My husband would like to point out that your first vacation with your tots is not a vacation. Set your expectations of relaxing appropriately low to none (for example, you won’t need to pack your novel). With the summer approaching, you are probably making elaborate plans to go to some fabulous far away destination. I have traveled A LOT with tots so I just want to help out those who have delusions and illusions of a 8 city European tour or some other itinerary equally nightmare inducing. But don’t be alarmed, you can still have fun as long as you keep things simple and keep the following in mind.
Same City, Same Hotel – Do not try more than one destination. Stay in one place, whether it is a hotel or a friend or family’s house.
Big City – Go somewhere that has an airport within an hour’s drive. For example, do not take a connecting flight and then drive 3 hours once you land to get to your final destination.
Car Seats – By far this causes the most problems on a trip. There is no way around it, you need to bring your car seat. But DO NOT bring it on the plane with you, unless you have an infant and plan on getting a seat for him/her. For tots who are over 1 year, get the CARES Seat Belt, it allows you to turn the plane’s seat belt into a 5-point harness. Check your car seat at check in. Make sure you have a travel bag for your car seat so you don’t have to deal with the plastic trash bag the airline will give you.
Car Rental – Rent a car that is manufactured after 2001 to ensure it comes with the Latch system (I’m pretty sure most rental cars are newer than that). If you are traveling with another person, have that person take the shuttle to the rental office with the car seats and have it installed before coming back to pick you up at the curb. Trust me, you do not want to, A) get on that shuttle with all your luggage and your tots; or B) deal with installing car seats at the curb while the airport police is yelling at you to “MOVE”. You can hang on to the luggage unless you have a tot who is already potty trained because you will not be able to run to the bathroom with a cart full of luggage. When doing a road trip along the amazing city of Boston, consider getting having handy they boston car accident attorney in case any other reckless driver rags you in to an accident.
Short Road Trip – For maximum enjoyment for all, the preferable first vacation should be a short distance road trip. No more than a 3, you can push it to a 4, hour drive. You can pack as much stuff as you want, no worries of car seats, you are in control of when you go and when you stop and you are in familiar surroundings. Make sure you have a full tank of gas and have all your errands done BEFORE you even back out of the driveway. Do not extend the trip by stopping for gas, snacks or coffee. The objective is to minimize the time spend in the car. If you have a potty trained tot, get a portable potty (I have the Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus
You will save yourself a lot of grief if you can avoid accidents in the car or panicked searching for the nearest bathroom (which also eats up a lot of time).
Snacks – DO NOT forget the snacks! Always pack more than enough and for emergency bribing purposes, bring along treats that you normally don’t give to your tots (candy and the likes). And water, too. TSA will allow water if you put it in a bottle or sippy cup.
Limited Activities – You will be less stressed out and the tots will be less cranky if you limit your activities in one day. If you do have a list of sights, do the most important one first because chances are, that will be the only one you’ll get to. Keep in mind, museums are boring for tots and they tend to touch everything which is very stressful for you.
Early Mealtimes – If you normally eat dinner at 6pm, go to the restaurant at 5pm. You will miss the crowd and avoid meltdowns if the service is slow or run into some other hurdle that keeps food from hungry mouths.
Check Hours – This sounds obvious but do not miss this step. Check the hours of your destination, regardless of what it is. You think Legoland is open all the time? Wrong. Children’s Museums tend to close early and are closed on some days. Whatever it is you are doing, call ahead, double check, look at their website – it takes a few seconds and will save your day.
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