Category: travel_tips

by Allison

How to make a travel laundry kit

How to make a travel laundry kit; it’s what’s on the agenda today.

DIY travel kit

I travel a fair amount in my life, mostly with kids, plenty without.  Regardless, there’s always, ALWAYS some sort of laundry emergency when I travel.  I tend to spill when I eat, all over the front of whatever it is I’m wearing.  It’s kind of an epidemic, but whatever, no need to alert the authorities or anything, it’s just part of the treasure of being me.  And at some point of all this regular travel (it was pretty early on), it occurred to me I needed to bring a travel laundry kit with me wherever I go.  Goest.  Goeth.  Trip, trippity, travel.  That way I’m presentable for at least a portion of my trip, wherever in the world I happen to be.

It’s pretty simple really, how to make a travel laundry kit.  The trick is remembering to replenish it every time you unpack your gear.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on the road only to realize I have no quarters, or you know the important stuff like, oh, laundry detergent. 

laundry travel kit

Here’s how it all comes together:

How to Make a Travel Laundry … >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

Pack for a weekend trip to London

packing for a weekend trip to London// Trip to London for the weekend?  Hey, a girl can dream.  I’m dreaming, always, of England. (Okay, let’s be honest, sometimes, a lot of times, I’m dreaming of Costa Rica). But guest travel blogger Gemma lives in Sweden and travels wherever she can, whenever possible, lucky girl, and today Gemma lays it all out for us: exactly what to pack for a weekend trip to London, and why.  This is the business. // (Editor’s note from Allison)

England Camden MarketHave you ever suffered from “vogue shock”? You step out of your hotel room, thinking you’re a foxy lady… Until you realize you’re surrounded by a million modelesque European women that have a natural taste for exquisite style. All of a sudden, you’re stuck on Oxford Street wearing your “comfortable shoes” that are covered in grass stains, and a baggy “I heart NYC” sweatshirt. You feel totally self-conscious and want to dump your luggage into the Serpentine or secretly desert it inside of a double-decker bus.

I feel ya. I travel quite a bit. I took a break from university life and currently live in Stockholm, making spontaneous weekend trips to random cities, thanks to low-class airfare and my … >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Kimberly

New York International Auto Show

Hello! Allison’s faithful assistant Kimberly strikes again while Allison is otherwise detained in a subtropical locale. This time I’m pulling car duty in Manhattan, which it turns out isn’t such a bad gig. 

Does a high gloss finish turn your head? Do terms like “800 horsepower” and “rear suspension geometry” get you a little hot and bothered?

My answer is YES. Yes, now that I’ve spent a little time around the world’s hottest cars and some serious auto lovers. I was invited me to the very shiny  New York Intentaional Auto Show last week, a rather sexy sort of event, and I quickly fell for the lights, adrenaline, and ooh-la-la of the whole thing. Hard. Ever since, I’ve been having all kinds of fantasies and daydreams about what I’ll be driving on my next road trip or vacation. Make that vacations. Plural. Woman cannot live by convertible alone. Confucius said that, I’m pretty sure.

Car fantasy number one? A late summer cruise down the Pacific Coast Highway. With Robert Downey Jr. my handsome husband beside me in the new Jaguar XKR convertible. Indigo metallic. Gray leather interior with contrast stitching. 500 horsepower (that’s a lot, by the way). Top down. … >> find out more…

Kimberly

...by day, making a home where the buffalo roam. By night, pretty much the same thing, punctuated by the occasional fantasies of sunny beaches, italian movies and sparkling lemonade.

by Allison

Tips for good family road trips

Taking a road trip with your family is a little bit like Russian roulette, it’s all fun and games until one of your children kills the other in a weird parking lot just outside Reno.

tips for good family road trips

No, really.

A bad road trip is enough to make anyone risk death at any opportunity.  But if you really plan ahead and prepare for the sort of contingencies that pop up with kids {which is to say all of them}, a road trip can be the most ridiculous fun you’ve ever had.  It’s still my #1 preferred method of family travel.

family road trip

We haven’t ventured too far east in our road tripping but we’ve ventured all across the Western United States in our trusty little Subaru wagon, and I think it’s safe to say we’re road trip veterans at this point.

I’ve made all the rookie mistakes: no crayons for your toddler {they melt in the sun}, juice boxes are like open fire hoses of purple stain, silly putty is a BAD idea, and whipping out your big gun surprise treats in the first 30 minutes of travel sets a bad precedent for the next 72 1/2 hours of driving.

tips for a good family road trip

I’ve made every … >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

must have travel kit for children

We do our fair share of traveling, and over the years we’ve developed some systems that work really well for our family.  One of these is a travel kit for children.  No matter where we are, whether it’s a on road trip to California or on a train across Europe, we pack a little Zip-Lock bag filled with the essentials.

traveling kit for children

Travel Kit for Children:

  • gum
  • chap-stick
  • wet wipes
  • band-aids
  • hand sanitizer

travel kit for children

We pack it all up in a Zip-Lock bag for the inevitable explosion, and pop it into a backpack.  When we were in Warsaw we never left the apartment without a backpack + this little handy travel kit.  You never know about bathrooms, pinching shoes, or bad breath.

And someone’s always complaining about chapped lips.  Without fail.

In Europe we replenished the kit every time we ran out of something so we weren’t caught unawares in some hilarious bathroom situations.  Plus, you always need hand sanitizer when you’re riding in cable-cars and underground trains.  Nasty.

As long as we carry this with us, along with a bottle of water and a snack or two, we’re set for miles and miles.… >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

Roll your clothes to pack a suitcase

I took your advice on what to pack for Europe.  For the most part anyway, you know I had to rebel a little and wear comfortable shoes for all the walking.  But the number one tip I took from all of you was to pack light.

We did.

suit case

Each child had a carry on and a backpack, {the awesome luggage we bought at Costco} and that was it.  The backpack was full of things for the 25 hours of travel each way: a Nintendo DSi for each kid, bubble gum, a coloring book and sketch pad, colored pencils, Skullcandy headphones, fruit leather and almonds, granola bars, and in Charming’s case a handful of Hot Wheels cars.

I was counting on the fact that each kid would have a T.V. with Nick Jr. at their disposal, and I was right.  Hallelujah.

suitcase

Anyway, the only way I was able to pack a month’s worth of clothing into a carry-on for each kid was to roll their clothes as I packed them.

I can’t even tell you what a difference it made.

So: roll your clothes as you pack them, hope for mini T.V.’s across the Atlantic, give your children … >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

shoes for walking in Europe

Before I left on vacation I asked you guys a bunch of questions about what to pack for Europe.  What would I absolutely need, what could I skip, what did you recommend?  You guys were totally on the money.  Outlet adapters, peanut butter, comfortable clothes for the plane, all the way down.  The one thing I didn’t take your advice on?

Not wearing tennis shoes.

new balance

I really debated it. I thought long and hard about how I would look like such an American with my white tennis shoes.  Right before I went to Europe I went to a conference called Mom 2.0 where New Balance was a sponsor who gave me a fabulous pair of walking shoes.  And in the end I decided I’d rather enjoy walking around Europe, miles and miles and miles a day, than worry about what my feet looked like.  I wore really cute outfits, and just put the shoes on bottom, fashion be damned. {see below: complete outfit with a skirt and deep intake of breath, TENNIS SHOES on bottom}

summer scarf

College girls in Warsaw totally laughed at me.  People in Prague may have stared a little.  Would you like to know how I … >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

Welcome home!

skyline

You guys, I missed you!  A month is a long time to take a trip around the world and not be at my desk.  A long, glorious, wonderful, adventure filled month.  And while I’m sad I’m not still in Europe, I’m really happy to be home, and I honest and truly missed you and missed our regular, you know, interactions on the interwebs.

Warsaw

25 Things I Learned by Taking a Month off Blogging & Traveling to Europe:

  1. I really like my kids.  A lot.  I’ve really missed spending time with them while I’ve been working like a madwoman over the past several years.  Spending time with them, in very close quarters, over the last month has made me appreciate motherhood that much more.
  2. It’s impossible to get sick of my husband.  His personality changes every 20 minutes, so it’s like I’m hanging out with a new guy every hour!  More fun than a bag of tricks, that one.
  3. Americans really don’t walk enough.  Like, at all.  We walked an average of 5 miles a day, minimum, every single day and it was fabulous.  Even my crap Lupus body loved it.
  4. 25 hours of travel EACH WAY is a

    5. … >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

how to get sand off from the beach

Now that it’s probably Summer in your neck of the woods, I’m going to share a little how-to with you.

babypowder

When you go to the beach, pack a small little travel size bottle of baby powder in your beach bag.  After everyone gets all wet and sandy and it’s time to pile into the car to go home, whip out the baby powder.  Sprinkle it all over your sandy bits and rub and the sand will fall right off.

Aren’t you glad you stopped by today?… >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.