Chicago moms and dads, Trekaroo is in your hood!

That’s right, our KidsMobile has pulled in for Trekaroo’s big launch in Illinois.  Thanks to some super duper families who have been sharing about all the reasons that families love Chicago, we can all benefit from their road-tested tips and recommendations.

Trekaroo families have voted and this is their verdict for 2009:

Hot List of Best Places to take Kids in Chicago
Best Kid-friendly Hotels in Chicago

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Jumpin’ onboard the Trekaroo KidsMobile are some of the most travel savvy mid-west moms.  Together, they’re letting us in on some of Chicago’s best kept secrets for families.

First up, Minnemom shares how to have Fun in Chicago with Young Kids. This is a mom extraordinaire who has traveled through big and small towns all over the midwest with her 4 kids.  If you need advice about how to have a lifestyle of travel with a large family, she’s your go-to gal and you can follow her adventures on her fantastic blog:  Travels With Children

Amie O’Shaughnessy of Ciao Bambino brings us some Family-friendly Tips from a Local Mom for Exploring Chicago. Ciao Bambino is a one of Trekaroo’s favorite partners because we share a common passion – inspiring families to travel.  Ciao Bambino provides vetted reviews of the best accommodations when traveling with children of all ages around the world.

Free and Cheap Entertainment in the Suburbs of Chicago - sign me up!  The bargain hunting mom behind Bargins Rock has no hesitation sharing her best finds in her home town of Chicago.  She’s passionate about saving money and loves passing on good deals to her blog readers.  If you like deals too, be sure to bookmark her blog.

Bridget Stern also has a list of the Best FREE attractions in and around Chicago. Bridget works with families day in day out capturing the most wonderful photos of children and families as a professional photographer.  She is also an active mom who loves exploring with her daughter.  To see great pics and read about their family’s adventures, hop on over to Bridget Stern’s blog.

Other Chicago Resources:

• All 255 Activities for kids in Chicagoland
• Kid-friendly hotels in and around Chicagoland

• Free Museum Days in Chicago
• Places to cool off the Kiddos in the Chi-town Area by asmpman
• Kraft Great Kids Museum Passes in Chicago
• Saving Money on Chicago Kids Museums – Museum Adventure Pass

Next stop, we’ll be heading to Seattle, Washington for another big launch the week of Halloween.

The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist.  It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while

1) expressing their unique point of view

2) getting a web of link exchanges.

Join us for one of our next stopovers.

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LiLing Pang is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA  and now IL

There are millions of moms who have discovered blogging as an outlet for expressing their thoughts and opinions about topics that are near and dear to their hearts.  But, gaining an audience for our writing is a huge endeavor in and off itself.  We all know that link exchanges are the key to gaining SEO visibility and traffic.  But in reality, not all link exchanges are made equal.  After all, how valuable is a link from a page when you are buried among hundreds of other links that don’t explain anything about your unique point of view or expertise?

That’s why Trekaroo is launching a new program – The Trekaroo KidsMobile – to provide a unique opportunity for mom bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while 1) expressing their unique point of view, and 2) getting a web of link exchanges.  It’s a blog carnival with a good twist.

Over the next 50 weeks, the Trekaroo KidsMobile will travel across America, stopping off at a major family destination each week.  All blogging parents can participate by creating a list on Trekaroo that reflects their unique point of view.

So, let’s take our first stop – New York City (scheduled for Sept 15,2009).

Does your blog focus on fashion?  Write a list of the “10 Best Places to Go Shopping with a Teen in NYC”.
Does your blog focus on education?  Write a list of the “10 Most Interesting Educational Opportunities for Kids in NYC”.
Does your blog focus on life with a toddler?  Write a list of “Must See Places in NYC with a Toddler”.
Do you keep a funny blog?  Write a list of “Goofy Experiences with Kids in NYC.”

Get the idea?

As for the link exchanges, it’ll work much like a blog carnival. The diagram below shows the web of link exchanges that all participating blogs will gain when they participate in the KidsMobile Program.

All participants get a link from Trekaroo to your blogs via their Trekaroo Passport.

But we will also provide a link to your blog from our 20+ different blogs that we maintain on various news publications like sfgate.com.

Plus, you’ll get links from all the other blogs who participate in KidsMobile the week you do.

Now that’s what we call quality linky love.

Learn more about the KidsMobile

Step by Step Guide For Jumping Onboard the KidsMobile
When are we coming to your favorite town? See the KidsMobile Calendar for the next 50 weeks.

Trekaroo is a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids. Most of our families are just normal moms and dads, sharing about their real experiences as they explore with their kids.  Our community recommends fun activities for kids, and kid-friendly hotels, and restaurants.

Email us if you wish to participate. editor@trekaroo.com

Welcome to the July 29, 2009 edition of carnival of cities.  Many thanks to Sheila Scarborough for starting this fun exchange of bloggers who are sharing about cities around the world.  In the wink of a blog post, we’ll travel around the world together. This is a biweekly event and Trekaroo is proud to host this edition.  The next edition will return to Family Travel Logue (Aug 12)

Fire up those clickers and we’re off!

Cities of the Americas

New York City, New York: Emm veers west of London for a second day in new york. New York day 2: Empire State Building was posted at Emm in London, saying “I recently took a trip to New York and I fell in love. This post is from my second day in this magical city.”

New York City, New York: Amie O’Shaughnessy visited New York with your family and brings you Summer in New York City: Ideas to Keep Kids Cool and Happy posted at Welcome to the Ciao Bambino Blog.

Washington, District of Columbia: Jon annouces that DC’s Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Lotus Flowers are in Full Bloom posted at The DC Traveler – Washington DC travel & tourism information. “The lotus flowers in Wshington DC’s Kenilworth Gardens are in full bloom and spectacular. Nature at it’s best.”

Pensacola Beach, Florida: Jennifer shares about the reopened Ft. Pickens – Pensacola Beach, Florida posted at Pensacola with Kids “Due to Hurricane Ivan, Fort Pickens was closed to car traffic for several years. It has recently opened back up and is a great place to take the whole family. Explore the fort and check out our sandy white beaches!”

Mobile, Alabama: Jennifer explores a little off the beaten path with  A Day Trip: Five Things to Do in Mobile, Alabama with Your Kids posted at Two Kids and a Map, saying, “Mobile, Alabama is full of fantastic activities and places to enjoy with your kids. These are five of our picks for a quick day trip!”

Austin, Texas: Sheila Scarborough tells us about the cool Austin Rocks: Sunday Bluegrass Brunch at Threadgill’s posted at Perceptive Travel Blog, saying, “Threadgill’s has been around Austin since the 1930s; the “Old No. 1″ North Austin location has a Bluegrass Brunch that all ages can enjoy.”

Winter Park, Colorado: Watch Me Eat presents Food at the Watermelon 5K posted at Watch Me Eat. “Running through the historic neighborhoods and gardens during the Watermelon 5K Race in Winter Park, FL (and then enjoying the watermelon after).”

Los Angeles, California: Henry presents Three Hours in Los Feliz – Part II posted at Finding Freedom, saying, “This is the second part of my afternoon exploring the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA. The article focuses on the Barnsdall Arts Park and the Hollyhock House. You can find part one in the July 15, 2009 issue of Carnival of Cities.”

Temecula, Califronia: Caterina Christakos lets us in on the Temecula Wine Tasting Shuttles | Wine Clubs Worldwide posted at Wine Clubs Worldwide.

Cancun Mexico: One Family has explored Cancun to bring back this Cancun Trip Report posted at One Family’s Blog, saying, “A family trip report of Cancun from a frugal family.”

San Francisco, California: LiLing Pang has found 10 Destination Worthy Playgrounds in the San Francisco Bay Area that promise a day of fun for hardly a penny.  Read all the details about why each of these playgrounds are so special on Trekaroo.

Cities of Asia

Vichuda presents Tjong A Fie Mansion History posted at Kota Medan Guide.

Suzhou, China: Iain Manley shares his Suzhou City Guide posted at Holiday Fu.

Manila, Philippines: Mara shares her list of Manila Shopping Malls posted at The Manila Girl.

Penukonda, India: Kristie has had the unique experience of Celebrating Guru Purnima 2009 In India posted at Norway – An American In Oslo,

Cities of Europe

Jen Miner has a raves about The Best Luxury Hotel in the World in the Traveling Mamas.

Dan Miller presents Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars: Married! posted at Celebs Free Pics, saying, “Robert Redford married Sibylle Szaggars in Hamburg, Germany last weekend.The 71-year-old acting and directing legend wed the 51-year-old Sibyelle after the two had been dating for a while.”

Jason share about the 800 year old festival where residents of celerbate the 1209: Massacre of Beziers, “kill them all, let God sort them out” posted at Executed Today.

London, UK: William wallace knows how to find free thrills.  He’s wirrten A Guide To Finding Free Events In London posted at London Is Cool

Rome, Italy: Mick Hart presents Visiting Rome In A Day – Is That Really Possible? posted at Globe Cheap Travel, saying, “Discount Travel Techniques that guarantee big savings on family vacations, international flights, accommodation, entertainment, and lots more…”

Travelrat presents Gardens in Madrid « Travelrat’s Travels posted at Travelrat’s Travels.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of cities using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of cities, blog carnival.