Crazy Dad's Guide to Family Travel

We have nothing to fear but MOMMY, WHAT IS THAT?!?!

2010-07-20T00:43:00.001-07:00

Kids are afraid of the darndest things. The monsters in their nightmares. The monsters under their bed. The monsters in the closet. The monster who will someday refuse to stay at the old-folks home and will demand to live with them in their house.

Okay, the last fear is legit. The others not so much.

When traveling, Crazy Dad has never worried about what his kids are worried about. Crazy Dad tends to worry about his worries - such as paying for the trip, getting the entire family there safely, having a great time while there.

But part of having a great time is anticipating what your kids will worry about.

TALK IT OUT

It doesn't hurt to talk to your kids about what they're worried about. Crazy Dad's son was worried about a trip to a foreign country, because no one in the family spoke the native language of that country. Apparently nothing short of learning Esperanto would have calmed the boy down. Of course, that wasn't what he was REALLY scared of. He wasn't sure what he was nervous about, so he latched onto the language thing.

Most of your kid's fears about traveling tend to be around two things-

"I'm going to be BORED."

Try to keep them excited about the trip. Tell them exciting things they might do. People or places they'll see. Everyone is scared of the unknown, and for your kids, the trip is a BIG unknown.

And of course-

"I don't want to eat weird food."

Try to remind them of foods that they like that they'll probably find on the trip. And if all fails, suggest or strongly imply that you'll give in and let them get Chicken McNuggets from McDonald's on the trip.

It's not a promise. So if you want to lie and not fulfill the McDonald's offer, that's your parental prerogative.

ACT IT OUT

With toddlers, there's always one thing that will scare them on trips.

Airport security. Look at it from a 2 year-old's perspective. Everyone is tired, they've rushed to the airport, they've had to drag bags on and off of buses and trains and cars. Now they're in a huge line where everyone is unhappy.

Now everyone is taking off their shoes!
Dad is taking off his belt!
Mom is being patted down for a secondary security inspection!

And now some strange man or woman behind the enormous beeping gate is pointing at you and telling you to walk forward!

Look at it from your 2 year-old's perspective. EVERYONE HAS GONE FLIPPING INSANE.

So if you have a small toddler, roleplay the airport security steps with them before the trip. Explain that they'll have to take off their shoes. Explain that they have to walk through a big gate. Explain that they might have to walk to a police officer standing on the other side.

If they roleplay it once through, it won't be an unknown when it happens for real. And they won't be scared.

BUT YOUR KID IS YOUR KID

This is the caveat that Crazy Dad always likes to remind every parent. Your kid is your kid - and all kids are different.

When Crazy Dad asked his oldest daughter if she'd ever been scared on their trips, she said no. She always assumed that her mom and dad had it under control. But just because SHE thinks that way doesn't mean that your child will think that way. Perhaps Crazy Dad's daughter is just extraordinarily calm... or extraordinarily ignorant to how out-of-control her father is.

So if your child is a nervous type, then be aware of that and take extra steps before the trip to allay their fears.

Recently, family friends of the Crazy Family prepared for a trip to Ukraine. Their daughter was worried that it was so far and might be too strange. Our daughter offered to talk to her and answered all her questions. Yes, Ukraine was fun. Yes, they had McDonald's. No, they didn't speak Ukrainian. No, it wasn't a problem.

Your kids will follow your lead. So don't panic. Don't worry.

And at some point, you really should do something about all those monsters in your kid's room. Crazy Dad is just sayin'...

The Single Most Important Family Travel Tip of All Time

2010-02-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

Allow me to repeat the title in obnoxious bold type.

THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FAMILY TRAVEL TIP OF ALL TIME.

OF. ALL. TIME.

Staying healthy? Forget it. Security? Not a chance.

Saving money? Finding adventure? Language? Culture? Activities? Photography and video? Family happiness? No, no, no, no, NO.

NO NO NO NO NO!

In Crazy Dad's self-declared expert opinion, there is one thing that you must know if you are traveling with a family. One subject that you must check, re-check, and check again.

Yes, the Nintendo DS charger.

Do you have it? Does it work? Will it work where you're going?

Crazy Dad has already come to the conclusion that the Nintendo DS is the greatest family travel invention of all time.

It used to be that parents turning around while driving to threaten, "Don't make me stop this car!" and "I will send you kids to military school if you don't be quiet!" and "This is why we're not having any more children!" was a cherished childhood experience shared by all kids.

Not anymore. Parents don't threaten their kids like that anymore.

Now any child, any gender, any background, any age. Plunk a Nintendo DS in their hands and they will magically be transformed into a happy traveler who lives to go anywhere their parents want to go without complaint.

Crazy Dad's not a moron, though. He DOES worry about the effects on children's attention spans caused by hours of blinking lights in their face. Crazy Dad's kids are rarely allowed to play their DSes in the house. But while traveling is a completely different story.

In all seriousness, if you have a very long trip ahead that would tax the patience of a normal kid, Crazy Dad highly recommends that you give that normal kid a Nintendo DS.

So now we return to the issue with the charger.

If you travel internationally, you know about issues with power adapters. Some countries use the flat prongs, some countries use the round prongs, some have the tri-prongs. In addition to the shape of the adapters, there's also the issues with voltage levels.

Most electronics now have taken the voltage issues out of the picture. If you check the fine print on your electronics power adapter, it will tell you that it can handle a range of voltages. So if you're in the United States and fly to Russia, as long as you have the adapter plug, your iPod will charge just fine in the U.S. and Russia. Ditto with your laptop or cell phone or electric shaver.

In fact, nearly ALL modern electronics can handle the varying voltages.

Except one.

Except the greatest family travel invention of all time.

The Nintendo DS adapter does NOT handle dual voltages. The power adapter for a U.S. Nintendo DS will not work in Europe - or vice versa - even with the appropriate adapter plug. Nintendo, in their wisdom, chose not to let the DS charger handle both 110 and 200 volts.

So if you're in the United States and traveling to Europe, you must purchase a brand new DS power charger that will work in Europe. Vice versa - if you're in Europe and traveling to America, you must purchase a brand new DS power charger.

This probably wouldn't have been a catastrophe if Crazy Dad had been in, say, England when he discovered that he would need to buy a European-specific DS charger for his children.

Crazy Dad discovered this while on vacation in Russia.

IN RUSSIA.

Crazy Dad tried to find a DS charger in several countries along their trip - hitting toy stores throughout Russia, Ukraine, and Hungary. Every time his kids got their hopes up, Crazy Dad dashed them by being unable to find a charger.

(Note: There's also the issue that Crazy Dad's kids have a Nintendo DS Lite, which has a specific charger that doesn't work with the original Nintendo DS or the new Nintendo DSi. Thanks, Nintendo. Thanks a lot.)

Crazy Dad finally found a European DS charger in Dresden, Germany. And there was much rejoicing.

Hopefully you can learn from Crazy Dad's misfortune. To recap-

-Check your electronics. Specifically, check the chargers to make sure they're multiple voltage. Crazy Dad has found that pretty much all modern electronics are, but if it's important, double check it.

-If you need a different charger, try to order it before the trip. Third party power chargers on Ebay are quite cheap.

-Kids love the Nintendo DS. If you want to enjoy some peace and quiet on a long drive or plane flight, shove a DS in their faces and give them a set of headphones.

-Nintendo really should reconsider their engineering decisions regarding their chargers. Or at the very least, reconsider their marketing positions in Eastern Europe.

That's about it for now. Apologies for the long delay between blog posts. Crazy Dad went through a brief period of sanity... but that's all done with. Crazy Dad is back.

And fully charged.

Being a Dad takes Guts

2009-08-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Time to hype the safety benefits of using a neck wallet.

There are pickpockets in every city on Earth who prey on tourists, so it's easier to keep your money and documents safe by tucking them in a neck wallet. You don't have to be armed or learn self-defense or anything crazy. Just make it a little difficult for the would-be criminals, and they'll let you go and look for an easier mark. A neck wallet is just the thing.

Crazy Dad has used a neck wallet similar to this and it's worked out well. The neck wallet is generally pretty comfortable and worry-free.

It used to be there were four members of the Crazy family, and Crazy Dad carried the passports and tickets for all four members. No problem. They were kept safe and sound in the neck wallet around Crazy Dad's neck.

But two things have happened recently.

1. The Crazy family added a fifth member. A new child with their own passport, and-

2. The United States transitioned to their brand new passports. These next-generation passports have smart chips in them - so the passport is much thicker, heavier, and rigid.

But on the most recent trip, Crazy Dad thought it'd be no big deal. Not like going from four to five would make a big difference on his neck.

He was wrong.

One day into the trip, Crazy Dad could feel this literal millstone hanging around his neck the entire time. It wasn't just a fifth passport - it was having to carry a fifth set of papers, plane tickets, travel documentation, train tickets.

All hanging from Crazy Dad's neck.

And that wasn't really the worst part. The worst part was what it did to Crazy Dad's self-esteem.

CHECK OUT THAT GUT. Only it's not a beer gut. It's a fake flab of fat created by a thick, brick-like neck wallet. Crazy Dad is self-conscious enough about his dainty figure without seeing pictures of himself looking like he swallowed some enormous novelty Lego brick.

And it's only going to get worse. While the adult passports don't expire for a while, kids' passports expire every five years. So soon the family will be saddled with three of those thick 'War and Peace'-style passports.

So lesson learned. Neck wallets are cheap, so Crazy Dad is buying a second one for only-married-into-Crazy Mom to carry. Time to share the gut.

No guts, no glory.

Stuff I didn't know existed - AAA Exchange

2009-06-09T22:58:00.000-07:00

Go figure. Learn something new everyday.

The Automobile Club (AAA) has reciprocity with international driving associations. So if you're a member and get in car trouble overseas, you can get services extended to you for free or at discount.

Check out their list at aaapublicaffairs.com.

Kids Fares on Public Transportation in Europe

2009-06-06T00:15:00.000-07:00

Some data that Crazy Dad culled from the internet. This is just a summary of what he found - please confirm for yourself before you step on that bus or train. You don't want your vacation experience to be colored with, "So then I had to pay an exorbitant fine..."

No guarantees are made to its accuracy. Translation - don't waste your time trying to sue Crazy Dad. He'll just plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

Hope this helps!

***

AUSTRIA

Vienna - U-Bahn, Buses, Tram

-Kids 5 and under free.
-Kids 14 and under free on Sundays, public holidays, and school holidays.

Checked May-2009

***

CZECH REPUBLIC

Prague - Metro, Trams, Buses

-Kids tickets 6-15.
-Kids 5 and under free.

Checked May-2009

***

FINLAND

Helsinki - Tram and Metro

-Kids tickets 7-16.
-Kids 6 and under free.
-NOTE: An Adult traveling with a kid 6 and under riding in a pram / carriage / stroller also rides free (except on U-lines).

Checked May-2009

***

FRANCE

Paris - Metro / RER / RATP

-Kids 4-9 half-price
-Kids 3 and under free

Checked May-2009

***

GERMANY

Berlin - U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Buses, and Trams

-Reduced fare tickets for kids 6-14
-Kids 5 and under free

Checked June-2009

Dresden - S-Bahn

-Kids tickets 6-14.
-Kids 5 and under free.

Checked May-2009

***

HUNGARY

Budapest - Metro/Trams/Trolleybuses/Underground/Buses

-Kids 5 and under free

Checked May-2009

***

POLAND

Krakow - Buses/Trams

-Reduced fares for "Students and school-children"
-Family Tickets available on Saturday and Sundays

Checked May-2009

***

RUSSIA

Moscow - Metro

-Kids 6 and under ride free.

Checked May-2009

St. Petersburg - Metro

-One kid 6 and under rides free, when accompanied by paying adult.

Checked May-2009

***

SLOVAKIA

Bratislava - Buses/Trams

-Kids 5 and under ride free.
-Reduced Fares for kids 6-15.

Checked May-2009

***

UKRAINE

Kyiv - Metro

-Kids 6 and under ride free.

Checked May-2009

Kyiv - Buses and Trolleybuses

-"One child of preschool age, without giving it a separate place"

Checked May-2009

Lviv - Tramway

-"Pupils and Students" fare half-price

Checked May-2009

***

UNITED KINGDOM

London - Buses and Trams

-Kids 10 and under ride free.
-Kids 11-15 can get child-rate Day Travelcards - otherwise pays adult fare.

London - Tube, DLR, and London Overground

-Kids 10 and under ride free when accompanied by an adult.
-Kids tickets 11-15.

Checked May-2009

Being a Dad can keep you out of trouble

2009-05-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

Before dragging his family to a new exotic country, Crazy Dad likes to do a little bit of reading on crime and safety issues. Not likely that Crazy Dad will put his family in a dangerous situation, but he has to do his due diligence.

There's nothing quite as shocking as flipping through a Lonely Planet guidebook and finding the words "be aware of Death Squads".

But for this upcoming trip, Crazy Dad is visiting a country that has some standard warnings about crime and safety issues. The warnings always are downplayed with the caveat, "Just use common sense."

Here's the problem. Common sense? Common sense tells us not to spend money we don't have. Common sense tells us not to talk on the cell phone while driving. Common sense tells us that God doesn't speak to us through divine appearances in Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Common sense? Crazy Dad needs more specifics. What kind of things might get him into trouble? So he did some research online and found these recommendations for avoiding crime and staying safe in this particular country-

-Do not get intoxicated. Criminals prey on drunk tourists.
-Do not stay out past midnight in non-touristy, unfamiliar neighborhoods.
-Do not get into confrontations or fist-fights.
-Do not antagonize or acknowledge skinheads, gang members, or hooligans.
-Do not enter seedy out-of-the-way bars - most are run by organized crime.
-Do not enter casinos - most are run by organized crime.
-Do not enter strip clubs. They have hidden surcharges and fees are forcibly enforced by violent bouncers.
-Do not accept propositions from attractive young women. Men are sometimes taken back to hotel rooms, drugged, and robbed.
-Do not agree to drinks or meals with attractive young women. Women receive commissions from restaurants and bars to lure men to their establishments.
-Do not get involved with prostitutes. This country has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world.
-Do not buy or inquire about drugs. Despite what you may hear, they are illegal and you will face a possible 5-10 years in prison.

Now that's better. This list clarifies what kind of things will keep Crazy Dad safe. Simply put-

All those things you could do before you got married? Don't do them while on vacation.

Seriously. Being a dad with kids makes it easier to stay out of trouble. Before he got married and had children, he might be tempted by a few of those things on that list. I mean, what guy doesn't sometimes feel the longing to antagonize hooligans and skin-heads?

But now? The only thing that Crazy Dad is considering right now is a Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Stay safe out there.

Gravy is not Soup

2009-03-29T23:26:00.001-07:00

I haven't laughed this hard in a while. Enjoy 20 ridiculous complaints made by holidaymakers.

Crazy plans in the works

2009-03-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the blog silence. Crazy Dad is, if not incredibly crazy, incredibly lazy.

In the meantime, Crazy Dad is lining up a nice summer vacation for the family. The eldest two kids are excited, the toddler is blissfully oblivious that she's about to do some serious international travelling.

In addition to quality time with the kids, it means more time to try out some of Crazy Dad's newest family travel gadgets and practices. Reminder - research research research. A little bit of reading now can potentially save many tears later.

And of course, his summer travel is made possible by another great home exchange. Another interesting destination that he never would've thought of if it hadn't popped up in front of him through the home exchange listings.

Crazy Dad will share more about his summer plans as it gets closer. In the meantime, he's got some laziness to get to.

If he feels like getting around to it...

My Fair Lap Baby

2009-02-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

There are some strange conclusions being drawn about lap babies after the recent U.S. Airways flight 1549 that landed in the Hudson River. Check this stuff out-

From Car Seat Blog-

Yes, I know lap babies are technically “allowed” but that in itself doesn’t make it a good idea. In some states you’re technically “allowed” to marry your first cousin. That doesn’t mean it’s a good idea, know what I mean?

From the L.A. Times Travel Blog-

However many kids you have, you know you’d lay down your life for any one of them. For your toddler, that also may mean laying down your credit card for another seat — just to be safe. In the end, a temporary ouch is always better than an unending heartache.

"Marry your first cousin?" "Unending heartache?"

Wow. Just... wow.

I'm going to apparently be really controversial here by sticking to facts and statistics. No fear. No paranoia. No guilt.

Here goes-

The odds of your unrestrained baby being injured in a car crash are extremely high - high enough that car seats are mandatory.

The odds of your unrestrained baby being injured in a plane crash are extremely LOW. Highly unlikely. The odds of a slow-speed plane crash where a baby having their own seat prevents injury? Even more unlikely.

U.S. Airways flight 1549 that landed in the Hudson River? There was a 9 month-old lap baby on-board who was perfectly fine.

As for turbulence, there's always someone who swears they knew someone who knew someone who knew a flight attendant who saw a child hurt by turbulence or loss of cabin pressure. But I've looked for some real statistics on this and couldn't find any. Google the term "baby injured by turbulence" and I could only find two incidents in the past TWENTY YEARS.

At least one European air-carrier won't even ALLOW you purchase a seat for any child under 2 years-old. They insist the child ride in your lap.

If you can, buying a seat for your baby and installing your car seat in the plane is a great thing. But the reason to do so is not fear. Your child is already used to sitting for a long time in their car seat, so sitting in their familiar car seat can help calm the child and keep them from wanting to run around and annoy the other passengers on the plane.

There's certainly nothing wrong with buying your infant a seat if it buys a parent peace of mind and the family can handle the additional cost. But when looking at safety, it is always better to look at real world statistic and actual dangers - not worse-case scenario fear and paranoia.

Instead of being guilted into buying an extra plane ticket, most parents would be better off taking the child's plane ticket money and putting it in a 529 savings plan for their college fund.

Best in Travel Show

2009-02-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Crazy Dad took his son and took in the sights of the L.A. Times Travel Show.

If you haven't done one of these, definitely go. A zillion booths lined up with all sorts of freebies and people tempting you with far-off destinations and fun trips. A few thoughts and observations-

-Met Ed - the founder of Home Exchange.com. He was just like what you'd expect from someone who founded Home Exchange.com - a tireless, energetic proselytizer for the benefits of home exchange. Great guy.

-Met Rick Steves - he of the Rick Steves guide books, radio show, and PBS shows. If you get a chance to hear him speak, he's a terrific speaker. His presentation was fascinating, self-effacing, and chock full of photos, helpful info, inside tips, and jokes.

-Crazy Dad's favorite booth was the fun booth promoting Alberta, where there were free pictures with a Canadian Mountie. Crazy Dad assumed it was an actor dressed up as a Mountie. Turned out to be a REAL Mountie.

-Crazy Dad's least favorite booth was an unnamed booth promoting tourism to an Asian country. Crazy Dad doesn't want to embarrass them by identifying them, but the tiny booth was squeezed in between these huge, colorful, active booths for India, Japan, Korea, Taipei, the Philippines, Thailand. And then in between was this tiny table, with one lonely and forlorn-looking fellow in a suit. He looked so defeated, with his shoulders slumped and not making eye contact with anyone. Crazy Dad felt bad for him and took some of his flyers, which were actually pretty cool. But alas, I felt bad for the Asian Charlie Brown.

And finally-

-Walking around, Crazy Dad felt very young. The median age of these travel shows is around 90.

The one downside to the Travel Show? Now Crazy Dad wants to go to all these places. He grabbed an enormous stack of flyers, pamphlets, maps, and guides to all sorts of tours and destinations. It'll take him weeks to get through it all.

Print media may be on life-support, but the L.A. Times travel show is alive and kicking. Can't wait for next year.

Beware of Beware!

2009-02-03T22:02:00.000-08:00

Crazy Dad is in the middle of plotting his big summer getaway. After not going anywhere last year, Crazy Dad has two years of pent-up crazy that will be released this summer. 2009 will be one maddening year for Crazy Dad and his family. Mostly for his family.

While Crazy Dad does his research, he repeats the question over and over again. How did anyone survive before the internet?

Sure, there were travel agents who had to know a lot of this stuff. If you had to ask, you could ask one about an obscure hotel in an obscure city in a country that might not exist. But even the most crack, dedicated obsessive-compulsive travel agent could never know even 1/1000th of all the great info that's available for free on the internet.

Before booking an obscure hotel in an obscure city in a country that might not exist, Crazy Dad always checks out Trip Advisor and does a search there. If you haven't seen Trip Advisor, check it out - an immense source of great information. Crazy Dad always starts his research there. For almost any city, attraction, or hotel, there are reviews sharing information.

This kind of independent review makes travel easier than ever before. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of picking a place to stay.

But wait! Don't forget that grain of salt! Because this is the internet after all. If everything written on the internet was true, Crazy Dad would be buddies with that e-mailing prince from Nigeria who wanted to send him all that money.

So how do you know if the reviews are legit? It's actually not that hard.

WHO'S THE REVIEWER?

On sites like TripAdvisor, it's very easy to see who the reviewer is and see how reliable the reviewer is.

Did they register recently and only have the one negative or positive review? Or have they been online and reviewing places for a long time? Are their reviews all negative? Or are they all glowingly positive?

Know your reviews. If someone registered to TripAdvisor, posted one negative review two years ago, and then has never posted anything since? Probably not as reliable as someone who is a frequent reviewer.

HOW ANGRY IS THE REVIEW?

Angry people like to write on the internet. It's a fact. For most people, it takes a lot of effort to sit down and write something - so they only tend to write when properly motivated. And nothing motivates like the feeling of being wronged.

It's become a running joke on certain travel message boards. Every day, someone new will register and then post something like, BEWARE OF CRAZY DAD AIRLINES. Then they'll proceed to rant with bad capitalization and worse punctuation about how they were wronged and how it was the worst injustice since slavery. Nine times out of ten, these people are so angry that they don't see that they could've fixed their own problem with a nice phone call or e-mail to the appropriate parties.

So definitely beware of any review where the word BEWARE appears anywhere. Lastly-

GET A SECOND OPINION

If you have any doubt, Google the hotel in question. See if the hotel shows up in any other review sites. Is there a hotel.com page for it? What do the reviewers there say? If the book shows up in a Lonely Planet or Rick Steves guidebook, then count that as a positive review.

There's a wealth of knowledge out there for the taking. Use it wisely. But BEWARE THOSE NIGERIAN PRINCES WITH E-MAIL.

And, uh, thank you for flying Crazy Dad Airlines...

So Lonely

2008-12-27T23:53:00.000-08:00

Crazy Dad recently bought the Lonely Planet Guide to Russia & Belarus. He's never been to Russia or even Belarus, but (fingers crossed) he's hoping to in the future. And if not, it's always interesting to read about far off places. So Crazy Dad had reasons to buy it.

But he mostly bought it for one reason.

Because of the awesome cover.

LOOK AT IT. Look how HAPPY that guy is! It doesn't take a genius to see: THAT GUY LOVES HIMSELF SOME RUSSIA & BELARUS. Someone could know nothing about Russia & Belarus, but once he sees that happy guy, he knows that there's no place on earth more conducive to happiness than Russia & Belarus.

There are many many travel guide books out there published by many many companies. It becomes baffling and intimidating when researching a potential trip.

Before a big trip a few years back, Crazy Dad wasn't sure which guide book to trust, so he bought a few from the big companies. After using them on his trip, there was a clear-cut winner.

Lonely Planet. Crazy Dad found their books the easiest to read, with the best maps, the best coverage of interesting sights, and the best hotel and restaurant recommendations.

Recently, Crazy Dad found something new about Lonely Planet that he wishes he'd known about earlier. In the shop on their web site Lonely Planet.com, they sell pieces of their guide books in PDF format.

What a terrific idea! Think of the advantages!

-Instead of having to lug an entire Lonely Planet book with you on a trip, you could print out the PDF of just the chapters you want. Less stuff to carry!

-You wouldn't even need to print out the chapters. Just copy the PDF file to your laptop computer. Even less stuff to carry!

-Or even better - copy the PDF file to your smart-phone or your iPod Touch. Then while sight-seeing, you don't have to break out a guide book and let everyone know you're a tourist.

-If you're already on a trip and end up with an opportunity for an unscheduled side-trip, no need to track down a guide book. Just purchase the PDF online instantly.

Again, Crazy Dad hasn't used this service yet, but you can bet he will before his next trip. The potential of these Lonely Planet PDF files has him giddy with excitement.

Not quite as giddy as that Russian guy. But almost.

Safety Begins with Anybody-Else-But-Me

2008-12-10T02:41:00.000-08:00

Crazy Dad came outside to find Only-Married-Into-Crazy Mom doing some backyard gardening. She chatted happily about all the stuff she'd done, about all the stuff the baby had done outside, the weather, her plans for what to do with the lemon tree, how the new sprinklers were working, etc.

Crazy Dad finally interrupted, "What's with the blood on your face?"

Oops. Apparently Slowly-Becoming-Crazy Mom had accidentally hit her head into the bench in the backyard while gardening. She'd been so happy with her gardening that she hadn't realized that she was bleeding.

Because no one expects to get hurt. Not in their own backyard. Not when they're doing something that makes them happy. Not doing something harmless like gardening.

It's all fun and games until someone starts bleeding from the head. Then it's just fun.

Which brings us to safety. Because no one ever expects to get hurt on vacation, and certainly, no one expects their kids to get hurt on vacation. But it happens! And while you don't want your trip to become an exercise in paranoia, as parents you should keep a few things in mind before you embark on your trip-

NEW SITUATIONS

Trips are an opportunity to try new things and be in new situations. New situations that your children have never been in before.

Crazy Dad's kids live in a city where there's only a very limited public rail system. They've only ridden it maybe once. So when it came to London and its Underground system, this was all new to them.

To the Crazy Parents, playing and skipping and running on the train platforms was incredibly reckless and dangerous - but not to the kids. They had never experienced it before. It was an all new situation to be standing on a train platform and they had no idea that what they were doing was wrong.

So as you prepare for your trip, are there situations like this that your children are going to experience for the first time? Try to address safety concerns with your children in these new situations before they happen.

TIRED KIDS MAKE MISTAKES

One evening after a long day of sight-seeing in Rome, the family walked across the street single file. Everything had gone swimmingly - sights had been seen, the children had behaved, everyone had had a wonderful time, and nothing could possibly go wrong. Earlier in the day, the Crazy parents had stopped clutching their kids' hands everywhere they went, and the kids had behaved themselves accordingly.

But the kids were tired. Crazy Dad and one of the kids crossed the street, when a motorcycle raced down the street. Both parents told the second kid to stop and wait before crossing, but the second kid couldn't resist. He darted out into the street where he was nearly run over by the motorcycle.

Cue screeching brakes, screaming parents, crying kid. If you can think of a worse situation to leap out in front of a MOTORCYCLE than in ROME at NIGHT, Crazy Dad would love to hear it.

Now why did the kid do it? Because he was tired.

It was the end of a long day of sight-seeing, and even though he wasn't cranky, he was tired. Tired kids make mistakes. And one split second bad decision on his part nearly got him killed.

Hold onto the kids' hands, and be extra vigilant when they get tired later in the day. Extra extra vigilant, because...

TIRED GROWN-UPS MAKE MISTAKES

The tired rule goes for grown-ups, too. Don't over-estimate your ability to do things like drive a rental car for hours after a long plane flight, or to remember to keep an eye on your children after a long day of sight-seeing.

Parents should especially be aware of tired driving or making mistakes when driving in unfamiliar areas. Everyone knows that car accidents can happen anywhere when you least expect it. Even on vacation.

CAR SAFETY

Car safety for kids means one big thing - car seats. And while it'd be nice if this was just a simple thing, unfortunately, car seat logistics can be an incredibly complex and stressful factor in your travels.

Nearly all car rental agencies have car seats available for kids. However, here in the United States, there's been a lot of negative press about the quality, cleanliness, and general disrepair of car rental company car seats. Really scary stuff.

So the general rule is: if you can, bring your own car seat from home. You'll know that the seat is safe and clean, your child will be used to it, you'll know how to install it properly, etc.

The Crazy Parents are big fans of the convertible stroller-car seat. Somewhat expensive, but well worth it.

Also if you're traveling to a foreign country, do a web search on their child seat laws. They vary widely from country to country. After all the work of keeping your children safe, the last thing you'd want is a ticket because you didn't do enough.

BILSIKKERHED
(CAR SAFETY in Danish)

The Crazy Parents rented a car in Denmark and installed their own car seat. It went very smoothly, except for one little thing - the owner's manual was in Danish. The Crazy Parents, not being fluent in Danish, had difficult figuring out how to lock the seat belt to safely install the car seat.

Now the Crazy Parents bring a metal Locking Clip. They're super cheap, super small, and attach to the seat belt to keep the car seat in place. Highly recommended.

GENERAL BABY PROOFING

A whole new set of rules get involved if you're traveling with a baby, and depending if the baby is crawling and/or walking. Especially when staying at a hotel or apartment where things need to be baby-proofed.

The Crazy Parents brought a plastic baggie filled with plastic electrical outlet covers, but the new tip in travel books is to bring a roll of masking tape and use the tape to cover outlets.

Baby proofing is a bigger topic that will hopefully be covered in more detail later.

CHILDREN'S MEDICATION

One more tip regarding safety involves medication. The Crazy family found out the hard way that the rules regarding children's medication in other countries won't always be the same as they are at home. If you're abroad, the last thing you'll want to do it to have to track down a doctor in a foreign country to write you a prescription for a simple children's pain reliever.

As a result, Crazy Mom always brings medication from home - either chewable children's Advil or Tylenol. The chewables, so you don't have to deal with airline fluid restrictions. Bring the packaging, so that customs will know exactly what you're carrying.

REMEMBER

Chances are that you'll be fine. Use these tips before you take your trip and you'll be better prepared to handle your safety. Don't be paranoid and obsessive. The reason to worry about this stuff BEFORE the trip is so that you won't worry about it DURING the trip.

So go out there and see the world. Because traveling isn't dangerous.

Not like gardening...

The Great American Family Road Trip

2008-11-20T00:37:00.001-08:00

Crazy Dad is not down with the family road trip. He did a few as a kid and remembers very little, except that he once was commended in sixth grade for a poem he wrote about a family trip.

The gist of it was something like, "my car is a coffin - I'm riding in the back of a coffin - no escape - no hope."

But time heals all wounds. Or selective amnesia sets in and the horrific memory of ludicrously painful wounds is... um, what were we talking about? Anyways, Crazy Dad loaded the family into the mini-van and took off on a road trip.

It started well. Then fifteen point eight miles away from the house, Crazy Dad and Crazy Mom had this conversation-

-"Did we remember to lock the door?"
-"Yes. And I remembered to set the alarm."
-"Oh good. That's good you remembered."
-"Say, do you hear that horrific bumping sound from the front left tire?"
-"Sort of. Say, do you smell that horrific scent of burning rubber?"
-"Oh, did you remember to get the mailman to hold our mail?"
-"Yes. And our neighbor is going to watch the door for us."
-"That's nice. I like our neighbor."

You can guess what happened next.

Yup. The trip got delayed while AAA was called, a replacement spare tire was installed, a local tire store was found, and two hours later, the family was back on the road.

Crazy Dad is admittedly not a fan of the big road trip, but he's giving it a shot and will pass on whatever knowledge and tips he can pick up. In the meantime, here're a few random observations on his part-

1. The price of gas wherever you go will always be cheaper than the price of gas at home. Accept it, no matter how infuriating this principle is.

2. There *IS* a mythical threshold at which point a little boy will say, "I think I've played enough video games," and turn off their Nintendo DS on their own.

3. The iPod is the greatest invention ever. Give your backseat child an iPod loaded with music, movies, and tv shows and they may never leave the car again.

More to come...

Michael Crichton

2008-11-05T23:35:00.000-08:00

Without getting too deeply into it here, CrazyDad was really moved by the passing of author Michael Crichton today. While this isn't really about family travel, please indulge CrazyDad as he posts a small piece of the preface from Crichton's book, Travels-

I eventually realized that direct experience is the most valuable experience I can have. Western man is so surrounded by ideas, so bombarded with opinions, concepts, and information structures of all sorts, that it becomes difficult to experience anything without the intervening filter of these structures. And the natural world - our traditional source of direct insights - is rapidly disappearing. Modern city-dwellers cannot even see the stars at night. This humbling reminder of man's place in the greater scheme of things, which human beings formerly saw once every twenty-four hours, is denied them. It's no wonder that people lose their bearings, that they lose track of who they really are, and what their lives are really about.

So travel has helped me to have direct experiences. And to know more about myself.

The L.A. Times Travel Blog talks more about Crichton's passing - specifically his book, Travels.

The Advantage of being a Family

2008-10-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

There's an automatic assumption that it'd be so much easier to travel by yourself as opposed to traveling with your kids. Sure, you don't have to look for more expensive Quad-bed rooms, you don't have to limit your museum visits, you don't have to bring kids' snacks.

But you're not always better off alone.

One of Crazy Dad's friends visited a European city, and Crazy Dad gave her advice about stuff to do and things to see. He and the Crazy family had a great time in that city and he was sure she would, too.

She had a miserable time. The people were rude to her, she got yelled at by someone working in the Tourist Office, the hotel employees gave her bad directions, etc. Most of all, everywhere she went, she had to fend off the creepy advances of men.

In contrast, when the Crazy family went there, people were incredibly kind. The hotel employees gave the kids free stuffed animal toys, the ticket man at the subway station gave the kids lollipops *, the restaurant gave the kids free food. Even the drunken homeless guy was smiley and nice to us.

Which brings me to two truths-

1. It sucks to be a solo female traveller. Crazy Dad has friends who've done it, who do it. But all the stories he hears about what women go through make him want to beat the living snot out of any male who comes within twenty feet of his daughter.

And-

2. Families sometimes have it easier. Families are universal. It doesn't matter where you are, everyone instantly recognizes the family unit. People respect the family unit. As long as you do your best to keep your kids from being holy terrors in public, people generally like kids and are willing to help you out.

So yes, it can sometimes be daunting to travel with the kids. But being a parent is like being in a big fraternity - you've got support where ever you go. You're not alone - so go out there and have fun!

* Try explaining that to your kids. "At home in America, if a strange man gives you candy, you do not eat it under any circumstances. Because it is poisoned and YOU WILL DIE. But we're in Europe so it's totally cool." The kids won't question the fallacy in your parental logic because they'll be too busy eating the candy.

Hostile about the Hostel

2008-10-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

As a young man, Crazy Dad never did the whole backpacking-around-the-world thing. Oh - he probably would've enjoyed it, but poverty stood in the way. That and laziness. Though laziness wouldn't stand in anyone's way - laziness would just curl up on the floor and go to sleep in the way.

Looking back at how immature and clueless Crazy Dad was when he was younger, if he had backpacked around the world, he probably would've ended up doing something stupid.

In a stunning development today, a numbnut backpacker accidentally caused the Republic of Ireland to declare war on South Korea.

Something like that.

However, if Crazy Dad had done the backpacking thing, he would've done what all the other young carefree kids do and stayed at a hostel.

Hostels are those cheap dormitories for travelers. Traditionally, they've been targeted for young travelers and have never been aimed at families. With the lack of privacy, the shared facilities, the charge for sheets and linens, and the charges per bed - it just didn't make sense for families.

In recent years, however, things have changed. More and more hostels are featuring "Family Rooms" - with private showers and bathrooms. And since most families are willing to sacrifice a little bit of their family's comfort to save money, hostels would seem to be a good fit for families on a budget.

HOWEVER-

Crazy Dad has tried the family hostel thing - and he cannot really recommend them for family travel.

You just don't save enough money to justify the hassle of having to pay for sheets and linens, sleep in bunk beds, not have a television set to distract the kids for a few minutes. When traveling with your family, a hotel is going to be a better bet - an apartment or house swap even better.

So stay away from hostels? Not exactly.

To make things confusing, not all hostels are hostels. There are hostels that advertise themselves as hostels - but in reality, they're budget hotels.

Crazy Dad stayed at a hostel in Denmark that wasn't. The rooms were family rooms with four beds, private bathrooms and showers, children's tables with Duplo Legos, etc. All the other people staying were families - no backpackers in sight. Other than the bunk beds, the place was a hotel.

Confusing, huh? So what's a family to do?

The only way to go about it is to do your research. Look online and see what other families say about the place. But Crazy Dad's rule of thumb is that if you're looking for a place to stay, a hostel should be your last resort.

Unless you're a backpacker. Without kids. Then go nuts.

Just don't start a war.

The worst kind of cord - Discord!

2008-10-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

"Now, remember! As far as anyone knows, we're a nice, normal family."
-Homer Simpson, There's No Disgrace Like Home, written by Al Jean and Mike Reiss

Everyone has great stories while traveling. The time you saw something amazing, the time you saw something that you never thought you'd ever see in your life, the time you nearly caused an international incident after walking into the wrong bathroom.

[Suppose this is as good a time as any to make this public service announcement. When in Sweden, the bathroom with "D" is for women.]

Crazy Dad has a collection of cute stories he could share with you here. Instead, he has this one.

The Crazy family was in Belgium - specifically, the gorgeous city of Bruges. An entire day had been spent wandering and gawking at this breath-taking city. The city was busy with tourists and tour groups, but not a lot of fellow Americans. The Crazy family did feel almost like pioneers - like they'd found something special and unique. A treasure that they would share with everyone when they got home.

While sitting on a canal boat waiting for a tour to start, Crazy Dad saw his first fellow American. Correction - he HEARD his first fellow American.

Up on the banks of the canal was a thirteen year-old boy, walking quickly ahead of his family with his arms crossed. He looked like a typical sulking teenager.

Following after the boy was the dad - a stocky man with dark thinning hair, and a vintage Carl Yastremski-era blue Boston Red Sox jacket. The dad hurried after his son, waving at his son with one hand and clutching a digital camera in the other, and YELLING at his son in a loud New England-accent.

DAD: Son! Turn around! I want a take a picture!

TEEN SON: No!

DAD: Turn around! I want a take a picture of you!

TEEN SON: No!

DAD (growing angry): Turn around now! I want a picture of you here!

TEEN SON: No!

DAD (livid in a way only a Dad can get): I AM YOUR FATHER! I ORDER YOU TO TURN AROUND!

TEEN SON (voice fading as he tried to walk away): No!

DAD: I AM YOUR FATHER!

Now this conversation would have been awesome to overhear any place on Earth. But on the other side of the planet? In Belgium? In Bruges? Crazy Dad did what any good person would do when watching an uncomfortable family fight in public.

Crazy Dad took out his camera and tried to take a picture.

Only-married-into-Crazy Mom quickly whipped the camera away from Crazy Dad. Crazy Dad pleaded his case, but wondering-how-she-could-settle-for-Crazy Mom refused to allow her husband to take pictures of family discord. Regardless of how hilarious it was.

So there's no picture of it. However, there's a great story - one that Crazy Dad is telling you now. And he's not just re-telling it because it's funny, but because it's a good reminder.

Sometimes people forget that there will be discord when traveling with the family. You love your family, but during the average week, you don't spend every waking minute with all of them. When on vacation? You're going to sleep with them, eat with them, travel with them. Everything. Unlike at home, when someone isn't happy, they can't just walk off and have some time to themselves.

Crazy Dad and Catholics-don't-believe-in-divorce-so-she's-stuck-with-Crazy Mom have had their share of disagreements and fights while on vacation. Kids have been punished while on vacation.

Discord happens to all families.

And it will happen on vacation.

And it will happen to you.

So don't expect that everyone will get along for the entire trip. Be prepared if someone gets on someone else's nerves, or if someone's feelings get hurt, or if - you're like Crazy Dad - you lose your temper. Especially if it happens in public.

Because you never know when there's some smart-alec guy with a camera and a blog.

Stick it to the Man

2008-09-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

As any parent knows, when packing for any sort of trip - whether it's just a weekend getaway or a move to a new house - your packing list ends up being huge. You seemingly have to pack everything.

Whatever Columbus had to put on his ships to search for the New World? The average parent has to fit that much and more into the trunk of the Honda Odyssey. Even more if you're worried about your kids getting scurvy.

If you're like Only-Married-into-Crazy Mom, you have a printed out list of things to pack. The list is kept in the suitcase, and then whenever it's packed, the list is checked and double-checked.

If you're like Crazy Dad, you don't have no steenkin' list. You fly by the seat of your pants. Pants optional.

But there's one thing that you absolutely must bring when traveling with kids. Crazy Dad gives this the highest possible recommendation.

Whenever you're packing for vacations, bring a STAIN STICK. One of those little Tide or Spray N Wash or Clorox instant stain removers.

Wherever you're traveling to, presumably you're not going to do laundry. Especially on vacation in hotels or resorts, it will be days or even weeks before you get to do laundry - if you do at all. And with all the experts emphasizing the importance of packing light, you might only bring two or three outfits to last you a week.

So the stain stick is a MUST HAVE. Just put it in your suitcase or travel bag. Wherever you go, you'll have it with you. Accidents happen - all it takes is one blob of marinara sauce to splatter or one spilled glass and you'll have to deal with the consequences for the whole trip.

Be prepared. Bring the stain stick.

Oh - and they're good for your children's accidents, too. But if your family has food accidents like Crazy Dad's, the parents seem to always be the ones who need the bibs and sippy cups...

Dakota Planning? Peyton and Eli Planning?

2008-09-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

[Ugh. That title pun may be the worst blogpost title ever. Then again, it's HARD coming up with a pun with the word "planning" in it...]

Anyways, where were we? Oh yes - planning.

Lately on most of the travel message boards and forums, the same question gets asked over and over-

"WHERE SHOULD I GO!?!?!"

The answer is easy. Go to Hawaii. There, problem solved.

In all seriousness, it gets asked a lot because people think planning a vacation is hard. People only get a limited amount of time off from work and they don't want to mess up what little time they get. Factor in that most people are too busy to properly research, and suddenly there is a vast numbers of people who want to go somewhere but don't know where to go.

[Hmm. There must be some way to profit off these vast number of people. Maybe start a service where Crazy Dad tells you where to go. "Go to Hawaii - that'll be fifty Euros, please." Note to self - call venture capitalists...]

Anyways, where were we? Oh yes - planning.

Travel planning can seem daunting, but it's not. Travel planning can actually be rather easy.

START THINKING EARLY

You won't panic if you start thinking about a trip next year. You have plenty of time. If you have a trip coming up quick, and you're seeing hotel rooms disappear and airline ticket costs going up, you might start to worry.

So start early and take your time.

RESEARCH

Spend that time researching. Ask your friends and family about where they've gone.

Spend some virtual money and buy a travel book or two off Amazon. Crazy Dad likes the Lonely Planet "Shoestring" guides. Instead of being a $20 book about one country in detail, it's a $20 book covering an entire continent in broad strokes. Crazy Dad has gotten many a crazy idea from the Shoestring guides.

Or if you don't want to spend the money, use the internet. Any place you can think of - google it. Crazy Dad loves to spend time at Wikitravel - just plugging interesting places in and reading up on them. Kill some time at work at Trip Advisor, Budget Travel, or the L.A. Times or N.Y. Times.

Or if your kids are old enough that you take them to the library, let them browse their books while you browse the travel section. Grab a few interesting travel guides. They don't have to be recent and up-to-date - you're not looking for the latest hotels and restaurants. You're just looking for ideas. Which leads us to-

BE CREATIVE

Think outside the box. Ask yourself, "Imagine the expression on my friends' faces if I told them I was pricing flights to Timbuktu." Then ask yourself, "Hey - why DON'T I price some flights to Timbuktu?"

Crazy Dad wasn't always crazy. But he's always been creative. A little creativity can go a long way. Don't limit yourself to what you've done. The only limit should be your imagination.

Which leads us to the most important family travel planning tip that Crazy Dad has-

ASK YOUR KIDS WHERE THEY WANT TO GO

Let the kids participate in the planning. Ask them where they want to go.

When the kids are given a voice in planning, it gives them a stake in the trip. It makes them feel ownership of the trip, rather than feeling like they're being dragged around against their will.

Especially as they get older! Talk to them. What are their expectations? Do they want to sit by a pool/beach the whole vacation? Do they want to go and meet other kids? Is there anything that they want to see or experience?

And parents know the law of the universe - your children will constantly surprise you. Case in point-

When planning for a trip to Europe, Crazy Dad's six year-old daughter announced that she really wanted to see Belgium.

Huh? Crazy Dad and only-married-into-Crazy Mom had never mentioned Belgium before. They didn't even know the six year-old KNEW of Belgium, let alone really wanting to go. When asked about it, she said that she really wanted to see how the Belgians lived there.

Asked further, she said that all her friends were going to Belgium. Yes, she actually tried to play the "all my friends are going to Belgium" card. She's lucky Crazy Dad didn't go to the, "if all your friends were jumping off a bridge in Belgium" card.

After a lot of questioning and delving, the parents finally got their answer. Firstly, she was fascinated by the famous Belgian chocolate. Secondly, she'd become a huge ABBA fanatic, and since Waterloo was in Belgium, she figured Belgium must be pretty awesome if ABBA sang a whole song about it.

So Crazy Dad and only-married-into-Crazy Mom went to Belgium. And of course, it was awesome. The statue at the top of this blog can be found in Brussels (except that Crazy Dad had to Photoshop part of it to get it to fit).

Thanks to the whims of his six year-old daughter, Crazy Dad and family had a tremendous time in Belgium.

What surprises do your children have in them? Ask them and find out.

IN CLOSING

There you have it. Travel planning? Easy.

Coming up with a pun that uses the word "plan"? Hard.

Home Sweet Home Exchange

2008-08-26T14:17:00.001-07:00

You may have seen the movie The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet... no, of course you didn't. Nobody saw that movie. But if someone HAD seen the movie, they would have seen how a home exchange works.

Crazy Dad is a huge fan of home exchange / house swapping. It's one of those deals where you go on vacation and live in someone else's house, while they live in yours.

The Crazy family did a home exchange with a family in Denmark - it was an amazing experience and the family is looking forward to another exchange soon. Make no mistake about it - home exchanges are awesome.

LIVE LIKE A LOCAL

When you exchange homes, you're not living like a tourist. You don't go out the door and meet only the maids and hotel staff - you meet neighbors. You don't order off a menu in a sterile hotel restaurant - you explore the local supermarkets.

Travel writers like Rick Steves talk up the virtues of the experience of being a local instead of a visitor. This is the biggest advantage of home exchange. You live like a local and you come back with a first-hand appreciation of the new culture.

SAVE HUGE MONEY

Denmark is an expensive place to rent a hotel room or apartment. The Crazy family had a house to stay in for free for three weeks.

No hotel costs = more money for you.

HOME BASE FOR SIDE TRIPS

Day trips can be exhausting - especially when you're looking at two or three hours in each direction. But when you're saving money with a home exchange, it becomes easier to turn your day trips into overnight side trips.

When the Crazy family was in Denmark, they did a two day side trip into Sweden. Instead of doing all the driving in one day, it got broken up into two days. Everyone was more relaxed and everyone got to do more sight-seeing in Sweden.

Then when the side trip is over, psychologically it's a great feeling to have a "home" to come back to.

WHO WATCHES THE HOMESTEAD

Not only do you get to stay in someone else's house, you have the security of knowing that your house isn't empty. Someone is there bringing in the mail, feeding your pets, watering your plants, calling the plumber if something overflows.

So go and have fun on the vacation. Someone has an eye on your place.

NEVER THOUGHT OF GOING THERE

One of the most stressful parts of traveling is deciding where to go. Online, Crazy Dad sees nothing but panicky people begging for some sort of guidance as to where to spend their valuable vacation time.

With home exchange, Crazy Dad didn't have to seek out ideas. The ideas came to him.

By being open to a home exchange, the offers came to him from families around the world. The Crazy family had never considered Denmark before, but the exchange seemed just right. And, of course, the Crazy family had a great time.

AND, OH YEAH, THE KIDS

If you're exchanging homes with another family, your children will love home exchange.

Unlike a hotel or rented apartment, the house will come with toys and games. Your children will have their own entertainment. So if mom and dad want to sleep in one day, the kids can play with the toys and games, or the video games, or watch kids videos. All new stuff that they've never experienced before.

If you're lucky, the house might also have a backyard. So unlike a hotel or rented apartment, you can send the kids outside to run around and play.

And there's a great chance that there will be other kids in the neighborhood for your kids to meet and play with. Again - you're not a tourist. You're a local.

BUT I'M SCARED OF EXCHANGING

Crazy Dad knows exchanging is not for everyone. For many of you, the idea of someone being inside your house without you there is akin to inviting Charles Manson and Oprah over for coffee and scones - a freakish, unnatural thing that sends shivers down your spine.

But keep in mind that most home exchanges work out well. Otherwise, there wouldn't be people like Crazy Dad raving about them.

If all else fails, remember that you're in someone else's house while they're in yours. They're as terrified of you as you are of them. So relax and have fun.

BUT MY HOUSE IS... UH, NOT GOOD

Then fix it.

Seriously. Before the Crazy Family exchanged with the family from Denmark, Crazy Dad and only-married-into-crazy Mom went through the house and listed all the flaws in the house. All those things that we should've gotten fixed but never bothered to? All those things that would fill them with shame if someone else ever saw how they lived?

Everything got fixed. The home exchange was the push needed to replace the old closet sliding door, to get a new sofa bed in the guest room, to cut back the ugly plants in the backyard, to replace the old fridge.

Even if the exchange never happened, the Crazy family house is much nicer because of it.

CONVINCED?

So how does one go about exchanging? It's about time you asked.

Sign up for one of the swap clubs or services. Crazy Dad uses Home Exchange.com - it has the most U.S. listings, so it attracts a lot of international home owners looking to come to the United States.

But Crazy Dad has heard good things about other reputable services, such as Intervac, Homelink, and Home For Exchange.

But do not - do not ever ever ever - use Craigslist to find exchanges. It's a bad idea. With reputable services, you have to sign up and pay a small fee - so it keeps out the flakes and con-artists that you find on Craigslist.

Use Craiglist to find yourself a cheap used sofa. Don't use it to set-up a home exchange.

WHERE TO LEARN MORE

There's one great source online for home exchange info - it's Nicole Feist's home exchanger blog. When Crazy Dad was nervous before his first exchange, he read that entire home exchanger blog - every post from beginning to end.

Any question you can think of? That blog has discussed it, analyzed it, and answered it.

THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE

And the most important piece of advice about home swapping. The one thing that you must not ever forget if you do decide to undertake this.

Do not under any circumstances accidentally refer to home swapping as "wife swapping".

While at church.

While talking to your daughter's kindergarten teacher.

Trust Crazy Dad. It's awkward. And it was on accident. He swears.

(uncomfortable whistling)

More and more pictures

2008-08-14T23:07:00.000-07:00

A few more random tips on the subject of photography.

TAKE PICTURES OF EVERYTHING

Everything. Big or small. Everything.

Take pictures of the food. Kids, especially, can latch onto memories of food while on vacation. They may not remember the Paris architecture as much as they'll remember that the Paris McDonald's gave them mayonnaise with their french fries.

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE

Upload your pictures while you're still there. Your friends and family back home can follow along on your adventures. Maybe more importantly, if anything awful happens to your stuff while you're traveling (lost suitcase, stolen laptop, broken camera, etc), you have a running back-up of your pictures online.

Crazy Dad is a big fan of Flickr - but Picasa isn't bad, either.

QUICK BACK-UPS

If you're in a situation where uploading photographs isn't easy or feasible, protect yourself by bringing a USB Flash Drive. Use it to back up your irreplaceable photos.

ARCHIVING = SCRAP-BOOKING!

Crazy Dad is all about scrap-booking. There's something about sitting around in a group party, with special scissors and colorful theme stickers.

NO, SERIOUSLY

Crazy Dad does not scrapbook. Scrap-booking is so 1990s. Plus he's male.

Plus scrapbooks never seem to get done. All the supplies get collected, and then they sit there on the desk - all those cutesy stickers doomed to never be stuck.

Crazy Dad likes to publish digital photographs using various services. Crazy Dad prefers Apple's iPhoto, but there are other third party services that will do it, such as Winkflash. Prints, posters, calendars, holiday cards. You can even make your own mug or t-shirt if you're so inclined.

But Crazy Dad recommends picture books.

BOOK 'EM

Crazy Dad used iPhoto for its many great features, but until recently, he had ZERO idea that its best feature is the ability to professionally publish your photos in hardcover books.

In iPhoto, highlight the photo album you've created. Then go to File: New Book. Now you can choose the style of book you want, softcover or hardcover, the size, etc. Crazy Dad prefers the large size (8 x11) hardcover.

Then you're off. You drag and drop the photos where you want, you can modify the templates a little bit, and you can create whatever kind of book suits your fancy. A picture book, a catalog, a journal, etc.

Order yourself a picture book of your crazy trip. Leave it out on the coffee table. House guests will poke around in it. Your kids will look at the pictures and better remember all the things that they saw. You're more likely to flip through a book out on a table than the archive of photographs on your laptop.

And if you're feeling particularly mean, you can foist the book on people and see how long it takes before they get bored.

FOR THE KIDS, TOO

If your kids have taken pictures on the trip, let them make a photo book, too. For Crazy Dad's kids, he lets them make a photo book, then he includes snippets of their trip journals along with the pictures.

FOR THE GRANDPARENTS, TOO

If it comes out well, order an extra book for the Grandparents. They'll love you for it.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT CAVEAT OF ALL

Photo books and loose cups of juice do not mix. Sippy those cups, people!

Car Seats on a Plane

2008-08-14T22:58:00.000-07:00

From Dr. Hockey, Christian Sinclair-

Think twice before skimping on the free seat for your under-2 year old. Buying that seat and having them locked in the car seat can be a much better situation because they won't want to squirm everywhere since they are already familiar and comfortable with it.

Very good point. It's hard to have to pay the high cost of an extra plane ticket. But if you can pay for it, your child's car seat installed into an airline seat can really help keep your child in his or her seat for the trip.

Of course, bringing your own car seat with you when traveling is a great idea. Bringing it brings a bit of familiarity - both for you having to install it, and for your child getting their usual comfy seat even when far from home. And you don't have to deal with rental car agencies and their scary/dangerous car seats.

Baby Got Back

2008-08-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the radio-silence. Had a busy few weeks there - including a weekend where Crazy Dad was alone in charge of the kids. Meanwhile, Only-Married-into-Crazy Mom had to go a wedding in another country with the baby.

So here're a few suggestions when traveling internationally with the baby.

DIAPERS

Bring lots of diapers for the flight. More than you think you need. For some reason, babies will go through more diapers when you fly with them. Maybe it's the altitude and pressure changes, maybe it's the irregular eating schedule, maybe it's the airline food, maybe it's the $25 charge for checked baggage. Whatever it is, their digestive system will be working overtime.

EXTRA SET OF BABY CLOTHES

See above. Digestive system -> overtime.

SLEEPING & EATING

This is easy for babies who're being breast-fed, but can be done with bottle-fed babies, too. When they start getting fussy, have the mom feed the baby. The sucking action will take care of the ear popping, and the will hopefully put the baby to sleep for a few hours. Two birds with one stone.

Oh - and if you're breast feeding, don't forget to bring a light blanket to afford some privacy. In close quarters like on a plane, you don't want to freak out the gentleman next to you. Or maybe you do. Either way, bring a blanket, since some airlines are starting to charge for them now.

IF THEY SCREAM

Most baby travel guides suggest bringing ear plugs for people around you on planes, and being polite and apologetic with the people around you. Which is fine, but Crazy Dad's preferred tactic is to take the baby to the back of the plane away from your fellow passengers. Walk around in back, where it's louder and fewer people will be able to hear the baby. If the baby just won't stop screaming, then take 'em into the lavatory until they stop.

THE CAR SEAT/STROLLER

Splurge for the convertible car seat/stroller. Crazy Dad and Only-Married-into-Crazy Mom were both put off by the high cost, but it's been worth every penny. It's one less thing to have to carry.

THE BACKPACK

While you're buying new stuff, get yourself one of those rolling suitcases that convert into backpacks. Rick Steves sells a good one, so does backpack company Jansport. Putting your suitcase onto your back frees up both hands to deal with the baby.

AND LASTLY

Don't be that guy. You know. The one that lets their kid scream it out because they're too tired to bother parenting, thus driving the other passengers on the plane insane. Parents have a bad reputation on planes. If you could do your best not to add to the stereotype, the rest of us parents would appreciate it.

"Good luck. We're all counting on you."
- Leslie Nielsen in Airplane!

more on laptops and cameras

2008-08-06T23:11:00.000-07:00

More great feedback-

Before David and I went on a cruise that was going to overlap with the start of NaNoWriMo, it became critical to me to own a laptop that didn't belong to work.

I wanted something that was lighter than the thing the office has me carry around, something that was designed with portability in mind. Still, I didn't want to miss out on performance to get that, nor did I want a keyboard that would challenge my chubby fingers.

I settled on a Sony Vaio. At the time, it was the lightest I could find that didn't shrink the keyboard. Granted, this was two years ago, so by all means shop around. Looks like today you can get their TZ model weighing in at 2.7 lbs.

Laptop Magazine recently published a list of their recommended ultra-portable laptops. They recommended the Lenovo Thinkpad X300, the Apple Macbook Air, the ASUS U2E-A2B, Fujitsu LifeBook P8010, and the Sony VAIO TZ series. Crazy Dad doesn't have any of those laptops yet, but is hoping that his wife will let her guard down and he'll be able to sneak away and get one.

Thanks for the recommendation!

When it comes to pictures, there's never too many. I've done over 400 in a single day with my digital camera. And since then, I've become partial to using the highest resolution settings - if you ever want to print, this is critical - you can always shrink, but you can't blow up the photos you take if the starting resolution is low. Thus, having a laptop to clear your SD card onto every night is key.

Absolutely agree!

a (limited) deal on photo books

2008-07-22T14:35:00.001-07:00

Sigh. Crazy Dad wanted to get this next bit done in time, but he's heading out of town and this offer expires July 29th.

Winkflash is having a temporary sale on their photo books. You can order a 100 page hardcover book of your photos for under $20.

http://www.winkflash.com/promos/emails/07112008/

Crazy Dad had a good experience ordering photo prints from Winkflash, but he's never ordered one of their books. He's been happy with Apple/iPhoto for my photo books - but at this price, he's going to give Winkflash a try.

Anyways, the offer expires July 29th. Crazy Dad will write up a more thorough entry about photo books after he gets back.

Cut to: Camera Two

2008-07-22T14:27:00.001-07:00

Yay! I got a comment on the blog that made my day-

(File this one under "lessons learned the hard way") I have to add: if it's the trip of a lifetime, bring a backup camera.

There's nothing like shopping for a spare camera in Borneo to make you wish you were shopping for a spare camera at Walmart...

First off, yay! Crazy Dad is a huge fan of the Travel Savvy Mom, so getting a neat tip like this from them is quite cool.

Secondly, a spare camera is a great idea. Crazy Dad and his long-suffering Married-into-Crazy spouse have had this discussion. Even if it's not as exotic as Borneo, prepare for some sticker-shock if you have to buy a digital camera abroad.

There's one last option. Crazy Dad doesn't like this tactic, but his long-suffering only-married-into-crazy spouse suggested borrowing the camera from your kids. In a pinch, this will work - but you're depriving the kids of their camera. Plus their camera is usually not as good as your camera.

But with point-and-click cameras so cheap now - and taking up less and less space - a backup camera is a great way to go.

To Laptop... or Not to Laptop

2008-07-15T13:26:00.001-07:00

So you've got your digital camera and your kids have their digital cameras. Now comes what Crazy Dad considers a very important decision regarding your digital photography.

Do you bring the laptop on vacation?

There are some definite cons to bringing the laptop. It's big and heavy, it's one more thing to lug around, it's a prime target to get stolen. Plus you might find it harder to get away from your work if you have the laptop with you on vacation.

These are all fine points to consider. But if you're like Crazy Dad, there is no question - BRING THE LAPTOP.

Crazy Dad feels practically naked without his laptop bag thrown over his shoulder. He bought his laptop knowing that he'd have to carry it around. The laptop is almost a member of the family now.

Maybe he'd feel differently if he had one of those 17" multimedia behemoth laptops, but Crazy Dad doesn't have one.

Yet. Maybe his wife is reading this. Might as well drop hints. But he'll find some way to get one. Oh yes, he will...

But in the meantime, here are some Crazy Dad thoughts about you and your laptop.

Organize, Organize, Organize

With a large enough memory card in your digital camera, you could theoretically just store all your pictures on your camera, then off-load them when you get home.

But there're issues with this. First and foremost, you might take a LOT of pictures. On his last trip, Crazy Dad took an average of 400 pictures a week - even a huge memory card will eventually fill up. Plus there's also the worry that if you lose or damage your camera or memory card, all your irreplaceable pictures instantly go "poof".

Instead, use your laptop to organize your photos. Bring the camera's sync cable with you - then every night, copy all your photos from your camera to the laptop. With the pictures safely on your computer, erase the memory card and now you're free to take oodles of pictures with reckless abandon.

Crazy Dad lugs a Mac laptop around, so he's a big believer in iPhoto. But whatever operating system you use, there are plenty of great image organizing tools out there.

And if you're ever stuck anywhere, you can even start to cull through and find your best pictures while you're still on vacation! On the flight back from a vacation, Crazy Dad fired up his laptop and started editing vacation pics right then and there.

"They have the internet on computers now?"

Yes, you can find inexpensive internet cafes everywhere you go. But why deal with that when you have the convenience of getting your laptop online.

With your digital photos on your laptop, it becomes ridiculously easy to share those photos while you're still on your trip, for things like emailing pics back to friends and family, or uploading pics to your blog.

And, of course, archive and backup your precious vacation photos. Crazy Dad uses Flickr - but there are plenty of services where you can upload and backup your photos. So just in case something terrible happens to your laptop, the vacation photos are safe and waiting for you when you get back home.

Phone Home

Your internet-connected laptop also makes calling home a breeze. Use Skype to make 6 cents a minute phone calls. If your laptop doesn't have a built-in webcam and microphone, then bring a cheap USB microphone with you.

For six cents a minute, you can let your kids call the grandparents and yak away about what a great trip they're having. Your kids will think you're awesome. The grandparents will think you're awesome.

Because you are.

Revenge of the Babysat

Just like your iPod or smart phone, your laptop can be the temporary babysitter - entertaining the kids and giving you a moment to yourself.

Load your laptop up with some video files that the kids would enjoy, for those moments when you need something to keep them occupied. Either capture your own video files, download them, or purchase them (like through the iTunes music store). Don't bring DVDs - they're expensive, bulky, and fragile. Just use software to rip the DVD video content to your laptop.

And don't forget to put a few games on there. I know, I know - a grown adult male with computer games on his laptop? Yes, yes, it's madness, for sure. But really - have some games on your laptop. It doesn't need to be the latest and greatest. A simple driving game, a shareware puzzle game, or even just solitaire can buy you some time when the kids are bored.

But no World of Warcraft. Seriously. Don't.

Gigabytes and Lullabytes

While you're loading the video files on your laptop, load up mp3s for the kids, too. If you have a young one who has familiar favorite bedtime music, like the way Crazy Dad's kids love listening to bedtime lullabies, then the laptop can put the kids to sleep each night.

Especially in a hotel room where the entire family is trying to sleep in one place. It's an unfamiliar setting for little ones, so having familiar music can help your kid keep their regular bedtime routine.

Turn down the lights in the hotel room, except for the screen of your laptop. Play the lullaby music at bedtime - it'll help the little kids fall asleep, and help mask the ambient noise of you and your spouse getting ready for bed.

Lock it!

The big laptop accessory that Crazy Dad recommends is a Kensington Lock. Nearly all laptops can support the Kensington Lock. Buy one before the trip, then toss it in the laptop bag.

Whenever you have to leave the laptop, just lock it with your Kensington. It's just unrealistic to think you can watch your laptop at all times. If you're leaving it in a hotel room or a rental car, you can easily lock the laptop and make it very undesirable for a thief.

Since you're going to travel with an expensive piece of hardware, bring a Kensington Lock.

Space: The Final Frontier

Clear as much hard drive space as you can before you leave on your trip. If you have big files that you don't need on the trip, back them up at home - then remove them from the laptop before you leave.

All the stuff you add to your laptop - the videos, mp3s, programs, plus all the digital pictures you take on vacation - will eat up hard drive space very quickly. Try to have as much space on the hard drive as you can before you leave.

So ultra-light you won't even notice it's there

Lastly, you might want to consider this trip as an excuse to buy a new ultra-light laptop. Ultra-lights used to be prohibitively expensive, but not anymore. There are several cheap laptops that can do all the things Crazy Dad listed above, but without the weight or the high cost.

Crazy Dad owns a tiny eeePC - a dinky little guy that doesn't have great performance, but makes up for it in ultra-portability. And the cheap model is under $300. With its tiny keyboard, though, you don't want to be using this to write long missives. But for basic emailing and uploading of pictures, an ultra-light might be a great toy for your next trip.

Power and the ability to Adapt

If you're traveling overseas, don't forget to bring the travel adapter so you can plug it into the power outlet. Most new laptops don't require a converter to adapt to 110/220 volt power supplies, but you'll still need to change the prongs to fit into the wall.

Also, if you're on a long plane flight, you might want an adapter so you can plug in your laptop during the flight. Visit Seat Guru to see if your seat has a power outlet - then bring along the appropriate adapter as needed.

Now lastly-

With Great Power comes Great Responsibility

For the love of all that's holy, don't get too attached to your laptop. Don't bring your laptop around with you everywhere when you're supposed to be relaxing.

If you feel the urge to bring the laptop pool side or play computer games in a foreign country? SHAKE YOURSELF. Don't pay attention to the laptop and ignore your family when you're on vacation.

Besides, you can do that when you get home...

Aurora Borealis, Shining Down on Dallas, Can you picture that?

2008-07-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

Crazy Dad decided to tackle the topic of photography, but somewhere around page 10, he finally realized that the topic was too vast. So consider this the first in a continuing series.

WHY PICTURES ARE AWESOME

Crazy Dad doesn't believe it's possible to take too many vacation pictures. After all, pictures are FREE. Take a single snapshot of the Eiffel Tower. Take a dozen. Take a thousand! Take a picture of it from a weird angle. Take a picture of it upside down. Take a picture of your kids in front of it. Take a picture of your kids doing something silly in front of it.

After the trip is over, you have pictures to share with the kids. You can share memories, but nothing jogs their memories like a photograph of something they saw, something they ate, something that made them think.

There are a handful of people who try to live their vacation staring through the camera - walking around and trying to experience everything through the viewfinder. Those people are mocked, and rightfully so. You can't capture every moment, so don't try to do it. Occasionally put the camera down - especially if you've got children you're supposed to be keeping an eye on.

But Crazy Dad is a big fan of taking pictures and video. So take lots of pictures.

DIGITAL CAMERAS

Crazy Dad is not an expert photographer. In fact, he's actually a pretty awful photographer. But thanks to modern point-and-shoot digital cameras, he's somehow managed to take some good pictures.

The new point-and-shoot cameras are idiot-proof. And you don't even have to spend a lot of money - you can find solid 4 and 5 mega-pixel cameras for under $100. Make sure you put a huge memory card on there - the bigger, the better.

WHATEVER YOU DO - DON'T FORGET...

Crazy Dad would like to interrupt this essay to make an important announcement. DON'T FORGET TO RECHARGE YOUR CAMERA BATTERIES.

One night in Rome, Crazy Dad forgot to recharge his digital camera. And of course that was the night before the trip to the Vatican Museum. One moment, Crazy Dad is gasping and taking pictures of the gorgeous art - the next moment he's cursing bad words in the church museum as his camera dies.

Don't be stupid like Crazy Dad. Don't forget to recharge your camera batteries.

ARM THE KIDS

Give the little ones their own cameras. A museum or a cultural sight can be painfully long and boring for a small child. Give them a digital camera and then the museum suddenly becomes an adventure - where they can look for interesting details and capture them in pictures.

Digital cameras are cheap now, but you don't really want to buy your small child a new digital camera. Instead, use the trip as an excuse to buy YOURSELF a new digital camera. Then hand the old camera down to the kid. If they break it, not a big loss.

When his daughter turned six, Crazy Dad gave her the old family digital camera. Sometimes she would decide to take pictures, and sometime it would be mom or dad who suggested she take some. She would even supervise and let her little sibling take pictures.

The end result - she got some terrific pictures, and the parents got some quality quiet time to enjoy the sights.

WARN THEM ABOUT ETIQUETTE

Don't just let them loose with the camera. Warn them about basic safety - things like wrapping the strap around their wrist so it doesn't get dropped or stolen. And also that at some tourist sights, the interesting people in costumes - like the gladiators outside the Colosseum in Rome - get paid to have their picture taken. And in some countries, you might also want to warn them not to take pictures of police officers, soldiers, or government buildings.

There are also rules regarding taking people's pictures without their permission, but no one seems to notice when it's the kids that are doing it. Which leads to-

TURN OFF THE FLASH

If your child doesn't know how to do it, turn the flash off before handing them the camera. Especially if you're in a museum with artwork. Camera flashes can damage the artwork over time - plus in most museums, they light the exhibits so that you don't need the flash anyway.

So make sure you remember to turn off the flash before you hand the camera to your kids. Crazy Dad has seen how the guards in French museums react to camera flashes - take his word for it, you don't want to see it.

AND THE OBLIGATORY-

Say cheese.

But honey, this will be fun!

2008-06-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

HOMER: Isn't it great being married to someone who's recklessly impulsive?

MARGE: Actually, it's aged me horribly.

-the Simpsons Movie, written by a whole mess of guys funnier than me

For some reason, Crazy Dad's wife thought that he should write an essay about how to convince the spouse.

You think there might be issues?

Anyways, while Crazy Dad likes to tell people that he's managed to reduce his wife's complaints into a tinny background noise that he can easily ignore, the truth is that she's the boss. He's just the hired help around here. So if Crazy Dad actually wants to do one of his crazy trips, he needs to get his wife on board with his plans.

[Standard disclaimer: I am not married to more than one woman (it was hard enough getting one to say "yes"), so I cannot speak for all wives. My wife may be crazier than your wife, or she may be less crazy. I love my wife, but end-user discretion is advised.]

Here're some tips on how to convince your wife to go along with your crazy travel plan.

1. PLAN EARLY

Don't just drop it on her with, "Next month, I think we should go to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." Wives HATE that. Start your plans early. It gives your wife time to convince themselves that maybe you can pull this off.

2. MAKE A PRELIMINARY BUDGET

Give her an approximate budget. One of your wife's first reactions will be to think of the past expensive things you convinced her to purchase (the big tv, the PS3, the extra PS3 you put in the mini-van so the kids can watch the Wiggles in 1080p, etc). You've already done your research, and you should be able to give her a rough estimate.

Oh, and don't lie. Wives can tell when you lie about budgets - it's some weird power they have. Just tell the truth, because you both know that you'll end up spending more than you planned.

3. LET HER TALK TO HER FRIENDS & FAMILY

Her friends and family are your allies in this. When she tells them that her husband wants to go to France for six weeks, they'll tell her how great it is. They'll give her suggestions of places to stay, things to see, and they'll tell her how lucky she is to be going.

4. GET THE KIDS ON YOUR SIDE

Tell the kids where you want to go - chances are they'll be on board. Then you'll have your wife outnumbered.

This also comes in handy if/when the kids complain later. You can go to the, "Hey, no one to blame but yourself!"

5. MAKE (FALSE) PROMISES

Your wife wants to hear the following things.

I'll help with the kids.
We're going to have time to relax.
I won't spend too much money.
This is going to be fun.

Make these promises. Assure her that you're not lying. And if you want her to remain your wife when the trip is over, you'll do your best to keep the promises.

6. BE FLEXIBLE

Think of your travel plan as a rough draft - one that can be rewritten. If your wife has strong opinions on things like where to go or where not to go, make changes to your plans based on her opinions.

And finally-

7. SHE'LL HAVE QUESTIONS - BE PREPARED TO DEFEND YOUR ANSWERS

Do your research. Because confidence is everything.

If she doesn't think you can pull off a big trip, nothing you say or do will make the trip happen. But she'll have questions about the trip - questions you need to be able to answer. If you've done your research, this shouldn't be a problem. Don't get defensive. Expect that she's going to hate it. Be reasonable, be patient, and make your case.

Crazy Dad read something somewhere about how you can be a great dad by being good to the mom. This is one of those occasions. You want your wife to be happy.

And don't forget - you can't do this trip without her. Good luck!

A Guest Editorial

2008-06-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Crazy Dad loves the responses to the blog. Please keep them coming.

Take this awesome response. It's so great, I'm going to just copy/paste it in its entirety. And it's written by the most talented writer still working in IT-

Do you have vacation traditions established yet? We had a lot of relatives in Maine, and would make a trip up to Mousem Lake every summer.

Of course, those were relaxation vacations (as opposed to trips). I think there ought to be a balance of the two. There's something great about just getting away from the hustle and bustle of every day life, escaping to a quiet little place where there's no noise or responsibility. I have fond memories of things like: aunt Eva being so delighted to see us, she forgot she had popcorn on the stove which caught fire, ignited the kitchen curtains, and almost burned down her cabin; uncle Norman returning on the lake in his powerboat, and me thinking I could keep his St. Bernard, Heidi, from jumping off the pier to greet him by holding on tightly to her tail as she leapt; wading into the lake and coming back with a leech attached to my little toe to be taught that the burning end of a cigarette can have medicinal applications; flinging cut up hotdogs out into the lake at night because it was cool to see bats swoop down to catch the flying chunks of meat I had declared inedible by human standards; and filling a bucket to the brim with startled snails and crawfish only to relocate them back to the lake later after discovering that there was nothing else to do after collecting them.

And then there's adventure trips, where you go someplace new. There's never enough time to see all the things you want to see while you are there. The types who plan out to the millisecond get stressed out of their minds being late for everything, and if nobody is in tears by the end of the first day, you've set a new record. There's history to be bored around, feats of architecture to be unimpressed by, and fabulous restaurants that serve things you won't try because they aren't Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

Looking back, I don't understand why my grandparents would have travelled with me along ever. We didn't have DVD players in the car, so it was a long ride - and my grandmother's nervousness in a car made any ride long - with me and my brother "not touching" until we got slapped. Then we might start looking for words in signs in alphabetical order. 'Q' usually killed that game.

Do you have any top 10 lists of places everyone should take their kids?

So many excellent points. Let me give my opinions-

RELAXATION VACATION VS ADVENTURE TRIP

It's safe to say that most people do a mix of the two types - perhaps leaning towards doing more relaxation vacations instead of trips. Crazy Dad used to be all about the relaxation vacations - Maui especially became the family stomping ground for a while.

Then somewhere along the way, Crazy Dad got crazy. He came to the conclusion that he'll have plenty of opportunities later in his life to sit by the pool with his family at some all-inclusive while he gives himself skin cancer from too much sun. Maybe it's from living in California near the Pacific Ocean all the time, but Crazy Dad just doesn't have as much of a desire for relaxation vacations any more. Maybe he's just become more adventurous?

But probably more than that, it was having kids. Crazy Dad sees the world differently with kids. Crazy Dad likes to share things with the kids. He's found this new found obsession with dragging himself around the world - and he wants to share that with the kids.

TRADITIONS

No, Crazy Dad hasn't dropped any traditions on the family just yet. Maybe because the oldest child is only 7, but at this point, the family hasn't had any opportunity to establish traditions. Unless you count the regular drives to visit family members in San Diego.

Check back with Crazy Dad in a few years. He might have some family traditions by then.

PLACES TO TAKE THE KIDS

There are a lot of books out there that sell these lists. 1000 places you should take your kids, 1000 places to see before you die, 1000 places to see after you die, 1000 places as seen on VH-1 lists, 1000 places recommended by Oprah, etc. These books are good for getting ideas, but don't take lists as gospel. Every kid and every family is different.

Case in point - Crazy Dad recently watched a television documentary on the Grand Canyon and how every family should experience its magic. Crazy Dad made his kids watch and asked them excitedly, "Do you want to go to the Grand Canyon?"

Their answer? NO. Because they couldn't help but notice all the desert landscape and asked if there was air-conditioning. After Crazy Dad told them that there was no air-conditioning, the kids proudly announced that it would be too hot and they would rather skip it.

So much for experiencing its magic.

Crazy Dad could try to put together a list of fun places that the kids loved, but in the end, he hasn't visited enough of the world. So while he could tell you that his kids loved the Eiffel Tower, he's just not comfortable putting together any sort of definitive list. He hasn't been to enough places yet.

But he's working on it...

Rick Steves Podcast on Family Travel

2008-06-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

Rick Steves recently did his radio show on the topic, Travel with Kids.

For some parents, fear of flying means wondering how their kid will behave on the plane. Rick shares practical advice and pointers on traveling with children ranging from toddlers to teens. From acclimating kids to the streets of Rome to learning how to cope with jetlag, Rick's guests discuss what parents need to know and how to turn kids into lifelong travelers.

Good practical info, a couple of interesting guests, and even a caller who tried to call with a question while their baby screamed in the background. You can grab the free podcast from the June 7th show of "Travel with Rick Steves" from the iTunes music store - or you can listen to it streaming online from his website.

Rick Steves : Travel with Kids (streaming)

More on Ditching

2008-06-15T00:52:00.000-07:00

The previous post on ditching the kids with the grandparents got me some nice feedback - including this one from one of the most dominant hockey-playing doctors in the Kansas City area-

We did not take our 2-year old twins on a recent 2 week trip to Australia, we did miss them very much.

Ah, you make an excellent point. Okay, time to amend the Crazy Dad rule on travel by stealing a joke from comedian Lewis Black.

It's a 20 hour plane flight from the midwest to Australia. So if you're thinking about taking your 2 year-old twins... DON'T!

Seriously though, Crazy Dad could barely handle his own sanity on that long a plane flight without adding the kids into the mix. The important thing is that your default attitude wasn't, let's ditch the kids. But a flight to Australia with twins is not a decision to be made lightly, and you clearly put thought into it and everything ended up well.

But in Crazy Dad still believes in the awesomeness of traveling with the family. If you can do it, do it!

Any plans to do a post on how to take pictures or videos on the trip so you can make an awesome watchable home video when you get home?

Absolutely! Crazy Dad is always down with answering questions - look for this topic in an upcoming post.

Ditching them with the Grandparents

2008-06-13T00:40:00.000-07:00

Whenever Crazy Dad's wife is presented with an insane travel plan that takes the family to the ends of the earth, to where God never intended human beings to tread, to places where McDonald's serves mayonnaise with french fries, she will always respond with-

"Can't we just leave the kids with the grandparents? The kids won't even remember the trip."

Isn't that just typical? See, women are like that - level-headed fact-driven creatures always driven by cold hard logic. For once, Crazy Dad wishes his wife would act purely emotionally and not be held back by reason and logic.

[Hope you appreciate that joke. It's going to get Crazy Dad murdered in his sleep tonight.]

See, this question about leaving the kids bothers Crazy Dad, because it strikes at the heart of the Crazy Dad philosophy towards travel. It's fun to go somewhere crazy by yourself, but it's MORE fun to go somewhere crazy with a bunch of your friends and family.

Yes, Virginia, you could dump the kids somewhere and go off on a crazy trip by yourself.

While you're at it, you could ditch the kids with the grandparents and go for a nice Saturday afternoon matinee double-feature of Kung Fu Panda and WALL-E, then follow it up with ice cream cones. All without the kids! So, yes, you could do it without the kids. But the better question is- Why would you WANT to?

It's one thing to have a little time to yourselves with a romantic getaway. But if you're going to hop the globe, or if you're going to go somewhere fantastic - why not share it with the people you love most? Part of the fun is doing stuff together, seeing things through the kids' eyes, experiencing things as a family.

And it's not even the big cultural sights. To a kid, the world is a small place, where everyone is the same and everyone does things the same way. Beyond the stuff like the Eiffel Tower and the Colosseum, even the little things can help your kids broaden their minds to life in other parts of the world. Crazy Dad's daughter and son can wax poetic about what they put on waffles in Belgium or the omelets on kids menus in France.

If you had more food than you could eat and your kid asked for a bite, you'd share a bite, right? It's fun to share things with the kids. So if sharing things with your kids is fun, then why not share the world with them?

"Won't having the kids with us just slow us down?"

Yes - but that's a good thing. A good GOOD thing. Crazy Dad finds himself pacing the sight-seeing, spending more time taking things in, and trying not to do it all in one day. No, Crazy Dad can't spend six hours in an Italian art museum with his kids - but then again, would he really want to? He got much more pleasure out of sitting at an Italian outdoor cafe, munching on gelatto with the family, and watching Italian strangers try to strike up conversations with the kids. Don't rush through life - savor it.

Instead of asking whether your kids will slow you down, maybe you should ask, "Will I miss my kids?" Crazy Dad starts to miss his kids after two days or so. You may be different, but anything more than a weekend away from the kids and he starts to worry that without his smothering loving influence, his kids will start to do hard drugs or steal cars or - heaven forbid - move to L.A. to become actors.

"But the cost! Will the kids even remember the trip at all?"

Not necessarily. Depending on the age, they may even remember nothing. Crazy Dad took the wife and then 18 month-old daughter to the Winter Olympics. The daughter doesn't remember anything about the events she went to, but she loves seeing the pictures. Plus she can retell the stories she's heard.

You're a parent. Surely you've been surprised at the things they notice or the details they remember. Crazy Dad's daughter was two years-old in Maui, but she remembers favorite meals, certain sights, even the art by the swimming pool. Crazy Dad's four year-old son was practically an encyclopedic expert in European train travel.

No, the kids might not remember everything. But depending on their age, they'll remember lots. If you take pictures and video for them to look at after the trip, they'll remember even more.

And without a doubt, YOU are going to remember. In that sense, it's all money well spent.

"Won't it be dangerous?"

What are you, a wuss?

In all seriousness, Crazy Dad doesn't recommend taking your children to anyplace where they would actually be in danger. He uses hyperbole here. Use some common sense. If you're planning to kayak to Antarctica and the kids don't know how to swim, you have Crazy Dad's permission to leave the kids.

But if you're going to Disneyworld? Go ahead and bring the kids. Other than heart-attacks brought about by the cost, it's quite safe.

"I don't know..."

Did you parents take you on trips as a kid? Crazy Dad's did. And without delving too much into Dr. Phil territory here, he has fonder memories of his family trips than his actual family members.

No, it's not easy. You'll have to plan ahead. You'll have to help entertain them. You'll have to pay for the thing.

But your kids are special. Don't just ditch them with the grandparents. Take them around the world. They'll thank you. And years from now when your kids are still calling and visiting, you'll thank me.

Now get packing.

Your S-M-R-T Smart Phone

2008-06-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

Crazy Dad will blog more about cell phones in the future - the whole making and receiving phone call thing. But any old dad can use their cell phone to make phone calls. It takes a REAL dad to use it for other stuff.

Which is where your smart phone comes in. If you're like Crazy Dad, you've got yourself a smart phone. Cause it's smarter than the average phone. And more than just being a geek toy for watching Sportscenter while texting while driving, a good, well-loaded smart phone can be a huge help on your next trip.

Crazy Dad has a trusty Treo 700p running the Palm OS with a 2gb secure digital card, so not all the applications below may work with your smart phone. But whether you have a Blackberry, Windows Mobile phone, a PocketPC, or even just an old Palm device *[see iPhone below], there are cheap/free applications that can make your next trip much easier. Such as-

IS THAT AN ENCYCLOPEDIA IN YOUR POCKET?

Tome Raider is a database reader. Install it and the Wikipedia database add-on, then suddenly you have an entire encyclopedia in your pocket.

On a train ride through Belgium, Crazy Dad and family had to wait a few minutes in an unknown city. Crazy Dad pulled out his Treo, looked up the name of the city, and instantaneously had a wealth of interesting history about the place.

Anywhere you go, anytime you or your children have a question about ANYTHING, you have Wikipedia at your fingertips. Museums, statues, bridges, etc. Very highly recommended.

TREES HATE PAPER

Sure, you could print out city maps, driving instructions, itineraries, confirmation numbers and receipts for hotel reservations, bus and metro schedules and maps. But WHY?

Download the files off the internet as .JPG or .GIF files, then load them onto your smart phone. Instead of having to carry a stack of papers, you've got everything in your pocket.

If your cell phone handles PDF files, then you could also load PDF files on there. But the Treo 700p doesn't handle them very well, so it became easier to just convert them all to graphic files that could be read with the Treo's built in Pics & Video application.

THE TRAINS IN SPAIN FALL MAINLY ON THE...

MetrO organizes and sorts public transportation options for over 400 cities around the world. Install it and the cities you're planning on visiting, then watch it help you find the quickest and best ways to get from place to place.

THE BINARY LANGUAGE OF MOISTURE VAPORATORS

If you're travelling internationally, do you really want to drag around some fat pocket dictionary and have to pull it out every time you enter a restaurant? You might as well wear a sign around your neck that says "MAKE FUN OF ME - I'M A TOURIST."

Check out the Wiki Travel Phrasebooks. They're free text files with lots of useful phrases. Now just copy and paste the contents into a Text File or Note Pad Memo, then sync it to your smart phone. Bingo - no more having to pull out a big fat dictionary.

And in situations where you need a specific word translated, Pocket Dict for PalmOS is a cheap and easy foreign-language dictionary application. You're not going to get great travel translation, but if you quickly need to figure out a word or two, this is an easy way to go.

PLEASE, KIDS - JUST FIVE MORE MINUTES...

Kids love phones. Phones and television remote controls. But mostly phones. So if you install a few things to keep the kids busy, your smart phone can buy you a couple more minutes of peace and quiet.

A Solitaire card game can keep kids busy. Crazy Dad's seven year-old entertained herself on long train rides with Solitaire - even his four year-old had fun dragging the cards around.

And load a handful of interesting video files on the phone. If you're really stuck in a bind, a couple .MPG or .AVI files can distract the kids for a little bit. Or maybe let the kids play around with the phone's camera to shoot some silly pictures or silly video.

Just don't lose your temper if your kid accidentally drops Daddy's smart phone.

IN CLOSING

When Crazy Dad dragged the family across Europe, his SprintPCS Treo didn't even get a cell signal in Europe. But he STILL used it all the time, with all the applications above.

And when no one was looking, Crazy Dad would hold his phone up to his ear and talk to no one in particular. Just because...

*WHAT ABOUT THE iPHONE

If you're a true tech geek dad, then you already know about the controversy surrounding Apple's decisions around the iPhone SDK. For you non-geeks, the translation - Apple has not made it easy for third-party programmers to write applications for it.

If you have an iPhone, you can get by without the above applications. You'll just have to depend on Safari and an internet connection to grab wikipedia or train schedules - which is great as long as you have an internet connection to work with. It'll become much harder if, for example, you're outside of Machu Picchu holding up your iPhone to the sun trying to get a really expensive roaming data signal.

Hm. Now Crazy Dad wonders if there *IS* a data signal outside Machu Picchu? Only one way to find out...

Budget Travel's Family Travel Handbook

2008-06-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

The May 2008 issue of Budget Travel magazine had a pull-out section about Family Travel written by Brad Tuttle. The handbook is available online and well-worth reading.

Crazy Dad doesn't necessarily recommend all the suggestions in the guide (No pre-boarding with kids?!? He'd rather give up his child tax exemption than give up pre-boarding...) - but definitely check out it. Lots of good stuff.

Family Travel Handbook

Meet Novotel

2008-05-30T00:16:00.000-07:00

If you're dragging the family to Europe and need a hotel to crash at, Crazy Dad suggests you look at Novotel hotels. You may have never heard of the chain, because there are only a handful of them in North America - but there are a whole bunch of them in Europe, especially in France. They're quite modern hotels, targeted at both business travelers and families.

The great thing about Novotel hotels is how family friendly they are. Their family rooms are fairly spacious, especially by European hotel standards. The sofas fold out into two twin beds, two children under the age of 16 stay for free, and if you order the breakfast, the children eat free.

You can find their hotels listed on the typical travel search engines, but before you book, check the hotel out on Novotel.com. You can sometimes find some great unadvertised deals through their website. Through their website, we snagged a great deal in Brussels - in exchange for a non-refundable reservation, we got almost 50% off the regular rate, plus it included free breakfasts for all.

As always, before picking a hotel, do a search on Trip Advisor for reviews. You should be able to get a good idea of whether the place is suitable for your family.

Of course, if you're like Crazy Dad, you don't want to use hotels for your entire family vacation. Especially compared to the convenience and cost savings of using apartment/house rentals or home exchanges. But more on that later.

Crazy Dad's TripAdvisor Review of Novotel: Brussels off Grand Place (with pictures)

Crazy Dad's TripAdvisor Review of Novotel: Paris Gare Montparnasse (with pictures)

Novotel.com

iPod People

2008-05-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

Crazy Dad is like most guys. He snores, he's kinda clueless when it comes to women, and - most importantly - he's an obsessive dork when it come to tech gadgets. iPods, cell phones, iPods that are cell phones. It's a great time to be a tech junkie.

It's also a great time to be a dad - because if you're handy with the tech, they can make travelling with your kids much easier. Almost bearable.

THE IPOD

An iPod Video is a must for long plane trips. Don't trust that the airline in-seat video is always going to work, or have videos that the kids are interested in. Don't take chances - take an iPod. Even a four year-old can figure out how to pause, rewind, fast-forward video on the iPod, so load that bad boy up with some of their favorite videos.

One suggestion - to deal with short attention spans, add some new episodes of favorite/familiar shows on the iPod. For example, if your son is into Thomas the Tank Engine, don't just load the iPod up with his favorite episodes. Add some episodes he hasn't seen yet. New Thomas stories will keep his attention longer.

But don't just load your iPod up with new videos that they've never seen. On a long plane flight is probably not the time to try to introduce them to new television shows and movies.

For older kids, try to get them their own iPod. If they don't have one, use it as an excuse to buy dad a new one, then hand down your old one to the kid. Kids can be entertained for a long stretches with books on tape. Crazy Dad's six year-old daughter kept herself happy with the Harry Potter books on her iPod.

And if you have toddlers who listen to music as part of their bedtime routine, then don't forget to put that music on your iPod before you travel. It'll help keep their bedtime routines during the trip. Nothing puts a tired toddler down like familiar lullabies.

WHAT ABOUT DVD?

What about a DVD player? Well, a big-ole "portable" DVD player is SO 2005. Crazy Dad only recommends them for car driving, where the bigger screen can let more than one kid watch at a time. For any other kind of traveling, leave the DVD player at home and go with the iPod.

An Enormous Grain of Salt

2008-05-25T21:54:00.001-07:00

Before becoming parents for the first time, Crazy Dad and his wife went through all the baby books. Read a whole mess of them. Learned everything that babies are supposed to do. Well armed with a wide array of knowledge, Crazy Dad was ready to take on parenthood head on.

Parenthood squashed Crazy Dad like a bug.

All the books about babies? As far as he was concerned, LIES. DIRTY FILTHY LIES. Crazy Dad's baby was NOTHING like any of the books. When the books said the baby would be clingy, the baby wanted nothing to do with us. When the books said the baby would sleep in the crib, the baby screamed all night. When the books said the baby would scream all night, the baby screamed all night.

Okay, on that point, the books were right. But on every other point, the books were a complete waste of time. They hadn't helped Crazy Dad prepare for becoming a parent.

A (few) years later, along came baby #2. And lo and behold, baby #2 was exactly like the way the books said. Baby #2 did all the things that the books said, hit all the benchmarks and milestones just like the books said. The books redeemed themselves.

The valuable lesson here was that all kids are different. So any suggestions or rules you learn here or from any other source? Take it with a huge grain of salt.

Because only YOU know your child.

Only you know if your kid has the patience to walk through a museum for hours without complaining. Only you know if your kid is a holy terror who'll make all the other kids in McDonald's cry. Only you know if your kid doesn't react well to mac & cheese.

Every kid is different. What works for Crazy Dad may not work exactly for you. So take everything said with a grain of salt. Feel free to yell, "YEAH RIGHT!" at your computer screen. And if Crazy Dad suggests something that could cause your child to instigate an international incident that leads to World War 3... then maybe ignore the suggestion.

As long as YOU know your child's limitations - their strengths and weaknesses - and what they can tolerate? Then you're well on your way towards making your next trip a great one. Or at least well on your way towards averting World War 3.

Who is this guy?

2008-05-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

Now you're probably wondering, This guy SAYS he's crazy, but I've been fooled so many times by people only pretending to be crazy. Then they turned out to be as ordinary as Matt Lauer or Tim Duncan or Gary Busey. But don't be mistaken.

I'm quite crazy.

Not sure exactly how or why I became crazy. At some point, because I was comfortable finding travel information online, I started to get more ambitious with my travel planning. Just going somewhere all-inclusive bored me - I needed to blaze my own path. Then I got cocky. then each of my trips got progressively bigger and more complex. With more and more people, and more and more children. Then last year it was nine countries in four weeks, while dragging two small children and a pregnant wife behind me.

If there was some way to drag my family to Mars, without having to deal with the weak U.S. Dollar-Martian Peso exchange rate, I would SO do it.

I can see it in other people's eyes. They love to hear about Crazy Dad and his crazy trip. But there's always this look of, Man, this guy is nuts.

And I know I'm not the only one. I know there are crazy dads out there who want to go globe hopping. Just because you have kids doesn't mean you have to sit at home in front of the 42" flat screen watching Yo Gabba Gabba over and over for the rest of your life.

[Not to say that wouldn't be sweet. But you don't HAVE to.]

Which brings me to this blog. Now there's a lot of great information out there in books and websites on the topic of traveling with your family. But in my meager-yet-completely-insane experiences, I've picked up a few tips that I thought would be fun to share with others.

So to answer your question, who am I? My name is Eugene, I'm a father of three small kids, and I'm a writer who lives in Los Angeles, California.

I'm the Crazy Dad.