From the Sunday New York Times Travel section:
McGraw Hill has come out with a language teaching series for iPods called iSpeak. With focuses on common concerns such as food and entertainment, you and your kids can learn how to find the nearest park or museum in Spanish, French, German and Italian; versions coming out this summer are Chinese, Japanese and Portuguese.
iSpeak podcast
available from McGraw Hill at www.mhprofessional.com
$12.95
It's pouring where we are right now, and it just occurred to us that it would automatically seem like a downer for us to experience weather like this if we were on vacation. So far it hasn't happened to us with children (although it happened plenty enough before they arrived), but the thought of being trapped in a room with restless children when you had planned to let them expend all their energy outdoors is, to say the least, rather frightening.
Which is why you should always prepare for some downtime. Much has been said about preparing for the travel portion of the trip, and games and full travel kits for airplane and car travel abound. Those same items can work well if you're rained in, but what about other options?
Here are some suggestions for those times when inclement weather forces you to stay covered:
-Always check the weather where you're going, first of all. It's good to know what happens seasonally as well as what is expected for your actual stay.
-If your kids are young enough to like coloring, bring along a coloring book or two. Several websites for kids' TV shows such as Dora and Diego have coloring pages that you can print out and take along with you in a folder.
-Move around the hotel or resort. Being stuck indoors doesn't have to mean being stuck in a small room. You can walk leisurely through the lobby and public areas and make up some games as you go - remember, you're paying to enjoy the entire resort. I Spy can be a great game to play, or similar games like finding 10 things of a certain color.
-Watch some TV. We don't mean just throwing on The Cartoon Network or the same cable you get at home. Look for local channels. For older kids this can be an interesting way to learn more about current events and the culture of the country you're in, and we've found that younger ones enjoy watching cartoons even if they have never heard the language being spoken. (This tip isn't only useful for kids, by the way. Once in St. Martin we tuned one night to a French Caribbean soap opera. We couldn't understand a word being said but we were so struck by the hilarious melodrama that we ended up looking for it every night to try to figure out the actual storyline, and it was far more interesting than the usual CNN or ESPN.)
-Keep a pack of cards handy. Tweens and teens can always play a variety of games (and probably teach you a trick or two) but even toddlers can be entertained. Deal a hand and ask them to throw down all the cards with hearts in each hand, or build up their number skills by asking them to identify a certain number on the card in every "round". Use your imagination to make up a game your toddler will like based on what he is learning or already knows.
-Play a story game. Have someone start a story and have each person in the family add another sentence or sequence to the story. Toddlers and slightly older children will get a kick out of it, especially if you remember that there are no rules: don't tell Junior that "that can't happen" or "cars don't fly". Let them use their imaginations, and use yours too!
-Finally, if you're not facing a hurricane, lightning, or other potential danger, go out anyhow! A walk in the rain can be refreshing and unexpected for kids who would probably love it but are accustomed to be tucked indoors whenever the clouds open. Most luxury resorts will gladly lend an umbrella if one wasn't provided in the room, or you can be really brave and go without. Show your kids how the plants and trees look in the rain. Let them stop and watch puddles form, and feel the rain on their faces. It's a great way to loosen up and experience some of the free spirit you had when you were their age. Top it off with a nice warm bath back at the room, and room service lunch or dinner. We bet they'll sleep well, and so should you.
We have to admit that being a parent now is super-cool. Aside from the joy of just being a parent, there is so much out there that caters to kids and parents in a more sophisticated and dignified way. From room design to family vacations to nursing covers, options abound to express your style - and your child's - with nary a puppy dog, cartoon character or flower in sight.
Add stroller covers to that growing list of products. In our last post, we noted that a pediatric dermatologist advised that the best way to protect baby from the sun was to keep her out of it altogether. Bellah May LLC, out of Orange County, California, has a line of reversible sunshades for the stroller that will expose nothing but style. Okay, there is a dog or two in the mix, but they're featured in the modern (or totally retro) way that today's fashionable parents are accustomed to sporting.
We like that the shades are reversible. Junior can check out his ABC's on the inside while the world sees a gingham check outside. But what we really love is that the sunshade comes in its own also-reversible bag, which then hangs off the stroller to hold all that "stuff" that you'll inevitably have with you. The website has a cute and quick tour on how the sunshade and bag work. (Don't worry, it's very simple, but the owners must know that tired parents can be notoriously slow.)
Bellah May also says that proceeds from sales will go to a child-focused charity, meaning you can feel good about helping someone else's child while protecting your own from the sun. 
Sunshade in Paige pattern
www.bellahmay.com
$80
Unless "we" included your baby, of course.
When we were growing up, sun protection consisted of our parents slathering on the same oily coconut-scented concoction that they were using to protect themselves. That was if they remembered to put anything on us at all.
Times have changed. Now, parents don't feel they're doing a good job of protecting their kids from one of the evils of the world - skin cancer - if the little ones aren't lathered in 100+ sunblock before the slightest hint of sun touches tender skin. To that we've had sun hats, bathing suits that hide shoulders and backs (and sometimes legs), and sun shades in the car. We have to admit, we're not as rabid about this as perhaps we should be. We put on the sunblock, to be sure, and we keep dear daughter shielded from the sun in the car, mostly because she yells "I can't SEE!" if it's in her eyes. But we no longer buy a separate kids' sunblock for her (she's 3) - and now we've learned that perhaps we never needed too.
We came across some advice from Babycenter's pediatric dermatologist, who had these points to make about applying sunblock to baby skin:
-keeping baby out of the sun altogether is preferable to applying any sunscreen
-you should look for sunscreens that have zinc oxide or titanium oxide, which provide physical barriers to the sun as opposed to chemical ones. Chemical blocks may cause allergic reactions and irritation.
-If you have to use chemically-based sunscreens, look for PABA-free ones. PABA has been linked with skin irritation.
-If you're concerned about blocking both UVA and UVB rays, definitely go with the physical barrier sunscreens, which block both.
-You don't really need to go above an SPF of 30. The added protection is minimal and doing so with the chemical sunscreens just means more bad stuff on baby's skin. Go lower and reapply as necessary.
In short, many of the sunscreens for kids with the super-high SPF's and chemicals are not advisable or even necessary. Buy a physical-barrier sunscreen for the family, and baby can use it too.
Next: Adding style and sun protection to your stroller
We promised you some information on Easter family vacation ideas that wouldn't require a passport - and then were surprised at how few there were. Why, we wondered, was it that we couldn't throw a stone in Europe without hitting a hotel celebrating Easter, but yet we were so hard-pressed to find good packages in the United States?
Then we were reminded of how, in our days at school, the week off was called Easter break. And then in a nod to other religions - or really a move away from religion altogether - it became Spring Break, which was in many cases moved away from Easter Week to avoid any connection to what is, in actuality, the most holy day of the Christian calendar.
So there you have it, folks. For Spring Break you can find vacations up the wazoo, but that's not what we promised you. We promised some kind of Easter bunny action, and that's what we looked for high and low. We know you may be waiting until Spring Break to jet out of town anyhow, but if you're like us and plan your getaways around your calendar and not the school's, here are some spots for you.
Mirror Inn Lake & Spa, Lake Placid, NY
Deluxe Noonmark Room, copyright Mirror Lake Inn
Stay in a Deluxe Noonmark Room on either Saturday or Sunday night for $345 a night, the rate for 2 adults and 2 children. The kids will begin Easter Sunday with an Easter Egg Hunt and a coloring contest, followed by Easter brunch for the family. If you add on a night or two, you may be able to take advantage of the outside-the-norm activities the hotel offers for children, from an indoor class on Animal Tracking (taught by an Adirondack Mountain guide & animal tracker) to a precious class called Yoga for Kids & Elephants, using poses based on the lovable Babar.
The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa, Pasadena, CA
The Egg-ceptional Easter package includes overnight accommodations in a deluxe guestroom on Saturday April 7, Easter brunch in the Ritz-Carlton Ballroom for up to 2 adults and 2 children, and complimentary admission for up to 2 children to the Easter Egg Hunt and the special petting zoo. Rates start at $470 with the option to upgrade to a Club Level Guestroom.
Hershey Lodge, Hershey, PA
We'd prefer to see this package at Hotel Hershey, Hershey's more upscale hotel, but alas, no luck. Still, if the idea of being in a town dedicated to chocolate is heaven to you, you may be able to overlook the rather unexciting Hershey Lodge. Their Easter package, with a 2-night minimum stay, starts at $258.50 a night, and includes deluxe accommodations for two (kids stay free), Easter Sunday Brunch, and admission to Hershey Gardens & Hershey Museum.
Otesaga Resort Hotel, Cooperstown, NY
With the baseball season officially opening the week before Easter, what better place to spend Easter than in the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, especially if you have baseball fans among your offspring? The Otesaga Resort Hotel is hosting an Easter Family Weekend Package for any two consecutive nights from April 5 to April 9, with Double MAP rates at $545 (children from 7-18 pay $90, children under 7 are free). The package includes standard guestroom accommodations and 2 dinners and 2 breakfasts per guest, with all kinds of fun activities for the kids: a family egg roll on the hotel lawn on Saturday, an Easter egg coloring contest, and a special visit from the Easter Bunny. A historic tour of Cooperstown and a wine tasting round it out for the adults.
Pinehurst Resort, North Carolina
Their website has a full itinerary of Easter activities for the weekend, including Easter Bonnet High Tea, and for those so inclined, a sunrise Easter service on Sunday morning. Not everything is Easter-related, but it all sounds fun; potato sack races, the Family Fun Run and Family Art Class should keep you and the kids well-occupied. Rates start at $179 per person per night (children 12 and under stay & eat free with an adult), and include overnight accommodations, breakfast and dinner and a commemorative family photo.
A final note before we hit the road, so to speak: several luxury hotels around the country, particularly those in large cities, are not offering full-blown Easter packages with accommodations, but are still hosting an Easter brunch. One option? Book a regular night's stay (or a non-Easter package) in a nice destination close to you, and reserve spots at their Easter brunch for a little extra. It could make for a nice & fast Easter getaway in your own hometown or a city close to you.
These days, ANY food in coach is a wonder, but good food is most likely not going to happen - certainly not on the airline's dime.
You're most likely accustomed to bringing at least a child's snack or two if you're traveling with children, but what about you? Are you noshing on Cheerios at 30,000 feet? If you travel out of Los Angeles area airports, there are far better options. Skymeals, a meal delivery service that will meet you right at the airport with your food, is changing how you dine in the sky.
Their meals are not inexpensive, but considering what passes for food on planes these days, they're well worth the cost, particularly for long flights (or long waits on tarmacs). A peek at the menu definitely gets the salivary glands watering: you can choose from entrees such as flash seared ahi tuna or shrimp & asparagus farfalle fra diavolo. There's also a nice selection of sandwiches, salads, appetizers and brunches, and even a SkyLight menu for those watching their weight (which we figure in LA is just about everyone).
Best of all: children are included! Yes, the little ones have their own menu, SkyKids, and it's not all junk. While you can never escape chicken fingers (delivered here as "crispy chicken strips"), they come with a healthy side of fresh fruit and broccoli & carrots. The kids' menu is small - 4 selections - but varied enough that you should find something on there that your child will eat. And since the company is actually a catering outfit and not just a delivery service, they'll also take special requests (within reason); if you or your child can't find something on here you like, they can work with you to create a meal you'd prefer.
A SkyKids Meal
Unfortunately, right now Skymeals is only operating in a limited area of California, so unless you live there or are headed there soon, you may not have the opportunity to sample their cuisine. But check back - the company's founders have said in the past that they'd like to expand, and we're hoping they do soon.
Children's Museum of Taipei
We've begun taking D to children's museums in our hometown because they provide her with some great stimulation and provide us with something a tad more interesting than the playground. (At least, they're interesting the first five times you visit...)
Then, several months ago, we came across the website for the Association of Children's Museums. It hadn't occurred to us that there was such a thing - an organization to which many of the children's museums around the world belong. The boon for us has been that we've been able to find museums in several destinations we've been to, and many we're planning to get to. There's even a list of "emerging museums", worth a look since some of the museums on the list are already operating. With headquarters in Washington DC, the US is best represented, but there are member museums in 23 countries across the world, in locations such as Mexico City, Vienna and Amsterdam.
Many of these museums are well-managed with unique exhibits, often nature- or science-based, that can even teach you a thing or two. We've often managed to pick up some local trivia that gives us a new appreciation for the city we're in. With the opportunity for some serious hands-on play time, this part of the itinerary will be a hit. Which could give you some serious leverage for places you want to hit...
By now most of you will be familiar with the story of the Kulesza family, and if you're not, where have you been? Long story short, blah blah, the Kuleszas were on an AirTran flight in January when their daughter Elly threw a temper tantrum before takeoff and could not be calmed down. She refused to sit in her seat, which prevented the plane from leaving the gate according to federal regulations. Airline personnel finally ordered the family to disembark and left without them.
The Kuleszas were highly upset at being removed from the plane, saying they only needed more time to calm their daughter down. They refused AirTran's appeasement offer of free tickets, saying they'll never fly with them again. AirTran felt that it was fully justified in removing them, saying that the little girl's refusal to sit down was a safety issue that the parents clearly were unable to handle.
If you've been reading us with any regularity - and we hope you have - you know the two main tenets of our luxury travel "belief system." First, children should be allowed to experience some of the luxury and sophistication that their parents aim for when traveling. While we understand and agree that there are some places that should be off-limits for the pure sake of relief, it doesn't follow that all vacations with young ones should center around Disneyworld and theme parks. Parents who have built an appreciation for a certain quality of life should not have their few weeks of vacation time dominated by what Hollywood and Noggin interpret to be of interest to a child.
But lest you think we're being completely selfish, we assure you: we do have our children's interests at heart as well. As a matter of fact, we think that the best way to instill an appreciation for that same quality of life is to offer it to children on a regular basis. Yes, we're aware that, based on age, attention span and interests, some museums may have to get passed up, and some spas and restaurants may have to be saved for later vacations unless you've brought the nanny or a grandparent along or are willing to use the hotel babysitter. But we've found that with careful thought and planning, travel with children can incorporate many high-end establishments in varied destinations. And we've discovered that children will often rise to the occasion and take delight in much of what people assume would bore them or go unnoticed. In short, going outside the Happy Meal box is not only to our benefit, it's to the benefit of our children as well.
However - and this is a big however - we think that our first tenet is extremely dependent on our second tenet. Call it 1A, if you will. On second thought, it should really be the first tenet, because without it the other one is moot. And that is, that children should be well-trained and well-behaved. We would say "when traveling", but to be honest, your hopes of having a well-trained child when traveling are slim to none if he's uncontrollable in day-to-day life. Now, we're not of the old school of thought that says children should be seen and not heard and all that nonsense. But there seems to be a new style of parenting - or non-parenting, if you will - where people are loath to set rules for their children and prepare them to be civil adults by showing them how to be civil children. If your child is kicking the seatback, shrieking, running up and down the aisles, or throwing tantrums, and you either won't or can't get him to stop, then maybe he shouldn't be traveling. We can safely say he shouldn't be traveling to the places we're writing about. But many would say he shouldn't be traveling anywhere.
And that's exactly what is happening. People have risen up across the blogosphere to say that children should not be on airplanes at all. That's the most ridiculous thing we've ever heard, frankly - airplanes stopped being any sort of "privilege" a long time ago. But with bratty behavior as the norm these days, it's no wonder that many people have come to expect the worst when they see a child traveling; they often get it, in spades. And unlike in a restaurant or hotel, there is no escape on a plane.
We're not fearful that banishment will happen on airlines any time soon, but we are afraid that the more poorly-trained children there are, the fewer hotels, resorts and restaurants there will be that welcome the behaving ones with open arms: how do they know when you make your reservation whether your child is a hellion or an angel? To the Kuleszas' credit, they do admit that Elly wasn't behaving very well; they just think that the airline mishandled the situation. And we're not saying they are bad parents - even the best toddler has bad days and meltdowns from being tired, and God help you if it happens while traveling. For that reason, we won't come down on the side of the airline or the Kuleszas on this one: we've seen airline personnel take an unnecessarily combative approach to many situations since 9/11, and we've also seen a frightening dearth of parenting skills in the last few decades. But on the general topic of children and travel, we can't stress it enough: please, please - do yourself and your children a favor and teach them to be considerate of other people. Whether you're visiting Mickey Mouse or Claridge's, there's nothing wrong with knowing how to say please and thank you. With understanding that kicking someone's seat bothers the person in the seat. With comprehending that being loud is offensive and unnecessary in most situations. With knowing that the airplane/airport/restaurant/hotel lobby is not a playground to run amok in. A child who is walking and talking is old enough to start learning these things, and teaching them will enable you to travel with less fear than those who play Russian roulette every time they take their children out in public. And it will earn you the gratitude of travelers - and travel personnel - everywhere.
No, we don't mean a nanny for the baby.
By now you may have heard about the incident in which a woman who was nursing her baby on an airplane was forced to get off, presumably because she wasn't being discreet enough.
We personally don't know any women who don't try to show some discretion while nursing - okay, maybe a brazen few, but they're the exceptions - but babies have a way of pushing aside whatever is covering their faces, to peer at you in glee as you hurriedly shuffle the cloth - and your mammaries - around. It's no easy feat - what do you use to cover up? The airplane blanket that's been God knows where? Your pashmina, which will undoubtedly slip off just as some teenage boy passes by?
Thankfully there is an answer that keeps your dignity and your sense of fashion intact. Bebe au Lait has a line of nursing covers in fabulous prints: you can either pick one favorite or, like us, go nuts and choose several to coordinate with your wardrobe. (The company used to market these as Hooter Hiders, and still keeps the name around for those who may remember it, but we, for one, appreciate the more upscale branding, since we've never in a million years referred to our own breasts as "hooters".) The covers are stylish, practical and inexpensive. Best of all, the design keeps the cover securely fastened around your neck while allowing you to peek at baby - something that may have been hard to manage when you were smothering her with a blanket...
www.bebeaulait.com
$35
We all have lists of places we'd like to go before we die. Frommer's 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up by Holly Hughes is putting a tighter deadline on your plans.
But not a bad idea, really; it's certainly a way to lend some focus to your travel plans. Suggestions are all over the globe and span a wide variety of interests. You'll find the usual suspects here: the Eiffel Tower, Disneyland, Easter Island and the Dead Sea (which is evaporating rapidly and might soon be the Extinct Sea) all make the cut. But with 500 recommendations, you're sure to find somewhere you hadn't thought of going. We, for instance, hadn't realized that the Mack Truck assembly plant was exciting enough to be a "destination", nor had we thought to set our sights so close to home as Hartford, Connecticut.
We may not make it to all of these destinations. We may not even want to. But there is somewhere in this book for everyone, and plenty of reasons to plan your next vacation.
www.frommers.com/bookstore
$19.99
We're not going to judge you if you've flown with a baby on your lap instead of in a carseat, but once kiddo reaches age two, you've got to ante up the dollars to get him his own ticket. We don't know about you, but the first time we put D in a seat by herself she didn't look the slightest bit safe - we had visions of her either slipping right under the belt or breaking her neck with whiplash.
Thankfully, we can now feel a little bit more secure when we head for the skies. CARES, an FAA-approved harness for children, is a recent entry on the market and a must-have for those too big for a car seat but too small to be truly protected by a mere seatbelt. According to their website, CARES (which stands for "child aviation restraint system") has been designed for children 1 and older, weighing between 22 and 44 pounds. It fits all economy and business-class seats, and should fit all but the biggest of first class seats as well.
You've probably seen similar devices on the market, but CARES is the first product that uses the five-point harness that defines safety in carseats. More importantly, it's the only product to be approved by the FAA for all aspects of flying. (Other devices are not approved for takeoff and landing.) It's probably a hell of a lot safer than us throwing our hands across D's chest whenever the plane hits a bump, and the $75 pricetag is a small price to pay for her safety and our peace of mind.
www.kidsflysafe.com
$74.95
We hadn't thought it necessary to post about the recent changes in passport requirements, figuring that as savvy travelers, you were probably well aware of all that you needed to have and do to continue being the global citizens you are. However, in light of our own recent problems renewing our passport, we thought it might be helpful to take you along on our journey to hell - also known as "dealing with the National Passport Information Center."
January 10th - We mail in our passport renewal forms within the 6 week timeframe given as being necessary to turn around a passport. The application specifically asks for upcoming travel plans, so we put down our departure date of 2/25. A niggling thought in our head tells us to go ahead and pay for the expedited service, which would return our passport via Overnight Service in two weeks, but we figure, hey, there's enough time.
We would come to regret this later. Very very much.
January 19th - The NPIC's online status page still shows no signs of our passport being worked on, or even received, so we call. After waiting on hold for 25 minutes, we reach someone who notes that they have received it and it has been forwarded to the processing center in New Hampshire. At this time, we ask if the travel date on our application would be taken into account, and are reasssured that yes, it will be. (This will, of course, turn out to be completely wrong.)
Early February - We check the online status page again; lo and behold, there is an update. Our passport application is in process and will be sent to us via Priority Mail for arrival on or around 2/20. Fabulous.
February 20th - The day comes and goes with no sign of our passport. We know that the status said "on or around", but with it being a short week due to President's Day and our departure in 5 days, we are starting to get a wee bit nervous. We check online again. We now read "on or around 2/24", at which point panic officially sets in. We call the NPIC. We are on hold for ONE AND A HALF HOURS and eventually hang up in both disgust and distress, not to mention that we are going insane hearing the same 5 minute loop of classical music. Their website also allows you to send in an email inquiry, which they say will be responded to within 2 business days, so we send an email as well. (Note: No response is ever received.)
February 21st - We call back just before noon and after a hold time of only 35 minutes, we reach a nice gentleman who confirms that the passport is being WORKED ON (what?) and also mentions that they have no record of any upcoming travel, which nearly sends us into the stratosphere. After explaining that we do indeed have travel plans, which were indicated on the APPLICATION, we're told that he will put in a request to have the passport finished that day and overnighted. He tells us to call back the following day to confirm that those instructions have been received by the office in New Hampshire.
February 22nd - We start calling around 10:45 a.m. and after repeated attempts in which we reach a voice telling us that they are too busy to even put us on hold, we finally succeed at getting into the on-hold queue, which somehow feels like an accomplishment. Twenty minutes later we speak to Kate, who tells us that the passport was finished the night before but that she sees no indication of it going out overnight. She tells us to call back later, which we dread doing. We ask if there is a number or extension we can use that will bypass the hour-long waits - of course the answer is no. We also check the online status again and see an updated delivery date of "on or around 2/26" - one day after our scheduled departure. We would like to threaten to shoot someone (purely to let off steam, you understand) but realize that in a post-9/11 world this will pretty much nullify our chances of getting a US passport in this lifetime and probably the next one too.
1:00 p.m. - We call back the NPIC within an hour of talking to Kate, because we have a long meeting later and don't want to wait until evening when it seems getting through is impossible, even although they are open until midnight. (We would advise you that the best time to reach them seems to be mid-morning except for the fact that reaching them doesn't seem to make one damn bit of a difference one way or the other.) George says he recommends a reissue, and explains that this will invalidate the first passport and make them reissue a new one immediately and send it by FedEx. He shows us where to find a form online that we will need to fill out for the reissue, but rather than just giving us a number to fax it to, it seems he has to take our cell number so that he can forward it to the gerbils in New Hampshire who will then call us and give us the fax number to send it to them, a rather nice demonstration in bureaucracy. We cancel our meeting and wait for our phone call, form in hand.
5:00 pm. - We have been waiting for 4 hours and our grip on the phone resembles rigor mortis. We call NPIC again. The smarmy Rita notes that we've been busy calling all day, and seems to find the whole thing generally amusing. She says that the New Hampshire office has not picked up the request for a reissue yet, which explains why we now have a completely new appreciation for an old country song, "When the Phone Don't Ring You'll Know It's Me". Rita's advice is to gather new photos, proof of upcoming travel, and the form that was supposed to be faxed in, and get thee to the nearest passport agency at 7:30 in the morning, which would require leaving the house by 6:15 a.m. Aside from the fact that we are not even coherent at that hour, we are pregnant and already extremely overwrought, and feel like this last-minute rushing could actually bring our strained and expanding frame to the brink of physical harm - not to mention complete and utter madness. That would certainly kill the vacation, passport or no passport.
We call our travel agency, Expedia, and advise them of the situation. That niggling feeling we'd had earlier had also advised us to insure our trip, and we purchased insurance that allowed us to cancel our trip for any reason. This seems to be the only saving grace, as this move may well save us roughly $3000 in package costs. They instruct us how to cancel the package if necessary (we figure we'll wait until after mail delivery on Saturday just in case) and are nice enough to deposit $100 into our account for a future trip even though none of this is their fault.
We actually start to cry.
Because we do have the option of canceling and rebooking without major financial penalty, we decide to just wait out the passport. Calling the National Passport Information Agency is a joke - most of the time you can't get through at all, and when you are lucky enough to get put on hold, you have to wait for a minimum of 20 minutes. When you finally reach a human, they seem to want to help for the most part, but their efficiency is diminished by the fact that the people who actually have the passport are not reading the messages, but are up there playing around in Second Life, totally unconcerned with those of us in this one. Either that or they are, as we suggested before, not even people but gerbils, a theory we are becoming more convinced of since no one has actually spoken to or received any communication from these so-called "people".
February 23 - Just to see if there are any updates, and to torture ourselves one last time, we make one final call to NPIC. We're on hold for 15 minutes, a record low. The person who answers says our passport went out yesterday. We ask if it was overnighted, he answers that it went out via Priority Mail, the service they normally use. Their website said that two days ago. We wearily mention that our vacation will most likely be shot and he mutters a completely useless "Sorry". We know it's not his fault, but that is the whole problem here - unlike a company that might actually be interested in keeping clients happy, the US government can't be held accountable. They couldn't care less if we lose a few grand on a vacation, and there is no one to hold responsible for the apparent failure to read the travel dates on the renewal application, or the subsequent failures to respond to requests to get the damn thing out a day or two sooner. Because that's all we needed - a day.
It's still not too late. Mail today came and went but there's always tomorrow, our last day before departure, although we are not holding out much hope here. But the lessons here are:
1. If you are renewing your passport and have ANY travel plans within 6-10 weeks, pay for getting your passport expedited so that it arrives within 2 weeks. You do not have to pay an outside agency to do this for you, you can pay the fee yourself along with your renewal fee and forms. You do not even have to show proof of travel (that's usually reserved for those that need passports within 14 days). It will cost you an extra $60 but will save priceless amounts of aggro, not to mention the possible cost of canceling/rebooking your vacation.
2. Insure your trips - always always always. Thank God we got this one right. And check your insurance carefully - not all carriers and packages cover the same thing - many plans only cover cancellation due to illness, death, accident, or some other physical trauma. Our plan, which allows us to cancel for any reason, is a lifesaver, and only cost roughly $50 per person. We have to look at it more carefully - the air may not be reimbursed but rather a credit issued for future travel, which is fine with us since we hope to be in the air within two weeks - but you should always have some sort of insurance, especially if you can already foresee a possible problem with your travel as we did. Don't just assume that everything will be fine.
3. Of course, we'd be negligent if we didn't remind you that as of late January, all US citizens entering the United States by air need a valid US passport. Prior to this, one could travel to many countries in the Caribbean and some in Latin America without a passport: since those countries didn't require a passport but just a birth certificate, you were okay. But remember, it's not the other countries that have changed their requirements, but the US. So although you may be able to get to Panama just showing your birth certificate, you won't be coming back here without a passport.
4. Finally, since we're all about traveling with the kids, yes, all children, regardless of age, need passports too, and both parents will need to appear in person to apply for it (there are exceptions, check here for what those are).
We hope these tips will help you to avoid our drama. We'll let you know if we made it out of here or not.
Purell is great stuff, and so are antibacterial wipes. But somehow we always forget to bring them along when we travel, even now that we're parents and should really own stock in that stuff. Maybe it's because the large sizes are too cumbersome and the small sizes are - well, too easy to forget?
We've come across something that we think we'll remember to bring along. These soap sheets at Horchow are made for travel, if the fun passport packaging is any clue. Each packet has 20 sheets, and they're sold in sets of 12 packets: 4 each in lavender, lemon verbena, and fresh linen scents, enough to keep the immediate fam fresh and clean for at least a few journeys. (Organizing a large family group trip? These are great pre-departure gifts to give out.) They do require water, so you might want to keep the antibacterial gel handy for those times when a bathroom isn't available. Still, we think these are quite cool, fun - and memorable.
www.horchow.com
$60
It's your last day of vacation. You're somewhere warm and lovely on a beach of warm white/pink/black sand. Or perhaps there's an infinity pool, so named, you think, because you could stay in it until the end of time.
Your flight doesn't leave until mid-afternoon or evening and you've finagled a late checkout, or perhaps there's a suite you can take advantage of for those odd hours between 11 AM checkout and actual departure. Either way, you've worked it so there's enough time to enjoy one last frolic in the water, all the while pretending that you don't have to leave your paradise.
Except...
what to do with those soaking wet bathing suits?
Hmmmm...you could stuff them in the plastic laundry bag the hotel usually provides in the closet, but how common. It would be so much nicer to have your own smart-looking wet bag.
Well now you can. Appropriately named "Wet Bag," the name may not be chic but the style is. Originally designed to hold diaper paraphernalia, these bags come in 3 sizes ranging from small more personal sizes to large hold-the-family-swimwear size. The outside is thick sturdy cotton padded with a polylaminate material, while the inside is, of course, waterproof. There are nine prints to choose from that are appropriate for adults as well as children, and best of all, these bags are completely washable and reusable.
And if you're bathing au naturel, you can always use your Wet Bag for the body washes, colognes and hair products that you can't bring on board anymore.
www.minimebabygear.com
$11.95-$17.95
Monday's NY Times ran an article about One Sky, a company that runs a private jet membership program in which members can either prepay for their flying or pay as they go. While the prices might still be considered steep by some - a one-way from Newark to Tampa in a light jet started at around $5300 - they certainly beat the costs associated with owning your own jet.
The charter airplane market isn't exactly new, but One Sky is making it easier to get a slightly deeper discount by allowing people to reserve an "empty leg" - a return trip for a plane that's only been reserved one-way, similar to a cruise's repositioning trip. Their website has an easy search engine allowing you to look up available empty legs. We won't go into all the nuts and bolts here - the article sums it up quite nicely and One Sky's website is very simple to use - but we thought it was worth a mention. At the prices you might pay for the whole family to fly anyhow, the comfort and convenience of a private jet could well be worth the higher price tag. If you've flown with One Sky, let us know what you think...
Yes, we promised you reviews of luxury properties to which you can feel comfortable toting the little ones. But we realize that getting to the chic hotel, that incredible spa, or that oh so relaxing beach entails some work. First, you've got to get there - no easy feat in these days of usually unpleasant (and sometimes surreal) travel. Then you have to do it all in reverse to get back home - a task which is practically guaranteed to leave you needing another vacation pronto.
So, in hopes of making the whole process more tolerable, if not exactly fun, we're also going to be including helpful tips to ease the pain. After all, it's bad enough having to do this stuff alone. Add kids to the mix, whether preoccupied teens or rambunctious toddlers, and it's enough to make you stay home.
Okay, maybe not. After all, you love to travel, so you suffer the pains (may we say indignities?) that traveling sometimes foists on you. Here's hoping we can help you suffer a little less, and enjoy yourself a little longer.
Up next: lounging at the airport in (relative) comfort.
