Travel The World- Or Explore The City Next Door

Chances are you have vacation plans this season. And for those of you whose plans include travel during peak vacation weeks, you may view preparing for travel as a rather unpleasant chore if not something to be avoided until the last possible moment. For us, it took one too many trips where we were exhausted by the time we got in the car after having packed for our family, including two children and pets, and loaded everyone and everything into the car. Our car was filled to the brim, we still had a five-hour drive ahead of us, seven hours if you count stopping for potty breaks, diaper changes, and feedings, and we thought, there must be a better way. So how did we transform travel from needing a miracle to get out of the house to traveling with relative ease? The secret is simple… preparation.nnOnce you decide on your travel plans, you can put the wheels of preparation in motion. Leaving everything for the last minute can create a lot of stress in an already busy time of year, so you’ll want to spread out the tasks into bite-size pieces.nn * Confirm your itinerary and make arrangements for your mail, newspaper, plants and pets. Share your travel plans, contact information, and spare keys with a close friend or neighbor. Assemble all travel documents. Seriously, “Where is my driver’s license?” is not a question you want to be asking as you are driving to the airport.n * Create a list of everything that needs to be packed for everyone that will be traveling. You can think more clearly when you’re not in a rush out the door and you’re also likely to remember other items to add to the list as the travel date draws near. Our children require a lot of gear and it’s easy to overlook something. We wouldn’t dare leave the house without their favorite toys, but a stuffed animal is not always at the forefront of our minds as we’re loading up the car.n * As you begin to pack, check items off the list. Don’t forget to ensure that items you’ll need en-route are packed in a carry bag separate from the main luggage. We’re always very thankful we did when the stuffed animal is needed two minutes after leaving the driveway.nnNow only if we had an answer for the “Are we there yet?” question.