Family Travel Ideas
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Writers’ Round-up: Camping in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia with kids
Reading a first-person online camping story is excellent way to feel out a possible campsite – before you’ve even arrived! Here’s a quick round-up of sites (and sights) around the blogosphere, along with great takeaways. If you’d like me to include your camping related-post, leave a comment. Northwest Cheapsleeps: I love this Seattle-based mom’s car camping checklist. Takeaway: StingEze takes the bite out of mosquito nibbles. You don’t know how badly I needed this information. Weelife: What’s a roof-top tent? Let BC-based camping expert weelife tell you all about this new way to camp, then let her tell you about kid fun on camping trips, and then how her hubby MADE A CAMPING SHOWER (yes,…
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No-Cry Tips for Camping with Babies and Toddlers
OK, I’m sure half of you are laughing at the very title of this article – camping?! With an infant, crawler or toddler? The little humans that are nothing if not predictably unpredictable? Noooothankyou. Wait, wait…come back. We’ll break this down and I’ll see if I can convince you. Because maybe there’s some little part of your pre-baby self that does want to sleep beneath the towering evergreens, the scent of fir and campfire enveloping your soul. (I know, I said the word “campfire†and now all you can think about is your toddler playing with the embers.) We took both kids camping at an early age – my daughter…
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Washington State Round-Up: From the Coast to Cascades (and beyond)
As you probably know by now, Cascadia Kids isn’t my day job — yet. I write travel articles for a wide variety of print publications, including the Washington State Visitors’ Guide, which is available on many of the Washington State ferries, in the Whole Foods, and at many visitors’ centers throughout the state. Here’s a quick sampling of the articles I wrote for the guide (you’ll find more inside the print pub). Some of the articles focus on places I haven’t yet written my family guides for, including Whidbey Island, Washington Coast and Kitsap County. They’re all on my to-do list, I promise! But the to-do list is pretty long…
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Newport, Oregon with Kids
Newport, Oregon is a similar destination to Cannon Beach, Oregon for the annual family vacation. You’ve got the lovely, cream-toned sand, the toy stores and kite shops, the upscale and midrange restaurants. But there’s one big difference between Cannon Beach and Newport — you won’t sleep at Cannon Beach hotel prices (which can easily leap into the $300- $400-dollar range). Plus, Newport offers many outdoor and indoor attractions, whether you’re there on a sunny summer day or on a rainy weekend getaway. The downside? It’s a haul from Portland, Seattle or further north or east. You’ll tack on about two hours of drive time each way to reach Newport (we…
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What to Pack for an Outdoor Festival (with Kids)
It’s festival season here in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. We’ve got festivals of every stripe — berry festivals, Shakespeare festivals, folk festivals, medieval festivals, rose and rodeo festivals. Our family recently went to the Folklife Festival with our kids, and here’s a packing list I created. These items fit into one small backpack ( thankfully, we didn’t need any rain gear), which we slung over the stroller, along with the small cooler. Festival essentials: Cell phone ID Keys Cash (more than you think you’ll need) and Credit/Debit card and pin Tickets if necessary Map or iPhone or Android event schedule/map Camera w/extra battery or memory card Festival packing…
