Over the years we have tried different products, tools and resources to help make our travel experience easier and more enjoyable. Here are our top picks:
1. Strollers - When Ethan was about 14 months old we travelled through Europe for 4 months. We used the Baby Jogger Tour ALOT! We found this stroller really easy to fold and unfold (even 1-handed!) and was light weight (6.5kg) and easy to carry (lets just say it was carried for a few hours around the Dubrovnik city walls).
2. Neck Pillows - absolutely LOVE our Cocoon neck pillow. This neck pillow provides ultimate neck support. Rachel used to always get off the plane with a sore neck and / or a migraine. But since using the Cocoon she hasn't had that problem. It is also a 100% Australian owned company.
3. Shoes - For hiking or just lots of walking we always wear Columbia shoes. Marcus has really wide feet and he loves his Newton Ridge waterproof hiking boots. Rachel wears the Columbia Crestwood waterproof hiking shoe.
4. Bose Noise cancelling headphones - If you want to arrive at your destination feeling refreshed, particularly after a long haul flight, then highly recommend a good quality set of noise cancelling headphones.
5. Travel SIMs - Travel SIMs are a necessity for travelling and staying connected. We recommend and use Simify - it was started by 2 Australians and they provide excellent service, products and a 100% money back guarantee. If you choose to go with Simify you will receive a $10 discount!
6. Camera - in addition to our Iphone, Marcus loves his Olympus DSLR. It delivers great quality photos without spending a fortune.
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Travel Accessories
Travel Tours
When we travel we love to fully experience and appreciate the local destination. To help us do this we sometimes book an organised tour. Below are some of our favourite tours that we have done and that we would highly recommend:
1. Monument Valley Sunrise - This tour can be booked via Viator.com. We loved our Navajo tour guide who drove us to more off-the-beaten parts of the reservation. But he was also a fantastic photography guru! The tour starts early so you can take great shots of Monument Valley as the sunrises.
2. Keukenhof Tulip Festival and Zaanse Schans Windmills - Visiting Amsterdam during the Keukenhof Tulip Festival (usually mid-March to mid-May each year) is so beautiful. We did this tour which picks you up in Amsterdam and drives your by bus to Keukenhof and then the Zaanse Schans Windmills. We had the opportunity to explore both at our own leisure.
3. Lower Antelope Canyon - When we visited Page, Arizona one of our most memorable parts of the trip was doing a tour with a Navajo Guide of the Lower Antelope Canyon. You have to book a tour to visit the Lower Antelope Canyons. This experience is a MUST! Here is a link to our blog.
4. Kennedy Space Centre Guided Tour - When we visited Kennedy Space Centre we bought the guided tour / behind the scenes tickets and highly recommend it! The tour takes you as close as possible to launch pad sites and assembly buildings with some insights and details that you won't get with the basic entry ticket.
5. Sarajevo War Tour- We loved this tour as it provided fascinating insight into the war of Sarajevo delivered by a tour guide who has lived in Sarajevo his whole life and during the war.
6. Speed Boat Tour from Split to the Blue Caves and Islands - We chose this tour over other speed boat tours as it provided full shade. We were taken to the Blue Cave island and then onto Kozima (aka Mamma Mia island), as well as Hvar.
7. Budapest Danube River Dinner Cruise - When in Budapest it is a MUST to do a river cruise, particularly at night when everything is lit up. We booked a dinner and traditional dancing cruise which was fantastic!
Car Hire
When travelling through Australia we always choose East Coast Car Rentals - they provide amazing service and quality vehicles and are at all major airport locations. Booking through this link will also provide a 5% discount.
Travel Resources
We have created some resources to help make travelling easier and more enjoyable. Seeing the world through the eyes of little children makes travel a totally different experience. We have created children's books to help make the experience of travelling more exciting and rewarding for little travellers. Here is a link to the most recent book for children about travelling to Japan