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

It was a rude shock returning to the US from London and arriving at the departure gate for my American Airlines flight from Miami to San Francisco. Despite the fact that I had just endured an extremely chaotic situation at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports due to snow disruptions, my frustration with American Airlines’ appalling service topped anything I experienced in Heathrow and Gatwick just days before. The stark difference in the level of customer care between British Airways and American Airlines was like night and day.

The experience has left me wondering how a supposedly world class airline has come to behave more like a budget airline.  A quick poll on Trekaroo’s Facebook page confirmed that my experience with American Airlines wasn’t unique at all.   The irony is that it’s the budget airlines like Jetblue, Southwest and Virgin America who seem to come up consistently as having great service for families.  Has the world of air travel been turned upside down?

Photo by: Wikihow

Read more about Which Airline Is Most Kid-friendly?

The Character of a World Class Airline

This past December, I flew British Airways from San Francisco to London and what struck me was how much attention both the flight crew and ground staff paid towards customer care.  Even in the midst of dealing with an unbelievably chaotic situation at Heathrow and Gatwick, their staff was polite, helpful, and equipped to help. They behaved exactly as one would expect of a World Class airline.

Photo by: Wikicommons/Josh Hallett

When the unexpected happens, that’s when you see a person’s true colors.  Same goes with airlines.  During the recent snow storms in the UK, I was caught at both London Heathrow and London Gatwick.  All flights were canceled and delayed for days on end.  While airport authorities performed appallingly, my experience with British Airways was superb.  It was an impossible situation for the airline, but they brought in an army of extra staff who remained patient, polite, and remarkably helpful.  Yes, passengers had to stand in long lines to wait to talk to someone, but when we got to speak with someone, the agents were attentive to our particular predicament and bent over backwards to resolve your situation from beginning to end with polite attentiveness.

Here are two impressive examples.  When I told a ground agent that I was trying to get to my grandma’s funeral, he took me aside and secured me the last seat on the next flight out so that I wouldn’t have to stand in a 3 hour line.  A few days later on my return journey, I got in front of a BA ticketing agent named Scott at Gatwick airport.  After having a miserable time trying to rebook a canceled flight on ba.com and over the phone, Scott was a breath of fresh air to this weary passenger.  I explained how I ended up buying an entirely new ticket that cost £1800 to secure the last seat on a different route.  It was far from a conventional way to rebook, but he spent all the time necessary to sort out my bookings.  I was able to get home for Christmas without paying a hefty bill.  I never needed to get tough or confrontational. British Airways was even ready to upgrade me to get me home.

Now, contrast this to my experience with American Airlines.  After arriving late from Heathrow, I reached the gate for my connecting flight only to find that they had given away my seat just 3 minutes earlier.  The ground agent showed no interest or sympathy that American Airlines has caused me to miss the final boarding call by 3 minutes due to their error in printing the wrong gate number on my boarding pass.   To further frustrate the situation, the gate agent refused to­ help me get on the next flight.  She didn’t even take the time to see if there was another flight we could rush to, nor did she explain where we should go to rebook our flights.  She left without explanation after keeping the few passengers in the same predicament waiting for 20 minutes.  Finding myself back outside at the check in counter, the experience was the same.  The agent was more concerned about getting off her shift rather than looking for a flight I could get on that evening.  Resigned that I would have to fly out the next morning, she refused to put me up in a hotel while I waited to get on my next flight out the next morning.  Her glazed over expressionless face said it all, “You’re just another annoying passenger and I couldn’t be bothered if you get there today, tomorrow or in a week.”  It was nothing short of a frustrating experience in what seemed like a pretty normal situation.  I shudder to think how American Airlines would care for their passengers under a more chaotic situation like I had just experienced in London.

So, I trudged over to British Airways with my bags and waited for their ticket agents to return to the counter.  Although it was they had already sent off the last flight for the day, they stuck around for the extra 10 minutes it took to booked me into the Marriott and provided me with meal vouchers for dinner and breakfast.  Now that’s what I call acting like a top-class airline.

So really, what are the advantages of flying a big airline like American Airlines or United Airlines?

Do they have better on board amenities?  – No

-       My flight from Miami to San Francisco didn’t have a personal entertainment system like you’d find on Jetblue or Virgin America.

-       You now have to pay for food on domestic flights just like on any budget airline.

Are tickets competitively priced?  Not really.

-       The big airlines like American and United are coming down in price, but when you get a deal on Jetblue, Virgin America, or Southwest, their rates are a steal on high traffic routes.

-       In fact, the big guys like American and United now charge for check in bags.  And surprisingly, it’s the budget airlines like Southwest (2 checked bags) and Jetblue (1 checked bag) who still offer free checked luggage allowances.

Do flight attendants provide better customer service? – No

-       Flight attendants are no more helpful than on other airlines, in fact the budget airlines like Southwest and Jetblue consistently get voted by Trekaroo families for having the best service.

The only reason I can really think of to select the big guys like American or United is for the volume of routes they cover.  In some instances, they may be your only option.  However, for the best price, you can almost expect them to route you through one of their hubs before taking you to your final destination.

The state of American Airlines really is tragic.  If you’re looking for great customer service, great prices, and some nice extras, steer clear of the big airlines.  The following airlines from my experience and those of other families on Trekaroo are the ones who continue to shine in the eyes of their customers.

US Domestic: Virgin America, Jetblue, Southwest, Midwest

Europe: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic.

Asia and the Pacific: Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

Middle East: Emirates Air, Qatar Air

If you’ve had a great experience with any airline, leave a comment below sharing with us how an airline took really good care of you.

Related:

• Family-friendly Airlines – what’s most important when flying with kids?
• Tips or Flying with Kids
• How to Deal with Flight Delays
• Flying with Baby

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LiLing Pang is co-founder of Trekaroo – a reviews website dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.

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

Last week, Trekaroo shared with the world what families want in a hotel room.  This week, we are getting to the good stuff, the amenities.  Part of what makes hotel travel so fun is experiencing perks that we might not have at home.  Staying in a hotel is a huge treat to most kids, and when they are happy, parents can actually relax and enjoy their vacations. So what amenities persuade families to choose one hotel over another? Here is a glimpse at what Trekaroo readers and family travel experts are looking for:

For families with children, one of the most important amenities is a pool. Nothing gets kids more excited about the prospect of staying in a hotel than a good pool.  Kids don’t remember the hotel with the highest thread count sheets or the imported silk drapes, they remember which place has the coolest pool.  For parents, pools can be a sanity saver.  They entertain children for hours and give us a chance to sit down and relax.  Our favorite pools are those with a graduated or beach entries, as they give non-swimmers a place to safely play in the water.  Wading pools or play fountains at locations that have traditional pools are appreciated for the very same reason.  Pools with water slides, lazy rivers, and other special water features are always a treat and definitely a selling point when booking a hotel.  Being charged for rafts to float down the lazy river is irritating. Please don’t do it.

There is nothing more disappointing than booking a hotel for its pool and not being able to use it because its too cold!  If we are visiting hotels in colder climates, such as the Midwest, we prefer for the pool to be indoors.  This gives us the opportunity to enjoy the water in the dead of winter, which is always a special treat.  There are many destinations, such as Los Angeles, where a pool should most definitely be outside. However, unless its 90 degrees outside, the unheated pool can feel pretty chilly.  A little heat goes a long way.

Families don’t want to have to pack all their entertainment. Traveling with children involves lugging stuff, lots and lots of stuff.  In the past, it was merely cumbersome to fly with so many bags, but these days, its also becoming very expensive.  Airlines charge exorbitant fees for for every bag we check, which means families are forced to leave some of their creature comforts at home.   Hotels that provide toys, board games, books, dvds, and video games to check out (for free!) are helping families pack less and enjoy more. Kids are always excited to play with toys that aren’t theirs and parents are always happy when they don’t have to listen to their children whine “I’m bored” over and over.

We also love entertainment that takes place outside our room but still on hotel property.  Putting courses, ping pong tables, air hockey, pool tables, and arcades are all great options.  I have visited a couple different hotels that offer scavenger hunts around their property,which were a big hit with the kids. Hotels with playgrounds are godsends for families with young children.  Active families appreciate amenities such as tennis courts, horseback riding, and golf.  Obviously, not every property has the capacity to run a horseback riding operation, but whatever entertainment that is offered is always appreciated.

Families love room service and free breakfast. I frequently dine with two 4 year olds in public.  Its similar to having  dinner alongside a goat and a monkey and expecting them both to stay seated for an hour and not eat the tablecloth.  Dining with children in public is my least favorite part of traveling.  Before I had children, I never ordered room service. Now, I am happy to cough up a few extra dollars to save my sanity after a long day of seeing the sights.   A reasonably priced children’s room service menu is like a gift from the hotel gods.

An even greater gift is a free hot breakfast.  I know more than a few families who consider free breakfast a top priority when booking a hotel, and for good reason.  Mornings can be chaotic and the thought of having to drive to a restaurant, sit down, wait to be served, and then finally eat is an exercise in pure torture that some of us just can’t handle that early in the day.  We want to drag ourselves downstairs, plop some pancakes on our kids’ plates, and spend the next 20 minutes letting the caffeine fully absorb into our system before we even think about leaving the hotel grounds.  We also love the option of sending our spouse down to grab a plate full of grub for everyone and bringing it back up to the room while the kids watch Dora the Explorer and Mommy takes her shower.  Why does the breakfast have to be free?  Because someone, somewhere started offering free breakfast way back when and we all loved the idea so much, we’ve decided it should be mandatory.  In a perfect world, free breakfast would be just as compulsory as clean sheets.

A good kids club goes a long way. We love our children more than anything else on the planet but sometimes, us parents need a little break.  For that reason, we love hotels with kids clubs.  Recently, I visited the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale and found that they offered a complimentary pajama party to kids whose parents dined at their fine dining establishment, Deseo.   I loved this concept and hope to see more hotels offering a similar service.  While my children were eating pizza, playing games, making crafts, and taking tours of the hotel’s massive kitchen, I was have an adult diner in a nice restaurant.  It was heaven.  Evening kids club programs are nice dinner escapes for parents but daytime kids clubs allow children to enjoy some time with their peers in a more active setting.  Clubs that incorporate local themes (such as surfing in California and Native American crafts in Arizona) and give children an education in the process are some of my personal favorites.

The one drawback of kids clubs is that they don’t usually offer services to the youngest guests, usually requiring that children who participate be at least 4. While completely understandable, parents would love to have a separate option for their toddlers such as in room babysitting services.  Sometimes the parents that are most in need of a break are those traveling with a squirrely two year old.

Is there an amenity your family wants from a hotel that we didn’t cover? Please let us know in the comments section.

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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

My family travels much more than the average family.  I have a major case of wanderlust which I have passed on to my children.  How bad is it?  After traveling around the Western US and Canada for 24 days, my son cried when he spotted our house and begged for it not to end.  Lucky for me, I am a travel writer and staying at countless hotels around the country is part of my job.  I have seen plenty of family friendly hotels and some that were seriously lacking.  Since family travel is a huge part of the travel economy, I think its important for hotels to know what parents are looking for, and strive to meet those demands.

When a hotel hits the mark, we at Trekaroo love to celebrate it.  We share our excitement with our readers, and they share their new found knowledge with their friends and family.  There is no better form of advertising than word of mouth and the user generated reviews found on Trekaroo provide a valuable resource for families looking to explore a new part of the country.  A bad stay at a hotel can negatively impact the families entire vacation and we are in the business of helping families make good lodging choices.

Recently, we asked our members what they wanted in a family friendly hotel.  They provided us with great insight on how families travel and what they want hotels to provide so that they can travel better.  In fact, the response was so great that we have decided to share the information with the cyber world in hopes that hotel chains will take notice and strive to serve families better.  This week we will cover the hotel room itself and next week we will share what amenities families are looking for.

This is what families want in a hotel room:

Families want suites: We want a bedroom that is separated from the living area with a door.  Please don’t call it a suite unless there is a door separating the two areas because we are mislead an disappointed that we have nowhere to escape to once the children go to sleep.  If the room is large and has a separate sitting area but no door, in our minds that is not a suite, its a studio.  Besides offering a place for parents to relax after the children to go to bed, they also offer space to spread out or set up a portable crib or cot.  After spending all day traveling as a family, space can be our sanity saver.  We would love for hotels to list the square footage of their rooms on their websites.

If suites are not available, then adjoining rooms should be an option.  Although the typical American family only has two children, there are still millions of families with 3 or more children that need accommodations.  Multigenerational family travelers find adjoining rooms important as well.  The more comfortable we are while traveling, the more often we will travel.

Families want well equipped and well insulated rooms: Recently, I stayed at a popular chain hotel near Disneyland and was woken up to the sound of neighbors having some intimate fun.  They were not being loud, the walls were just that thin.  Not cool.  Thin walls not only prevent our children from sleeping, they also cause our neighbors to be awakened by unhappy children.  We also want comfortable beds.  Running around with children all day can be exhausting and a poor mattress can lead to a poor nights sleep which leads to one cranky mommy.

Part of being well equipped is having a small fridge and microwave in room.  Families with young children need a place to store juice and milk, and heat food for their little ones.  A full kitchen is even better.  Families love hotel chains that were originally designed for business travelers, such as Homewood Suites, for this very reason.  How can hotels hit a homerun with families?  Provide us with a full kitchen and a grocery service which allows us to have our kitchens fully stocked with our needs upon arrival.

Another crucial part of being well equipped is having kid friendly tv stations available.  I will never understand the randomness that is hotel room cable channel offerings, but a hotel in Orlando that doesn’t offer Nickelodeon or Disney Channel is bound to frustrate some parents.  We don’t want our children to sit in their rooms all day watching a Phineas and Ferb marathon, but we do want an hour or two to veg out in between theme park visits while our kids quietly watch a cartoon.  An even better option would be a free library of family friendly movies in the lobby for families to check out and watch on the dvd player provided in room.

Families want safe and clean rooms: There is nothing more disgusting to me than an old fashioned hotel bedspread.  We have all seen enough stories about the dirt and germs that accumulate on those nasty things and keeping a toddler from putting their hands and mouths all over the bedspreads is close to impossible.  Please use duvet covers, preferably white duvet covers, so we can see that they are clean and we know that they are changed after every guest just like the sheets.

Children have a way of finding danger so having a safe room is crucial to a parent’s sanity.  We would love to have child proofing kits offered upon check in (at no additional cost).  We also would appreciate having flat panel televisions and low mirrors bolted securely to the wall.  Glass and knick knacks don’t mix well with children, and families  like to avoid them when at all possible.  Mini fridges and microwaves should not be placed at toddler level.  Baths and showers should have quality non-slip mats.  Finally, door safety latches should be out of reach of toddler hands.  I have seen the terror on a mother’s face whose child escaped her room while she was in the bathroom and I don’t think any parent should have to experience that kind of avoidable fear.

Families want free Wifi:  We live in the digital age and many of us consider our laptop and extension of our right arm.   We want to be able to look up information on local attractions, find directions on Google Maps, and check out family friendly reviews on Trekaroo without having to pay $20 for internet access.  If mid-priced hotel chains can provide free internet access, surely high end brands can do it as well. We don’t consider free internet a luxury, we consider it a necessity.

Families don’t want fee associated goodies in sight of our children: My family visited a popular National Park a couple years ago and upon entering the room, we found a cuddly teddy bear sitting on our bed.  That cute teddy was ours to keep, with a $20 donation to the National Park fund.  It didn’t take more than two seconds for my daughter to zero in on that teddy bear and claim it as her own.  What were we to do, tell the toddler she couldn’t keep the cuddly teddy bear someone left on her bed?  Of course not! We bought the bear. I am happy to donate to our National Parks, that is not the issue.  The issue is matter in which it was solicited.

The same “no teddy bear on the bed” rule holds true for honor bar items.  Please don’t place, drinks, cookies, and candy at eye level of toddlers in our rooms.  It creates more problems than convenience.  We love that you offer those items but we prefer to be able to purchase them in the lobby.  An in-room list of items available would be ideal.

Is there something your family wants in a hotel room that we didn’t cover? Please let us know in the comments section.

Come by next week for part two when we cover the fun stuff- the amenities!

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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