Airplane fares have become more affordable over the past years
due to lowered fuel charges. People who don’t usually travel have started booking
flights and those who love to travel are now flying farther.
More families have been taking vacations abroad but still, not a
lot of them travel with their young children. In reality, most parents fear to bring them along because they think they won’t be able to handle them on the
trip.
Long time traveler Genevieve Gutierrez-Figueroa recently
launched The Toddler Travels, a no-frills book about how to go on a trip
abroad with your little one. The tips and insights she shares are based on her
adventures with her daughter who started traveling abroad the moment she turned
one.
The book gives you the ideas on where to go, how to choose your
accommodation, what to pack and much about everything you need to know when
preparing for the trip. It also suggests what to do on the actual travel day
and when you get to your destination.
The book was formally launched last April
8, at Forum in Fully Booked BGC. I'm
one of the invited guests from Mommy
Bloggers PH and it was my
first book launch event, another first with MB. I also got to meet other mommy
bloggers during the event and it was fun!
Jamba Juice served smoothies to the first batch of guests attending the launch, including me!
 |
| Photo credits to The Toddler Travels FB Page |
They have a travel theme setup and served guests with inflight snacks!
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| Photo credits to The Toddler Travels FB Page |
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| Krispy Kreme Emoji Doughnuts were also served |
There was a raffle promo and I'm blessed to be one of the winners!
I won these Playtex Drop-Ins Liners which is perfect for
travels and busy mom on the go! No need to bring
several baby bottles when travelling with the little one. Yey!
All guests were also given vouchers. Thanks to all the sponsors!
I
am inspired by Ms. Gen, she proved that it is never too late to make something different and build a lasting legacy. Congratulations to Genevieve Gutierrez-Figueroa for a successful book launch!
* * *
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Toddler Travels rounds up the hacks, trials-and-errors,
shortcuts, unsolicited advice, and realizations drawn from the author’s
adventures abroad with her toddler into a no-frills guide that will prepare and
inspire you to explore the world with your little one.
Filled with reliable tips and substantial
insights, this book introduces an entirely new perspective of viewing the world
through a child’s eyes.
The Toddler Travels acquaints you on how to get ready for your kid’s
first adventure out of the country without leaving you hanging on just the
preparation stage.
It also runs through the nitty-gritty points of
what to keep in mind on the actual day of your trip, what you need and can do
when you get to your destination and how you can make this experience with your
family an unforgettable one.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
*Parents /guardians who have young kids or are
starting a family and plan to travel soon
*Frequent travelers who would like to give the
book to their family/friends to inspire them to travel
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Genevieve
Gutierrez-Figueroa’s world is an orderly chaos of watercolors and
words. She weaves observations into keen narratives often peppered with
striking balance of an adventurous spirit and calculating nature typical of a
new parent. She gets inspiration from light, movement, laughter and airline
ticket promos. And like most artists and writers, she adores cats.
With
years of crazy trips from hang gliding in Rio de Janeiro, to getting hit with
truckloads of tomatoes in Spain, to jumping off the highest bungee in the
world, her having a baby never stopped the traveling. It only toned the risk
factor a bit.
She
got introduced to writing at the State University of New York,
graduated Communications at the University of Sto. Tomas in
Manila, and earned her postgraduate degree at the Ateneo Graduate School of
Business in Makati.
She
is now a stay-at-home mom living with her husband Clod and their daughter Giana
in Taguig City.
The
Toddler Travels is her first book.
Mobile: 0917.792.4364
Mobile Landline: 502.5558
Facebook: The Toddler Travels
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Monica Esquivel is an illustrator and
graphic designer from Mertro Manila. Her works have been published in various
publications such as Rogue Magazine and the Philippine Star. She likes cats and
would often incorporate them in her personal works when she could.
CONTACT DETAILS
Twitter: moaniecat
Instagram: moaniez
Portfolio: cargocollective.com/monicaesquivel
AUTHOR Q&A
1. What made you write this book?
I wanted
to do something out of ordinary to mark my 40th birthday that was just last February.
Around June 2015, a close friend of mine and I had one of those random phone
conversations and I asked him for some suggestions. He was the one who said I
should write a book. I’ve been long planning to do this but never pushed
through because I couldn’t think of a good topic. At that time it just hit me,
why not write about travel and focus on a certain aspect, like traveling with a
toddler since my husband and I were doing a lot of trips with our daughter
lately.
2.
What was your inspiration for
writing this book?
My friends
who constantly ask me how we do it. I wrote this kind of book to inspire
parents like them to bond with their kids thru travel because it is indeed a
special experience.
3. Why self-publish?
I didn’t have time to present to publishers. I tried calling a
couple of publishers but one told me it was midyear already and they had
finished the line up of books to be printed out for the year. Another major
publisher wanted a copy of the book in case I’d be ready to re-print but I
decided to just do it on my own first. I thought it would be better to know the
ins-and-outs if ever I really wanted to get serious about pursuing this.
4.
What were the obstacles and
challenges encountered in the fruition of this Book?
I had a
minimal time on my hands. I could only write when my daughter naps in the
afternoon and when my hubby has settled down coming home from the work. We
don’t have a nanny or household help (by choice).
Self-publishing
is costly. I was lucky enough that the bookstores accepted my request to
consign to their branches even if I was self-published. They said the book had
a market and it wasn’t the usual topic.
5.
What are the plans for the
book?
I’ve
coordinated with some magazines that agreed to do press releases on the book.
I’m also planning to distribute internationally since I’ve been receiving quite
a number of inquiries from people abroad regarding the availability of the book
in their respective countries. An eBook version is also part of the timeline. I
am also looking at a different angle to The Toddler Travels but this won’t be
soon.
6.
Any plans of writing
another book?
I am
writing a series of books now and hopefully finish them for release by end of
2017, but these will go through a publisher now. No relation at all to the
first book.
The Toddler Travels is available at selected Fully Booked, National Bookstore and Power Books branches.
SRP: Php 395.00
