Our First Blog

www.FamilyTravelPlanet.com is officially in business! We are really making progress. Our goal is to simplify family travel and take the hassles out of traveling with kids. As every parent knows, family trips are made much easier with a little planning. But, that isn't always so easy when there are barely enough hours in each day.

Throughout my travels with my two boys, ages 6 and 9, I have found plenty of secrets to staying organized and keeping the kids happy. Travel days are actually our best days. I am so excited to share them with a global audience of moms and dads. Welcome to our world! I am looking forward to sharing this journey with you and yours.

My new Affiliate Relations Manager, Deb K., has been burning the midnight oil setting up some great links and programs that will make it really easy for you to navigate our site.

My kids know that since mommy has to document the family trips, they do too. They have become wonderful writers because I have taught them how to keep kids' travel journals. I am working with a wonderful Children's Travel Store, which you can easily access from www.FamilyTravelPlanet.com. Under the "What to Bring" section, you can find all of my recommendations to what to pack in your bag of tricks, including the journal, which I like to save as a souvenir keepsake. It's fun for the kids to go back later and read what they wrote about the trip. They will surprise you, as they scribble down the things that stuck out to them.

The reason I chose to work with this particular travel toy store is that we share a philosophy about what kids should do to fill their down-time. They shouldn't be tuned out with high-tech toys. Their motto: "It's not the Destination, It's the Journey!" really hit home with me. It's about writing stories and making crafts and finding useful ways to spend the hours spent on planes, trains, cars and cruise ships.

"My Favorite Things" section will give you useful travel links and really helpful things to get you organized for packing. I will show you how to get the maximum amount of clothes in the minimum amount of space. I am literally "hands-free" at the airport. You will be too after you see my article titled, "The Art of Packing Light." I hope it inspires you!

My friend visited me from Los Angeles with her family packed in the neatest packing system I have ever seen! It sparked my interest in challenging myself to be as organized as she was. Plus, friends are very competitive. Let's face it, I wasn't going to let my kids see that I wasn't as neat as another mom! (Just kidding!) I didn't think there was any way that I could be as organized. And, now I am an expert family packer....Who knew????

So, come along on this crazy adventure. The Michaels Family will be traveling the globe and sharing our travel tips. I will keep adding content the more places we go.

I am planning a trip to Orlando's Universal Studios for this month. My extended family is spending Thanksgiving out of town, so we figured we would hit the road ourselves and try to navigate Orlando during the holiday rush. I am sure I'll have lots of tips upon my return!

Like I've said in the past, our journey is just beginning....