Traveling with the family {WordLock travel lock giveaway}


I received products for review and giveaway

Great news:  I'm excited to be joining the WordLock Parenting Council!   I'll be joining other bloggers over the summer, sharing our thoughts about various family-friendly topics, and giving away some great WordLock goodies.   June brings lots of summer travel, so I'm talking about traveling as a family what we do to make sure everyone has a safe and happy trip.  


flying to Flagstaff, AZ

If I had a million dollars, I have no doubt I would blow it all away on travel.  I love to travel, to discover new places, to revisit old favorites, to enjoy new cultures, to reconnect with old friends.  Whether it's a road trip or a plane trip, a weekend getaway or a 6-week stay, I'm up for it.  I'm lucky that my soul mate loves travel as much as I do (well, we wouldn't be soul mates if we both didn't love to travel!).

crossing the English Channel on a train

Honestly, the only thing that stops us from traveling more is money!   This summer, for instance, we are staying close to home because we did two big trips in 2012 (England, Wales, Belgium and France in the summer, and all over the Philippines for the holidays), but we are taking a couple of short trips to Tahoe and Monterey to ease our travel itches.  We might take the kids for their very first trip to New York in August, and maybe if we live on beans and toast we might be able to save up enough to head to Germany in December!

plane to London Heathrow

I'm pretty sure that Alfie and I have passed our wanderlust down to our children.  We have family on opposite ends of the world, so the kids have been traveling since they were infants. They love getting on planes and trains and boats and cars, and they're constantly asking us when we can go to Alaska, Florida, New York, Boston, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Japan, Hong Kong and Ethiopia!



Traveling with kids is certainly a challenge, and there are a whole new set of rules for staying safe in transit.  Airports, bus depots, boat docks, roadside rest stops, car rental terminals, subway stations and train stations are all crowded, busy places where anyone or anything can get lost in the blink of an eye.  With three kids, Alfie and I are always outnumbered, and we have had many frantic moments during our travels, wondering where everyone is!  Here are some rules we like to follow so everyone stays safe:

* Stick to a grownup at all times. This is a NON-NEGOTIABLE RULE.  I always ask the kids to walk beside me or in front of me, never behind me.  When the twins were toddlers and I wasn't traveling with Alfie, I would strap them on toddler leashes.  I didn't care how many weird looks I got -- I was traveling with 2 wandering toddlers and a preschooler, enough said!

* Make sure each child has a cell phone number where they can reach you should they get separated.  Depending on the child's age, you can write it on a card and stick it in his pocket, or use an ID bracelet, or a shoe sticker, or a safety tattoo.  Just make sure not to give too much information, just your cell phone number is fine!

* Agree on an emergency meeting place, just in case you get separated.  If you plan to separate, agree on a meeting place and time beforehand, just in case you can't contact each other.  Having cell phones is great, but cell phones can get lost or stolen or run out of battery!

* Have your luggage where you can see it or better yet, within touching distance.

* Count and recount the number of items the entire party is carrying -- suitcases, handbags, backpacks, laptop bags, etc...  I can't tell you how many times one of the kids got distracted and ran over to look at something at the airport, only to leave his rolling backpack behind!

* Deciding whether to use luggage locks or not is always an interesting question.  If you're traveling via car or train or boat. or leaving your bags with the hotel valet, I say definitely lock your bags, but airports are another matter.  The classic answer used to be Lock Your Bags because you don't want people smuggling drugs or other packages in your luggage (yes, it does happen!) -- however, with recent TSA regulations many people don't bother, because the TSA will force your locks open anyway.  If you do want to lock your bags for plane travel, make sure you use  “Travel Sentry® Approved” locks like WordLock.


Exploring the world is one of the most enjoyable and eye-opening experiences a family can have, it just takes a bit of planning and caution to make sure everyone is as safe as possible.  Happy travels!



Win a set of WordLock Travel Locks
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win three WordLock travel locks!  These are great locks that feature word-based combinations instead of number combinations, so the passwords are easier to remember, even if you haven't traveled in a year.  What's more, they’re “Travel Sentry® Approved,” so airport security won’t use the bolt cutters to inspect your bags, and they’re strong enough that you’ll have nothing to worry about while out exploring new places. And they’re also perfect for locking backpacks, office desks, briefcases and instrument cases.

Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me where you and your family would like to travel to.

Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).

1) Follow bonggamom on Blogger (1 entry)

2) Follow bonggamom on Instagram (1 entry)

3) Follow bonggamom on Pinterest (1 entry)

4) Pin this giveaway on any of your Pinterest boards (1 entry -- you can use the "Pin It" button at the bottom of this page!).

5) "Like Bonggamom Finds" on Facebook and write this on my wall (1 entry):
I entered the WordLock travel lock giveaway!  http://ow.ly/lOYWm

6) Tweet this once per day (1 entry per day)
You could win a set of WordLock travel locks!  Enter on @bonggafinds by 6/20 at http://ow.ly/lOYWm

7) Join any open giveaway on Bonggamom Finds (1 entry for every giveaway you join)

The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on June 20, 2013; I will draw a winner at random on June 21 and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.


Disclosure:As a member of the WordLock Parenting Council, I received product samples to review and give away. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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47 Comments, Leave yours here:

Hetal on June 8, 2013 at 3:54 AM said...

we are going to travel to Canada this year - Banff National Park. Nature is our first choice for places of vacation.

Hetal on June 8, 2013 at 3:57 AM said...

http://pinterest.com/pin/271553052504387375/

justicecw on June 9, 2013 at 5:37 PM said...

We would love to go to Hawaii!
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 9, 2013 at 5:38 PM said...

I am a blog follower
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 9, 2013 at 5:38 PM said...

I follow on pinterest
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 9, 2013 at 5:38 PM said...

6/9 tweet at https://twitter.com/justicecw/status/343889904360648704
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 9, 2013 at 5:39 PM said...

I entered the Pearls giveaway
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 9, 2013 at 5:39 PM said...

I entered the JCPenny giveaway
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 10, 2013 at 9:09 AM said...

6/10 tweet at https://twitter.com/justicecw/status/344124098407972864
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 11, 2013 at 8:01 AM said...

6/11 tweet at https://twitter.com/justicecw/status/344469366341001216
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 13, 2013 at 1:21 PM said...

6/13 tweet at https://twitter.com/justicecw/status/345274657886322688
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 14, 2013 at 1:36 PM said...

6/14 tweet at https://twitter.com/justicecw/status/345640854330941440
justicecw@hotmail.com

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 14, 2013 at 8:38 PM said...

We would love to travel to Paris!
kkondek at gmail.com

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 14, 2013 at 8:39 PM said...

I follow on blogger
kkondek at gmail.com

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 14, 2013 at 8:39 PM said...

I follow on pinterest - fashfrugality
kkondek at gmail.com

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 14, 2013 at 8:40 PM said...

Facebook fan! https://www.facebook.com/BonggamomFinds/posts/10100495204139116
kkondek at gmail.com

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 14, 2013 at 8:40 PM said...

Tweet! 6/14 https://twitter.com/ktkatherine/status/345747580879245312
kkondek at gmail.com

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 14, 2013 at 8:40 PM said...

I entered the Palmolive giveaway!

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 14, 2013 at 8:45 PM said...

I entered the Sam's Club giveaway!

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 14, 2013 at 8:49 PM said...

I entered JCPenney giveaway
kkondek at gmail.com

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 14, 2013 at 8:53 PM said...

I entered Sanus giveaway
kkondek at gmail.com

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 15, 2013 at 1:04 PM said...

RT https://twitter.com/ktkatherine/status/345995169893588992
kkondek at gmail.com
6/15

justicecw on June 15, 2013 at 2:39 PM said...

6/15 tweet at https://twitter.com/justicecw/status/346019120753553409
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 15, 2013 at 2:40 PM said...

Entered the Donut Day giveaway
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 15, 2013 at 2:40 PM said...

Entered the Sam's Club giveaway
justicecw@hotmail.com

Mum Luvs Contests on June 15, 2013 at 2:57 PM said...

Ethiopia!

Mum Luvs Contests on June 15, 2013 at 2:57 PM said...

Blogger (GFC) follower

Mum Luvs Contests on June 15, 2013 at 2:57 PM said...

Pinterest follower

Mum Luvs Contests on June 15, 2013 at 2:58 PM said...

Instagram follower

Mum Luvs Contests on June 15, 2013 at 3:13 PM said...

I joined the Sanus TV Wall Mount giveaway

Mum Luvs Contests on June 15, 2013 at 3:16 PM said...

I joined the Mike the Knight giveaway

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 16, 2013 at 8:39 PM said...

RT! https://twitter.com/ktkatherine/status/346471991911522304
kkondek at gmail.com

justicecw on June 17, 2013 at 1:23 PM said...

6/17 tweet at https://twitter.com/justicecw/status/346724653382909952
justicecw@hotmail.com

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 17, 2013 at 5:39 PM said...

RT! https://twitter.com/ktkatherine/status/346789287985025024
kkondek at gmail.com

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moushka on June 18, 2013 at 10:41 AM said...

We would like to take our children with us next time we go to Mexico!

moushka on June 18, 2013 at 10:42 AM said...

Blog Follower!

moushka on June 18, 2013 at 10:43 AM said...

Pinterest Follower!

justicecw on June 18, 2013 at 11:27 AM said...

6/18 tweet at https://twitter.com/justicecw/status/347057904408477697
justicecw@hotmail.com

justicecw on June 18, 2013 at 11:33 AM said...

I entered the Jack the Giant Slayer giveaway
justicecw@hotmail.com

Katie | FashionFrugality.com on June 18, 2013 at 8:55 PM said...

RT! https://twitter.com/ktkatherine/status/347200784787714048
kkondek at gmail.com

justicecw on June 19, 2013 at 7:36 AM said...

6/19 tweet at https://twitter.com/justicecw/status/347362143668170754
justicecw@hotmail.com

degood on June 20, 2013 at 5:34 AM said...

We would like to travel to Kansas this summer.

Kerrie@mayansfamily.com

degood on June 20, 2013 at 5:35 AM said...

I follow you on blogger as degood
Kerrie@mayansfamily.com

degood on June 20, 2013 at 5:36 AM said...

I follow you on pinterest as degood

Kerrie@mayansfamily.com

justicecw on June 20, 2013 at 11:23 AM said...

6/20 tweet at https://twitter.com/justicecw/status/347781641713876992
justicecw@hotmail.com

bonggamom on June 24, 2013 at 10:00 AM said...

Congratulations to the winner: #14, Katie!

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