The Lollipop Road

Archive for February, 2010

I know there many of you out there who are pregnant and wondering what to do about taking that long planned vacation before your little bundle of joy arrives.  After all, this is a time for celebration, seemingly endless research (if you’re anything like us) with hopefully a wee bit of rest thrown in before your world is turned upside down in the nicest way possible.  There is definitely a lot of information to digest and many twists and turns to navigate throughout this very special time, but what about taking that darn vacation? 

Many people will warn you about going anywhere farther than your backyard, but modern medicine and communications has made traveling a whole lot safer and easier now.  But what if you’re sick?  This is a valid question and for most of us, not a big issue if we just plan ahead.  Typically, the first 3 months can be challenging for most mothers-to-be.  Between morning sickness, frequent urination, food aversions, and mid-afternoon exhaustion, you may wish you were on another planet, never mind an exotic Caribbean island. 

Taking your vacation after this “initiation” period should alleviate many of your pregnancy symptoms that may cause you to secretly plot to eliminate your travel companion (your husband) who convinced you to go on vacation in the first place!  And not straying too far from home during the last 6 weeks of your pregnancy is advisable as well.  For many of us, carrying baby around for 8 months takes its toll on our backs, and you never know when baby is ready to make their debut into this world.  There are also strict airline, as well as cruise ship pregnancy timeliness you must adhere to as well.  These guidelines are for you and your baby’s safety as well as their protection from any lawsuits should any early arrivals occur. 

Note the McDonald's Salad!

Now, of course this doesn’t mean that if you follow the above guidelines your travels will not be without challenges.  I have never seen a vacation that goes 100% as planned anyway, have you?  When I was pregnant with my first son, my husband and I traveled to Japan for 2 weeks.  I was almost 4 months along and was fortunate to never really suffer morning sickness during early pregnancy, so what could possibly go wrong, we thought.  If you ever go to Japan, as you might have guessed their food is stunningly different from what you might find in the United States.  In fact, fried food is the norm and fresh fruits and vegetables (you know, the high fiber foods) are rather difficult to find.  When you have to rely on a salad from McDonald’s for your vegetable selection, you know you’re in trouble.  Hmmm, what do you think happens to a pregnant woman devoid of fiber?  So, during our 2 week whirlwind tour of Japan, I paid a visit to a pharmacy to see what remedy I could find to alleviate my little problem. 

Fortunately for me, the pharmacist was a woman because what transpired during the next 20 minutes was nothing short of storybook fodder.  I played a game of charades called “name that ailment” with a captive audience of 3, the pharmacist, her assistant and another woman who may or may not have worked there!  Once they finally understood my situation, the pharmacist quickly pulled a remedy off the store shelves.  Hmmm, is this okay for a pregnant woman to take?  So the game began again, only this time, the pharmacist realizing that I was pregnant, quickly snatched my salvation out of my hands.  With sadness I said “thank you” to my new friends, hung my head low and staggered out into the busy streets empty handed.  The assistant clearly made out much better, with an unbelievable dinnertime story to tell her family and friends, as was obvious from her non stop laughter during our little impromptu game show.

Yummy - Miso & Rice...Again

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the miso with rice served for breakfast every morning.  My husband and I couldn’t keep it down after the third day. I guess it’s just not our thing (I did more vomiting in Japan than the first 3 months of pregnancy).  A giant thank you to the British Pub is Kyoto – you saved our lives! 

When I was 5 months pregnant with our second son, we went on a 3 week RV trip through the Midwest, Canada and Alaska.  The trip was great with the only pregnancy mishap being my accidentally sitting on the seat belt buckle and tearing a large hole in the leg of my maternity pants!  I quickly sewed them and we were on our merry way.  I don’t think we can blame the large rock flying out from the dump truck in front of us and cracking our windshield on pregnancy.  Nor can we blame the bridge that scraped the side of our RV as we precariously crawled over it during the road construction.  And I don’t know what to say about the drawer that flew out of the kitchen in the RV as we went around a mild curve at 20 mph, screws and springs flying everywhere!  Yes, mishaps happen, even when you’re not pregnant; the stories just aren’t as funny. 

Check back tomorrow as we review some of the specific airline restrictions regarding travel during pregnancy. 

Disclosure

• New Harry Potter Vacation Packages at Universal Orlando 4nts from $829 for family of 4. http://bit.ly/c2qtPo #traveldeals #
• Great article on @takingthekids on Spring Break. http://bit.ly/d0A77K #
• Looking for a luxury family vacation? Try The Resort at Paws Up Montana. 50% off Spring rates. http://www.pawsup.com #luxurytravel #familytravel #
• #CruiseDeals : #RoyalCaribbean Navigator of the Seas 5nt 2/27 inside from $299 – book 2/23 only. #traveldeals #
• RT @USATODAY Top five bargain destinations for spring 2010 http://usat.me?37566574 Gatlinburg is a good kid-friendly pick! #
• Tips: How to Constructively Complain About Hotel Service. http://bit.ly/bU0bGA #travel #
• Free Hallmark Kids Collection card thru 3/14/10. http://bit.ly/bLq8sX #
• $79 — Trendy Palm Springs Hotel (Reg. $229) http://bit.ly/cEI6WL (from @Travelzoo) #
• Tips: 20 Travel Tips for 2010 http://bit.ly/chTA9P #
• Article: Checking baggage can cost more than an airline ticket: http://bit.ly/b4GkNO via @addthis #
• Article: Family Travel Five – Interesting ideas for family activities. http://bit.ly/9q7FsD #
• Interesting blog post on Wyndham Sugar Bay for families. http://bit.ly/d5hC7b #

There’s nothing more dangerous than a toddler swinging a golf club, but still, it’s so much fun!  We discovered early on that plastic golf clubs and golf balls that we can tote around with us in a suitcase were a worthwhile investment (the handles unscrew for easy storage).  Of course, I’m not sure how that protects us from our four year old who has since graduated to the “real” thing.  Fore!  That means duck and cover for the unofficiated.

Miniature golf is a great evening activity, especially when your traveling with the kids.  After 9 holes they’ve burned off enough energy to help them (and you) get a good nights’ sleep.  It’s also a fun family activity.  A little competition and a lot of laughs always make putting around the mini-green worth the effort (and the bruise from that stray ball).

We’ve visited courses around the continent.  From South Dakota to Montana, deep into the Yukon and up to Alaska, they’re everywhere, even in the middle of nowhere.  The sometimes grand and often simple miniature golf courses have provided hours of entertainment.  Bring extra balls (and an ice pack), because you just never know where they’ll end up!

Even when there isn’t a course, we make our own out of rocks, branches and other fun outdoor obstacles.  A plastic cup and nature’s buffers make for a unique impromptu course.  There are even golf courses on cruise ships!  Truth be told, sometimes they’re better than the one’s on land, but have you ever tried hitting a ball straight when the ship is rocking with the waves?  Well, at least it’s a ready excuse for missing that hole in four.

Next time you take a trip, take along a couple of clubs, a few balls and a sense of adventure.  Vacationing with family is about building togetherness and creating memories.  Mini-golf certainly does that – I still have a dent in my head from our last round.

Enjoy the photos!  For more amazing photos, please visit Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.   

Disclosure

It’s deal day again and we’re back to what seems to be our most popular topic – Family Cruise Deals!  Pricing is based upon 2 adults and 2 children (one under 2) in the same cabin, including all taxes and fees. 

To book any of these sailings, contact your local travel agent or visit Royal Caribbean, NCL, Celebrity or Carnival online.  Remember to ask about past passenger, senior or resident discounts or bonuses for these sailings to get an even better deal!  Bon Voyage!

Disclosure

The ability of service providers to make our job easier as a parent is no doubt of significant importance to all of us.  It amazes me that in a market with 10% unemployment, record foreclosures and businesses struggling financially, quality customer service has hit an all time low.  It hasn’t been confined to any particular industry, but rather seems to reflect a more general decline in the dedication and commitment to customers.

Receiving excellent customer service can make a lasting impression on us and further solidify our commitment to a particular brand or service.  Finding that level of service is challenging as of late, so we’re starting a regular feature that will focus on companies or organizations that consistently provide excellent customer service, especially to families.

Employees that go out of their way to make a family vacation experience memorable or help us in a way that may seem insignificant to them, but makes all the difference to us, deserve recognition.  We encourage families to report and reward excellent service as it reinforces positive behavior and those companies will continue to support the efforts of those employees.

Although our intent is to stay focused on the positive, we also realize that in order to help improve the level of service provided by companies and their employees, we need to provide constructive feedback when they are missing the mark.  Even when we get answers that we may not agree with, being acknowledged and feeling that our feedback is being considered provides us with acknowledgment that a company understands the importance of its customers.

In this post, I’d like to acknowledge someone who was a shining light for her company.  Her job as Vice President of Loyalty Programs at Northwest Airlines no doubt kept her busy.  However, despite her busy schedule and undoubtedly a large volume of e-mail that she received, she consistently made an effort to respond to each and every frequent flyer who wrote to her.  I had the pleasure of corresponding with her and although I didn’t always agree with her, she always provided thoughtful, personalized responses.  I applaud Beth Shultis for her incredible dedication and commitment to customers.  Unfortunately, Beth passed away several years ago, but I still remember her and have remained loyal to the brand she represented, in part because of her.

Unfortunately, post-merger dedication to frequent flyers has been lacking from the folks at Delta.  I encourage the individuals running the Skymiles program to spend some time talking to the people who had the pleasure of working with Beth.  The airline industry is a tough business and creating customer loyalty is key to survival.  Beth Shultis knew exactly how to do that and Delta management could learn a great deal from the leadership example that she set.

If you have suggestions for people or companies that we can profile, please e-mail me.  This is your chance to get involved.

Disclosure