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More Planning Tips You can avoid stressful last-minute guesswork at your destination by thinking ahead and tracking important pieces of information you’ll be able to access from your phone on the go. Know exactly what you want to see, do, and eat while leaving plenty of open spaces for changing your mind if you want. Then you get to just sit back and enjoy your adventure! Share your itinerary with a trusted person back home in case something goes wrong, you’ll have a much easier time with all that information easily accessible if you need it....

This summer my oldest daughter and I are hitting the road to visit college campuses throughout the south east. While we live in Charlotte, NC, we are considering schools both in and out of state. The University of South Carolina in Columbia is just a short 1.5 hour drive from our house in North Carolina and has been top of my daughter’s list of favorite colleges since she was a tiny thing....

Taking pictures of my kids at the beach is one of my very favorite vacation pastimes. We are lucky enough to live a 3 hour drive from the ocean and have made at least one trip to the shore every summer since we moved here. I quickly learned just how tricky it can be to capture family photos at the beach — so much LIGHT, so much reflection, and all that water and sand just waiting to destroy your gear....

When my daughter registered for the Auburn University college tour over the summer, they sent us hotel recommendations as part of the welcome packet of information. Out of the two hotels they suggested, we decided to stay at The Hotel at Auburn University which is just across the street from the campus. Curious if this is a good hotel for your trip? Check out my full review below: Phone: 833....

After I decided we wanted to get in on the Disney pin trading for our trip, I had to figure out how to give the pins to the girls. I didn’t want to just hand them straight over, that seemed like it was just too easy for them. I wanted to set the tone that these are souvenirs that needed to be “earned” and not just simply purchased like a stuffed animal....

One of our favorite things about living in North Carolina is the great number of awesome family vacation destinations we can hop in the car and just drive to see. As a family of 4 plane tickets can break our vacation budget, so I’m always on the lookout for new places to take the kids that are just a family road trip away. The awesome folks over at MyPigeonForge.com reached out and asked if we’d be interested in visiting Pigeon Forge this spring so we could share our best vacation tips with you....

There are so many restaurants to choose from during a visit to Disney Springs, the downtown shopping and dining center at Walt Disney World. It can be overwhelming to pick one if you’re traveling with kids and need a family-friendly menu for everyone to enjoy. One of my very favorite places to eat at Disney Springs is The Boathouse. It has been on my Disney itinerary for most trips over the last few years but curious if this is a good restaurant for you?...

After spending a week at Disney during the Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT and venturing into Universal Studios with our kids, we were eager to find ways to save money on our family vacation by cutting corners in the dining budget. We planned to share as many things in the theme park as possible so we could sample a wide variety of Disney treats. On my list of what to pack for a hotel room, I always include a lot of snacks and easy breakfasts to eat in our hotel room....

If you’re heading out for a long vacation and need help keeping your focus on the drive, a surefire way to stay wide awake and at the edge of your seat is to listen to one of these best mystery audiobooks for road trips! Several of these mystery books came highly recommended by the members of the Peanut Blossom Book Club. If you want additional titles for your Kindle, you can see the list of murder mystery books they love here....

This summer my oldest daughter and I are hitting the road to visit college campuses throughout the south east. While we live in Charlotte, NC, we are considering schools both in and out of state. We planned a day trip to visit the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN because my daughter wants to apply to their engineering program. I’m sharing all my tips and tricks and a peek inside the tour to help you and your student navigate a college tour of your own....

Whether you’re planning a trip to the Disney Parks, sailing away on a Disney Cruise, or exploring with Adventure Disney, counting down the days and looking forward to your vacation is half the fun! Once you’ve told your kids you’re going to Disney, you might be feeling crafty. Maybe you want to make a DIY Disney countdown calendar with paper chains or custom chalkboard signs. Or maybe you’re busy and just want to buy a pre-made Disney countdown kit that’s ready to go or could be customized with your name or a special message....

Heading on a family beach trip this year? We’ve spent a week at the beach every summer for over a decade as our kids grew from tiny toddlers to teens. Over the years, we’ve perfected the beach gear that deserves room in our car trunk for the road trip. You can see our list of what to pack for a road trip here. Our focus is on budget-friendly, reliable, and well made pieces that we can use over and over again every summer....

When we were planning our first trip to Disney, I started to see mention of the pin trading phenomenon here and there without any real explanation as to what it is, how to do it, or why on earth it is even something I should have considered. My curiosity was piqued nonetheless and after a bit of research & guessing, I was hooked on the idea. It turned out to be one of the more memorable activities for me on our vacation and I loved watching the kids get into the experience, too....

When traveling on a family vacation with tweens, it can get a little more challenging each year to find things to do that every member of the family enjoys at the same time. During our recent family trip to Myrtle Beach, we got the chance to check out the Pirate’s Voyage dinner show as they launch their 10th season. It was by far our favorite experience from the entire weekend....

Planning your kids’ Disney vacation wardrobe is part of the fun in planning a trip. You know that the clothes they wear into the Disney Parks will end up being in your family vacation photos for years to come. With a little extra thought and planning, you can find the cutest Disney outfits for the whole family. I love to shop for alternatives to the traditional Mickey tee so our photos are creative and fun....