City shower curtains

How fabulous are these shower curtains? Above are Paris, Venice, the Brooklyn Bridge and London. What a way to start the day!

P.S. Another cool one.

Plane picnics

Plane food is usually rubbery and inedible--and now you have to pay for it!--so do you ever bring your own snacks on board? I love the idea of delicious plane picnics--think: cheese, bread, salami--so I just wrote a post for Conde Nast Traveler about five food writers' go-to picnics. I loved the suggestion to bring a clementine, not only to make you feel healthy but also to make you smell citrusy!

What's your favorite plane picnic?

(Photo by Anna Wolf; also, I'm thrilled to say I'm one of Conde Nast Traveler's new bloggers xoxo)

Travel-themed week

This week, I'd love to do a fun little travel-themed week. (We actually started yesterday:) After the excitement of the holidays, aren't you feeling wanderlusty and itching to go somewhere beautiful?
I'm curious: Where would you go today, if you could beam yourself anywhere?

(Photos via Pinterest; canoe photo by Emily Chidester)

A genius tip for packing for your honeymoon

My friend Susan Cernek (who also happens to be the Fashion Development Director at Glamour) shared the best tip with me the other day: Pack in a single color scheme. "For my two-week honeymoon around Italy, I packed all blue and white pieces," she told me. "That way, I could pack more efficiently, and mix and match."
A bonus tip? "Pack a red dress," she says. "Red always looks dramatic in photos, even if you're lost, like I was here."

(Via Conde Nast Traveler; and here's another romantic post)

Which European cities are good for family trips?

Which European cities do you think are kid-friendly? We're daydreaming about pinching our pennies and possibly taking Toby to Europe this summer (he'll be two!), and I'd love to find a city that would be great with a little rascal in tow.

Which cities in Europe would you recommend for a family trip? Yolanda wrote a brilliant guide to Paris with kids, and Louisa Kamps wrote a beautiful essay on a family trip to Amsterdam. Thank you SO much for any insights! xoxo

(Photo of Berlin by Travel & Leisure)

Los Angeles: Mini guide

Last fall, I wrote our personal Guide to NYC. But a few readers have also asked about our thoughts about LA, where we go every Christmas to visit Alex's family. We LOVE LA--and the sunny skies, taco trucks and dudes on skateboards. So, even though we're far from experts, I figured I'd share our favorite places in the city, and most of all I'd love to hear yours...
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Austin advice?

We're going to Austin!!! Our friends just moved there, so we're heading down for a weekend trip at the end of the month. (We figured we sneak in the trip before Toby turns two and we have to buy him plane seat.)

Everyone I know raves about Austin, and we can't wait to see it. Most of all, I'm excited to swim in Barton Springs, the 1,000-foot-long spring-fed natural pool. It looks incredible! (This monthly full-moon party would be a trip:)

Have you been to Austin? Do you live there? We'd be psyched for any recommendations! xoxo

P.S. Ten tips for traveling with a baby, and our guide to NYC.

(Photos by Budget Travel, MagazineUSA, Emily and Jack Archer)

How to make travel WAY easier

Can you imagine boarding a flight with just a wallet and your favorite book? Before you leave for vacation, LugLess will pick up your suitcases from your house and deliver them right to your destination.

A small suitcase costs $39 and a large suitcase costs $59, which are amazing prices considering that most airlines charge twenty-five bones to check a bag. Traveling without luggage would make a trip so much easier, especially when you have a wriggly baby in tow.

Having bags sent ahead is something I always assumed was reserved for the Rich & Famous, but this seems totally doable! Thumbs up, LugLess.

RedBall Project

For the past six years, artist Kurt Perschke has squeezed a huge red ball into cracks, gaps and alleys all around the world. The red ball has visited cities like Barcelona, Chicago, Toronto and Sydney, and it's now heading to England for the summer! (Reminds me of this children's story, do you remember it?)

(Via Apartment Therapy)

Travel fantasy: Rainbow hotel

When we go to Palm Springs for Christmas, we usually rent a house, but this new rainbow Saguaro hotel looks like a trip! What a cool place to stay (or even get married).

(Via My Modern Met)

Travel fantasy: Yurts

My twin sister and her husband took a weekend getaway to Big Sur and stayed in a yurt! They said it was one of their coolest vacations. How invigorating to spend the day hiking and swimming, and in the evening, you can drink wine on your deck, breathe the salty air, and watch the sunset. Yurts also seem like a great baby step for those of us who aren't big campers: You get to be in nature and sleep in a bed. Good for wusses!

Have you ever stayed in a yurt? Would you want to? Big Sur looks incredible.

P.S. More travel fantasies, and are you the camping type?

(Photos by Marya, The Roaming Boomers and RoxTues)

Motherhood Mondays: Would you ever take a vacation by yourself?

My friend Sharon and I were hanging out this weekend--with four noisy little dudes in tow--and she told me that every year she takes a vacation by herself...
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Motherhood Mondays: Family travel

Since 2005, English photographer Tom Robinson has photographed his and his girlfriend's feet as they've traveled the world. (Remember this post?) Well, in 2011, they added a third set of feet: their daughter Matilda. How adorable and adventurous are these photos?

P.S. Tom's other genius project, I'm Going to Be a Dad.

(Via Double Takes)