6 Free Travel Apps to Help Plan Your Next Family Road Trip

Originally posted June 2020. As a community of families who love the outdoors (or who are learning to love it), it is always inspiring to hear how that love originated. Some of us grew up camping and hiking almost since birth. For others, outdoor exploration didn’t start until much later in life. Either way, most of us can credit the role models in our lives for instilling that love of the outdoors in us, and for many of us, that role model is our dad. In honor of Father’s Day, we asked our Hike it Baby community to share how their dad—or other father figures—influenced their love of nature and the outdoors. How the Father Figures in Our Lives Have Influenced Our Love of the Outdoors "He influenced our love for outdoors by just BEING outdoors himself... tinkering, gardening, eating, relaxing, playing. He also EXPLAINED the outdoors to us, so we learned about the world around us...stars, plants, bugs, weather, water, history. There was always a science lesson to be taught.” Christine, HiB Calgary, AB, Canada “Growing up, camping was the only kind of vacation my family could afford, and thankfully my parents loved to [go camping] with our pop-up tent trailer. My dad was the one who took my siblings and me on hikes, to beaches and lakes, and on adventures while our mom stayed at the campsite and cooked. Just taking us to beautiful places and encouraging us to climb trees and boulders, wade in lakes and streams, heavily influenced my love for the outdoors.” Alex, HiB Salt Lake City, UT “My dad, a city boy from NY, dreamed of the mountains. He found his way to Alaska and climbed Denali, found my mom, had a family and raised us outside hiking and camping. We made so many memories on our adventures.” Juliana, HiB Fairbanks, AK “My dad 100% inspired my love of the outdoors. He took my sister and me hiking and camping many times each summer as kids!” Colleen, HiB New Brunswick, NJ “From birth, my dad would scoop us up and take us outside for a walk anytime we were fussy. Sibling argument?... Let's take a walk and talk it through. One of my clearest memories early on is sitting on the porch, churning ice cream, and watching a thunderstorm grow in the distance. It was the way that the outdoors were a part of every day and every activity that made it more than love, it made it life.” Jennifer, HiB Charlottesville, VA “My husband has helped encourage my love of the outdoors and he is a father. He gets our kids outside every chance he can and is always showing them new things. He also helped my love for the outdoors grow.” Beth Ann, HiB Pittsburgh, PA “I’m not even sure my dad consciously knew he was instilling his love of the outdoors in us! In the winter we would sit with our bird book identifying birds at the bird feeder. Long walks together down our country roads were a regular occurrence. He was and is still always puttering in the yard, gardening, observing everything around him. He would even take us hunting with him, and when we didn’t get anything, he would always say “It’s ok, I just like an excuse to walk in the woods.” Sarah, HiB Brockville, Ontario “My dad has always believed that fresh air clears the head and calms the nerves, so anytime my siblings or I were working through something, he would say “take a walk with me.” We would walk or hike for miles (and still do when I go back for a visit), and he would listen to us vent and give advice when it was needed. And now anytime I need to clear my head, I step outside and let the fresh air calm me, just like he taught me.” Becca, HiB Kitsap Peninsula, WA “My dad was my rock. He was calm, patient, and understanding. When he passed in 2018, I realized that the traits that draw me to the woods, to the top of a mountain, to the warm shallows of a lake were rooted in the love and support that I had felt from my father my entire life. And when I’m missing my dad, I find him again in nature.” Sara, HiB Grand Rapids, MI “My dad took me camping in Yosemite for the first time when I was 7 and then again every summer until I was a too-cool teenager. Without knowing it he introduced me to my favorite place in the world and to the beauty and wonder of spending time outside.” Linzay, HiB San Diego, CA   How has your own dad, or the father figure in your life, inspired your love of the outdoors? Share in the comments!   ABOUT OUTGROWN OutGrown is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to create a world where everyone can enjoy the physical and mental benefits of spending time outside. We are focused on creating opportunities and removing barriers to access so families with babies and young children can take their first steps outside. We believe all families have the right to connect with nature, benefit from spending time outdoors and be inspired to a lifelong love of nature. Since its grassroots inception in 2013, OutGrown is a growing community of 280,000 families and over 300 volunteer Branch Ambassadors. More information on all of our programs can be found at WeAreOutGrown.org    EDITORS NOTE: We hope you enjoyed reading this article from OutGrown. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you. But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach.

With the vast majority of our planet’s surface covered in water (over 70%!), drinkable water should be easy to find, right? Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Between undrinkable saltwater and pollution in our waterways, clean water can be hard to come by. Even here in the United States, there are sources of water contamination that are making people sick and putting out kids at risk. That’s where effective water filters can be a literal lifesaver. Check out these ways our Hike it Baby families utilize water filtration technology to access clean water every day and everywhere. While Hiking Whether you are on a short hike near your home or on a multi-day trek in the backwoods, clean water is essential. Carrying a water filtration bottle as part of your hiking essentials means that your family will have access to clean water free of bacteria, parasites, and microplastics on any trail with a water source. If your child prefers to carry their own water, the kid-approved Lifestraw Play Bottle is the perfect size to keep your kiddo hydrated on the trail, and comes with added protection against heavy metals such as lead. In Offices and Schools While one would hope that our office buildings and schools have clean water, that is not always the case. Contaminants such as pesticides and lead can enter the water and pose health risks. Thankfully, it is now easier than ever to filter water on the go simply by using a bottle with a built-in filtration system.  For your school-age kiddos, pack their bag with a kid-sized filtration bottle. When Traveling Abroad Travel with kids can be stressful enough without having to worry about where to find clean water wherever you explore. We like the Lifestraw Universal, which fits into most popular water bottle brands and turns your favorite bottle into a water filter. It protects against bacteria, chemicals, parasites, and microplastics so that you can focus on making memories on your next family trip abroad. During Military Deployments Many of the members in our Hike it Baby community belong to military families, some of which experience deployments overseas to countries with very different (or no) water quality standards. Carrying a filter device could mean the difference between contracting a water-borne illness and completing your mission. A collapsible bottle with an included filter is the perfect option. It provides protection against heavy metals, bacteria, parasites, microplastics, and organic chemical matter. You can also use it to draw filtered water for other uses such as hand-washing and tooth-brushing. Look for one that can fold up easily to fit into a pack without taking up too much room. Throughout Pregnancy Women’s bodies are incredible. Not only can we sustain our own health, but we can grow and sustain a new human being on top of it! That amazing ability also means that almost everything a woman takes in also crosses through to the little one she is growing. That makes finding clean water sources that are free from contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticides imperative to the growth and well-being of both Mama and baby. A great way to help protect against water-born contaminants is by using a filter bottle when out and about and a home filter when at home to filter out the bad while keeping the essential nutrients like magnesium and potassium. Water filtration systems aren't just for the backcountry. They can be a part of your day-to-day life to ensure you have clean drinking water no matter where you are. Do you use a water filtration system in your daily life? Please share in the comments! About Hike it Baby Hike it Baby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to getting families outdoors and on trails across the U.S. and internationally, supporting, educating and inspiring families through their more than 300 communities across North America. Since its grassroots inception in 2013 in Portland, Oregon, Hike it Baby is now a growing community of 270,000 families and 500 volunteer branch ambassadors hosting more than 1,600 hikes per month. More information, as well as daily hike schedules, can be found at HikeitBaby.com, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. Image courtesy of Jessica Human. This post is sponsored by Lifestraw, however, we would not recommend something that our children do not love.