Trips + Giggles

24/03/2025

We will always have Paris. 📸 🇫🇷 🥹 In January, we lost our home and our beautiful town in the Palisades Fire. Needless to say, it has been a rough road to travel these past few months. But I am so proud of these kids for dealing with the changes, working through the tough stuff and for keeping us laughing and smiling alongside them.

As we get ready to embark on some new travels, I’m aware that we will all have a different perspective of the world now that we lost everything at home. But we also learned that even though we lost our possessions and mementos, we did not lose our memories of places and trips that we’ve taken together. We’ve always traveled a lot but I think we will be traveling even more in the future.

Which brings me to the future of Trips+Giggles. I started this website in 2014, a hundred years ago in internet time. I wanted this to be a place where parents could find practical information about traveling with children and also help each other share information that they learned on their trips. I never wanted to be the sole authority voice on the site and I steered clear of any personal narratives.

But life got very busy with my other jobs and I could never give T+G the effort it needed in these heady content-heavy internet world. The site has been on pause since January and will be on pause now indefinitely. Unless someone wants to help out? I still think it has such potential.

My ultimate goal is that my children will want to contribute their own travel thoughts and photos, but I’d love for them to do this in a thoughtful and safe way. Growing up is hard enough. Growing up through this tragedy is even harder. Putting themselves out there online just for likes and giggles doesn’t seem worth it.

Eventually, this site may close entirely especially as we age out of the younger kids demographic. But until then, we will keep traveling and I will keep sharing what is worthwhile when I can. Thank you all for reading, following and sending messages of support! 🫶

24/12/2024

❤️Love knows no borders.❤️ Grateful for Casa Hogar in Tijuana for opening their home to us this holiday season. 🎄🎁❤️Interested in learning how you can give back while traveling? Swipe for some examples. As always, feel free to DM with your questions.

17/12/2024

Wusstest du schon? Did you know—Vienna has over 20 Christmas markets that are open now through the end of the year. These “advent markets” can be found all over the city from Rathausplatz square (arguably the most famous) to Belvedere Palace, and Schönbrunn Palace.

We spotted these candied almonds and gingerbread hearts at the Am Hof Advent market, right across the way from the Park Hyatt Vienna. This market is tiny compared to the others in town but it’s what we loved about it—not too overwhelming and with just the right amount of holiday cheer. And of course, Iike everywhere else in Austria, totally kid-friendly! 👧🏼 👦🏻

Need help planning your Christmas in Europe trip for next year? Or considering Austria this summer? Send us a DM!

15/12/2024

🕰️ A big change is coming to the way you see London…and other parts of the UK!

Beginning January 8 (like next month), visitors to the United Kingdom will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization. Yes, this includes babies and children.

The good news is once you apply, it is valid for 2 years so you can come and go through the UK has many times as you like. Just as long as you don’t stay more than six months.

The fee is £10 per person. You can apply online or through the app. But remember, you must do this BEFORE you travel to UK. If not, you may be denied boarding or entry upon arrival which would be the actual worst.

More info on the new visa is at the official link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta

12/12/2024

🚌 We like Big Bus Tours and we cannot lie. 😆 But we can share some tips for what to expect.

We swore we’d never do one of those corny bus tours but faced with only 2 full days in London to explore, we hopped on a Big Bus Tour that took us all around the city. Now, it’s not perfect. But for a quick and relatively inexpensive way to knock out the sites, it was a great idea. Swipe to see why.

Name one thing you swore you’d never do while traveling but then ends up being kind of a brilliant idea!

12/12/2024

🍽️ 🇬🇧 FACT: London is a city of choices. The possibilities of where to stay, what to do, who to see, and most importantly, what to eat, are endless. 😋 But here are a few trusty spots that are great for kids:

🫖 Aqua at The Shard for a whimsical sweet and savory Peter Pan-themed tea.

🥐 Cedric Grolet at The Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge for the best croissants ever.

🍛Dishoom at Battersea for Indian food (they have locations in town too.)

🍕 Pizza Pilgrims at Kingly Court in Soho for a tasty pit stop during sightseeing.

🍺 The Wilton Arms in Knightsbridge for gastropub experience (they will most likely sit you upstairs which is quieter 😂 .)

🥢Bao at Battersea for Taiwanese style bao buns.

11/12/2024

👨‍🚀 Ground control to Major Tom…the sheets for kids at hotel in London are just out of this world.

Loved how family-friendly this hotel in Knightsbridge is! Plus they have several connecting room options. What else we liked about this hotel?

🤴 A few minutes walk to Buckingham Palace
🍺 Super close to some excellent gastropubs
🚌 Right near a Big Bus stop (more on that to come)
🥐 The best croissants, better than Paris, from Cedric Grolet in the lobby (also more on this to come)
🏊‍♀️ Rooftop pool (when the weather cooperates)
🍬 Sweet treats, replenished daily
😊 The best doormen, who always gave us something to laugh about.

Interested in staying at The Berkeley? DM us for special booking
benefits at this hotel!

07/12/2024

🔔 At long last, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is reopening this weekend. ⛪️ A sudden fire in 2019 destroyed much of the roof of this 850-year-old landmark sending shockwaves through the world.

❤️ Yet after years of painstaking restoration work by some of the best builders, architects, and historians, the cathedral is once again ready for worshippers and visitors.

👆Here’s what to know about the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris.

🗺️ If you need help planning your trip to Paris, let us know! We can book your hotels, tours and so much more! Send us a DM. 😊

06/12/2024

Paris is always a good idea, but Paris with a guide is even better! We booked the Paris in a Day tour with . This family-friendly tour started at Notre Dame, took us through the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, over the Pontes des Arts and into the Palais Royal before ending with a tour at the Louvre. We also made a stop at a brasserie for lunch.

Our guide, Aline, was lovely and patient and of course, very knowledgeable. What we especially enjoyed, aside from the history of Paris, is how she pointed out cool little things on each block and around Notre Dame and in the museum that we wouldn’t have known otherwise.

The tour is 6 hours which was a great amount of time for our older kids but Context Travel has so many other great tours for kids in Paris (and other cities too.) Their link is in on our Page if you want to book!

04/12/2024

Le Crookie. 🥐 🍪 Delicious or Blasphemous—What do you think?

12/12/2023

There are a lot of new things at the Grand Wailea, but some things never change.

Why the Grand Wailea is Still a Kids’ Dream Come True in Maui Posted on December 12, 2023December 12, 2023 by Juliana Estimated read time 6 min read We spent six days in Maui at the end of June 2023, staying at three different resorts, checking out a few others and doing a bunch of random island a...

06/12/2023

We spent six days in Maui at the end of June 2023, staying at three different resorts, checking out a few others and doing a bunch of random island activities with the kids. The next month, the devastating fire in Lahaina upended the entire island, leaving so many families and individuals without homes.

As the entire island continues to recover, we feel the next best way we can offer support to Maui, after donations to the relief efforts, is to highlight a few of the hotels and places that make this island one of our favorites to visit. So this is what this series is about this week.

If you’re interested in visiting Maui and need help planning your trip, let us know.

https://tripsandgiggles.com/story/just-like-home-at-the-montage-kapalua