Search Results for: blog the great carry on debate

Carrying Kids: How Big is Too Big?

Want to illicit judgmental stares from hundreds of onlookers? Forget about spanking your kid in the check-out line at Target or screaming at her in church, all you need to do to carry your six-year-old through a crowd of window shoppers on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile and you will feel the burn of prejudice cut through you like a hot knife slicing a cold stick of butter. You thought pushing a first grader in a stroller yielded discriminating comments; try schlepping a 50-pound child in your arms for 10 loooong city blocks and see the type of judgmental looks you are … Continue reading →

The End of the Single Carry-On Rule

Just how much can you cram into your carry-on bag? If you fly internationally you likely have the ability to push the limits of your carry-on well beyond most domestic travelers. That’s because an extremely unpopular rule was put into place by the British government last year after local authorities said they had foiled a plot to bomb trans-Atlantic jetliners using small amounts of explosives disguised as ordinary liquids. Since then travelers leaving airports in the United Kingdom were allowed to take just one bag into the aircraft cabin as opposed to two bags elsewhere in the world. The limit … Continue reading →

The New and “Improved” Carry On Rules

Finally, some good news for travelers: today the government announced it plans to partially lift its ban against carrying liquids and gels onto airplanes. (Even if you aren’t a frequent flier you probably know that a total ban on liquids and gels was instituted last month after a plot to bomb jets flying into the United States was foiled.) When I heard the news the first thing that came to mind was “baby steps.” (Regular readers of my Travel blogs know that I have been following this carry-on issue closely.) Officials elaborated by saying that passengers can bring liquids and … Continue reading →

Travel Alert: New Airline Carry-On Restrictions

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I was just hoping that it would be a bit later than… now. I’m talking about the airlines tightening requirements on carry-on luggage. As a mother who routinely flies with a toddler in tow, I can tell you that any change to rules governing carry-on luggage is not good news. I cringed when I heard that Air Canada just issued a strict weight limit on passenger’s carry-on bags. The company’s reason for the move: “it’s an effort to lighten each plane’s load” as the carrier struggles against rising fuel costs. The … Continue reading →

Save Big By Traveling Smart

Believe it or not there are ways you can save on a dream vacation without having to sit in a plane’s cargo hold or sleep in a roach-infested motel. One way is to learn the importance of timing. Deciding when to book a trip is critical when you are traveling on a budget. For example, you will be hard pressed to find cheap airfare to Hawaii during the winter holidays; however, if you are able to vacation in early fall or late spring, you can save up to 50% on airfare to the “Aloha State.” Fall is one of the … Continue reading →

Your Kids: Your Best Pieces of Evidence

We’ve all been there—someone finds out you homeschool, and they question your decision. Sometimes they are genuinely curious, sometimes they are looking for reasons to debate. Regardless of their intent, we know we need to answer them calmly and reasonably—no reason to add fuel to a fire they may have because of past negative interactions with another homeschooler. We’ve memorized some statistics and we feel ready to answer any questions that might come our way. We’ve prepared answers from an educational standpoint, from a spiritual standpoint, and we might even have scribbled key words on the cuffs of our sleeves … Continue reading →

Why Don’t School Buses Have Seat Belts?

Car seats and booster seats are required by law whenever you transport a child, in a car, under the age of eight and the weight of 80 pounds. Why then, are not even seat belts required on school buses that carry children as young as five for kindergarten, or in the case of special services and private preschools as young as three? This was a question that I debated with our neighbor across the road as we watched our kids, in first and second grade, load on to the bus. This year we have a great bus driver who makes … Continue reading →

Summer Travel Tidbits—In Search of Slopes, Surf and Suitcase Rebates

SKI/SURF And here I thought the Big Island of Hawaii was the only place in the United States where you could surf and ski in the same afternoon. Travelers to Kellogg, Idaho know better. Last weekend visitors to the city’s newest addition—-the Silver Rapids Indoor Waterpark–had the rare opportunity to ski and surf when the end of the ski season (June 1st) overlapped with the opening of surf season (May 30th). Okay, it’s not quite as natural as the ski and surf option Hawaii offers, but Idaho’s version was big enough to make headlines in that neck of the woods. … Continue reading →

Ship It

If your kids can’t seem to get enough of Nickelodeon then here’s some good news. Get your calendars and Sharpies out because this summer, SpongeBob SquarePants and his pals are teaming up with Royal Caribbean to host the inaugural Nickelodeon Family Cruise. The ship departs Miami on August 10th and sets sail for the Western Caribbean and seven days of “sun, surf and slime.” The 4,000-plus-passenger Freedom of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean’s largest and newest vessels, according to the company’s website. And it would have to be massive given that it is home to a veritable amusement … Continue reading →

Do You Over Pack?

I used to… until one trip when I ended up paying nearly the equivalent of my roundtrip ticket in luggage fees. Both my checked pieces weighed more than the allotted 50 pounds and I ended up paying in the triple digits to get them on the plane with me. It was a horrific experience (namely because the airline employee checking me in had me open one of my suitcases to see what we could stuff in my carry-ons so I wouldn’t have to pay the penalty fees—-she was great-—it was the blow to my wallet that was excruciatingly painful). Since … Continue reading →