When Vacations Go Bad: Everything You Need to Know about AirBnB Customer Service

Vacations are supposed to be everything wonderful in life: time spent with family, long days filled with sunshine, explorations of new food and new places, and an escape from the same old routine.

They're great...until they aren't. It might have been the food made you sick or that the "incredible ocean view!" is anything but. On our recent trip to Miami, it wasn't the food or the view that let us down: it was our AirBnB. Thanks to that experience, I've come away as a bit of an expert in AirBnB customer service.

So, if you find yourself away from home, and your AirBnB isn't what you were promised online, here's what you need to know.

8 Best Kid Friendly Things to Do in Denver

This post was written in collaboration with Expedia.com

On our road trip from Las Vegas to Denver this year, we wanted to make each day as fun for our kids as possible. After all, if we were going to make 2 little kids get in the car every day, we wanted the destination to be worth the trouble.

As we hiked, explored, and camped our way towards Denver, we hoped that it would be filled with family fun like the rest of our trip. It did not disappoint! These are our favorite kid friendly things to do in Denver, so pack some snacks and get ready to go. I bet your kids--like my preschooler--will be begging to go back as soon as you get home.

Redefining the Family Road Trip Experience: A Review of the Mifold Car Booster Seat

I was provided a mifold for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. 

As a firm believer that travel should include the entire family, I'm always on the lookout for newer, better, and more efficient products that make family travel possible. One that I'm adding to my list is the mifold car booster seat.

One of the most annoying things that I've had to navigate while traveling with two kids is the car seat. I want to keep my kids safe first and foremost, but that still doesn't stop me from cursing furiously in my head every time I have to contort myself in unnatural positions to remove my kids' car seats when we need to transfer them for travel.

Even when you get to check a car seat for free, the process of hauling a massive booster or car seat through the airport to the check-in counter is anything but fun.

Plus, when you're out sightseeing in New York or London or Paris, and you want to catch a taxi or Uber to your next location, you either have to haul your booster seat around with you (typically not feasible since they're so large) or pray you don't get in an accident and strap your small child into the backseat of a taxi without a booster seat at all (no thanks).

The Best of the West: The Ultimate 1.5 Week Road Trip from Las Vegas to Denver

If you're looking for an epic U.S. road trip, you cannot do better than this one. We took 11 days to explore the best of what Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado had to offer in this incredible (and family friendly!) road trip from Las Vegas to Denver.

Why We Wanted to Do a Road Trip from Las Vegas to Denver

As a child, I traveled often with my parents: we did the typical trips to Walt Disney World, but we also went snorkeling in Key Largo, took a road trip along California's Highway 1, and explored Canada's Prince Edward Island. One thing that we always talked about doing was a road trip to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and other national parks out west.

Things happen, my sister and I grew up, and we never did make the trek out west like we said we would. I still wanted to go badly, but somehow domestic travel always fell by the wayside as I ventured to England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, the Bahamas, and beyond.

The desire to head out West again came up earlier this year when my husband, Landon, and I were brainstorming where we wanted to go on our major trips. Since he has a set number of vacation days, I try to work our family vacations around his schedule so he can join us on as many adventures as possible.

What to Do at Great Wolf Lodge Indoor Water Park with a Preschooler

Disclaimer: I worked with the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/ Concord, North Carolina, in order to produce this post. As always, all opinions are my own. 

Who wouldn't love to splash and play in a massive indoor water park for a few days? The answer, I decided, was probably no one (or, at least, no one I wanted to hang out with), so I knew that I had to head up to the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, for some watery fun.

Calling All Paleontologists! 10 Places to Go Fossil Hunting in Colorado

When I was in the 2nd grade, my teacher introduced a dinosaur unit, and I fell in love. I soon checked out every book on dinosaurs in the small school library, and I determined my favorite dinosaur (protoceratops, if you were wondering). Just over 2 decades later, and I'm still fascinated by the giant creatures that once called our planet home.

While we were on our recent road trip from Nevada to Colorado, I realized that we'd be heading straight into some of the best dinosaur territory that the U.S. had to offer. My inner 2nd grader rejoiced and immediately started researching.

What I found are all perfect activities for the entire family, so buy those plane tickets, start searching Colorado cabin rentals, and get ready for some dino-mite fun! Here's where to go fossil hunting in Colorado.

6 Fun Kids' Activities in Durham, North Carolina

Summer time is the time for family vacations. As soon as the temperatures start to warm up, I get antsy for our next adventure. In between our 1 or 2 big trips each year, we like taking shorter trips within the Southeast: my husband and I are big believers in exploring the beautiful region we call home, so when I had the chance to visit Durham, North Carolina, with my two kids, I loaded up the car and headed up I-95.

Over 2 days, we hopped, ran, ate, and explored our way through as many of the kid-friendly spots in and around Durham that we could squeeze into our packed schedule. Here are our favorite kids' activities in Durham, North Carolina!

Hot Springs, History, and Family Fun: 2-day Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Itinerary

As we made our way across Colorado from Grand Junction to Denver, we stopped for a a quick exploration of Glenwood Springs. At first glance from I-70, Glenwood Springs is a small, unassuming little town, but once you get off of the interstate and make your way into the historic district, you'll quickly fall in love.

If you've got two days, here's a complete Glenwood Springs, Colorado, itinerary. It's really family friendly with food suggestions, play options, and lots of outdoor activities, so you could easily do Glenwood Springs with kids in tow, as well.

1st Class Kid Travel Pillow: The Plane Accessory Every Traveling Family Needs | A Review

Every parent who travels with their kids knows that preparation and the right products are key to a memorable family trip and content children. As we do our best to show the globe to our small kids, we've been testing out products that are supposed to make that experience easier.

On our latest trip out west, we had one thing that really saved the day: the 1st Class Kid Travel Pillow. Here's why it ended up being perfect for our preschooler!

Family Travel Stress

I really love traveling with my kids. Seeing the world has been a passion of mine since I was tiny human, and I certainly wasn't going to change or stop that because I had kids of my own. 99% of the time, going out into the great big world with them is a pleasure: I get to create memories with them in new places, and see familiar spots in a fresh way through their eyes.

But. (and there is always a but.)

There's that 1% of our time together that makes me want to pull my hair out. These moments usually occur when we're all tired, hungry, and uncomfortable, and just want to be back in our comfy beds at home. Typically, the grumpiness is solved with a solid meal and a good night's rest, and we go back to having fun.

10 Things to Know before You Start to Plan Your Arizona + Utah Road Trip

The countdown is on for our upcoming road trip to the Western U.S., and I am so busy putting the final details on our itinerary. The majority of our trip will take place in Arizona and Utah, which have so many incredible locations that it's been hard to narrow down exactly where we need to go!

 Our original plan had been to fly in and out of Denver, Colorado, and do a quick excursion into northern Utah as part of that loop. However, when we realized that we were leaving out so many incredible sights in the neighboring states, we had to rethink that plan. We expanded our original route into the multi-state road trip that we'll actually be taking.

11 Things You Need to Know for an Easier Disney Trip with Very Young Kids

For Gibson's first trip, I decided to head down to Walt Disney World for a long weekend. I'd pinpointed WDW for a few reasons:

1) We've been there more times that I can count, so I was comfortable taking both a 3 month old and my 3.5 year old potentially by myself,

2) It's about as kid-friendly as it comes, so no one would give me death glares if both the infant and the preschooler had simultaneous meltdowns, and

3) It's just far enough away from home to feel like a vacation, but no so far that I'd have to take both of them on a plane (I'm building to that milestone).

Breakfast with Pooh + Friends: The Crystal Palace at Walt Disney World Dining Review

Now that I have a preschooler, we're really big into Pooh Bear and his friends (they're right up there with Elsa and Anna in my daughter's eyes), so I wanted to make sure that we did a meet and greet with them while she was still in her full-on Pooh Bear phase.

If you've ever been to Disneyland or Walt Disney World, you know that character meet and greets are serious business. Many characters only do meets at certain places in certain parks at particular times, so, if you're hoping to get some pictures with your favorite characters, it's worth it to do some research beforehand. If you, like my daughter, love Pooh Bear, you have two options to meet him: wait in (a very long) line with dozens and dozens of other squirmy preschoolers over in the Fantasyland section of the Magic Kingdom, or you can book a meal at the Crystal Palace.

6 Places Your Kids Will Love in Barcelona {Guest Post by Tiny Fry}

Just as we were thinking about our 2017 travels (which includes a trip to Spain), Samara from TinyFry.com is here to share her best tips for visiting Barcelona with your favorite tiny traveler.

Our 2017 Travel Wishlist

As the new year looms, I've started doing one of my favorite things: picking out where we might go in the coming 12 months. 

Since we traveled far less in 2016 than we did in 2015 (due to my 2nd pregnancy), I'm excited to have so many possibilities open to us. No more worrying about the Zika virus! No more wondering how I could travel without panicking about being so far from my doctor! No more waddling and being tired!

Apple of My Eye: Tips for Visiting Sky Top Orchard, Flat Rock, North Carolina

Here in the South Carolina Lowcountry, we don't have much of a fall. And by that, I mean that the trees stubbornly hold onto their leaves well into November, only to give a great sigh around Thanksgiving and discard crumbling, brown bits on the ground around Thanksgiving without any of the colorful pomp and circumstance found elsewhere in the country.

We don't have real pumpkin patches, but rather ones where the pumpkins are shipped in and sold rapidly before they start to mold in the 80 degree weather.

Smarter, Easier Family Travel: Why You Should Add the gb Pockit Stroller to Your Must-Pack List {A Review}

This post was sponsored by GBChildUsa as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received the gb Pockit to facilitate my review.

By far, the most difficult part of traveling with a little one is the amount of stuff that we have to pack for her. While we've streamlined the process a bit over the last 2.5 years, I still find myself hauling around her travel cot, her toddler backpack and leash, our bulky stroller, and her beloved Frozen luggage.

Staying at a Hostel with Kids: What to Do to Make Your Visit Easy and Fun {Guest Post by Tripelio}

While I'm off having fun on my sister's bachelorette party weekend (don't worry--we don't get too wild and crazy), I'm handing the blog over to Jess, the travel blogger at Tripelio.

Like many people, she makes use of hostels when she travels. Her article today takes the topic of hostels--which have a reputation for being centered around 20-something backpackers--and shows how they can be an excellent resource for traveling families.

Why Having Kids Shouldn't Stop You From Traveling

Three years ago, I found out I was expecting a little girl. To say that I was excited was an understatement. Soon afterwards, someone asked me if I was going to buy new clothes when I became a mom.

And by that, this person wasn't inquiring if I needed a new size postpartum or if I was going to update my wardrobe.

Nope.

This person was asking if I was going to get a "mom wardrobe," a concept I'm still a little confused about. Immediately after delivery, did I need to take all of my skinny jeans to Goodwill in exchange for high-waisted, ill-fitting ones? Did I need to give up my beloved scarves and headbands for something more boring?

What to Do at Hampton Court Palace with Kids: Secret Rooms, Queen Victoria's Wardrobe, and a Tudor Maze

If you're visiting London with kids, you cannot miss a trip out to Molesey, where you'll find my favorite of all the Tudor palaces. Here's what to do at Hampton Court Palace with kids from the usual sites to the lesser known touring options.