Once Upon a Trunki Has a New Home!!!

To make your Trunki blog experience, we've moved the Trunki blog to Wordpress and changed the name. Once Upon a Trunki is now Tales of a Travelista. You'll still get the same great tips and tales but now with a wider range of product reviews, help for parents and travel ideas. I hope you enjoy the new site!!

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Tales of a Travelista

Fun on the Road

Tomorrow we're having a family first. We're taking a bus to New York. We've never taken a long bus ride before so this should be interesting. I was poking around looking for some way of keeping Maya entertained and came across a great article at greatschools.net. The article is Are We There Yet? Travel Games for the Road and has loads of great ideas for games and things to do. Things like counting games, word games, guessing games, etc. Hopefully some of these will help us pass the time. Take a gander and pick up some ideas for your next road trip!

WORLD CUP BABY!!!!!!!

YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's official! We have World Cup tickets!!!!!! I shaking with delight right now!! I've done my happy dance! I've even told some poor guy at the credit card company that he totally made my day! The second I called and heard that FIFA had charged our card I let out with a scream of girlish hooligan glee! Man I can't WAIT!!!!!!!!! Football RULES!!!!

I'll try to contain myself for the rest of the day. Im not sure if I can though!

So close, yet so far: New U.S. Travel policy for Cuba

Foiled again! While Im very glad that our new administration has decided to lift travel restrictions for U.S. citizens of Cuban descent, Im really bummed out that they did not lift the travel restrictions for U.S. citizens of non-Cuban descent. I mean really, is buying trinkets and eating at restaurants THAT bad. I know that Castro was oppressive and I understand the reason for the embargo. But, it's also been 40 years. The people in my generation are so much more global and I think most of us will agree that any regulation birthed during the Cold War is pretty outdated and way too rigid. There are other ways of disagreeing with a country's policies.

Yeah, yeah I can get there by going to Toronto first, but that method is on the shady side and I've already got dings for going to China, Turkey, Egypt, and probably Tunisia. Plus I want my stamp lol. I'm weird that way.

Oh well. The important thing is that now our Cubano citizens can go see their family...and bring back more of their yummy recipes!

The Young Family European Extravaganza!

That's right folks, Clark Griswold's gonna have nothing on us after this summer's invasion of western Europe by the Young family. Thankfully we're much more adept at perusing European culture and will most certainly not be donning any cheesy berets with our names embroidered on them. BUT we're going all out on this trip. Our final city list is *drumroll*

Cologne, Germany
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg *NEW COUNTRY*
Strasbourg, France
Basel, Switzerland
Zurich, Switzerland
Somewhere in Lichtenschtein *NEW COUNTRY*
Paris, France
Brussels, Belgium *NEW COUNTRY*
Brugges, Belgium
Amsterdam, Netherlands *NEW COUNTRY*

And I'm sure there will be a few more thrown in there for good measure. Im very excited about hitting Paris again because our last trip was taken before digital cameras hit it big and our pictures look like we went there in 1975. As an example:

Seriously, this looks like it should be a picture of my mom. Thankfully we've upgraded. There has even been talk of renting a fancy schmancy wide angle lens just for the trip. Say it with me "oooooooh, ahhhhhhh."

We're hoping to keep Maya's spirits up by waving tickets to EuroDisney in her face like a carrot. I'll be keeping my spirits up by keeping our travel cooler stocked to the brim with yummy cheese, bread, and cured meats. Mmmmmm, cured meat. *droooooo* What? Huh? Oh I got lost in a meat daydream. Sorry.

As a final note, I would like to apologize for my three week hiatus. Josh was gone for a week in Guatemala and, well, my mind got pretty fried before, during, and after his absence. Work has been insanely busy and frankly has been sucking the life out of me. Then Josh was gone and, well, lets just say my brain stopped functioning there for a while. Im hopefully back on track now! Hopefully.

OH! And I am so happy to report that for the FIRST TIME EVER I saw a Trunki in an American luggage store. My heart burst with joy at the sight of it. Im so happy that it's finally making it's way over the pond! Good luck to Rob and the gang. I hope it catches on!

Solo Trips and Safety Precautions

So Josh is leaving for Guatemala this weekend and has taken to telling me all the horror stories he keeps reading about on the state department website. Here's a tip people. Don't tell your spouse, partner, significant other that you're about to take a trip where X number of people have died by [insert horrible death]. We don't want to know!!!!!! But, this gets to my point of personal safety.

Saftey on trips should never be an afterthought. Despite Josh just now telling me these things, Im SURE (Im giving you the stink eye Josh) he looked into this beforehand. When traveling anywhere outside of the United States it's really imperative to check out the saftey reports from the State Department travel.state.gov website and also search for any recent news articles. These will provide you with vital information on where not to go, what not to do, and who not to talk to. Also, if you can, check with your hotel's concierge once you get there to get the low down on the area and whether or not there are any areas you should avoid.

It takes so little time to do these things but don't brush them aside. They could literally save your life!

Extreme Sheep from Wales!

This was just too good not to post. Some shepherds in Wales went all out with their sheep and did some AMAZING stuff. I don't know whether to think they had too much time on their hands or bow down to their logistical awesomeness. Now THAT takes some planning!

Traveling Cheap....really cheap

British blogger Paul Smith is now my personal hero. He's trying to see how far around the world he can get using only the power of the social networking site Twitter. It reminds me a lot of this game show that was on a few years ago called Beg, Borrow, or Steal (of couse I would hope he wouldnt steal anything lol). In BBoS you had to complete tasks (which I think included traveling) by relying on the goodness of others. Mr. Smith has added an extra dose of feel good by using his travels to raise money for charity:water which works to provide clean drinking water for people in developing countries.

Looks like he's trapsing around LA at the moment after suffering a bit of a defeat in New Zealand when he found out he couldnt go to Campbell Island, a famous and vitally important (ecologically speaking) unihabited island that is also a World UNESCO Heritage Site.

You can check out his blog here: http://twitchhiker.wordpress.com/

You can "tweet" with him here: http://twitter.com/twitchhiker/

Find out more about charity:water

BEWARE...The Yondi is so cute it could be fatal!

If you haven't already, you really should sign up for the Trunki World email newsletter. For one thing they have these great little stories about all the Trunkis comings and goings but you also get to hear about great new stuff like this....

It's the new Yondi and OMG is it adorable! The one for older kids even has an MP3 player pocket! Seriously, who comes up with this stuff?! Someone over there got an extra cuteness gene and is now using it to take over the world! I hope to see this around lots of little sleepyheads soon. I think I need to go watch a cop show to counteract this imagery.

Going Green?

So lately I've been thinking about looking into trying to offset our carbon footprint in an effort to be eco-concious. I already recycle, use reusable shopping bags for grocery shopping, use as many non chemical cleaning products as I can, etc. so why not go carbon neutral too?! Well, it seems that it's not that easy. There doesn't seem to be any real regulation in this new industry and while some companies say they are carbon neutral, it turns out that's about as reliable as a bag of fat free potato chips. In short, Im still looking around and digesting the options. Where's Al Gore when you need him?

More bags!

We saw a ridiculous deal on Costco.com for two more of our beloved Heys bags. For $100 we got another small carry on size and a medium size hard sided spinner. Included in that was ANOTHER carry on bag AND a travel day bag. SWEEEEEEET! Now might be a good time to look at luggage prices actually. Stores are probably desperate to offload that kind of stuff right now since so many people have cut back on travel. I'll have to check that out.

Africa, here we come!

So the Travel Expo was great! Maya had an awesome time checking out all the musical acts, the dive tank (yes I said dive tank), and all the fun swag. Josh and I concentrated on Africa and Asia since those are the places we want to go to the most. We found a great tour company that does family focused safari tours in Botswana with a stop off at Victoria Falls! We're very excited about that. Now all we have to do is get World Cup tickets lol. Anyone have an in with FIFA?

Adventure Travel Expo!

We're off to the DC Adventure Travel Expo today. I can't wait. There are a ton of booths to look at, a few seminars, and loads of other stuff. It should be a lot of fun. We're hoping to scope out a few safari groups but who knows what we'll find! I'll update later with travel goodness.

Trunki Goes Galactic?

No, no, towgo isn't going to space....yet! I've just been thinking a lot lately about the whole commercial space tourism industry. My friends and I have been going back and forth as of late as to what's going to happen to NASA once the shuttles are retired in 2010. I think, in order for NASA to survive, there needs to be a partial commercialization of the space industry. This, of course, means space tourism! Virgin Galactic is already signing people up for suborbital flights and NASA is already banking on there being some kind of commercial space industry in place by the time it's ready to resume lunar missions in 2020.

So...what does this mean for us?! It's a new frontier. One that's horribly, and unimaginably expensive right now, but one that I hope is within the reach of all of us someday. If I had been better at math and science I totally would have tried to become an astronaut. For now, I'll have to survive being a lounge chair shuttle commander drooling over NASA's budget release detailing all their programs. Oh yes, and being a GIANT dork.

Tipu's new friend!

If you haven't already you should saunter on over to trunkitravels.com and check out the footage of Trunki's new Tipu hanging out with all the animals at the Longleat Safari Animal Park. It's soooooo cute!!!! One of the tigers, Soundari, really took a liking to little Tipu and it almost looked as if it thought it was a cub! That, or maybe it thought it was a new toy :D. I'm pretty sure the monkey's had no clue what it was or what to do with it. Congrats to Rob and the gang on another adorable addition to the Trunki family!

World Cup is Upon Us! Start Planning Now!

Well...at least for those of us who are eagerly awaiting its beginning next summer. For now, we are busying ourselves with watching qualifiers and getting ready to enter our names into the lotteries for tickets. Josh and I are already trying to decide how we're going to map out our vacations for the next 18 months in preparation. Currently, the plan is to go to a match somewhere in the host country of South Africa and then head up to Botswana for an African Safari.

The problem is that this trip is going to be costly. More expensive than China even, mostly due to the cost of the safari. Ths is impacting all of our other trips. Where we go, when we take them, whether or not we should totally leave out a trip somewhere or maybe just Josh go somewhere. Now, I know that our financial status allows us to do things that other people may think is frivolous. But at the same time, these are things that people who are planning trips to other places (or really any major purchase) need to think about. No matter how much money you are planning to spend, you're going to spend money and you have to spend it wisely. One man's safari is another man's trip to Disney.

Planning ahead is vital and it can really help keep the costs down. Think about your finances now, and try to think about the financial possibilities 18 months from now. Is there a chance someone will be out of a job? Can you skimp on other things to make a trip a year from now possible? Is there something closer to home that offers a similar experience at a lower cost? How important is giving your family a vacation in the grand scheme of things? These are all things we consider when planning our travel and because we try to plan these things far in advance, it allows us to take advantage of deals on airlines, hotels, etc. The other advantage is we can budget our money, always keeping our goal in mind. So often I ask myself "Do I really need a new pair of shoes, or can this money be saved towards something more important like an airline ticket?" Hopefully that passed over pair of shoes will help pay for a ride on an elephant!

Our Economy Stinks...It's Time For a Vacation in Your Mind

Yep, I'm sure it's a surprise to all of you to hear that the American economy is, in fact, in the loo right now. I don't know if we're in a depression or a recession or what. The fact that I'm even saying the word depression is rather sobering. Now I know, I know. Josh and I still take crazy vacations all around the world and I'm sure that loses people's respect some. I do care about what's happening to so many of our people right now, though. Right now, there are people who can't even afford to feed their kids, much less take a trip. And Im afraid that it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Last summer I posted something about staycations. It's something that I think is still relevant today. No matter how much you hide it, stress shows through to your kids. They instinctively know when something is wrong. That's why it's so important for them to find an avenue to, mentally at least, get away. It's vitally important that YOU find a way to mentally get away. Im not talking about spending money on a vacation. But something as simple as going to your local library and getting a picture book of some far off place and imagining all the things you could do there can help take your mind off things. Getting lost pretending to be in a band with your kids while you air guitar to some music on the radio could be the answer. Go out to the woods and pretend to be lost (just don't actually get lost!). Spend time with your kids in any way you can. They need it and you need it. Hunker down and step away from the bills and just laugh, even for a minute. Your nerves will thank you.

Prague 1 - Prada 0

See! Even science is backing me up! According to a recent study of lasting happiness showed that experiences offer a higher level of satisfaction over time with an experience as opposed to a purchase. This was mainly because, it seems, that the glitz of a new car or new toy diminishes over time as one sees it every day, but the joy in relating tales of an experience don't diminish because they usually involve other people and you have to actually retell the story of your experience. This way, you relive it over and over. Of course, this probably rings true for bad experiences so just don't tell those stories!

When people have asked me in the past why I travel so much and make it such a priority in my life I always tell them this: Someday, when I'm old and grey, someone could come and take all my worldly possessions and it would seem that I would be left with nothing. But no one will ever be able to take my memories away from me. That is why I travel. A shirt or a pair of shoes may bring you happiness now, but when you're lying on your deathbed are you going to remember a pair of shoes or an amazing trip you had? Are you going to remember that sweater you got at a department store or the awesome meal you ate in the tiny restaurant where no one could speak English but they still treated you like family? When it comes down to it, our memories and our experiences will always be more worthwhile throughout our lives than anything we buy from the sale rack.

Lost and Found

Today I was going through one of my closets and came across the journal I took with me to Argentina almost 4 years ago. It was fun to read and remember everything that happened while we were gone such as taking the tour of the Teatro de Colon and eating that horrible Cordatta de Portugal in Colonia, Uruguay. The best, though, was reading about the things we had bought, half of which I had completely forgotten about. I was reading about how we had gone into a small sign store and bought a clock, two beer signs and two bathroom signs. I had no clue we had bought those bathroom signs. Luckily, I vaguely remembered where the clock was and everything else we had bought was there with the clock. So, maybe after 4 years of wasting away in our china cabinet, those poor signs will see the light of day!

Making the most of your trip with the help of the Smithsonian Institute

One of the wonderful things about living close to Washington, DC is having the Smithsonian Institutes so close by. They are wonderful museums and are free to the public. Every now and then, I look around their site to see if there is anything good going on that Maya would like and I came across this excellent list of how to make the most of your trip to the Smithsonian. The best part is that this list can really be adapted to any trip you are taking and it really focuses on ways to involve your child in the process.

One of the biggest things I have always told parents who ask me for travel advice is to get your child involved. Make them feel like they are having an influence on what you do or, even better, DO give them influence on what you do. A lot of times, trips that aren't kid centered get nothing but grumbles and groans from the little ones, until you find a way to excite them. Things like The Postcard Game, I Spy, and Where is It? as mentioned in the Smithsonian article are all excellent games that will work anywhere you go. They also have great tips on how to prepare for a trip to the museums (which again is true for anywhere you visit), as well as ways you can keep your child excited after the trip is over.

While you're at the Smithsonian site be sure to check out the rest of it because it's a wonderful teaching resource for children. It's loaded with games and information about all of their exhibits and links to exciting exhibits around the country.

Featured Article: Smithsonian Education: Making the Most of It

Smithsonian Education for Families

The Smithsonian Institute

I'm not a beach person

But I need a beach now!!!! Heck I'll even take a sunny day that doesn't feel like Im walking around in an industrial strength freezer. Honestly, I think I HAVE walked around in an industrial strength freezer and not been this cold. This morning I patiently waited for my bus for 20 minutes in what had to be negative temperatures only to have it not show. By the time I gave up my fingers were searing with pain. SEARING WITH PAIN I TELL YOU!!!!! Ugh and to think just a month ago I was perusing the balmy weather of Tunisia. Someone get me a tissue, I think Im gonna cry.

Really...it's not that bad

Ugh I was reading a CNN article earlier today written by a woman who clearly has no interest in kids and went on to list all the reasons why. Now, I've got no issues with people who don't want kids. Heck, at one point I wasn't sure I wanted kids. It just bugs me though that, among her other reasons for not having them, traveling was her biggest one. Why? Why is it that so many people detest the thought of traveling with their children? I really want to know. Was it because of a bad experience? Are they afraid it will be a bad experience? It's true that it's not always pretty and I've had my fair share of moments when I just wanted to burst out in tears because I was so tired but really, it's not the end of the world. Your traveling life doesn't have to end just because you've added a little one or even little ones. You don't have to be trapped into a life of lame vacations! Get out! See the world! Don't let diapers stop you! Just buy some when you get there.

Don't give in to the thought that traveling with kids sucks!!!!

You think you've got it bad....

Check out these poor people! http://www.austriantimes.at/index.php?id=8857

After their Shandong Airlines plane broke down, they were asked to get out and PUSH the plane to the terminal. I will never complain about getting delayed again!

Photo: Europics

Superdawg: My new happy place

So, apparently, despite all these years of going to Chicago, I've never heard of the world famous Superdawg. I was trolling around the TV channels yesterday and saw that the Travel Channel had an hour long show on the world's best hot dog destinations. Clearly, someone at the Travel Channel is aware of my obsession with chili dogs and knew that I would be watching television yesterday.

Anyway, this place looks fascinating. There is, of course, the famous Superdawg itself. A special recipe dog on a bun with mustard, neon green relish, loads of onions, a fresh tomato and maybe even a few jalapeños. Now THAT'S a hot dog. Even better is that 1. it's a drive in (not to be confused with a drive through) and 2. there are giant hot dogs fashioned after the owners on top of the place. Really, who wouldn't want to eat at a place with a giant hot dog in a prehistoric leopard print caveman outfit on top.

I think this would be a great family summer trip. Just drive around to all the famous hot dog joints in the country seeing how quickly you could turn into your own personal salt lick from all the sodium. It's still tough for hot dog makers out there to beat my favorite dog, the Sonic Chili Cheese Footlong Coney dog. They try but really. There's just something about the Sonic dog that is so, so, so good. Maybe it's because I have to wait soooooo long in between meals. Absence makes the heart grow fonder I guess.

So, story short...I know where I'm eating the next time I'm in Chi-town!

Annnnnd we're back

Wow, internet is hard to come by in Tunisia! Tunisia was great all around. Sorry it's been a while since I posted. We pretty much had no internet the entire time we were there and then I was sick right after we got back. I guess I had too much fun!

Here's the low down on Tunisia!

The good

• Very child friendly - At least I think so. Maya loved it and had a great time roaming around all the ruins going on "adventures." The Tunisian people looooove children and Maya was always greeted with a smile or a pat on the head. Because of it being a former French colony there is a lot of familiarity in terms of food and drink which will help out. A lot of the cafes are accustomed to catering to tourists and usually offer a fairly western menu but there are still lots of opportunities for the kids to try new things.
  

• The history is absolutely amazing. From the third largest coliseum in the Roman world to the ancient cities of Carthage and Dougga, there are amazing sites around every turn. The vast quantity of incredible Roman mosaics alone are worth the trip.

• It's definitely pretty laid back there. There are tons of cafes and with so many cities sitting right on the Mediterranean it's easy to find yourself wastng away the hours looking at the beautiful coast soaking in the sun.

• It's cheap as all get out. Even the dollar did well there and that's saying something! Taxis are dirt cheap (though you have to watch the drivers like a hawk to make sure they dont touch up the meter). A stop off at a cafe for coffee for 3 people will set you back about...oh $2. I had a steak with Roquefort cheese sauce, fries, some spinach thing and bread for a whopping $9.

• It's olive central. If you love olives, Tunisia is the place to go as there are millions upon millions of olive trees. Ive never seen anything like it in all my life. Miles and miles of groves.

• The landscape is gorgeous. You wouldnt think so since it's a North African nation, but it really looks like southern Spain or Italy. They even have the tall skinny pine trees like the ones in Italy. Combine that with the beautiful, silvery green olive trees and you have yourself an idyllic place to be.

The bad

• It can be tough to find people who speak English so brush up on your French. Learn the basics of shopping, ordering food, and telling time. You'll need all of those things. Most of the people in the hotels speak English, but once outside the hotel you'll need to speak French.

• It's a little trashy. Not like gross but there's a lot of litter. Just something to keep in mind.

• With so many museums, historic sites, and beautiful beaches it's a tourist hot spot for sure. Visiting in the off season is a good bet and you avoid the oppressing heat of summer too!

• Outside of Sfax and a few other cities, there are a lot of roadside restaurants that butcher lamb right there on the porch. It's excellent lamb and you should make an effort to stop at one but be warned that it can be a little graphic to watch/look at.

• Watch out for people who want to help you. They just want to "help" you so they can then ask you for money. We found ignoring people who randomly approach us to be the best idea. All the more reason to brush up on your French.

• Logistics can be difficult mostly because of the language barrier. Some of the best ways to get around require some fortitude and aren't for amateur travelers. Things like the louagge. We did it, but it might freak some people out hopping into a van with 6 other people you don't know going to someplace you've never been before.

All in all I'd say Tunisia is an awesome family destination and well worth the trip if you can make it. I would recommend it for those families that are a little more seasoned unless you just plan on going to one of the beach resort areas. If you go to Carthage, definitely wander your way over to Cafe Neptune. It's incredible eating right on the coast for an excellent price. Order the clams. They're to die for!