California Dreamin' Travel Tips: Part 1

List made? Shopping Complete? Laundry Finished?

Bags Packed? Necessities Gathered? Bills paid? 

Gas in the Car? Lights Off? Doors Locked?

Family Vacations - so much joy, so many memories, yes, some challenges, but it's all worth it! After taking 20 years of family vacations, I've learned a few things that I'd like to share. The following thoughts are for a trip via automobile. Many of the same ideas apply with air transportation as well. However, I do have loads of tips for air travel specifically, which will be saved for another day...

Make a List

Oh, the daunting task of preparing for a family vacation! The list goes on and on so that's why my first suggestion for a successful vacation is to make LISTS. 

• Make a list of your itinerary with addresses, phone numbers, directions, websites, etc. Have this in hard copy as well in case your electronic device gets lost, service is unavailable, something breaks, etc. Preparation is key to a successful trip!
• Make a master list of all items that need to go on the trip...from clothing, shoes, umbrellas, towels, toiletries, camera, chargers - everything! 
• Make a separate list for the children so they can pack their own bags (depending on the age of the child). Include exact number of socks, underwear, outfits, etc. Specify long pants or shorts, long or short sleeved shirts, jackets, etc. Include footwear (boots, flip flops, Sunday shoes, sandals). Add the bathing suit, cover-up, hat, toothbrush, hair accessories. Be specific!!! IMPORTANT: Make sure you check your child's bag (again, depending on the age of the child) to make sure they really packed what they need to pack.
• Make a shopping list for needed supplies, food, sunscreen, ice - anything that needs to be purchased in advance.
• Road trips in the car can be long and arduous. Make a list of products to bring for entertainment: Music, videos, small games, coloring, prizes, treats. If you're going somewhere HOT, beware of bringing crayons and leaving them in the car. They MELT!
• Make a list of all tasks that need to be accomplished before you leave: responsibilities for work, care of the home, pay the bills, service the car, laundry accomplished. Have two lists - one for ABSOLUTES and NICE TO HAVE DONE. 

It takes a while to make your lists but wow, is it a time saver and a stress saver. Your spouse and children can see what needs to be done or what has already been checked off. They can help in gathering and packing. A master list helps the entire family understand the work load that goes into a family trip and is a tool for time efficiency and productivity...not to mention remembering everything you need to do and not forgetting anything you need to take.

NOTE: Make your list on the computer and save it as your master packing list. For each trip, pull it up, make your adjustments, and resave if you wish. Make your lists once and refer back each time you take off. Time Saver!!!

My Travel Essentials:

Small Reclosable Sandwich Bags

Gallon Size Reclosable Bags

Garbage Bags - Large Black and 13 Gallon Kitchen Bags

Plastic bags from your local grocery store - stuffed into a paper towel tube.

Plastic Cups (not Dixie cups! The wax melts in the hot car)

Baby Wipes - TONS of them (even if you don't have a baby)

Paper Towels 

Bottle of 409

Sunscreen

doTerra Essential Oils

Tissue 

First aid kit

Jumper Cables

Flashlight

Bungee Cables

Blankets

Ice Chest 

GPS or similar device

The above items make our family travels so much better. Bags are the BEST and can be used for so many things: dirty clothes, storing food, distributing snacks, garbage bags, puke bags, storing wet clothes and other items, keeping a smelly diaper non-smelly until you can dispose of it properly, carrying things, separating or dividing items, and MORE, MORE, MORE. I have learned to carry a roll of paper towels and some kind of cleaner when we go on a long road trip. I can almost guarantee that someone will have an accident or get sick along the way. Extra blankets are a MUST! Someone is always cold from the AC or the sun is streaming in and a blanket in the window is the perfect solution. The essential oils helped immensely with sun burns, car sickness, headaches, mosquito bites, rug burns, stomach aches, etc.

Packing/Luggage Suggestions:

If self-laundry facilities are available where you're staying, take advantage of it! Pack enough outfits for half of your vacation, plus one, and then plan on washing. You save a lot of space and you come home with mostly clean clothes. This trip, I washed every night when we got home from our activities. It gave me peace of mind to be carrying around CLEAN clothes.  

My kids are not allowed to put their dirty clothes back into their suitcase, except for pajamas. PJ's can be worn several nights without washing. All dirty clothes go into the family laundry bag (note big garbage bags from the list). My older girls like to do their own laundry so they have their own garbage bags.

When my children were little, I used to pack clothing for several children in one suitcase. No more! Everyone has their own bag and it's so much better! Duffel bags for kids work well. They fit better into tighter spaces, car top carriers, trunks, and under seats, than do suitcases. They learn to properly care for their items and to keep them clean and orderly (we hope).

When you only have a one night stop somewhere, pack a bag with the necessities for that one night, instead of hauling up EVERY SINGLE duffel or suitcase. This makes for a quick in and out of a hotel.

Our half way stop to California was Las Vegas where my brother and his family live. We were there on a Sunday and went to church with them. I packed a separate suit case for Sunday clothes only. Once we were finished with church and changed into traveling clothes, all the Sunday clothes went back into the suitcase - not to be accessed for the rest of the trip. One less suitcase to leave in the car!

Fun with Cousins Before Church. The clothes will be put away for the rest of the trip!

Swimming and Beach Travel for our family consists of one giant duffel bag that holds all towels, bathing suits, sunscreen, life vests, flip flops, and other beach necessities. We were able to take this one bag with us and have everything that was needed. I didn't have to worry that we were missing a swimming suit or a pair of flip slops 'cause they were gathered and stored before the trip. A separate inner bag is for items that I don't want to get sandy - camera, video camera, keys, wallet, spare clothes, watches, ipods, etc. This bag does not get opened by anyone that has sandy hands. Yes, I know you go to the beach to get sandy, but there are certain things that I have to keep clean. When it was time to clean up, all wet stuff went in one bag; all sandy flip flops in another. 
Beach Toys: Buy them when you get there. When you're finished with them, throw them away or donate them somewhere. They are so cheap and half of them end up breaking anyway. It's not worth it to me to try and clean them up and tote them home again.

Beach Day #1

One may say that these suggestions are obvious. Maybe they are. But I know that it's taken me 20 years to get it right. If I had this knowledge when we were first starting, I would have avoided a lot of frustration! Stay tuned for Part 2.

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!