Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
Summer is the time for road trips! Whether it's a day trip to visit one of the many interesting cities or towns in our state, or a weekend trip to another state, it's always a good idea to take along food and drinks rather than repeatedly stop into convenience stores or fast food joints. The bigger your family, the more money you can save by taking along your meals, snacks, and drinks.
This LUNCIA Cooler is, by far, the best cooler we've ever taken on a road trip. There are so many fabulous features in the LUNCIA Cooler! It is expertly designed with airtight zippers to prevent the loss of cool air and minimize any water leakage. It also has a T-shaped zipper slider and serrated zippers for smooth opening and closing.
Designed with bands at the front for hanging handy items, and a bungee cord for hats or helmets, LUNCIA Coolers have thought of everything! Buckle stabilizers at the front and back can be used to attach the cooler when cycling, and adjustable straps at the back are for an umbrella, extra clothes, or even a picnic blanket. The secret pocket at the back is convenient to store bank cards, keys, and other essentials.
The surface and lining of LUNCIA Coolers are made of double-sided waterproof fabric. Without adding volume to the cooler or occupying the inner space, the high-density compact foam provides an effective insulated compartment. Your items will stay cool in a LUNCIA Cooler for up to THREE DAYS! You can easily carry this lightweight LUNCIA Cooler by its adjustable shoulder strap, two side handles, or the comfort strap at the top.
Look how much ROOM is inside! I dropped a whole watermelon in it (see photo below) to give you some perspective on its size. LUNCIA Coolers are designed to serve up to four people for three days. That sounds like an invitation to the perfect weekend road trip. Take your new LUNCIA Cooler to the beach for a weekend of fun in the sun or take it along in the boat on a fishing trip. It's perfect for picnics, outdoor sporting events, concerts in the local parks, and so many other exciting adventures. I know you'll love the LUNCIA Cooler as much as we do!
Disclosure: I received compensation in exchange for my post.
The most often stated reason for not traveling often is that it simply costs too much to travel. There are so many ways to save money on summer travels and Groupon.com is ready to help you cut the cost of travel this summer! Groupon offers fabulous discounts on hotels, rental cars, amusement parks, and even airfare. You can plan your entire vacation through Groupon by starting at this Expedia.com link.
Use Groupon to explore the international landscapes of Europe, visit historical cities across America, take a relaxing cruise through the Caribbean, or sip exotic cocktails under coconut trees on a sandy beach in Central America. There are so many wonderful places across our planet and I just know there is a place you've been dreaming about seeing. Check off a couple of bucket list items and with the savings you can get through Groupon.com, you can probably add a few more must-see places to your list!
Groupon can even help you with savings at retail websites to get what you need for your trip, like luggage, clothes, shoes, and more. No matter where you're heading this summer, start your journey at Groupon.com for great savings!
Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
If you're going anywhere this summer, don’t let your globe-trotting adventures get ruined by having your personal belongings (like money, credit cards, or passports) stolen while traveling. You can have peace of mind that your valuables are safe with SAFEGO.
This sleek, lightweight lock box is the ultimate theft deterrent. It features a heavy-duty lock and unique flexible steel cable, so it can attach to almost any secure fixture. Lock away your phone, keys, cash, wallet, camera, sunglasses, and jewelry so you can go enjoy yourself with no worries.
SAFEGO has a custom combination that you set, plus key access so only you can get into it. You'll get two keys and a stretchy key wristband so you don't lose the key while you're having fun. SAFEGO is even water-resistant and sand-resistant.
Don't stick your valuables in your shoe ever again! SAFEGO comes in black, white, blue, pink or gold at https://safego.us/ or on Amazon.com. It's perfect for keeping your valuables safe while you're traveling, but also very handy around your home too!
Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
When I travel, there is so much to carry, so I simply love it when a company creates something that makes traveling easier. The Hydaway Collapsible Bottle is a genius idea! Since you cannot carry a water bottle through the airport security anymore, it is such a hassle carry along an empty water bottle and at the outrageous price airports sell water for, I often have to wait until beverages are served mid-flight for a drink.
The Hydaway Collapsible Bottle is the perfect solution! Small enough to fit in your pocket at just over an inch thick, it pops up into a water bottle in seconds. It comes in lots of great colors and you can choose from 12oz or 21oz. All Hydaway lightweight, collapsible bottles feature an easy to use, flip-up straw for quick sips, a carabiner-friendly carry handle, and come with a watertight guarantee. They are also BPA-Free, taste and odor-free, and are dishwasher safe.
Don't travel anywhere without a Hydaway Collapsible Bottle. Toss one in your lunchbox, handbag, backpack, and car so you always have one handy. When you're done drinking, just press it down and stow it away for next time. Get one for everyone in the family. Hydaway bottles can help us to reduce waste and keep plastics out of landfills. I love my Hydaways!
Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
Whether it’s driving to grandma’s house, flying home, or taking the train out of the city, holiday travel is never fun - especially when you have hungry kids with you. To avoid meltdowns you may find yourself buying that overpriced airport sandwich or stopping at the next fast food restaurant you see, but it doesn’t have to be that way this year.
The Charcuterie Shack, a purveyor of charcuterie, tapas, and cured meats, has a collection of perfectly travel-sized snacks that are sure to stop even the worst case of "hangry." The Espuña Tapas Essentials line of chorizo, sopressata, and salami bites and sticks are all natural, antibiotic free, protein-packed, and shelf stable making them the perfect holiday-travel snack solution. They are also filled with authentic Spanish flavors and are made from family recipes dating back 70 years.
Whether you're inclined to grab the sticks or the bites, each package contains 3oz of delicious meat. I found that a package is plenty of snack for two adults, so you could easily split up one package for several hungry kids. My favorite flavor is the Hot Sopresatta; and if you're looking for less spicy for younger kids, I'd go for the Chorizo.
Espuna Tapas Essentials are excellent quality, easy to transport, simple to share, and a fabulous way to fight off hunger during holiday travel. Be sure to tuck some into your handbag in case you get caught in holiday traffic while you're gift shopping too!
You can grab The Charcuterie Shack Espuña Tapas Essentials at the following retailers:
NE: Fairway Markets, Westside Markets, Food Bazaar, King Kullen, selected Shoprite stores, selected Stop and Shop stores, independents and coops, Eataly, Zabars, Agata and Valentina. TX: Central Markets SE: Harris Teeter, Sedanos, Presidente, Tropical Supermarkets, Bravo´s Other: Cost Plus World Markets Online: Amazon, HamLovers, Latienda.com
Disclosure: I received entry at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
The Polynesian Cultural Center is, by far, one of the most wonderful places I've visited in Hawaii! We boarded a Polynesian Cultural Center tour bus in Waikiki, meeting our driver and a hilarious tour guide who called us all cousins. After a comfortable one-hour bus ride (with reclining seats and air conditioning) along the gorgeous windward side of Oahu, we arrived at the Polynesian Cultural Center around noon.
Hawaii has the best weather on the planet, and this day was perfect, the temperature around 84 degrees, with plenty of sunshine, cool breezes, and a few dotty clouds passing overhead. Above the lush greenery and tropical flowers, the tall trees gently waves their palms against a bright blue sky.
We checked in and met our two tour guides for the day. They called us cousins and ohana (family). Then we found out they were real cousins! They gave us each a Kukui Nut Lei, made of nuts from the kukui tree, the state tree of Hawaii. In ancient times, this type of lei was worn only by royalty.
Our tour guides led our hungry group of about 20 visitors past some beautiful waterfalls to the Hale Aloha, one of many wonderful places to eat at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
This was our beautiful view as we indulged in scrumptious foods from across the islands of Polynesia.
I don't think I've ever had chicken quite as delicious as the one I enjoyed there! By the way, the fresh pineapple in Hawaii is much sweeter than anywhere else.
But the highlight of any meal is, of course, the delectable desserts!
After a hearty meal, we sat back to relax in a large canoe. As our "driver" poled our canoe through the lagoon, our tour guides pointed out the different villages of the Polynesian islands that we would be visiting throughout the day.
The villages along the lagoon are designed to portray each of the islands accurately, preserving the distinct cultural heritage of Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti, Fiji, Aotearoa, and Tonga. Each of the six has very unique qualities to their homes, foods, dances, and dress. Here are some of my favorite photos from the canoe ride.
Walking through each of the villages is even more fun. We saw their boats, homes, tools, musical instruments, ornamental items, dishes, and so much more. Along the way, there are activities for all ages. Having tour guides tell us about everything along the way made the visit so much more meaningful.
We learned how to make poi, the Polynesian staple food made from the underground plant stem of the taro plant. We tasted the purple, starchy poi, which had about the same consistency of mashed sweet potato pudding. It tasted pretty good, a bit bland with a hint of sweetness.
Then we settled along the river for the Canoe Pageant, where we watched a parade of canoes, displaying the music, dance, and dress of the Polynesian islands. Their colorful costumes and animated dances were delightful. It was one of my favorite parts of the day!
During the parade, we heard a loud splash and discovered one of the dancers had ended up in the lagoon!
After the Canoe Pageant, we went to one of the shows, where a few people from the audience were able to get on stage and participate in the dancing and drum playing. It was roaring good fun and the music was lively!
I'm not so sure my husband would have learned how to hula dance if he'd known I was standing right behind him, catching all his island moves on video:
Afterwards, we learned some tricky dance moves with these soft bags that hung from long strings. I found it rather easy at first, twirling them both the same direction, but then we switched to twirling them different directions.
It was much like trying to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time, and I ended up a pile of giggles after hitting myself in the head a couple of times. I finally got the hang of it, sort of.
We later settled into the shade to watch a fire-lighting race, which really lasted only a few seconds. I could hardly believe how fast these guys can light a fire. We were also told that Samoan men do all the cooking. That sounded fabulous to me!
Then they showed us how they climb, super fast up the coconut tree, to grab coconuts. Check out my video below! Every part of the coconut is used in island culture, including the husk, the coconut water, the coconut meat, the coconut milk squeezed out of the meat, and even the shell. Amazing!
In another area, we learned how to weave palm leaves and we each made a little fish. It isn't as easy as it looks! We sat cross-legged on woven mats that lined the floor of a large open-walled house, learning step by step how to weave them. In everything we did throughout the day, we were made to feel like family.
A grand buffet of many foods awaited us for dinner. We were greeted with warm aloha and beautiful flower leis. As we found our seats for dinner, they lifted up, from an underground oven, one of the largest pigs I've ever seen. It had been roasting all day long and the smell was intoxicating.
As we were laughingly encouraged to eat no less than seven plates of food, we were treated to a fabulous show of song and dance from across Polynesia. The keiki (children in Hawaiian) were absolutely adorable!
My most favorite part of the dinner show was this incredibly talented 9 year old who juggled firey batons:
We had a little bit of free time after dinner before the night show began, so we walked around the Hukilau Marketplace, looking in the many shops at all the wonderful island treats and treasures for sale.
As the sky darkened, we lined up to see Ha: Breath of Life. There are no photos or videos allowed in the show, so I had great expectations that it would be spectacular. I was not disappointed! The hour and a half night show is truly amazing. During intermission, we reveled in a Delight Dessert, which is a soft, sherbert-like dessert with tropical fruits. We had fabulous seats for the show, right near the front and center. I was entertained, surprised, delighted, and even nearly cried. I will remember it forever!
The Polynesian Cultural Center is an absolutely MUST-DO on the Hawaiian island of Oahu! It is a wonderful place for couples, families, students, seniors, or anyone who wants an authentic, memorable experience of the beautiful islands of Polynesia. There is so much to see and do that it could easily take two or three days to experience it all.
Visit www.polynesia.com to find out more and to buy tickets. I strongly encourage you to get one of the Ambassador packages because it comes with lots of great perks! Set up round trip transportation from a Waikiki hotel so you can enjoy the scenery on the way there, and relax in comfort (and nap a bit) on the way back. Our visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center was one of our most favorite days in Hawaii!
