Fun in the Sun #21: Go-Go Babyz gogo Kidz Travelmate {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, Carrie Phelps!}

When it comes to summer travels, everyone loves being able to jump in the car or hop on a plane and jet off for some time to enjoy the fun and sun with their family.

However, often the thought of struggling with the sheer number of things that need to be packed for vacation can be overwhelming... and that's just while still in the planning stages. Then take into account lugging a car seat, suitcases, bottles or sippy cups, boarding passes, and more while making it through security and down mile-long terminals and suddenly the relaxing part of the trip seems to have disappeared completely.

Where does my cup of coffee and a good book or juicy gossip magazine fit in?

Fortunately, there are companies that know and understand what parents need when traveling with children and have invented innovative, safe products to make life immensely easier to get through that bustling airport and beyond. Instead of having to choose between traveling light and comfortably and traveling with children, you can now do both thanks to Go-Go Babyz.

Founded in 2003, Go-Go Babyz Corporation is a family owned and operated business dedicated to making life easier when you are on the go with your children. As parents themselves, this is one company that knows firsthand what it means to need creative travel solutions and therefore designs their award-winning products with all children (including their own) in mind.

Having had multiple experiences with my children in airports over the past few years, I was immediately interested in seeing how the best-selling gogo Kidz Travelmate could shape and better all of our future trips.

Having won countless awards and praise for its innovation, convenience and safety, traveling without the gogo Kidz Travelmate is like leaving your rolling suitcase at home and dragging along a wooden crate with your clothes packed inside. Instead of trying to carry a heavy car seat as well as a squirming, tired toddler, this solves both problems in one easy step.

Right out of the box, I was happy to see that there was nearly no assembly required to get the gogo Kidz Travelmate set up and ready for use.

Screwing the extendable handle into place and popping on the Spring Lock wheels took less than a minute and the entire piece was ready to head to the airport.

My only question then was whether or not our car seat was compatible. How would I know if we had one that would fit?

GoGo Babyz made finding the answer to that fast and easy as they put a list conveniently on the back of the gogo Kidz Travelmate box so that it only takes a glance to see if it will work with your specific make and model.

They also have a complete list on their website.

Happy to see that our seat was indeed listed, things continued to go well when I discovered just how easy it is to attach a car seat to the Travelmate when needed.

Laying the gadget along the back of the car seat so that it would rest on the support tabs, I simply threaded the ratcheting, quick-release strap through the seat belt slot of the car seat and tightened it as necessary.

Not only does the strap hold the car seat firmly in place, but Go-Go Babyz even thought to include the plate handle so that it is accessible to clip the seat's LATCH hook onto it - taking away just about any possibility of the seat moving or sliding out of place while it is being used.

All that is left is to fasten your child (up to 50 pounds) into their car seat like normal, pull up the telescoping handle, and you are both ready for a smooth, convenient, ride.

The result is that you are no longer trying to carry a bulky, heavy car seat on top of the rest of your luggage and traveling gear while your child is safe, comfortable, and happy.

I appreciate that Go-Go Babyz put a lot of thought into the details of the gogo Kidz Travelmate, ensuring that its light weight (only 5 pounds), compact size (5" x 17" x 28"), and quick release wheels make storage, portability, and fitting through tight x-ray machines a breeze.

It all adds up to a great idea! How many times have you seen poor disgruntled parents holding a car seat up over their head as they attempt to navigate the crowds? Or heard from friends about their unhappiness with the poor quality car seat they ended up having to rent at their vacation destination?

Instead, the gogo Kidz Travelmate (retailing for $89.99) allows parents to follow the FAA's recommendation that children under 40 pounds be seated in a car seat while on an airplane while also providing a wheeled chair for them to calmly sit in. The ease of use, quick attachment or detachment, and all-around convenience adds up to a win-win situation!

As they are continually working on the development of new products (as well as coming out with improvements to the existing ones), Go-Go Babyz has managed to define themselves as experts in the field of traveling with children. All of their innovative products and accessories are ones that, once you've tried them, you won't plan a trip without!

And, thanks to their generosity, one person will be able to go on their next vacation in quick, easy expediency as well, because...

One lucky person will win a gogo Kidz Travelmate from Go-Go Babyz!

To enter to win: Visit Go-Go Babyz and tell me something you learned or found interesting there.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry if you head over to A Mom's Balancing Act and enter to win an Infant Cruizer from Go-Go Babyz!
1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow Go-Go Babyz on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the Fun in the Sun giveaways (Fun in the Sun giveaways ONLY) running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

Fun in the Sun 21: #WIN a gogo Kidz Travelmate (ARV $90) for easy car seat transportation! #thxmailcarrier http://bit.ly/lpK8bv #giveaway

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me publicly with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email or become a fan on Facebook.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you have our Fun in the Sun button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on July 15th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to Go-Go Babyz for providing a gogo Kidz Travelmate for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.