For the first time, I am headed to the New York International Toy Fair - VERY EXCITED. I have reserved a hotel for 3 nights just 1/2 of a block from the Convention Center where it is held (at a modest $200 a night for nothing noteworthy!?). Then, it struck me that this is happening during my sons' and husband's February vacation so why not make a family trip of it?! They can go see some nearby sights (Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building etc.), while I spend a couple of days trying to find the next wave of really cool items to include for KidsTravelHappy.com (kids, ironically, are NOT allowed at the Toy Fair, and this is an IN the industry show, but if you are a retailer- see you there!).
Then, came the task of figuring out how to make the most of our 4 days and 3 nights in NYC. To drive from Maine means 6-8 hours (or more, depending on traffic and weather), but fairly inexpensive way to go. Our kids (3 and 6 years) are seasoned travelers so the time isn't a problem in that sense, but did we want to spend all that time IN the car with so little time overall on this trip? Then, there's the hassle of what to do with the car in the city, paying to park, navigating around etc. SO, I then looked into plane tickets, on Orbitz and Expedia, finally settling for JetBlue.com, as the show offers a 5% OFF coupon for those attending the show. It ended up being about $450 for 4 of us to fly from Portland, Maine to Laguardia Airport, NY. We booked and are relieved that this will offer the max amount of time at our destination with a minimal amount of travel time.
Next, the task of how to save on the other major 'costs' of travel with a family to a city.
FOOD - we love to dine out, especially in a place with so MANY unique options, yet, we are not used to the 'NY' pricing. Our strategy? We have a hotel with a microwave and a refrigerator, so we plan to make good use of them for snacks, breakfast, and lunch, and splurge on dinner out each day. We have had fun surfing around the internet for kid friendly places in and around the Toy Show (Times Square, Rockefeller Center area). Another great option is to pack laptop lunch/Bento style snacks for on-the-go/around town snacking.
TRANSPORTATION - we have decided to fore go driving into New York (as mentioned above) and use the abundance of public transportation. More on this after we go! While I'm at the show, my husband and boys will concentrate on the sites nearby, as that will help save cost as well - there are so many things to see, there is no need to go too far anyway.
WATER - we are fans of Sigg, Crocodile Creek, or similar reusable BPA bottles, and with studies showing that bottled water is not better or worse than tap water, the investment in a nice Steel Bottle is worth it when you can fill it for FREE! This is especially handy in an airport where bottled water can be somewhat astronomical in price - just make sure it is empty for security, or you'll be dumping it out! You can fill once inside.
In a few weeks I'll have a report on the show, what were good things to do (and, not), as well as fun stuff I found and learned at the show. To be continued.....
When we went to Hawaii last year, we knew someone who lived near where we were going. In fact, he owns a spectacular rental home RIGHT ON Sunset Beach, Oahu, however, it was (by a factor of 10) way more money than we could afford. He did suggest that we check out www.VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner) for some economical, larger than a hotel room, rental properties.
After a bit of searching, we narrowed our options down quite quickly, and were happy to have a 1-bedroom, 850 square foot home with a queen, kid bed, and a queen futon couch - plenty of room for our family of 4 and my mom. It also had a kitchen, full bath, beach toys, beach chairs, boogie boards, beach cruiser bikes (2) all included.
The added bonus was that the family we rented from lived on the top floor of their home (many have to rent out part of their house just to make the mortgage!), and they had kids the exact same ages as ours, which was great (except, that the kids often didn't want to leave!).
We found that having a 'home' for the kids for the 8 days we were there enabled us to more easily maintain a bedtime routine, and despite the many hours on a plane to get there (from Maine), we all adjusted quite quickly. The ability to cook some of our own meals (and spend the money on other activities, and a few really GREAT meals out), the room to spread ourselves out etc.. was so worth it. Not to mention, it only ended up costing us about $110 a night - much lower than what any hotel on Oahu with much less space would cost. If your budget is larger, there are even more options. As it were, we were only 2 blocks from the beach (and ALL beaches are public in Hawaii!), and we walked to pastries and coffee every morning!
A few websites to check out are: (and, there are hundreds)
And, of course, you can always check (in the U.S.) with the local Chamber of Commerce wherever you are looking to go, and find vacation rental options as well.
When traveling with kids, we feel it's important to make as many of the aspects of the trip feel like 'home' so they are more apt to enjoy the things that you are traveling to see!
For the first time, I am headed to the New York International Toy Fair - VERY EXCITED. I have reserved a hotel for 3 nights just 1/2 of a block from the Convention Center where it is held (at a modest $200 a night for nothing noteworthy!?). Then, it struck me that this is happening during my sons' and husband's February vacation so why not make a family trip of it?! They can go see some nearby sights (Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building etc.), while I spend a couple of days trying to find the next wave of really cool items to include for KidsTravelHappy.com (kids, ironically, are NOT allowed at the Toy Fair, and this is an IN the industry show, but if you are a retailer- see you there!).so we plan to make good use of them for snacks, breakfast, and lunch, and splurge on dinner out each day. We have had fun surfing around the internet for kid friendly places in and around the Toy Show (Times Square, Rockefeller Center area). Another great option is to pack laptop lunch/Bento style snacks for on-the-go/around town snacking.
or similar reusable BPA bottles, and with studies showing that bottled water is not better or worse than tap water, the investment in a nice Steel Bottle is worth it when you can fill it for FREE! This is especially handy in an airport where bottled water can be somewhat astronomical in price - just make sure it is empty for security, or you'll be dumping it out! You can fill once inside.
