Travel planner my best friend at the time of a family trip.

I am a working mum, if I wouldn´t plan my life it won´t be easy to get all the things done in the way I like them to be. I am not perfect, I know, but, I like to be very organized and accomplish the goals that I propose to myself. I understand that if I manage time correctly I will have time for my toddler, for house duties, and for my hobbies, that recently appeared another one :). But how about traveling, our getaways, you will ask if I plan them as well? I will say YES. I know it has to be a relaxing moment when you have to enjoy to do nothing... I have such days as well, but not on our trips or getaways, I have such days during weekend when grandparents play with our toddler and I have time for myself.

I like to plan our trips, getaways, and escapes that we make. Working in this industry makes me feel confident in all the places we choose to go, prices and best things to do there. Apart of that, I always ask my beloved colleagues about besties we can do while traveling. All these ideas I manage to sort in one single place, my travel planner, here I manage to write the chosen destination, things that we plan to do there, places to see, where to eat, where to sleep, transportation and so on and so on, the list can continue. The most interesting part is to be there and to enjoy your plan and not be stressed about what to do and where to go, because you have planned it previously.

It is up to you, I know for example a lot of spontaneous people who likes to enjoy the trip without having any plan, and almost all of the times the luggage is made 1 or 2 hours before the trip. Sometimes I think, that I would like to be like these people, but then I stop and think, that all of these friends do not have kids, and they can permit such luxury of not planning any trip, me not. Maybe in the future I will be spontaneous as well, who knows, but now I enjoy planning and having all the ideas well written on the paper.

You can choose between my travel planner, any other travel planners or make it by yourself. Below you can see some directions of what my travel planner includes:

- destination that we plan to go and budget
- travel information, how we get there (by plane, by train, by car, other)
- hotel or apartment where to stay (once we are 3 members in our family I opt to take an apartment)
- transportation once getting on your planned destination
- places to visit
- places where to eat
- packaging list (all the thing you need to take with you)
- and then every day trip plan of things to do
- some notes like sending cards to other family members, friends and so on
- and of course the image of all of us, best moments of the trip.

Doesn´t matter if you are a planner or a spontaneous person, I wish you to enjoy every trip/getaway/journey with your family.

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Mallorca - an island to discover on winter and summer with your toddler

Travel is always a good idea, and with small ones even better. How about an island, and discover its´ beauties with a toddler? We thought that even if it is cold and it is winter a little trip to Mallorca will be a good idea for us. Even though we found a great deal to go with all the family, I mean with our lovely grandparents. A big company is interesting, a lot of fun, and quite much more time for me and my husband, as our kid were in a good hands.

We went to Mallorca for a New Years´Eve, and stayed for a few days later on the island. Apart of the idea to meet New Year on the beach, which was the best one, we also enjoyed medieval architecture in the North and beach beauties in the South of Mallorca. Our toddler was happy about the trip, and all this because:
1. he adores to fly, every time when he sees an airplane he asks us for flying with it
2. like his parents he loves new places, new apartment and changes
3. there were grandparents, and he loves them and were playing a lot in the evenings, as his parents were too busy with planing the next day journey

This doesn´t mean that we had no tantrums and difficult moments, with a toddler these things happen on a daily basis as something normal :). It´s just a question of managing these tantrums correctly. I will write an article on this something later, but now I would like to share with you some tips while travelling with a toddler.

Tips for traveling by plane:

1. take a flight early in the morning or late in the evening, or even better at midday when your kid has his sleeping hours. Even if our kid enjoys planes and flights as our, if the flight lasts more than 1 hour, it is complicated to keep him calm on his seat in the plane.

2. take big toys, small toys will be through away and it will be difficult to manage to have them at the end of the flight

3. take snacks, I prefer different fruits, something easy and healthy to eat, milk, water, juice, all in small packs, to be easier to use.

4. Dry and wet wipes, clothes.

Tips for traveling to an island:

Which is the difference you will ask? Yes, there is. To travel to an island it is very different compared to a big city. In a big city you do not need to rent a car, as all main sightseeing are very closed to each other and well communicated by public transport, on an island, you have to walk a lot and to move by car, as public transport usually goes where is more population. That is why we decided to rent a car, a big one and to discover the island.

1. Rent a car
2. Take your car seat for your toddler. We had a bad experience in Tenerife, because we´ve rented the car chair, and our kid at the end of our trip didn´t want to sit there, as his back was hurting him and he could not sleep. Imagine how many tantrums and cryings we had in the car. In Mallorca we took our car seat, and there where no questions on where our kid is sitting, as well he slept well during our journeys. Ask the company you will fly with, about the permit of taking pushchair and car seat, as a lot of them has the option to take both. You won´t regret.
3. Take a pushchair, you will walk a lot, and of course your toddler will get tired.
4. Manage your stopovers, to eat, sightseeing and other reasons, think firstly on your toddler. Be sure that you can make a stopover everywhere you go, as a toddler asks for a stopover very often.
5. Have a lot of snacks with you in a car and water, juice in this case is not preferred, as they asks for a toilet much more times.
6. Toys -  very appreciated the one that is mostly wished by your kid, we had a little car that it is his preference wherever we go and a flash/CD with the songs we are used to listen in the car/home. Singing in the car is always fun, and your kid will love to sing with you.
7. A great mood for travelling

I think too many information in just a post, I won´t bother you more, here you go with some lovely pictures of Mallorca.

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10 tips for parents who travel by plane with kids.

Ahh, yes, we talk over and over again about holidays, vacations, getaways and great time with family. I am an agent travel, loving mother and just a person who lives abroad with her family. We go twice a year, this year just once, to see my parents who live far away from us and as well our far-flung relatives. On our first 2 years we flew a lot, and got some experience.

Our first flight was with our 2 months baby, and it was something simmilar to... whaaa whaaa whaa... all flight. All this tantrum, was due to pression and because our baby didn´t want to take the pacifier to calm down. I just literally woke up and took my baby in the arms and stayed with him almost half an hour or an hour, till he got tranquil. Hmmm, you would say, what a crazy mum will go with a 2 month baby on a plane,.. yeah.... me... totally crazy mum.

During his growth, nothing changed, apart of our experience and we understood which things he likes and which one doesn´t. What things to take with us, and which once not. It is true that in an 1 hour flight was quite easier to keep busy our kid than in 3 or 4 hours flight, but nothing is impossible if you follow some of our tips, that I would like somebody have told me before.

1. When you book your flight, choose your flight hours, choose the hours when your baby has to sleep - ALWAYS! First time when we flew with our baby, my flight time was just after his sleep hour at midday. Now I take flights or right at the midday, or late in the evening. If you manage to get your baby tired before entering the plane, you can choose any hour you want. Your baby will get asleep, and won´t notice the pressure the same way as when he is awake. You will have time to relax and sometimes to read anything.

2. Your handbag, DO NOT bring all sort of things that can be packed in a luggage with you in the plane. It is useless, and if you do not prepare properly your handbag, you will find difficult and annoying to get that pacifier or bottle, while baby has his tantrum. Pack the handbag just with the most important things, and all to be arranged in the way you can get all things with just one touch of your bag.

3. Pacifier, or a bottle with water or milk, candies, chew gums, anything to suck, depends on the age of your kid. I used pacifier till 1 year, now we use the bottle with milk, I have heard that a lot of mums use candies. This help your kid do not feel discomfort of the pressure during takeoff and landing.

4. Diapers - change diaper before you enter the plane, because even if your next seat is empty and nobody is sitting, it is not permitted to change him there. And in the toilet, depending on the flight, in little ones it is very uncomfortable to change a diaper. I think that in most cases you will be lucky enough to change the diaper before and after getting into the plane.

5. ALWAYS bring an extra pair of clothing for your kid and you. You do not want to be pissed on or covered in vomit. Lucky us, we didn´t have such experience, but we always have one more pair of clothing with us.

6. Toys, not a lot of them, as you will have additional work in the plane, as babies like to throw them away if they get nervous. From my experience the best things are big ones: a plush toy, a book (with a lot of images and very colorful), plastic cups and straws (you can ask for them in the plane). DO NOT take little things like crayons, little toys or puzzle, you will get crazy in the plane.

7. Food, even if your flight is not a lowcost, you have to bring some food with you. Avoid all foods that are sticky, messy or crumby. Make sure all the food is in little boxes and are easy to use. We use to take croissants that are packed one by one, a sandwich or some candies.

8. Bring with you napkins, sanitizers, and plastic bags for trash, A LOT OF THEM, in the plane you will use more than usual.

9. Let people help you, sometimes you just need somebody to tell you that you have left something on a seat.

10. Once you land, make sure almost all the passangers left the plane. Make sure you have everything with you.

I wish you will have a wonderful flight with your kids. And remember, if your kid is crying do not let this to stress you, other people will understand and won´t bother you.

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