Working with TELUS has allowed me to try out products that I normally might not have known about. It’s been such a fun run, getting to know gadgets that are sold in TELUS stores across Canada. I am a real gadget mama, and I love new tech so much that I travelled to Las Vegas twice to the Consumer Electronics Show with my husband! I always like to see what new technology is coming out and if I can try it out myself, even better.
I’ve been collaborating as a #TeamTELUS advocate for two years now, so I thought it would be fun to put together a list of “would be awesome to have” (because let’s be honest, none are must-haves, but they are lots of fun!) items.
Samsung tablet – Without a doubt, one of the best items I have received from TELUS has been my Samsung Note 8 Tablet. I know, I know, there were recalls on the newer version, but I have never had an issue with mine, and it has been my constant companion for years now. I use it mostly at the end of the day to watch and read something before going to bed, since we don’t have a television in our bedroom. I can check my e-mails, go through Pinterest, listen to music, and it’s the perfect size. For travelling, I download a couple of movies or shows for the kids when we have long drives and it’s ready if we should need a reinforcement.
FitBit Charge2 – Nothing gives me more pleasure on long travel days than seeing how many steps we are doing as a family. Surprisingly, even on days that I think are less active, we always reach a minimum of 10,000 steps. When we travel to Walt Disney World, I always love seeing our steps because it’s always well over 20,000 steps. Travelling in old towns, visiting cities, and walking museums are all great places to get your steps on. And the boys get a kick out of seeing how much we achieve in a day. My FitBit Charge2 has also been monitoring my sleep, which is something I want to get better at.
Samsung S7 smart phone – it goes without saying, my phone is my lifeline while travelling. Not only can I use TELUS’ $7 a day international roaming while we are in Europe, but I constantly get compliments on the picture quality of my pictures, all taken with my S7. I recently purchased the lens accessories for the S7 for wide and zoomed in pictures, and I’m really happy with it.
Ultimate Ears speaker – Music is so important in our family and great music while on holiday is lots of fun. Radio stations in Italy and Switzerland are less music, and more talking. So having the capability to connect to our Google Music accounts and listen wirelessly on a small but mighty speaker is perfect while travelling. The new UE Roll is waterproof, with a 9-hour rechargeable battery with a 100 ft Bluetooth wireless range.
Thermos Hydration Bottle – I absolutely hate buying bottles of water on trips because recycling bins aren’t everywhere we travel, and because fresh water is available so we can fill our own bottles. At first I thought this gadget was a little over the top, but now more than ever I am realizing I need to drink for more water. And when I’m travelling or working, it’s easy to lose all sense of time passed since my last hydration. The Thermos Hydration Bottle works with my FitBit to send me reminders to drink up. I can also set a goal of how much I want to drink in a day, and then it monitors my intake. It’s silly that I can’t seem to do this myself, but this bottle actually helps!
Shine bright like a taco
This is Ground cord taco – You might laugh at this, but one of my favourite gifts from TELUS has been my cord taco. It holds my earbuds perfectly. I swear, if you travel, these are fantastic!! Even the team at TELUS think it’s hilarious that I consider this to be one of my favourites, but trust me, it’s awesome. These cord tacos can be found at most TELUS stores.
Mama MOE’s 40th Birthday Giveaway with TELUS!!
When I spoke with TELUS about me celebrating my 40th all year, we came up with the idea to create a major giveaway for my readers. TELUS is giving away a travel package to one lucky reader that includes a Fitbit Charge 2, a UE Roll and a Thermos hydration bottle (a total value of $360). Talk about a celebration!!
These items will make your summer and travel experience that much more fun, with an easier way to stay healthy all year round. To enter, fill the Rafflecopter form below and be sure to comment answering the question “What do you do to make your summer and travel experience fun/easier?” This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. Deadline to enter is 11:59pm, August 9th, 2017. Good luck to everyone!
Disclosure: As a #TeamTELUS advocate, I receive products and services in exchange for posts. As always, my opinions are honest and my own.
98 comments
We like to always plan ahead. In the winter we plan for our summer fun! Thanks!
We love to road trip in the summer and music is a huge part of that. I make playlists with a good mix of music for everyone and insist everyone sings along. It’s like karaoke in our car. It’s tons of fun and the time on the road passes much faster.
We are road warriors and love to travel! Our most critical thing to make travel easier: a good snack pack! Snacks and drinks are a must to help with meals off schedule and treats to help as needed!
I try to stay organized when traveling and bring as much as I can from home so I am not buying things at a higher price.
I try to really plan ahead and be prepared for everything! I always bring along portable chargers for all our tech gadgets when travelling.
We plan ahead with lists and make sure to have games and snacks packed.
I always have a tons of drinks with me! With snacks, our essential oils and music cued up!!!
I plan ahead with lists for meals, activities etc to make the most of the time away! I also make a great playlist for my iPod to bring along 🙂
I try to plan ahead as much as possible
we always have our summer camping planned far in advance
Bring a ton of snacks on road trips, and put them in those little pill containers. Somehow, small children think snacks are magical when they’re in individual units.
Planning and getting ready ahead of time makes any vacation a lot easier.
I plan ahead of time according to my budget and make a list of what I need to do or bring before leaving home.
We like to plan in advance as much as possible. We generally just take local day trips but packing a lunch helps and saves time. Also knowing where we will stop along the way and how long each stop will be helps to maximize our time. Usually our day trips involve about 15 stops so planning is essential!
I plan ahead..look online for things to do in the area and make a budget
I let the kids choose fun foods & drinks to snack on and pack it all in a small cooler. They can watch a movie on the portable dvd player or listen to music on their ipods to pass the time. I also buy in advance an assortment of inexpensive activities/toys & will give them 1 thing every hour or two to stretch out over the entire trip.
I keep things very simple – the basics – just go with the flow it all works out
Make sure to plan ahead and make a list.
We save for extra money and plan our road trips ahead of time and look for the best attractions along the routes that we take.We all love music and games so we bring our phones and gadgets along.I also make sure to pack everything in advance and have it all ready to go. :
I always have a bag in my car with snacks,a towel,bathing suit, sunscreen etc,,in case of any unexpected fun on a road trip. We plan ahead as much as possible,but sometimes,go out of the way to do spontaneous things!
I try to have as much fun as we can ! Beach days or parks all the way to camping and road trips , the best advice I have is just have a good spare bag in the car , fill it will water , towels , a blanket , a few $ just in case , snacks , all the things you might need a extra just incase !
Drink wine. Only semi kidding.
I make sure that we have a well stocked first aid kit.
we plan ahead and make sure the car is packed with things to keep the kids busy while travelling, like games, drinks, snacks and movies
I pack drinks/snacks and plan an itinerary.
I make sure I have a summer playlist wherever I go.
I try to plan ahead of time and I bring a portable dvd player and lots of healthy snacks to make travel experience fun/easier,
I always have a change of clothes in the car because who knows when we will stop at a splash pad or hit the beach lat minute
Always pack some extra snacks for the road, pre-plan our destination, have a budget in mind, sunscreen & hats during summer months, lots of music.
Thanks @askmamamoe.com
I make a list of things that I want to do so that I constantly have something planned.
if we cannot get away for a vacay, we try and plan day trips to visit sights and places we haven’t been
We take extra care in preparing lists for our needs while travelling and fun activites for the whole family , along with boredom busters for the car.
i plan as much as possible and bring lots of snacks
I always pack early so I don’t forget anything important.
To make my summer trips easier i need a comfy travel pillow and chill music to fill my ears
We pack lots of snacks and create a good playlist to listen to.
We make a list and bring some fun activities along with us!
We geocache in the summer it’s a great way to explore the park in and around the city.
I plan everything down to the last detail. Otherwise, I’d lose my mind with worry and stress.
Our iPads are indispensable for the kids. When we travel by car, nothing keeps them better entertained. If not, the boys would be killing each other in the back seat! 🙂
When we go on long car trips I make sure I download some great audiobooks. Harry Potter 3&4 got us through 4000km in the Maritimes!
I like to pack light and have a plan – especially on road trips. They make it way less stressful.
Organization and staying calm and alert is extremely important.
We always plan ahead- have healthy snacks and drinks, info on the places and things we want to do and see. We try to be prepared!
Plan ahead and pack a lunch so nobody gets hungry and cranky
I try to save money throughout the year for summer fun-so there is less stress about money and more time for family fun.
be organized – organization is key to travel, business, home – 🙂
I, too am a big planner, and I look for ways to save money. If staying at a hotel, I join their loyalty programs, I look for the lowest rate and find out if I can be placed on notification of lower rate updates. I look at places like travel zoo for specials in: events, spa treatments, etc., And I phone the site directly to negotiate politely-it works.
I research, I plan and I pack just about everything.
I plan for a staycation, less stress and very affordable!
Plan well will be construction and long waits so pack lots of water and snacks and keep the days short if possable
I like to plan ahead, the farther ahead the better. And I like to stay organized. This cuts down on my stress levels tremendously.
We pack lots of snacks and games. We also make lots of stops to let the kids get out and run around.
Organize, plan ahead, then breathe deeply and dive in!
We plan ahead and bring snacks and games
We travel a lot and my wife is the most organized packer I have ever witnessed..
we play games
Plan ahead and pack light so you are not lugging too much stuff around
I always plan ahead of time and make sure I pack all the emergency stuff.
I love to plan ahead (specifically, I make a packing list and I plan at least one activity per day).
I take time over the summer to catch up on my reading. I’m retired now so I had more time.
Just keep plans simple and relaxing
I load up my playlist with songs that are upbeat!
I finally purchased noise cancelling earphones for travelling
What I do to make my summer and travel experience fun/easier is that I always have something yummy to eat, and drink near by during travel days to the family cottage. I either listen to my Sirius XM Dr. Laura or Joel Osteen Channels on the radio, which ALWAYS provide several hours of intense listening and learning, or I switch over to the music stations like the new Beatles channel, which has me singing at the top of my lungs as I am solo driving. I also always factor in, a pit stop every hour to stretch my legs, and back, and by doing this, it is easier on my back, and I actually really enjoy the journey, rather than be focused on the end destination point.
I’m a big fan of planning ahead of time for outings. In the summer, I like to prepare sushie drinks to leave in the freezer and fresh chopped veggies to snack on in the fridge.
Keeping things coordinated
plan ahead and be prepared for sickness
We try to plan ahead, including packing lists for the cottage, and we try not to stuff too many activities into one day.
We plan what we all want to do for activities on our trip before we leave home which saves a lot of headaches. We also bring snacks, games and books to read in the vehicle.
For summer road trips I bring my 4-Port USB Car Charger. No one’s phone or tablet loses their charge on our long drives.
I plan ahead and make lists.
We try to plan ahead to see what there is around the area we’re going to visit. Music, snacks & drinks in the car is a must! I have a Fitbit and the kids love to see how far we have walked. Now my eldest is asking for a Fitbit and I’m sure my son’s not far behind.
A lot of proper planning, no surprises.
I make sure my friend does all the planning, it’s better that way.
I keep things simple and bring lots of snacks and drinks.
We always pack snacks and drinks and look for what we want to see before we get to our destination.
We make sure that we have tons of music to listen to on long rides. It always makes things more fun to sing along to songs we like
make lists for road trips before i go
To make my summer travelling easier, I make sure to always pack snacks!
I have a list of everything that has to be packed. It is so much easier when you can just go down a list and pack.
always plan ahead
Prepare as much ahead of time so we are not doing everything just before the trip.
I make lists of what to take by mentally walking through my day and writing down everything we use on a day to day basis, that way we don’t forget the essentials.
Make sure to have loads of books (online & paperback) and music – audio books are great too.
I always make sure I have several audiobooks loaded on my device to make the drive that much more enjoyable. TIP: many libraries now lend audiobooks that you can download directly to your phone/tablet!
Even for short trips I always pack an insulated bag with bottles water and snacks. You never know if you may be in a situation where you’ll need them.
Music is always a must. Healthy and no so healthy snacks are pack first. Each child takes a backpack with fun things to do by themselves or with everybody.
I always load up on books and articles to read while travelling!
try new activities and laugh while trying. sing songs that we have no idea what the words are but we have a blast anyways
A great playlist is always important to us!
We like to have a general idea of what activities we want to do each trip but keep each day flexible.
I pack plenty of snacks. We have travel size games and always plenty of car bingo.
We download some audio books for listening to on the trip.
Lots of snacks and wet wipes. And not too much time in the car without a break.
We make a list of games and activities. Old school games like eye spy on road trips and collecting the alphabet.
I have to plan ahead ! My mind can’t rest until I do ,so I usually make a list to remind myself !
I make sure we have lists of everything we’ll need as well as information on any attractions we’ll be visiting like admission costs & opening hours.