Mom's Guide To Travel

Trip Planning, Expert Tips, and Fun Ideas For Family Travel.

Jamaica: Hunting for Crocodiles on the Black River Safari

The Black River Safari in Jamaica was both beautiful and ominous. After exploring the Northeastern Jamaican countryside by horseback, we decided to go on another adventure and hunt us some crocodiles. The eery waters where crocodiles stealthily lurked, kept the hairs on my neck at attention. Our group of 10 shared a pontoon with a British family of 6, including two very active kids. Their movements made me nervous. I imagined either one of them falling over board or their rambunctiousness flipping us all into the blackness. Travel tip for parents going on a boat tour where there are no seat constraints: For your safety, the safety of your kids, and for the sanity of the other passengers, please hold on to your children. Innocent frolicking can quickly turn bad, creating a nightmare for everyone on board.

My choice of seating was strategic but it changed before our tour was done. Gratefully, there were no incidents and no toddler fingers lost. I think one of my side glances to the parents encouraged them to make their kids sit down. The only things that continued to run wild were the crocodiles and my imagination.

Black River Safari

Black River Safari

 

 

 

Exercise Outdoors While on Vacation and See More

On this January day, I did something a little different. I left my iPod at home and went for a run. Now normally, I’d tell you that I can’t run without my music, but that’s not exactly the case. It’s that I choose not to run without my music because running doesn’t excite me. I just like the fringe benefits.

The Beach: A perfect place to run

Not having my music changed my running experience completely. I wasn’t tied up in DJ Khalil’s “All I do is win” mantra or Kanye West’s blubbering. I was alone with my thoughts, my breathing, my rhythm, my surroundings. I brainstormed and reminisced.

I thought about the enjoyment I got from running in the Cayman Islands last summer. Determined not to miss a day of training before my upcoming triathlon, I ran through the neighborhood outside the resort. It gave me a totally different feel for the island. For one, I gratefully realized how flat it was.

Second, I noticed that there were no sidewalks to run on. The streets seemed never-ending, forcing me to play self-motivating mental games. “Just make it to the end of the road, just make it to the end of the road”, I gasped to myself through the Caymanian heat.

The free-roaming chickens and the bastardly-looking iguanas made for good distractions. I tracked them with my eyes as I passed them making sure they wouldn’t attack. They were un-phased by both me and the humidity, clucking and slithering on with their little lives.

Locals passed by, either walking or running, and at those moments I felt like one of them. I didn’t feel like a tourist, I didn’t feel like an outsider. We were all doing the same thing.

Exercising outdoors in another country can give you a different perspective of a place. You see more, you smell more, you hear more, you taste more. I had a chance to take in the architectural details of the homes and imagine myself living there. I didn’t notice any of those things when we were driving around in the rental, which, I might say, is akin to me running with the “noise” of my music when I’m at home – just trying to get from A to Z but missing all the beauty of the details in between.

Nassau, Bahamas: The Queens Staircase

The Queen’s Staircase in Nassau Bahamas is steep in structure as well as history. In this video a local Bahamian gives us a history lesson on why the staircase was built, when it was built, and who labored to get the job done. His Bahamian pride shows through as well as his enthusiasm for sharing local history.

tag: the queens staircase

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