It’s Vacation Time!

If you’re anything like us, you’re probably itching for a long weekend getaway, a family road trip or full week beach vacation. Fortunately, we’ve just passed the official start of summer, which means it’s time to pack those bags because vacation season is here! Traveling can be hectic, so we’ve asked a few bloggers for essential travel tips needed to ensure a relaxing and enjoyable trip without any added stress.

@modernfarmhousefamily

1. Bring games or makeup games along with way (making up stories of a landmark, iSpy, ABC games) and have prizes like suckers and stickers for the winners!

2. Bring snacks– and bring a good variety. Also, pack a small cooler with easy things like string cheese and fruit already cut up.

3. Take breaks before you think you need them. It always makes things go smoother and it prevents big meltdowns from having to “wait till the next stop”.

@mamas_cold_coffee

4.  Our favorite travel tip with little ones: On road trips, take your child’s portable potty with you! Especially for current or recently potty trained and little ones who have a hard time holding it to the next stop!!

@sharklena

5. Have a road atlas in the car for when you end up somewhere really awesome where cell phones don’t work and there’s no GPS signal. A road atlas can also show you neat stops along the way or scenic byways that might not be immediately apparent off a google map 4×2″ screen.

6. Always keep a medium sized cooler in the car with snacks and cold drinks instead of stopping for gas station junk food all the time – it’s much more efficient, and cheaper too!

7. I always keep a picnic blanket, light jacket, solar-powered lantern and some magazines in the car because you don’t know when you’ll drive by a sweet spot where you just want to stop for a few, laze around, or read a bit. Driving along California’s Highway 1, such places happen by way too often, so I’m always tempted to pull over and set up a blanket on the beach.

Traveling to any outdoor sites? Check out Yelena’s article (p.14) in the Trails and Weaves issue for National Park Hacks here.

@OurHumbleTribe

8. When traveling, I use a craft box to store assorted snacks for my kids! I make sure things are colorful and fresh— that way they are prone to eating healthy AND it entertains them for a while!!

-Gabriella Costantini