Notes from Two and a Half Traveler's India Adventure

When I told the folks back home that we were vacationing in India with our almost 3 year-old, everyone wondered how we would handle 14-hour flight from Delhi. Ha! It turns out that was the easy part.

The real trouble begins when severely jet-lagged parents explain the critical importance of holding hands while visiting Delhi's hectic, early-morning wholesale flower market to an equally jet-lagged three year old. While most parents opt for a calm reasoned explanation about a busy market with lots of people, we found that toddlers with active imaginations seem to respond best to threats like you will be "smashed to bits by a car" or "gobbled up by an awful monster".

Threats are great but so are bribes. Here are a few of our favorites from our week in Delhi:

• If you sit in your seat on the plane with your seat belt fastened without crying you may have a single M&M. (Repeat until fasten seat belt sign is off.)
• If you let Mommy and Daddy finish their [tea, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack] in peace we will take you to play at [insert name of Delhi's various parks here - I can assure you we know many now].
• You can only have a chocolate ice cream if you eat your french fries. (Yes, this does count as a nutritional low for us.)

Over the past few days we have wondered more than once why on earth do we do this to ourselves. It's crazy but we love it!

If the Internet-connection Gods are willing I will be sharing some of the high points over the next few days as we head in to our final week in Northern India!

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care...

Because I'm green (and a little lazy) I am recycling this awesome Christmas image from our pre-kid Christmas on Koh Tao in 2005.

It seems especially appropriate this year as we prepare to strike out on our first really big family adventure -- a two week trip to India.

Merry Christmas!

Passports With Purpose Wildly Exceeds Expectations

Are you walking a little taller today? Well you should be!

With our help, Passports With Purpose has raised a total of $26,984; more than double our original goal of $13,000.

So not only will we build a school, the extra money will fund health-related improvements to the school, including a water filter, a school nurse and a "victory garden" which will provide one nutritious meal to the students each day. In rural Cambodia, where healthcare not generally available, and approximately 50% of kids are malnourished, these improvements are much needed.

Many, many thanks you to everyone who participated in the Passports With Purpose fundraiser. Is it too soon to start talking about next year?

$10 Can Build a School!

This year's Passports With Purpose has been an overwhelming success but we still have a little further to go before December 21 to DOUBLE our $13,000 fundraising goal. $26,000 is enough to build the school AND provide:

• Hagar water filter: $300 one-time cost.
• 1 "Victory" vegetable garden,: $7,500 funds first two years, $2,000 each additional year.
• School nurse: $5400/year.

A $10 raffle ticket might not seem like a big deal but every single donation builds on the one before to make a difference for a Cambodian child.

Spread the word and GIVE. Thank you.

Ready for some free stuff?

Holidays got your wallet feeling a little too light for comfort?

Hop on over to Got Giveaways? on Two of a Kind Working on a Full House.



Take a look at a few of the hot travel items we found:

• Organic Baby Bjorn
• Little Passports Global Adventure for Kids
• $200 Traveling Mom Prize Pack

There's a list of 224 others (and counting) so go check it out.

Happy Holidays from Two and a Half Travelers

We are in serious prep mode for our upcoming family trip to India.

Finalizing travel arrangements, mapping out our airplane amusement strategy and determining just how much of the medicine cabinet to bring with us are just a few of the items sharing space with this year's Christmas list. Speaking of lists...

Hot off the presses - a Two and a Half Travelers Baby on Board packing list to jump start planning for your own holiday travels.

Please accept this as a small token of our thanks for stopping by in 2009.

Keep up with us in 2010 on Twitter @twoandahalf or Fan us on Facebook!

Don't you hate it when you totally blank on a name?

Yesterday while speaking at the Baby Bites UWS New Mom Luncheon I completely blanked on the name of that Jamaican resort that includes a vacation nanny for every family. Convenient, no?

When, I got home and came across this new post from Shelly Rivoli's Travels with Baby "Vacation Nanny 411: All about FDR Resorts' ultimate "all-inclusive inclusion" for families" it all came back to me!

This quote from Shelli about her family's visit could make any new Mom book a ticket:

I, myself, was surprised by how quickly our Vacation Nannies, Coretta and Jasmine, fit in with our family. Within 24 hours, I found myself handing off the baby for a diaper change and a stroll without a second thought (his first time with anyone outside of the family).

Wanna go? Contact us at info@twoandahalftravelers.com and we'll take care of the details!