This year, I made it a point to finally ditch my beaten, battered, cat scratched, and barely functioning luggage in search of something durable and family friendly. But was there really such thing as family friendly luggage? I was determined to find out.

After scanning the internet, desperate to find something that would make my life easier during our 20+ trips per year, I came across Eagle Creek’s Pack-it System.  Their website  assured me that their system of  folders, cubes, sacks, and organizers would make my life easier. I was definitely intrigued by the concept so I decided to contact Eagle Creek and put the system to the test.

The Pack-it System became my travel hero.

Before I start waxing poetic about the many reasons to love my cubes, I first should start with the shell I use to carry them all, the Eagle Creek Tarmac 25.  This 17 x 25 x 12.5 inch bag (standard check-in suitcase size) only weighs 9 1/2 lbs! In a world where families are constantly struggling to stay under the 50lb weight limit, a lightweight suitcase is like a golden ticket which ensures your passage through the check-in lines without extra fees. I have stuffed that suitcase until it couldn’t possibly be stuffed any more and still come well below the 50lb limit. Take that nickel and diming airlines!

My Tarmac is the vessel for the Pack-it System that I love.  The system uses self contained little pouches to organize clothing, and make the best use possible of the space in your suitcase. The centerpiece of the system are the cubes, which come in a variety of sizes and shapes.  I can use one standard sized cube for each of my kids, and pack their shirts, pants, and shorts in one spot.  I roll their clothes in the cubes, keeping things as wrinkle-free as possible, resulting in a 14×10″ pouch that I can easily take out of a suitcase and put into a drawer as we hop from destination to destination. Unpacking takes 2 minutes and I can put the suitcase in the closet and not have to think about it until we are ready to move on.

Socks and underwear end up in a smaller cube while extra shoes hang out in their own little compartment. I use a half cube to throw in sweatshirts or anything I want easy access to from the front zipper of the suitcase. A folding toiletry bag holds, well, the toiletries! You get the picture. There is a cube built to serve pretty much ever purpose you can think of.  I even have a folder that is perfect for my dresses, pants, other things I want to keep flat.  I am telling you, they have thought of everything.

Besides allowing me to stay organized, the Pack-it System also helps me pack a heck of a lot into one suitcase.  I have used this suitcase and system now for three seasons. My kids and I shared a suitcase on a 5 day trip to Mammoth in the winter, along with a duffel to carry our ski jackets and snow boots. Anyone who has packed for the snow can understand just how impressive that is!  I also managed to pack my kids into that same suitcase for a 3 week trip to the Pacific Northwest, where I was forced to pack for every possible condition due to the region’s finicky weather. As we toured the Olympic Penninsula and stayed in different lodging each night, I simply slipped out my cubes and found what I needed without a moment of hassle.

So it is true. There is such as thing as family-friendly luggage after all. Eagle Creek has managed to make traveling easier for my family and any company that helps me spend less time stressing and more time enjoying deserves all the praise in the world.

*All photos courtesy Eagle Creek Luggage.

Disclosure:  I received a complimentary suitcase, duffel, and pieces of the Pack-It System in order to review the products. Eagle Creek did not ask that  I state any particular opinion and certainly did not ask me to gush about the fabulousness of their luggage. I just couldn’t help myself!

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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.

Travel with kids to: CA |CO | DC | FL | HI | IL |MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA

Vacation rentals are the perfect solution for family vacation accommodations. For the same price as a hotel, rentals provide more space, more privacy, and amenities suited for families. In the last year, families have stayed in vacation rentals across the United States, and you might be surprised by the most popular vacation rental destinations.

We took a look at the reservation inquiries received in the last 12 months on FlipKey for family-friendly rentals, and while perennial favorites like Orlando/Disney make the top 10, some other, more unexpected spots also make the list. Wherever you travel with your family, you’ll discover that you can save money and headaches by staying in a vacation rental.

1. New York City, NY – 630 vacation rentals on FlipKey

The Big Apple is a great destination for families with older kids. The city has so much to offer that you can rest assured that you won’t hear a single “I’m bored” throughout the trip. Lots of attractions are either completely free or offer great discounts for children.

Read reviews of family friendly attractions in New York City on Trekaroo.

2. Miami Beach, FL – 147 vacation rentals on FlipKey
If you’re the type who daydreams about relaxing on a broad, sandy beach complete with palm trees and gentle surf, then Miami Beach may be the place where your dreams come true. Once you’re evenly tan, try swimming with dolphins, explore Everglades National Park, or cool off at Grapeland Water Park. Then put the kids to bed and sneak out to enjoy some of Miami’s world-renowned restaurants and entertainment venues.

Read reviews of family friendly things to do in Miami Beach on Trekaroo.

3. Orlando/Disney, FL –  2,322 vacation rentals on FlipKey
A trip to Disney is practically a rite of passage for young Americans. It may surprise young parents to learn that a vacation in the theme park Mecca can be done on the (relatively) cheap by staying in a vacation rental. You can avoid resort packages with their restricted dining options and ticket selection by staying outside the parks and making your own plan. Staying in a vacation rental also means you can take a break from amusement overload and actually relax during your Disney vacation.

Read reviews of things to do with kids in Orlando on Trekaroo.

4. San Francisco, CA – 187 vacation rentals on FlipKey
Not your average vacation destination, San Francisco has a lot to offer the visiting family. The city offers some spectacular sightseeing from the grand Golden Gate Bridge to the bizarre bison paddock in Golden Gate Park. There are also plenty of beaches, museums, and the famous Exploratorium, which is guaranteed to entertain you and your children.

Read reviews of things to do in San Francisco with kids on Trekaroo.

5. Myrtle Beach, SC – 676 vacation rentals on FlipKey
Known for great golf, dining, and expansive beaches, Myrtle beach is all about summer relaxation. The Grand Strand features plenty of shopping, shows, and exhibits. Constantly changing attractions include fireworks, music, festivals, and family-geared shows. With 60 miles of beaches and acres of world-class golf, there’s something in Myrtle Beach for every member of the family.

Read reviews of things to do with kids in Myrtle Beach on Trekaroo.

6. Siesta Key, FL – 76 vacation rentals on FlipKey
For the family looking to avoid the crowds at Florida’s more famous beaches, Siesta Key provides an ideal getaway spot. Try sea kayaking around the Jim Neville Nature Preserves, deep sea fishing, or just relaxing on the white sands of the Gulf Coast.

Read reviews of kid friendly activities near Siesta Key on Trekaroo.

7. Boston, MA – 53 vacation rentals on FlipKey
A must-visit for sports fans and history buffs alike, Boston is one of the best destinations in the country, and staying in a vacation rental helps you enjoy it like a local. Come in the summer months to walk the freedom trail, catch a Sox game at Fenway Park, and enjoy the freshest seafood around. Beaches are a short trip from downtown, and major attractions are almost all located in kid-walkable proximity.

Read reviews of kid friendly things to do in Boston on Trekaroo.

8. Las Vegas, NV – 65 vacation rentals on FlipKey
While you won’t find Vegas at the top of every family destination list, it’s not for lack of family-friendly attractions. Despite its “Sin City” reputation, Vegas is also known as the “Entertainment Capital of the World” – a title that doesn’t do the city justice. Las Vegas is home to world-renowned shows like Cirque du Soleil, 5-star dining options, and fun attractions like the Hoover Dam. Stay off the Strip in a vacation rental and enjoy one of America’s most unique destinations.

Read reviews on kid friendly things to do in Las Vegas on Trekaroo.

9. Tybee Island, GA – 170 vacation rentals on FlipKey
Minutes from Savannah, Tybee Island is more than just a local beach. The annual Beach Bum Parade should be enough evidence to convince anyone that there’s no good reason to leave the island. With great family dining, fun events all summer, and the conveniently short trip to Savannah, Tybee is an ideal spot to spend some quality time with the clan.

Read reviews of kid friendly things to do on Tybee Island on Trekaroo.

10. Ocean City, MD – 382 vacation rentals on FlipKey
Walk out your backdoor to the beach, or amble along the boardwalk and you’ll understand why Ocean City is considered one of the best family-oriented destinations on the East Coast. From the famous Trimper’s Carousel, built in 1902, to boating and water sports, if you’re looking for family fun, you’ll find it in Ocean City.

Read reviews of kid friendly activities in Ocean City, MD on Trekaroo.

Dan Weisman is the Blog Editor at FlipKey.com, which features over 100,000 vacation rental properties around the world.  You can read more of his writing on The FlipKey Blog and connect with him on Twitter at @FlipKey.

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Travel with kids to: CA |CO | DC | FL | HI | IL |MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA

If you’re new to beach trips with kids or live far away from the coast, it may not be easy to know what to take to the beach.  I usually have everything except lunches pre-packed, so I just have to grab our bags and go!

The most important item to take is sunscreen. Make sure you apply sunscreen before you go since it takes time for the sunscreen to take effect, and then bring more to re-apply as the day goes on.  Wear flip-flops to protect your toes from hot sand or hidden hazards, like rocks or glass.

Inside the Adventure Backpack
Before you head to the beach you need to pack an adventure backpack! This is something you can use on beach and park trips year-round. It’s important that it’s a backpack and not a large tote because you can wear it hands-free. Here are my suggestions on what to put in your adventure backpack:

• A reusable water bottle for each person in your family.
• Change of clothes
• Hats for everyone.
• Snacks that can stay in the bag even if I leave it in the car.

• Baby wipes AND antibacterial gel.
• A pen and small notepad.
• Band-Aid/First Aid kit.
• Spare change (for throwing in a fountain or feeding a parking meter)
• Extra rubber band for long hair
• Gatorade or Crystal Light single-serving powder packets. You can mix it in your water bottle  and gain some electrolytes on especially hot days or extra hard hikes.
• Transfer your wallet and camera from your purse to this backpack for beach trips, so you don’t have to carry a purse separately. Don’t forget your phone and keys, too.
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen.

• Chapstick.
• Gum for mom and good breath
• Optional: Picnic food for lunchtime trips. I squeeze a small cooler with sandwiches and fruit in the big pocket of my backpack.

Inside a BIG beach bag (preferably waterproof):

• Sand toys (I recommend extra shovels.)
• Picnic blanket and/or beach towel.
• Beach umbrella that doesn’t really fit inside the bag, but it balances between the handles of the bag pretty well.
• Can I suggest a portable sun shade? I have one from Costco that stands up and collapses easily.

Extras

• Pack a simple beach lunch (We usually have simple PB&J or cheese sandwich along with apples or carrots, and a few snacks thrown in. I don’t know what it is about the beach – but everything just tastes better.)
• Boogie board
• Extra umbrella

How to carry it all?

• I have the backpack on my back. Then the camp chair over my right shoulder. The beach bag goes over the camp chair strap and I can balance the umbrella with my right hand. Beach lunch should be inside the backpack and the flip-flops are on my feet.  That leaves my left hand free for holding little hands.

MORE GREAT BEACHY RESOURCES
Piers in Southern California

Orange County Beaches

Kid Friendly Tide Pools in California

Tide Pools in Massachusetts

Tide Pools on the Big Island of Hawaii

Tide Pools in Washington

Tide Pools in Oregon

Tide Pools on Oahu

Tide Pools on Maui

Michele Whiteaker blogs at FunOrangeCountyParks.com where she considers it her community service to promote play by sharing local places.  She’s also a 2011 Superoo who’s taken to putting “-roo” at the end of anything travel-related.

We had a week off of school for Spring Break, but with no extra money to go on a vacation, we decided to stay home.  What could we do with 4 kids, aged 2-9, and a mom and dad who wanted adventure and fun?  Letterboxing!

My mom had told me about letterboxing several years ago, but like a rebellious teenager, only one word came to mind – “CHEESY.”  Now, as a wiser mom myself, I realized I had to find fun where I could and make the most of any opportunity.  So during this revolutionary Spring Break, we found ourselves letterboxing.  We followed clues that led us all over the place – hunting behind a mermaid statue, traveling through hidden tunnels, walking on a pristine beach, and digging under fences – all to find little boxes hidden by other letterboxers.

Letterboxing is a popular pastime of treasure hunting in parks forests and cities around the world.  Seekers use clues written by other letterboxers to find the hidden box, which contains a rubber stamp-usually a hand-carved creation.  Letterboxers then place the stamp image in their own personal journal.  They sign in to the logbook found with the letterbox with their own signature stamp and perhaps add a note about the weather or their own adventure.

We have come to love many things about letterboxing.  Four things stand out to us as being great reasons to embark on your own letterboxing adventures.

Seeing new places in town

My husband and I have lived in Orange County, California, for about 15 years.  We have been parents for 10 of those years.  In general, I thought I was an expert on all of the great places to visit and explore in our area.  Wow, was I wrong.  During our Spring Break week we went to a beach, a remote wilderness area, a wildlife nature preserve, and to a scenic lookout.  All of these places were new to us.  We were so happy to have a new activity that was taking us to places that we had not yet discovered.

Having new adventures in routine places

How many times had our family been to the park just down the street?  Too many to count!  When you don’t have a new place to visit, searching for a letterbox can bring a whole new sense of adventure to routine places.  Parks and locations near us have become fun places to visit again because we get to go on a hunt.

Learning about local history

On a recent Saturday, our family took a letterboxing tour through Old Town Tustin in California.  It’s a city full of history, with many old buildings from the late 1800s, and other quirky features.  There was even a miniature church – it only seats eight people – in the parking lot of a shopping center!  We took this walking tour thanks to a series of 4 letterboxes and a clue-giver who included local history in his description of how to find the boxes.  Many clues are rich with history on the area where the letterbox is placed.

Seeing new places on road trips or vacations in other cities

When we drive to Fresno to visit my mom and dad, we need to break up the 5 hour drive for the sake of our little ones’ legs and bladders, not to mention our own.  Since letterboxes are hidden all over the United States – and in many other countries as well – there are bound to be boxes to hunt along the way.  This makes for a fun activity to do during pit stops.  During a recent family vacation to Alaska, letterboxing became a favorite activity of ours.  We visited a cemetery, the town square of Fairbanks, and a beautiful field with migrating sand cranes as we were looking for letterboxes.  The hunt took us to popular tourist locations and to favorite spots for Alaskan locals.  We really got to see a lot of beautiful Alaska this way!

Since our first “Letterboxing Spring Break” we have found nearly 60 letterboxes.  We have introduced our nieces and nephews, relatives, and friends to our new hobby.  We have carved our own stamps and hidden our own letterboxes.  Our boys have even written down clues to locations where they have hidden their own letterboxes for other eager finders.  But the best experience was walking the trails near the Griffith Park Observatory on a hunt with my mom and dad.  I know she was happy to have successfully passed on a fun, adventurous activity to our family.

What you need to start your letterboxing adventure:

•  A personal journal to collect stamped images.  Most letterboxers prefer a small size (4” x 6”) and unlined, but anything can work!

•  A rubber stamp. This is your “signature stamp” that you use to stamp your image in the logbook that you find.  Some people just stamp their fingerprint in the logbook in place of a stamp.  Many people have carved their own personal stamp.  It’s great to start with a store bought stamp to begin your adventures.

•  A pen. To sign your name or your handle (if you prefer to not use your name), the date, the city you are from (optional), and a note (optional) in the logbook you find.

•  An ink pad.  You need this to ink the stamp that you find so you can stamp it in your journal.  You also need to ink your personal stamp so that you can stamp it in the logbook from the letterbox you found.

•  The clue! Use www.atlasquest.com or www.letterboxing.org to find clues in your city, your next road trip, or your next vacation

In my mind, there is no better city to visit on the West Coast than San Francisco.  Besides being gorgeous, it offers everything you could want from a cosmopolitan city- culture, shopping, fantastic public transportation, and plenty of outdoor opportunities within the city limits.  Are you planning a visit to SF but don’t know where to take your kids?

Here are the top 10 places in San Francisco to take kids as voted by Trekaroo families:

1. Fisherman’s Wharf & Pier 39- Yes, its a tourist trap. But its a tourist trap worth visiting because the kids love it and the sourdough bread bowls at Boudin Bakery are incredible.  Hit up the souvenir shops which carry and endless array of San Francisco themed goodies. Stop and say hi to the world’s most beloved sea lions. Take time to enjoy the street performers and be sure to relish that awe inspiring Bay Bridge view.

2. San Francisco Zoo-  Giraffes, lemurs, tigers, penguins and 246 other species all call the SF Zoo home.  It features a carousel, puffer train, and a large children’s zoo.  The zoo is directly across the street from Ocean Beach so be sure to leave time in your day to enjoy a sunset.

3. Golden Gate Bridge- Nothing says San Francisco quite like the Golden Gate Bridge.  The massive red suspension bridge is an icon, both in its beauty and presence.  Walking across the bridge and taking in the incredible views of the bay and the Pacific is a right of passage that everyone, locals and tourists alike, should experience.

4. California Academy of Sciences- This museum was reborn in 2008 when its new 400,000 square foot structure opened to the public.  The building includes a 4 story rainforest experience, an aquarium housing 900 different species of aquatic life, a natural history museum, the largest digital planetarium in the world, and a living roof. Be sure to stop by and say hi to Claude, the museum’s albino alligator.

5. The Exploratorium- Your children will have so much fun here they won’t even realize they are learning!  This museum allows kids to explore science hands on.  Play with magnetic sand, watch you shadow stick to the wall, step into a giant kaleidoscope, and enjoy hundred of other exhibits geared towards children but enjoyed thoroughly by all ages.

6. Golden Gate Park- If you are looking for a great place to enjoy the outdoors in San Francisco, look no further than Golden Gate Park. Families can take a paddleboat ride around Stowe Lake, explore the Japanese Tea Garden, stop by the buffalo paddock, and enjoy the many walking trails throughout this massive park. Outdoors concerts in the park are great way to enjoy some quality family time during the summer months.

7. Chinatown- Plenty of American cities have a Chinatown, but the Chinatown in San Francisco is simply the best.  Introduce your children to the wonders of dim sum inside one of the many restaurants lining the streets and then stop by the fortune cookie factory for dessert. Explore the shops looking for a special souvenir but don’t forget to stop and take a picture in front of the famous Chinatown gate.

8. Alcatraz- There is no place quite like The Rock and the ferry ride out to this eerie place on a foggy day is something you will never forget.  A self guided audio tours of the former federal prison are the perfect way to introduce the history of Alcatraz to your school aged children. Be sure to have your kids spend some time in one of the tiny cells, a reminder of the experience could especially come in handy during the teenage years.

9. Ghirardelli Square- A square dedicated to chocolate- what’s not to love about that? Come to watch chocolate being made but stay for the out of this world ice cream sundaes. The lines can be long but the treats are worth the wait.

10. Lombard Street- 8 switchbacks. A 27 degree incline. A slow 8 mph drive. This all waits for you if you decide to drive the family car down the crookedest street in the world. Personally, I prefer to take the sidewalk and get some exercise while enjoying this San Francisco landmark.

Need a place to stay while visiting The City? Then read reviews of family friendly San Francisco hotels.

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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.

Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA