Five U.S. Travel Books Kids Will Love
Our children have always enjoyed reading and will spend hours a day reading, no matter where we are. Fortunately, they can read in the car and we often make a big Barnes and Noble order before a road trip. And while they mainly stick to fictional series, they do like to take a break for a puzzle or a game, or ask us trivia. This week, we’re sharing some of our favorite travel books. You’ll notice a common theme of the National Park system, one of our favorite destinations on any road trip. (You can read about some of the dozens of posts featuring National Parks and National Park service sites here). And be sure to check out the special giveaway at the bottom of the post.
10 Money Saving Travel Tips
We have always prioritized spending time with our children and gifting them experiences over material possessions (see this post and this post). Traveling with children can be expensive, but we’ve learned a few tricks over the past decade for saving money while road tripping.
Six Tips For Booking the Perfect Hotel
I was recently talking with a friend who is booking a series of hotels for an upcoming road trip. We discussed some of the factors that help us pick “the perfect spot” and the conversation inspired me to share my tips with you. This week, I am sharing six factors I always take into consideration when choosing a hotel. I’ll share a disclosure that we are partial to Marriott Hotel and have written about them in the past. But these tips are relevant for any hotel or lodging option:
10 Marriott Hotels We Love
Our family has been fans of Marriott hotel properties for over 20 years. At first, we started staying at Marriott hotels because of their location; virtually every trip we planned, there was a Marriott hotel nearby (and that still holds true today). Over time, we started to notice the numerous amenities, cleanliness of the rooms, and the friendliness of the staff no matter the property we visited. We joined the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program (in its first iteration) years ago and have accrued many bonuses, perks, and free hotel stays over the years. While we have stayed at literally dozens of Marriott properties from Las Vegas, Nevada to Toronto, Ontario, we typically choose the Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, Renaissance, and traditional Marriott brand of hotels. Residence Inns are ideal for families as they offer more space, a full kitchen with a full size refrigerator, full morning breakfast and evening snacks during the week, and pool and laundry facilities on site. Renaissance and traditional Marriott brand hotels usually have full service restaurants, concierge lounges, and other amenities desirable for the business class. This week, we’re sharing 10 Marriott properties throughout America we especially enjoyed and some of our favorite nearby attractions. And check back in the future, we’re hoping to add additional locations.
7 Things to Bring on a Car Ride to Keep Kids Busy
Typically, we drive over 20,000 miles each year, and a majority of those are road trips we take around the country (read about why we love our Chevy Equinox here). So, we spend a LOT of time in the car. Luckily, our children are voracious readers and can spend hours reading in the car. But, eventually, even they start to look for other ways to pass the time.
10 Tips for Traveling in a Large City with Kids
This summer, we’re staying mainly outdoors exploring National Parks sites. But we have visited over 15 major American cities with our children (read some of our City Guides here), and enjoy many of the cultural and historical venues. There is something energizing about the hustle and bustle of a large city that encourages me to explore by foot; I can walk for miles in a city with so much to see. Over the years, we’ve learned- first hand- many ways to safely travel in a big city. Here’s our best advice: