Mommy Plannerista

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The Best Tips for Traveling to Asia with Kids

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Kids love fun and are curious to see new things across the world. Such trips expose them to different cultures, scenery and beauty that will linger in their memories forever. They will also have numerous stories to share with their friends at school after the vacation. Any person who is planning to travel with kids, particularly to Asia, will require some thorough preparation.

Parents are responsible for the logistics of their family’s trip to Asia including the immigration one. So, the tips here will come in handy for any person who is in the process of planning a visit to Asia with the kids.

Prepare Their Travel Documents

Kids also need a passport and visa to access most countries. Most people assume that this is not important only to be disappointed at the last minute. For holidaymakers, it is easy to get your travel documents ready when using a reputable agent. The agent makes all the work easier for those with kids so that parents can have time to do other things. Make sure that the process starts early enough to allow plenty of time for processing and any delay that may occur.

Vaccinations and Medications

Some Asian countries will require vaccinations for all visitors due to certain health concerns. It may be to prevent you from bringing an illness from your country or contracting one when you arrive there. Check the vaccination requirements with your travel agent or browse the web.

If your kids take medication and need it during the travel, ensure that it is packed. It is highly recommended that one seek a doctor’s advice in such a case.

Understand the Weather Patterns

Knowing the climate guides every parent on how to prepare their kids. Some Asian countries are humid and cold at the same time. Appropriate clothing for all people is important. Kids may find it difficult to cope in such weather with just light clothes because a humid breeze can be a serious problem. Carry some relatively warm clothes, which should also be absorbent. Understanding the weather patterns lets you plan your movement by escaping some harsh weather conditions.

The Power of Snacks

Kids love eating, and they will not spare you from feeding them during this trip. It is up to you to plan their meals well. Plan to have some healthy snacks with you at all times to save a situation. Check if your destination offers healthy snacks that you would like your kids to eat when they feel hungry. Going for a complete meal every time they ask for a bite may be costly and time consuming. After all, some locations may even have no restaurants. Snacks will always come in handy when traveling to Asia with kids.

Book Accommodations and Plane Tickets

Once the dates are set, the kids will not understand if there is any challenge to the trip. Try to minimize the chances of such an event by booking the plane tickets and accommodations early. Asia is a busy destination, which increases the chances of not finding good accommodations at the last minute.

Your kids will enjoy their trip to Asia while you will have an easy time if the above tips become your guide.

 

7 Helpful Tips for a Successful Long Term Tour

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Traveling long term is different from heading to Bahamas for a week. While you can make the mistake of leaving a few things behind for a short trip, the same can not be done when you’re travelling for a while. While you know best what you will be needing most, these 7 mindful tips can help you pack smarter than ever.

  1. Take Care of What You’re Leaving Behind

Before you stuff your bag with all the travel essentials, it is important that you take care of everything that you’re leaving behind as well. Renting a storage unit, like Austin storage units, helps keep your stuff safe for as long as you require. If you’re planning on staying abroad for a couple of months, you can even rent out your place or move out if you’re living in a rented property without having to worry about your belongings.

  1. Always Leave Room For Shopping

One of the biggest mistake travelers make is packing everything they can find and taking it with them. What you need to understand is that there are gazillions of things that you’ll come across and would want to purchase once you’re shopping abroad. A stuffed bag would be your biggest hindrance as you’ll end up paying extra cash for the over-limit baggage.

Therefore,  take the midway (don’t be a minimalist either), pack the essentials and always leave room for shopping.

  1. Roll Your Clothes

Probably the biggest packing hack mankind has discovered is saving up on space by rolling clothes instead of folding. This leaves considerable space for other things you will need to pack and allows you to keep more clothes than you could by folding them. Some compact bags allow you to keep rolled clothes in separate compartments, making room for more things to add.

  1. Keep Separate Laundry Bags

Before you jump to conclusions and consider this as extra luggage, reevaluate its benefits. Stating the obvious, packing separate laundry bags keeps your used and dirty clothes away from fresh and unworn clothes. A smart way to save on space is getting vacuum laundry bags, from which air can be sucked out, occupying minimum space. Doing it the other way around (keeping unworn clothes in the vacuum bags) keeps your clothes wrinkle free and separate from laundry.

  1. Avoid Handbags and Shoes

Never, I repeat, Never pack excess handbags and shoes. As tempting as it may be to pack up all those classy heels you got, you will eventually end up giving all your luggage space to handbags and shoes. All you need is a pair of trainers and one pair of formal wear to wear to special occasions.

Similarly, don’t buy excess handbags as they lose their shape if packed recklessly and would otherwise take up too much space, not leaving room for other essential items.

  1. Take Power Adapters

Since it is always unpredictable what kind of sockets you will end up with in a new country, it is always a safe bet to carry power adapters with you. Last thing you want is dead phone batteries and a socket that doesn’t fit your straightener. Get one that is universal so you don’t have to worry when switching regions too.

  1. Luggage Scales are a must

When everything is done and dusted, don’t forget to weigh your luggage before you head out to the airport. Save yourself the unwanted trouble of having to remove items from your luggage, simply because you didn’t weigh it earlier. No better investment than a luggage scale, which helps you pack smartly.

Review: Airbnb Staycation at Icon Plaza, Bonifacio Global City

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Last month, I had to attend an event for Omron Healthcare in Bonifacio Global City. It was an event I helped my friend organize. Because we had several things going on in the area during the days surrounding the event, hubby and I decided to just go on a staycation there to make things easier for us. So, we looked for a condo that we can book via Airbnb and we found one at The Icon Plaza.

Icon Plaza is located at 25th street. It’s the building right behind the area where they put up Mercato Centrale every Wednesday and Thursday nights. We liked the location because it was only a few blocks near the venue for Omron’s event. Plus, it’s also near Bonifacio High Street, Market Market and SM Aura. We booked a studio unit for a two-night stay. Here’s what the condo unit looked like.

Admittedly, the interior design of the unit isn’t really my style but the place had almost everything we wanted. First of all, it was big enough for me, hubby and our two little boys. Our two girls weren’t able to join us because we booked on weekdays and they had school.

Since the unit was a studio, it didn’t have a separate bedroom but it had a queen-size bed. The sleeping area can be separated though by the heavy drapes that the unit owner had installed. Our baby, Zander and I slept comfortably on the bed.

The unit also had a sofa bed and this is where Ziggy slept. Hubby didn’t sleep with us on the two nights we were there because he still had to go to work.

The unit had brand new appliances including a TV. Unfortunately, the only cable service they had was an ABS-CBN TV Box, which I didn’t really like because of the very limited channels. But fortunately, the owner had just installed a phone line and a strong WiFi connection. So, we just entertained ourselves with our phone and tablets when the TV shows were boring. Here’s a view of the TV from the bed. The sleeping area also had a closet and a dresser.

The dining area had bar seating, which we didn’t really use. When we ate we just used the sofa and the center table. It wasn’t really a problem though. We just used the bar to place some of our bags.

I really liked that they provided a printed card with the house rules on it. It decreased the need for us to contact the owner when we had questions. There was also this pink bag which had extension cords and the like. There was a Bluetooth speaker as well but we weren’t able to use it.

We didn’t do any cooking while we were there but we did boil water for our coffee.

The kitchen had a microwave, stove and refrigerator, plus the basic cooking and eating utensils. A sponge and dishwashing liquid was also provided.

There was one bathroom and I really liked it because it had a water heater and a bidet. Some condo units don’t have those so I really appreciated that this one did. Several towels, toilet paper as well as some toiletries were provided for our use.

The unit also had a laundry area with a washing machine but we didn’t use it.

We were free to use the amenities at the llth floor. Here’s the pool area. There were three pools, two of which were kiddie pools.

There was actually some construction at one side of the pool area. I don’t know though if they’re going to put on another pool there.

Here’s the gym, which we were free to use but weren’t able to try.

Here’s the game room, which was closed when we went there in the morning.

On our first night there, we ordered from the nearby McDonald’s through their app. But on the second night, we decided to go down to Mercato Centrale before hubby went to work. There were lots of different types of food available. Here’s some of them.

I even got extra food that we could munch on late at night. These crablets were so yummy!

After dinner that second night, I was even able to take Ziggy and Zander to a Mommy & Sons date night at Bonifacio High Street, which was only a few blocks away.

Overall, we had a really nice stay in this condo unit. Here’s a summary of what we love as well as what we think needs improvement.

What we love:

1. Location – It’s near all the places we needed to go to. We especially love that Mercato Centrale is just right outside. There’s also a 7-11, a Starbucks branch, and other restaurants at the building beside Icon Plaza.
2. Amenities – We love the pool area although the water was a bit cold that morning. All the pools were clean. Wish we were able to try the game room though.
3. Appliances – We love that the unit itself has almost complete and brand new appliances. It was also fully air-conditioned by the way.
4. Security – We love that the security in the building is strict. When we had McDonald’s food delivered, they didn’t allow the delivery guy to go up to us. We had to meet him at the lobby to get our food. It’s a bit inconvenient but it just goes to show that they don’t allow just anybody to have access to the the upper floors where the units are.
5. WiFi – The internet connection was fast and newly installed. It was not prepaid, which is what other Airbnb rentals have.
6. Communication – We hardly needed to communicate with the owner. But when we did, she responded immediately.
7. Cleanliness – The unit was spotless! Of course since this is an Airbnb rental, you have to keep the property clean. Although I’ve encountered other listings that also charge separately for home cleaning service.  The common areas in the building were also clean.

What needs improvement:

1. Parking – The unit doesn’t come with a parking spot. Even the building itself doesn’t provide pay parking. We had to park the car at the pay parking at the building beside Icon Plaza. The parking fee there doesn’t come cheap either. They charge Php 50.00 for the first 2 hours, then Php 50.00 for every succeeding hour.
2. Cable – There was no cable installed. We hardly watch local channels so we didn’t really appreciate the ABS-CBN TV Box they had.

That said, we do recommend this unit for a nice, quiet staycation. This is only our second time to book an Airbnb rental (the first was in Eastwood). Because we had another pleasant experience this time around, we won’t hesitate to book again next time.

For more information about this rental, click here.

Events: Zoomanity Group Joins Travelooza

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Sharing great news from our friends at Zoomanity Group! If traveling is on your agenda, read up.

 

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We are all inviting you to join us at Asia Digital Marketing Expo 2017 which is on its 3rd year now and presenting TRAVELOOZA. For this year, again, Zoomanity Group joins this historical event.

It’s a convergence of travel operators, agencies,theme parks, resorts, hotels and restaurants. There will be exhibitors and talks. Bring also your business permit to be accredited.

Date: ‪September 28, 2017‬
Venue: Makati Sports Club
Time: ‪9Am-5PM‬
Ticket Cost: Php 1000 (That includes flowing coffee, Buffet Lunch, Activities, Certificate of Attendance, Tokens, Eligibility for Raffle Prizes)

For sponsorship. Please send your inquiries directly to [email protected] Please deposit your registration to BPI Checking ‪1680 0010 29‬, Tag Media and Public Relations Account.

Zoomanity Group is composed of different theme parks and Restaurants in the Philippines like Zoobic Safari, Zoocobia, Zoocolate Thrills, Paradizoo, Residence Inn, Misono Japanese Restaurant, Jinsei, Nanten, Midori and Yakitori Daitokyo.

Zoomanity group is the leading company in theme park industry under the Yupangco Group of Companies. Envisioning world class, innovative and enjoyable facilities from Northern to Southern Philippines by providing the best tourist destination and nature educational experiences with the facilities that is uniquely design to provide enjoyment to visitors of all ages.

For more information: www.zoomanity.com.ph and www.tagmedia.asia / 02 9170213 (Tag Media Office), 09166299381.

 

Our First AirBnB Staycation in Eastwood City

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Last April, I attended the first PlannerCon Manila in Eastwood City in Libis, Quezon City. It was a whole day event on a Saturday. Because we don’t live near that area, hubby and I decided to check in somewhere there the day before so that I won’t need to rush to the venue on Saturday morning. Also, he would have an easier time handling our two little boys on his own since I won’t be wasting time traveling to and from the venue.

My boys strolling in Eastwood City

Instead of booking a hotel though, we decided to try an Airbnb staycation in Eastwood. We had never booked any rentals through Airbnb before so this was a new experience for us. There were so many options but we finally decided on a studio type condo unit at the Eastwood Le Grand Tower 3.

We chose this specific unit because it’s walking distance to the convention venue, which was at the Eastwood Richmonde Hotel. Plus, the unit was just right for us (2 adults and 2 kids) and had the amenities we were looking for. There was also a lot of good reviews for the unit.

We were expecting to check in only for Friday night until Saturday but there was a minimum stay requirement of 2 nights, which actually worked great for us. The price of Php 2,500 a night was also not that bad. Although I checked the listing again recently and the price is now down to Php 1,684 a night only. I think we were charged higher then because we booked during the peak of summer season. The good thing though is that the owner doesn’t charge a cleaning fee. The only additional cost was the service fee, which was less than Php 500.

Check in was fast and easy. We just had to register at the front desk then we were directed to the elevators. There were a lot of elevators so the wait to ride one never lasted more than a couple of minutes.

Check in to the unit itself was likewise easy. We were given the combination key to a lock box located by the door. Upon opening it, the key to the unit was inside. I love how very secure the system is.

Here’s what the unit looked like.

There’s only one queen size bed but there was also a sofa bed so 4 people can be accommodated in the unit.

Actually, I think if we brought our two teen daughters with us, we would still fit in there. The 3 oldest kids can fit in the sofa bed while the baby can share the bed with hubby and I.

The unit also had an aircon, a TV with Sky Cable and a WiFi connection. There was one cabinet as well with a few hangers inside.

Here’s what the kitchen and dining area looked like. I like that there was a refrigerator, an electric kettle, a microwave and small stove.

There were also cookware, dining ware and utensils that you can use. The dining table was small though and only had two chairs but that wasn’t really a problem for us.

 

Here’s what the bathroom looked like. It had a shower with hot and cold water.

It had a toilet and a nice big sink. There were also a couple of towels available for use within the unit. The only thing I didn’t like in the bathroom is that there was no bidet or water dipper, which made washing dirty kids a bit challenging.

The Eastwood Le Grand Tower 3 has several amenities, including a swimming pool, gym, indoor playroom and outdoor playground. We were only interested in swimming though. Here’s what the pool looked like.

A small part of the pool is for the kids. Incidentally, this was our baby Zander’s first swimming experience!

The bigger pool wasn’t that deep. I think it was only up to 6 feet deep.

I love that the pool was kept clean at all times. We were able to swim on Friday afternoon and Sunday morning and loved it.

I also love that there were male and female wash rooms nearby with a couple of shower stalls.

At the same floor of the pool were the gym, as well as the indoor and outdoor playground. We weren’t able to visit the gym and indoor playground though but here’s a photo of the outdoor playground.

I should also mention that the unit we got had a great view of the pool and was away from direct sunlight so it was never hot when we were there.

The unit is owned by Jerry (check out the listing here). My hubby was the one who communicated with him. He had nothing negative to say about his experience in communicating with him. In fact, my hubby left a glowing review of this unit on Airbnb as you can see below.

Overall, we truly enjoyed our stay here. The unit was clean when we got there (trash was picked up twice a day!). We immediately felt at home. Everything in the unit worked nicely.

We really liked that we can go out of the building and there were already so many restaurants and convenience stores to choose from for when it was time to eat. The mall was also a stone’s throw away.

Ziggy having fun at the Eastwood mall!

The only downside to this rental is that it doesn’t have it’s own parking space. Hubby had to park at the mall and that cost about Php 300 a night, if I remember correctly.

Our first Airbnb staycation in Eastwood City was certainly one to remember. We definitely recommend this rental and look forward to booking it again next time.

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