Knok: Home Swap for the 21st Century

May 24, 2013 — Leave a comment

This guest post is about a new idea… although maybe it isn’t a totally new idea. If you have seen the popular movie, “The Holiday,” then you have at least some idea of what house swapping would be like, minus Jude Law and Jack Black. If I was a home owner (instead of a renter) I would definitely consider this as a way to travel without all the extra costs of accommodations and car rentals! Knok also asked me to write an article about my perfect day with our family in Athens, so if you have a minute, feel free to check it out here. I promise, it is full of good stuff… and now onto the guest post, thanks Penelope!!

Knok_Home_Exchange

Has travelling with your family become more of a chore than an enjoyable experience? Has it simply become too expensive? If so, Knok a home swap community has the solution for you and your family. Knok has thousands of homes in over 159 countries, making it the perfect platform for families to choose their dream destination whilst staying within the comforts of a real home. Imagine travelling around the world and staying where your children have access to toys, you have your own personal kitchen, your own personal lounge and dining area, your own personal washing machine and drier, and maybe a swimming pool or car is thrown into the deal? Travelling with children can be a very tiring task; Knok wishes to alleviate such stress and strongly believes that families can have enjoyable new experiences without having to worry about accommodation expenses.  One of the best aspects of Knok is no matter how many times you engage in a home swap, a full year’s membership with Knok, including home insurance, is cheaper than one nights’ accommodation at a hotel! Go ahead and pick your next home away from home…Barcelona, Venice, Paris, Morocco? Your family will love you for it, just don’t blame us once you are hooked on home swapping!!

Foto casa Knok

This guest post was written by Penelope H. who works for Knok, a new generations ‘home swap’ platform that enables people to find the best home exchange for their holidays.

 
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Join Me In My Quest!! (About Strollers)

May 22, 2013 — Leave a comment

If you follow my website, you know that I happen to own the coolest double stroller on the planet, Phil & Teds Verve with Doubles Kit. But Kati is starting to get older, and she can survive short trips without the stroller. On long days she still rides in the Verve, but when I know we are going on a shorter trip (less than four hours) it would be nice to have a light, compact stroller that is easy to fold up and just throw in the trunk of our car, or set inside our restaurant booth, you get the idea.

This photo was taken last summer when Kati had just turned three, but she is almost four now and can walk quite a bit.

This photo was taken last summer when Kati had just turned three, but she is almost four now and can walk quite a bit.

But I’m a sensible person. I don’t want to make another large investment in a stroller. Been there, done that. So I am on a quest to find the best possible single stroller for under $100. Will you join me in my quest? Do you have a stroller that is amazing, and cost under $100? Do you own a store or company that sells the most amazing stroller for under $100 and want to send me one to test out, review, and keep? (People do actually send me things to review, and if they do I always let my readers know it was a gift to review) Do you has? Do you has what it takes to join the homestarmy?! (If you can guess where this last two sentences come from I will send you an actual letter, written in my own handwriting, from Athens, Greece answering any travel question you want!)

Check back often for my findings, and to see which buggy is the ultimate find for under $100!!

Happy travels!!

Kristin
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awesome baby travel pillow

Trend Sprouting: Best Baby Travel Pillow EVER

Today I decided to go on a hunt for the next big baby trend, and I found this baby travel pillow. The first thing I thought when I saw this was, “Why wasn’t this invented twenty years ago?! I have needed one of these FOREVER!”

I am not exaggerating, this is something every parent will agree with me about. How many times have you had to fix your baby’s head because it looks like they are going to suffocate as they are hunched over in their car seat sleeping? This is something that has driven me crazy from day one! So now you can purchase this extremely useful pillow from One Step Ahead and prevent having to pull over countless times on you next road trip to adjust your cutie pie’s head.

Happy travels!!

Kristin
Posted on May 16, 2013 In Travel Tools , , , , , ,
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CheapOair, A Creatively Named Search Engine

May 16, 2013 — Leave a comment

cheapoair

Good morning from groggy, overcast Athens, Greece! This is a quick post to let you know about a flight search engine that has one of my favorite website names ever: CheapOair (Get it? Cheap-o… hahaha). I am looking at flights for my brother’s wedding in September right now, and I really like this search engine. One of the most annoying things about using a airfare search engine is having to put in the dates over and over and over again, and I love how CheapOair keeps the information in there when you navigate back to the main page. So please check it out, and for more tips on searching for airplane ticekts online, see this article (one of my most popular articles, actually). Thanks for the heads up on this cool site Kundan!!

Book Airline Tickets on CheapOair

Happy travels!!

Kristin
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Happy Mother’s Day!!

May 12, 2013 — Leave a comment
My Mom & My Girls

My Mom & My Girls

My mom, Peggy, left on Saturday, so we did an early Mother’s Day shoot with her and the kids. I am sad she had to leave, but I know that God has something planned for her over in Southern California… several thousand miles away.

We are all taking it easy at home today because Kati is pretty sick, poor little cutie. But, Travis is making me chicken tacos for dinner. Yum!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful day reflecting on all the blessings that come with being a mother. Today I was thinking about all the sacrifices and what it means to be a mother, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything! My life is not my own, and I’m glad. I also have a new member around this Mother’s Day, and I have to say Timotheos has been an amazing little addition to our family unit. I am blessed beyond measure. For all the women out there that nurture children (Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, Teacher, Friend…), you are awesome!! Thank you for everything you do!!

My Adorable Son & I

My Adorable Son & I

Happy travels and happy Mother’s Day!!

Kristin
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Cloth Diapers and Travel

May 11, 2013 — Leave a comment

Just a quick note, I was not given these covers to review, I was looking for something that would fit Timo after he grows out of the size medium covers I have and I found these.

flip diaper cover cloth diaper

I have been cloth diapering on and off for the last six years. I originally started because Ksena was allergic to every disposable diaper on the market at the time, and then stuck with it once I figured out how much money I was saving. With Kati and Ksena I traveled with cloth diapers on a regular basis for any trip under three days, but I got fed up with it and gave up on trying to take Timo out of the house in a cloth diaper. If you use cloth, you know that little boys tend to have leaks a lot more than girls because they pee in one area and it creates leaks out of the front thigh area of the diaper. No matter what cover I used, I either had leaking problems, or I had to carry way too many inserts and covers in my purse with little room for anything else. But I have finally found a cloth diaper cover that works at home as well as when we travel. I absolutely love the Flip Diaper Cover created by Cotton Babies. Continue Reading…
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Buy One Get Mom Free – Vayable Tours

May 10, 2013 — Leave a comment

I got an email from June Lin over at Vayable.com today. She asked me if I would let my readers know that they are offering free services for moms in honor of Mother’s Day. All you have to do is buy one tour and you get the tour for your Mom, Wife, Mother in your life, for free!!

But what is Vayable? In their own words:

Vayable is a marketplace to find things to do on vacation, such as tours and activities offered by trusted, local experts. We make it fun and easy for adventurous travelers to find unique travel experiences with great people, and we build tools for tour operators and guides to help them make a living by doing what they love.

Vayable

So if you are traveling somewhere soon or want to further explore your local stomping grounds, check out this awesome Mother’s Day Gift idea from the the people over at Vayable. Make sure you book your tour before THIS Sunday (i.e. Mother’s Day)

I haven’t personally used their services, but I checked out the options for Athens, Greece and I have to say it looks like they pretty much have something for everyone. I would love to take Travis (my foodie husband) on the Athens Gastronomy Food Tour!!

Happy travels (and Happy Mother’s Day) !!

Kristin
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with my mom at the acropolis

Hey everyone, I hope you are enjoying the change of weather that seems to be sweeping through (most of) the world! Here in Greece things sure are feeling very summery. I promise to post more later this week, but I just stopped in to say we are having a great time and the kids are thoroughly enjoying their “Mimi.” Yesterday we went to the Acropolis (which no longer has free days for the Easter holiday… bummer). Having family visit is definitely a blessing we do not take for granted, and neither should you!

Happy travels!!

Kristin
Posted on May 5, 2013 In Random Updates , ,
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Product Review: Passport Holders by 11:11

May 2, 2013 — 2 Comments

Today I received a happy yellow envelope in the mail. The actual mail, here in Greece. And there was something very special inside. Two new passport holders handmade using recycled material from my own personal hometown, Los Angeles, California.

passport holder

A week ago I got an email asking if I would review a product made by a company called 11:11. After checking out their website, I was really excited and asked if Ashley would sent one for me and one for my hubby. It was really hard to pick just two passport holders because there are a bunch of really wonderful designs to choose from.

I am also impressed that these items are handmade out of recycled material. Trust me, when you see them, you will find this hard believe because they are so aesthetically impressive!

I honestly am in love with this passport holder. I am seriously considering order three more because we have three uncovered passports now, and they just look pathetic compared to the covered ones. I really appreciate the benefits of this holder because I use my passport often. Since I use an International Drivers License, I need my passport whenever I drive, and so does my husband. His passport is thrashed, but now it looks brand new and will be protected during future use.

The other extreme benefit is I know which passport is which without having to open it. This alone is worth purchasing this product if you have more than one person in your family! Opening passports and shifting through them as you board your plane is such a pain when you have five uncovered passports! I am speaking from personal experience.

I have to say, I really love this product, and I hope that is evident by the number of exclamation points in this post (which I try to reserve for only my most exciting statements).

Would I purchase this product myself? Absolutely yes! It is a great price, durable, eco-friendly, helps me stay organized, and most importantly protects my passport (i.e. travel documents).

Thank you 11:11 for making such a wonderful and needful product, and for shipping two of them all the way to Greece for us to test out and enjoy.

Happy travels!!

Kristin
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Renting a Condo, House, or Apartment – Your Family Vacation

April 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. My mom is currently visiting us for Easter Break here in Greece, and it is so nice having her here!! It is especially great having her stay in our home with us where we can cook for her and spoil her properly. And that brings me to today’s topic… renting a condo, house, or apartment for your next family vacation.

When you stay at a hotel, there are certain things you just can’t do, like warm up a bottle in the middle of the night, or fix your family a proper dinner. If you are going for a few nights, a hotel may be the solution for you, but if you are going on vacation for two weeks or longer, you should seriously consider renting a place to stay. When you have your family with you, it is nice to have that home away from home feeling going on after a long day of vacation activity goodness.

Rental Family Vacation

Having a kitchen is probably the most notable difference between staying in a rental or a hotel. It can definitely save you money long term, and also save you from eating too many fatty restaurant meals. Staying in a hotel usually means you have to eat out (although I have been known to bring a cooler with cereal and sandwiches inside). You will also probably have more sleeping options and maybe a second bathroom. Location also plays a role because if you want to get a nice hotel room in the center of the city it can cost way more than your budget allows. However, if you find a rental in the center of the city, it may place you right where you want to be while fitting into your budget. Rentals are also usually more ideal for larger families with older children since hotels tend to charge by the person. You can always throw a few sleeping bags on the floor in a rental. Hotels do not seem to be keen on that idea. Of course rentals do not have room service, and may not offer internet services, but you can save quite a bit of money.

So before you finalize your next vacation details, make sure to compare and contrast your options.

For an idea on how to go about finding a rental in your next family vacation destination you can check out Flipkey.com for specific ideas and a really cool search engine where all you have to do is type in the city you are interested in visiting. May your spring and summer be full of fun family vacation moments and memories.

Happy travels!!

Kristin
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