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Walking into this Wednesday with an extra pep in o Walking into this Wednesday with an extra pep in our step.  While we’ve always raised our girls to know they can be or do anything we couldn’t be more excited for them to have witnessed #HERstory themselves today. How y’all feeling on this glorious Wednesday? #representationmatters #thefutureisfemale
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” “The time is always right to do what is right.” Nearly 53 years later and these words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are words that fit so perfectly in today’s society, that is a sad truth.

My dream for America would be for it to get its shit together. For the many Americans in denial of what is actually happening in this country to wake up. For allies to be loud all the time, not just on #blackouttuesday. The work Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. helped start is not done and I’m afraid it never will be. 

From visiting his birth home (swipe left) to where he was assassinated, we’ll always strive to be our children’s best teachers. Remember it starts at home! #mlkday
Wow, so many new faces in our tiny corner of IG! I Wow, so many new faces in our tiny corner of IG! I am so happy our “how we afford to travel so much” series and photography tips have been helpful, more coming soon! Just wanted to share a little more about us. We’re Monet, James, Jordyn and Kennedy and we live in South Florida. I started The Traveling Child in 2016 to inspire parents to travel the world with their kids while providing tips to make it easier and affordable. Our motto is if kids live there, kids can visit and you’ll often find us exploring destinations most don’t consider “kid friendly”. 

Hubby and I met at the one and only University of Florida #gogators. We’ve been together for 14yrs and have our 8yr wedding anniversary coming up soon. Our love for travel isn’t new, 2 months into our relationship we studied abroad together in China.

Jordyn is 6, Kennedy is 4 and they both go to regular public school because well homeschool is not for us lol, but school has been virtual recently because of you know what. Still travel with school aged kids is possible and there are flight deals during school breaks!

James works in sales in Corporate America in an office setting so while I have my own business now we do have tips on traveling frequently with a full time job as well.

I’m Jamaican and well that means I’m a hustler lol. I’m the author of the children’s book, The Traveling Child Goes to Rio de Janeiro (available on Amazon), a freelance writer for The Points Guy and wannabe photographer.  I also write for our own blog/website www.thetravelingchild.co where we share our tips on affordable travel, traveling with kids and providing the itineraries for all the places we’ve traveled to.

While travel is the main focus of this page we’re parents too so we also share things we find helpful raising these kids and sometimes random dance videos 🤷🏾‍♀️.

Now that you know a little bit about us, tell us a little bit about you! Or ask us any questions you have!
How we flew to Singapore for free! We got a flight How we flew to Singapore for free! We got a flight deal for $395RT (tip from our how we afford to travel so much part 1 reel) and coupled that with points earned from a sign up bonus from a travel card. That cards bonus was 100,000 points which was redeemable for $1,250 in travel purchases. $395x3 plus only the taxes for Kennedy’s lap infant ticket meant we paid nothing out of pocket for the fights there! (Save and share this post.)

Is this series helpful? What do you want me to cover in part 3?

P.S. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using points and miles and 60 seconds is def not enough to go in depth. So I’m hosting a webinar on Saturday, January 23rd at 1pm EST where I’ll tell and show you how to find and book flight deals, go over travel credit cards and the other tools we use to afford travel so much. You will be able to ask all the questions you want and because of that it’s an intimate event with only 30 tickets available. Can’t wait to help you learn the tools to afford travel now so when the world is completely open you’re prepared! #traveltipsandtricks
I have so much to say but at the same time don’t I have so much to say but at the same time don’t have the words. This day will go down in history!
It’s the hair for me! But seriously this mamas h It’s the hair for me! But seriously this mamas hands are tired so I’m going to do as I said through my word of the year (check last post) and release these hair responsibilities to someone else next week, it’s time for the girls to get some braids. Buttttt if you’re looking for their natural hair routine, click the link in my bio for it. Are you team protective style or wear your hair out? 

For protective styles what are you go to’s? I need some inspo as I grow my hair back out for this in between phase. #naturalhairstyles
Words are so powerful and my word for this year wi Words are so powerful and my word for this year will be the reason I accomplish all the goals I have set forth this year. Are you letting go of anything in 2021? Do you have a word of the year, if so what is it?

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Backyard Camping, The Perfect Staycation Idea for Families

August 3, 2019      Destinations, Florida, North America

Since going on our first RV trip our daughters have been begging to do the “real” thing and go camping. However, we’ve had a busy summer and trying to fit in a camping trip didn’t seem like it was possible. So instead of crushing their dreams we enjoyed backyard camping and realized it’s the perfect staycation idea for families. It’s the best way to have an adventure with kids without going far. Here’s everything you need to know for a successful backyard camping experience.

This blog post is sponsored by Backcountry but all opinions are my own and true. This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on any of the links below, I may get a commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. This helps offset the costs of running this blog & I appreciate your support. Please see my privacy & disclosure policy for more.

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Benefits of Backyard Camping

Camping Without the Cost of Travel

Backyard camping is the perfect staycation idea for families because it’s an adventure with kids without the cost that usually comes with travel. There are no flights to buy, gas to put in the car, hotel costs, or excursions.

Backyard Camping Doesn’t Require Much Planning

Planning vacations as a family can sometimes be stressful especially if you aren’t a planner. While we had an amazing time vacationing in an RV it required planning. Thankfully backyard camping doesn’t really require any planning and you don’t need a travel agent or to be an expert researcher as there isn’t much to research. If you don’t have a backyard you can still camp in your living room as we’ve recently done.

It’s the Perfect Introduction to Real Camping

Backyard camping is the perfect introduction to camping for those not familiar with real camping. It will give you a taste of what to expect to help you determine if you can really rough it in the wild. It’s also great for families with younger children as if you really need to you can always just go back inside your home.

You May Be Interested in Reading: 7-Day Southwest Road Trip Itinerary

Gear Needed for Backyard Camping

Before you can have your adventure you’ll need to get your camping gear if you don’t have it already. We were able to get everything we needed for camping from Backcountry.com. It’s our second time partnering with them after having a great experience using their gear for hiking Pedra de Telegrafo in Rio de Janeiro. You can use promo code HAMBRICK15 for 15% off your purchase.

A Tent

You obviously can’t camp without a tent. Since we don’t ever plan to go camping in the winter when it snows we got this Marmot Tungsten Tent which sleeps 4 people. It was more than enough space for the four of us to sleep in one tent and play games throughout the night.

Lantern

Once the lights go out you’ll need light in your tent. We used the Princeton Tec Helix Backcountry Lantern. It lit up our entire tent and is battery operated but comes with it’s own so you don’t even have to buy any. 

Mosquito Repellent

If you go camping in the summer like we did or in a tropical location with mosquitos you will definitely want to protect yourself from bites. Instead of spraying yourself especially young kids with a ton of bug spray consider buying this ThermaCELL Radius Zone Mosquito Repellent. It repels mosquitos for up to 110 square feet and is chargeable.

Camping Chairs

For relaxing outside of your tent you’ll need somewhere to sit. We got these amazing ALPS Mountaineering Spartan Chairs. They are currently 56% off which made them even more affordable.

Cooler for Drinks

You’ll need something to keep your drinks cool or anything else you pack that requires refrigeration. If you don’t already have a cooler it makes sense to get one as they are great for beach days, road trips and BBQs.  We have the Yeti Roadie 20 Cooler and love it. The only thing I wish is that it had wheels but otherwise it is amazing!

Comfort Camp Bed or Sleeping Bag

You don’t want to sleep directly on the floor so you’ll need a comfort camp bed or sleeping bag. Since we went summer camping we chose to get a comfort camp bed which is basically a thin blow up mattress. We got this Kelty Tru.Comfort Camp Bed Doublewide which says it fits two adults but you can definitely squeeze a small child on there as well. You can use promo code HAMBRICK15 for 15% off your purchase at Backcountry.

Pillows

While backyard camping obviously allows for you to use your own pillows if you want to make it more like the real experience get camping pillows. They will also come in handy if you decide to do the real thing. The Klymit Pillow X Camp Pillow blew up in three breaths and is so compact when deflated it’s easy to pack.

Fun Activities to Do While Backyard Camping

Use a Sheet to Have a Backyard Movie

If you have a projector, hang a sheet on your fence and enjoy a movie outside. There is nothing like watching a movie under the stars!


Tell Spooky Stories in Front of the Lantern

This activity was my three year olds favorite while backyard camping. She loved telling us stories so much she pretty much hogged the lantern and wouldn’t let anyone else get a chance. Still it was so much fun listening to her express herself and be creative.

Play Games

Backyard camping was a great way for us to get off our phones and tablets and spend quality time. We played kids charades, uno, and junior monopoly and had so much fun without electronics. It actually showed us we should have at least one night a week like this. If you have young kids like us, I really recommend this Charades for Kids game as it’s great for non-readers.

Make S’Mores

Making s’mores has to be most people favorite part of camping. Even if you don’t have a fire pit at home you can easily make s’mores in the oven and enjoy in your tent!

Bring Back 90s Fun and Slip n Slide During the Day

Growing up I remember the excitement of my parents bringing the slip n slide out during summer time. It was great to introduce this childhood memory to my own family. We got this 3 lane slip n slide for under $20 and it was such a good investment!


Set Rules to Backyard Camping

When backyard camping you can set your own rules on how much or little you’d like it to be like real camping. Are you allowed to use electronics or not? Can you make your meals in the house but eat outdoors or are you only allowed to grill or eat meals that don’t require cooking? These are things to determine ahead of time to see how much roughing it you want.

We had so much fun backyard camping and the girls can’t wait to do it again. It was the perfect staycation for our family and prepared us to do the real thing! Did you find this article helpful? Please share it to help someone else!

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Hey, I’m Monet!

Hey, I’m Monet!

A full time working woman, wife and mama of two. I use every last one of my vacation days traveling with my kids, hubby, friends or solo. Join me as I share my travel experiences and tips to make travel affordable and easier with the little ones. You can read more about me here.

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