Global Groovin'
Our Thriving Earth: A Fair Trade Story
Transform Black Friday: Conscious Consumerism
4 Travel Must-Haves For Modern Moms
Moms on the go, we’ve got to hand it to you. It takes a lot of coordination, a lot of patience, a lot of strength, and a whole lot of love to travel with your family in tow! Proper preparation and the right attitude can make your trip a joyful experience for everyone. Here are 4 must-have items we hope will make your journey a little smoother so you can focus on keeping all your ducks in a row.
A Waterproof Toiletry Bag
Not having one of these has ruined many a mother’s day! Imagine arriving in your hotel after a long day - or days - of travel with the family and opening your suitcase full of clothes, shoes, jewelry, and personal items to find that everything inside is saturated with shampoo or worse still with some sort of body oil.
Finding a way to immediately wash all of your clothes in a new place can be time consuming and especially stressful when you’re wondering whether or not you’ll need to get rid of some or all of your gear. Plus who wants to start a new adventure by doing laundry?
Believe us, we understand that if anybody can handle a gooey mess it’s a mom - but why go there when you don’t have to? Some sloppy disasters are avoidable. Using a waterproof toiletry bag like Global Groove Life’s Sac-de-bain will keep any unexpected explosions or leaks contained and protect your belongings from being stained or ruined.
Entertainment for All
Sometimes the thrill of exploring a new place isn’t quite so … well, thrilling for everyone in the family. If the little ones aren’t interested in seeing another museum or site they may love to go play in the park or have a family dance party at the beach. Playing some music they’re familiar with can create a sense of comfort in an unfamiliar place.
GGL has just the solution - the Boozik iPad Portable Bamboo Amplifier! It’s so easy to carry with you and takes little to no time to set up... it’s cordless and battery-free. This sustainable speaker is made out of bamboo. It sounds great and is lightweight - the perfect combo for travel!
If the family is ready to take a break on a rainy day or if one of the young ones (or one of the adults) is feeling homesick or down use the Boozik bamboo amplifier to watch a favorite movie all together to lift everyone’s spirits.
A Bag Identifier
If you happened to buy black suitcases - which is totally silly but still somehow seems like a good idea sometimes - then you’ll need a way to quickly identify which ones belong to you at the airport, bus or train station. GGL has several unique options of bright key rings to help you!
A favorite is this Pom Pom Keychain - it’s cute, it’s colorful, it’s fluffy! Most importantly, it’s hard to miss! Even if you don’t have a generic looking bag, our pom poms and tassels make it super fast and easy for you to quickly locate your luggage in baggage check even if there are a lot of distractions. Easily identifiable bags don't get stolen as often either. Win - win!
A Carry-All Bag
Let’s face it - you’re going to be carrying more with you as a travel mom than you would if you were going solo or traveling with other adults. Even if your kids carry their own clothes, water, and ways to entertain themselves there are still important documents, snacks, and those essential items that you’ve learned never to leave home without.
That means you’re going to need a bag that’s large enough to tote all those goods around with you. And you’re going to want a bag that helps you stay organized and looking stylish. GGL’s Retreat Bag can hold it all!
The retreat bag is the perfect combination of style and function. It features an internal zipped pocket for extra orderliness and two external zip pockets for easy access to items you need on a regular basis. The Retreat Bag has an easy-wipe lining (just in case) inside the stunning Flower of Life patterned exterior.
Traveling with your family is an amazing way to share growth experiences, explore the world, and learn about each member of the family together. We salute all of the modern moms (and dads, too!) who are making this happen and sharing these precious gifts with your loved ones!
We hope this article made your trip planning just a little bit more fun and easy. What is your number 1 travel must-have? Share in the comments!
Amara Evans is a vibrational healer, collective consciousness-raiser, writer, and devotee of the Goddess. She loves to connect with her global community through writing about important topics like the environment, spirituality, and fair trade.
Fair Is The New Black
Disclaimer: I feel passionate about this so my sailor mouth just might make an appearance. You have been warned.
Okay, so I'm the typical American gal who got her first job in a mall at age 16. I remember one of my classmates eyeing my see-through plastic bag, with Contempo Casuals proudly printed across it. “How did you get a job there?” He asked. “I applied” I replied simply. It was a holiday job, 1987, and I worked my rear off the day after Thanksgiving. No hyped up grab-all-you-can name for that day back then. No Black Friday tunnel vision quite yet.
Fast forward ten years, I opened my own store in that same mall. In between I worked a lot more retail to put myself through college, and did a hefty amount of traveling. I brought treasures back literally on my back, coupled with every smile from every artisan I encountered, and the treasures all ended up under the Christmas trees of folks from my home county that first year. Life was good and there were many years ahead before the term “Pop-Up Store” was coined.
Although my young self felt like I had seriously figured life out, it was still annoying beyond belief that I had to follow all those lame-ass greedy mall rules, like being open at the butt crack of dawn the day after Thanksgiving, (which had started being promoted as the infamous “Black Friday” during my years of travel) AND the day after Christmas. It just didn't align with my values and the family values I was learning about from different cultures abroad. But I was a young P.C. (pre-children) gal, and anyway, I was on a plane the 15th of January to the sunny beaches of Thailand. Every. Single. Year. Don't get me wrong, I told each and every person who walked into my store that I thought it was ridiculous that they were in my store on Black Friday or the day after X-mas. Even back then I told them to go home to hang out with their families. I mean seriously. Chill out. We'll all be open tomorrow. But hey, I was seriously living the American Dream of the day. Or at least MY American dream.
Fast forward ten years since closing my last store and moving abroad permanently. Silly me, decided to open a “Pop-Up Store” (haha) once again in my hometown county for the holidays. And do you know what I found out after it was too late? I found out that I had to be fucking open on Thanksgiving Day. And that's when I knew my country had seriously lost the plot. YOU HAVE LOST THE PLOT, AMERICA!!
You are being duped. You are being manipulated. And I know firsthand. I've been watching your buying habits for thirty years now. Forget all the things I can tell you about the human rights abuses and child labor abuses in the places where your things are made. I'm here right now, today, because I'm concerned about the people of MY country. I am seriously concerned about the future of our culture.
TAKE BACK YOUR POWER. TAKE BACK YOUR HOLIDAYS. TAKE BACK YOUR LIVES. TAKE BACK YOUR FAMILY TIME. Your kids don't see you enough, I promise. The greedy corps need us more than we need them. They are buying you! Don't let yourself be sold because they WILL cater to your demands. So demand a good quality of life, guys. I promise you, it doesn't come from a bunch of plastic crap Made in China . Turn the tables, folks. You've been complacent long enough, it's time to take charge. And if you don't, and you can quote me on this, The Joke Is On You.
Don't shop during family time and please shop ethically. If you want to shop with us at Global Groove Life, I'd love it. There's a bunch of other ethical businesses out there and you live in the era of the internet. (which was not the era I lived in when I jumped on my first plane and met my first group of artisans) So you know, don't be lazy—Find the Fair Trade gifts.
Finally, if you've humored my rant till now, here's a discount code for you: FairIsTheNewBlack and it's how we are taking our holiday back. Be fair to your friends, to your family, to the guy that has to get up at 5:30 a.m. on Black Friday or has to leave Thanksgiving dinner early for a shopper's “paradise”.
We're offering a 25% percent discount through the weekend starting now. Nothing would bring me more joy than to know me and my friends made it under your Christmas tree. But don't shop with me when you could be spending time with your family. I beg you. Just. Do. NOT. Do. It. Because I promise you, I for one will be sitting home playing games with my kiddos eating leftover pumpkin pie.
Peace to you this holiday season.
Use this code at checkout: FairIsTheNewBlack