Wandering Browns

Sand sculpture in the middle of the main shopping square in Ningbo As an initial first impression, I must say I am pleasantly surprised by China. Given, we are living in the nicest hotel we have ever lived in since we started traveling, and we're in a big city with lots of stuff to do. First of all, it is very hot and humid right now. I finally found some people who spoke good English and wanted to talk to me, and they were telling me that it is unseasonably hot this year. Yay for pregnant me! Because of the humidity, it doesn't really cool off much at night, but being kind of close to the sea means that breezes to come through and give some relief. On the hottest days, though, Landon and I can't be outside for more than an hour before we are soaked with sweat and overheated. It is green here! It rains a few times a week, and that keeps the trees, flowers, grasses and shrubs all looking great. I've decided that I absolutely love the look of Asian gardens. There a...

This was formerly on my travel tips page, and in a minor revamp of the blog I decided it deserved a post. During the past year, we have flown internationally five times, four times to Asia. From my experience flying internationally with a toddler, here are my top tips for a smooth and easier travel experience: 1.  DON'T PANIC!  In the book  Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,  these words are on the front cover. This applies so well to traveling with a toddler. Kids pick up on the "vibe" that their parents are giving off. If parents are getting frustrated, angry, stressed, despondent, or any other emotion besides calm, kids are going to notice and begin to act that way as well. For example, we found out we were flying back to the US from Korea only two days prior to our departure date. We were trying to book tickets and pick seats using three separate reservations, so Austin and I were both very busy/stressed. Landon thought it was the perfect time to climb all over...

Packing a bag for a trip is a skill and an art. You want to pack everything you are going to need in the smallest space possible. Although my experience packing for trips involves preparing to go overseas for months at a time, I think the same principles apply to shorter trips as well. 1. Select the bag to fit your needs and length of trip: There are so many different kinds of luggage; choose whatever will work best for you and your trip. When we did a whirlwind trip through Italy and stayed 1-2 nights in each city, we packed everything we needed in a backpack to have more freedom to move from place to place without worrying about storing luggage. For shorter, more stationary trips, a small roll-aboard will probably work fine. We love our Lojel! On  Amazon  For the last year and a half, we have been traveling to different overseas locations and staying for months at a time. For this kind of travel, we LOVE our hard-sided bags! We have two large suitcases with the 4-wh...

My carry-on bag for international flights is my diaper backpack. I set aside some room for diapers, wipes,  snacks, and an extra outfit for my toddler, and use the remaining space to bring a few things for myself on board. Here are my favorite essentials to bring on a LONG flight: - Individually wrapped (or a small package) of antibacterial hand wipes. I picked this up by reading other travel blogs. I wipe down every surface around our seat that my toddler to conceivably touch or lick. For super long flights, a little peace of mind goes a long way. - Ibuprofen, homeopathic motion sickness meds and dramamine : headaches happen. Occasionally with turbulence I get motion sick. I start with the homeopathic motion sickness meds and if they don't work, dramamine will do the trick! - Children's tylenol and Peace and Calming essential oil: These are for my son for his ears (tylenol) and to help him fall asleep after the initial excitement wears off from being on an airplane. ...

I have struggled with how to format this subject on our blog. Taking multiple LONG airplane rides in the past few months has left us with some solid knowledge of how to prepare for and handle a toddler on a long flight. I will post some key guidelines here, and then update our Toddler Traveling Tips  page  with links to individual blog posts on different topics. Here are some general guidelines: 1.  DON'T PANIC!  In the book  Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,  these words are on the front cover. This applies so well to traveling with a toddler. Kids pick up on the "vibe" that their parents are giving off. If parents are getting frustrated, angry, stressed, despondent, or any other emotion besides calm, kids are going to notice and begin to act that way as well. For example, we found out about a flight back to the US from Korea only two days prior. We were trying to book tickets and pick seats using three separate reservations, so Austin and I were both...

Landon and I finally arrive in Seoul yesterday afternoon after a 4.5 hour flight to San Francisco and a 12 hour flight to Seoul. Alone. The whole week before we left, Landon was sick as a dog with a fever and nasty cough. I finally took him to the doctor when his fever didn't go away, and she diagnosed him with pneumonia and advised us not to travel. The only problem was that there was a good chance I would have to delay another 2 weeks because of the company policy, and by that point, Austin would probably be coming back soon, so Landon and I would end up stranded in America. She said at the very least not to fly with him if he had a fever. Well, I was very conflicted. I didn't want him to spread his germs, and I especially didn't want him to have some sort of respiratory attack on a plane flying over the ocean. I was crying and heart broken that Landon would not get to see Austin as soon. Well, after a good cry, I prayed about what I should do. I asked for my son to be h...