Bring the Kids

Kid-friendly travel site helps globe-trotting DFW families feel at home on the road

Anyone traveling with tots knows that not just any motel room or Airbnb will do. Zoie Kingsbery Coe found this out the hard way when she traveled the world with her husband and baby and noted lodging after lodging that lacked child-friendly amenities.

She took matters into her own hands and founded Kid & Coe, a website that helps makes vacationing with family easier and more fun. Five years after making all those lists, Coe's site has become an indispensable tool that families use to make their trips more comfortable and enjoyable.

As a traveling mom of a little one, I use it all the time to book my excursions from Dallas-Fort Worth. Kid & Coe curates a list of stylish vacation rentals around the world that offer kid-friendly perks like playrooms and backyards. Folks can list their homes and become hosts, as well.

What makes it different from Airbnb and VRBO? In addition to every property looking like it is straight out of an editorial shoot (s-t-u-n-n-i-n-g), they are hand selected by families for families.

"Just about all of our homeowners are parents, and that means they have empathy with your situation as a traveling family — more than likely, they are one, too. The shared ground makes a stay so much easier," said Coe, who currently resides in Ibiza.

Amenities listed range from babysitting services to fridge stocking and everything in between. Customers can easily search for properties with cribs, games, and even baby monitors.

Parents know that often, destinations that tout themselves as "child friendly" are long on style and short on substance. Coe recognized this, which is why a demand to share her findings about family-friendly travel inspired her to start the site. Part of her mission is to inspire people to think outside the box when it comes to family vacations.

"Disney must be done, and we love a kids club as much as the next person, but we also believe in showing our children a world that stretches beyond typical family travel boundaries," Coe said.

Coe says that the majority of renters are choosing to stay in the city rentals listed on the site (think Amsterdam, Paris, and London); however, she personally has wild and off-the-grid locations saved in her bucket list file. At the top of her wish list is this Brazilian treehouse. (I personally am dreaming of a trip to New York City that involves my family making ourselves at home at this Tribeca beauty.)

The site has picked up steam quickly in the U.S., especially in Texas. When it started, just one Texas rental — a Hill Country beauty — was listed. Now, customers can find vacation homes all over the state, from Houston to Austin to Fort Worth.

Kid & Coe is constantly adding new properties in popular travel spots and has its eye on bringing even more options in fun destinations like Sardinia and Ile de Re, off the coast of France. Coe's hidden-gem travel destination? Portugal, for its affordability, great cafes, and beautiful beaches.

"It’s about seeing that the world is wider than the bubble we live in," Coe said. "Trying new food — even if you don’t like it — seeing new animals, meeting new people, and trying out new activities are good for all children. Kids understand more about what they like and don’t like, they gain a curiosity about the world around them, and they are more outgoing and accepting in their approach."

Traveling with kids can be truly magical and always memorable (for better or worse) for the whole family. Coe encourages parents to travel with their kids as much as possible, and to savor their time together.

"The generosity people in other countries extend to your children — a cheeky head rub in Morocco, a little tickle under the chin in Italy, extra sprinkles on your daughter’s ice cream in Mexico — makes you see that the world is a varied and wonderful place."

The Brackenridge Street Residence in Austin, listed on Kid & Coe.

Photo courtesy of Kid & Coe

The Brackenridge Street Residence in Austin, listed on Kid & Coe.

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Airline News

American Airlines launches new gate program to foil early boarders

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

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Fort Worth-based American Airlines has launched a new system to catch passengers who try to sneak ahead in line.

According to a release, the airline is deploying a program in which technology is used to deter passengers who try to board before their official boarding group has been called.

Passengers who try to board early will not only hear a beep when they scan their boarding pass, but a tattletale message will pop up on the scanner, alerting the American Airlines employee of the passenger's correct group.

The airline trialed this modern technology over the past month at Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Tucson International Airport. It will now be deployed at more than 100 airports across the U.S.

If a customer boards before their assigned group is called, the new software will not accept the boarding pass and instead makes an audible sound to alert the gate agent and customer that the group has not yet been called. In these instances, the American team member will invite the customer to rejoin the line when their boarding group is called.

According to a story in the NY Post, airline employees have a name for these people: “gate lice."

A statement from American Airlines says that those passengers who are paying for early access should get their just desserts. People who are paying extra are mad when others get the same benefits.

"The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease," it says.

Surely a factor is the way American Airlines' current boarding system has become an exercise in the haves vs. the have-nots, with nine levels of boarding groups, from elite status members and credit card holders all the way down to the Basic Economy nobodies. It's gotten worse since the pandemic, with extra charges applied to every element of flying, including a charge if you want to choose your own seat.

As an explanation of why people might do it, the NY Post cites a theory that travelers try to get ahead "out of a tendency of conformity and a sense of competition."

Public shaming is a powerful motivator, and Larry David fans would surely agree that line-cutters should always be called out — but in this case, there is an actual valid reason for trying to get a jump in line, and that can be summed up in two words: overhead bins.

Too many travelers place their luggage in overhead bins that are not located over their seats. Who has not seen the guy breezily stash his suitcase in whatever bin is closest? And this is an inequity that is not addressed by flight attendants, who admittedly have enough on their hands.

But the fact remains that if you get on the plane when your boarding group boards, the odds are slimmer that your designated overhead bin is going to have room for your suitcase.

If the airline is not going to enforce the overhead bin situation, then it's hardly fair to blame gate lice for worrying about where their suitcase is going to end up — or worse, whether they'll face the horror of having to get their bag checked at the last minute because some other passenger stole their overhead space.

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