Category Archives: Family Travel

Product Review: Kids Fly Safe- CARES Safety Harness

Family Travel, Product Review,

cares harness

(Publishing this review is long overdue…)

After flying 91,144 miles as a lap baby in his first 2 years, Lucas took his first flight in his own seat back in January 2014 (during our trip to Norway). He got some more experience flying again in his own seat in February during our Quick Euro Roadtrip, Our Visit to Malta & Milan and on a bunch of other trips since in 2014.

Although we did bring our car seat on Lucas’s second trip we didn’t bring it to Norway or want to bring it on the flights. We figured that his car seat would be a pain in the butt, taking up precious space instead of giving us extra space due to our third seat.

We were hesitant to have Lucas secured with only a regular airplane seatbelt so we started to look into other options. I had seen a couple of solutions at stores in the past but didn’t think much about them until now.

Continue reading Product Review: Kids Fly Safe- CARES Safety Harness →

A Family Visit to the Guinness Storehouse

Family Travel, Trip Reports, , ,

Guinness Storehouse

While researching things to do during our trip to Ireland, there was one place that I knew we had to visit.

For years I’ve heard about the Guinness Storehouse, home to the iconic Guinness Brewery. It seemed that no trip (or at least first visit) to Ireland would not be complete without checking it out.

Since Kim and I enjoy visiting breweries and beer-related sites, we decided to stop by on the day we arrived in Ireland. Continue reading A Family Visit to the Guinness Storehouse →

Lawyer Up! My Fight Against Explore Trip for Theo’s Lap Baby Ticket

Family Travel, Travel Articles, ,

explore trip

At the beginning of March I wrote about how Theo’s coach lap baby ticket to Ireland cost $350+. (Check out my Ireland trip planning post here.)

Had OTA Explore Trip called British Airways to book Theo’s lap baby ticket on one of the occasions that I called, the taxes/ fees would’ve been a lot cheaper. Continue reading Lawyer Up! My Fight Against Explore Trip for Theo’s Lap Baby Ticket →

Theo’s Six Months Old Travel Update!

Family Travel,

travel update

My little man Theo turned 6 months old a couple of weeks back. He was born a bit early on August 30. I guess he was eager to meet Mommy, Daddy and big brother Lucas!

Theo’s an amazing little boy and he’s added so much to our family. I doubt most of you want to hear a parent brag about their kid but since this is a travel blog I did want to share a six month travel update! Continue reading Theo’s Six Months Old Travel Update! →

Meeting A Paws For Life Therapy Dog at BUF Airport

Family Travel, Trip Reports, , ,

therapy dog

A couple of weekends back the Michael W Travels family visited Buffalo, NY.

On the way home Kim noticed a cute friendly dog playing with another family. Lucas really loves dogs so Kim suggested that he go over and ask to pet the dog.

This turned out to be a simple request considering the dog was walking around the airport with its owner as part of the Paws for Love program! Continue reading Meeting A Paws For Life Therapy Dog at BUF Airport →

Does It Matter What Name Is On A Domestic Lap Baby Ticket?

Family Travel, Trip Reports,

lap baby

Theo was born at the end of August 2016 and at six months old he’s already flown 16 flight segments and just under 20,000 miles. (Theo took his 1st flight at 7 weeks old.)

On every flight Theo has flown as a lap baby. When you fly to an international destination, lap baby tickets have a fee. If you’re flying domestic, you won’t have to pay anything extra but the baby will still need a ticket. Continue reading Does It Matter What Name Is On A Domestic Lap Baby Ticket? →

$1,381.48 + 57,722 Points=Trip for 4 to Ireland

Family Travel, Trip Reports, ,
ireland
image: googlemaps

Over the winter break, the Michael W Travels family took our first international trip as a family of 4. Our destination was Costa Rica.

The trip went really well and now we couldn’t wait until our next trip.

During President’s Week, we went on a quick trip to Ireland! Continue reading $1,381.48 + 57,722 Points=Trip for 4 to Ireland →

Ouch! Theo’s Coach Lap Baby Ticket to Ireland Cost $350+!

Family Travel, ,

lap baby

The Michael W Travels Family recently got back from a quick trip to Ireland.

While I typically try to book our flights with miles and points, due to a cheap fare (and also no award flight availability) I bought the tickets for around $400 each.

At the time of booking I decided to not add Theo on as a lap baby. I figured that I could just add him on after. While this was never an issue while flying with Lucas as a lap baby, this would be a costly error on my part. Continue reading Ouch! Theo’s Coach Lap Baby Ticket to Ireland Cost $350+! →

Spring Break Health Tips from Oscar Health & Michael W Travels

Family Travel, Travel Articles, ,

spring breakSpring Break is fast approaching. I’m super-excited for our trip, which will be Theo’s first visit to Asia. (It will also be Kim, Lucas and my first trip back to Asia in a couple of years.)

Even though Spring Break is less than a couple of months away, I’m psyched that we have another trip coming up (we leave at the end of next week) over President’s Week!

While we rarely purchase travel insurance, there are a variety of steps we take to stay healthy during our travels. Continue reading Spring Break Health Tips from Oscar Health & Michael W Travels →

Family Travel Tip: Don’t Forget To Bring…

Family Travel, ,

family travelLucas and I went on our 2nd Father Son Trip to Mexico in July 2016.

While all-inclusive resorts aren’t my thing, since I won the trip how could I refuse to go! I also knew that Lucas would have a great time since he just loves playing in the water and in the sand.

To make the trip a bit more exciting for me, I set up a visit to a UNESCO World Heritage Site that I had yet to visit, Chichen Itza, located in Mexico’s Yucatan.

During the visit, I committed what I’d consider to be the biggest family travel mistake I’ve made to date. Continue reading Family Travel Tip: Don’t Forget To Bring… →