Got a Close Connection? Here Are My Top 4 Tips To Get You To The Gate On Time

Since we've moved to Orange County, California and fly out of a small regional airport, we're almost always taking connecting flights.  On more than one occasion when our first leg left late we've had to run like mad to get to the other gate to make our connection. We've had quite a few close calls but never actually missed one. My daughter Lilia is coming home from college for winter break and has a very tight … [Read more...]

An Ode to Thanksgiving

My kids and anyone who knows me will tell you, Thanksgiving is my all time favorite holiday.  More than the fabulous foods (which I enjoy not only eating but also cooking) it is the sentiment and theme behind this all American holiday that is near and dear to my heart.  Thanksgiving celebrates the first settlers and the native peoples relationship to the land and to each other marked by the spirit of gratitude for … [Read more...]

Wackiest Road Trip Memories-By Lilia, Isaac and Joel Abecassis

No road trip would be complete without something totally off the wall happening that becomes instantly memorable, making us either laugh, cringe, or just shake our heads in disbelief reminiscing about it later on.  We are often asked about our wackiest experiences, so I enlisted my traveling partners, my three kids Lilia, Isaac and Joel to recount their top 10....Herewith is their list.... 1. Isaac- Eating BBQ … [Read more...]

The Souvenir Solution: Squish Pennies!

Pennies

Who doesn’t love souvenirs? Everyone wants something special to remember the trip, but nobody wants the excess baggage.  When you’re traveling with a posse of kids and parents, those souvenirs can add up and weigh you down. I don’t have room in my car for a bunch of souvenirs, and I certainly don’t want to lug that stuff across the country. So here’s what I got my kids into—the best souvenir that … [Read more...]

Alisa’s Awesome Guide To Great Travel Books

Sure you can find just about anything you need online these days, but I still love thumbing through travel books to research my road trips.  I not only find it more efficient, but infinitely more enjoyable to go city by city and tag the things that look super interesting.   Later I map out my "wish list" and see what falls on or near our route in some cases adjusting our route to include something really awesome. … [Read more...]

A Word of Warning about Car Rental and Travel Insurance!!!

During our trip to Alaska, due to no fault of my own, a flying object hit my windshield causing a crack for which I was responsible. For the first time ever in all my years of renting a car, I finally had to put my credit card coverage to the test. You can read my previous post about it by clicking here, but after it was all said and done, I still had to come out of pocket about $125 to cover what the credit card … [Read more...]