Kristen McLane

Posted by Kristen McLane on June 29th, 2008 in Boredom Busters, Product Reviews, Travel, Web/Tech

I love to travel. Growing up as a missionary kid and traveling outside of the United States gave me a deeper appreciation for experiencing the world around me. I’ve had amazing travel adventures as simple as exploring the Chicago suburbs by car and as awe-inspiring as hiking in the Himalayas. Even my worst travel experiences manage to make me laugh (at least now they do).

I am thankful to have married a man with a similar sense of adventure. We aren’t millionaires (yet) but we do want to give our kids a taste of the world around them. Believe it or not television and the Internet are great places to begin, especially considering the price of gas these days! The next time your kids sing the “mommy, what can I do?” anthem pull out one of these tricks. Bonus: Cheap travel thrills.

1. TripFLIX

TripFLIX is an interactive travel DVD featuring 25 kid-friendly destinations across the United States. It is perfect for exploring family vacation destinations or for embarking on good ol’ armchair traveling. When I learned that I would receive a TripFLIX review copy from Team Mom I couldn’t wait. I was hoping TripFLIX would include a destination in San Diego and they did (Sea World). Now that Megan and Paul have seen a glimpse of San Diego they are more excited about our upcoming move.

The feature that Megan liked most about TripFLIX was the site-related trivia. Both kids watched the DVD with interest but Megan (age 7) was definitely more into it. The entire family sat and watched this together. TripFLIX is obviously designed for kids but it managed to hold adult interest as well.

Want to travel to more exotic destinations? Look no further than the Internet.

2. Dancing Matt

Chances are you have heard of Matt. He is the guy who quit his job in 2003 to travel around the world. Matt became known for video taping himself performing a goofy dance at each of his global destinations. Stride Gum heard about Matt and actually payed him to dance his way around the world in 2006. Every slacker in the world was insanely jealous. Matt is at it again in 2008 except that this time around he is performing local dances instead of his own. In each video he is surrounded by locals who dance alongside him. I’m not sure why this is so interesting. It just is.

One word of parental warning. The name of Matt’s personal website is not exactly kid-friendly although the content is fine. You may want to check out his videos at Stride Gum or look them up on YouTube when you are watching with children - at least ones that know how to read.

3. Google

Google is more than a search engine. How cool is it that I can find my neighborhood and even a picture of my house on Google Earth? Want to really gain access to the world? Globe trotting? Ha. Try space exploration.

4. World Heritage Tour

I can’t remember how I stumbled on this last website but I’m glad I did. UNESCO World Heritage Tour is photographic tour of 299 sites from all over the world. The 360 degree imaging makes you feel like you are there.

Happy armchair traveling…