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Review of Travelon Anti-Theft Revolution Underseat Carry-On Spinner

Thank you to Travelon for providing an Anti-Theft Revolution Underseat Carry-On Spinner to review in conjunction with this post.

Travelon is an industry leader in travel accessories, and I was very impressed with the Travelon anti-theft classic essential messenger bag that I purchased for our family’s 2018 trip to France and Italy. The messenger bag had outstanding anti-theft capabilities and kept my essentials organized while we were traveling. I wanted to try out other Travelon products and was thrilled to review the Anti-Theft Revolution Underseat Carry-On Spinner during our recent trip to Portugal. The Spinner fits under most airplane seats, and the Travelon Spinner outperformed our other carry-on suitcases in terms of capacity, organization, ease and anti-theft capabilities. It’s the only wheeled suitcase that we own that fits under an airplane seat. I’m confident that this Spinner is going to travel far and wide with our family in the years to come.

Travelon Revolution Underseat Carry-On Spinner Review

The Travelon Revolution Underseat Carry-On Spinner exceeded my expectations. This was our first underseat spinner and deceptively roomy. On the way to Lisbon, it carried pajamas and a change of clothes for each of my three children and me and also all of our toiletries, a Chromebook, power cords and our important documents. The spinner opens a full 180 degrees for easy packing and unpacking and features a hard-shell back and nylon front. It glided smoothly on its four wheels through airports in Cleveland, Toronto, London and Lisbon. I was certainly impressed with its capacity and well-planned organization.

When I was asked to gate check the Spinner during the short flight from Cleveland to Toronto, I didn’t question the attendant because I had not yet tested the Spinner as an underseat carry-on. Its dimensions (17″ x 14.75″ x 9″) were slightly larger than the carry-on size limit for Air Canada. I didn’t have any valuables or breakables other than the Chromebook, which was easy to pull out through the front pocket without even unzipping the entire suitcase, and the Spinner was waiting for me when I disembarked the short flight in Toronto.

We placed the Spinner in the large overhead compartment during our flight from Toronto to Heathrow, but it was a bit of a tight squeeze to fit it in. We tested it as an underseat carry-on for the first time during our flight from Heathrow to Lisbon, and it fit fine, even though I had packed it particularly full.

We really put the Spinner to the test on our way back from Lisbon when we used it to transport two ceramic bowls and two ceramic serving pieces. We had carefully wrapped them in beach towels and placed the items in the back compartment against the hard shell, but I was nervous about accidental breakage during our long day of travel. We had no issues stowing it under the seat during our flight from Toronto to Cleveland. I got home to find that voila, everything made it safely in one piece.

This video tour shows all of the Revolution Spinner’s features and capabilities.

Travelon – Anti-Theft Capabilities

The same anti-theft capabilities that kept our valuables safe in Paris and Italy are incorporated into the Revolution Spinner. The Spinner has interlocking zippers that are easy to fasten but also make it much harder for thieves to access valuables inside the bag. The zippers are puncture resistant and use double racquet coil chain technology. The front compartment also protects contents from radio-frequency identification. The fact that thieves could potentially collect credit card data wirelessly is pretty terrifying, and this feature is very useful on the Travelon handbags because that is where I typically carry credit cards, but it’s a great benefit here as well.

Interested in finding out more about Travelon’s anti-theft technology? Check out this short video.

Travelon Revolution Spinner’s Exceptional Organization

The Travelon Revolution Spinner offers more pockets than any of our other small spinning suitcases. The Spinner opens a full 180 degrees for easy packing and features two main compartments, including one with hold-down straps for clothing and garments and another designed for technology. The two main compartments are separated by a divider that includes a laptop sleeve, three zippered pockets and two net pockets. These organizational features made it easy to separate items within the Spinner.

Our Travelon Revolution Spinner Review

My Travelon Revolution Carry-On Spinner protected our valuables while our family traveled to Portugal. This Spinner is going to be my go-to suitcase for business trips and short vacations, especially when I’m trying to avoid checking luggage.

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, We Go With Kids will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Opinions are the author’s.

December 26, 2019
10 Best Travel Books for Kids

We are often asked for recommendations for great travel books for children. My kids truly love seeing new places and all enjoy reading fiction and nonfiction books about places we have visited or are on our never ending “list.” My kids have had a love of travel and books from a young age, so books about travel have always been popular at my house. We are regulars and our local libraries, and my children used to attend multiple story times each week before preschool. My four year old is an emerging reader and can sit for hours listening to stories. My eight and eleven year old boys spend hours cuddled up in their beds turning pages of their current book.

We have come across quite a few books that inspire us to visit new places or help us reminisce about recent trips. Our list of best travel books for kids includes a range of reading levels and interests.

Best Travel Picture Books

#1: 13 Architects Children Should Know

13 Architects Children Should Know is part of the 13 Things Children Should Know book series, which has truly inspired our travel experiences. We were first introduced to these books when my middle child brought home 13 Architects Children Should Know from his school’s library as a Kindergarten student. He closely examined every page and was excited to find Christopher Wren’s St. Paul’s Cathedral that we had visited in London the summer before. But, the two architects he was most interested in were Gustave Eiffel and Frank Lloyd Wright.

He was not at all familiar with Frank Lloyd Wright before reading 13 Architects Children Should Know but fascinated by pictures of Fallingwater. He had no idea where Fallingwater might be in proximity to our home, but asked me after I finished reading the description, “Mommy, will you take me there?” Fallingwater happens to be just a three hour drive from our home in Cleveland, and I readily promised him that we would plan a trip. Within six months, we toured Fallingwater with my college roommate and her daughter, and my six year old son had a permanent smile on his face the whole time. After checking Fallingwater off his bucket list, my son focused his efforts on the Eiffel Tower for two years until we took a family trip to Paris. – CMD

#2: Where the Wild Things Are

Maurice Sendak’s 1963 Where the Wild Things Are has inspire young travelers for more than 50 years. Young Max dreams he is visiting an island inhabited by enormous beasts. After playing with the “wild things”, Max decides to return home for dinner. This classic does not include an actual destination or weave in historical, cultural or artistic concepts. However, it embodies the desire explore new places and then head home to recharge. – CMD

#3: Paddington

Paddington Bear first appeared in Michael Bond’s 1958 A Bear Called Paddington. Paddington is a bear from Peru who is adopted by the Brown family after they meet him in London’s Paddington station. The book series includes over 20 books, and several television and film adaptations. Paddington, the 1998 reissue of the classic story, is a frequent bedtime story for my four year old daughter. She has a vague recollection of our 2015 visit to London, which included a train ride from Kings Cross station and double decker buses that are also featured in this children’s picture book.

All three of my children also enjoy watching the recent film adaptations, Paddington and Paddington 2. The films feature well-known London hot spots, including the National Museum of Natural History, Portobello Road, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Notting Hill and Paddington Station. The Paddington books and films remind my children of their time in London but can serve as inspiration for travel to London. – CMD

#4: Olivia Goes to Venice

Before our family trip to Italy in July 2018, I requested Olivia Goes to Venice from our local library to introduce our daughter to Venice. Olivia is a young pig who is always ready for adventure, and this 2010 book features Olivia’s spring break trip to Venice. Author and illustrator Ian Falconer combines illustrations with photographs of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, Doge’s Palace, the Grand Canal, St. Mark’s Basilica, the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs. Olivia enjoyed a gondola ride and chasing pigeons in St. Mark’s Square just like our daughter.

Olivia Goes to Venice introduced our daughter to the canals and buildings that we saw in Venice. Now, she enjoys reading the book and remembering our time in the City of Canals. – CMD

#5: Good Morning Canada

Andrea Lynn Beck’s Good Morning Canada is an excellent introduction to Canada for any child. Our copy was gifted to us by one of our children’s favorite nannies who left us and moved to Saskatchewan. This 2014 picture book features Canadian landscapes and national classics, including the Mounties, maple trees, hockey and common animals such as the beaver, moose and goose. Our copy is extra special because our former nanny annotated it with sticky notes. – CMD

#6: Katie and the Mona Lisa

James Mayhew’s Katie and the Mona Lisa features the story of Katie and her grandmother visiting the Louvre. Katie is entranced with Mona Lisa’s smile. In the 1998 picture book, Katie is walks right up to the Mona Lisa and while she is examining the painting, she notices her grandmother has fallen asleep on her comfortable chair at the end of the gallery and climbs into the frame and into the picture where she finds Mona Lisa seated in the corner of a grand room. Mona Lisa is sad because she is very lonely, so Katie takes her out of the picture and back into the museum. The pair climb inside several different paintings in the Louvre. Mona Lisa enjoys their adventure so much that she assures Katie she now has something to smile about inside her painting.

This book definitely takes some artistic license to teach children about Renaissance art. The depiction of the Louvre is completely unrealistic, and the other paintings included are not actually exhibited in the Louvre. The size and location of the Mona Lisa are completely wrong, and the painting is hidden behind bullet proof glass and protected by a handful of guards. Even with a bit of fantasy thrown in, this book is still a fabulous introduction to Italian Renaissance for even the youngest artists. – CMD

#7: Rome Reconstructed

Rome Reconstructed is a gem we found in the gift shop of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin in Rome. Our eight year old picked it up and asked if it could be his souvenir. This archeological guide uses cardboard flaps overlaid on top of pictures of existing structures to depict the original Roman buildings, most of which are at least 2,000 years old. These layered illustrations really help kids visualize what ancient Rome looked like.

After we visited Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, our children focused on the portions of the book featuring these sights. The short descriptions of each building are easy to read and provide informative historical information about each sight. We are heavy library users and typically only buy books that we think will be read again and again. However, we are glad that we added this book to our personal collection and know our kids will enjoy the pictures and explanations for years to come. – CMD

Best Travel Chapter Books

#8: Harry Potter

The Harry Potter series is hands down one of the most delightful reading experiences I have ever shared with my children. When my older son was in second grade, I wanted to encourage him to read and so I urged him to start reading the Harry Potter series. To sweeten the pot, I agreed to read along with him and further agreed that we would watch the companion movie after he finished each book in the series AND that we would go to Universal Studios Orlando upon completion of the series. Much to my surprise, my son not took on the challenge, but he ended up voraciously reading through the Harry Potter series and we ended up having a fantastic weekend exploring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter the following October. – NKC

My boys also devoured the Harry Potter series last year while I followed along listening to the audio books. While we have not visited Universal Studios, the London locations specifically reminded us of our 2015 trip to London. Filming locations for the companion movies include St. Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, and the iconic telephone booths are also featured. – CMD

#9: Island of the Blue Dophins

Anyone who didn’t attend fourth grade in California probably has not heard of the Island of the Blue Dolphins, a sad yet beautiful story about a young Indian girl who ends up spending 18 years alone on an island before she is rescued by Spanish missionaries. I won’t spoil the details, but the girl-turned-woman ended up living her life at the Santa Barbara Mission. Having read and fallen in love with the book at a young girl, I not only made Santa Barbara Mission a point of interest to visit once I was older and could dictate my travel schedule, but I have now also introduced family and friends to the Santa Barbara Mission and shared with them the story of the Indian girl buried on the grounds. I’m thrilled that my son is in fourth grade and will be reading this book later this year. – NKC

#10: Percy Jackson

My eight year old son recently discovered Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, which features the adventures of a Percy Jackson, young demigod who lives in New York City. Percy discovers at age 12 that he is the son of Poseidon. He and his friends have an odyssey that takes them around the United States of their own that spans over the five Percy Jackson books and then extends into Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series. The series intertwines the stories of Greek mythology with Percy’s quest to save modern civilization. Some cities featured in the series include New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas. Not surprisingly, Athens is now on my son’s bucket list. – CMD

These are some of our to 10 travel inspiration books for our kids. What family favorite books have we missed?

February 26, 2019
RideSafer Travel Vest Review

One of the top questions on every parent of a young child’s mind prior to travel is always: what should we do about carseats? Having traveled around the world with my two kids (ages 4 and 9), I can say without a doubt that one item we have loved having in our bag of travel tricks is the RideSafer Travel Vest.

Review of RideSafer Travel Vest

Crash tested down to 3 years old and 30+ pounds, the RideSafer Travel Vest does not take the place of a convertible car seat for kids who have outgrown their infant bucket seats, but who haven’t met the age and weight threshold for the RideSafer Travel Vest. However, once your child reaches the 3 and 30+ pounds threshold, definitely consider adding the RideSafer Travel Vest to your travel arsenal.

On a recent trip to/from the airport, I decided to strap my nearly four year old into the RideSafer Travel Vest for the ride from our home to the airport. Unlike most car seats which are designed to lift the child up so that the straps fall across their body at the appropriate spots (hence the term “booster”), the RideSafer Travel Vest brings the strap down to the child and secures it in the appropriate spots. Although the number of straps and clips may appear daunting at first, it is a very quick and easy process, having done it many times before.

Although this was my guy’s first time in the RideSafer vest, he took to it easily. About halfway through our journey, however, he did start to complain that he was hot. I should have known better and had him take off his hoodie before strapping him into the vest. Aside from that, the travel vest was comfortable enough that he even fell asleep in it on the way home (sans hoodie, which I did remember to take off before strapping him in).

One of my favorite things about the RideSafer Travel Vest is that it travels in its own little carry on pack and fits easily in your luggage or swung across your shoulder.

Our family ended up loving the RideSafer Travel Vest so much that we have it in both small (pictured above) and large, which is typically for children over 5 and 50+ pounds. Indeed, when my oldest son was in first grade but my youngest was still in a convertible, I used the RideSafer Travel Vest for when we needed to carpool and bring another child along with us. Three kids can easily fit in the backseat if using the RideSafer Travel Vest, even if one of those car seats is a convertible and the other is a high back booster! We have also used the RideSafer for any number of taxi rides in large cities where we otherwise would not need a car seat and it’s a convenient item to just keep in my trunk, in the event we want to safely transport another child.

For more car seat reviews, check out our full write up on car seats: Travel Tips: Traveling with Kids and Car Seats

February 3, 2019
Scott’s Cheap Flights Review
Thank you to Scott’s Cheap Flights for providing complimentary premium membership. All opinions are my own.

I have had a Scott’s Cheap Flights premium membership for about three months. While I was admittedly hesitant that the premium membership would be worth the cost of its $39 annual fee, I am already convinced that Scott’s Cheap Flights premium membership is well worth its annual fee for any traveler who makes at least one trip abroad each year. With three kids, our family needs to purchase five flights anytime we travel. We are constantly in search of discounted airfare to make international travel affordable. We use Google flights and monitor several fare deal websites and have taken advantage of several good deals that we have stumbled upon over the years, including round trip airfare to San Francisco for $130, to New Orleans for $80 and to Reykjavik for $370. However, it’s so time consuming to wade through all the offers that aren’t available from our local airports that I have to admit that I often don’t even open the automated fare deal emails I received. Now that I regularly receive Scott’s Cheap Flights’ ad free and filtered emails about amazing flight deals from only my desired airports, I have unsubscribed from the free services that used to send me automated emails and am certain that we will find better airfares through Scott’s than searching on our own as we’ve done over the past few years.

Review of Scott’s Cheap Flights

Scott’s Cheap Flights History

After Scott Keyes took advantage of a $130 round trip flight deal from New York City to Milan in 2013, he built an email list to let friends and colleagues know about other deals he found. Keyes partnered with co-founder Brian Kidwell in 2015. Now, Scott’s team monitors airfares and notifies its 1.6 million members when they find abnormally low fares on a specific route.

Scott Keyes and Brian Kidwell – Photo credit Scott’s Cheap Flights

Scott’s Cheap Flights Limited Membership Review

Scott’s Cheap Flights offers free limited memberships with impressive benefits. I tried out a limited membership before upgrading and found that limited members receive occasional cheap flight notifications from their geographic area but not filtered to include only the closest airports. When Scott’s Cheap Flights send limited members deal notifications, they delay them about 30+ minutes from the premium members’ notification. The deal alerts include ads, and Scott’s Cheap Flights makes sure to notify limited members of the amazing premium deals that they missed out on due to their limited membership. These alerts could definitely be useful but reminded me of many of the other free flight deal notifications. The emails and a few Scott’s Cheap Flights reviews definitely made me want the premium membership.

Is Scott’s Cheap Flights Premium Worth It?

Scott’s Cheap Flights Premium Review

I upgraded to a premium membership about 10 days after starting my limited membership. The welcome message indicated that premium subscribers receive three times as many deals and are “wayyyy” more likely to book a flight deal than limited members. After becoming a premium members and setting my airport selections, every fare deal I receive includes routes from the airports our family would consider using. Premium members also receive notification on fare deals to Hawaii and Alaska, peak season flights and mistake fares.

Each deal alert includes an introduction, discounted routes, lowest fares available, time frame, airlines, baggage costs, normal costs, special notes, estimate on how long the deal will last and a link to a sample Google search. Scott’s Cheap Flights does not earn a referral fee on flights booked.

Scott Keyes is always searching for low airfare – Photo credit Scott’s Cheap Flights

Scott’s Cheap Flight Deals I Wanted to Book

Due to our kids’ school schedule, our family does not plan to travel internationally until this Summer or Winter, and we don’t have a location nailed down. Most of the flight deals I’ve received through Scott’s Cheap Flights have been for travel through May 2019, so we haven’t been able to take advantage of anything yet. Nonetheless, when I an appealing fare deal shows up in my inbox, I often click on the Google Flights link just to test some dates around my kids’ Spring break. Sometimes, I am not able to find flights as low as advertised, which could mean that they already sold out. Other times, I find deals that are so good that I’ve had to restrain myself from booking trips.

My absolute favorite deal was a $276 round trip flight from Cleveland to Rome on Delta basic economy that included a full size carry-on and was available over our kids’ Spring break. Even though we just spent five days in Rome last July, this deal seemed too good to pass up. Similar flights were well over $1,000 each when I was looking last summer. Rome was such an phenomenal city, and I was desperate to find someone who could take advantage of this amazing fare deal. I didn’t have any luck, but pulling up one of my Scott’s Cheap Flights emails has been a cool party trick on several occasions when discussing bargain airfare. One friend who was booking insanely expensive holiday travel between Memphis and Cleveland was actually annoyed to learn that the Cleveland-Rome flight was a fraction of the cost of her Memphis-Cleveland flights.

The Colosseum in Rome

Here are some other sample fare deals that made me want to book flights:
- $396 flight from Cleveland to Beijing on Air Canada, Delta or United with no baggage fees
- $314 flight from Cleveland to Honolulu on American with carry on
- $372 mistake fare flight from Cleveland to Zagreb on American, British Airways or Croatia Airlines
Is Scott’s Cheap Flights Premium Membership Worth the $39 Annual Fee?

Definitely! Even though we have not booked a Scott’s Cheap flight yet, we hope to travel to Southeast Asia or South America this year. I am certain that we are going to find a flight to Bangkok, Buenos Aires or somewhere else amazing through one of Scott’s Cheap Flights’ alerts at a savings of significantly more than $39. Also, the alert messages make me happy knowing that it is possible to travel internationally without blowing the budget on flights. I may have thousands of unread emails in my inbox, but I open every message from Scott’s. I just wish Scott’s Cheap Flights included more domestic travel. I’m itching to travel to Seattle or Portland and can never find any fare deals on my own.
January 21, 2019
Travelon Review: Anti-Theft Classic Essential Messenger Bag

An anti-theft handbag was an absolute necessity for our recent family trip to France and Italy where many tourists fall victim to pickpockets. Our biggest travel fear was losing our passports, iPhones or credit cards. My Travelon anti-theft classic essential messenger bag was a great way to easily protect these valuables while traveling with three kids (ages 3, 8 and 10) on a vacation that included seven different overnight accommodations and various planes, trains and automobiles during our 2.5 week trip. Our itinerary included Rome, Paris and Florence, three of the top six cities in the world where visitors are likely to be pickpocketed, according to Travelocity. This Travelon review outlines why I recommend Travelon handbags.

Travelon Messenger Bag Review

Is an Anti-Theft Bag Necessary?

Our family of five packed relatively light for our trip, carrying with us only one checked suitcase and two personal item-sized backpacks. On travel days, I usually pushed my three year old daughter’s stroller and did not have any free hands. My husband handled the suitcase and a backpack, and the two of us were often distracted as we kept track of our three kids in the midst of crowded cities. I had never invested in an anti-theft handbag for prior trips but knew that our valuables could be at risk in one of my usual over the shoulder totes. While I honestly avoid purchasing specific items for travel, I decided that an anti-theft handbag was a necessity and purchased the Travelon messenger bag after significant research and many Amazon searches.

Travelon – Anti-Theft Capabilities

I was attracted by Travelon’s locking zippers, slash-resistant body and straps, and RFID blocking compartment when I started exploring anti-theft bags. The zippers to the main and front compartments have locks that are easy to fasten but make it much harder for thieves to access valuables inside the bag without the wearer noticing. Although locking zippers is an extra step that doesn’t come natural to me, I got into the habit of fastening the zippers whenever closing a compartment. My three kids (ages 3, 8 and 10) understood the importance of keeping our valuables safe and regularly checked if my bag was locked.

Travelon Messenger’s Exceptional Organization

Travelon’s messenger bag is smaller than my go to totes at home but offers many pockets for easy organization. The front compartment also provides protection from radio-frequency identification. The fact that thieves could potentially collect credit card data wirelessly is pretty terrifying. The necessity of RFID blocking technology is debatable, and aluminum foil apparently offers similar protection. Admittedly, my bags at home do not offer this protection, but I thought it was an added benefit that this Travelon crossbody was equipped with RFID blocking technology. Contacting credit card companies while abroad is no easy feat, and we heavily rely on credit cards for travel expenses.

I used the front compartment to store my credit cards, driver’s license and pens. It also had a zippered pocket that was perfect for change, Metro tickets and receipts. All five passports did not fit in the specially designed pocket in the front compartment, but a zippered pocket at the back of the main compartment of the bag fit all five. I felt safer with two sets of zippers protecting these most valuable items on travel days. The main compartment also featured two mobile phone-sized pockets, and a pocket at the back, which did not lock, was perfect for holding maps and other items that I needed to access often. The main compartment was large enough to hold my son’s Nikon Coolpix camera, a small wallet, tissues and the relevant Rick Steves’ travel guide, when necessary.

Travelon’s messenger bag makes it easy to organize travel essentials. Photo credit – Travelon

Are Travelon Bags Fashionable?

So, the downside to Travelon bags is that their slash proof body and straps and locking compartments make their bags not nearly as fashionable as my everyday Michael Kors’ tote. I don’t claim to be trendy, but we were visiting Paris, the fashion capital of the world and Rome, which is not far behind. I appreciated the wide selection but was not in love with any of the bags. I really wish slash proof shoulder straps could be made thinner and might even be willing to forego the slash proof functionality for a sleeker strap. After examining all the options, I chose to stray from my go to tote-style handbag in favor of a messenger bag that would be easier to keep in my range of vision. I purchased the messenger bag in basic black for versatility, and it was much more budget friendly than Michael Kors. And, the adjustable shoulder strap made it easy for me to shorten the length for a more comfortable fit.

Travelon Anti-Theft Test

Our family had a somewhat scary experience at the Rome train station with likely pickpockets. As we were navigating our way out of the station, a well-dressed woman who spoke broken English stood at the top of an escalator and said we had to use the elevator because of our stroller. While taking a stroller on an escalator is not common in the US, it is very common in Europe, where elevators are often not available. However, we prefer to use elevators if they are easily accessible, especially when we are carrying all of our luggage. Even though I was not sure if she was a station employee, we thought this was useful information and followed her to the elevator. Unexpectedly, she and two other women jumped on with us at the last-minute and caused constant confusion obviously trying to distract us during our short ride, even telling us not to get off when we reached the Metro floor. We remained alert and careful and luckily did not fall victim to their ploy. I kept a hand clutching the clasp of my bag and was relieved that our five passports, two iPhones and most of our cash were safely locked inside. We emerged unscathed but aware that we could have been victims if our valuables had not been securely stored.

Our Travelon Messenger Bag Review

My Travelon anti-theft messenger bag protected our valuables while traveling in Europe. While this anti-theft classic messenger bag will not replace my everyday totes, I will absolutely use it again when traveling.

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Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, We Go With Kids will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Opinions are the author’s.

October 18, 2018
Boogie Board Jot 8.5 Review

We are often asked for advice about keeping kids entertained during car journeys and flights. The Boogie Board Jot 8.5 is an LCD eWriter tablet that serves as an endless notepad with many uses, especially for traveling families. Because it is ultra-light and the size of a small notepad, it is super easy to throw into any carry on and can be used for doodling, tic-tac-toe, etc…. As a bonus, it can be erased up to 50,000 times. The Boogie Board Jot also comes in 4.5 inch and 10.5 inch sizes, but we find that the 8.5 inch size is the perfect not to big yet not to small compromise. It’s a screen but not an electronic and not hard to see why the Jot 8.5 is the world’s #1 LCD writing tablet. We’ve both used them and think they are great for traveling kids.

Catherine’s Thoughts:

Our family has been using Boogie Boards since their debut because my brother-in-law’s company, Kent Displays, manufactures Boogie Board eWriter products. My kids often keep a Jot 8.5 LCD eWriter tablet in the car and use it to doodle. The sleek stylus is very easy for my four year old daughter to manipulate, and the LCD pixels are bright. The kids love how easy it is to erase with the press of a button and occasionally ask me to take a picture of creation before erasing and moving on to the next. I’m glad that there’s no worry about pen stains or scraps of paper to clean up.

Photo credit – Kent Displays

The stylus is multi-functional and can be used to hold the eWriter in an angled position, but my kids prefer to place the Jot 8.5 on a table or in their lap and do not often use this function.

Photo credit – Kent Displays

While my kids have tried out a whole host of Boogie Board products while visiting their cousins, they seem to prefer the sleek Jot 8.5. In addition to a semi-permanent residence in our car, the Jot 8.5 is feather light and can easily be added to a handbag or carry on and provides endless entertainment to kids during flights.

Photo credit – Kent Displays

Nancy’s Thoughts:

When Catherine mentioned doing a product review for the Boogie Board as something for families to take with them on trips, I was somewhat dumbfounded as who takes ocean equipment when traveling as a matter of course? After clearing up that misunderstanding, I became curious about the Boogie Board and decided to order the Jot 8.5 via Amazon. Upon arrival, both kids immediately begin fighting over who got to play with the device first, but anyone with two kids knows that’s nothing outside of the ordinary. What surprised me was that I immediately took to the Boogie Board. Prior to ordering the Boogie Board, I had considered getting my 3.5 year old a magnetic doodle board or an etch a sketch as he loves to practice writing. But, I wasn’t a fan of either as the writing can be disjointed and the boards don’t always wipe cleanly. I was looking for an e-writing type device, however, because my youngest is such a menace that he simply cannot be trusted alone with any writing implements. Fortunately, the Boogie Board not only captured his attention, but also that of my 9 year old.

As shown in this video, the Boogie Board writes smoothly and erases with one push of a button. My sons have now played with the Boogie Board on an airplane, in the car, and at church during extended announcements post-Mass. My father-in-law was so amused by the Boogie Board that he announced he was going to get one for himself just to tinker around with. As an added bonus, the Boogie Board is so lightweight and thin that it fits easily into my purse and I hardly even know it’s there. The best part of the Boogie Board, however, is that it alleviates all the anxiety I feel when my 3.5 year old gets his hands on a pencil or a marker as the provided stylus provides him with no opportunity to mark up hymnals or clothes or even his toes (yes, we’ve had highlighter and toe nail incidents with my little monkey)!

Depending on which Boogie Board you happen to own, there are different apps available to download onto your mobile device. I downloaded the Jot Mobile App, which allowed me to very quickly turn my son’s masterpiece into a jpg that I could store on my phone and send to his traveling father.

One might wonder whether the Boogie Board is necessary and of course, it’s not. But, it’s a fun and relatively low risk way for me to keep my 3.5 year old entertained and my 9 year old likes it because, as Catherine mentioned, it’s like an electronic device even if it isn’t. At the end of the day, for approximately $20, I’m happy to have it be part of my travel arsenal and would recommend this to anyone looking for a relatively inexpensive item to keep kids occupied during travel. As an added bonus, I have also used it to leave notes for my husband — we rarely keep paper around the house and hardly ever leave written messages anymore now that we can simply text one another. He was highly amused to find the Boogie Board note I left for him one afternoon and I’m sure we’ll continue to utilize the Boogie Board outside of travel as the opportunities present themselves.

July 31, 2018
Immi Go Car Seat Review

If you know me, one of the things you’ll probably know is that I’m a bit of a car seat fanatic. Over the years, I’ve purchased and used over a dozen car seats and/or booster seats and it should come as no surprise that I was chomping at the bit to finally try out the IMMI GO on a recent trip to Los Angeles. Here’s my IMMI Go car seat review for those debating whether to add this item to your travel arsenal!

All packed up and ready to go!

Weighing in at 10 lbs and only 16.5 inches at its widest, the IMMI GO car harness was developed when Uber decided they wanted to offer their customers a car seat option. Designed and tested for children 31″ – 52″ and 22 – 55lbs, the IMMI GO is a great alternative to kids who are in between the convertible car seat and backless booster stage. I’ve written previously about car seats and how difficult the harness booster / high back booster seat is to travel by air with because of the way the two pieces tether together (and frequently come apart during transit). The IMMI GO is truly the most amazing substitute and I’m thrilled to have it as part of our arsenal of travel car seats.

The IMMI GO’s small size was easy for me to carry on (and there’s a carry handle on top as well) and I just simply tucked it into the overhead cabin on our flight to LAX. Upon arrival, we opened up the car seat, attached it via LATCH, and hooked the top anchor onto the backseat anchor point. Although the IMMI GO will not work with a car that does not have a top anchor, this was not a problem with any of the cars we own or even any taxis/rentals we have been in, but I did notice that it would not work in my mom’s 1998 Camry because well, it’s a bit outdated.

My three year old was absolutely thrilled to sit in the IMMI GO. He’s still in a convertible car seat at home, so this was a big step up for him – he got to ride in a “BIG SEAT” like his big brother.

I was super thankful to have the IMMI GO because of it’s small size and ease of installation, but I’ll admit, it was hard to watch my little guy slumped over when he fell asleep. The convertible car seat provides more of a cushion and “seat back” for him to comfortably sleep than the IMMI GO, but that can’t be attributed to the IMMI GO’s design – it’s simply a function of the high back booster seat. For comparison purposes, here’s a photo of my son sleeping in a convertible car seat from the day before.

Overall, I give the IMMI GO two thumbs up and highly recommend it to parents looking for a travel car seat for their 3-4 year old, but who aren’t quite ready yet to let their kids ride in a backless booster. The IMMI GO is so much easier to travel with and install than a high back booster seat, and I am thankful that I don’t have to compromise either my son’s safety or my sanity in order to keep him safe on our travels.

March 21, 2018
Product Review: Inflatable Footrest for Airplane

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, We Go With Kids will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase of an inflatable footrest for airplane. Opinions are the author’s.

Airplane inflatable cushions or airplane inflatable footrests are all the rage right now, and I don’t mean the basic neck pillows that I invariably forget to pack before every major trip (although with Catherine’s Ultimate Packing List, I should never have this problem again). I’m talking about inflatable cushions that are designed to turn a standard economy seat into a bed for young children.

source

Pricing and features vary considerably, starting from the super affordable Mode Relax, Travel Pillow Foot and Neck Rest which is available for just $22 on Amazon, to the Fly Tot, which at the time of writing, can be purchased for $131 on Amazon (double unit with footpump).

For my recent cross country six hour flight, I opted to purchase the Mode Relax, simply to test it out and see whether it would suit my preschooler.

By way of background, my preschooler is a tall three year old who does not like to snuggle for his naps. Instead, he prefers “space” and will frequently inch away from me in bed, if my arm happens to graze his (he doesn’t like to cuddle, but he does insist on being close, hence why I’m stuck waiting for him to fall asleep most nights)! Having flown a handful of cross country flights with him already, I knew that it was extremely unlikely that he would nap on the plane since he simply will not sleep on me. Thus, for $22, the Mode Relax seemed like something that might be worthwhile, if it would help him get comfortable enough to sleep on the six hour flight that happened to involve an extremely early wake up (5am!).

deflated foot pillow (left) and neck pillow (right)

The travel pillows (footrest and neck pillow) comes packaged in a small black drawstring bag, that handily fit into my carry on. About the size of a small travel pillow, I didn’t mind the size, although I was worried momentarily about my ability to re-stuff the travel pillow back into the bag after inflating it. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t a problem.

I managed to fit the content back in the bag, despite hasty plane folding and stuffing.

I purposely waited until my toddler showed signs of being tired en route, about two hours into our six hour flight, before I suggested “making a bed” for him to sleep on. He happily agreed and was positively delighted by the “little bed” that appeared before his very eyes!

Using the stopwatch on my phone, I timed how long it took me to blow the thing up by mouth and was surprised to find that it did not take nearly as long as I expected: less than 3 minutes. My toddler loved having a place to rest his head and he quickly demanded back scratches. Given that it was his first time seeing a neck pillow, his usage of it was somewhat unorthodox, but I let it slide.

For the record, my toddler never actually fell asleep using this cushion. He was too enamored by its existence to fall asleep. But, it did help him relax comfortably on the flight and, as an added bonus, it kept him from kicking the seat of the person in front of him. For “only” $22 and given its relatively small size and light weight, it will definitely be something I take with us on future flights, at least until he stops kicking the seat back in front of him as a matter of course.

While this is a nice, inexpensive tool for us, it is by no means a must have or essential item. I would ditch it in a heart beat if there was no space in my carry on (and because of that, the inexpensive $22 option is definitely the better way to go). That said, I was glad to have an inflatable footrest on this trip as I was traveling solo with two kids and thus, needed very single possible means of entertaining my non-cuddly preschooler during the cross country flights. As an added bonus, he didn’t end up using the neck pillow so I got to use it — because, as expected, I left my behind.

March 14, 2018
Shutterfly Photo Book Review

Digital cameras and mobile phones with camera capabilities have transformed photography over the past 15 years – both how we take photos and what we do with those images. We generally take more photos than ever before, but they often tend to permanently reside stored on our phones, SD cards and hard drives. We’re so glad we discovered the Shutterfly photo book to make sure that we can easily view vacation photos.

Photography and My Earliest Travels

I brought a basic 35 millimeter camera when studying abroad in England for six months 20 years ago. I traveled in nine countries over my Spring break and came home with about five rolls of film and some doubles from photos that my traveling companions had taken. But, each click of the shutter was made with careful planning and deliberating. My pictures captured certain images that I really wanted to keep with me, and while few were stunning, some were really very beautiful.

Even if years go by without looking at the album I created using self-adhesive clear corners to affix those pictures along with postcards, ticket stubs and other memorabilia, I clearly remember the images in those photographs. However, the moments not recorded on film are hazy. For example, a notation in my 1997 version of Let’s Go Europe: The Student Travel Book confirms the actual date that I visited the Musee D’Orsay in Paris, but I have no pictures and absolutely no memory of either the building or of any of the paintings inside. While my study of art history and love of impressionist work came after this trip, even one photo would likely help me remember the visit.

After developing film from a two-week trip to England in 1999, I discovered that an unknown camera issue meant that almost none of my pictures from the trip developed. I did get doubles from my companion on that trip and incorporated them into empty pages at the end of my study abroad album. (Doubles were a big thing with film photography. I seem to remember it cost about $1 per roll of film to get doubles, and it was always an essential add on.) However, I was sad to lose the images that I wanted to capture and truly remember less about that trip than any other vacation of my adult life.

I traveled for two weeks in the Netherlands and Scandinavia and then spent a month driving across the country after taking the bar exam in 2002. I probably took about five or six rolls of film on these two trips combined with a similar point and shoot 35 millimeter that accompanied me on my previous trips. As always, I also acquired some doubles from pictures taken by my companions and again compiled those pictures into a binder with plastic sleeves that each held three photos on each side.

My husband bought his first SLR camera in 2004 before we traveled to Costa Rica. The photo quality of the pictures taken with his camera far surpassed anything that I had captured on previous trips with my point and shoot cameras. Although friends and family were starting to get digital cameras, we thought this would be our new go-to camera. That all changed when I received my first digital camera as a Christmas present a few months later. All of a sudden, there was no longer a need to be so careful and deliberate when taking pictures and also no need to wait until developing to see what how the pictures turned out. That little thumbnail screen on the back provided instant gratification. A bad shot could be retaken immediately and even deleted on the spot if you wished. Photos could also be cropped or enhanced. The possibilities were endless. Our SLR had a short window of usefulness.

I was pretty good at first about uploading pictures and even using newly developed online sites to print images. However, the quantity of pictures we took increased when we bought our first Nikon DSLR, and it became more time consuming to wade through the images to select the ones we wanted to upload and print. And now, it’s extremely rare that we print photos.

Our Nikon D7100 gets heavy use when we are on the road. Our middle child also carries his child-friendly, waterproof Nikon Coolpix that really takes great pictures. We also shoot lots of photos with our phones. We brought back over 2,700 images combined after ten days in Iceland this summer. On our trip recent weekend trip to New Orleans, I probably doubled the number of pictures I shot during my six months studying and traveling in Europe.

While we have thousands of pictures from the past 13 years stored on various computers and external hard drives, I am very grateful that the history major in me continued my habit of creating vacation photo books after we moved to digital photography. I ordered the first vacation photo book from York Photo to record a 2009 trip to Orlando. The following year, I took advantage of a Shutterfly photo book coupon code for a free 20-page 8×8 photo book when creating a book memorializing our trip to Mexico.

Shutterfly Photo Book Review

Shutterfly 8×8 photo books are now my go-to choice because of the frequent promotions offering a free book (not including Shutterfly photo book shipping charge of $7.99) and my desire for consistency. We have one for every major trip we have taken during the past nine years, and our kids often look back at the albums from prior vacations to reminisce and also pull them out of their storage spot in our coffee table when we have guests over. Photo books are also a much easier way for friends and family to get of glimpse of our trip rather than scanning through disorganized pictures on a phone screen. (I am convinced that no one wants to look at more than three photos on a phone screen.) Our family’s favorite book is our Iceland album. We have taken advantage of Shutterfly unlimited free pages offers when ordering 111 page photo books for our Iceland and Paris/Italy trips for $27.99 each (including shipping).

Storage compartment of our living room coffee table

Although there are innumerable options for background themes, I always opt for basic black. I generally arrange photos chronologically with general labels but not much text. The hardest part about creating a photo album for me is sorting through all the pictures and selecting the best ones to include. It is ideal to choose and upload approximately 100-200 photos to create a 20 page album, knowing that not all photos will actually make it into the book. I enjoy selecting layouts and placing the selected photos into the book. But, if that part is not for you, try Shutterfly’s Make My Book Service for an additional $9.99 after culling your photos to your absolute favorites. If you are new to Shutterfly, you will receive a free photo book when you create an account using this link (and I get one, too, after you order your book).

Most people take a lot of photos when traveling. If you can get them off of your phones, SD cards and hard drives and organize your favorites into some kind of photo book, you will enjoy going back to quickly re-live the experience.

September 27, 2017