The Toddler Travels Book Launch

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!

Photo credits to The Toddler Travels FB Page

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!

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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.

CONTACT DETAILS

Mobile: 0917.792.4364

Mobile Landline: 502.5558

Emails: thetoddlertravels@gmail.com

Facebook: The Toddler Travels

Instagram: thetoddlertravels@gmail.com, gengutierrez

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 40^th 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