All week long we’re offering our tips and ideas to help you tackle your (and our) New Year’s resolutions. Whether you’re a staunch believer in resolutions or not, we hope our cool picks will help motivate you as we hope they do for us!Like so many families out there, we made a resolution to go on a fabulous family trip. Uh, last year. The problem with family vacations is that they can be stressful and expensive to plan–never mind really getting on a plane or in a car and going somewhere.
Once you’ve got the money saved, luckily, there are tons of resources to make the whole experience as painless as possible–fun, even. Here are five of our favorites… because this year’s resolution is that we’ll finally go on that fabulous family trip.
1. Kayak App
Not only does this handy app compare hotel, car rental, and flight prices, it also lets you track your plane, get detailed flight info (including stuff like how much cash you’ll have to pony up for excess baggage), and even find things to do at your destination. Kind of a one-stop shop for, you know, actually getting to your stop.
If you’ve ever driven a long–or any–distance with kids, you know that trying to MacGyver the iPad to stay put for backseat movie-watching doesn’t work. An iPad car mount is critical–and, depending on your car type and number of children, totally affordable (prices start at $14.99).
A car seat is a travel essential, but the kind you’ve got in your backseat right now easily ranks as one of the least convenient things to tote to the airport. Not the Bubble Bum, though. It’s light and packable because–genius alert–it’s inflatable (and 100% safe).
There’s nothing like going somewhere with a baby to make you realize you need a whole entourage devoted solely to carrying baby gear. Phil & Ted’s Nest to the rescue! It’s a suitcase that can hold baby clothes, diapers, and toys, but it’s also an amazing pop-open travel bassinet that even has a zip-up bug and sunscreen for outdoor naps.
For me, just the idea of detailed travel planning for more than four people makes me hyperventilate–my family-at-large shouldn’t count on me to organize the next big trip. Luckily, with Itinerus, they don’t have to. The service gives your group all the tools you need to schedule a trip, pick out a hotel and activities, and share ideas–all without a million emails and phone calls. Whew. -Lexi
Stay tuned for more of our New Year’s Resolution help posts. And if you need more help getting prepped for travel in 2012, head to Cool Mom Tech for an entire category for travel essentials, including gadgets for long car rides, the best apps for sane travel, and even stylish camera bags
