Mom to Mom: Light Travel Tips

We went to Kansas in the van, with 4 kids.  How did we do it?  Well we're crazy for one so that helps.  No it wasn't bad at all.  This was our first time with all of them and our first time without a dvd player.  I dare say the break from tv and movies was a blessing in disguise.

I would first tell someone to make sure they get a decent hotel.  Staying somewhere for the first time?  Read the reviews at different travel sites.  We stayed at the Hyatt in Topeka and it was excellent!  It was clean and the free breakfast was delicious with a wide variety.  A good breakfast can make all the difference.  Especially with all these mouths to feed.  It paid for itself.  We essentially got a night free in what we would have paid to eat out breakfast.  We had a queen bed and the kids stayed on the pullout couch.  This was way better than two beds because when it was in couch mode it gave them enough room to dance and be kids.  It also had a mini fridge and sink and even though we didn't use them I was glad they were there. 

Four hours in the van?  How did we stay sane?  A bag of plastic bags so that anytime we would stop we would have a trash party and fill up the bag (I did not want to return home with a trashed out car).  Ellie brought her LeapFrog Tag Activity Storybook: Tangled and her Tag pen.  Which also plays all of the other Tag books she has.  Ethan brought Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth.  My kids like to read.  We made sure to have fun songs on Dale's IPhone so we could crank it up and rock out.  We played the "ABC" game and found words that started with each letter.  I am really good at this game.  We looked for Slug Bugs minus the punching.  I'm really good at that game too.

Everyone also has their own car cup.  We bring our own snacks and drinks.  I have found that the seemingly convenient things like juice boxes end up making a mess and being less convenient when you factor in clean up time.  I pack everyone's things in a super big duffle bag.  I've done the separate bags for each kid but it doesn't work for me.  When it's time for bed I take everyone's dirty clothes and put them into those plastic shopping bags and repack them into the duffle bag.

We try to plan our driving times around meals.  When we headed back we did so after lunch.  This way everyone had a full tummy and were ready to take a nap.  It really made all the difference.  I'm sure with our first family mini-vacation coming up soon I will have a few more for you.  Happy traveling!