Tag: travel

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Travel Tips for a Fun, Safe, & Adventurous Year

Have any fun trips coming up? Today we’re sharing some simple travel tips to get you and your home ready for your next adventure!

1. Leave early || I hate to stress about being late for flights and prefer to leave early. This way, I can relax and enjoy my travel instead of the inevitable sprint to the gate!
2. Pack healthy snacks || I always make sure I have my own healthy snack with me and purchase a bottle of water at the airport before I get on a plane.
3. Bring fun activities to pass the time || I like to have a number of activities to do while I’m on the plane that are readily accessible in my carry-on item. If my boys are with me, I make sure they have lots of movie options lined up too!
4. Pack lightly || I try not to over-pack my carry-on because I’m always concerned I won’t be able to lift it up into the overhead bin on my own. To lessen the load even more, I swap out paper books for a downloaded version on my iPad!
5. Stay fully-charged || I like to make sure my phone and iPad are fully charged before I leave for a trip, but I also bring readily-accessible chargers just in case.
6. Expect the unexpected || In the event that my checked luggage goes missing or is delayed, I like to have a couple day’s worth of medicine, toiletries, and clothing in my carry-on. I also pack an extra pair of headphones just in case!
7. Prep your home || Before any kind of travels, I like to make sure my house is nice and clean and all the lights and appliances are turned off and unplugged. Most importantly, I make sure my house is well-protected while I’m away. Simplisafe has provided us with a printable travel checklist to make sure your home is ready-to-go before a trip! Click the image below to download the checklist and click here to learn more about home security with Simplisafe.

Travel Tips for a Fun, Safe, and Adventurous Year | Vicky Barone | Simplisafe
Thanks, Simplisafe, for the great ideas! Have any travel tips to add? We’d love to hear! Let us know in the comments below.
Bon voyage!
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Family Kids Lifestyle Products Things I Love

Beach Accessories for Kids

We’re rounding out our week of Summer travel tips on the blog with a list of our favorite beach accessories for the boys!

Here are some of my must-haves for a day at the beach with my kids:

Beach Accessories for Kids | Vicky Barone

1. Sunscreen
After some research into the sunscreen I’d been using on my kids for years, I found some not-so-pleasant results (it’s on this list! Yikes!). I found this Alba Botanica sunscreen in a search for a safer option and I love it. It’s made with 100% vegetarian ingredients and it’s aerosol free while still working as a super convenient spray.

2. Bucket Hats
To further protect my kiddos skin from the sun, I like to bring along some floppy beach hats for them! This Tuga Sunwear hat is made from quick-drying fabric to wear in and out of the water, and it has UV protection for their faces, ears, and necks. They come in a few different colors AND they’re reversible!

3. Hooded Towel
Pottery Barn Kids has the cutest hooded towels for both the bath and the beach. They are also rated UPF 50+ for UV Protection and they can be personalized with your little one’s name.

4. Sand Toys
Of course we can’t make a beach trip without some fun stuff to play with! Melissa and Doug make awesome pool toys that we love to bring to the beach with us for sand play. This lobster claw game is fun for the beach, the pool, and even the bath tub!

What are your must-have beach accessories when vacationing with kiddos?

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Family Kids Products Things I Love

Road Trip Essentials for Kids

We take a lot of road trips during the Summers and too much time in the car can be tough with two energetic little boys. To make all of our experiences more enjoyable, we’ve worked on a formula for our must-haves. If you’re looking for some ideas to spice up your trips, or you’re about to take your first long road trip with your little ones, take a look at our list and see if it inspires you!

Here are my Top 10 Road Trip Essentials for traveling with kids:

1. First Aid Kit
Having a first aid kit in the car no matter how long your drive is, is always incredibly important.

2. Water
Yes, this essential causes more frequent bathroom breaks, but hydration is all too necessary.

3. Snacks
I like to pack nuts, applesauce in pouches, and other healthy on-the-go snacks that don’t make too much of a mess.

4. Snack Cups
For all those unruly snacks, these snack cups have been a lifesaver.

5. Refrigerator Bag
This amazing bag fits right between the boys in the back seat. They can easily reach into it (without me having to stop the car to help them) and get fresh fruit and other chilled snacks.

6. Car Seat Trays
Trays like this one are perfect for holding snacks, coloring books, and anything else that might keep little ones busy during the ride.

7. Sunscreen
Whether we’re driving to the beach or to the grocery store, I always like to have sunscreen in the car for the boys. You never know when you might pass an epic park that you just have to play in along the way!

8. Toys
Of course we can’t leave home without handfuls of cars. Other activities like travel coloring books and magnet boxes are perfect for the car and keep them busy for at least five minutes. 😉

9. Books
Packing our favorite books is our go-to, but some of these road trip-inspired books look fun too!

10. Dual Screen TV
This last essential is not every parent’s favorite, but for us it’s a real game changer. When we’re stuck in traffic on the way home from visiting my parents and our trips turns into a 9 hour ordeal, popping in a movie for the boys is life changing. This Dual Screen TV from Panasonic attaches to the back of the headrests so the boys can both watch the same movie without having the fight over the angle of the singular portable DVD player. They’re also hands free, which means movie time sometimes turns into nap time.

I’d love to hear, what are your favorite road trip essentials?

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Products Things I Love

My Must Have Beach Accessories

This week we’ll be doing a mini series on Summer Travel! First up, we’re sharing my very favorite beach accessories if you’d like to see…

My Must Have Beach Accessories | Vicky Barone

1. Sunglasses | Loft | Similar
100% UV protection and a cute retro style frame are the perfect combo for stylish and protective beachy eyewear.

2. Beach Mat | Target
A good, sturdy beach mat is so much more enjoyable to lay on than a wet and sandy towel. The best part about this woven mat from Target? It folds up for easy cleanup AND it has handles!

3. Sunscreen | CeraVe
Spray sunscreen is a lifesaver when it comes to chasing sandy, wriggly kiddos, but I love it for myself too! CeraVe is lightweight, oil free, and easy to apply to wet or dry skin.

4. Cowboy Hat | Peter Grimm | Similar
I can’t be on the beach without my trusty cowboy hat! Peter Grimm has hundreds of hat options, including these tightly woven “Drifters” that are perfect for blocking harmful sun rays.

My Must Have Beach Accessories | Vicky Barone

What are your favorite beach items? Any good vacation book recommendations?

Later this week we’ll be sharing beach accessories for kids, plus some travel essentials for road-tripping little ones. Stay tuned!