Ditch the Spray, Non-Toxic Wristbands Keep Mosquitos Away

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Michele Zavatsky

Summertime and mosquitos. It is important to protect yourself this summer and in addition, say goodbye to itching and swelling and say hello to a worry free day of fun in the sun.

Mosquitno Bands are all-natural, non-toxic wristbands made of silicone rubber infused with 100% citronella oil. Each Mosquitno Bands contains enough citronella to effectively repel bugs for up to 150 hours of exposure (or six days), and each comes in a re-sealable pouch to preserve effectiveness between uses. Mosquitno Bands are available in eight solid colors, camouflage, tie-dye and glow-in-the-dark in sizes for adults and children.

The pleasant-smelling Mosquitno Bands works by masking human scents – carbon dioxide and sweat – that attract bugs. Mosquitno Bands are more effective than citronella candles because they are worn on the body and the citronella scent is not dissipated by the wind.

MY TAKE: I am a mosquito magnet. I’m at tournament ballgames for most weekends early summer. After July 4th, it’s outdoor festivals… I get welts and bumps all over my legs and arms. My sundress just doesn’t look that appealing when there are red bumps that are so plentiful you could play “connect the dots”…ugh! But this product really worked! Bottom line: when I wore the wristband, bite free.

Mosquitno Bands retail for $3.99. All Mosquitno products are non-toxic, chemical-free and DEET-free. Mosquitno Bands are available online at www.mosquitnoband.com and Amazon.

WEIRD BUT TRUE! USA

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Michele Zavatsky

It’s weird. It’s true. And now, it’s red, white, and blue! Explore wacky wonders, facts, stats, tidbits, and trivia about America’s 50 states and territories.

Did you know that there is a floating post office in Michigan? The streetlights on Hershey, PAs Chocolate Avenue are shaped like Hershey kisses? On full moon nights, a moonbow appears at KYs Cumberland Falls? Or a leaning tower of Pisa Water Tower in IL? Maybe you’d be amazed to discover that the ink used to print U.S. paper money is magnetic?

Take a tour through the wonderfully wacky side of the United States of America and encounter all kinds of bizarre people, places, events, and things that make our country great. And the best part, many of these geographical facts are listed in KIDS LOVE TRAVEL guidebooks as places you can visit and see for yourself!

Weird But True! USA

Weird But True! USA: 300 Fascinating Facts About the Fifty States (Ages 8-12, $8.99) ROAD TRIP!

Travel Product Review: Secur Sun Power 6000 Cell Phone Charger

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Michele Zavatsky

Sitting on the beach with a drink in hand, enjoying time spent with the family or friends is the daydream of many desk dwellers, so why ruin the image with a dying cell phone?

The Sun Power 6000 Charger allows you to charge your electronics without leaving the fun in the sun. This handy charger is water resistant, and perfect for seaside festivities.

Or, got kids playing sports? I’ve spent gobs of hours at ballparks all summer long. Tournaments can go all day…and I’m checking emails and updates of brackets all day. My battery always runs out at the worst times. Not now…

Easy to use, really simple. You’ll never feel out-of-communication out n about again.

Suggested Retail Price for the Sun Power 6000 Charger is $125.00 and it can be found on Amazon.com for purchase. https://www.securproducts.com/product-6000/

WHY USE KIDS LOVE TRAVEL FAMILY GUIDEBOOKS?

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Michele Zavatsky

FEATURES only found in KIDS LOVE GUIDEBOOKS:

A little Frazzled? Busy? Have a Free Weekend coming up but no time to plan it? Kids Love Travel Family Guides to the rescue! We’ve already surveyed all the kid-friendly attractions and organized them for you to plan day trips and getaways…on a budget.

How does it work?

1. QUICK TOURS of Hand-Picked Favorites – to help you choose, if you have a limited time frame.

2. DAY TRIP ZONE CATEGORIES – makes it easy to locate multiple activities in the same area.

3. EDUCATIONAL OR FREE DOWNLOADS – coloring sheets, scavenger hunts, puzzles and lesson plans.

4. QUICK VIEW CHARTS – organized by city.

5. DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS – including pricing, hours, overview and insider tips.

6. ACTIVITY INDEX – to locate attractions by theme (ex. Tours, Science, Seasonal Events).

A great resource for busy moms everywhere, Kids Love Travel Family Guides will guarantee your family vacation is worth all the time, money, and emotion you put into it.

Travel Product Review: Goodwipes

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Michele Zavatsky

No Shower? No Toilet Paper? No Problem! – Goodwipes.

Need to freshen up while on a layover?

At a Festival? Port-a-Johns only option? Concerned about TP running out? Or, want better than sandpaper toilet paper?

When would you use these Body Wipes?
Traveling . Outdoors . Post-Gym . Hiking . Running . Crossfit . Camping . Music Festivals. Forehead Swiping . Obstacle Courses + Mud Runs .

Cleansing wipes come in handy when…
You’re Traveling. Outdoors . After Exercise . Camping . Hiking . Surfing . Skiing . Commutes . Port-a-Potties . Festivals . Restaurants .

Goodwipes are made from eco-friendly ingredients like tea tree oil, chamomile, lavender and peppermint. The cleansing wipes have similar ingredients plus a light fragrance…different for each gender. Lavendar for ladies. Musky for men.

Freshen up your neck, back, face, underarms, and body with goodwipes Body Wipes. Toss them in your carry-on bag to remove dirt, sweat, oils, bacteria and body odors that naturally build up during the day. www.goodwipes.com

Travel Book Review: Unknown Horizons: The Thrilling Tale of Lewis and Clark

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Michele Zavatsky

In 1803, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the unknown land of the Louisiana Purchase. They gathered a crew of adventurous and able men to form the Corps of Discovery. “Unknown Horizons” tells their story.

“By giving personalities to the members of the Corps, we are able to give greater depth to this thrilling adventure and allow readers to experience what life would have been like as an adventurer in 1803,” author Ruth Peck said.

My Take: Most chapters you feel as if you were there…feeling threatened by the Sioux, exhausted by the elements, starving or eating lots of fresh meat. You may even find yourself bored when the men had their long stay at Fort Clatsop or elated when they found fresh Spring grass and signs of civilization on their return trip. I liked how they weaved the Sacagawea story for most of the journey. A Good Read if you like historical exploration stories.

https://www.xlibris.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001160095

Travel Product Review: Chargers on the Go

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Michele Zavatsky

Don’t find yourself drained this Memorial Day Weekend.
Most people like to think of Memorial Day weekend as the unofficial kickoff to summer. The three-day weekend is the perfect opportunity to get away, even if it’s just a day trip to a nearby city. While traveling we all rely on our smartphones for directions, looking up destination spots or places to eat and for capturing memories in the form of pictures and videos. One travel necessity to never leave home without is a quality portable charger so you can stay in control of your trip!

We tried the HubMini. Here’s some stats;
22 extra hours of power / Integrated Apple® Lightning™ cable / Integrated micro-USB cable

TECHNOLOGY

Smart-sense: ensures complete device compatibility
Hyper-charge: ultra-fast charging of your devices; up to 65% faster than competitors
Power-stay: maintains battery power for up to 1 year
Max-power: maximum power transfer from powerbank to device
High-density battery: the smallest and lightest powerbank
Safe-cell: provides the highest level of battery safety
Rapid-recharge: powerbank recharges up to 50% faster than competitors
Pass Through Charging: will charge the powerbank and connected device simultaneously

Our Take: The HubMini charges fast. How many times have my kids and I been at a ballgame, an outdoor festival, or a restaurant and our cell phone battery is nearly dead. Restaurants don’t have outlets at every table and outdoor activities never do. Plus, who wants to lug a heavy charger cord everywhere. This is light and compact. Best of all: my Android phone and a friend’s IPhone can CHARGE AT THE SAME TIME! This is a new standard item for my purse and beach tote!

myCharge makes a variety of portable chargers that will fit anyone’s needs from the Hub Series chargers, that include convenient built-in charging cables and wall prongs on the back of the unit to charge it, to the Razor series that offers ample extra battery life and a sleek look. https://mycharge.com/

Travel Book Review: Baseball Road Trips: The Midwest and Great Lakes

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Michele Zavatsky

The perfect travel guide for baseball fans who want to see more of the great ballparks in America’s heartland, this handy guide gives you the tips for best lodging, great restaurants, and local attractions for the Major League and minor league cities and towns that dot the Midwest. With details about every ballpark from Major League Baseball to the Frontier League, this travel companion tells you the best places to sit, the best ballpark food to eat, and the best places to go around town when you are not at the ballpark.

As a huge baseball fan, I couldn’t wait to dig into this book (sent complimentary for unbiased review). I really liked the format (easy reading) and callouts (interesting sidebar notes). As a journalist, I wanted to especially compare my personal experiences at many of these ballparks to that of the authors…and I learned some stuff along the way!

Since I’m biased towards certain MLB teams, I refrained from examining the major league ballparks too much. After all, we visit those predominantly to watch our fave team play, not really for the ballpark.

But the minor league ballparks are a different story. Here’s some examples:

1. INDIANA – South Bend Silver Hawks – Four Winds Field – my review was more recent and favorable (https://kidslovetravel.com/fun-in-south-bend-indiana/) but we both agree this is a resurgence ballpark finding its following near Notre Dame campus.

2. KENTUCKY – Louisville Bats – Louisville Slugger Field – now here’s where I learned something very unique – how the Pittsburgh Pirates got the name “Pirates” – when the city’s ballclub fell victim to a pirate in 1899 – not the type of pirate you may think (pg 77). This ballpark is too fun (https://kidslovetravel.com/sporting-fun-in-louisville-day-two/)

3. OHIO – Columbus Clippers – Huntington Park – my adult hometown set in the heart of the Arena district and Short North arts district, this newer ballpark is also home to Dime a Dog night and Buck a Bone (ribs) night. Live bands on summer weekends and plenty of craft brews now offered make this a fun park to buy a $7 standing room only ticket and wander the park set in the heart of the city. As the author says, “The fans of Columbus also have a good view no matter where they sit.”

From taking in a AAA game with the Iowa Cubs in Des Moines and visiting the Field of Dreams to knowing how to best experience Target Field in the Twin Cities, Baseball Road Trips: The Midwest and Great Lakes is all you need to plan a dream baseball road trip.

Triumph Books, $16.95, http://www.triumphbooks.com/baseball-road-trips–the-midwest-and-great-lakes-products-9781600789694.php

AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS – A Pop Up Book Review

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Michele Zavatsky

With National Parks Week coming up, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a new book…a pop-up book on America’s National Parks!

What’s Inside

The coast-to-coast journey features 18 of our most popular parks, six as stunning pop-ups – Everglades (Kids Love Florida, pg 157), Great Smoky Mountains (Kids Love Tennessee, pg 61), Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier and Yosemite national parks. Boy do these pages spring to life as you turn the page open fully and the three-dimensional scenes pop up. My kids oohed and awed, too. It really captured our interest to want to open the extra “envelopes” on each pop up page and read more.

Examples

See the endangered Florida panther peering out from a cypress grove, an alligator charging a white egret, a snarling grizzly bear protecting her cubs, adventurers in a dory boat crashing through the rapids of the Colorado River, all rising up from the pages of the book. Also springing to life are wildflowers of Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park (rises 13″ above the page); a mountain goat, the iconic mammal of Glacier National Park, perches on a high cliff; and the grandest lodge in all of the national park system, The Ahwahnee in Yosemite National Park, invites you to enter.

However, at first glance, I was curious why the cover artwork looked a little old-fashioned. Answer: The pop-up art is in the style of 1930s WPA posters. Old School. The way these natural formations and the life that inhabits them has been for ages. No neon. No modern architecture. Just pure majesty…naturally.

I’ve only visited a handful of National Parks east of the Mississippi. Now my wanderlust (and my kids!) to explore the west is full throttle…

America’s National Parks is available in two hand-assembled editions. The creative book is $34.95, and get this, the publisher donates $8.00 from every copy sold to the NPCA (National Parks Conservation Association). The goal is to Raise $100,000 for Parks.

Note: http://www.nationalparkspopup.com is the place to look around and order.

National Geographic Kids Books Highlight US National Parks

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Michele Zavatsky

Timed to the 100th anniversary of the National Parks in 2016, National Geographic celebrates “The Year of the Parks” with new children’s books designed to introduce young readers to the wonder and beauty of our nation’s parks.

National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide USA: takes kids on a journey to National Parks across the United States. Each region is broken down with maps , lists of must-do activities, fun facts, and more.

I liked how a few pages in each chapter are devoted to special interest, such as “spooky” sites like an island prison or a UFO hot spot (example: pg 80-81). Another few pages (50-51) itemize a suitcase checklist with pictures of must-haves to pack.

And when you go to a National Park what options do you have? Ride the Rails? Follow the Falls? Bike it? and my favorite, Rock Stars…like Ice Box Cave. Helpful color photographs, checklists, and suggested bicycling and spelunking excursions round out this comprehensive guide. $14.95. Ages 8-12.

Great add-ons for the car ride include: Junior Ranger Activity Book with games, trivia, and jokes inspired by the Junior Ranger program ($14.99) and the Funny Fill-in with goofy fill-in-the-blank, colorful artwork, and wacky bonus facts ($4.99).

National Geographic Kids Books

KidsLoveTravel

FAMILY TRAVEL UPDATES

Category Archives: Travel Product Reviews