FAQ

What is nugget?

Nugget is a online community for parent-explorers where you can share and discover unique, parent-tested, and age-appropriate travel itineraries from all around the world. Our goal is to make travel planning for families a lot easier so you spend less time planning and more time discovering the world with your nugget.

 

What is a nugget guide?

A nugget guide is an itinerary submitted by one of our contributors who has tried all the recommended experiences and locations with his or her children. All our guides focus on how to spend a single day with your family, whether it’s a local day trip in your hometown or an exotic outing at a far-flung destination. We only publish itineraries that have been lived by a real family, so you get all the first-hand insight on what to expect

 

I am not a professional travel writer. Can I still contribute?

Absolutely! Our community of parent-explorers welcomes contributors from all backgrounds and experience levels. Our editorial team is always here to help if you have specific questions on how to write an inspiring itinerary. Simply email us at hello@nugget.travel. For questions on how to get started check out our guidelines on how to create a nugget guide here.

 

I am not a professional photographer. Can I still submit my images?

You bet! However, we do have a few image guidelines that we ask you to adhere to. You can read our image guidelines here.

 

My family only travels domestically. Can I still become a nugget contributor?

Absolutely! We love to inspire family travel near and far.

Image guidelines

 

How do I pick good images?

An image says more than a thousand words. If you want to inspire your fellow parent-explorers to follow your nugget guide, pick images that give them a feeling for where you went. What is it like to be there? To help you decide, look at all the images from your trip. What are the ones that get you most excited about going there again? Those pictures will most likely also be the ones that will inspire someone else to follow your steps. Do not include  selfies or images that are only of you and your family. We know your family is gorgeous, but other parents will find it most helpful if they can see the destination itself. Instead you can share your family shots in our Facebook group or on our Facebook page.

 

I can’t decide on which images to submit. What do I do?

No problem. Just upload all your favorites to the gallery view and our editorial team will help you pick the best ones.

 

Do my children need to be in the photos?

Not if you don’t want them to be. Your photos are meant to excite and inspire other families to follow your nugget guide. We love seeing kids in action, but it’s absolutely fine to only include images of the places you visited without your children in it.

 

Do all my images need to be landscape?

We prefer landscape images. They just images tend to look better on a computer screen.

 

Some of the images that I included in my itinerary didn’t get published. Why?

Our editorial team reviews every itinerary and might decide to edit images or text if they believe it makes for a better experience for other parents following your nugget guide.

How to create a nugget guide

 

How do I write the perfect itinerary?

Be precise. Don’t use vague phrases like “it was the best” without giving specifics on what made it the best. Be insightful. Share those nuggets of advice only you could know by having been there with your family.  Be honest. Only share itineraries you have actually experienced with your family. Didn’t love an experience? That’s okay. Share the truth so other parents can learn from it. Most importantly, inspire and excite. Show other parents why they should try your mini-adventure!

 

Which writing style should I use?

Please write your nugget guide as if you were directly addressing another parent. While your recommendations are based on your personal experiences, the guide is not meant to retell your exact story. Instead, explain to other parents what they can expect, tell them what they should do and weave in some anecdotes about what your family enjoyed. For example: Start your day at Birch Coffee before heading to the Brooklyn Bridge. This cute cafe has delicious local coffee and lots of space for strollers. Our nugget loved their blueberry scones, and I am a big fan of their donuts.

 

What qualifies as a nugget guide?

All nugget guides are outings that can range from half a day to a full day and should include at least two activities, events or experiences (e.g. yummy lunch at a local gem followed by a trip to the aquarium).

 

I travelled for more than a day. How do I submit an itinerary for my entire trip?

If you went on a multi-day vacation and would like to submit an itinerary for your entire vacation, you will have to submit each day individually. If you are short on time, simply start with your favorite day and add more days later.

 

My itinerary requires that you stay overnight in order to have the same experience we had. What do I do?

No problem. In the logistics section of your submission form, select that your itinerary requires an overnight stay and add the same information in your advice and about section. Don’t forget to include your accommodation in the lodging section so that other parents can stay at the same place.

 

We used a guide for parts of our day. How do we include him / her in our itinerary?

If you took a guided tour you loved or met a guide who was outstanding, you can include their information in the description of the respective itinerary stop. For example, if you went on a guided tour of Downtown LA with LA Art Tours, you would add Downtown LA as the stop of your itinerary. In the description you can mention LA Art Tours and you can also provide a link to their website.

 

How do you define the cost associated with a nugget guide? What should I include?

Think about how much you spent on average per person for all the activities of this day? Do NOT include any expenses for meals or transportation unless the transportation was part of the activities (e.g. taking a scenic gondola ride). Here’s how we define cheap, moderate and expensive. Cheap = less than 10 USD per person. Moderate = 10 USD – 25 USD per person. Expensive = more than 25 USD per person.

 

Can I submit an itinerary for my hometown?

Absolutely! We love to share mini-adventures from locals. However, it is important that you actually tried your entire itinerary with your kids. Go out and be a tourist in your home-town! It’s a great motivator to do something fun and spend quality time together.

 

We had a bad experience; should I include it?

Yes! If you loved everything else about your day, but there were one or two things that didn’t go as well, please include your advice as tips so that others can learn from your experience.

 

There were things we wanted to do but didn’t get to. Should I include them?

Sure. If there was something you saw that you wanted to do but didn’t get to and think other families might enjoy it, you may include this information as a tip in the itinerary details.

 

How do I write a captivating headline?

Writing a good headline is an art form, but if you follow these three rules you’ll be a pro in no time. Your headline is the first thing other parent-explorers will read. While we want to keep it short, it also needs to be engaging, specific and relevant. Provide a reason why other parents should be interested in your nugget guide. Try to avoid vague words like “best,” “amazing,” or “#1.” Instead, try to include a specific detail about what you loved the most. You can also highlight specific sights, activities, neighbourhoods, or interests. For example: New York for little train lovers, A foodie tour of Melbourne, Discover Stockholm on bike, San Diego animal extravaganza, Waterfall hike on Kauai, etc.

 

How do I write a compelling summary of our day?

Your “About this day” summary is a quick overview of what your fellow parent-explorers can expect when following your nugget guide. Try to be brief, but have fun with it and be genuine. Think about your best friend; what would you say about the trip to get them excited and wanting to go there too? For example: Whether you live in New York City or are are visiting on a family vacation, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and spending a day in Dumbo, Brooklyn’s waterfront neighbourhood, is the ultimate Brooklyn experience. Enjoy stunning New York City views, fabulous playgrounds, cute shops, and a carousel ride your nugget will never forget. And did I mention one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the city?

 

How do I write easy to follow step-by-step instructions?

Put yourself in the shoes of your fellow parent-explorers. You are about to go on a mini-adventure in a foreign place that you know nothing about and you would love for somebody to take you by the hand and guide you through the day. Focus on that picture while you write your itinerary. For each step of your nugget guide it is most helpful if you can include a brief description of the sight or activity, a reason why other families should come here, and brief descriptions on how to get here from the previous stop. It also helps to include a personal anecdote of what you and/or your nugget enjoyed so that other parents can decide if this is something they might want to try as well. Specific tips and advice are the icing on the cake. For example: From La Jolla Cove it’s a short walk along the coast to Children’s Pool Beach. This beach is known for its harbour seals that come here to have their pups. You can watch them from a lookout point, but you can’t walk down to the beach. My nugget giggled a lot while we watched the harbor seals roll from side to side.

 

How do I provide helpful advice on a restaurant?

We all need to eat. Some of us love to discover the next foodie gem while others just want to feed their family in a friendly environment. When you write about a restaurant, make sure other parents get a sense of what this place is like and what your experience was like. Include a note on the food you and your children ate and enjoyed (or not). This will help other families decide if this place is right for them. Last but not least, if something wasn’t ideal or might warrant a cautionary warning include that as a tip so your fellow parents will know for their visit (e.g. the place is tiny, there is a wait, it’s very loud or quiet, etc.).

 

Can I mix and match experiences from multiple days to create one single day itinerary?

Yes, you can. We know that our first-hand experience isn’t always exactly what we would recommend our friends. We want you to share the best nugget guide possible. If you realize that your family’s original itinerary wasn’t as ideal and you’d recommend a different combination of activities based on your experiences, that’s okay. We only ask that you only combine activities that you experienced with your children on the same trip. Do not include sights or activities that you’ve visited on a previous trip or without your family.

My Account

 

How do I become a nugget member?

It’s super easy. Simply register here.

 

How do I become a nugget contributor?

Becoming a contributor is super easy. Just sign up here. Once you are signed up, you can start submitting itineraries of your favorite mini-adventures with your nugget.

 

I submitted an itinerary. Why is it not showing up on the website?

Our editorial team reviews every submission to ensure it meets our quality standards. We’ll let you know once your itinerary is ready for prime time. You can always email us with questions at hello@nugget.travel.

 

Can I edit my nugget guide once it’s submitted?

Yes, you can always make changes to your guide. Simply log into your account and select the nugget guide you’d like to edit. Please note that editing an already published itinerary will move it back into our review pipeline and it will be offline until it gets approved (again).

 

How do I cancel my account?

If you changed your mind and no longer wish to be part of our community simply email us at hello@nugget.travel.