Episode 28 – Holiday Travel
Special Guest
Katherine Firestone, Founder of Fireborn Institute
Traveling with Kids this Holiday Season
Colleen & Catie’s Picks for the Holidays
Colleen
Holiday Song: Baby It’s Cold Outside
Accommodations: Drake Hotel
Restaurant: Chicago Cut
Activity: Christkindlmarket in Chicago
Baked Good: Homemade Christmas Cookies
Way to give back: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. See how you can get involved at – https://www.stjude.org/
Holiday Tradition: Listening to Christmas music, decorating the house with the kids, having hot chocolate
Catie
Holiday Song: Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas (She has made $60 million on that song!)
Accommodations: The Peninsula Chicago
Restaurant: Chicago Cut
Activity: Going on the CTA holiday train and Ice skating inside the Peninsula.
Baked Good: Christmas cookies- decorating is my favorite part!
Way to give back: Believe in Yourself – Making a difference by providing dresses to underprivileged girls. See how you can get involved at – www.believeinyourself.org
Holiday Tradition: We spend the night at Peninsula every Christmas and go to Midnight mass at Old St. Pats and Chicago Cut for dinner.
“What’s” with the “Trip Sisters”
What’s in Your Suitcase?
Treemote – A Christmas-tree shaped wireless remote that lets you turn your Christmas lights or tree lights on or off without having to unplug the cord each time. Currently available at Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, Wegmans, Meijer and select Ace Hardware locations. Cost: $19.99
What’s on your phone?
Ring Doorbell – Home security system and app. When someone rings your doorbell, you can look at your Ring app from wherever you are and see who’s at your door. Available at ring.com, Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers. Starts at around $99
What’s the tip?
Keeping your home safe while traveling
- Keep doors and windows locked at all times. This is true even when you are home, and even when it’s light out. In fact, many burglaries actually happen in broad daylight when people are less likely home.
- Use door reinforcements and top-flight locks.
- Keep the curtains and blinds closed. This will ensure that no one can take a peek at your valuables.
- Give your home a “lived-in” look with a home automation technology system. Many of these can be controlled by a model device or scheduled to turn lights on or off at a specific time.
- Collect your newspaper and mail as soon as they arrive.
- If you have a garage, make sure you are packing and unpacking gifts from the car inside of the garage so no one can see what you purchased.
- Don’t advertise your Christmas gift purchases on social media, as many thieves use social media to find potential victims.
- Also don’t post on social media that you’re going out of town or if you are out of town.
- Make an investment into a home security system. The best systems provide a clear view of what is happening in the home on your mobile device when you are not there.
- If you can’t afford a real security system, you can purchase fake cameras and ADT home security stickers for your windows. Sensor lights can be fairly inexpensive as well.
