After being cooped up in the house for months, check out these fun and handy items for your next family vacation.
FOR THE KIDS
KIDS’ TRAVEL JOURNAL
Peter Pauper Press
Keep your kids’ hands busy and their minds sharp with this interactive travel notebook. The journal is filled with writing prompts and colorful illustrations, ideal for recording daily adventures. Kids can get creative planning trip itineraries, packing lists, sketching, playing games, pasting photos and recording special memories and funny moments. ($12.99) peterpauper.com
MAGIC ADVENTURES GLOBE
LeapFrog
This fun and interactive globe is a virtual learning tool that will excite your child about travel. Ideal for ages 5+, the talking globe features a 2.7” video screen, animations and more than five hours of live-action videos. Kids will be fully immersed for hours when using the stylus to explore countries, languages, cultures, geography, animals, habitats and more. ($79.99) leapfrog.com
FLARE JR. LX, PIPER AND MINNOW YOUTH SNORKEL SET
U.S. Divers
If your family yearns for adventure and marine wildlife explorations, this quality kids’ snorkeling gear is reasonably priced and essential. The set is equipped with a hypoallergenic silicone junior face skirt, submersible dry top snorkel, one-way purge valve and built-in whistle. It also includes a handy travel bag with a mask pocket. ($49.99) usdivers.com
PERPLEXUS EPIC 3D MAZE
Spin Master
If you seek activities to bolster your kid’s problem-solving skills — look no further! This thrilling 3D maze is packed with 125 challenging obstacles contained within an easily portable sphere. Move the ball along numbered tracks through tricky puzzles such as the “Serpentine Hurdles” and “Escher’s Stairs” without falling off course. ($24.99) spinmaster.com
KIDIZOOM DUo 5.0 WATERPROOF CAMERA
VTech
This colorful, multi-functional, easy-to-use camera will bring out the photographer in your little ones. They can capture shots of underwater sea creatures and stay busy for hours on your family vacation with tons of easy features such as a color screen, headphones and built-in MP3 player. Made with a strong rubbery build, it is durable and shatter resistant. ($34.00) amazon.com
BODY BOARD FOR KIDS & ADULTS
Lucky Bums
One of the best activities to guarantee a fun vacation is boogie boarding. Strap on to this lightweight body board made with a slick, high-density polyethylene bottom and use the 60/40 rails to do tricks. Lucky Bums offers three different sizes for kids and adults, so the entire family can spend the day playing or drifting on the waves. ($54.99) luckybums.com
WATERPROOF PLAYING CARDS
Kovot
Keep it old school and play classic card games onboard with this waterproof deck. Made of 100% plastic, the resilient cards will not soak up humidity, and you can rinse them off when they get dirty. The deck comes complete with a snap-lock plastic case, so it’s an ideal travel toy. ($7.99) kovot.com
MARINE-GRADE SEAT & SWING
SearocK
This family-owned business produces the only marine-grade baby seat designed specifically for boats. The swing uses a four-point harness to secure on any sturdy boat top and is built to withstand salt and foul weather. It’s portable and easily stowed, and your little one will love rocking along to the motion of the ocean. ($149.95) babysearock.com
FOR THE PARENTS
BRIGHT 3500 LUMENS 4K OUTDOOR MOVIE PROJECTOR
ViewSonic
After a long day of cruising, end the night by nestling in to watch a big-screen movie under the stars. This compact and easily portable outdoor projector is perfect for large settings as it has a max screen size of 300 inches and can create a 100-inch screen from nine feet away. It features HDR compatibility and a custom color technology that enhances movies with vibrant, life-like colors and shadows. (Prices vary.) viewsonic.com
ENO DOUBLENEST HAMMOCK
Eagles Nest Outfitters
Lightweight, compact and easy to transport, you will not regret bringing this little piece of bliss on your family vacation. Kick back on the versatile hammock made from high-tenacity nylon taffeta and breathable fabric that dries quickly. Feel free to snuggle up with someone because it holds up to 400 lbs. and includes nautical grade lines with stainless steel snap links allowing for secure use on trees, poles and boat masts. ($69.95) eaglenestoutfittersinc.com
WATERPROOF HERO9 BLACK GOPRO CAMERA
GoPro
Capture the moment with the best-rated camera out there — a GoPro. This model is lightweight and waterproof up to 33 feet. It includes a detachable lens, extra large flip screen for framing and vlogging plus editing features such as slo-mo and time-lapse. The package also includes a one-year subscription to GoPro, which gets you unlimited cloud storage, total camera replacement insurance and up to 50% off at GoPro’s web site. ($349.98) gopro.com
RAINBOW CHAISE LOUNGER POOL FLOAT
Funboy
Who says mom and dad can’t have toys for a family vacation, too? This comfortable floating chaise lounge chair is thick, smooth and transparent creating an ombré effect reflecting unique hues on the water. Relax on a sandy beach or float around in the water with a cold drink in the cup holder. The float includes a tether point to secure to the dock, boat or any stationary object. ($79.00) funboy.com
