KinderHop :: How To Keep Kids Occupied On A Plane

[trip style = any]

{KinderHop is published once monthly and written by Trip Styler’s Seattle-based kid 'n family writer, Keryn.}

Traveling with kids on the plane doesn’t have to be the nightmare you imagine it will be. The key is to be an active parent. If you try to wish away any squirming or tears, they certainly won’t disappear on their own. It's true, your days of popping a sleeping pill might be behind you for a little while, but you can still enjoy a long flight with your kids. If I can make it 15 hours to Hong Kong with a 20-month-old by myself, I can do just about anything. With a little creativity you can turn any flight into a fun adventure with your kid{s}.

Keeping Kids Occupied On A Plane // Survival Tactics

• Grab some flash cards and books to distract young minds during takeoff and landing.
• Keep a small model airplane handy to get young travelers excited about the flight. Help them pretend to liftoff and land. Do a few loop de loops. Have the plane land on his or her tummy for a quick tickle and distraction from any turbulence along the way.
• Hand over your iPad, iPhone or laptop. There are several engaging toddler game apps and movies available to keep your child entertained for hours. If you normally limit electronic use for your child, think of this as the ultimate treat and something that only happens when you travel.
• Get up and walk. Never underestimate the power of a stroll down the aisles. Kids, just like adults, need to stretch their legs from time to time. If your kid can’t sit still at home, why would they on a plane?
• Don’t forget snacks! Young mouths need to be fed more often than adults. An added bonus is snack time will eat up a chunk {pun intended} of your flight and keep your kids occupied for at least a few minutes.
• Take a deep breath. Some babies and kids will cry. This is just part of life as a parent. Your fellow passengers will be more forgiving if they see you at least making an effort. Some may even try to give you a hand.

[photos by keryn]

Canadian West Coast Adventures

[trip style = active + adventure]

Today is a holiday across Canada. It's really the holiday of all summer holidays because the weather is almost always hot and days are long: summer at its best, you might say.

In celebration of the last month of melting ice cream and s'mores roasting over the campfire, I present to you an article I recently wrote for Fodor's: Five Summer Adventures on Canada's West Coast, involving: - kayaking in Vancouver - whale watching in Victoria - surfing in Tofino - mountain biking in Whistler - river rafting in the Fraser Canyon

Here's a little taste of the intro: "Steeped in nature's grandest delights–majestic mountains, vast rainforests and raging rivers—Canada's West Coast is the ultimate summer playground. With a cool breeze off the Pacific Ocean, temperatures hover in the mid-70s, making British Columbia's part-wild, part-cosmopolitan seaside locale easy to explore for both soft- and hard-core adventurers. And it's not just tourists who whale watch and mountain bike; locals make the most of the latitude and longitude that allows for morning hikes and afternoon dips in the ocean! Here are five of the Canadian West Coast's wildest adventures."

In case you're interested, a list of all my Fodor's articles.

[photo: ryan b robinson - Downtime Photo]

Summer Travel :: Take Time For Lunch

[trip style = any]

"On the coasts of France and Italy, a midday meal isn't some grab-and-go affair. It's the centerpiece of your day--every day." - Adam Rapoport, EIC Bon Appetit Magazine

When's the last time you had a lengthy lunch? The kind where you sit under the shade of an umbrella or low-hanging tree without a care in the world?

I recently read an article in Bon Appetit Mag {my new magazine obsession} extolling the lost art of the long lunch. Inspired by a summer vacation to Tuscany and the daily afternoon ritual of gathering with friends and family to eat fresh food and cheap wine, the mag's editor, Adam Rapoport, examined the leisurely European midday meal.

It made me think. In the past few years, I can only recall two instances of an nhurried afternoon nosh. The first was in Europe three years ago. I was with friends in the Cinque Terre. There were long pasta lunches AND long pizza dinners {it's Italy ok, you eat a lot} atop the stone cliffs of the Italian Riviera. The second was on Wilson Island, Australia last year. Sitting at a long table in a bathing suit cover-up {hair messy from a morning snorkel in the great barrier reef}, an Italian chef prepared a four-course meal every day at noon. Not surprisingly, along with the free-flowing fine wines, the gourmet lunch lasted for hours. I haven't had a long lunch since.

It's true; we're just past summer's midpoint but that's not to say we can't adopt the not-so-lofty luncheon for an upcoming weekend or late-summer trip. In fact, I'm going to attempt to channel a smidgen of the Europeans' August holiday tradition this week on vacation in Washington's backcountry. There will be market-fresh food, there will be laughter and there will be cheap rosé, and aside from my book and a morning bike ride, I'm banking on lunch acting as the centerpiece of our three-day getaway.

Cin cin, I hope you find time to clear your schedule and fill it to the brim with family, friends and food to reclaim lunch.

[photos by @tripstyler]

Healthy On The Road :: Hotel Hallway Exercises

[trip style = any]

{Editor's Note: This month I was talking with Leah, Trip Styler's Healthy On The Road'er about the many ways to stay fit while traveling, and inspired by bootcamp-style workouts using any space for exercise, we both agreed that beyond using the gym, pool or running outdoors, the hotel hallway is a great venue for a routine.}

Your hotel hallway: one more way to stay healthy on the road, one more reason to leave your excuses at home! At HOTR we've suggested how to stay fit without leaving your hotel room, now we challenge you to expand your territory---into the hallway! Crazy? Not really, read on...

How

• Circuit training can be challenging in a hotel room. In the hallway, you can more easily incorporate exercises such as lunges, squat pliés, moving jumping jacks, crab walks/bear crawls, leap frogs and of course the trusty band {just be sure to secure it on YOUR door handle!}
• Pick at least three exercises and perform each for 30 secs to 1 min {repeat 3 to 5 times}
• Brave this new frontier with a partner, and take turns leading a new exercise
• Incorporate the stairways into your circuit {e.g. power walk every level of your hotel and the flights of stairs in between (more challenge: go up the stairs by 2)---no elevator allowed!}

Reasons To Try The Hallway

• More space to move faster {the higher your heart rate…the better/more efficient your workout}
• Rarely filled with people
• Great for circuit training
• Opportunity to perform continuous reps

Beware of

• Making your neighbours feel lazy
• Raising unnecessary alarm when spotted lunging down the hallway
• Crab walking into the cleaning cart

So, if you can muster up the courage to take the step over the threshold, you may just discover a few more ways to stay HOTR.

{When she’s not training clients or being trained by her dog Zuzu, Leah writesHealthy on the Road, published the first Wednesday of every month.}

More Healthy On The Road Exercises For The Rhythms Of Life 5 Reasons To Go Summer Hiking Back At It Give The Pool A Chance – A Workout In The Water The 20-min Exercise Itinerary Healthy DIY Plane Snacks Hotel Room Exercises {You can do in your underwear}

[photo by @tripstyler]