A Traveling Mom’s tips for the Beach

Many of our cruise shore excursions have involved beach time. In this picture, Tim took a photo of the boys and I enjoying a beautiful beach in St Lucia adjacent to one of the Pitons. Here are a few tips for making the most of these amazing beach experiences:

Many shore excursions involve a public beach next to a resort. In our experience there are not usually public beach chairs. The resorts charge a nominal fee to use their beach chairs, so remember to figure this into your budget if you would like to use a beach chair during your stay on the beach. Also, be sure to bring your own beach towel. ... Read More

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A Traveling Mom’s Tip: Keeping kids entertained on the journey

by Anne Larison . We have been traveling as a family for over 8 years. We spend time prior to each trip preparing not just for the destination, but also for the journey. That’s me at the left with Andrew and Josh in their younger days (age 6) all prepared for a new trip. Here are a few ideas about keeping your child entertained on the journey. At least two weeks before we leave, the twins and I start preparing. First we make sure that the traveling backpack is in good shape. If it has been a while since your last trip, make sure that your child won’t object to the pack you plan to use for the trip. For several years the cute, bright little boy backpacks were great. At a certain age, the boys grew out of that pack and informed me they were too ‘old’ to use the ‘baby’ back pack.

I let the boys decide what they will bring on the trip… with supervision. I had to intervene the year one of the boys wanted to bring the 3rd volume of the Harry Potter series (hard back) to read on the plane. This book, at over 450 pages, weighs more than most small appliances! ... Read More

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