Traveling Mom

Yes, I’m in the middle of the worst, most stressful kind of travel.  In 2 days, I’m going to drive to Boise, Idaho from Los Angeles, where I live now.  And then I will live in Boise, Idaho.  Luckily, my mom will bring the kids on a plane, after we arrive. ... Read more

Hampton Inn used to be the No. 1 hotel choice during my family road trips. But Comfort Inn and Suites might be the choice on the next family vacation. ... Read more

Adventure does not always have to mean, jumping off a bridge or walking on hot coals, sometimes it can mean simply breaking out of your comfort zone and experiencing new things. I did that on my TV show Rock Me TV, when I went to Lady Mendl’s in Manhattan and my good friend world renowned tea expert Ellen Easton taught me to proper way to have afternoon tea. We did a funny segment of it for the show. Since then I have taken my nine year old niece there Athena…she loved acting like a little dressed up lady for the day. It’s a great way to spend and afternoon, and it will be a memorable experience for all…AND guess what. It has now gotten me into the tea world. Check this out I’m in an article on Tea! (The link to the video is included in the article) Drink up! Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon article http://whatscookingamerica.net/EllenEaston/LadyMendl/LadyMendlTeaSalon.htm ... Read more

You can be headed on vacation or just to work…you see them every day on the road and now, you can get your fill of bad drivers from your living room couch.  The Travel Channel has picked up a reality competition series that’s been a hit in other countries–a show that has motorists competing for the title of “worst driver”.  The American version is based on the overseas format, with some tweaks to fit the Travel Channel’s brand.  Each week on “The Streets of America: The Search for America’s Worst Driver”, bad drivers will compete in challenges in different cities. Travel Channel executives say they will be showcasing cities in the show, as well, as seen from the driver’s seat.  The format has been considered in the US before, with NBC making a pilot back in 2004.  However, some thought the show could appear to condone reckless driving.  I’m not sure what to think. Honestly, I believe most people get their driving habits from personal experiences.  So, when my husband gets behind the wheel and gets cut off by another driver, it’s his reaction that teaches our children how to handle road rage in the future. Or, when I answer my cell phone to talk to a friend while I’m driving them to gymnastics or band, I’m teaching them another lesson altogether. I would think there’s a certain value to a family sitting around together watching a show like this and possibly learning from it, not just the bad driving habits, but maybe a little about the cities they are driving through.  I just don’t want to be nominated to compete! ... Read more

If your legal name isn’t the one you go by in day-to-day activities, you might want to be sure to start using it for vacation travel plans.  That’s because if your nickname is the one listed on your airplane ticket, you may not be able to board the plane.  Why is that? Soon, the responsibility of checking passengers’ names against terrorist watch lists will be switched from airlines to the Transportation Security Administration and the TSA wants people to know if their name on their license or passport isn’t identical to the one on the boarding pass, they may end up grounded.  Can you imagine the headaches this may cause as the transition takes place?  If your name is David and your ticket says Dave, you may be missing your flight.  And imagine the aggravation for women—including those who may have recently married or divorced and haven’t transferred paperwork yet (as often happens right after the wedding when you’re looking to fly away to a blissful honeymoon). Or take me, for example. My legal first name is Desiree.  My friends call me Des. My family calls me DD.  All 3 are commonly misspelled on my airline paperwork. What happens now if a travel agent spells Desiree with a “z” instead of an “s”?  And let’s say they get my ticket right, but then misspell my 3 year old daughter Daly’s name (everyone throws in an “i” or an “e”).  Will she have to stay behind while I am told to fly ahead?  Will my ticket still be honored if I stay behind with my toddler?  It sounds extreme, but I have to wonder.  And here’s another thing.  They’re also going to be asking for your birth date, so if you’re uncomfortable telling others exactly how many years you’ve been around, you’ll have to get over it.  In this case, we’re told the intent is to make the watch list as accurate as possible.  I know a woman or two who may just decide to drive instead of share that kind of coveted information.  The target date to implement these changes is August 15, but not all the airlines are even equipped to add the information the TSA is requesting, whether it’s a middle name or a birth date, or both.  I understand the point is to protect us and the TSA is looking to make things safe and more efficient.  However, I’m thinking I’ll hold off on any air travel around that date and drive to my destinations until the kinks are all worked out and it’s smooth sailing, or flying, again. ... Read more

            It looks like the recession is cutting into our vacation time.  Most of us are still taking trips, but a recent survey by BedandBreakfast.com shows many are not going to stay gone as long.  The survey showed about 43 percent of those questioned would vacation fewer days this year due to recession factors.  I know my family won’t be taking any week-long trips this year, as we have in years past.  And the trips we are taking are to see friends and family where lodging expenses are covered.  After seeing gas prices over four dollars a gallon last year, I’m cringing at the climbing prices at the pump already.  Our budget is tight already, and as much as we say we’ll only spend money on the “getting there” part, skipping the expense of eating out and replacing it with frugal “fix your own” meals, we rarely stick to that plan.  It’s just too tempting when you leave town to leave those frugal habits at home.  It’s hard to get the kids to understand that yes, we’re on vacation, but no, they can’t spend the day at the amusement park in the town we’re visiting.  Sure, we can hunt down deals to make those kinds of fun outings more affordable, but with four kids, even a trip to the movies can break the budget.  So why go at all?  Well, for the same reason other people gave in the survey.  We all need to get away.  And sometimes, just the change of scenery, instead of the splurges, can be enough to leave us feeling refreshed. ... Read more

We took off for an 8 hour (each way) drive for a family vacation to see my parents last week and it hit me—my kids have it so much better than I did as a kid.  At least when it comes to road trips they do.  See, I was one of ten kids and my parents didn’t get a van until half of us were already out of high school and on our own.  Back in my day, we packed every crevice of our four-door car for hours (and what felt like days) at a time.  There was room for my mom and dad and one of us in the front bench seat. Then room for 4 kids in the back bench seat.  The rest of us just found spots. That was before seatbelts were the law and it was just fine for me to sit on the floor at my mom’s feet up front.  My little sister got the back dash of the car where the glass angled down to meet the trunk. She was the lucky one because she actually got to stretch out. We were so happy to hit the road, though; we just did what we had to do to get there.  We were packed in like sardines and didn’t have the luxury of game boys and portable TV’s.  Nope, we had to read or listen to the radio, and my parents controlled what we listened to.  We got to hear a lot of old country tunes (ever heard of “A Boy Named Sue”?), not exactly to our delight.  Sometimes it was more than we could stand and we’d end up in arguments with each other. The solution?  An invisible brick wall my mom would theoretically build between us.  You know what I mean–somehow that invisible wall was as big and sturdy as the Great Wall of China, keeping warring groups separated physically.  My mom’s brick wall had the same effect.  In those days, it was ok to sit on Dad’s lap while he drove, and that was always fun—especially at night when everyone else in the car slept. I can still remember controlling the steering wheel on the less-than winding roads of Florida.   We didn’t really have the money for hotels along the way, but sometimes we’d have to stop so my dad could rest (he typically did all the driving, mostly because he couldn’t tolerate my mother’s driving abilities).  In those days, you paid a different rate for the room if you had more than 2 people, and because we were so poor, my mom would have us all duck down in the car just in case the hotel staff looked outside to see if my dad was being honest.  Can you even imagine the rate for 12 in one room? We didn’t see the hiding as a lie so much—it was a matter of necessity. Somehow, we’d eventually make it to our destination, so glad we were there.  It probably explains my desire even today to not waste an extra minute in the car.  My kids get their spot and there they sit, all belted in, happy for a few minutes.  Few being the key word.  If I’m lucky, it’s more than a few.  Their movies or video games will go on almost as soon as we pull out of the driveway.  They’ll do their own thing for a while and maybe even talk to each other.  But sometimes, they’ll talk too much, or say the wrong thing to each other, and we’ll end up building our own invisible brick walls between them.  Even though they have leg room and fun diversions, I guess some things never change. ... Read more