Travelchic.com brings you some chic and some ridiculous accessories

by Annie Scott on

Travelchic.com makes unusual luggage tags, handle wraps, tassels, and key chains, all desgined to make your luggage stand out on the carousel and to show your unique style and flair.

My verdict? Hit or miss. Some of these items are totally hot, and some of them are absolutely ridiculous. If I were chatting you up on the airplane and then saw you claim a bag with a giant furry handle-wrap on it? I would judge you. I’m just that shallow.

The Orange Synthetic Leather Luggage Tag and Reversible Orange Faux Fur/Orange Synthetic Leather Handle Wrap with Travel Chic Airplane Keychain Set for $26.99 (at right) is reasonably priced insanity. ‘A’ for effort, ‘F’ for execution.

Affort Fexecution.

The kids’ collection is cute, though I wonder how long those puppy and monkey faces last with the wear and tear of travel, and of course, the sticky hands of the little ones.

I don’t mean to be mean. Below, witness the gallery of five totally awesome items from Travelchic.com. They really do make some nice stuff at great prices!
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Galley Gossip: Traveling with children: a few suggestions…

by Heather Poole on

There he is, the little monster. Yes, he’s an adorable little monster, but a monster nonetheless. Whether he’s traveling with you or he’s headed toward you, either way, he’s on the flight with you. Near you. I feel for you. Really, I do.

Traveling sucks, most of you will agree, but what’s even worse than traveling is traveling with children, even when it’s your own kid you’re traveling with. Why? Because the people around you give you the please-don’t-sit-by-me look. Because you’ve only got two hands. That’s it. One. Two. It’s not easy carrying the kid, the car seat, the stroller, the diaper bag (that’s been stuffed full of fun things things to do, causing it to weigh more than the kid and the car seat alone) while you’re doing whatever it is you have to do in order to keep the kid happy – and quiet – on-board an aircraft, surrounded by all those people giving you that look.

Like I said, traveling can suck, but you don’t have to let the stress of travel ruin your trip. Here are a few tips I’ve used when traveling with my own little two year-old monster who has flown once a month since he was three months old.

ARRIVE EARLY – The line at security just keeps getting longer now that summer is here, so give yourself a little extra time. And by God, check those bags, if you haven’t already, even if you have to pay that ridiculous bag fee. Why? Because it’s even more ridiculous struggling lug all that gear on the airplane where you’ll only end up even more frustrated and agitated when you find all those overhead bins full. So pack light, come early, and check the bags.

BE PREPARED – Don’t be surprised when TSA makes you toss that sippy cup full of milk and the bottle of water out of your diaper bag. No need to remind TSA the liquids are for your little princess. They already know. And yes, you AND the princess will need to remove your shoes – both of you – even if sweet pea is just four months old. Don’t get angry. It’s a waste of time. Just be ready when it happens. That means leave the liquids at home and start taking off those shoes and collapsing that stroller before it’s your turn to walk through the metal detector. No one likes standing in line behind the person who is not ready to go when it’s their time to go. So go! And after you pass through security, please don’t forget to purchase milk and water (and snacks if you didn’t bring any food from home) in the terminal before you board the flight. Chances are the flight attendants will run out of bottled water and food before they even reach your row.

TRAVEL TIME – Whatever you do, do not take the all-nighter when traveling with your perfect little angel who may not be so perfect on a flight at night. There’s nothing worse, or more stressful, than traveling with a screaming child, especially when everyone around you is trying to sleep. Me, I always book my flights during the day, during nap time. That way the kid can run around and wear himself out at home, before we have to head to the airport. Nine times out of ten my little cutie patootie will fall asleep on taxi out, allowing me (and whoever is seated in front of me) a few hours of quiet time. What parent doesn’t need a little quiet time?

DIAPER BAG – Oh sure I spent WAY too much on a designer diaper bag before my son was born, only to use the messenger style Diaper Dude my husband bought every single time we traveled – and didn’t travel. You’d be shocked at all I can fit in that one bag. All I can say is the style of the Diaper Dude makes traveling easy. Why? Because the messenger bag leaves hands free! That means your hands are available to do what they REALLY need to do – like take care of the child.

BABY SLING / WRAP – The Baby Bjorn made going through airport security completely do-able when I had to go it alone. With the kid attached to me, all I had to do was slide off my shoes (slip-ons when traveling with the kid) and throw them, along with the Diaper Dude, on the conveyor belt without asking a stranger for help, which is something you may not feel inclined to do when the stranger behind you is looking kind of…well…strange. Once on-board, use the sling when baby falls asleep. In other words, let the carrier hold the baby while your hands hold a book. NOTE: The sling cannot be worn on take-off or landing or anytime when the fasten seat belt sign is on.

SIT-N-STROLL – Best invention known to mankind – mankind with kids that is. Once through security, sit baby in the chair and start strolling to the gate. Baby rides like a king in his first class seat. When it’s time to board, roll the little prince onto the airplane and straight to your seat while passengers already seated oooh and ahhh at your precious bundle of joy. Once at your seat, retract the wheels and VOILA – the stroller is now a car seat! After the flight deploy the wheels and you’re off and rolling to baggage claim (you did check the bags, didn’t you?) and then it’s off to the car where once again you retract the wheels and VOILA – car seat again! NOTE: The SIT-N-STROLL does not fit down the aisle of a narrow body aircraft (S80, 737, 757), so if you’re traveling alone leave the SIT-N-STROLL at home, or just ask for help from the strange looking person behind you.

CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System) – The second best invention ever! If your child is at least one year-old and weighs 25 lbs, you can leave the car seat at home and use these simple straps that easily fit around the back of a seat and attach to the seat belt to keep your child safe.

RIDE ON CARRY ON – The third best invention ever! Would you believe the genius behind this was a flight attendant! Oh yeah. Who else but a flight attendant would come up with something so amazing? If you’ve got a roller-board and prefer traveling light, this is the contraption for you – and me! (Of course I already own one.) Just attach the “lawn chair” to the back of your rolling bag and off you go, as simple as that. Once on the flight the chair folds flush against your suitcase and fits perfectly into the overhead bin. Use the chair with CARES and your little one travels safe and sound while you’re off and running. NOTE: Be prepared for pointing and laughter as you sprint through the terminal with your little one attached to your bag.

DVD PLAYER – Never – I repeat – NEVER leave home without the DVD player. And don’t forget the charger. Pack it in your bag, the one that is going under the seat in front of you. Charge the DVD regularly. There are outlets in every airport. Oh and DVDs. Don’t forget to pack the DVDs, too! All I can say is thank God for the Teletubbies. La-La and friends have gotten us through over 35 flights – calm and peaceful flights.

BRING SOMETHING FUN TO DO: Coloring books, crayons, stickers, books, bring it all! Years ago a flight attendant told me that when she traveled with her son she always made sure to give him a small present each hour of flight in return for good behavior. Sure, you’re buying good behavior from a kid, a kid who should be well behaved to begin with, but sometimes kids act out, even the well behaved ones. Hey, kids are kids. And good behavior is worth every penny. Just ask the guy seated in front of you.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE PASSENGER IN FRONT OF YOU – I know you’re going to find this very hard to believe, but the person seated in front of you is not at all thrilled to be seated in front of you and your adorable child, no matter how cute the little munchkin is. Remember, it’s your job as a parent to be aware of what the little monkey is doing, so don’t let those feet kick the back of that chair, please! And stop those little hands from banging on the tray table, please! Sure, kids will be kids and can’t always be controlled, but you can try, can’t you? Please try. For the sake of the passenger in front of you. The passenger in front of you who is begging you. The passenger in front of you who is now begging me.

IGNORE THE ANGRY PASSENGER. Hey you, angry guy, they’re trying their best to keep the kid quiet, okay! Maybe those little ears hurt from the pressurization of the airplane, who knows. Don’t forget, you, too, were once a kid, and you were probably just as annoying as the crying kid seated behind you. Probably more so, based on the way you’re behaving now. Look, you’re not the only one who thinks traveling sucks. Just ask the little stinker stuck sitting behind you. The one that’s acting just like you!

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Do children on planes bother you?

by Grant Martin on

I have to admit, every time I used to fly overseas I was afraid of sitting in the proximity of children. Usually I’m one of the first people to board, so after getting my electronics and reading material in order, I used to nervously watch passengers boarding, terrified that a couple with a newborn child was going to sit next to me and that the child would wail across the entire ocean.

This has happened to me more than once, and it really really sucks. But over the past few years I’ve come to terms with the frustration a bit. I try to think that couples traveling with children need to be on the road, perhaps for a family function or emergency and that they’re doing everything in their power to see to their children. Hopefully, they’re sensitive to the passengers around them and we in turn can be flexible for that.

As it turns out, I’m not the only person sensitive to screaming kids in my cabin. Our friends over at Airfarewatchdog recently posted a survey asking whether families with children should be put in a different section of the aircraft, concentrating the ruckus into one portion of the plane. Perhaps this would result in more peace for the other passengers.

Surprisingly, well over 90% of the polled readers said that they would support another cabin for families with children. That’s a pretty definitive result.

Not that something like that will ever happen. Airlines wont discriminate against families traveling with children and even if they could, it would be a political and bureaucratic nightmare to implement. But it’s in interesting idea.

Be sure to check out and vote in AFWD’s and check out the data yourself.

Why the Finnish are such smarty-pants

by Jerry Guo on

Why is it that some relatively minor country always wins out over Japan or Germany or the UK (the US doesn’t have a chance) for having the brightest kids in the world? This year, it’s Finland. Hong Kong came in second. Both economies barely make a dent when it comes to global superpowers, yet they’ve managed to churn out quite a number of smarty-pants.

For Finland, the clue lies in an educational system where there’s no such thing as tuition and high school students receive freebies like meals and books. Still, it’s a bit surprising that not more Asian countries are topping this list, considering how hard students are pushed there. For instance, it’s not unusual for kids in China to begin studying for the college entrance exam in 7th grade. And that’s if the kid’s somewhat of a beach bum.

The list was based on testing high schoolers in each of the countries. What that made me think about was exactly how much fun and leisure time students from these countries have? Is it just me or does it seem that the Fins still manage to throw some good parties? Kind of interesting they’re so smart without seeming like bookworms.

Well-Behaved Children. Isn’t That an Oxymoron?

by Iva Skoch on

I just saw this sign at the lounge of the Sagamore Hotel at Lake George this weekend: Well-behaved children are welcome. I guess it is a nice way of saying: Keep your brats out of this place whenever you can.

Don’t all parents secretly believe that their children are well-behaved? Don’t all other people always secretly think that they are not?

This might not come as a surprise to those of you with kids, but on the web there are tips for keeping your children well-behaved when traveling. The ones for air travel are especially entertaining, at least for those of us without kids. Here are my top 3:

  1. Let your children feel that they’re performing a useful role in making the flight happen by being well-behaved. (uh, ok)
  2. Discuss the importance of stretching during air travel (that should keep them occupied for at least 5 seconds)
  3. When the plane takes off, your children will be eager to look out of the window and watch the ground moving away below. This is a good way to introduce the concept of map making. (or the concept of life-long therapy, depending on how nerdy your kid is)

Can kids just be kids?