Readers of Travels with Baby may have already come across my recommendation for this site, but it has been truly awesome to watch CiaoBambino.com continue to grow and evolve as a go-to source for finding high-end family-friendly vacation rentals, hotels and resorts around the globe.

All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli 2007 – 2011

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If I had wanted to make things easy on myself as a “family traveler,” I might have done a few things differently. For example, I might have waited longer to have my first child, I might have called it good with just one child, and I might have waited until she was out of diapers (let alone could roll her own suitcase) to go on that first trip overseas. Yet looking back down this lucky road we’ve rambled so far as a family, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Three babies later, it’s clear I not only still like and advocate family travel, but I enjoy a good challenge to boot. We not only still travel with diapers (for now), but as a five passport family, the mere process of getting through every security check point on an international flight—especially when they decide to pat-down all of us on the jetway (yes, even the 2-year-old)—can be a lengthy ordeal. And even breezing along on a Great American Road Trip, which it felt like we’d mastered with kids #1 and #2, now has a new snafu: Finding hotels and motels that will allow the 5 of us to sleep in one room (sometimes even when I insist we have our own baby travel bed with us—argh!).

If you’ve ever traveled with 3 or more children, or brought the grandparents along on vacation, you know the challenge this can present, especially when most hotel search engines force you to book two rooms for more than 4 people. A couple of years ago, one family of six not only rose to the challenge of finding its own accommodations for a family reunion, but set out create a site to help make at least one thing about traveling with a family of five—or six, or seven, or eight—a little easier for the rest of us.

SixSuitcaseTravel.com has since grown to have some 4,000 family-friendly hotels covering destinations all over the U.S., plus Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean—all of which can sleep a minimum of 5 people in a room or suite. Just use their search box or use their interactive state maps to find listings of only the hotels that are relevant to your “big family.”

For more help planning your family’s travels online, check out Family Travel Planning Links and Resources, FAQs and Popular Topics, and the new Destinations pages.

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli

Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
https://travelswithbaby.com/    Travels with Baby on Facebook

All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli

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When I recently discovered www.bayareaonthecheap.com, I knew this site could have as much value to those of you planning family travel to San Francisco and the Bay Area as it could for those of us calling it home.

This comprehensive site is a great first stop to find coupons and special deals on everything from your tickets and sightseeing passes (including California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco Zoo, or Red and White Fleet cruises on the SF Bay) to where to buy the cheapest gas for your rental car and find FREE WiFi spots throughout San Francisco and the greater Bay Area — which can be especially helpful when you want to check in online for that return flight or share some of your travel photos with friends on the fly.

Bay Area restaurant coupons, farmers markets, and flea markets can be found at the site as well, plus listings of upcoming cheap and free festivals and fairs.

For more budget travel tips for your family’s visit to San Francisco, see my “Cheap and Free San Francisco” recommendations in the related posts and pages below.

Related posts and pages:

Safe journeys,
 
Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
https://travelswithbaby.com/   Travels with Baby on Facebook
 
All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli

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Nothing against tuk-tuks, rickshaws, or overcrowded commuter trains, but with a small child—or two, or three—and an extra suitcase—or two, or three—some of us find ourselves wondering how much more it might be to just take a taxi instead?

If you haven’t checked out the World Taxi Meter site yet (www.worldtaximeter.com), you may be glad to add it to your list of helpful online travel planning resources (you’ll find it in my Quick Links, too). Use the site to enter two points in cities around the world, say JFK to Times Square, or CDG to the Louvre, or Indira Gandhi International to Humayun’s Tomb for example, and shazam: you can see the cost of the journey before you even pack your bags.

What else is notable about this site?
– The site also factors in the time of day you’ll be making the journey, so average traffic delays and additional costs are also shown in your results.
– Make sure you scroll down to see the “Useful Information” section about taking taxis where you’ll be as well, including airport or luggage surcharges and suggestions for tipping.

What’s better than that?
You can also see the Google-recommended route the driver should take—you know, to print and tuck in the side of your day pack in case there are any questions (ahem).

Related posts and pages:
Tip #21: Car seats and taxis
Tip #15: Use car service in New York
Review of RideSafer Travel Vest
Travel Car Seat Alternatives
How to take a London taxi cab with your stroller (and your child still in it)

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
https://travelswithbaby.com/    Travels with Baby on Facebook

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