By AmyDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, there hasn't been a lot of travel this year outside the house, let outside the country. Like many, we have been staying home as much as possible, working and taking classes remotely, and postponing gatherings with extended family and friends. Early in February 2020, however -- without realizing the scope of the impending crisis -- we embarked on a trip to the other side of the globe, all the way to Thailand. At the time, we knew about the new viral threat and seriously considered cancelling our trip, but cases of the covid variant reported outside of China were still relatively low and there were no travel restrictions on U.S. travelers. Ultimately, we decided to prepare as best we could and go for it. Little did we know it would be the final weeks before the world changed forever. World's Longest Non-stop FlightWith one suitcase dedicated almost entirely to masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes, our family of five boarded the world's longest non-stop flight from Newark to Singapore (9,537 miles; 18h 30m), with a connecting flight to Bangkok (876 miles; 2h 30m). [Watch the globe spanning flight path in the inflight video we recorded below.]
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By AmyOn a recent trip to L.A., we had just one day to make our daughter's Disney dreams come true, so it was important to maximize our time there. Although I've probably visited Disney in Orlando and Paris about 20 times, it had been a decade since my last visit to a Disney park and a lot has changed since then. In my opinion the best change by far has been the addition of MaxPass. What Is MaxPass?MaxPass basically turbocharges your FastPass so that instead of having to make an in person reservation at a FastPass kiosk, you can do it all from the Disneyland App. I'm sure this saved us miles of walking back-and-forth and enabled us to book as many popular FastPass attractions as possible. How it works is this: on popular designated rides MaxPass enables you to make a reservation on the Disneyland App for a specific return time that lets you skip the long standby ride line and go through the shorter FastPass line.
By AmyEven if you live in the Washington D.C. area with access to the wonders of the National Air & Space Museum, a visit to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is awe-inspiring. KSC is the real deal: a working spaceflight facility where spacecraft is being built, tested, and launched. With new virtual reality exhibits, astronaut encounters, and real rocket launches happening more and more often, KSC is entering a new age of space exploration that everyone can be excited about. While in Cape Canaveral we were also lucky enough to see an actual SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch -- a huge thrill and well worth doing if you can time your trip around it. Below is a view from the live feed, which we watched on an iPad simultaneously with our view from the ground. From our vantage point a few miles away the rocket looked a lot like a sun rising at night, accompanied by a low rumbling and roar.
By AmyThis month, Royal Caribbean opened up a new private island, CocoCay, with a "Perfect Day" that has something for everyone in the family to get excited about. Last week we were lucky enough to be aboard the Mariner of the Seas, one of the first ships to visit the island. Some cruise excursions and destinations have a reputation for long lines and crowded beaches, but this was not the case at CocoCay. At the time we visited there was just one other ship visiting (Navigator of the Seas) with plenty of open space, beach chairs, tables, and few if any lines for the attractions or food. By Amy SuskiTo escape the summer heat, this July our family headed north to the Laurentian Mountains for a 4-night stay at the Tremblant resort in Mont Tremblant, Québec. After a lot of road-tripping this past year, it was a luxury to just park the car and forget it. By staying at the Westin in the pedestrian village at the base of the mountain, everything from the summit to the beach was in walking distance. We were able to give our kids wilderness adventures during the day and in the evening relax in the ambience of a french-speaking lakeside village with fine dining, street cafes, and live music. Although there is too much to do in one trip, we packed a lot in!
By Amy SuskiThe older the kids get the harder it is to hold their attention on a family trip, so we decided to do something radical. Over spring break, instead of heading to the beach we hopped on the "Sushi Express", a Japan Airlines direct flight from Boston to Tokyo, known for flying freshly caught tuna from New England coastal fisherman to the famed Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. Without question, it was one of the best family trips we've ever experienced. From the amazing food experiences, the bright city lights, and the grace and hospitality of the people, Japan had us at Konnichiwa. Cool Thing #1: The ultra-modern and super comfortable Dreamliner flight took just 13 hours. I'm not sure I'd try that with a toddler, but our teens were more than happy to plug into a lazy day of eating, sleeping, and watching movies. Plus, flying over the Arctic Circle was very cool! Cool Thing #2: The best way to get from the airport into Tokyo is the Narita Express (NEX). If you purchase a Japan Rail Pass in advance of your trip online (which I highly recommend if you are traveling to any other cities outside of Tokyo) this train is included. A Japan Rail pass will give you access to the famed bullet trains, which we used to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto and Kyoto to Nara. Tip: when validating your pass, take the time to make seat reservations. Reservations are free and will save the anxiety of trying to find seats together while boarding. Cool Thing #3: Nothing says "hey, we're not in Kansas anymore" than fish and pickled vegetables for breakfast. Surprisingly, the kids were eager to dive into their traditional Japanese breakfast, even after discovering that the little orange crunchy things had eyes. Cool Thing #4: If you've seen films like Lost in Translation or The Tokyo Project you'll definitely want to try the so-called "Shibuya Scramble" for yourself, where thousands of people and cars cross the same web of intersecting streets in synchronous time under the glare of millions of pixelated lights. While there, be sure to visit the famous dog statue of Hachiko. After his owner died, the loyal dog continued to wait for his owner's return outside the train station every day for the rest of his life. Tip: The best aerial view of the intersection is from the second floor of the Starbucks. My daughter really wanted a Mermaid Pillow for Christmas but I dropped the ball and didn't order one in time. Happily, I was redeemed by the arrival of the Love pillow this week. Since she opened it up she can't keep her hands off it. The removable cover has a velvety side that is huggably soft. On the other side, sequins flip with the brush of a finger or a hand to reveal whatever shimmery pink and silver design you want to create.
Being familiar with kids with sensory issues, I am especially impressed by this pillow's ability to engage kids in calming, tactile play. This special purpose hasn't been lost on the company...in fact they have donated pillows to children in hospitals and have designed a special pillow to benefit Autism Speaks (see pick #5 below). Whether used as a calming comfort pillow, inspiring decorative pillow, teaching tool, or an entertaining travel pillow, the reversible sequins beg to be played with. Now that its close to Valentine's Day, this pillow would be a perfect gift, especially if you are trying to downplay candy and screens. In addition to the Love design there are gift sets in a variety of themes like mermaids, fairies, sharks, and more. Our top gift picks are: By Amy SuskiThis summer we planned an epic road trip in a rented minivan that circled through Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho. The inspiration for our trip was the 100th Anniversary of the National Parks-- well that and the free domestic flights we'd earned with credit card miles! I knew the 2-week 2,000+ miles itinerary was ambitious, but I struggled to cross anything off our list. With the kids getting older I wasn't sure we'd have another chance to travel to these places together.
By AmyMy addiction to antique shows and yard sales came to an abrupt end once I had kids. Driving around back roads and browsing through aisles of fragile nick-nacks is pretty difficult with kids in car seats and strollers. Online person-to-person sales were appealing for a while, but my interest wore off pretty quickly after coming across some sketchy sellers. So I was super excited by the launch of a new online auction site, Everything But The House (EBTH) that allows you to browse online, bid, and complete the entire transaction with a trusted professional service. Items can either be shipped or picked-up from a number of EBTH warehouses across the country. [Tip: If I'm shopping for furniture, I specifically look for sales in my city so that I can pick it up and avoid shipping costs.] For deal hunters, the best part is that with no reserve prices, some items go for as little as a DOLLAR! If you love a deal and are on the hunt for mid-century pieces, original artwork, sterling silver, vintage holiday decorations or estate jewelry, EBTH is definitely worth checking out.
By Amy SuskiWe'd always wanted to bring our kids to London, so when we had the chance to spend a long weekend there we jumped on it. Although we were there only three full days, we managed to fit in some neat experiences that captured a lot of London's character. Instead of waiting in line at some of the bigger attractions like Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, we experimented a little and were often surprised by what the kids enjoyed (and didn't). Getting ThereOur 24-hour journey to London started with an overnight flight from the U.S. into Paris, a transfer to Gare du Nord, and a high speed train through the Chunnel to London. Not surprisingly, this is what the kids looked like about 15 minutes into what I thought would be an exciting train ride.
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