I recently attended Momtrends Trendy Travel Event at the ultra cool kids space “Citibabes” in Soho. It was a fun evening filled with travel tips, expert advice and the ultimate travel gear for families. I considered myself a relative savvy traveler, but after the event I was amazed at all the new information and tips I acquired! I am so excited to share my new knowledge 🙂
First up was Kim Marie-Evan, founder/editor of Luxury Travel Mom. She insists that family travel is not a vacation, but just a “relocation”! Planning is key….. plan, plan, plan then plan some more! Utilize the concierge to the fullest extent and always tip to ensure they will be happy to keep helping out. Ask the staff to have snacks waiting in the room (ex: cookie&milk). Kim also adds that getting 2 hotels rooms at a less expensive hotel is better than one nice room at a pricier hotel. I also love the idea that Kim believes you should dress nice( kids too) and act nice to receive the best treatment. Join every loyalty club for special perks and discounts and ALWAYS book through your platinum Amex, or directly through the hotel. Kim’s top 3 family travel spots are Disney (Disney Yacht Club), Turks and Caicos, and Kiawah Island. As Kim says.. “No one remembers perfect, so go and make some memories!”
Katie McBride was on hand to talk to us about the latest and greatest new Chevrolet vehicles. The Chevy Volt has an electric engine with a backup system, so you will not run out of gas! The Equinox is a comfy vehicle and has a ton of safety features! My favorite was the Chevy Malibu Eco which was actually designed and tested by a team of moms and has a very large trunk, onstar and many other great features! Chevrolet has figured out what is important for families!
One area of travel I always seem to have the biggest problem with is packing my own bag! I never know what I may need and always end up over packing. The good news is I hardly every forget a key item, but I would love to condense my bag. Katrina, a personal stylist, with A-Dress the issue spoke about the best way to do this! Katrina suggests to wear your heaviest items on the plane. For instance, wear a coat, scarf, boots etc. Bring pieces that you can dress up for nighttime or dress down and make casual for day. A trick that Katrina uses for her clients is to actually photograph each day’s clothing (+accessories). You can upload it to your laptop each day and see what comes next! I love this idea!! Something I will need to practice with is Katrina’s suggestion of “bundling” clothes vs. “rolling”. You have to lay everything flat inside your suitcase to gain more space in your suitcase. I can’t wait to try this!
Travel baby gear is always a difficult task. You need something lightweight, yet functional and portable. Baby Bjorn has really earned the top spot in the marketplace for children’s travel gear. The Travel Crib light is amazing! It folds and collapses so easy. It also has a waterproof mattress cover as well as mesh for ventilation and washing. Also check out the babysitter bouncer which folds flat for travel. I would actually also use this at home and put it away when not in use. The travel high chair was genius. It is so small and cute and it more practical than a few other travel high chairs in the current marketplace.
Bridgette Raes, another style expert was at the Trendy Travel Event to talk about her favorite products. Bridgette has a very personal reason for helping people stay protected while in the sun. She is a huge fan of the company “Coolibar”. Coolibar makes clothes designed to block the suns rays. They are embedded with protection to block UVA and UVB rays. The protection does not wash out and is good for the lifetime of the garment. The materials are cooling, breathable, and wicks moisture. The clothes are very fashion forward as well and there is a extensive collection of men’s, women’s and children’s pieces. Be sure to go online and request a catalog!
My favorite topic of the evening was sunscreen! This is one of the most important areas in my life at the moment and with summer here I want to make sure my family is properly protected! I was so impressed with hearing about a new line of physical sunscreen called “Sunology”. This sunscreen has active ingredients derived from nature (not chemicals). It was so carefully formulated by people seeking out the most natural and protective properties. Not only is it a safe sunscreen without the use of chemicals, but it has a luxurious feel to it and is great for children and adults! There is such an abundance of harmful toxic spray sunscreens in the marketplace right now, and I am so happy to now be using a chemical-free Sunology All-Natural Sun Protection! I should add that Sunology also uses a special rejuvenating complex of Ferulic Acid/Soy Glyceride which is naturally derived from Ferulic Acid, a known antioxidant and Soy Bean Oil. Be sure to check out this sunscreen!
A big thanks to Momtrends for hosting this fabulous travel event! It was a great evening of travel advice, tips and trends!
www.chevrolet.com
www.babybjorn.com
www.coolibar.com
www.sunology.com
www.citibabes.com
www.momtrends.com
XOXO,
Suzanne