Thursday, July 22, 2010

TOS Review: Travel Kits Ebook


I have been blessed with children that are wonderful travelers. Last year, Addison and Brennan rode with my Dad from Northern Virginia all the way down to South Georgia. Apparently, they travel so well that he made better time with them in the car than he usually does when it's just him and my mom.

Even Lauren travels fairly well. Our two hour trip to Charlottesville last week went smoothly, even if we didn't have anyone else in the backseat to help pick up dropped DVDs.

Still, I can't say that I look forward to long trips. In fact, I was beginning to dread the long car trip we'll be making to Arkansas next week.

Travel Kits: A Simple Way to Bless Others
The Travel Kits e-book I reviewed is subtitled "A Simple Way to Bless Others." I hadn't thought about using travel kits to bless my family. I merely thought of travel surprises as a sort of survival tool that would help me limp through to the other end of the path.

In this 91 page e-book, Donna Rees gives a basic explanation of what a Travel Kit is and how it can bless either your own family or another family that you chose to shower with this sort of gift. She includes lots of ideas for things to include, ways to package the surprises, and even ways to distribute gifts along the way. There is a lengthy list of books that a family would enjoy on the road -- either for an adult to read out loud or to find on audiobook. I love some of her snack ideas, especially the way she suggests using daily pill organizers to stash little treats. I like the way that she lists plenty of ideas for all age ranges and for both boys and girls. All of the ideas are illustrated with photographs of actual travel kits so that I could see what she was talking about and not just read about it.

The one big thing that struck a chord with me was when she wrote about nicely packaging the gifts. Oops. I think I need to scrounge about for some nice wrapping paper or fabric before we hit the road next week. I know that it'll make a big difference for my children if they can unwrap something special instead of me just pulling it out of my tote bag.

Travel kits aren't just for long car trips. I can see me using some of these ideas when I pack a bag for a long day of doctors' appointments. For instance, I can use the pill box idea when we're sitting in a waiting room or I can find new ideas for audiobooks that we'll enjoy as we run errands around town.

This e-book is available at TOS Magazine's Old Schoolhouse store for $12.45. Do I think it's worth buying? Yes, and no. I did find some really great creative ideas that I'll use, either for this trip or for other days in the future. On the other hand, I would likely have come up with a similar assortment of travel surprises on my own. I guess the value in this book depends on whether you travel a lot and whether you need new ideas for what to do along the way. The e-book costs more than I would usually spend, but if you are short on ideas, it could be a great resource to make your traveling days more enjoyable for everyone.

If you'd like to read what my fellow crewmembers thought about this product, please check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Disclaimer: I received this e-book for free as a member of the 2010 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, and I received no other compensation. In return, I agreed to give an honest review of the materials and how they worked for my homeschool family.

4 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading your review~ very nice!

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  2. I liked reading your review. Have a great trip to Arkansas!

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  3. When I saw the title of your blog I started singing that song immediately =) Stopping by to say hi from a fellow crewmate!

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  4. Stopping by for a TOS crew hello. Enjoyed reading about your family's travels.

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