On the Road to Somewhere New

I often glance at the travel page of USA Today online or read travel articles in magazines and see reviews of lots of cool places and trendy restaurants. These reviews detail the posh atmosphere, the eclectic foods, the extensive wine lists and the signature drinks from the bar. The reviews of hotels and resorts tell about the twenty-four hour workout facilities and the spas.

BUT...

I have never read a travel critic that mentions what is on the kids menu, if milk or apple juice is available, or that all the bathrooms in the hotel only have stand up showers.

I am by no means a world traveler, I have never owned a restaurant or a hotel, and I am an average writer at best. I have no reason to lay claim to being a travel critic. However, there is no travel critic out there that tells me the critical information that I need to travel with my family.

I am a hard working father of two young girls. I am an OBGYN physician who works a minimum of 60 hours a week, I am on call every sixth night, and work one-sixth of the weekend days and holidays each year. When I have time off work, I get out of town! Whether it is a quick weekend trip, or a planned vacation... when I am off work we are going somewhere.
When I met wife of almost ten years, she was a CPA in one of the top four CPA firms in America. She was a corporate auditor with clients as varied as hospitals, children's museums, a pig farm, and multiple casinos. She spent much of her time traveling and she actually carried a badge from the Gaming Commission.  Of course, during her "working days" she could really use the information from a normal critic.  However, now she is a full time mom (for now anyway), and instead of needing to know directions to the latest hot spot, she needs to know where to get a good meal for both the adults and the kids.
"J" is our oldest daughter.  She is all girl, and a diva in the making. She is 5, and is one of the pickiest eaters on earth!  Things that most kids like to eat like peanut butter or mac & cheese are not for her.  She always wants steak, and likes it medium "so the pink shows."
"G" is a three year old girl who is always on the move.  If the service is too slow at a restaurant, she will let us all know by getting out of her chair or disappearing under the table before we know it.  The good news is she will eat almost ANYTHING (except steak, strangely enough).
Neither of our girls drink soft drinks.  This is not because we are great parents, or health nuts... they just won't.  J thinks she has to have apple juice at every meal, and G will at least drink apple juice, milk, or lemonade.

I personally believe to maintain a healthy marriage, a couple needs at least two "date nights" a month, and one trip a year with just the two of them.

I also believe that one of the responsibilities of having children is to teach them things and take them places.  When we travel, we take our kids (with the exception noted above).  We have taken them to the Caribbean, to SEC football games, to Disney World, to big cities, and to small towns.  We have learned a lot on our journeys, and we have also encountered some things that we wish someone had warned us about.

I hope to use this blog to share travel tips that I have learned with other parents.  I plan to review restaurants on not only their children's menu, but also on how welcoming the staff is to children and things that parents need to know, like if you should bring your own crayons to keep your kids busy while you wait.  I also plan to discuss hotels, events, and tips once you get to your destination.  I will also probably ask a few friends to contribute to the blog in the future. I don't expect for this blog to be full of tips to save money, because sometimes to successfully travel with children it may be worth spending a few extra dollars.

Happy Traveling, I will post my first review soon... we did spend part of the weekend in Nashville.