New Items Make Family Travel Easy and Fun

I hate to sound like a lazy traveler in my first post at The Vacation Gals, but my two favorite finds from the recent Travel Goods Association Show have to do with sleeping and sitting. Sure, there’s adventure travel, and travel focused on biking and hiking and swimming and scuba diving (whew, getting tired just thinking about all that!) — but after working hard at our daily jobs, isn’t relaxing comfortably an important part of a vacation?

Yes, relaxing is indeed a major part of any family vacation. As for sleep, well, I just found the travel pillow of my dreams in Kuhi Comfort. Its unique design, think puffy little barbell or overstuffed earmuffs, provides just the right amount of head and neck support. This brand new product will soon be available in kid sizes. Best of all, this mom-designed pillow can go in the washing machine after your trip.

The Swany Walkin’ Bag is a carry-on with a twist, er, make that a seat. The four wheel bag features a “lean on me” handle that works like a cane and has a small fold-out seat. It’s perfect for your little one to rest upon while you’re waiting for a taxi. Not that it’s only for children- the seat supports up to 300 pounds. Weighing in at significantly less than that, I found the seat surprisingly comfy enough and love the convenience.

So maybe you don’t need multi-functional luggage, but bold, innovative designs are your thing. Check
out Canadian-based Heys for fun and fashion on the go. Their new Disney by Heys collection features embedded fiber optic lights that will put a smile on the face of any aspiring princess.

Feeling down about your plain luggage? Coverlugg has got your back and your bag. These neoprene luggage sleeves help you dress up, protect, secure and identify your bags. Their designs offer something for each member of the family from the resident fashionista to the NASCAR fan.

Your tween will be happy enough dressing up her bag with RetroTags. These large sturdy luggage tags feature fun retro items like a Rubik’s Cube, an Atari joystick and a cassette tape. They are available at comic stores and collectible shops around the US; see the FlapJack Toys website for details.

Finding family-friendly activities and spots is key to a great family vacation and two major guides are ready to help. New family vacation titles are on the horizon from both Frommer’s and Lonely Planet, with the latter’s new family series set to debut this fall. In the meantime, Frommer’s 2009 tome 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up should provide plenty of ideas to fuel your family vacation dreams.

Next, my favorite travel gear takes you from dreams to nightmares…or at least, combating them.

Worried about bed bugs when you travel? Lots of people are, these days. BugZip encourages parents to “zip tight” with their suitcase encasement products and drawer liners, while companies like Bed Bug Patrol claims to deter bedbugs as well as kill adults, larva and eggs once it’s too late. It comes in a handy 0.33 ounce travel safe spray wand, but be sure not to mix it up with your hand sanitizer.

Find that sanitizer, though, because snacks on the road are easier than ever with Instabol, a four inch high, lightweight vented ring of plastic tall that transforms a quart-sized bag into a bowl. It’s handy for traveling with pets as well.

I had a very good time at the Travel Goods Association Show. There are always innovations and new travel products to try out, approve of, and share. The takeaway? Whether you seek to be a snazzy travel or a snoozy one, the above are solid picks for great new products to bring along on your next family vacation.

ChicagoGal Kim Moldofsky is the mom of two tween boys who’s been blogging since 2006 at Hormone-colored Days, musing on parenting gifted children, travel, marketing to moms and whatever strikes her fancy. She is the founder of MomImpact.com, a firm that connects brands and bloggers for conversations, events, and reviews. She received samples of some of these items at the Travel Goods Show.