Travel Tech Gadgets

Jun 6, 2016

13 Tips For Safe Summer Road Trips With Kids

Family Travel Safety Tips and Gadgets

2016 is shaping up to be the summer of the road trip
Cheap fuel prices, and with summertime gas prices predicted to be the lowest in 13 years, families have more spare change to spend on their trip. 90% of Memorial Day travelers are planning to go by car according to AAA.

Image: Newsroom.AAA.com

Safety

• Traveling during the warm weather months, give yourself an extra five to ten minutes to get the car cool before putting the kids inside. It can be miserable and also dangerous in a hot vehicle. Plus this will get you off on a better start to your trip.

• Make sure the kids have all the snacks and drinks they need

Kids Play Tray for Snacks Great for Car Bus Train and Plane Journeys

Cozy Greens® Backseat Car Organizer - Must Have For Traveling With Kids

High Road Kids Food 'n Fun Car Seat Organizer with Cooler and Snack Tray

• Make sure that you have the directions to your destination set up on your GPS

Google Maps App (iTunes/Google Play)

How To: Use Google Maps Offline When Traveling

Waze - GPS, Maps & Traffic (Google Play/iTunes)

Garmin nüvi GPS

• Place your sunglasses and glasses by you/driver

Driver’s See Through Sun Visor that blocks glare from the sun and oncoming traffic could be a good idea in addition to glasses.

• Take out (if not already) electronic toll collection device, such E-Z Pass, and mount onto the windshield

• Phone charger is plugged in and ready to charge phone that is put away into a cupholder

• Or if you are using it as GPS or handsfree calling, make sure that the phone mount is securely in place
We have used on many road trips and love the iOttie Easy One Touch Car Mount

• Answering the phone on the road is not a safe option. Best, if you do have to, is to use Bluetooth for hands-free system

Related articles:
Family Trip to DR - What To Pack
Aruba Vacation - Kids Gadgets and Accessories
How to Get Your Phone and Tablet Travel Ready
Summer Family Trip to Norwalk CT
more tips for summer road trip below

Entertainment

• Keep the backseat passengers busy and enjoying the ride

Travel-Themed kids packs that include 20-page activity booklet, fun souvenirs to review, flashlight adventures, trading cards, stickers and luggage tags. These will keep them busy for awhile.

• Play movies and shows

collee Universal Car Back Seat Headrest Mount Tablet Holder

Best way to watch movies in the car is with a mount that would hold the iPad or other tablet in place, hands-free, and away from kids' faces. Giving them a better view and also some distance from the screen.

• Listen to music

iPod Nano these days is under $100 and has 16GB of storage which can hold around up to 30 hours of music. More than enough for most road trips.

Apple iPod nano 16GB

• Share the sound

Better yet, the backseat passengers can share the music, as long as they agree on the genre, for duration of the ride without needing an extra MP3 player. A headphone jack splitter will allow multiple users to plug into the same device and listen to the tunes

Belkin Rockstar Multi Headphone Splitter

• Charge All Your Gadgets

Using the car's cigarette lighter, or better name would be an electrical port since we never use it for that, you can charge your gadgets with the USB chargers specifically designed to fit there. We currently have the Griffin dual USB charger in the front. It has been plugged in there for 3+ years. The latest gadget for charging your devices in the car is the Belkin Road Rockstar with 4 USB Ports. Not only does it have the same USB plug for the electrical port, but it also has an extension that is pulled through to the backseat and 2 other devices can be plugged in. The secondary portion has 2.4A ports that can charge tablets.

Extra

• The Best Part of Road Trips is…

• Water Safety Tips for Kids

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May 31, 2016

How To Travel Light With Your Family To the Beach

Summer Beach Packing Guide

It's Summer Time which means lugging a million things to the beach or pool, right? WRONG.

Here's my quick guide on how to travel (relatively) light with your infant or toddler to the beach this summer!

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Gear:

Schylling Infant UV Playshade – it’s a must – under 2 lb and becomes huge. Like a little playhouse that’s protected from harmful rays, harsh sun and has ventilation: http://amzn.to/248q6lpb An adult or two children can fit in there comfortably. A perfect place to discreetly breastfeed too or put a baby down for a nap. Or just fill it with sand and toys and your little one has a little play area sheltered from the sun. You can even get a little pool (like this) and fill with water. Instant fun!

Swimways Baby Spring Float (Pool only): http://amzn.to/1rr0Rfj
We used this only in the pool. The waves at the beach made me skeptical. It protects the baby from the sun and allows them to safely float and move their legs and arms. Folds flat.

Apparel:

Imse Vimse Water Shoes (Infant): http://amzn.to/1VH5RJf
Super cute and perfect for tiny feet. Keeps early walkers safe in the sand and the shoes float!

Swim shoes (toddler): http://amzn.to/1Tm7x8j - little feet are very sensitive and even the softest sand may have a sharp sea shell, we don’t take chances. Get those with a strap, the pull ones are too hard to put on

iPlay Hat with TIES: http://amzn.to/1TfRvcl If it is windy, you will certainly want to make sure the hat doesn't fly or float away. We've lost more than 1 hat before.

Rashguards: http://amzn.to/1Tm73iB - cute and comfy – guarantee the baby won’t burn the shoulders and back which are most sensitive to exposed sun – we didn’t bring any traditional swimsuits – they either do not cover or are impossible to take off if your little one is not potty trained.

Sunglasses: http://amzn.to/217auwc In the water, on the way to lunch, she always wore shades. Go for something lightweight and comfortable

Swim vest: http://amzn.to/1Tm7jxO Yes, floaties are cute, but this keeps the child above the water at all times and gives them mobility in the arms – she wore it every day to the ocean

Toys:

Toys, toys and more toys! http://amzn.to/1Qk1oEdand http://amzn.to/1PDeS0L aka FREE BABYSITTER - bring tons of shapes, shovels, and buckets – guaranteed 30 min of peace ;)

TIP: when getting sand toys, get a mesh bag so that even if wet or sandy, it will all shake out before you get home. Also, try to get buckets that stack into each other to maximize space

Care items: diapers, sunscreen and other musts:

Swim diapers: http://amzn.to/1Tm7b1y Save on space and get swim diapers instead of disposable. Not recommended if your child tends to go #2 in diapers

Swim diapers (disposable): We've tried them all, Pampers has great disposable ones. They are softer than Huggies and more durable. I recommend a fresh change after every hour in the water. Bring about 10 for 3 hrs of beach time. Put them in a quart Ziploc and squeeze air out.

Baby Powder: http://amzn.to/1OeHAkz You will thank me later! It takes off all the wet sand so you can reapply sunscreen without issue!

Noodle & Boo Sunscreen we love it: http://amzn.to/2174QKk

LureLux Natural Bug Repellent: http://amzn.to/1SIEwAt

Natural Hand Sanitizer Spray Original Scent: http://amzn.to/1TFZ2UU

Thermos Sippy Cup: http://amzn.to/1SGjVjN
Love this! We have it and the thermos straw bottle. It’s perfect in hot and cold weather, especially at the beach when sippy cups warm up extremely quickly

Hooded towel: http://amzn.to/1sRSytW Adorable and so functional. After the beach or pool, I quickly put this on my little one and they are dry and warm. Its very light and folds thin so there's no bulk of the beach towels

Snack holder: http://amzn.to/1Z3Bw5X I was THAT mom with flimsy Ziploc bags that quickly turned into a mess in the sand. These prevent snacks of coming out of the container and has easy access for little hands.

For the mom and dad:

Beach umbrella: http://amzn.to/1TLQxJx It weights around 9 lb but is super sleek and can be carried on a shoulder with built-in strap. Expands really big. Great shade

Sand Repellent Blanket: http://amzn.to/1WXp6PL I hate pesky sand that gets on the blanket or towels. This blanket is really cool and dries quickly and sand doesn't stick to it.

Best on the go beach bag/diaper bag: http://amzn.to/24ugvVo
This bag has a separate compartment for a cooler which has helped us organize and ensure everything is temperature regulated (formula, milk, snacks, even meds).

Cooler tote: http://amzn.to/1Z3BzyE Light and padded - keeps everything cold without the bulk of a traditional cooler - freeze water bottles before heading out and there's no need for ice or bulky ice packs

Towel holders: http://amzn.to/1Qk1Imv We discovered this on the windy beaches of Aruba and have been using them ever since

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May 23, 2016

5 Cool New Bike Gadgets To Hit The Road This Summer

Bicycle has been a mode of transportation for centuries. It is making a come back in small and large cities as an alternative to gas powered automobiles for shorter commutes. Bicycling is the greener convenient transportation.

Cargo Scooter

Image via indiegogo

Similar to cargo bike but smaller and best for shorter distances. Cargo scooter would be convenient for trips to store or as a transport to not carry you bags. Put suitcase on the front cargo rack, then scoot down to the train or bus station. Transfer suitcase on the bus rack, fold up the scooter, put that next to the suitcase, and you are ready to go. It is compact enough to fold up neatly in small spaces.

TagaBikes
www.tagabikes.com

A bike with a stroller built in. You can bike around with your little one, go to park, around the neighborhood, or sightseeing. And when you need to go into a store, museum, or similar, you can fold up the bike to convert it into a full size stroller. Convenient and fun transportation for both of you.

Carry your pet on your bike. Similar to the bike stroller for parents and kids, this bike add-on is for transporting you and your pooch safely. Made specificallyfor carrying small-sized pets securely and legally on a motorcycle, scooter or bicycle.

Bike Light/Camera

Bike lights are quite useful to make the biker visible to traffic. This innovation on tried and proved bike gadget not only works as a bike light but has a built in camera to record what is happening around you while on a bike trip. Could be used for great scenic videos or to review what happened if something occurs on the road.
Cycliq Fly6 HD Camera and Rear LED Light

Scuba Biking - Image: Instagram Techieattire

Biking Accessories

CamRah Bike Phone Mount Kit with Mounted Bicycle Light

Bike Light

Bicycle Roswheel Rear Seat Trunk Bag

Bike Mount for smartphone

Mini Bike Pump with Bonus Glueless Puncture Repair Kit

Unlimited web hosting Only $5.95

Sound-off: Are you planning any bike adventures? What is your favorite place to bike? Let us know below

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May 19, 2016

Travel News - Gadget Related - May

Travel News - Gadget Related - May

From Travel Sites & Blogs:

Google's Project Fi for Travelers: It's Great, If You Can Use It
Google Project Fi is a new US-based cell service that is able to switch automatically between the T-Mobile and Sprint networks as needed, and you could call and text over Wi-fi. Also included are free texts, $0.20/min calls and data at $10 per GB. With no annual contract required.
https://fi.google.com/about/

A sneak peek at Google’s upcoming travel app, Trips
techcrunch.com/2016/04/29/a-sneak-peek-at-googles-upcoming-travel-app-trips

Review: Skross World Adapter MUV USB
traveltech.about.com/Review-Skross-World-Adapter-MUV-USB