While I would love to have my entire collection on hand, space is usually at a premium so I try to focus on what my top health concerns would and how many I could address with one oil.

One thing I love about essential oils is that they are so versatile. There are so many chemical constituents that make up the structure of each oil and each of those constituents make it useful for different purposes. For example, Lemon oil has the therapeutic properties of being anti-anemic (helps blood flow),  antimicrobial (immune support), anti-rheumatic (arthritis), anti-sclerotic, antiseptic and bactericidal (cleansing-surfaces, wounds, skin/hair), diuretic (digestive support), insecticidal (bug repellant), and tonic (energizing). It is such a useful oil, but it is also phototoxic; which means it makes skin especially susceptible to UV radiation . Since we will be spending most of our days outside, I don't want any sensitized skin reactions. Most citrus oils are photosensitive and are not recommended to be put on topically if skin will be exposed to sunlight in less than 12 hours. Taking it internally does not have the same effects though. 

Ok, let's have a look at what I will be bringing!

Peppermint- Next to lemon, I think peppermint is the most versatile oil. You can use it for everything it seems like! This is what I think it will be most useful for- headaches, congestion/ clear airways, anti-itch for bug bites, scratches, sunburns, over-heating (you wouldn't think it, but it actually has amazing cooling properties making it great for fevers too).

On Guard or Stronger-  Ours bodies are usually a little more susceptible to illness when we travel and I don't want anything getting in the way of our vacation fun. These are DoTERRA's protective blends and I will be rolling this on the soles of our feet every day to keep any sickness at bay. You can also buy or make a sanitizing spray to use one everything from spraying down airplane surfaces (especially if you have a baby touching and sucking on everything), doorknobs, on hands before meals etc. Stronger is the protective blend in the kids line and it comes diluted and reading to use in an easy roll on which can also just be rubbed on little hands if you don't have a spray. 

Lavender-  Lavender is multi-purpose as well for soothing (think sun burn), itching, pain management, calming (anxiety and stress), and restful sleep which is a must when sharing hotel rooms with little kids. 

Digestzen- I love this digestive blend! There are always things we eat that don't agree with our tummies so I love to have Digestzen on hand. It runs the gammut from helping heartburn, stomach discomfort, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, carsickness etc. 

Terrashield- Any time you head into the jungle you need a good bug spray. One thing to keep in mind is that if you plan to visit Mexico and go to a Cenote, you absolutely won't be allowed to use a bug spray with DEET in it. You shouldn't put that stuff on your skin anytime but that is a topic for another day. Mexico requires an all-natural, biodegradable bug spray to help keep the water pure since locals use it for drinking and to help keep the ecosystems from being taxed too much. Terrashield is a blend of oils shown to have repellant properties like ylang ylang, arbor vitae, cedarwood and especially eucalyptus. There are some studies showing that eucalyptus works even better than DEET which is awesome considering how destructive DEET is. Terrashield comes in an oil and a spray option.

PB Assist + probiotics- This one might seem like a weird one to include but it is vital especially if you are travelling internationally. I know I said that this will be our first international trip as a family but technically we took a carribean cruise with the 2 older girls when they were younger, but all we did was snorkel at Cozumel, Mex and spend a day at the Disney island of Castaway Cay so I don't really count it. All our food was prepared by american standards and we didn't spend any time at the Cozumel port. One of the best things about travelling internationally is trying all the different cuisine. Usually though, you have no control over how your food is prepared and all the ingredients used. Every country/ region/ culture actually have been shown to have different digestive flora and when our bodies come in contact with these foreign microbes we sometimes experience major stomach upset. Did you know that over 70% of our immunity comes from our gut? Since that is true, we can't afford to have anything disrupt our gut and immune system so taking a high quality probiotic is key. I love that doTERRA offers a kid probiotic too and it comes in a powdered form and my kids eat it just like a pixie stick. There is no sugar but a natural strawberry/melon taste so my kids love taking it. 

Correct X- Think all-natural neosporin. It is a gel with frankincense, helichrysum, cedarwood, melaleuca and lavender for anti-bacterial properties, inflammation, skin healing, and pain management. It's great for bruises, cuts, scrapes, and bug bites. Another tip I love comes from the Duchess of Sussex (Meghan Markle) from all her plane travel. Just swipe a little of this in each nostril after you sit down in your seat or before you get on your flight and since it has anti-microbial properties it will help neutralize any airborne pathogens from the recirculated air we breathe for hours helping to keep you from getting sick. And it also helps keep your nose from drying out as well. I just love this tip. 

After Sun Spray- Ok now we are down to my DIY products I love. If you are going to be spending a lot of time in the sun, you will need this After Sun Spray. My husband and daughters have extremely fair skin and burn so easily and this spray has peppermint, lavender and frankincense in it that really helps get the heat out with such a nice cooling sensation, calms the itching and hurt and helps speed healing. Usually when my husband gets burned, he gets really red then it peels and goes straight back to white skin. Well my husband and I got REALLY burned one day and we used this After Sun Spray for a few days and he was amazed at how nice the peppermint felt on his skin, and his skin never peeled and actually became a tan. Check out my recipe here. 

Hair Detangler- this one isn't a must, but it sure makes my life easier with my long hair as well as three daughters when we spend every day at a pool or the beach. One thing that I like is that not only does it work to get the snarls out, but it is made from essential oils that are actually good for your hair and will help nourish and protect hair at the same time which is so nice with all the salt and chlorine exposure. You can make one with rosemary,  lavender, melaleuca and a little coconut oil or your favorite conditioner or if you want a short cut like I've started to use, the Root to Tip serum has all those oils and more like argon oil that are good for your hair and scalp and is a product I already use at home after showering, so I just squirt a few pumps of that into a spray bottle and fill to the top with water making it so easy. 

One other thing you can use that spray for is as a poo-pourri. Some of the hotels really don't have too much privacy between the bathroom and living areas so it is nice to have an air freshener. Just spray the top of the toilet water and when you go to the bathroom everything will be encapsulated in the oil and keep the smell and airborne germs at bay. 

 

How to Get Your Oils   ___________________________________________________________

Well, there you have it. All my favorite oils for travelling with. I got a lot of these oils when I bought my 1st doTERRA oil kit because I knew I wanted to overhaul our lives and reduce our toxic load in as many areas as I could and wanted the best value for my investment so I got the Home Essentials Kit for $275 since it is a bundled package of doTERRA's top ten oils that comes out to less than wholesale prices, comes with a diffuser and came with a wholesale account that gets me 25% off anything else I want to buy. 

If you aren't ready to make that kind of a financial commitment but really want to get started with a few oils, I would recommend the mini kit that comes with the 3 most versatile oils: peppermint, lavender and lemon for $55. This also gives you a wholesale account so you can add on CorrectX and Terrashield (or anything else!) for 25% off retail if you want. And, Terrashield is an extra 10% off this month as well! That makes it $86.50 for all 5 products and the wholesale account. You can check it out and add or remove anything you like here.

I hope this was helpful and a good jumping off point for you to start planning how you can support your family's health on your next vacation. 

Tiara

-Provident Princess

There are so many things to see, but of course the French Quarter gets top billing. Cobblestone streets, wrought iron balconies, tiny shops full of local crafts and treasures you never knew you needed. Every corner holds something worth seeing. You can explore by foot, child centered tours or even by carriage ride which makes it extra magical and easy on tired feet.

• Jackson Square- Start here. With the European style war statue of Battle of New Orleans hero, Andrew Jackson facing the Mississippi River, soaring St. Louis Cathedral flanked by twin Louisiana State Museum buildings: the Presbytere and Cabildo (where the Mississippi Purchase was signed!) and where all the street artists from singers to painters sell their offerings.

• Cafe Du Monde- Get here early for breakfast. World famous since its opening in 1862, this cafe is THE place to get beignets in New Orleans. Tuck in to a plate these square, french-style donuts sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar and wash it all down with their scrumptious hot chocolate. beignets and a hot chocolate in this world famous cafe since it opened in 1862. When you are done, head around back to see how they are made.

• French Market- do a little window shopping while you let your beignets settle and support local artists in these beautiful shops.

• Arcadian Bookstore- Piled high with books from every genre, my girls were so excited to pick out some books from their French Section. 

• Antoine's Restaurant- If you are looking to experience history, this is the oldest restaurant in America. Same location, same owner since 1840! There are many historical pictures on the walls along with handwritten menus in the early 1900's. Tip- more suited for older children who can sit quietly through a slow-paced multi course meal. 

There are so many things to see and buy. TIP- Make sure you bring an extra suitcase! You might find yourself like m; with a new hat, work of art, heirloom children's clothes, books, pecan logs, alligator jerky, jewelry and all sorts of accessories from the talented local artists of New Orleans. I always love finding unique gifts and useful souvenirs and this is such a great place to find them.

PP

Use either Lahaina or Wailea as your main hub. The best resorts (Four Seasons, Grand Wailea and Kea Lani ) are in quiet Wailea. Wailea also usually has better weather and the best swimming and snorkeling beaches. If you are looking for a busy night-life, art galleries, shopping and hustle and bustle, then Lahaina is the one for you.
Frugal Tip-You don't have to stay at one of the first class resorts to enjoy the incredible, less crowded beaches in Wailea. We stayed at the Hotel Wailea which is a lot less expensive but shares the same property as the Grand Wailea. Or look for a condo on VRBO.

Warren and Annabelle's-I don't think I have ever laughed as hard or for as long as the night we went to Warren and Annabelle's magic show. It is a mix of sleight-of hand magic and the funniest comedy you will ever hear. It is a little pricey, but worth the 4 hours of fun. First, you start out in a parlor enjoying appetizers, cocktails and dessert, then the party moves into the theater for the show. We volunteered for one of his tricks and were a constant fixture in that night's show with many good-hearted jokes at our expense. I love when comedians can be funny without resorting to shocking and off-color jokes.



Seven Sacred Pools- a magical way to spend an afternoon. The Ohe'o Gulch or Seven Sacred Pools, are about 15 minutes past Hana town. There are actually dozens of pools and waterfalls which flow through the 'Ohe'o Gulch into the ocean nearby, but these ones are the biggest and most beautiful.

Pipiwai Trail and Waimoku Falls-This is supposed to be one of the best hikes on Maui and I would have to say it was otherworldly. Pipiwai is 4 miles round trip with a gain in elevation of 650 feet and several great waterfalls along the route. After hiking past several great waterfalls, the trail turns into this beautiful boardwalk through a 40 ft high bamboo forest. It was so amazing listening to the wind would blow through the bamboo making the bamboo stalks hit against each other. At the end of the hike you are rewarded with Waimoku Falls  flowing down a 400-foot sheer lava rock wall. It is absolutely incredible.
Read about about all our Hana adventures here.
Haleakala- is a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of Maui. The other 25% to the west is formed by the West Maui Mountains. Inside the heart of Haleakala National Park is Pu'u 'Ula'ula (Red Hill). Here, on the tallest peak of Haleakala Crater, 10,023 feet above sea level you can have the most transformation experience watching the sun rise. As the sun begins to pierce through the fog and cracks in the crater a park ranger begins a quiet Hawaiian chant that gets louder and louder until it climaxes as the sun peaks over the mountain. There are no words to describe it but I thought it deserved its own blog post with more pictures which you can see here.
Tip-There is a really fun sunrise bike tour you can buy from several tour companies. They bus you to the top of the crater to watch the sunrise and bring up bikes that you can ride all the way down the mountain. P.S. It gets COLD on the top of a mountain covered in freezing cold mist. Pack accordingly.

It is really unassuming and could easily by missed. It isn't near any other commercial buildings and just looks like a fruit stand off to the side of a back road. 

Actually, it is a fruit stand off to the side of a back road. They sell the most delicious seasonal produce. I bought some grapefruit and some oranges to take home for the next morning and couldn't believe how good it tasted. Those oranges were soooo juicy. Oh, and they make their own orangeade and lemonade at the Tomato Place. It was to die for! 

Not only do they sell mouthwateringly good fruit, but they also have a large selection of pre-assembled smoothies that you can pick from in a wall of freezers and have them blend it up fresh for you when you pay. 

If you keep walking through the fruitstand part, there are two more rooms behind it. I would have never guessed looking from the road. In the back is the restaurant. Everything is fresh and local. With a name like theirs I just had to try their BLT. It's what they are famous for. I got the Fried Green Tomato BLT for a little southern twist. I also got their housemade baked beans and fried okra. Everything was great. In retrospect, I should've only gotten one fried thing (probably the okra) to switch up the flavors a bit, but I really wanted both. And the fried green tomato BLT was such a cool idea. So yummy! 

I love that they make so many things in-house. They had the most amazing condiments and sauces. There was one spicy/tangy sauce they named the Mississippi Fever that I am just kicking myself for not buying and bringing home with me. But, while writing this post I found out that they have an online store! Now I don't feel so bad. 

I felt so at home among the canned veggies and preserved fruits and jellies. They had so many interesting things to choose from. I wanted it all. I did manage to buy the Pecan Soppin' Syrup. Pecans are such a traditional ingredient in the south and thought my girls would love a little southern infused syrup for their pancakes. 

What to See

Bazsinsky House

There are antebellum houses spread all over the south and Vicksburg had quite a few to choose from. I really wanted to see the Martha Vick Home (as in Vicksburg) or The McRaven House but they were closed for President's Day. We ended up going with the Bazsinsky House which is conveniently located across the street from our next stop, The Old Courthouse just up the street from the river. 

The Bazsinsky house has a very interesting family history and the architecture inside and out is beautiful. It is so interesting to think about what life and the town would have been like before, during and after the war. Everything changed so much.

The house itself didn't have any period furniture which was disappointing and not what I was expecting. I wish there had been more information available on the website. Some of the other houses function more as a museum and have artifacts from the era. The Bazsinsky house is available as a B&B which is a fun idea I would love to try if I had enough time. But it didn't offer quite the view I was hoping for into everyday life. It has been recently restored by the new owners and you can check out some interesting pictures of the restoration here. 

The Old Courthouse Museum

This museum boasts the largest collection of Civil War artifacts in America: confederate flags, including one that was never surrendered, the tie worn by Jefferson Davis at his inauguration as Confederate President, fine portraits, china and silver, exquisite antique furniture, the trophy antlers won by the steamboat Robert E Lee in an 1870 race, antebellum clothing, toys, Indian and pioneer implements.


Vicksburg National Military Park

Vicksburg National Military Park is really interesting because it is not just a visitor center with exhibits. The Park is reconstructed on the actual battle site with 20 miles of historic trenches and earthworks to give a feel for what it was really like during the siege. It also includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers,  a 16-mile road tour, a 12.5-mile walking trail, two antebellum homes, 144 cannon, and the Grant's Canal site, where the Union Army attempted to build a canal to let their ships bypass Confederate artillery fire during one of their other unsuccessful attacks.


The first thing I like to do at any national park is to watch their orientation video which is usually about 20 minutes long. I feel like it helps give a very solid understanding of the background to everything else you will see later. They are really well done and so worth the time.

You need at least 1 1/2 hours here but really 3 hours would be best. There is just so much to see and do. We decided to buy the 1 hour audio tour they have available at the bookstore, there is a 2 hour one too but we didn't have time for it. Getting the tour was great, as we drove around the 16 mile tour road, the guide would point out the things we were seeing and give interesting facts about them.

USS CAIRO


Another very interesting housed in the military park is this war boat. The USS CAIRO was one of the first ironclad warships built at the beginning of the Civil War. This ship was the first to be sunk by a torpedo. It took 12 minutes and luckily no loss of life.

So many artifacts were recovered from the ship when it was raised over a hundred years later in 1964. The craftsmanship of everyday items seems so much better than now.

DAY ONE

I've been to Louisiana a couple times now and I am always surprised at how much there is to do there. I took my 2 oldest girls during Mardi Gras a few years ago and we had a blast. This time we came to meet my newest nephew and just explore locally a little more. 

*Shrimp Remoulade Salad- lettuce was tossed with remoulade sauce which is a very traditional, creamy, red, New Orleans sauce that has quite a kick from tons of horseradish and cayenne pepper. It was absolutely divine. Everything should be served with a side of remoulade. 

*Creamy Acorn Squash and Leek Soup- delicious

For my entree I just had to get CRAWFISH ÉTOUFFEÉ- this is a must-try dish if you really want to get a feeling for Cajun food. Étouffée is a dish of seafood (most popularly with crawfish) served with rice. I love that it reflects the Cajuns in the bayous and backwaters of Louisiana just making use of what they had nearby all while infusing it with their traditional french sauce techniques. The base of Étouffée is a roux. 

One of the things I loved most about Frank's is that every single side dish was incredible too. Some restaurants just rely on their main dishes and just offer basic sides. I loved that all these dishes were very traditional Louisiana ingredients. 

*Hazelnut Green Beans * Roasted Cauliflower with Basalmic Vinegar Glaze * Purple Hull Peas Cassoulet * Dauphinouse Potatoes and Asiago Stone Ground Grits. 

I wasn't kidding when I said we'd ordered half the menu. I could have had a meal of just sides they were that good. 

We were so full from our amazing dinner but couldn't leave without sampling a few desserts. 

*Housemade Honeydew Sorbet- perfect for ending the meal on a light note

*Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie a la Mode- how could you go wrong with that?

*Lemon Spongecake with Berry Mousse and Lemon Curd- very southern

*Chef Van's Banana Pudding- with bananas foster sauce and whipped cream

I don't think my sister relished the thought of me having her Lemon

I don't think I have been to a restaurant where every single dish was so good. I can't wait to go back again!

Luckily the next day was a relaxing, family day. I definitely needed time to recover from my food comma. 

This one is probably a no brainer but you can never have too much food for baby. Just make sure to pack any liquids you are bringing for baby in a separate container that you can hand to TSA so they can check them and also so they don't go through the x-ray. The air is super dehydrating so make sure you don't make only dry food. Obviously little pouches of applesauce or other food are great because they help keep things clean. I love these pouches because they are reusable. You can put anything you want in them and use them over and over if you like making your own baby food. Also anything that you can put on the tray and have baby feed himself will help keep him busy. These bowls with the suction bottom will help things from getting too messy. Or these are awesome because baby can only pull one piece out at a time. 

The diaperbag is the only thing standing between you and disaster so you need to pack it carefully but obviously there are size restrictions. Think about all the things you would need if your luggage were lost.  Extra diapers, enough wipes, change of clothes (at least 2 in case of spit-ups or blowouts), I bring ziplock bags for said dirty clothes so I don't have the choice of either throwing them away or letting them stink up my diaper bag. Do you use a white noise machine? I would pack that in the carry-on if you have one but if not and your baby needs it to sleep I would bring it in the diaper bag. You don't want to risk having the airlines misplace your luggage for a day or two and not have everything you need for baby to sleep well. Because if baby isn't sleeping well, no one will sleep well.

Those are my top 5. What do you absolutely make sure you bring when you fly with baby?