I’m always searching for tips to bring you on preserving your memories from trips.  This one comes from Janeen McAllister of St. Paul, Minn. and appears in Budget Travel magazine:

“Before big family trips, I always buy a yard of colorful fabric - I found a print with zebras for a trip to Africa and one with lizards for Costa Rica.  It makes a festive tablecloth or picnic blanket during our travels.  Back home, I glue a piece to the front of our vacation album, which makes it easy to spot and brings back good memories.”

You could also purchase fabric during your trip to make it more authentic.  A fun way to make your vacation last longer among your family.

Have a tip to share?  Please leave it in the comments for everyone to enjoy!

I have recently found redbox.  You know, the big red box (hence the name) found in your every day convenience stores?  I tried it out and it was great.  Only $1 for 1 day. We actually cancelled out Netflix subscription and intend to use this instead.

How does this relate to travel?  Well, you can rent a video at one location and return it at another.  Perfect for long road trips!  My aunt did this last summer on her trip from Texas to Oregon and then back again.

Visit redbox.com to find a location closest to you.  If you have a internet-capable mobile device, you’d be able to find these locations from the road.  If you don’t have one, don’t worry.  Most McDonald’s have them, along with some gas stations and grocery stores.

To get you started, here is a free code good on your first rental:  “redbox”.  Just type it in as the promo code on the screen.

If you’d like to get promo codes sent to you, you can register on their site. Every Monday they will send you a promo code for a free rental.

Where have I been?  Well, I have lots to tell you about traveling to Ethiopia to pick up my new baby sister, Disneyland, Sea World, and the beach.  We’ve been busy!

A fun summer but now I’m ready to relay all my traveling advice onto you once again.  Stay tuned…

We recently returned home from a beach vacation which was fabulous. Our friend used the rental delivery service called Baby’s Away and now I can talk from first-hand experience about the experience.

What an awesome service and great idea.  Baby’s Away provides rental baby items for your destination, so you don’t have to haul all of the gear that it takes to maintain your sanity on vacation.  For the beach house we stayed in for the week, she rented at least 2 baby gates, a pack ‘n’ play, crib, 2 blow up  air beds, a double jogging stroller, and 2 boxes of toys - one for boys and one for girls.

All of the items were set up prior to arrival and ready to use when we got settled.  All of the items, including toys seemed rather new, if not completely new.  The representative was friendly and easy to reach when needing to request more items (read: more baby gates for a busy, exploring baby).

It is not available in all cities, so check their web site to see if there is an individual franchise set up in your next destination city.

To learn more or arrange for your next trip:  Baby’s Away

This is a new book I came across recently - How to Fit a Car Seat on a Camel. Filled with misadventures of travels with kids, it’s sure to be a comfort when reflecting upon your most recent traveling experience. With a title like this, how couldn’t it be funny?  Maybe it will give you a idea for your next destination (or where to avoid).

Amazon is nearly sold out, with more on the way.

Zippy Tags, a new invention by Tim and Megan Cassidy, attach to your luggage making it easier to identify your luggage in the sea of black bags on the baggage carousel.

This would have come in handy the time when someone else walked off with our silver suitcase in Mexico and we had his! We ended up having to race outside to catch him and then back in through the exits to get ours. Enter Zippy Tags…

They are heavy duty appliques that iron to your luggage. They can be used on luggage, beach bags, or carries and most fabrics. Not recommended for hard-sided luggage.

Custom designs are also an option for an additional cost.

Visit Zippy Tags to learn more

I recently wrote about listening to musicals on the road. Similarly, I just came across this new form of audio book via Cool Mom Picks, a blog about new finds for kids. No need to direct your child to “flip the page” from the front seat while on the road, as there is no book involved.

Giddio introduces “audio adventures for your kids”, geared for ages 3-7. They deliver a story in a dramatic theater fashion with different voices and effective sound effects.

As Cool Mom Picks writes, the stories “hearken back to the radio program days”. A strong, friendly bear named Billy Brown, the main character is full of escapades to keep your toddler entertained.

No pages to tear and no page-flipping to cue, simply pop the CD in, and have 30-45 minutes of uninterrupted mom-time or peaceful driving time. Has anyone tried these out? I loved the audio download samples on-line and plan on getting my mom to ask our local toy store if they carry them.

via: Cool Mom Picks blog

To purchase: Giddio

(photo courtesy of Guardian Unlimited)

Another idea for your next road trip…

To supplement your books-on-tape collection, take along some musical soundtracks. It’s a story, set to a beat! Try Fiddler on the Roof to start. Then migrate to more challenging story-lines such as Phantom of the Opera. Eventually you’ll be listening to the full Les Miserables while driving down the road.

It’s a great way to instill more culture while on the go. Of course, you’ll want to take a break from driving to let your children get their dance out from all that good music!

With Easter upon us, I thought many of you might be interested in some tips on staying healthy on the road. Budget Travel compiled a nice list of ideas for meeting just this goal.

My favorite: Instead of fast food, stop into a supermarket and buy some meats, cheeses, and bread. Have a picnic in a park. A lovely idea.

Happy Easter everyone!

To view the complete article, visit >> Budget Travel

I’ve given you tips for activities at some airports, including most recently the San Francisco Airport, and now here is a more comprehensive outline. Cheapflights.com has put together a Kids’ Airport Diversion Guide that details activities in specific airports to keep kids occupied and burn off a bit of that energy before taking flight. Where was this when we most needed it - laid over for hours in Cincinnati?

Of course, they fail to mention, PDX’s (Portland) wonderful indoor play area conveniently located right outside security while waiting to greet loved ones.

Check it out here before your next cross-country trip (Scroll down on page and download in PDF form or as a podcast): Kids Airport Diversion Guide