you’re always responsible and always do these types of things. Even if you never forget. Because we were the people who […]
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Iphone Photography tips for Instagram
March 2, 2018How much do you love the Instagram App? I remember when I first saw the app I was so skeptical-I asked my bestie who gets me into all things social media-people really just want to see pics? Isn’t it just Twitter in picture version? But yes. WE WANT ALL THE PICTURES! And suddenly Instagram is […]
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A driving solo adventure in Orange County I want to repeat with family and friends
February 2, 2018In my dreams I’m a fearless traveler, stylish carry on in hand, passport in the other and I’m ready to take on any adventure life whispers to my heart. In reality though, I’ve got a bag-load of responsibilities, schedules to coordinate and I’m still a little choosy about which way the wind blows me; sometimes […]
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Five delicious places to eat at Seatac Airport
December 15, 2017Are you headed through SeaTac airport any time soon? I totally wish I was! We are finally getting our air travel plans for the new year together but until then I need to travel vicariously through anyone who gets to go on a trip in the next little while. I recently visited the airport not […]
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A tiny home community where you can stay overnight in Leavenworth
October 11, 2017One of my favorite parts of travel is that you get to stay somewhere that is NOT your home and through our travels we have stayed in many different types of accomodations. Before we had kids, we used to camp a lot. If I had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, […]
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Dreaming about Swimming Pools, Food Alleys and Penguins in Melbourne
September 16, 2017Why do we not have a teleport button yet in 2017? I would totally push mine and head back to Melbourne ASAP. I am sitting at a desk filled with back to school paperwork (the same back to school paperwork we fill out every year btw), I have a pile of last night’s dishes […]
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Things I would not have seen in Boston with my kids if it wasn’t for CityPass
September 2, 2017With 9 year old kids who have traveled to many places you would think we would be aquariumed out by now, but I was still pretty curious about the New England Aquarium because I had heard a lot of fabulous things. We were staying at family-friendly Residence Inn Boston Seaport and the aquarium was a […]
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