Family Travel Tips

    We'll be embarking on vacation soon and it means a total of nearly nine hours in the car. As every mom of young children knows, that alone can spoil even the most fun vacation! 

    Note: These tips are for children in front facing car seats. I have no idea how to successfully pacify a rear facing child (and believe me we tried EVERYTHING).

Extra Fun Packing:

• Custom Suitcase: We owned two toddler suitcases (both purchased at Garage Sales), but one broke on our last trip. My oldest desperately wanted a new princess suitcase. I couldn't justify spending extra for a Princess case that was poorly made and small, when I could buy a nicer quality suitcase that was just a bit larger for less. So, we let her choose a suitcase in her favorite color (pink of course), and then made a trip to the craft store where I let her select patches (a castle and two butterflies). We ironed the patches to the zipper pocket (it folds back, this is key)... and then I sewed down each corner of the patches (remembering from my years in Girl Scouts that the iron on feature is more temporary than permanent). In a few years, we'll let her sister do the same. She is very excited to be taking a vacation with her own special bag!

• New Clothes: If you're traveling mid-season, check clearance racks. Target is selling several t-shirts, tank tops, and summer dresses for $2 or less. I bought new summer tops for the girls for 75 cents. The key... we'll be eating out and attending shows that are likely to induce stains (Ketchup and Bar-B-Q sauce are my least favorite stains to fight)... I decided this will be vacation for the laundress too! The 75 cent tops are brand new and cute for the trip, but if they happen to get stained I am not racing to my hotel to salvage the shirt... they will wind up as a dust rag or art smock. It's my souvenir.... relaxing in the personal vow that I am not bringing home difficult laundry! :-)

In the Car - Travel Tips:

• Water: Bring a spill proof thermos for each child with water. Pack extra bottled water. Water is the only allowed beverage for kids - for my sanity. I am not a fan of juice boxes (or juice spray fountains as I call them) and especially not in the car. A few drops of water won't hurt much or stain.  I avoid anything that is sticky, staining, or potentially stinky.
• Snacks: Pack snacks that are as healthy and as clean as possible (yogurt snacks, granola bars, goldfish).
• Toys: Pack a few travel toys in a CLEAR bag so you can find them. We purchased ball pit balls a few years ago and they came in a large plastic bag with a zipper. That bag is now our car toy bag (similar bags are used for packaging sheets, sleeping bags, and other items). Our favorite car toys are: View Master and Reels (I ration these out so they aren't lost), Toy Computer, VSmile Pocket, eeBoo's Tell Me a Story Card Game, Magna Doodle and dolls. Melissa and Doug also make terrific travel games with "no extra pieces."
• Stories and Music on CD: Check out new CDs from the library for FREE. I like to have a new soundtrack for road trips and take a break from our standard favorites. We stock up on Children's stories on CD like Charlotte's Web, Winnie the Pooh, Adventures in Odyssey, and Dr. Seuss. We also check out new music CDs for kids to broaden their repertoire. For something different, we like Heigh-Ho! Mozart, and Bibbidi Boppidy Bach... favorite Disney tunes in the style of the Classic Composers. It's fun for the kids and pleasant for mom and dad... and there are no words!
• Trays: We use the Star Kids Snack and Travel Tray. It's soft and safe, has pockets on the sides to hold colored pencils and Crayola Twistables (not crayons that melt on summer days) and the small fat coloring books and pads from the Dollar Store. The girls love having a "desk" in the car to work with. It buckles in and it's very easy to use as they get in and out of the car.
• Car Games: We love "I Spy," Storytelling (each person adds to the story where the previous left off), and "How many X can you find."
• Take Breaks!: If we're traveling for more than two hours, we take a break about every 90 minutes for bathroom and stretching legs. If the trip is 4 hours or more, we always stop midway for 30-60 minutes for meals and play. We stop at parks for a picnic, or Chuck E. Cheese (in the winter), or local Children's Museums or petting zoos along the way. It's fun to discover something new. The girls look forward to the stop and we find that taking the break recharges batteries and keeps everyone happy and smiling!
• Something New: Make sure you have one element of "new" in the above list. Whether it is a new snack, new activity book, or new toy. The surprise doesn't have to be elaborate, but the key is that it is NEW. On our upcoming trip, I stocked up at the library on new stories featuring favorite characters  that the girls haven't heard before. The NEW holds attention a bit longer than familiar music and stories and it's exciting to anticipate something fresh. Bonus... because I use the library I didn't spend a dime!
• For Mom: I pack a couple new magazines, a murder mystery and Sudoku.... and resist the urge to bring work! It IS vacation!

   Whatever you do when you're vacationing this summer, remember it is about what you and your family enjoy. Take time to relax, snap photos and build memories!

So, what are your favorite travel tips?