Your first question should probably be, ‘Why is this even a question, the whole vacationing on your vacation thing?’.
 
To which I say, EXACTLY! Why is it a question?
 
At what point did it become socially acceptable, nay, silently required, to work through one’s time off?
 
I’ve been struggling with this over the last few weeks as I’ve tried to cram a month’s worth of work into a week.
 
This summer has been the usual whirlwind, plus daily swimming lessons, a few trips, tons of writing and a hyper-focus on social media as part of my efforts to win a book deal.
 
I’ve been working. Hard. Constantly. Most of the day and then as soon as my daughter goes to bed for the night—weekends included.
 
I can’t remember the last time I just relaxed and did nothing in the evening.
 
I know, I know…this sounds like the whole ‘I’m SO busy and important’ spiel, but it’s not.
 
The point is, I deserve a vacation, and since I actually have one just around the corner, I am going to take it.
 
Am I under the gun to make my ‘author platform’ happen? Yes, I am. Am I going to be gone for the rest of August and then traveling again in early September? Yup, you betcha.
 
But without time to relax and recharge I fear that both my inspiration and my motivation will dwindle to nothing.
 
And that’s the last thing I want.
 
So, yes. All this rambling does have a conclusion.
 
I’m going on vacation with my family, and I am damn well going to enjoy it (Seattle and an Alaskan cruise, woop woop!).
 
I’ll be right back on the blog come early September, ready to dazzle you with my wit and prose.
 
Until then, I encourage you to find your beach! 

On vacation: two of the most magical words in the English language.
 
When you’re on vacation or holiday, your state of mind changes completely.
 
You’re adventurous. You’re lazy. You want to talk to strangers. You seek new and novel experiences. You eat until your stomach nearly explodes.
 
It’s all part of the charm of vacating your everyday life. 

Our family LOVES to travel. Lives for it, really.
 
In honor of our upcoming trip to Seattle and Alaska (bucket list!), here’s a little vacation fun to brighten up your day, whether you’re lying on a pristine beach or plugging away at the office.

Cheers to treasured vacation memories!
 
You may also like these blogs by Megan Sharma:
Baby/toddler travel guide series: going international
Baby/toddler travel guide series: what to pack
Baby/toddler travel guide series: the essentials!
Travel: Insider’s guide to the best Seattle outdoor activities
Your insider Seattle trip planner: lodging (where to stay) and getting around (rental car or no rental car?)
An insider’s guide to Seattle’s Pike Place Market
60 fun and unique date ideas for the young at heart
What I never expected about Midwest living
Parenting: A no-fuss guide to your toddler’s birthday party for Pinterest-fatigued parents
How to be the perfect friend: a guide for the ladies
One year after my major career change from full-time mom to full-time writer: reflections and lessons learned

A sunny day in Seattle brings people out of the woodwork. Everyone must.be.outside.NOW! Seattleites treat every soleil-soaked day as if it were their last.
 
Whether you’re a visitor or a longtime resident, it never hurts to have a go-to list of outdoor activities ready for that picture-perfect day in the great outdoors.
 
Here is your insider’s guide to the best outdoor activities in Seattle:

On a warm summer day
 
Get your splash on

• Seattle Center International Fountain provides great fun for kiddos and adults who love people watching.
• Green Lake Park Wading Pool is open daily from June-September. Restroom just adjacent to the wading pool.
• Greenlake Boathouse offers tons of water craft rentals to enjoy on Greenlake: try a paddleboat, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, or canoe.
• Lake Union Spraypark overlooks Lake Union and the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), as well as the Center for Wooden Boats. 

So, you’ve decided to visit the Emerald City: Seattle, Washington. Congrats! Whether you’re traveling for business, leisure, or both, you won’t be disappointed with all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
 
As a former Seattle resident of 16 years, I say this with confidence: Seattle is awesome. 

Seattle geography 101
First, a primer on the lay of the land.
 
Seattle is surrounded by water on two sides: Puget Sound (aka—the ocean) to the west and mega-huge Lake Washington to the east. Anything east of Lake Washington is locally referred to as ‘the east side’: Bellevue, Redmond (home of Microsoft), and the like.
 
There are only two bridges that will allow you to cross the lake without driving all the way around (generally a pain): 520 on the north end of Seattle (toll bridge) and I-90 on the south end near downtown (not a toll bridge). Hordes of tech employees commute back and forth to Microsoft daily, and traffic can be quite painful. Avoid morning and afternoon/evening rush hour wherever possible. With no traffic, it can take 15 minutes or less to get from downtown Seattle to Bellevue. In rush hour traffic, it’s often more than an hour. 

Getting around
If you are staying for an extended period (7+ days) and plan any day trips or side trips, I highly recommend renting a car. Note that rental cars can be expensive. I have found good deals on Hotwire and Priceline, and sometimes by adding a rental car onto a plane ticket itinerary. Always check the rental car site, as well.
 
If you’d prefer to stay right in the core of the action in downtown Seattle, DO NOT rent a car. You will pay $30 or more per night to park in any downtown Seattle hotel.
 
Frankly, the public transportation sucks. I’m a big fan of walking. There is a bus system that operates downtown (and elsewhere in the city, of course), but it can be a little scary, especially for visitors unaccustomed to the usual Seattle bus characters. Uber and cabs are plentiful. If you want a quick ride from the shopping district to the Seattle Center, hop on the Monorail—it’s a rite of passage, especially if it breaks down on your ride. There is a light rail that will take you to and from the airport to downtown. There is also the South Lake Union Streetcar, which travels between downtown and south lake union, which is limited but can be helpful if you’re going that way. 

Where to kick off your rain boots
Best value
We really like the Silver Cloud Inn on Lake Union—just south of downtown in an up and coming neighborhood. Our family stayed at the Silver Cloud during our wedding weekend. It’s a nice hotel that is family friendly. They offer daily free breakfast and free secure parking—both are very rare for Seattle hotels. Book early—it’s more of a medium sized boutique property. While the hotel is a few miles from downtown (not easily walkable), the hotel offers a free shuttle service and can drop you off downtown and nearby. The Southlake Union Streetcar is not far. You pay much less here than any downtown Seattle hotel. 

​Downtown
If you’d like to stay downtown, we are fans of the Pan Pacific (pricey) and the Hyatt Olive 8 (sometimes pricey), and have stayed in both. Pan Pacific is convenient because there is an enormous Whole Foods (complete with a full bar and row upon row of buffet stations) in the same complex, as well as a few other restaurants. We love Tutta Bella for delicious Italian Neapolitan style pizza (I would order the Gioia—fresh egg, olive oil, parmesan, arugula, prosciutto—not on the menu). Seastar is a wonderful, high-end seafood restaurant (order the Thai mussels to start). Pan Pacific does not have a pool. The Hyatt Olive 8 is located closer to the downtown shopping neighborhood and walkable to Pike Place Market, as well. They have an amazing spa, Elaia, (my fave) and a lovely salt water pool and hot tub, in addition to a gym. They also have a restaurant on site, Urbane, which is tasty but geared toward business clients. The Silver Cloud Inn on Lake Union and the Pan Pacific do not have restaurants on site (but technically at Pan Pacific they do offer room service).

​Vacation housing
Airbnb is also great if you are looking for more space and amenities than the average hotel room. Keep in mind that many condos, apartments and houses in Seattle do NOT have air conditioning or central air—this is important in the months of June, July, and August. If it’s important to you, make sure it’s one of your search filters.
 
Family friendly neighborhoods for your stay
Eastlake (on Lake Union), Queen Anne (just north of downtown), Greenlake (a few miles north of downtown), Greenwood (near Greenlake), Phinney Ridge (near Greenlake), South Lake Union. These neighborhoods are all within a few miles of the city core. If you want to avoid partying and/or noise, be wary of Capitol Hill and central Belltown (we used to live near the Seattle Center on the north side of Belltown, and it was quiet). 

That’s it for now! Stay tuned to my Seattle series blogs, including this insider’s guide to Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Future Seattle blogs will cover things to do indoors and outdoors, activities to do with kids, day trips, restaurant faves, and date ideas.
 
*Author’s note: these opinions are my own based on my personal experiences. I have not been paid to endorse any businesses, products or services in this blog

​Americans be travelin’. In 2015, American residents logged 1.7 billion person-trips* for leisure purposes, says the U.S. Travel Association (*person-trip=one person on an overnight trip away from home in paid accommodations, or on a day or overnight trip 50+ miles from home). 

Per me (a very reliable, attractive and expert source), the Sharma family has contributed about half a billion of those leisure trips. Just kidding. We travel a lot, but not that much. That’s why I’ve written a baby/toddler travel guide blog series.
 
I’m so excited to talk about going international with your baby or toddler! With a little preparation, you’ll be well on your way to stamping that baby passport with a smile. 

​Megan’s tips for going international:

• The first thing you will need to do is get that baby a passport! Start here for a passport for children under 16 in the U.S. Read the instructions VERY carefully and make sure you have all your paperwork, proof of identity and proof of parental relationship in order. Typically, you’ll need the child’s social security number, birth certificate, parental ID, photocopies, and your checkbook. Search here for your nearest passport acceptance facility. Save yourself A LOT OF TROUBLE and don’t attempt to take the passport photo yourself. We tried and failed miserably—not surprisingly—with a 10-month-old baby. Most passport acceptance facilities can also take the passport photo for a small fee and it’s 3000% worth every penny, especially since passport photos have downright picky requirements. 

• When you receive the baby’s passport (victory!), make a photocopy or two to travel with you. We always keep our passport photocopies separate from our actual passports while traveling in case they are lost or stolen. This will make it much easier should you need to visit your embassy.

• When the time comes to look at air travel, weigh the ticket costs against the travel time and the squirm factor of your child. As long as your child is under two years of age, they fly free in your lap. We flew from Chicago to Madrid when our daughter was 11 months old, and she did just fine as a lap child. Of course, she wasn't walking yet. When she was a year and a half, we purchased a seat for our flights between Chicago and Dublin, which worked well for us, given her age and her propensity for constant movement and for ripping in-flight magazines to shreds.

• I highly recommend, at the very least, springing for the airline seats with extra legroom (look for a label like “Economy Plus”) on any flight of 7 hours or more. We had extra legroom on the way to Madrid and regular (zero) legroom on the way back, and we kicked ourselves all the way home. Except we couldn’t kick ourselves. Because we didn’t have any legroom.

• When traveling east from the United States, depart around your child’s normal bedtime, so he/she has a fighting chance of sleeping on the flight and waking up oh-so-fresh on the European time zone on arrival. Bring the baby’s car seat for a comfy and familiar place to sleep. On the way back…it’s a total Russian roulette. I always find the jet lag on the return to be far worse than jet lag on arrival, and there’s not much you can do about that. Just try not to pack your child’s schedule full of activities until they’ve had several days to readjust to life at home.

 

• If you have an infant, consider a bulkhead seat and a bassinet. Baby can sleep in a little bassinet and your hands will be free to fiddle on your iPhone and drink cheap wine! Check with individual airlines on how to book. You may have to call. Just remember that the bulkhead seats mean that you can’t store anything under the seats in front of you, because there are no seats in front of you. You’ll have to store your diaper bag, purse, backpack, etc. in the overhead bin, which may not be super convenient with a young baby. Alternatively, a baby carrier and Boppy are awesome sleeping tools! Also, this is fairly obvious, but may not occur to a total newbie: don’t try to sit in an exit row with a baby. They will make you move.

 

• Ask about early boarding if (IF. Snort.) you need extra time to haul your stuff, yourself and your baby onto the plane without the watching, judging eyes of young and single passengers boring into you. For international flights, you automatically get to board ahead of everyone else. When you travel in the United States, however, they no longer give you the courtesy unless you fly on Southwest. The fix for this is easy: simply bring your cute baby to the counter and ask for early boarding. I’ve found this works 100 percent of the time as a mom, and about 80 percent of the time as a dad.

 

• When you arrive at your destination, try to get on the local time zone right away. Walk around and explore your surroundings. Find the nearest convenience store and buy some milk and other essentials. Ask about the nearest playground so your child can drain some energy. Coffee is your friend.

 

• If you have a baby in diapers, get used to changing diapers in strange locations: back seat of the rental car, front seat of the car, trunk of the car, in your lap, on a kitchen table, in a restaurant booth, on the floor, in a tiny airplane bathroom, on the conference room table of an airline lounge, and perhaps a park bench outside the royal palace in Madrid. Yup. We’ve done it all.

 

• Have no fear. Jump in. And take lots of photos and videos!

​My friends and family know all too well that packing is an activity that causes me a great deal of stress.

I get very anxious about forgetting essential items and being unprepared for the weather. I also tend toward overpacking for the ‘in case of’ scenarios in my head.
 
The irony is that packing is a talent of mine. I have developed templates and checklists that keep me (somewhat) sane before venturing out and about.
 
If you’re a parent, you understand that traveling with a baby or toddler means packing everything you own, whether your trip will last one night or one month. They just need so much STUFF, these babies. And woe to the parent who forgets the paci or favorite baby blanket…I don’t wish that on anyone.
 
Thus, this edition of the baby/toddler travel guide series features my packing tips for babies and toddlers. I’ll start first with the general tips, and then you’ll gaze in wonder at my actual packing list templates. Try to contain your excitement as you download your own copies of my cheat sheets. :)
 
Don’t forget to check out last week’s blog on the essentials of keeping your baby fed and happy while traveling. 

​Megan’s tried and true packing tips:

• Diapers, flushable wipes and/or regular wipes, clothes, milk/food, comfort. Pretty much everything you need for your baby falls into one of these categories. Make it your new mantra.

 

• Pack what you can fit, and buy the rest at your destination. This works well for diapers and wipes, especially. You can also ship ahead if you’re visiting a friend or relative’s home (thank you, Amazon Prime!).  

 

• In your carry on, bring extra clothes for your baby, and throw in an extra t-shirt or sweater for yourself. If you have an infant, you don’t want to spend your entire flight covered in spit up, or worse (been there, it's soooo not fun). The extra shirt is your insurance policy.

 

• Consider buying a smaller/lighter car seat just for travel if your everyday car seat is large and heavy. Bonus: the second car seat can go in your partner’s car or the grandparents' car when you’re not traveling. We use these car seats: lightweight but super safe by Graco, and everyday extremely safe but heavy by Chicco. You can compare safety and convenience features on Consumer Reports or via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). I personally would not use any car seat that doesn’t have side impact protection. For super detailed reviews based on child safety expert knowledge, federal ease-of-use ratings, and surveys with hundreds of parents, check out these recommendations for infant car seats and for convertible car seats. 

 

• If you're flying mid-week or another less busy time and your flight is not full, you may consider carrying on your car seat, as you may be able to use it in an empty seat next to you. Ask the airline service representative when you check in how the flight is looking. If the flight is totally booked, go ahead and check the car seat before you go through security, or plan to check it at the gate. If there's room on the flight, carry it on, and you can always gate check it if you need to.

 

• Try a roller for your car seat like this one by Britax to save your back.

 

• Get a car seat cover and stroller cover in case it rains. This helped us in Ireland and Seattle A TON, as well as other cities.  

 

• Purchase a solid and functional umbrella style stroller and carry it on. We use this one. It has a decent size storage basket, is small and light, and can be carried over your shoulder with a strap. We use it every day, in fact. Forget a bulky BOB.

 

• Invest in a baby carrier like a Baby K’Tan or an Ergo if you have a young infant. Note that some flight attendants will ask you to take the baby out of the carrier during takeoff, taxi and landing for "safety. Although I believe this to be total BS and it is applied randomly on every flight, you are legally required to follow crew member instructions, so don't press your luck.

 

• Captain Obvious here: have favorite toys, books and snacks at hand. I like to carry at least one favorite snack and a few new ones. 

 

• Since babies don't wear eye masks but still need to sleep even in the middle of the day, have them sleep in the carrier (Ergo or Baby K'Tan) with a cover or get a floppy hat with a wide brim that will cover their eyes (we swear by the hat method!). Sunglasses are also worth a shot.

 

• Make sure you have a paci (binky, whatever you call it), bottle, or sippy cup—something for the baby to suck on at takeoff and landing, to help with ear pain. You can also plan to nurse your infant for the same result. 

 

• For toddlers, create a "busy bag" with interesting things to touch/play with in plastic sandwich bags. The items don’t even have to come out of the bags to be interesting. The Target dollar section is a gold mine for this stuff. Just make sure you don't buy anything that would be too noisy/annoying for your fellow passengers. Reveal each new item one at a time, to hold your child's attention. 

 

• Pack a lightweight travel crib like the one by Guava Family (SO worth the money. Learn more about Guava Family here), which can also be carried on as a backpack or duffel bag, or arrange ahead of time for a crib at your hotel or Airbnb. Note that you never know what you're going to get when relying on others for a crib--some are old and do not meet current safety standards. Also, be sure to take an extra crib sheet in case there is an accident. Hint: you may also want to ask your host or hotel if they have a high chair available for meal time.

 

• SUPER FAMILY TRAVELER TIPS: On most U.S. airlines you may check baby essentials (car seat and stroller) for FREE. In past years, some airlines would also allow you to check a baby travel crib for free, but this no longer seems to be the case, at least with United Airlines. It's worth asking the airline attendant when you check in, but plan to pay a checked baggage fee for a travel crib. You will also have to pay for the car seat roller (don’t worry, it’s easy to carry on and store in an overhead bin--note that it will count as a carry-on item, and plan your other carry-ons accordingly).

 

• Paci clips help prevent lost pacis! We only use them while we’re flying and never in the car. It never hurts to have a few extra pacis on hand in case some go missing (as they inevitably roll to the back of the plane, never to be seen again).

 

• A baby timer like this one is super helpful to track sleep, diapers, food and medication. We have used it daily since our daughter was born.

 

• Don’t forget sleep essentials like a sound machine or sleep sack. We use the Sleep Sheep and just take the sound box on our trips.

 

• Bring the child’s birth certificate with you. Some airlines ask to verify it if the child is under two years of age (American Airlines usually does).

 
 
And now, without further ado, here are my packing lists for infants and toddlers. Scroll to the bottom of this blog to download your own templates for personal use. Enjoy and happy trails to you!
​

Stay tuned next week for part three of the baby/toddler travel guide series: Going international. Please feel free to post your baby/toddler travel questions and experiences in the comments section! I would love to hear from you.
 
*Author’s note: these opinions are my own based on my many travel experiences. I have not been paid to endorse any products or services in this blog
​
Download the packing lists for your own use here: