Category Archives: Travel with kids

Recap Of Our Visit To St Petersburg

Travel with kids, Trip Reports,
a man and child holding a cat
Cat Museum

Our trip to Russia started off with an interesting visit to Moscow. We just got home from the trip and it’s time for a recap from our time in Saint Petersburg.

We flew from Moscow to St Petersburg on Oneworld member S7 Airlines. We booked the flight using British Airways Avios points and had a little problem at check in. When we got to the counter, we were told that Lucas was not listed as a lap baby. This was definitely strange since I called BA a bunch of times and was told that he was added. I am not sure what caused the problem but luckily one of the S7 representatives spoke a bit of English and was able to help fix the problem. Otherwise the flight went well and S7 even served a small snack box for our short one hour plus flight.

Our hotel, Park Inn Nevsky was in a great location and an excellent choice for our visit to  Saint Petersburg. There is a train station less than 2 minutes away and buses are easy to catch (within a 5 minute walk) on the Nevsky Prospect, the main street in St Petersburg. Our room was a decent size and well worth it’s price. The rate also included breakfast.

Saint Petersburg was a nice change of pace from Moscow. One positive was that the it wasn’t as cold or snowy. It is a walk-able city with many sites in close proximity to each other. I really loved seeing the canals and impressive architecture all around. If you need to take the train, signs are written in Russian as well as English which makes them much easier for tourists to navigate through and figure out. The city had a very European vibe, more so than the cold feeling of Moscow.

Some Highlights:

  • Visiting The State Hermitage Museum
  • Jumping by the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood
  • Visiting the first museum in Russia- The Kunstkamera
  • Wandering around the neighborhood Kolomna
  • Stopping by the Cats Museum (we think)

Recap Of Our Visit To Moscow

Travel with kids, Trip Reports, ,
a group of people walking in front of a building
St. Basil’s Cathedral

We’re pretty much done with our trip to Russia and currently in Saint Petersburg. I’ve been so busy and tired that I haven’t had a chance to write about our trip so far.

Our flight to from JFK to Moscow with Delta went really well. Delta might just have some of the best infant- friendly travel policies. Due to traveling with a lap baby, we needed to go to a counter to check in and were then allowed to bypass a very long security line. Boarding was even more impressive. Families traveling with infants get to board first. I was beyond surprised that we got to even board before business class! I give Delta a BIG thumbs up for being so understanding to families traveling with babies! (Lucas, thanks you too!)
.
We got to our hotel- The Radisson Royal Hotel earlier then regular check in time and got very lucky- our room was available right away. The hotel and room were beautiful. We were upgraded to a better room which had plenty of space for Lucas to crawl around in (and lots of things for Lucas to try to destroy, like an expresso machine.) The one negative would have to be the location. It was a bit of a trek to the nearest metro and we found out the hard way that the taxis that are always available and waiting at the hotel charge 25% more then the standard rate. Our second hotel, Park Inn Sadu was not as fancy as the Radisson Royal (but still very nice) however the location made it a much better place to stay for us.
.
Moscow is an odd city to say the least. I can’t say that I don’t like it but it is difficult to get a true feel for it. People rarely smile and seem to be extremely pushy- literally. Getting around and communicating is also very difficult. We’ve had an easier time pretty much everywhere else in the world that we’ve visited. It was shocking to us that few locals spoke English.The weather was also much colder than expected. We figured it would be chilly but not so cold and snowy. It basically snowed the whole first three days of the trip. We were told that this was the coldest it’s been in years and the most snow they’ve had in the month of March, in years.
.
On a positive note things are not as pricey as people say they are. Cheap food can be found pretty easily and sites with admission fees were reasonably priced.

We also noticed that Russia seems to love American fast food chains. We saw locations of McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and a few others around the city.

Some Highlights:
  • The Red Square
  • The Kremlin
  • The Armoury (at The Kremlin)
  • Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent
  • Jumping All Over Moscow
  • Trying out some local food
  • Walking along Arbat 

Heading To The Airport, Next Stop Russia

American Express, Delta, Moscow, New York, Russia, Travel with kids
a map of the world
We’re putting the finishing touches on packing for our upcoming trip to Russia. I’m bringing a larger backpack than I’d like to for a trip of this length. But when you are packing for two and need cold weather items, that’s the best option.

We’ll be flying direct on Delta from New York’s JFK Airport to Moscow’s Sheremetyvo (SVO) Airport. The flight takes off around 5:30 p.m. and is approximately 9.5 hours long. 
We always like to arrive at the airport a bit early. We’ll check in, clear security and stop by the Delta Lounge (a nice perk of the Amex Platinum Card) to relax and have a snack before our flight.
a baby sitting on a chair
Lucas Miles W.
Hopefully Lucas will be his usual awesome self and cooperate on the flight. So far, he has been amazing when flying but this time around he is much more mobile and curious so it might be a bit of a different experience. Kim and I are prepared though (we think!). We have a couple of new books and toys ready for the flight as well as some of Lucas’ favorite snacks. Lucas usually goes to sleep in the 7:30-8:00 range so we are hoping he stays awake for a short while and then passes out for the bulk of our journey.

We’re really excited to be heading to Russia. We can’t wait to explore such an interesting place. I look forward to posting about the trip and our experiences very soon.

Happy holidays to all!

Lucas Likes Vanilla Too

Miles, Travel with kids,
For those of you that don’t know, some of us points and miles enthusiasts like to earn a little extra by purchasing pre-paid cards at drugstores or office supply stores with credit cards that earn a bonus. As an example: if you use a Hilton Amex card at drugstores you earn 6x points. If you use a Chase Ink card at office supply stores you can earn 5x points.
.
The cost to buy a pre-paid card is $3.95 and you can “load” up to $500 at a time per card.
This is a very basic description of how pre-paid card buying works. Don’t just jump in and buy the cards unless you fully understand what you are doing.
.
I am definitely no expert on the topic but I like to buy some Vanilla at times.
To find out more about this technique, check out the Boarding Area Blog Frequent Miler.
.

Progress in Planning: Our Next Big Trip- Russia

Travel with kids, Trip Planning
a red white and blue flag
image found in google search

People always ask me if I have a list of countries I’d like to visit. While I don’t actually keep a physical list, I frequently make mental notes of places that I really want to visit. Russia has long been among the of top places that I’d like to visit.

Over the years I have mentioned going to Russia to Kim many times. She’s never been too interested. In late November lots of cheap fares to Russia started making their rounds online. I was seeing some great pricing from Airfare Watchdog and The Flight Deal being reported through their e-mails and Twitter.

I decided to first look into availability and then ask Kim if she’d like to head over to Russia for Spring break in late March. To my surprise, Kim said yes! She was curious about the weather and which cities we would visit and was happy with the plan.

For our trip to Russia we will have 8 days (not including getting there/ back) to explore and wander around. We will be spending four nights in Moscow and four in Saint Petersburg.

The weather will be chilly with the average temperature during the day in the mid- high 30’s in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. I really enjoy visiting Europe during the winter and think the weather will be comfortable for sightseeing and beneficial in another way.
There should be little to no tourists around which should make visiting the sites really enjoyable.

a map of the world
created with mapquest

Off Topic: My Little Burger

Off Topic, Travel with kids, ,
a man holding a baby

Yesterday was the Jewish holiday of Purim. The easiest way to describe the holiday is to compare it to Halloween. During Purim, people get dressed up in costumes and candy/ snacks are given out. I’m not the best person to have explain the holiday so I’ll stop there.

For Purim we dressed up Lucas as one of my favorite foods, a Hamburger!
We had bought the costume for Halloween but with the destruction done by Hurricane Sandy, it wasn’t the year to take him out trick or treating. Candy is also not part of Lucas’ diet yet. Continue reading Off Topic: My Little Burger →

Lonely Planet "Not For Parents" Guides

Travel with kids,
a group of children's books

I recently came across a collection of Lonely Planet books geared towards kids.

Lonely Planet Not-For-Parents books aren’t guide books. They offer interesting stories and “facts about people, places, history and culture from around the world”.

The series was created because Lonely Planet felt that an important group of travelers- kids, were being left out. Continue reading Lonely Planet "Not For Parents" Guides →

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum- Kids Week 2013

Intrepid, New York City, Travel with kids
a poster for a kids event

A couple of weeks back I received an e-mail from a friend about an event coming up at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. 

I’ve been wanting to visit the Intrepid for a while now, especially to see the Space Shuttle Enterprise so the event sounded like a great reason to visit. (Too bad the Space Shuttle Pavilion is currently closed due to damage from Hurricane Sandy. It is scheduled to reopen in the spring.)

Kids Week 2013 is coming to the Intrepid from February 16- 24. 
Lucas might be a bit young for most of the special events taking place for Kids Week but Kim and I are still going to try to take him. This past weekend, Lucas visited his first children’s museum and had a blast. I feel that it’s never too soon to expose little ones to new activities & experiences. It’s also great for him to be around other kids.

According to the Intrepid website:

Intrepid Museum’s Kids Week offers fun-filled entertainment the whole family will enjoy. Participate in hands-on activities from our partners, including performances, games, cool demonstrations and more. Kids Week is action packed and filled with excitement!

There is a schedule of activities for each day of Kids Week online. If you are thinking of going make sure to check it out and pick a day where the activities seem best for you and your kiddies. If Kim and I decide to go, it would most likely be on a Saturday or Sunday.

My favorite days are actually during the first weekend. The theme for February 16-17 is called “Under the Big Top”. Some of these events sound like they would be fun for Lucas to see.

 Find out more about Intrepid Kids Week and check out the daily schedule of events HERE.

Budget Travel: 9 Essential Travel Products For Kids

Budget Travel, Lucas, Products, Travel with kids
a toy and a toy set
(Image from Budget Travel)

Budget Travel  had a slideshow on Essential Travel Products for Kids in June 2012 that I found pretty interesting. At the time, most of the items on the list were not suitable for Lucas so I decided to save a link to it for future reference. 

With Kim and I recently celebrating Lucas’ 1st Birthday, I thought it was time to look over this list again. For all I know, some of these products might be useful for us on upcoming trips!

 Here is the List:

  1. Uppababy G-Lite Stroller– The lightest full size stroller on the market plus it stands on it’s own when folded.
  2. KidCo Peapod Plus– a pop-up tent with blow up mattress. It also has UV protection

  3. Laugh & Learn Apptivity Case– kid friendly iPhone case

  4. City Walks With Kids Cards– Comes in sets of 50 cards for 5 cities. They list “family- friendly routes, mixing classic sites with tot friendly eats, playgrounds and tales to keep the little ones engaged”.

  5. GoPicnic Ready-To-Eat Meals– “Healthy riffs on lunchbox classics- have no trans- fats, high- fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors.” 
  6. Play Visions LEGO Headlamp– A headlamp made especially for kids. The lights are on the feet of the posable LEGO Man.

  7. gogo Kidz Travelmate– If you’re bringing a car seat, the gogo Kidz “sets your seat on wheels for easy in- airport maneuvering.”

  8. My Little Seat– If a restaurant doesn’t have a high-chair then this sounds like a useful product. “A washable, fabric harness, turns nearly any chair into a safe baby perch.”

  9. Travel-Tot Childproofing Kit-“Pack peace of mind… the kit includes foam corner guards, outlet covers, cabinet locks, finger pinch guards and more”.

Some Favorites: 
  • gogo Kidz Travelmate– On the two trips where we rented a car, we brought a car seat on one of them. Now that Lucas is using a convertible car seat, I would not bring it unless we had something to wheel it with. The gogo would make that possible.
  • Play Visions LEGO Headlamp– I bring a headlamp on every trip that I take. I also love LEGO so I’d love to get this headlamp for Lucas when he is a little older.
  • GoPicnic Ready-To-Eat Meals– This sounded to me like a healthy, kids version of Lunchables. Sounds like a great idea if you are planning long days/ car rides while traveling.
  • City Walks With Kids Cards– These cards sound like a great way to have kids take some control of a trip. I’d love to see what kind of activities are suggested and use them as a guide for one.
What products from this list do you feel are the most useful and could help make traveling with kids a little easier?

For more information about each product, check out the slideshow from Budget Travel HERE

Happy 1st Birthday to Lucas Miles

Lucas, Travel with kids
a man holding a child on his shoulders
Ryman Auditorium- Nashville, TN

Last March I wrote about A New Kind of Miles. However, I wasn’t talking about airlines miles. I wanted to introduce my son Lucas Miles.

January 11 was a very special day at the Michael W Travels home. We were celebrating the first birthday of our amazing little boy Lucas. He has brought a ton of joy and happiness to Kim & I. Things will never be the same for us, they have only gotten better!
Watching Lucas grow and change over the year has been really incredible!

a baby sitting in a chair

Continue reading Happy 1st Birthday to Lucas Miles →