Hello there! Hope your summer is going well.
We just spent this past week in a cabin in the Adirondacks with our three daughters and other extended family members. I always enjoy and at the same time DREAD going on vacation (with the kids)! I’ve always been an overpacker – justifying bringing more ‘just in case’ but with kids it’s a different story! Things can get out of control very easily!
This blog post is going to be short and sweet. I really only have five key points to improve summer traveling (especially with kids):
– WHAT LUGGAGE TO BRING: one piece of (large) luggage per person, one decent-sized family toiletry bag (I put medicine in one locked compartment), one backpack, one beach/pool bag (we also bring a bike, stroller and portable potty), small box of snacks/food and one cooler bag
– HOW TO ORGANIZE: I put my kids clothing in gallon-sized ziploc bags – one complete outfit including underwear in each bag. A nice adult option my sister-in-law told me about to help are packing cubes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R280UQMref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_-5kxBb686A794
– WHAT TO EAT: I strongly believe that food is 50% of a vacation. I enjoy going places with a meal plan that we can purchase so food is taken care of. We bring some bread and peanut butter, along with other snacks, but try to contain the food we bring to one box.
– WHAT TO DO: We try to have as much non-screen time in the summertime if at all possible. Biking and the pool entertain very well, so we look for parks when we travel and stay at places with pools. We have a membership at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh which has reciprocity with hundreds of museums in the US & Canada, so we try to utilize that on our vacations as well.
– SLEEPING: I always bring my pillow with me – it really makes a difference for me! Also I bring a small noisemaker which helps the kids sleep and acclimate. Each child packs a stuffed animal.
Just a couple helpful hints for now! Enjoy your summer!
– Kristen
Have Less to Have More 