Car DVD Players

by Jamie Rhein on

I’ve started searching for car DVD players and that has shown me how technologically behind I am. First, when I saw the DVD players that fit into the dashboard, I assumed that meant that the screen fit into the dashboard too. Can you imagine? Traffic accidents caused by cell phone use while driving are bad enough. How ironic would it be to crash a car while watching a chase scene car crash?

The kind of DVD player I’m looking for is one that plugs into the cigarette lighter hole so that the people in the back seat can watch a movie. I’m specifically thinking about my 5 year-old. My 14 year-old plugs in her headphones and falls asleep as soon as the car pulls away from our house. One in awhile she’ll open her eyes to keep her brother entertained. We’re heading to Montana again this summer, quite the hike from Columbus, OH and I’m considering folding on my no DVD player stance. It might beat the bickering and whining. If we do get a plug-in DVD player it will be in competition with our plug-in CD player.

If you are looking to install a DVD player in your dashboard, prices range from $199 to over $1,000. The kind I’m looking for can also cost a bundle or about $100. I found an article in the magazine First Glimpse that explains the differences between DVD players and includes links that explain more. One feature that looks worth paying for is the one that lets you hang the DVD monitor over the back of the front seat. But, with two kids, does that mean you need two DVD players? If you want to get a look at what’s out there, here’s the car DVDplayer link at bizrate.com. This photo is from “Foursprung, the ultimate car gadgets” blog.

Thai Cooking Classes: Eat Your Way to Bliss

by Jamie Rhein on

When Brian Battjer went to Thailand (see Justin’s post), he did partake in one of the fine aspects of this country, the Thai massage. Even a half-hour hand or foot massage is bliss.

While massages transport you to heaven through the sense of touch, a Thai cooking class will bring you there through your taste buds. Besides that, it’s fun and a way to meet fellow travelers. And, if you happen to be traveling with kids, it’s one of those things to do as a family where everyone is happy. Our daughter was 8-years old the first time we took a class. We returned the next year for course number two.

Cooking schools have several options ranging from one day to several day courses. We did the one-day option, signing up at the travel agency stand at our hotel the day before the class. All travel agencies in Thailand seem to have a big book filled with tour options and will point you towards a class that suits your needs. Cooking classes will list the menu items. We headed to the one that had green curry chicken for our first class.

Our cooking school class in Chiang Mai involved meeting at the cooking school to eat tropical fruit from Thailand before taking a trip to the market where the instructor lead us from stall to stall to tell us about each of the ingredients that makes Thai food so delectable. Afterwards we became chefs and worked in pairs to cook five different dishes from salads to main courses to dessert. Our daughter was paired with John, another participant who was there on his own. We figured John would let her chop and dice more readily than we would. She chopped away with a very large knife at the cooking station next to us.

After we cooked each dish we ate it before cooking another. This is one way to cook your way through breakfast, lunch and up to dinner. Here is a link that lists cooking classes in Chiang Mai. One of the schools, Chaing Mai Thai Cookery School looks like the one we went to, although it’s not. Ours was run by a guy named Tim, but I don’t think they have a website since I haven’t come across it. Here is another interesting option. Chiang Mai Kitchen also offers a “stay in a countryside village” and the fare is organic. From the website photos you can see what dishes you’ll be cooking and it looks like a lot of the ingredients are grown on-site.

Traveling in Korea with Children

by Adrienne Wilson on

Mum, mom, mother and momma are not nicknames I’ve been blessed to have at this time in my life and I’m in no rush to obtain one of the variations either, but for all the proud traveling parents out there searching for a good place to go with baby I present you with this guide from the Korean Tourism site. I’m sure an extensive amount of planning is needed to figure how you’ll be able to maneuver and keep your sanity for your return home and it looks like they’ve done a great deal of situation sorting for you. Transportation, shopping, restaurants, theme parks and special places to visit with children can all be found on their site. If you’re going to Korea or considering a vacation in Asia some place with your child or children this guide should hopefully answer some questions if not all. If Korea isn’t a destination of choice for you and your child at this time you may try scouring other tourism sites for similar info.

Intergenerational Travel

by Adrienne Wilson on

MSN went digging when they found this piece which originally appeared in Travel Leisure’s April 2003 issue and I can’t think of a better travel related topic to revive than traveling with grandparents. While we may have mentioned family travel directed towards parents and their children we never touch on intergenerational travel. The article points out 35 percent of grandparents traveled with a grandchild in 2001, up from 29 percent the previous year. Not sure what the stats look like for the more recent years, but if you’ve got a granny and a grandpa why not surprise them with a specially created vacation without your parents this summer? There are several outfitters that cater to grandparents looking to travel with grandkids and trips include bike rides through Holland from Elderhostel.org, river rafting in Alaska provided by Grandtravel, and summer retreats at Great Camp Sagamore to name only a few.

If my grandparents were still around I’d most certainly take to the streets or explore the off-the-beaten-track just hear stories of the golden yesteryears. Think – a little bit adventure, history, and family packaged together for one grand ole’ time. Talk about an experience!