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Introducing the new Vrbo, trip boards and who’s ready to go somewhere already?

April 12, 2019 by Jill Leave a Comment

It is no big secret that I’m a girl on the go. It’s mid April. I’ve been on three trips with my family this year and one solo trip. As we look toward the end of the school year and summer vacation for my kids, more travel is on the horizon…you know us. Always going somewhere. Today, I want to talk to you about big changes with one of my favorite travel partners, Vacation Rentals By Owner, better known as VRBO. VRBO is now Vrbo and I’m going to tell you about the changes as well as some of the new features such as Vrbo Trip Boards. 

This post is written in partnership with Vrbo  All opinions are mine. Links in this post may be affiliate/commission earning links. 

Honestly? I get caught between the “I want to go everywhere” to “We need to stay home for a while.” While we’ve tried to stay more balanced this year and be more purposeful about where we travel and when, there’s still a big world out there that needs exploring. We stayed home for an entire month, plus. We rolled back into town from our trip to Decatur Texas on December 30th and we stayed stayed put until President’s Day weekend, when we explored the Palo Duro Canyon area (up around Amarillo, Texas.)

As our kids get older, we try to be more intentional when planning travel. We are pretty loosey goosey about letting them miss some school to have travel experiences with our family but that only gets so much mileage. My husband and I are thrilled that we’ve passed on our sense of adventure and wanderlust to our kids but we also talk through planning travel with our kids so they understand what all is involved in planning a trip away from home. 

So anyhoo…planning a trip. I’ve got some exciting new and some no-kidding travel tips for you.

If you are familiar with my blog, you know I’m a big fan of staying in vacation rentals or condos whenever I can. They’re homier and roomier than a hotel room, they offer more options and, best of all? The help you come away from your vacation feeling like you’ve actually…you know…been on one. 

I’ve written in the past about Vacation Rentals by Owner – AKA VRBO – and why they’re awesome. But, things are changing.  Don’t worry, they’ll still be awesome but VRBO is now Vrbo. That might not seem like big deal to you but the change in nomenclature is kind of a big deal. Vrbo is pronounced just like you’d think – VER-boh. Super easy to say, right? Their logo has a new look, too:

Vrbo has a new look!

Whatever it’s called and however you say it, Vrbo is amazing and I’m using it to book my next vacation…and so can you. This is such an easy and fun way to travel as a group. 

My family loves to stay in a Vrbo when traveling together. You want to be with your loved ones on vacation, right? But, you also need your privacy and your space. Family togetherness loses some magic when you’re squished into one small hotel room for several days. Vrbo offers all that and a bag of chips. Well..you can eat chips in your Vrbo and that’s kind of the same thing.

We are planning our next trip using Vrbo’s latest new feature – trip boards. I created a Trip Board by “hearting” my favorite vacation homes in our chosen destination and invited my family to vote and leave comments on their favorites. I receive push notifications on my Vrbo app when someone joins the board or votes on a property.

The new Vrbo Trip Boards make it easy for me to organize my “potential yes” properties in one place AND share them with other people whose opinion I want.

Booking travel with Vrbo is super easy. You can download their app (free in the iTunes Store and the Google Play Store) and browse properties on the go. One of the big selling points of staying in a Vrbo property versus a hotel room is that they’re so large group or multi-family friendly. The new Trip boards are a great way to collaborate and plan travel as a group. If your family is anything like mine, much of your trip planning takes place digitally and the app lets you browse properties and get feedback from people you’re traveling with…or anyone you invite to collaborate with you and give you feedback. 

Making sure the people you travel with feel like they’re included in trip planning decisions is huge. Although my boys don’t collaborate with me on Trip Boards in the same way you can, they do like to look at pictures of potential properties and talk about location and amenities. Even though they’re well-traveled kids that are used to mama dictating the itinerary, feeling listened to on choices in accommodations has such a positive impact on our trip. 


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All About Jill

I'm a digital content creator and essayist who copes with parenting and most other situations with humor and snark. Just so you know, if this weren't the internet, I'd be smiling awkwardly and answering simple questions like "How are you today" with gems like "I like pockets."

I really do love pockets, though.

I spent 26 years in the USAF, which went by really, really fast. I'm very proud of my service but I'm loving my second act even more. Writing gives me the opportunity to flex my creative muscles and that's what makes me happy. Welcome.

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rippedjeansandbifocals

Freelance Writer & Travel Expert
Producer, Listen to Your Mother SA
💜 Mom via birth & #adoption
🐈 Human to @remusthebengalcat
🇺🇸 USAF veteran
📍#texas

Jill Robbins
"Intelligence + Character. That is the goal of tru "Intelligence + Character. That is the goal of true education." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I saw a lot of posts about Martin Luther King yesterday when I was doing my scrolls through social media...on a day where I wasn't supposed to be ON social media, ahem. We hear and see a lot of Dr. King's words and quotes one day a year. So, instead of apologizing for posting this "a day late" I'll share that I'm challenging myself to remember some of these important words more than one day a year.

Our kids are watching us right now. I mean...they're always watching us but I think what they see in these times is more important than ever. Nuturing our kids' intelligence and character is more important than ever. My kids are 10 now - this picture is about four years old - and they are absorbing EVERYTHING we say, how we say it and even what we don't say. 

This mural is near the suspension bridge in downtown Waco. Waco is famous for all the Magnolia things but there's a lot there for families, too, and the park around the bridge is a great place to explore along the Brazos River. 

#martinlitherkingday #martinlutherkingquotes #wacotexas #wacoheartoftexas #wacohot #texastravel #texastodo #onlyintexas #texaskids #texasfamilies #alamocreatives #igtexasphoto 
#raisinggoodhumans #raisingboys
Here’s something you’ve probably never seen be Here’s something you’ve probably never seen before: my bottom teeth.
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I always hide my crooked bottom teeth in pictures and I’m super self-conscious when I talk. So I did something about it.
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I wore braces as a kid and my top teeth are straight but my bottom teeth are shifting and one tooth is traveling into the back of my mouth and I have some crowding. My orthodontist said it’s very unusual to put braces on just half your mouth but my bite is still aligned so they didn’t have to put them on my top teeth - my wallet is thankful.
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Questions I’ve already been asked:
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1️⃣ At your age? Yes, at my age. I still care about my smile. 
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3️⃣ How long do you have to wear them?
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6-9 months.
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3️⃣ Do they hurt? 
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My teeth are sore and my mouth is tender but not to the Tylenol level so I guess the answer is “Not too much.”
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Other questions? Advice?
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#braceface #adultbraces
Little things can really be big - do you agree? M Little things can really be big - do you agree?

My husband gets up with our kids twice a week and does their breakfast and morning routine and takes them to school so I can sleep in. I don't laze away the morning in bed - it usually amounts to about an extra hour of sleep for me and a little more peace and quiet as I start my day. 

This probably seems like a little thing but this is huge for me. The mental benefits of not having to set my alarm on a schoolday is truly my love language. I would rather have sleep than flowers or presents. 

On those morning where my husband takes my kids to school, I will inevitably find the kitchen not "just so." There will be spills on the table or something that didn't get put away. I resist the urge to be sarcastic or to ask "Um, is there a reason we have four boxes of cereal just sitting on the counter?" or point out that it would take less than 30 seconds to wipe a tabletop or put a box back on the shelf. I resist saying stuff like "I guess if I want it done a certain way, I have to do it myself." I don't even say that to myself. 

My husband isn't "doing me a favor" by taking care of our kids. When I talked about being stressed and tired during an argument last year, he offered to take some things off my plate and giving me two mornings where I don't have to set an alarm was one of his ideas. It's part of the give and take of marriage and even though it makes me clench a little when I see spilled milk or stuff that hasn't put away, I appreciate having a partner who shares the load with me. 

My marriage definitely is not perfect and I'm in no position to give relationship advice. But for us, this one little thing is a really big deal. 

And, as I've recently discovered, a cereal box can sit on the counter for several days and the world doesn't explode. Who knew.

#thisisus #thisismarriage #loveandmarriage #happywifehappylife #marriedlife #mancrusheveryday #texas #texasstyle #rippedjeansandbifocals #marriagegoals #relationshipgoals #coparenting #parenting #momlifebelike #momlifeisthebestlife #ocd #ocdmomproblems #ocdmommy
Anyone else having massive “This time last year” moments?
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2020 started out so fine. We extended our kids’ winter break to take them on a Disney Cruise- no better reason than that, amiright- and I was excited about all the Disney Cruise blog posts I was going to write. Disney Cruises are (errr...were?) one of the most searched terms on my website and how a lot of people found me.
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Early 2020 was such a time of hope and light that pretty much everyone took for granted.
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While it’s become glaringly obvious the change in the calendar isn’t a magic potion, I still have hope for this year and still believe there magic yet to happen.
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You know...the good stuff.
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#believe #disneycruise #disneycruiseline #disneycruiselife #disneywonder #disneymagic #disneycreators #disneycreatordays #mondayxmhe #disneymagicmoments #nowmorethanever
We got our first Raddish Kids box right before the We got our first Raddish Kids box right before the holidays and finally dug into it this weekend. Our box had a cold-weather theme which was perfect for this cold weather we're having (flurries in San Antonio can you believe it?!)

Each box contains three recipe cards, a culinary tool, an iron-on patch and Table Talk conversation starter cards. A shopping list is included and also emailed to you in advance in case you want to be ready to cook as soon as your box arrives. You buy all the groceries yourself. 

We made homemade chicken and dumplings this weekend and they turned out amazing. If you need modifications (i.e. gluten or dairy free) you can hop on to the @raddishkids website and go to the "Bonus Bites" section. You'll find modifications, food videos, extra recipes, parent info and more fun stuff. 

The price ranges from $20-$24 per box depending on what type of subscription you choose. Boxes are designed for kids 4-14+ with varying degrees of supervision needed depending on your child's skills and age. Kyle and i have done two meals from this box - we still have cookies left to make - and worked together about 50-50. It was a lot of fun. 

To order yours, here's my affiliate link https://raddish-kids-monthly-delivery.sjv.io/edoAr or read my full review (link in bio)

#raddishkids #raddishkidscook #raddishkidsrecipes #kidswhocook #kidchef
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