Well we went on our family vacation.
Our only vacation for the summer.
It had it’s ups and downs, and I predicted pretty well how things were going to be in my post earlier this month.
Family Travels on a Budget warned me to check her site for tips, and I did, but driving with 2 screaming kids, I forgot all that I had read and went to my old ways (definitely write down tips on index cards would have been best).
Apparently the Where’s My Perry App on the Kindle has become the new crack for kids and my son was screaming that he needed to play it, had to play it. And the battery was dead on the Kindle from playing it (forgot to charge the battery). Got it plugged in and after 15 long minutes, he was back to playing his game.
Suggestion #1. Ensure all the electronics requiring to be charged are fully charged the night before and that you take the power cords.
We arrived where we were headed, things were great until the next morning.
I had double checked the kids suitcases to ensure they had all their clothes. And I forgot to pack my shirts. And my hairbrush. And beach towels.
Suggestion #2. Make sure you pack your clothes first, and the night before, not 15 minutes before you leave like I did.
Suggestion #3. Have toiletries (and a brush) that just stay in your suitcase. I have them, because I have forgotten my brush the past 2 trips and we had to buy them. Don’t let your husband remove them.
Suggestion #4. Take beach towels. We bought 4 new bathroom towels instead of beach towels because they were 1/2 the price of the beach towels. Our suit cases live by the beach towels, but could not find their way into the suitcases.
Over all the trip was great, the kids had fun at the beach, they did not enjoy driving around to a exciting new beach. The things they loved the most, were right next to our hotel. When asked, they liked playing miniature golf and riding the go-carts. Things we could have done 20 minutes from our house, but we drove 4 hours away to do instead.
We even had melt downs on the way home because the Where’s my Perry crack wasn’t letting my son do something (it is a great app, he’s 5 and doesn’t understand why it won’t let him be the Agent F like he wants). We played I Spy on the way home and laughed and had fun in between tantrums.
We also didn’t tell them we were coming home. Well, we did, but we said we were going to the Casa Hotel. My son was less than thrilled to see our house when we pulled in.
And we will do it all again next summer.
I failed to mention how we were traveling with a 10 year old map in the van as well. Getting places was fine, when we told Onstar where we wanted to go, but just traveling around on our own, the map was questionable.
Suggestion #5: Have a current map in your car.
Twitter: karen_dawkins
says:
Oh my!!! Thanks for the shout-out!
A little planning always helps the trip go smoothly… but when things go wrong, you are STILL creating memories to last a lifetime! Sounds like you handled it all quite well.
Happy school year (Is that possible?)
Karen
Family Travels on a Budget recently posted..USPS Mail hold, great for vacationers
We just went with it to keep things going. Kids in confined spaces is just hard when they wanna run and play.
Great suggestions! Thanks for the tips =)
Trisha G. recently posted..Getting Your Kids to Eat Fruits & Veggies Plus Earth’s Best Apple Sauce #Giveaway
You are welcome!
Great tips! Too funny about your clothes. . . well, I’m sure not at the time, but it did make for a great tip! Hope you have a great weekend this weekend!
Michelle recently posted..Sit and Relax #72
Thanks. It wasn’t to bad (looking back), I got 4 new shirts out of the deal.
Having to drive back with them we were more prepared for the trip and did it faster than going up.
My kids were really addicted to the Where’s My Perry game for a while too! We’ve definitely made the mistake of not charging everything up a few times as well. Traveling with kids is always hard, but at least you had fun once you got there!
DelSheree recently posted..Review: The Royal Assassin
I think the addiction has started to wear off. They had only been playing for a few days. Now they play, just not as much or intense. I know make sure things are charging at night when they go to bed.
Twitter: carlabkaram
says:
Regina… even with all the ups and downs sounds like you all had a memorable family vacation…. my tip… I always left for road trips with my kids after dinner. Yes after dinner, with tummies full- and before you know it… they sleep through most the drive
Only thing was making sure I napped the day we left… worked perfectly each time. Grace, peace and blessings, Carla
Carla Barilá Karam recently posted..Day 451 ~ Susy Toronto’s Message for September
Driving after dinner sounds like a good idea if you are a night driver. You have to do what fits your family.
It’s finding a balance for sure!
Twitter: shanmilholland
says:
Your travel experience sounds strangely similar to mine. Clearly I also need to be reading Karen’s blog more closely! I almost always forget something…aye, aye, aye
Shannon Milholland recently posted..Lessons Learned on the Road – The Encouragement of Shade
Karen has lots of tips and I agree. I need to read her blog slower.