First Time Travel with Kids

(6 Reviews)

Detra Alton

Bellaire, TX

The Mom & Traveler - Family Travel Specialist

Travel is more than just a pastime or a hobby for me; it is something that it is always on my mind. My passion and my life, travel is the activity to which I have devoted more hours than anything else. A mother, a wife, a travel agent, a travel influencer, and of course a traveler, I enjoy encountering new ideas in new places and visiting all the most lush and wondrous destinations in the world. I grew up in Houston, graduating from Willowridge High School, earning my Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Technology at the University of Houston, and earning my MBA at the University of Houston at Victoria. So, it would be fair to say that I have spent a lot of time in the Houston area! Once I did start to travel away from home, though, I knew that it was the life for me. There is something grand to discover no matter where you want to travel in the world. The key, though, is to have some idea of what you would like to find! For four years now, I have worked in the travel industry, ever since my husband introduced me to it. He has worked in the industry for more than twenty years, so it is safe to say that I have learned a lot from him. I have become an expert at helping people to plan their dream vacations, and I want to help you plan every trip in your future.

Marrying at a destination wedding in Mexico, my husband and I hosted 100 people. As you can imagine, that was a big moment for us, and because of that special day, Mexico will forever hold a special place in my heart. Some of my other favorite locations to which I have traveled are Aruba, Rome, Sorrento, Venice, Maui, and Barbados. I reiterate: much of it depends on what I am looking for from one trip to the next. In Rome, I encountered history and vibrant life like nowhere else in the world, and on Maui, I felt like I could relax more deeply and more easily than I ever had before, lounging on the beaches and exploring the nature coasts for which the island is known. Each place is different, each worthy of exploration, each offering its own perks and personality.

As a travel agent, I work at Almeda Travel. My specialty is planning and arranging travel for groups as large as 50 people. I am a planner who focuses on crafting valuable experiences for my clients. A firm believer that luxury is within anyone’s reach, I am experienced at planning family travel (kid-friendly!) and event travel, coming up with a detailed strategy to ensure that you get everything possible out of your trip. I am a devoted member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and I dedicate much of my time and resources to serving my community, recognizing and embracing my role as a leader.

On Instagram and other social media platforms, I am a travel influencer going by the handle The Mom & Traveler. Running these pages is something that I enjoy doing, and it helps me to widen my network and connect with people who share my interest in travel. As a mother of two, I put a lot of thought into what I can do to instill in my daughters a more cosmopolitan and worldly mindset, and both of them have traveled out of the country (and plan to do so in the future many more times). I have gone on five trips with my children thus far: Washington, DC; Orlando; Punto Cana; Puerto Vallarta; and Maui. I understand how stressful it can be for some families to go anywhere traveling with kids, and I am a master at minimizing those stress points so that everyone has a fantastic time from the first day of the trip to the last one.

As a family, your travel options are not limited to Disney! While the Disney theme parks and resorts can be a ton of fun, you do not need to close yourself off to luxury spots like Hawaii and the Caribbean. As a mom, I am here to tell you that family travel, even luxury family travel or adventure family travel, is within your reach. Let’s get started on planning your dream vacation today! I can help you to book any trip, whatever the location and whatever the timing. Baby-mooning is another topic I write about extensively. You can have the trip of your dreams – not in five years, not in ten years, but right now. Let me show you the way!

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First Family Vacation

Our first vacation as a family will always be memorable for several reasons; it was our first trip as a family, it was our 13 month old daughter’s first airplane ride, it was her first stamp on her passport and most importantly it was our first time traveling as parents.

When my husband informed me that we were going to Puerto Vallarta for our first family vacation a million questions started to run through my head - Is she current on all her vaccines? How will she act on the plane? How many bags can I pack for her? How much sunblock should I buy her?

I consider myself a seasoned traveler, but I have always traveled with friends or my husband never with a child. This was going to be an adventure to me.

As we boarded the plane (we boarded first as we were traveling with a small child)

I could not help but to get nervous about how my daughter would behave on the 2 1/2 hour flight from Houston to Puerto Vallarta. I recalled before I had kids how much I hated to hear a crying baby on a flight, especially when they cried the entire flight. I didn’t want my daughter to ruin the flight for everyone, so I prepared myself with snacks, 2 bottles of toddler formula, her favorite baby doll, and an iPad filled with BabyTV episodes. It worked! After about 30 minutes of enjoying the items I packed, she slept the rest of the flight. PERFECT! As we were exiting the plane people around us complimented us on how well behaved she was, as there were a set of toddler twins on the flight and they screamed most of the time. I appreciated the compliment, but at the same time I felt empathy for the parents of the twins. Whom brought along their nanny, so they could enjoy the flight/vacation.

Our family vacation hotel of choice was Now Amber, an all-inclusive luxury family resort located a convenient 15 minutes from the airport. Every hotel that I stayed at in the past had always been an adult only all-inclusive luxury hotel, so I just knew that the family resort would lack what the adult only hotels had to offer. I was very wrong! Amber Now has every thing that you could want in a resort from fine restaurants, luxury rooms, lounge pools, activities, shows, and great customer service.

Our room was the right size for a family as it included all the amenities that we needed, such as cable tv loaded with kid friendly stations and they even brought a crib to our room for Natalie to sleep and play in. The had great restaurants, live entertainment that my daughter loved to dance to and a great atmosphere at the pools. Even though my daughter was a little young at the time and was not able to take advantage of the kids club, I got to relax by the pool with her. We napped under the umbrellas while we listened to the sounds of the ocean.

The best highlight of our trip, was that we scheduled a professional photoshoot to capture the moments. I absolutely love and cherish these pictures!!

This was my first lesson that taught me that you can have luxurious travel with kids!!!