Like everything, skiing is going to look a little different this year. This week on the podcast, Kim and Tamara talk about what to expect if you are planning a day trip or ski vacation this winter. Be prepared to make reservations, limited capacity, longer lift lines, and new lodge and shuttle procedures. Get the scoop!

What to Expect at a Ski Resort in 2020-2021

• Due to Covid, most resorts will ask you to book reservations in advance, which will make going for a last minute weekend trips harder.
• Priority for reservations has been given to season or EPIC pass holders.
• You are really going to have to do your research for the resorts you will want to go and find out what the rules and regulations are for booking your trip. You will also need to look into how you are going to get there. If you are going into a different state for your ski vacation you will also need to look into what that state's rules are for coming and going.
• Many ski resorts will not be running parking shuttles and/or mountain shuttles. If they are running, it will be at lower capacity and the wait times might be longer.
• A lot of Ski lodge eateries are going to require reservations. So you will need to plan out your runs more so that you don't miss your reservation. Some places will also have a time limit that you will even be able to spend at your table. So no relaxing with a drink while you wait for your family to be done with a lesson or run.
• It will be easiest to stay in a ski in/ski out condo where you can make your own meals.
• If you or your child are going to need lessons, you will need to make reservations in advance. There likely will not be any full day ski programs for kids.
• Social distancing is a challenge in ski rental shops. It may be easier to arrange for ski rentals from a local ski shop and bring them with you. Alternatively, you can rent from someone that will deliver to your accommodations.
• You should look at your local state park websites and see if they offer any other winter activities like snowshoeing, sledding or even just playing in the snow.

Mentioned on the Podcast

Ski.com

Episode 117 - Ski Resorts in the US for Family Travel

Episode 37 - Planning a Family Ski Trip

Read the Full Transcript [00:00:00.090] - Kim

What to know before hitting the slopes this winter.

[00:00:15.130] - Announcer

Welcome to Vacation Mavens. A family travel podcast with ideas for your next vacation and tips to get you out the door. Here are your hosts, Kim from Stuffed Suitcase and Tamara from We3Travel.

[00:00:30.340] - Tamara

So Kim, winter is here and we are starting to think about what we're going to do outside since we know there's not a lot to do inside besides stay in our home. And I think you guys have really started to enjoy skiing a lot. Do you have plans to go skiing this winter?

[00:00:47.160] - Kim

Yeah, so we well, we had originally been thinking of going to Jackson Hole and that trip has been canceled, obviously. And so we are definitely sticking close to home. Thankfully, we have a local ski resort that's only about an hour and 15 minutes away that we like to go to. And it is an Epic Pass resort.

[00:01:06.090] - Kim

So we every year we kind of buy a four pack of passes for this resort and we go, you know, about once a month, sometimes twice. And so, yeah, we're planning on doing that again. It was a little different this year than what we've done in the past. So that was kind of the biggest change for us. But we're still planning on, you know, going skiing. We just know because of the changes, we're not able to just go, hey, do you guys want to go skiing this weekend?

[00:01:30.360] - Kim

Because, and that's what I'll go into I guess, is we bought our Epic Pass, which we normally end up buying them in October, that is when they start going on sale for the cheapest prices.

[00:01:40.620] - Kim

So it's kind of weird to be thinking that far ahead. But they start promoting and telling you to like buy in I think even August and September, they start selling the passes and by October they're giving you like, OK, it's the final day. You know, you need to get this purchased right away. And you can buy an Epic Pass that covers like a whole bunch of the Vail Resorts across the West Coast and even a lot of resorts in the East Coast also.

[00:02:04.020] - Kim

Or we buy just a four pack to our local resort that's close by and it's a little bit cheaper because it's a smaller resort. So we did that this year and got that purchase in advance. But then we got a notice that we had to make reservations for what days we want to go skiing this year, which is the big change, I think, that people might not be prepared for.

[00:02:24.570] - Tamara

Yeah, I've noticed that too. I've seen you know, I've kind of been tracking what's going on, even though I don't think we're going to be going skiing because there is actually one ski hill in Rhode Island, which is where you go to learn to ski, you know, initially.

[00:02:39.510] - Tamara

And I think Hannah did the black diamond after like six lessons, you know, so it's it's not much of a of a ski experience unless you're a little tiny kid learning to ski.

[00:02:50.610] - Tamara

But I've been listening to what's going on. And definitely it seems like many of the mountains are moving to this reservation system. I listened to a whole session from Ski Vermont, with all the different ski resorts kind of talking about their changes for this year. And it seems like some of the smaller mountains are not requiring reservations, but definitely all the bigger ones are.

[00:03:14.930] - Tamara

Not only that, but they're giving priority to reservations for pass holders. I think some of them are opening up for reservations on like December 8th. But the pass holders have already made all their reservations. So you're basically left with the leftovers at that point.

[00:03:32.550] - Kim

Yeah, that's been the biggest thing that the emails were suggesting and that I've seen is that pass holders have priority. So people who have like Epic Pass and Icon Pass and stuff like that.

[00:03:41.820] - Kim

And even, you know, if you have a season pass for that ski resort, they're giving those pass holders first option to book their their days.

[00:03:52.050] - Kim

So if you're planning on just buying a, you know, regular ski pass, you might have some trouble on the weekends getting a date. So it's definitely something you need to look into and be prepared for.

[00:04:03.630] - Tamara

Yeah, I know that in the past we've mostly done ski weekends when we go to Maine or Vermont and those you book in advance anyway because of your accommodations and you kind of hope for the best weather. But for more local things, sometimes I've been tempted to like go on Lifttopia and buy some passes in advance.

[00:04:21.510] - Tamara

But then I'm like, well, suppose like the weather isn't great, you know, because it varies so much and I've always like held off and now it's like, well, you're really locked in, especially, you know, it's one thing if you're making it like a weekend and it's if you if it isn't a great ski day, maybe the resort has like other things to do.

[00:04:39.180] - Tamara

But for you guys, where it's just like, OK, we're driving an hour and 15 minutes, we're going to ski this day, you know what? If the snow is terrible, what if it rains? There's like a lot more risk involved.

[00:04:54.210] - Kim

There's definitely a lot more risk because we've had those days where it's like, oh, it's you know, especially later in the spring here, out here by us, we they have something called Cascade Concrete. And as it gets towards, you know, February, March, the snow gets really wet and the way it falls really heavy and fast and wet, it's it's just like you get locked into place, like you can't even move. One time in March, our in-laws are visiting and they actually know where they had to carry like Lizzie and Mia down the hill because they couldn't even ski or move.

[00:05:26.940] - Kim

And their body weight isn't enough to break through the the thickness of the snow. So, yeah, I mean, if you pick a day and it's snowing heavy like that and you've got that really wet snow, you're kind of just wasted your pass day and you don't have as much freedom to go, oh, let's not go today because, you know, it's a lot of wet snow. So that's kind of a bummer.

[00:05:45.740] - Tamara

Yeah, we have that issue a little bit differently, but we get a lot of, ice and, things like that or, sometimes like last winter, there wasn't a lot of snow, so you could get up there and it's only the snow that they've made and that might be really icy. And I don't I don't really like skiing when it's only the snow that they've made because it's bare next to where your are skiing.

[00:06:07.730] - Tamara

And I know one time we were up in Okemo in Vermont, like one of the first weekends that they were open and they had such a base built up on the trails. But if you went off the edge of the trail, it was like you were just dropping down a few feet onto the ground. And it was also a weekend. It was like the first weekend ski racing was open and they were one of the first ones open in the state.

[00:06:31.050] - Tamara

So like all the ski racers in the in the whole state were there on the slopes, meanwhile, we're not confident skiers. And you got ski racers, zooming by you and. Yeah, this drop off the edge. We're like, oh, this is not an ideal experience. We're used to going in January, February like that. Not early in the season.

[00:06:50.000] - Tamara

Yeah. So I think that that's definitely an issue and it's but there's no way around it, you know, unless you are going to one of the smaller ski mountains, that doesn't require a reservation.

[00:06:58.280] - Tamara

I think really as with everything when it comes to covid and travel right now, it's doing your research during your research, not being a last minute planner and making sure that you're really reading through the website and the protocols and you're planning in advance and which, again, planning in advance a little bit difficult these days when you're like, I don't know what travel restrictions will change or will I be healthy and, you know, all those kind of things.

[00:07:25.880] - Tamara

So it's definitely it's a challenge. But hopefully, when people are out there, you'll feel like normal and you can enjoy the outdoors, the views, the exercise.

[00:07:38.450] - Kim

I think skiing would be the perfect kind of vacation getaway for 2020 or even, you know, winter 2021. Seems like it would be perfect. So we'll see. I think, though, if you're a first time skier and or if you're not really confident or if you're not into stresses and stuff like that, I probably would say this might be the winter to hold off and, you know, plan for that next ski vacation next winter, because I think there are going to be a lot of a lot of extra hiccups and things to think through.

[00:08:13.310] - Kim

So just now we've talked about the reservations and getting on the hill. But just getting to the hill is going to be another consideration people have to take into account. I've heard that some places are reserving parking lot reservations to be able to actually drive and park and other resorts are not running the mountain shuttles that normally would pick up in the town and drive you up to the mountain.

[00:08:37.340] - Kim

I think that some of those shuttles are either not being run at all or if they are, they're being run at a very low capacity, which is going to affect wait times and things.

[00:08:45.830] - Tamara

And there's nothing I hate more than having to schlep all my stuff and standing around and waiting for a shuttle. It's so irritating and frustrating. My biggest recommendation for this year would be splurge for the ski in, ski out like condo or hotel.

[00:09:06.800] - Tamara

I remember one year we were up at Mount Snow and Hannah had a fever, which, you know, thinking back like that would been a whole different thing now.

[00:09:16.040] - Tamara

But she really wanted to try to ski and we didn't realize how sick she was. So we were on the lift and her head whent down an clunked against the bar and I was like, oh my God, she is going to pass out on the lift. So I got her down and we went and we had to wait for a shuttle to get back to our condo. And I'm holding both of our stuff because she's too sick and I'm like propping her up and trying to get us on.

[00:09:45.410] - Tamara

I think our listeners might know that one of my favorite places to ski is Sun River in Maine. And there we usually do a ski in ski out condo. But there have been times where we might be staying off property and Glenn might drop us off at the front and then he would go park.

[00:10:03.380] - Tamara

And of course unless you're there really early, you have to park pretty far away and hope that there's a shuttle, but you can always walk it. In a lot of places, it's just too far to walk. Also at Sunday River and a lot of mountains, there are multiple mountains on the resort. So you can ski, take one lift up and you're skiing around and you kind of ski down another side. And then to get back to your original lodge, you have to take a shuttle if you don't want to go back up another trail.

[00:10:34.820] - Tamara

I definitely think, like every step of the experience, you have to think about what that's going to look like. If you are there for the day, a lot of times you just shove your bag either in a locker or just in the lodge somewhere and hope nobody takes it and you just leave there and you go back whenever you need to get it, that's going to look different this year.

[00:10:53.620] - Kim

Yeah, definitely. Everything you're saying is exactly what I think some of the things are that people have to consider. And I know that the other thing we should talk about is renting gear as its going to be another huge factor because people are cannot be crammed in a line and at the rental store waiting for their gear, it's going to have to be spread out.

[00:11:17.230] - Kim

And there's really going to be longer waits because they're not going to be able to cram in. I'm sure you've had this. I don't know how often you've rented, but there's like ten people on a bench and you're all getting fitted with your boots and all that stuff.

[00:11:28.480] - Tamara

We almost always rent because Hannah had some when she was younger, but she doesn't anymore. And Glenn has boots but not skis. So, yeah, we're always renting something. I think rentals are going to look totally different. Yeah. What we've done a lot of times is rent locally at a local ski shop and then bring it up with us.

[00:11:47.380] - Kim

Yeah, I agree. We have all of our own gear and so when we go locally we just take our gear, of course. And but when we've gone on trips we've always rented. But I do know something that people will want to look into is a lot of rentals will actually deliver your rentals if you're staying on property. And so if you have that option, if you are going somewhere, you're going to need rent. Try and find an outfitter that will deliver to your condo or whatever, because I think that's going to be that's always better anyways, because you waiting in those lines on their first morning is brutal.

[00:12:21.310] - Tamara

oh, I hate that. I always try if we can get in like the night before, before it closes, to pick up then. But sometimes you have only a certain number of hours or days. When I was booking travel for people I used ski.com and they did a lot of total packages where it was the accommodations, the lift tickets, and the rentals that were delivered to your accommodations. And that was a really nice one stop shop, so it might be something that people would look into.

[00:12:52.960] - Kim

Yeah, I think that's a good thing. So we've talked about reservations. We've talked about rentals. We've talked about shuttles and parking. What else do you think we should talk about? Probably eating. I think that's going to be another big thing. And the lodges.

[00:13:05.860] - Tamara

Yeah, definitely. I've looked at a couple of the mountains that we've typically gone to, and they're all doing reduced capacity when it comes to how many people can be in either a restaurant or even the kind of the more self serve type of things. So that's good. And that, to me, is always such a pain, my preference, and I think you're this way, too, is to ski as long as I can. And go inside after the main lunch crowd has eaten. And then I'm basically done for the day. Once I warm up and I loosen my boots and all of that and I've had my my beer I'm about done.

[00:13:48.850] - Tamara

But right now it looks like a lot of them are going to require a reservation for any of the sit down dining. And that impacts where you are on the mountain, how many more runs are you going to do, to get there in time for this reservation.

[00:14:07.210] - Tamara

You can't always plan it out quite so perfectly, not like when you are in the lodge and walking down to the restaurant. And then also they're going to have a cap of the time that you spend there. So my whole thing of like, oh, let's have my ramen soup and my beer and just hang out until Hannah's done her lesson, maybe can't do that anymore.

[00:14:28.960] - Tamara

I definitely think the ski in ski out would be so much easier. You can just go back to the condo and have your lunch there whenever you need to.

[00:14:40.360] - Kim

I think this is the year to, like you said, splurge for the ski and ski out condo and do your grocery shopping and all that. Because I know we stayed. Was it last year? Was that two years ago now? Now I can't even remember at Keystone. And it was an amazing time. We loved that. And we stayed in there in Riverrun Village and it was a condo and we were in walking distance.

[00:15:02.170] - Kim

I mean, it was a little bit of a walk, so you had to carry your gear and a lot of people had little wagons they would just pull behind them and carry their skis and boots and all that. But I think that it's definitely the year to do that because otherwise, your options are to packing lunch and snacks and all of that in the car.

[00:15:27.460] - Kim

And so then when everybody's ready for lunch, we'll be coming back to the parking lot, sitting in the car, eating our lunch and stuff, and then gearing back up and going back to finish out the day skiing. Normally in our family, the girls get lunch in the lodge and they eat macaroni and cheese or whatever they want, and then head back out on the mountain and then on their way home, they grab an early dinner. And normally, I know this sounds crazy about McDonald's, but that's kind of their tradition.

[00:16:06.610] - Kim

But I think your car is going to be your home base if you do not have a ski in ski out situation. I think that's what people should count on. And like I don't know how bathrooms are going to be handled because they're always so crazy and dirty.

[00:16:22.960] - Tamara

I was just thinking about that. I wonder if they will put in porta potties. Can you imagine trying to go in a porta potty in a snowstorm? Oh my goodness.

[00:16:37.930] - Kim

You know, this would be the year to make sure you have the pants and not the bibs with the suspenders because they're going to be hanging down on who knows what.

[00:16:45.670] - Tamara

Yes. It's so funny because obviously we're middle aged women and our listeners know bathrooms are something we think about.

[00:16:54.220] - Tamara

I was listening to this ski Vermont call and they were talking about lessons and, so we'll talk about lessons in a second. But one of the thing with lessons with little kids is some of them need some help, like you said, with all that gear, going to the bathroom. And so they were saying, we're not going to be able to do that. So you can only have a lesson if your child can, you know, go to the bathroom ourselves and all that.

[00:17:18.530] - Tamara

For lessons I used to sign her up for a full day lesson and they would all go and eat lunch together in their own little space. But that's not going to be allowed anymore.

[00:17:28.660] - Tamara

Obviously the size of lessons is going to be reduced. I think it's only going to be a half day or shorter lessons and then you can have a family lunch in between or something.

[00:17:40.630] - Kim

There's going to be a lot of differences and reservations, of course.

[00:17:43.630] - Tamara

Yeah. That's the one thing I've seen is that if you do want ski lessons, you need to make a reservation in advance. I'm curious how they'll do it. I don't know. I wonder if pricing will be higher because it's going to be semiprivate versus, you know, a big group of kids. So I don't know what that's going to look like because normally it's two kind of instructors and then like a class of like ten to twelve kids.

[00:18:22.690] - Tamara

I know some of the resorts were debating whether or not they should even open because even just hiring, I'm thinking in Vermont, a lot of resorts might hire from out of state and you can't do that now.

[00:18:33.640] - Kim

And so, yeah, I guess that they're living there.

[00:18:36.490] - Tamara

You can, but you don't know like what capacity you're actually going to have.

[00:18:43.600] - Kim

It's just really a huge task. And I really feel for the ski resorts trying to do their best. But there's so many contact points, you know, there's so many things to to think through for sure. And we didn't even talk about the lifts.

[00:18:59.230] - Tamara

Oh, yeah, exactly. Yeah, that's going to be that's going to be interesting because obviously you can't travel up with someone that is not in your party. So lift lines might move a little slower. And I know in the past well, because I love the part of the mountain that's, you know, not the blacks. So I go I tend to ski near where the ski school is. And so often the kids will be coming up and they'll be like, can you take one? Can you take one? Which always stressed me out anyway. Like, I don't want to be responsible for my own.

[00:19:32.450] - Tamara

I think I've talked about this before, but when you're already not a fully confident skier, especially, a few years ago before I had the experience that I do now, I was worried about getting myself off the lift, I didn't want to worry about a little kid.

[00:19:46.510] - Tamara

And then the few times we brought up a little kid, they're fearless and they're just kicking their feet and they're leaning down. They're sliding down. I'm like, oh, my God, they're going to go under.

[00:19:54.540] - Kim

Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

[00:19:57.540] - Tamara

And sometimes I would just be like, I'm really sorry, but I'm not comfortable because I don't want my kid with somebody that's not like fully comfortable.

[00:20:06.960] - Tamara

Yeah. So it'll definitely be a little bit slower on the lines. And then I have a feeling though, more people, more resorts might be moving to the scanners or the RFID where you don't have to get close to scan somebody. So maybe that can go like a little faster.

[00:20:37.360] - Kim

I think that it's going to be interesting also because I mean I'm thinking in those lines, like even when we talked to Rob with the Disneyland. Or I mean, Disney World and Universal, and he was talking about the switchbacks are skipped even, and I hadn't even considered that, like I was only thinking of the people, like in front of you being six feet apart.

[00:20:55.810] - Tamara

But, yeah, when you have, like, a normal like a snake line formation where you're backtracking back and forth and zigzagging you, I mean, you got to skip six feet there, too.

[00:21:06.760] - Kim

And so I don't know how the lines will work. I mean, I think in some ways it seems like it's going to be better because they're limiting the amount of people they're going to give passes to each day. But when you think of the limitations of, you know, only your party can go on the up the chairlift and things like that, it's going to look very different. And then I was even thinking like Keystone, they have a big tubing hill that's really fun and awesome.

[00:21:33.340] - Kim

And I'm thinking of that because when we were there, you know, everyone's just grabbing their tube and rushing over to get back up the because you get to be there for like an hour.

[00:21:41.730] - Kim

So the faster you are, getting off the hill and up back up the little conveyor belt that takes you up the mountain, the more rides you can get in. But that's just packed person to person to person. And so even that's going to be have to be spread out. So that's going to be a lot slower. And then you're not going to be waiting back to back with these people to go for your turn to go down the hill.

[00:22:04.240] - Kim

So that's going to all just look very different. So I don't know what what's going to happen with some of those extracurricular things, too. But, yeah, I think the the lines on the chairlifts are going to be are going to move slower and they're probably going to be a lot more spread out than you're used to.

[00:22:18.760] - Tamara

Yeah, because I'm thinking of different ones that I'm familiar with. And it's not necessarily the zigzag, but there might be three lines, coming in and then you alternate, when you get up to the front.

[00:22:40.480] - Tamara

One thing that we haven't talked about yet, too, is just, travel restrictions. Yeah. I know that, you know, we we've been dealing with travel restrictions here for many months, but places like California and even Washington, you know, like you, you guys have started to implement at least recommendations or some restrictions. And, I think about Vermont was saying that they are usually so busy with people from New York and New Jersey that come up because they're one of the closest resorts for that.

[00:23:09.160] - Tamara

And they don't anticipate that that would happen this year because they have a 14 day quarantine requirement or can do like seven days plus a test.

[00:23:20.020] - Tamara

But you're certainly not going to have weekend people that are coming up. And I did ask because everyone's like, well, are they really checking? I asked a couple of the different major resorts and hotels and they actually said that they reach out to everyone that they see from out of state with an out-of-state reservation.

[00:23:38.620] - Tamara

So this wouldn't probably be the same for some rentals, you know, but for at least hotels, if they see you're coming from a state that would require a quarantine, which is pretty much everyone, they reach out to you and they ask you like, what's your plan? And you have to submit something that says I'm quarantined at home or this is where I'm quarantining before I arrive.

[00:23:56.630] - Tamara

So they are being proactive with it. So it's not like I'll just ignore that guideline.

[00:24:03.730] - Kim

Yeah, I think that's one of the big reasons Washington and I think California is a recommended as well. I can't remember California, but they're not able to enforce it. And I think it's because you get to a certain level of people and they just can't follow up with every reservation in person. But that's good that it's being I mean, it's kind of like, again, going back to that idea of the theme parks you can have rules, but enforcing them is what's going to actually provide the the feeling of safety.

[00:24:33.700] - Tamara

So definitely and honestly, I mean, we should just talk about the elephant that's in the room, which is we all know that right now there's not many places where cases aren't on the rise.

[00:24:44.770] - Tamara

You know, things aren't looking good. So I think what you are planning is is good, right? You're local. You're just going to drive there and follow the protocols and enjoy your day. But in terms of, like ski travel, I think people really need to think about what that really would entail and whether or not that is something that they should really be taking part of right now.

[00:25:09.850] - Kim

Well, I know this is kind of getting a little macabre, but even looking at if something does happen to you on a ski hill and you have a catastrophic accident or whatever, like, you know, ICU room beds and hospitals near some of these ski resorts and what are their what are their abilities to take care of you at that point?

[00:25:38.380] - Kim

I know that Idaho is very popular ski resort, but I know last month they were asking Washington State whether they could take some patients and staff possible, they're trying to set up things to possibly take some patients because of the covid numbers on the rise there and the hospitals being full.

[00:25:56.660] - Kim

So that's definitely another aspect, like you said, to keep in mind and whether people should be traveling or feel comfortable traveling right now and doing something that is kind of a, you know, not high risk sport, but it is a sport that comes with possible consequences.

[00:26:11.800] - Tamara

It does. I know a number of people that have broken things. You know, I mean, it doesn't have to be completely catastrophic, but even that is exactly not ideal for sure. I mean, even here in Rhode Island, they opened field hospitals yesterday.

[00:26:31.360] - Kim

So I think that's just something for everyone to keep in mind. We're not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but definitely something to consider. And and all of this information hopefully won't even be a problem. And if you just think, you know, try and maybe stay close to home and then look ahead to next winter might be a fabulous time. And you can really relax and enjoy it.

[00:26:55.480] - Tamara

And for the people that don't live near a ski resort, it's definitely a good time to start thinking about next year. If you wanted to go back and listen to a couple of our previous episodes, I know we did Episode 117, which was 2019. We did an episode on the best ski resorts for families. And so that would give people a lot of ideas.

[00:27:17.680] - Tamara

We tried to cover both the East Coast, West Coast, Colorado, Utah area. So we've got a lot that we covered in that one that would be good to go back and listen to. And then we did a previous episode. I can't remember the number of that one, but it was just kind of about planning your first ski trip for a family and things to keep in mind. So some good episodes to go back to two really good ones.

[00:27:39.190] - Kim

I think skiing is a fun sport. It's expensive also. And I think that's another thing for people to just keep in mind is the the cost of lift tickets and everything, make sure you're looking into that in advance and rentals and getting that all figured out, you know, so you're not surprised by anything.

[00:27:54.730] - Tamara

Yeah. And in the meantime, I think that there's also other ways to get outside this winter. I know that snowshoeing is going to be really popular as well as Nordic skiing, because there you don't have to deal with some of the same issues in terms of the lines and things like that. And and many times, if a resort offers Nordic or snowshoeing, many times it's out of a separate lodge or soopers facility, you know, so you're not always dealing with the the main crowd.

[00:28:23.770] - Tamara

It's funny, there have been so many different things where I've predicted like, oh, there's going to be a run on that. I'm like there's going to be a run on snow shoes by that. It's funny though because I forget we were watching, but it was like a commercial or something. And they're like, this is hard to find. And Hannah looked at me and she was like, you just said, that was going to be hard to find like a month ago. And I'm like, I should go play the lottery.

[00:28:46.570] - Kim

Yeah, exactly. You should be in marketing. So that makes sense.

[00:28:53.050] - Kim

Well, and that was what I was going to say, is I actually and I feel kind of stupid for not realizing this, but I actually recently looked up because I was trying to figure out if I could find snow anywhere near as that has like an easy parking lot for like from some photos I wanted to get. And I realized that in our state if youlook up your state park system, so for me, Washington state parks, and you can find that they actually have snow parks. And these are parks that are specifically designed for people to just go play in the snow. So you can do you can park at a trailhead and you can go snowshoeing or you can, you know, build a snowman or you can go sledding and things like that. And some have there's also some winter recreation parks specifically for like snowmobiles.

[00:29:35.950] - Kim

And then they'll have like non motorized that are specifically, again, for people to be able to go snowshoeing and play in the snow and sledding. So if you're curious and you want to get out and enjoy the winter, look up your state park system and see what they have listed for like winter recreation, because you might be surprised and find that there's some, you know, parks specifically for snow play and or trails specifically for, you know, like you said, snowshoeing and Nordic skiing.

[00:30:00.310] - Kim

So don't be scared to look on your local state park website.

[00:30:04.420] - Tamara

That's a great recommendation. Definitely not something that I think I have here. But, you know, many places that would have larger state park systems or more opportunity for snow probably would. So it's great.

[00:30:16.690] - Kim

Yeah, well, you just go in your backyard, right?

[00:30:18.970] - Tamara

Well, hopefully not too much. I mean, we did have that one snow in October, but last year we didn't get very much. I really enjoy snowshoeing. You know, I've done it a couple of times. I've always surprised by what hard work it is, you know. But I would like to get snow shoes. But they're a little pricey. I mean, you can get them for like one hundred and fifty or so.

[00:30:42.580]

Yeah. Good ones. Because if you're going to buy some, you want to splurge a little because you want the lightweight ones, because it is hard work and lifting your feet up and stuff, you definitely want the you want the titanium ones, not the stainless steel or whatever.

[00:30:57.440] - Tamara

And then I'm like, do I really want to get them now when I don't really want to spend money and who knows if it'll snow or not. And you know, it's one of those things.

[00:31:13.590] - Kim

Yeah, well, it might be a time to look also on your local Craigslist or Facebook marketplace, because people might be upgrading their snowshoes this year and getting rid of older ones.

[00:31:23.490] - Tamara

You know, you never know. It's funny. Right before the pandemic, I've had my basement for years. Hannah's old skis and and ski boots, like from when she was really little that I have never bothered to bring to a place to sell.

[00:31:35.280] - Tamara

And I keep thinking, should I donate it or should I sell it? So I had that for a while. And then I had a chest freezer that we just hadn't used in years. And before the pandemic, I sold both of them. But I sold both of them. And I'm like, well, that was bad timing. Like, I could have gotten so much more. So much more. And it's funny, I guess I'm good with some timing and bad with others.

[00:32:04.110]

But hopefully we'll all find some ways to get outdoors this winter because we'll need we'll need it. We'll need the fresh air. We'll need the change of scenery. I know there used to be so many places that we would go in the winter to, you know, be entertained even when it's freezing out. And those are not places that I feel comfortable going right now.

[00:32:24.120] - Kim

Well, most of them are not open anyway. Yeah, I was going to say I feel like for us, it's cruising is always a very popular thing for people to go down to the Caribbean and take a cruise. And I don't know where people are going to escape to this winter.

[00:32:36.960] - Tamara

Well, I know that we will be inside a bit more this winter and not really going to many places. But do you have any holiday plans? Do you have any special traditions or things that you're going to put in place for the girls to try to make it as festive as you can?

[00:32:52.900] - Kim

I think it's probably going to be a pretty standard holiday for us. We already if some people follow me on Instagram, they already maybe saw that one of our biggest traditions because we live in Washington state is that we we go and pick out our Christmas tree at a local Christmas tree farm in advance.

[00:33:08.830] - Kim

And so we you know, at the beginning of November, we go and you walk around their farm and you pick the tree you want and you wrap it up and you take off a little tag and they write it down that this is your tree. And so then we went the weekend of Thanksgiving and we actually cut down our tree and brought it home and then we'll decorate it and everything. So that's kind of one of our big holiday traditions. And it is interesting, though, is that girls have gotten older.

[00:33:32.620] - Kim

They're less like into it, as we used to be, which is kind of sad. But so we're we're sticking with that. And then we'll just have our standard, you know, holiday. My mom is our she's lives out here and she's alone. And so she part of kind of our bubble unit. And so we'll have her over for Christmas. And that's that's about it. It'll be a pretty easy at home. We had planned to go to Canada like we try and add in Canada a couple every few years.

[00:33:59.500] - Kim

And we were this was supposed to be a Canada Christmas year. So for us, we are not going to Canada for Christmas, but we will still have a wonderful time at home and just relax. And I know that Paul has a bunch of vacation time, so he's going to be taking off. I think he gets like the two weeks, the last two weeks of the year off. So that'll be a nice little thing to have just some family time at home.

[00:34:21.580] - Tamara

That's good. Hopefully he can do some skiing.

[00:34:24.400] - Kim

Yeah, exactly. We've got a couple a few days. We've got four days booked, so. Yeah. So what about you guys? Do you have any holiday plans this month and in the year?

[00:34:33.610] - Tamara

This will be definitely very different for us because we're never home on Christmas. You know, we always go down to my mom's house and we see my whole family for Christmas and she lives in New Jersey. And it's if we put our whole like my immediate family, my brothers, my sisters, their kids, now, they're kids, kids together. I think we're like twenty six people. So that is not happening. So it'll be sad.

[00:34:57.490] - Tamara

I'll be the first time ever that we've been home for Christmas. And as you guys know, like we have a Jewish home, so we don't have a Christmas tree and all that kind of stuff. And I've never really thought about it because we're just not here. I don't want to miss the specialness of it, but I don't know quite what to do to create it. You know, it's only it's just the three of us.

[00:35:26.080] - Tamara

It's always just the three of us, you know, like we don't have anybody nearby. So I'm not sure. But I think what I will enjoy is the fact that this month is going to be quieter. You know, usually it feels like such a rush and so busy and so I don't feel like making Christmas cookies because I always go down to New Jersey and my sister makes like twenty six kinds of cookies and my brother makes like twenty kinds.

[00:35:52.630] - Tamara

My mom makes like twenty kinds and they all give us like these big tins of cookies and we come back and we have cookies for like months. So I was like OK Hannah like let's make some cookies, like let's pick which ones we want to make. We're going to make cookies and we'll deliver them to like her friends and, you know, we'll deliver them to people. So that'll make us feel like we're doing something special. And then a lot of times, like for Hanukkah, it is like on top of Christmas or it's like too early.

[00:36:18.700] - Tamara

It's you know, it's like it's never a great time. And we like I like to make potato pancakes and applesauce.

[00:36:29.380] - Tamara

And when I do it, I make like pounds and pounds of potatoes. So it's like a whole day affair, like I'm frying for hours and then my entire house smells. The kitchen is like coated in grease. So it's basically like my time to deep clean the kitchen. I cook all day and then I clean it all spraying down the cabinets and everything like it, everything really clean, you know.

[00:36:53.740] - Tamara

But I don't always have time to do that. So some years I'm like, oh, I'm just not like making them this year because it's not worth the effort to just make a few. It's like you want to make a lot. So I think this year, like that weekend, that Hanukkah falls over, like I'll just make a bunch of latkes and maybe do the same, like give them out to some people and, you know, make it festive.

[00:37:14.680] - Tamara

We are going to do like a drive through holiday lights thing.

[00:37:22.390] - Tamara

But you know what to figure out as we go. I mean it in a way it's like nice to not have to travel, but our Christmas is like this Christmas spectacular of you know, we drive down to New Jersey and Christmas Eve is at my brother's house and he has done for thirty years, I think, like where he does appetizers and we look forward to certain appetizers that he does.

[00:37:43.120] - Tamara

And then Christmas Day, we used to always go to my sister's house and now we go to my nephew's house. And then the day after Christmas, my mom does a whole big dinner and we. Are all at her house, you know, and then we drive home the next day and sometimes we stop at New York, in New York on the way home and we see some family there, or we visit the, you know, the Christmas decorations in New York City, you know, do something like that.

[00:38:04.900] - Tamara

So it's it's always been like a big thing. So it's going to be like definitely really different. And if anybody wants to send me a little holiday cheer message, I'm sure that I will appreciate it at that time because I'm going to be just, like, bored.

[00:38:21.260] - Kim

Do you guys do light a menorah?

[00:38:23.530] - Tamara

We do at home. So, yeah, we'll be at least you'll be home for more of the and we'll all be here, which a lot of years like, you know, Glenn is traveling or something.

[00:38:31.870] - Tamara

So like I'll do the candles with Hannah, but then we don't always do like I used to always get her eight gifts and she would open one a day. This year she needed a new computer. So she's not getting gifts.

[00:38:43.840] - Kim

So you're like, here's a monitor, here's a mouse. Here's your cell, you know?

[00:38:49.870] - Tamara

Yeah, it'll it'll be different. In the New Year's Eve, we always the last quite a few number of years have done with our neighbors that live up the street. And they also love food the way that we do. And so Glenn and Greg just cook this amazing, like multi course, like gourmet food. We have caviar, we have oysters. Like, it's amazing. It's this it's actually my favorite day of the entire year.

[00:39:16.090] - Tamara

And I don't you know, I don't know if there'll be a way to do that safely or not. I was like, well, maybe we can deliver courses to each other and cook, like, over a face time. I don't know, we have to figure out if there's a way, we'll be quarantined.

[00:39:27.670] - Tamara

So if you guys are willing to quarantine ahead of time because we don't we won't be seeing anyone, then we'd be good. But I think they would do it, but I'm not so sure their sons would be willing to do that.

[00:39:39.610] - Kim

Teenagers make things a little tricky. Well, and we have right now that with Lizzie has a job now outside the home. So that's she's kind of our biggest risk for our family because the rest of us are at home all the time. So yeah, it's definitely gets interesting. It's really hard to find someone that you can, you know, pod up with that.

[00:40:23.050] - Kim

Yeah, well, hopefully it'll work out and that you guys will have some new memories and discover some fun ways, you know, fun activities together and stuff. I hope it works out. And for all of our listeners, this is going to be our last episode for the year. So we are wrapping up 2020. It was definitely a different year than other years for Vacation Mavens. And hopefully you guys have enjoyed what we've still shared. And we really appreciate you guys coming along during these crazy times.

[00:40:50.950] - Kim

And, you know, joining us every other week to listen to what we ramble on about.

[00:40:57.010] - Tamara

Yeah, we definitely really, really appreciate it, especially sticking with us when, you know, we all know we're not traveling as much as possible. And we always love those kind of encouraging messages that listeners send about different episodes or just when when we realize that someone that follows us on Instagram is also a listener, you know, things like that. It's just it's very heartwarming. And we definitely appreciate it.

[00:41:21.430] - Kim

And we hope that you all have a very safe and wonderful holiday season. We will be back, you know, next year, probably going to stick to our every other week schedule for a while until at least until travel should pick up more. And we actually enjoy having a little extra time in our schedules, too. So definitely. Anyway, wishing everyone a very happy holiday. Yeah. Happy holidays, everyone. Thanks again by.

Lake Tahoe is a great outdoors destination with plentiful vacation rental homes perfect for social distancing. This week we chat with Leslie Harvey from Trips with Tykes about her family's experience visiting the Lake Tahoe area in the winter and the summer. Find out her favorite ski resorts for families, the differences between North Lake and South Lake and California side and Nevada side.

ON THE PODCAST

00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara

07:55 - Talking with Leslie Harvey

09:05 - Where to go in Lake Tahoe

12:58 - Winter destinations

14:00 - Ski Resorts

17:55 - When to go

19:50 - Where to stay

22:05 - Outdoor/Water Activities

23:30 - FInal tips

27:35 - Ski clothing tip

30:10 - Giveaways!

ABOUT LESLIE HARVEY

Leslie Harvey is a family travel writer who publishes the blog Trips With Tykes. She co-hosts both the Disney Deciphered and Disneyland with Kids podcasts and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Follow Leslie on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

TIPS FOR VISITING LAKE TAHOE

• Lake Tahoe covers a huge area between California and Nevada. If you were to drive all the way around the lake it would take a solid two hours. There are so many different towns and scenes around the lake.
• The Nevada side of the lake has more of your party scene with the casinos and big resorts. While the California side and part of the North side of the lake on the Nevada side are the more family-friendly areas.
• If you have never been to Lake Tahoe before the towns of Truckee, Kings Beach and Tahoe City are great spots to find reasonably-priced lodging. Especially if you are going with kids.
• The town of Kings Beach is located right along the water at the north end of the lake and is a great destination for a winter vacation. There are a lot of great vacation rentals and it is in a great location to be able to easily get to a lot of different ski resorts.
• Northstar Ski Resort is a great place to take kids skiing. The resort has a great ski school as well as tubing, an ice rink and even a daycare for non-skiing kids.
• Diamond Peak Ski Resort is also a great resort to take kids skiing. It's not as well known but one big plus about this resort for families is that the kids ski free!
• Summer is the most popular time for vacationers to visit Lake Tahoe. If you want to go in the warm months, the lake will be warmest from late July to early August. Though the lake is most crowded in the summer months there are ways to avoid major crowded areas.
• If you are looking to really avoid crowds and maybe get better deals on lodging, the month of September will be your best bet. It will not be as crowded as the summer months but it is usually still decently warm and prices will go down being that it is out of peak season.
• Though the water is mostly too cold to really swim in, you can rent a boat and explore, go kayaking, fishing, take cruise tours, etc.
• Off the lake there are some great hiking areas and the ski resort trails actually turn into mountain biking trails if you are like to do that.
• Driving times can be a little tricky both in the summer with the crowds and the winter with the weather. You really need to be prepared to rearrange your plans in the winter if you are relying on driving places. Depending on the weather, roads do close quite often and it is not just smaller roads that will close but highways too. You will really want to keep that in mind when you are planning a winter vacation to Lake Tahoe.
• If you are planning to go this winter you really want to do your research for Covid restrictions. Make sure that things will work for you and you will be comfortable going. Some ski resorts you will require reservations.

FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR

Leslie recommends that if you have younger kids you should really think about buying gender neutral clothing, especially if you have boys and girls. Ski gear is so expensive and buying neutral colors will make it easier to pass them down to your younger kids or even to cousins. Getting the most out of the gear seeing as kids grow out of clothing so fast.

MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST

First Timer's Guide to Lake Tahoe

Northstar Ski Resort

Diamond Peak Ski Resort

The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe

Wondering what it is like to visit one of the Florida theme parks during these COVID times? This week the Mavens chat with Rob Taylor from 2TravelDads to get his take on the safety protocols at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. Find out what you need to know to decide whether or not now is a good time to visit Orlando.

ON THE PODCAST

This podcast is sponsored by Moon Travel Guides. Learn more about The Open Road: 50 Best Road Trips in the USA. All opinions are our own.

00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara

04:10 - Talking with Rob Taylor

06:40 - Feeling comfortable with travel

12:40 - Transportation for the parks

15:25 - Social distancing on rides

21:15 - Available Passes

24:05 - Arriving at the park

26:45 - Food at the park

33:30 - Final tips

37:16 - Rob's Travel Gear

39:20 - Up next for Rob and his family

ABOUT ROB TAYLOR

Rob Taylor is the founder of 2TravelDads, the original LGBT Family Travel blog. Focusing on ecotourism and education, 2TravelDads inspires LGBT families (and traditional families also) to go beyond their usual getaways and use travel to learn about and be part of a bigger world. "Traveling the globe and giving the kids a broad worldview."

Follow Rob on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

TIPS FOR VISITING DISNEY WORLD

• Visiting an amusement park may not be in your comfort zone yet, due to the pandemic. You should research the protocols in place carefully and see if travel is something your family feels comfortable with at this time.
• Shuttle, Monorail, moving walkways, and trams are all still operating (with limited capacity and social distancing). Though keep in mind that some of these may not be 100% enforced -- Disney is much better about enforcing protocols than Universal from what Rob has observed.
• Stay observant of your surroundings. If one area of the park is getting more packed than you are comfortable with, try to explore another area of the park.
• Each park is probably going to manage ride spacing differently. Disney ride lines have markers for where to stand and the zig-zag parts will have extra spacing so that you are not stopped directly next to someone, or plexiglass walls separating each zig-zag portion from the next.
• Just because there is reduced capacity at the parks doesn't mean ride lines will necessarily be shorter.
• In the case of Disney, they will frequently close down a ride in order to deep clean the seats and handles to help minimize any potential germ spread.
• You can still purchase Express Passes with your ticket at Universal Orlando, or receive them free if you are staying at one of their premium properties that includes Express Passes.
• Disney FastPass+ is not currently available.
• Disney is very good at enforcing the rule where you can take masks off to eat and drink, but only while you are stationary. Universal also has designated areas that you can take off your mask even if you are not eating or drinking.
• Indoor dining seems to be managed very well compared to the outdoor mobile order dining.
• Everyone's comfort level is going to be different. Do your research beforehand if you want to find out the specifics for what they are doing to keep social distance, but keep in mind that anywhere can make these rules and signage but what makes the big difference is how well a place is enforcing these rules.
• Keep in mind that if you are planning to visit these parks that means that you will be traveling into Florida. Florida does not make it mandatory to wear masks. They have left it up to individual business on what they want to enforce. If you are coming from a stricter state this may be surprising to you. While the Parks themselves are stricter the state of Florida is different. Think beyond the Theme Park for your visit!

FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR

Rob packs for travel based on the weather instead of focusing on any favorite items. He makes sure to add pieces that are colorful, to make for fun photos, and are comfortable. For shoes, he recommends shoes that are comfortable, versatile and NOT brand new! You should never break in shoes on a vacation.

MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST

Moon Travel Guides

Disney World in COVID

Universal During Coronavirus

Disney vs Universal with COVID

Disney vs Universal During Normal Life

Are you intrigued by the music, food, and culture of Cuba? Find out what it is like to travel to Cuba with kids as we speak to Deborah Haile, author of a series of children's books about traveling with kids.

ON THE PODCAST

This podcast is sponsored by Moon Travel Guides. Learn more about The Open Road: 50 Best Road Trips in the USA. All opinions are our own.

00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara

08:27 - Talking with Deborah

10:07 - Traveling to Cuba

17:28 - When to go

18:45 - How long to stay

23:19 - What to do

32:20 - Jonah's Global Footprints book series

38:09 - Final Tips

42:11 - Deborah's favorite travel gear

43:14 - Where she is heading next

ABOUT DEBORAH HAILE

Deborah Haile is the CEO of Tiny Global Footprints and the author of Jonah's Global Footprints book series. She holds a Master of Public Policy from George Mason University and a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from University of Minnesota. Deborha loves traveling the world with her son Jonah, and sees a world where working moms have the tools they need to be able to make international travel with their children a priority and a possibility. She is originally from Eritrea, but grew up in Minnesota, lived in Virginia and recently moved to Miami. She is extremely passionate about exposing children to global cultures.

Follow Deborah on Instagram.

TIPS FOR VISITING CUBA

• If you would like to plan a trip to Cuba after places start to open up fully, you should know that you can no longer stop there on a cruise trip. You will need to get an Advance Visa. You can get this online or go in person to the Cuban Embassy. This is only one of the ways that you can travel to Cuba.
• There are different categories for traveling to Cuba for Americans, which include: family visits; official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations; journalistic activity; professional research and professional meetings; educational activities; religious activities; public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions; support for the Cuban people (obtaining a Visa, staying at a Casa and eating at local restaurants); humanitarian projects; activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes; exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials; and certain export transactions that may be considered for authorization under existing regulations and guidelines.
• The best time to visit Cuba is between December and May, which is after hurricane season.
• 7-10 days is a good amount of time to give yourself to explore and take in what some of Cuba has to offer.
• Start in Havana and then rent a car to travel to places like Vinales or Varadero to experience more of Cuba.
• Keep in mind that you will have limited access to WiFi when in Cuba. This is a great opportunity to disconnect and immerse yourself in the culture around you, but you also need to be prepared.
• English is not widely spoken so if you are not a fluent Spanish speaker, you may want to brush up before your trip and look into a language program to teach yourself some basics in order for you to get around easier.
• Be aware that not all U.S.-issued credit cards will work in Cuba. Be sure to bring along plenty of cash, because finding an ATM can also be challenging in parts of the country.
• Packing light will make getting around that much easier, and you won't need much while you are there.
• Be aware that those cool old cars you see around Havana don't have seat belts. Plan accordingly if you feel you will need a carseat for your child on longer drives.
• You should also do a lot of preplanning for your trip before you leave. Since you will not have easy Internet or phone access, you will want to bring printed maps and information for the places that you are staying. You might also want to think about bringing a Spanish-language dictionary or printing up some phrases to help you with your travels.

MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST

Jonah's Global Footprints: The Search for Elephants in Thailand

Yosemite National Park is a popular destination for families during all seasons. This week we talk to Preethi Harbuck from Local Passport Family about her many trips to Yosemite. We cover the best places to stay, good hikes with kids, and fun things to do in Yosemite.

Tamara also fills us in on her most recent glamping experience at the KOA in Lincoln / Woodstock, New Hampshire and how it compared to her stay at the Huttopia glamping resort nearby.

ON THE PODCAST

00:30 - Talking with Tamara about her recent glamping trip

12:32 - Talking with Preethi about RVing

15:12 - What to keep in mind when visiting Yosemite

17:45 - Where to stay outside of the park

19:48 - How long to stay

21:50 - When to go

24:35 - Where to stay

26:40 - Activities and family-friendly hikes in Yosemite

29:55 - History of the Park

35:10 - Global Children's Book Club

38:20 - Preethi's Favorite Travel Gear

40:40 - What Preethi is doing now

41:20 - WINNER!

ABOUT PREETHI HARBUCK

Preethi is an exploring mom of 5 who writes about education and diversity in and through travel. She helps families recapture curiosity and connection by connecting with the world.

Follow Preethi on her blog Local Passport Family, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

TIPS FOR VISITING YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK WITH KIDS

• Keep in mind that Yosemite National Park is popular and can get very, very busy. If you can you might want to plan your trip during off season.
• June, July, and August is peak season for the Park. Late May and September are ideal times to visit, but it can be very beautiful in the winter as well.
• If you are planning on camping in the park you will want to look into where you would like to go and make reservations far in advance.
• The Valley is the most popular camping area and you will need to make your reservations well in advance for your trip.
• Due to Covid restrictions you will now need to make reservations just to go into the park not just for camping. You will want to plan well in advance and avoid the disappointment of being turned away at the entrance.
• If you can't get a reservation to stay and camp inside of the valley, you will be looking at a 45-60 minute drive to get there if you stay outside.
• Mariposa is one of the closest small towns to the Valley which has some hotels and even RV parks.
• If you want to take a trip and explore some of what Yosemite has to see, you will want to spend at least three days. You could make your trip longer and explore some more in Yosemite or you can travel a few more hours and visit a few other National Parks that are nearby.
• All four seasons in Yosemite are magical in their own way. But if you want to keep to the warmer weather, May or September are perfect! The park is going to be quieter than visiting in the main summer months but you will still have the beautiful weather. September will give you more dry weather to get out and explore, while in May the waterfalls will be big and the river flowing heavily, which is really incredible to see.
• The Upper Pines Campground is a great place to spend your time while visiting Yosemite. It is located in the Valley, right near the river and beautiful with tons of trees. From this campground you can access a lot of the Valley by bike.
• If you are willing to drive a little farther you can stay at the Rush Creek Lodge which is located right outside one of the entrances to the park. If you have young kids that may not be too into camping outside, this may be the place for you. They have a big game room, heated pool, playgrounds and every night they offer s'mores over the fire pit.
• Sentinel Dome Hike is a great hike to take with families. The hike is two miles and it doesn't have a lot of elevation. The hike starts from Glacier Point Road, which unfortunately will be closed in 2021 for repairs.
• A great way to visit Mirror Lake is to bike up the trail. The ride is mostly flat making it great for families. You can rent bikes if you don't have your own or don't want to transport it.
• If you are interested in the history of Yosemite National Park you can visit the main visitors center that has an exhibit that takes about the Indigenous People who lived there. There is an old story called Two Bear Cubs that talks about the Miwok Native American People that lived on the land. This is a great book to read to your kids to help them learn more about the park's history.

FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR

Preethi loves her travel pants but she also loves to wear stretchy leggings with pockets on the sides so that she can store her phone. When she is hiking through water she loves her Chaco's.

ALSO MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST

Global Children's Book Club

Ultimate Guide to Yosemite with Kids

Yosemite Camping Tips with Kids

One Day in Yosemite with Kids

How to Get a Free 4th Grade National Parks Pass

Best Kids Hiking Gear Our Family's Favorites

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Whether you are a frequent camper or a newbie, our guest this week, Catherine from To and Fro Family, offers up some great tips on camping with kids. We talk about how to find campgrounds, packing tips, and great ideas for entertaining young kids at the campsite.

ON THE PODCAST

00:30 - Talking about Tamara's Huttopia glamping trip

16:13 - Talking with Catherine

21:35 - How to choose your campground

30:30 - How to choose your campsite

32:55 - Camping in the Fall/Winter

35:20 - What to pack with Kids

42:15 - What to do at your campsite

46:55 - Planning for meals

52:27 - Catherine's Favorite Gear

57:30 - Catherine's Book

59:50 - Book Giveaway

ABOUT CATHERINE RYAN GREGORY

Catherine Ryan Gregory shares travel hacks and kid-friendly destinations to de-stress family travel. She founded the family travel website To & Fro Fam and is the author of Virtual Travel Activities for Kids.

Follow Catherine on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

TIPS FOR CAMPING WITH KIDS

• The first thing you should do when picking your campground is figure out how far you want to drive.
• Next, think about the kind of terrain you want to camp at; in the mountains, by a lake/coast, or in the desert.
• Campgrounds offer different amenities and campsite locations. Some campgrounds are first-come-first-served. With first-come-first-serve campsites, the sooner you get there, the better chance you will be able to grab one of these spots. Going on a weekday can help with this since the weekends will usually fill up fast. Keep in mind that first-come-first-serve campgrounds have different rules/restrictions. Some have restrictions on how long you are allowed to stay at the site. Make sure to check this out if you are planning to get a spot at one of these campgrounds because some sites have a one-night limit!
• Before booking your campsite make sure to double check the amenities that the campground offers. This is especially important if you would like to have certain amenities and services.
• If you plan on taking a camping trip in the fall or winter months when it will be colder, you really want to make sure that you are checking the high and the low temperatures for the time you are going. Make sure that your sleeping bag is rated for the colder temperatures and you may also want to pack some more layers for the night time.
• No matter what time of year you are planning on taking a camping trip you want to check to see what the weather is supposed to be like and plan accordingly. If there is any chance it might rain when you are camping, you might want to think about bringing a kind of canopy so that you are not stuck completely inside your tent for the times that it rains.
• Less is more when it comes to clothes. You can always rewear if they are not too dirty. For kids you don't need to change their clothes everytime they get dirty. Just let them go and be dirty! Minimizing the changes of clothes will help you downsize your packing. You are already bringing a lot of other supplies, you don't need to bring a huge suitcase with clothes on top of that.
• One item that you don't want to under pack on is wipes. Especially if you have younger kids having wipes to clean their feet and hand, and even their face, without having to make the trek to the bathroom that may not be all that close to your campsite to get clean.
• In regards to your meals, you might want to prep as much as you can before your trip. Depending on what you are eating that might just mean cutting up potatoes, vegetables and mixing them with seasoning and oil in a bag. Then for your meal you can pull the bag out of the cooler and using some foil pour some of this mix in with a burger or meat and heat it up.

FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR

Catherine loves all things REI. The quality of the items they have gotten from them have lasted them for years! Catherine loves to use her fanny packs but recently she has not needed to wear them because of the Alder Apparel pants that she has fallen in love with that have lots of pockets and are super comfortable. Along with that she loves Columbia and Eddie Bauer, that make up the majority of her summer clothing.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission.

MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST

Tamara's Huttopia White Mountains review

Fun family camping hacks

The best way to pack a cooler for your camping trip

Outdoor art projects for kids when camping

Recreation.gov

Hipcamp

Tentrr

Digital Courses during Covid

FOLLOW US AND SPREAD THE WORD!

If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email at [email protected]. You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!

This week on the podcast, Kim fills us in on her summer family vacation to Olympic National Park and Mt. Rainier National Park in her home state of Washington.

ON THE PODCAST

00:30 - Talking with Kim about her recent vacation

02:50 - Olympic National Park

08:08 - Waterfall Hikes

10:45 - Where to stay

23:20 - Mount Rainier

29:38 - How long to spend

34:15 - National park pass

35:44 - Final tips

TIPS FOR VISITING OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK & MT. RAINIER

• The main visitors' center for Olympic National Park is on the northern end of the park by Port Angeles. Since all of the visitor centers are closed due to the pandemic things are a bit different than they normally would be. They do however have park rangers there that have trail maps and Junior Ranger booklets, who are willing to answer any questions that you may have. Other National Parks may have different offerings so you may want to look that up before heading out.
• If you make this a longer trip you can even take a ferry into Victoria, Canada from Port Angeles. Unfortunately right now due to Covid they have canceled all sailings until November 30, 2020. If you are planning a trip after that, check out the website for Black Ball Ferry Line for updates on their status.
• If you like hikes and wild flowers you should definitely check out the Hurricane Ridge hike in Olympic National Park. When you get to the summit you can see great views of the mountains and you can actually see into Canada.
• Marymere Falls is another great waterfall hike and you can take a swim in Lake Crescent while you are there. Or if the water is too cold you can enjoy a nice lunch by the lake.
• The Woodland Inns is a great little place to stay while visiting the park. They also have a great contactless system setup for checking in/out. Since they are individual cabins they will give you a code to a key box and they will text you the code and make sure that you have everything you need before you get there.
• Visiting Mount Rainier has some great hikes but depending on the weather you might not see much of the mountain.
• The parking lots in Mount Rainier fill up really fast so if you plan on visiting you may want to get an early start.
• You should also keep in mind that there is not much in the way of food when you go to Mount Rainier so bring a lunch and snacks.
• Also make sure that you go in with a full tank of gas.
• Keep in mind that when you are planning a trip anywhere right now, you should think about also planning on food options and do some research on what places offer or if they are even open. This is one thing that you never really had to worry about before Covid but now it can cause you and your family some unnecessary stress.

MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST

Hoh Rain Forest Walk

Woodland Inns

Tree of Life

Lake Quinault

Mount Rainier National Park

Epic Olympic National Park Itinerary - Stuffed Suitcase

How to get a National Park Pass - Stuffed Suitcase

FOLLOW US AND SPREAD THE WORD!

If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email at [email protected]. You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!

Kim and Tamara both managed to pull off a socially-distanced, outdoor-focused vacation this summer not too far from home. Tune in this week to hear all about Tamara's summer vacation in the Adirondacks in New York and her cabin and hotel stays in Lake Placid and Saranac Lake.

ON THE PODCAST

00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara

01:50 - Tamara's trip to Adirondacks

04:23 - Where they stayed

14:55 - Hiking in the Adirondacks

26:55 - Coming Next Week

SUMMER VACATION IN THE ADIRONDACKS

• Be aware that if you would like to plan a trip to New York, the state has been very strict with what states are allowed in without quarantining. They also ask that you register with the state before traveling and follow the quarantine guidelines. If you do not register you could be subject to a fine.
• Due to the increased interest in house/cabin rentals, it may be very hard to find a cabin or lake house rental to visit the Adirondacks unless you plan ahead.
• Tamara stayed at Bear Cabin on Lake Colby near Saranac Lake, which is a two-bedroom cabin on a lake with access to canoes and kayaks. She found it on Airbnb (affiliate link.)
• An alternative to renting a cabin or house is to stay at a family-friendly resort, such as the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort in Lake Placid. Tamara and her family stayed in a two-room suite with a fireplace overlooking the lake. The rooms are a bit dated but the location is perfect because you are right in town but have access to the lake, including free use of kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards. The downside is the crowded beach without much social distancing.
• Some good hikes in the area for intermediate hikers include: Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Mt. Jo, and St. Regis Mountain.
• If you want epic views without the hike, you can take the gondola at Whiteface Mountain or pay to drive the Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway to the summit.

FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission.

Tamara loves her new Black Diamond Hiking Poles, which fold up to fit into a backpack and offer great support on challenging hikes.

FOLLOW US AND SPREAD THE WORD!

If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email at [email protected]. You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!

Have you ever considered renting a houseboat? This fun type of vacation rental is a great way to socially distance! Find out what it is like to stay on an "RV on the water" and get houseboat rental vacation tips from Jessica Averett, from Bring the Kids, on this week's episode.

ON THE PODCAST

00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara

05:25 - What's happening with school

07:24 - Talking with Jessica

09:05 - Where to take a houseboat vacation

10:38 - What to expect

16:10 - What to look for in renting a houseboat

19:00 - Tips for planning your trip

21:50 - Price

23:45 - What is the water like

26:50 - What to pack

28:44 - Jessica's Favorite Travel Gear

ABOUT JESSICA AVERETT

Jessica Averett is an adventure loving mom to 5 kids. She and her family have a serious case of wanderlust and are constantly exploring to find the best travel experiences for families. You can follow her writing and adventures at Bring The Kids.

Follow Jessica on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

TIPS FOR RENTING A HOUSEBOAT

• It is really popular to have a houseboat vacation on large lakes. Most people will rent a houseboat through the local marina.
• Staying on a houseboat is like staying on a big RV on the water
• The houseboat moves at about 6 miles per hour on the water because they are so big, so don't plan on traveling far if you have a short vacation time.
• A typical time on a boat is usually four days to a week. You can then spend your time stopping at a few places or just dropping anchor wherever.
• Surprisingly you do not need a boating license to rent a houseboat. Most places will just require you to be 21 years or older.
• It is fun to rent other boats or water toys to take along. This is so you can get to shore faster or just ride around off the houseboat. This could be anything in between floaties and kayaks or jet skies and a small craft.
• Since towing will make your houseboat go even slower, if renting a motor boat, it makes sense to have someone else drive it ahead of the houseboat when going to a different location.
• For smaller water toys like kayaks and floaties, the roof of the boat is flat so you can just tie them off up there for when you are moving around.
• If you are going with younger kids, you might really want to look into getting a houseboat that has a slide off of the roof.
• You will also need to think about how many people you want to sleep. A typical houseboat sleeps up to 8 or 12. Given that number if you are going with a larger group some of you can actually camp on shore in tents, while some stay on the boat for the night.
• One big tip for going on a houseboat vacation is to go with another family. This will make your trip more fun to hang out with friends. Plus if they have kids around the same age they can hang out together and have others to have fun with. This will also make it easier on the adults having a few more people to drive the boat.
• The price of renting a houseboat mostly varies on the kind and size of the boat that you are renting. For a three or four day trip you will probably be looking at around $2,000.
• Keep in mind that you can still get some choppy water on a lake depending on the size and the weather.
• Make sure you pack plenty of sunscreen and aloe because someone will end up with sunburn since you are spending all of your time on the water. You should also think about bringing a line or rope with clothespins, so that you will have an easier time drying all of your swim suits and towels.

FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR

Jessica loves her pair of Columbia pants along with a pair of Chaco sandals.

MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST

House Boating Rentals

SunBum

FOLLOW US AND SPREAD THE WORD!

If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email at [email protected]. You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!

Vacation home rentals are soaring this summer and for good reason. Renting a vacation home -- whether or it is a cabin in the woods or a beach house -- is a great way to socially distance. Listen to our tips on what to look for when renting a vacation home, plus our suggestions on what to pack to supply your vacation home.

ON THE PODCAST

00:35 - Talking with Kim and Tamara

02:30 - How to determine what house to rent

03:40 - Extra fees

05:15 - Guest responsibilities

10:10 - Cooking your own food

12:45 - What to pack

28:26 - Entertainment

36:18 - Traveling during Covid-19

40:18 - Up Next

TIPS FOR VACATION HOME RENTALS

• Make sure to thoroughly read reviews for any house you are considering and look for statements about WiFi, cleanliness, location, responsiveness, etc. This will help you weed through the options you have and maybe even answer some questions that were going to ask. This is a great thing to do for hotel/motel stays and house rentals too!
• You will also need to keep in mind that when you are renting a house you also need to find out what the cleaning fees will be. This is not usually something that is built into the price of your stay.
• Right now because of Covid-19 some house rentals are also leaving a full 24 hour in between guest stays.
• Depending on where you are booking your house through you will also need to keep an eye out for different service fees that will get added on to your per night fee that you thought you were paying. The sticker price almost never includes these extra fees.
• When you rent a house you will also need to make sure that you know what is expected of you as the guest to do before you leave. You may be required to strip the beds, take out the garbage, or even make sure certain things are turned off. This might mean that you have to make sure you have time to do these things before you leave/check out.
• Plan for when you can check into the house that you rented. You can't leave your bags like if you were to stay at a hotel so if you wanted to go somewhere right away do you feel comfortable leaving all of your stuff and/or food in a possibly hot car!
• The main upside of renting a house is so that you can cook your own food and have left over space. When looking for a house you might want to look into where the closest grocery store is. Even if it is a small one for little things you can map out a bigger one that is on the way and store before you get to the house.
• Keep in mind that supplies may be limited at the local grocery store and cost more than at home so ideally try to bring as much as you can from home.
• You really want to make sure that you are reading what is offered at your house. Kitchen utilities, bedding, pillows, soap, towels, sponge, spices; some house rentals will not supply everything that you would want. If things are not listed you can always message the owner about them or even just get a clarification of an item on the list. For example, coffee makers. What kind of coffee maker is it? Do you need to bring filters?
• If the house has a washer and dryer and you think that you will end up using it, you might want to bring your own detergent and dryer sheets. You also might want to think about bringing detergent pods since they pack a lot easier.
• Some places might have a few games and puzzles but you might want to think about bringing at least a deck of cards or other card games. If you are staying for a week the weather can change and you might get a rainy day where you are stuck inside.
• Outlets in houses might be tricky. You might want to look into getting a longer cord or even a small power strip can be useful when you need to charge different devices.
• You may want to think about bringing your own hand sanitizer. A lot of places will not provide hand sanitizer for your stay. Especially if you have younger kids you will want to try and make sure that they are getting into the habit of washing their hands every time they come inside the house.
• You may also want to look into getting disposable masks if you are able to buy them. They come in handy for doing outdoor activities since they tend to be a bit more breathable than reusable ones make out of different clothes.

FOLLOW US AND SPREAD THE WORD!

If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email at [email protected]. You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!