FlipEze Laminated Books initially struck us as a waste of time and resources. The size of playing cards, the 10 pages for each of four languages (Spanish, French, Italian and German) offer translations of just the basic phrases, bound together with a plastic ring and clipped to a lanyard or large carabiner. Out of context, they seemed a little too basic and likely to take up too much space for what they offered.
But then a trip to Mexico found my younger daughter looking for something small to carry around each day that would get her to and from the swimming pool and restrooms at hotels, through restaurant situations and chatting with people quickly and easily while I was otherwise occupied on a work trip, and aquì, FlipEze was perfect.
We ditched the larger carabiner in favor of a smaller one and found ourselves whipping the cards out repeatedly, especially at the beginning of the trip. By the end, we were locals — at least when it came to asking for la cuenta (the check). $10.95,
