Vacations…the very word bring tears to my eyes. All of the
packing, getting to our destination, kids not sleeping in their
beds, getting lost, having trouble finding a hotel to stay in-
let’s face it, vacations can evoke nightmares for mothers. I
remember our first “vacation” as one of the most horrific times
in our lives. We were traveling to Indiana from Massachusetts
around the holidays. Getting to the airport is never an easy
task, but with thick fog in sight and no planes taking off we
waited for ten hours with a ten month old little baby at the
airport waiting for a flight to leave. Our luggage, however,
made it to our destination and we headed home without our
belongings to take a morning flight the next day. The next day
arrived and we came with a back-up set of luggage to attempt to
make our trip again. Our flight left, and much to our delight,
our back-up luggage did not arrive. Upon finding this out, I
burst into tears. How could these people lose a back-up set of
luggage as well as our first set of luggage? Luckily, our first
set of luggage arrived and we headed to our parent’s house for
the holidays with luggage in tow. This was, of course, the
perfect time for our son to have the stomach flu and this
persisted throughout our entire trip. Let me tell you, taking a
child on a plane who has the runs is definitely one of the worst
experiences of my life. When we finally arrived back to our
airport at home, we discovered that they had lost our luggage
again along with our car seat to bring our son home in. We set
my son in their death-trap of a seat that they offered and
headed home- weary from travel and the pure irony of our
vacation. The airport did finally deliver our luggage, but
delivered it to the neighbor’s house where it was sent back to
the airport and arrived on our doorstep a couple of weeks later.
After that trip I looked at my husband and told him that we
would no longer be traveling home for the holidays. Our family
would have to come and see us or they would just have to imagine
us there for the holidays because I was never doing that again.
That was a particularly horrible vacation, but vacations do not
have to be a time of stress or something that you dread doing
with your family. The actual definition of vacation is “a period
of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation, especially one
with pay granted to an employee.” Pleasure? Rest? Relaxation?
That sounds like something that one might enjoy. Vacations can
actually be an enjoyable experience for the whole family with
the proper organization and activities for the children. Here
are a few of Mom Advice’s ideas for how to successfully pull off
an organized and enjoyable vacation.
Proper Planning The
key to organizing a good vacation is to take the time to plan.
First, I would highly recommend contacting the local Visitor’s
Bureau for a packet of information on what they offer. Usually
these packets of information include coupons for local
restaurants, hotels, and area attractions and will include
things to do in their state. These packets can save you a bundle
of money if you are planning to attend any of the places within
the packet and often will include an area map and information on
what makes their particular state famous. We got a packet like
this for our recent trip to Ohio and it was filled with
wonderful coupons and ideas for places that were particularly
kid-friendly. Make sure to pack this information with you when
making your trip.
Try to check out books from your local library on where you are
going so that you can get lots of inside information on the
great places to visit. Then make a list of things that are
important to your family for you to do so that you can make the
very most of your vacation.
Many places offer discounts on area attractions through online
sites as well, if you purchase your tickets in advance. Check to
see if you can get any discounts on your tickets before you go
so you aren’t shelling out hundreds of dollars on admission
tickets.
Don’t forget to make arrangements ahead of time with the post
office and your local newspaper if you will be out of town for
any length of time and are in need of stopping your mail. Also
make any arrangements necessary for your pets if you will not be
bringing them with you. Boarding your animal will require you to
have all shots current so keep this in mind if you need to have
this done before you go.
Proper Packing One
of the best ways to stay organized on your trip is to organize
your car before leaving for your destination especially if you
will be spending hours of time in the car. I remember our trips
to
Florida
as kids and my sister and I referring to the minivan as the
“blue prison” because we hated being in the car so long. Our mom
would let us pack the things that we wanted to take on our trips
and let’s face it- when you are a child you have no idea what to
pack or what activities will keep you occupied for hours. Our
parents could only play so many games of I Spy before going
insane.
The first thing to do is to do a through cleaning out of your
car before embarking on your trip. Sweep the interior of the car
and wipe down all of the surfaces. Once the car is clean you can
begin filling it with everything you need in order to make your
trip enjoyable. A really great purchase for your car is a
backseat organizer. I have my backseat organizer filled with
everything we might need on our trip. I keep our Entertainment
Book (Entertainment.com)
and visitor’s bureau packet in there as well as diapers, wipes
(for faces and bottoms), snacks, a spare sippy cup, a pen (for
jotting down directions), tissues, and small toys for my son to
play with. We also keep a plastic bag organizer tied to the back
of our seat filled with plastic grocery bags. These bags come in
handy for soiled diapers, holding trash, quick clean-up from
picnic lunches, or (when not traveling) trips to the grocery
store.
I then pack a small plastic crate with toys that my son can play
with on his trip. You can fill this crate up with favorite toys
or begin to keep a stash of toys that you are saving for just
this special occasion. You don’t have to go out and spend a
bunch of money on these though- check your local dollar store,
garage sales, or save all of those silly kid’s meal toys that
you get when you go out to eat. Some of the things that we keep
in our son’s crate are puzzles, construction paper for drawing
on, crayons and coloring books, a few “new” library books, and a
few small toy cars and figurines that are his favorites. The
idea is to really space the toys out as much as you can so that
they have something to do the entire trip.
When we run out of activities in his box to do that is when we
move onto the kiddy music. Try to find music that is at least
bearable for the entire family so that you don’t need to pop
aspirin in order to bear the music. We usually check out a load
of music at the library before going on our trip so that there
is something good to listen to on the way there. Don’t forget to
pack some new music for yourself as well so that you too have
something to look forward to.
Keep a small cooler in your car for the trip and fill this with lots of healthy
goodies for the whole family so that you don’t end up blowing a bunch of money
at the rest stops on your way there. Try to have lots of snacks on hand, lunch
meat, bread, drinks, and breakfast foods/ cereal. This food particularly comes
in handy if you are going to be gone for awhile and would like to save money on
eating out.
The most important thing to remember is directions to your destination. The
source I use the most for printing my directions is WeekendRUSH Maps (http://maps.weekendrush.com).
Not only do I print out directions TO my destination, but I also print out
directions RETURNING from my destination. Yes, some people with ease just
reverse the order, but I find it much quicker to have a set in front of me that
has already been reversed especially when I am tired and coming near the end of
my vacation. On these directions include any phone numbers you need (number for
the hotel or places you are staying at) and any notes on things you need to
remember (confirmation numbers, room numbers, etc…). Staple to these directions
any coupons you need for your destination (coupons on car rental, hotels, or
restaurants) so that you have everything in one central location.
When packing your suitcases remember to check the weather (http://weather.weekendrush.com)
for an accurate portrayal of the weather in the area you are visiting. Nothing
is more uncomfortable then not having the proper attire for your vacation.
Bringing layers of clothing insures that you will be comfortable whatever the
weather. Keep an umbrella handy in your car as well for any unexpected rain.
Fill zippered plastic bags with your shampoos, lotions, and anything else that
might leak or spill in your suitcase. The last thing you want to do is to have
to do laundry when you are on your trip- this should ensure that you will not
have spilled products to take care of.
Don’t forget the little things that can add up to big money spent if you forget
them on your trip. Things that are frequently forgotten: cameras, digital
cameras, chargers for cameras, film, extra batteries, sunglasses, cell phones,
cell phone chargers, calling cards, swimsuits, and maps. Keep a list of all the
things you want to remember the day of your trip and check that list twice. A
great place to keep the list is next to your bedside table because usually the
night before your trip your mind is racing with all the things you need to
remember. Jot them down and then get the rest you need and deserve.
Pleasure, Rest, and Relaxation
Review the meaning of vacation and enjoy the time away from home. Make it a time
that your whole family can remember with great fondness and remember to record
these moments in your journal so that you can look back on them on those hectic
days where no vacation is in site. If you are a family that is always on a
schedule, then use this time to not be on a schedule. If you enjoy having a
planned itinerary then by all means, plan the days the way that makes you and
your family happy. The important thing is to enjoy pleasure, rest, and
relaxation.
