Do You Love Legos?

You don’t have to have kids to go to Legoland, but it helps. Or maybe not. When we visited the colorful, rectangular theme park we were probably one of only two couples there that didn’t have children under 6 with us. Eric and I are children at heart, so we thought this was hilarious and we enjoyed every minute we spent in the Southern Californian park.

Legoland is great at keeping rides short to capitalize on the just as short attention spans of small kids. If you like thrilling rides, you won’t find any here. No, scratch that. You’ll find one. The Bionicle Dragon ride will give you a run for your money. You (and a friend) climb into a roller coaster seat that is attached to a robotic arm. Crew members will ask you to choose your “intensity level”. Choose between one and five. They told us the difference was that level 5 “goes upside down more”. That sounded appealing to us at the time. If you ever wondered what it felt like to be a salt shaker, this ride allows you to answer that question.

Aside from The Dragon, all the other rides are family-friendly and are suitable for little kids. Of course, if you love those kinds of rides, Legoland will be a lot of fun for you, just like it was for us. Everything is Lego branded and you will find amazing, large sculptures made out thousands of the blocks. It makes you want to go home and make your own cool things with your old Legos – and if you don’t have any, you can buy as many as you want before you leave. Of course, there are plenty of opportunities to test out your building skills throughout the park.

Here are some pictures of our visit to Legoland in Carlsbad, California. Remember, many of the older Lego statues look a lot better in pictures than in person, because they have been faded by the sun.

This is seriously the whole ride. And you get soaked! LOL!

A fun shooter game!

Yup, those faces are made of Legos!

There's a whole Vegas Strip. I just love these tourists.

Bionicle spinners, which is just like the teacups at Disneyland

And my favorite thing at Legoland is not the boat ride or the miniature Star Wars lands or the shorty roller coasters, but the signs for the bathrooms:

Funny, right? 

Your visit to Legoland could be included on your Los Angeles GoCard, which I also blogged about here. It's definitely a better deal if you plan to do other stuff on your trip. We found it fun and enjoyable and the middle of the week was a great time to go, because it was super slow and rides were incredibly short. After days of being in packed big-ride theme parks, it was a nice change of pace and pretty relaxing.                                        Have you ever been to Legoland?  

Flying with Kids Without Killing Yourself (or Them)

It’s no secret that when a small child is seen coming down the aisle of the airplane, other passengers groan. Whether it is audible or not, you have probably witnessed it or been guilty of doing it, too. Some parents are just not equipped for air travel with their little ones. It doesn’t make them bad people, just unprepared ones. Kids are not as patient as adults, nor do they understand why they have to sit when there are so many other things they could be doing and they can get bored very easily. Let’s face it. Sitting in a chair for hours is boring. Save money and sanity when traveling with kids by keeping them busy and making travel fun.

Pack some games. Kids (and adults) love games. Whether it’s a card game, board game or I Spy book, make sure you have a variety to choose from. You can’t play Uno when you’ve just gotten on the plane, but you can look for Waldo or do a five-minute mystery. You can even read a book together, play 20 Questions, use a handheld gaming device or many other things. Make sure you have enough to switch out while in transit to keep them occupied for your entire flight time, and any time waiting around at the airport. There are many travel-sized games that can fit easily into your carry-on and, when you plan ahead, you can shop around for the best prices if you don’t already own them.

Let them pack their own bag. When you go anywhere, you probably let your kid(s) pick a few things they can’t live without. As long as it can be reasonably packed and will make it through security, don’t worry if they want to bring 32 miniature cars or their favorite doll or even their pillow. If it makes them comfortable, it will help them be a better traveler. You could pack their clothing in your carry-on and have them bring their “busy-time” stuff in a backpack or teach them responsible travel and buy them their very own carry-on bag that they can use. They’ll feel like a grown-up when they pull their little wheelie case behind them through the airport and you’ll save on baggage fees. Plus, by having them carry their own belongings, they might learn to pack lighter.

Bring snacks. Kids always want to eat when it’s least convenient. They don’t want to wait for the snack cart to come around and, to be honest, neither do we. Pack some handy munchables in your bag to curb hunger and make them happy while you have to sit in your seat with your tray tables locked. Make sure to buy some bottles of water or juice before you board the plane, too. By packing your own goodies, you can control what your kids eat and won’t have to shell out more money for the spendy snack packs they sell on planes.

Invest in a footrest. Skyrest.com makes the perfect footrest for children. Okay, it’s really a resting pillow for sleeping or reading, but for little legs that fall asleep from not being able to reach the floor, it makes the perfect airplane ottoman. Nobody likes being kicked in the back for a whole flight and when kids have tingly legs, they are going to flail about. These inflatable rests have removable covers, too, so you can remove it before the flight to keep it from getting dirty from the floor and feet.

Fly really early or really late. If your child is on a regular sleeping schedule, see if you can book a flight that will coincide with it and they may just conk out the entire flight. We used to fly the Red Eye often and sleep on the plane overnight and wake up in our destination. While these seem to be few and far between – or even non-existent – now, you can certainly try to find an available flight that is super early in the morning or even later in the evening. These flights are usually undesirable, which makes them cheaper than the same flight in the middle of the day.

No one will say that traveling with children is a piece of cake, or even inexpensive, but certainly you can make the journey easier on both of you. Keeping a regular schedule is key, so make sure you bring a meal onboard if they are used to eating at the time you will be traveling, or make them comfy enough to take a nap if they need one. Otherwise, just pack the tools you require to entertain them. You will make your little ones think travel is awesome and you’ll avoid those dirty looks from other passengers if they don’t start freaking out and throwing a temper tantrum. Of course, sometimes you just can’t predict what will happen, only try to make travel seem like a great big adventure. Which it is. 

This post originally appeared on FareCompare.com - For more travel tips with kids on my blog, go here, here and here.

5 Items to "Travel Size" Your Beauty Routine

When you travel, every inch of bag space is precious. Carry-on bags don’t have unlimited room, but they are essential if you are trying to save money, time and our luggage possibly getting lost by the airline. Packing light isn’t always easy and those 3-1-1 bags aren't that big, especially when you're flying during the summer and have to squeeze sunscreen in there, too. While you can buy it once you get there, many resorts, theme parks and grocery stores have outrageous prices on these items. A better way to pack and avoid checking a bag is by streamlining your beauty routine to take fewer products and those that are multipurpose. Here are five ways you can find room in your travel bag for sunscreen and still look great in all your pictures.

Tinted Moisturizer - You may be used to taking your foundation wherever you go, but a tinted moisturizer can do double-duty as a foundation and a moisturizer. Most have built-in SPF, so you don't have to bring a second sunscreen specifically for your face.

Powder Foundation - Avoid taking two products and opt for just one with a powder foundation. Not only does it save space, but a good one, like Philosophy Supernatural Airbrushed Canvas, will be long-lasting and give you a flawless finish over your moisturizer. This can be paired with tinted moisturizer to give you even more coverage.

Tinted Lip Gloss - Get a fresh summery look by bringing along a tinted lip gloss that also moisturizes. It enables you to leave your heavy lipstick at home and you won't have to tote around a tube of lip balm. Smashbox O-Gloss brings out the natural hue of your lips, plus it gives you a slight shine and locks in moisture. Sugar by Fresh is a lip balm that has a coverage a bit lighter than a full lipstick.

Trial Sizes - Those fun trial sizes that you get with makeup purchases are your best friend on vacation. Save those tiny tubes of mascara, lip glosses, and eye shadows, and pack them in your travel bag. 

Shampoo bars - Shampoo and conditioner can take up a lot of room and could contribute the most to spillage in your bag. There's nothing worse than getting to your destination and having to wash off everything in your 3-1-1 bag because your shampoo or conditioner exploded. Shampoo bars don't ever have to go in your liquids bag, they never spill and are simple to use. They work just like a bar of soap and have all the benefits of a great shampoo. You can also get solid conditioners which will leave your hair silky and manageable.

Not only will these tips help you pack lighter, but having fewer products will help you get ready faster each morning and look less made up. Spring and summer is the perfect time to look fresh-faced and natural when you’re out and about, so lighter applications that are extra moisturizing will give you that dewy beach look you want while protecting your skin from harmful rays of the sun.

If you are planning a summer trip, maybe you'd like to learn more tips on how to save tons wherever you go. If so, check out my summer ebook. Make the most of the money you have and maybe even save enough to take another trip another time during the year. Remember: if you don't have a Kindle, you can read Kindle books on any web-enabled device with the free Kindle app.

What are some of your favorite travel beauty products?