Category : Tips
Posted in Tips on March 24, 2011
The word staycation has always made me cringe; however, I see nothing wrong with family travel in your own city or town. There are so many great things in your very own city that you probably haven’t even thought about exploring yet because work, school, or just wanting to spend your day off on the couch always seems to get in the way. We are going out of town this year for spring break, but for the past few we didn’t. Work schedules, ball schedules, and saving money for later trips kept us home. Staying home for your family vacation does not mean that your vacation has to be completely miserable!
Read Guidebooks for Your Area
Have you ever looked at a guidebook for your own city? If not, stop by the library or spend an afternoon in a bookstore. Jot down some activities that you haven’t had time to experience. Look for activities and restaurants that take you out of your comfort zone. For me, that meant trying activities that are in a neighboring town twenty minutes away. We don’t take the time to drive over so there are a lot of great activities that we never get a chance to do.
Involve the Kids
When you are planning your stay at home family vacation, ask the kids if there is anything that they have really wanted to do. There might be some great park, movie, or other activity that their friends keep talking about. Use this opportunity to explore something you have avoided because of time or cost.
Find a New Park
If your kids are still at the age where they enjoy a good park, then head to your local Parks and Recreation (sometimes called Leisure Services) website and find a park that you have not been to yet. Look for a park that offers something that your favorite park does not.
Try a New Food
Just because you aren’t traveling to another region or country doesn’t mean you need to stick to the same old food. Try a restaurant that serves a dish you have never tried before. Pick a restaurant that you might have avoided in the past because of the crowds, the wait, or the length of the drive to it.
Don’t Wait Until Your Vacation
You don’t have to wait until you have vacation time to explore your own town. Head out on a weekend and explore a new nature trail or visit a new playground. We have been visiting a new playground twice a month and my children love guessing what kind of equipment will be at the playground! Just enjoy the time spent together as a family!
We road trip a lot…short trips only an hour or two away to 15 hour days. I love the picnics on the road, the forced family fun in the car, and the children’s excitement when they spot something they have never seen before. We don’t love car problems though. Unfortunately, they are inevitable. We have changed tires on the side of the road and in various parking lots. We have been at the mercy of small town mechanics who have thankfully always been helpful and honest. We have had to leave the car in the capable hands of tow truck drivers when we were only 20 minutes away from home after a five hour drive. When I look back at events that seemed so traumatic, we have actually been very lucky.
Now, let me give you a little background on my car. When it was just over three years old (less than a year ago), we had to rebuild the entire transmission. My car and I are not always friends. As I pulled into my driveway after the seven hour drive from Orlando, the check engine light came on. I wanted to scream. To make matters worse, my husband’s check engine light came on this week too. We decided to get his car fixed first (ouch!) since we knew there was a real problem.
I mentioned to a friend that the check engine light was on but that the car seemed to be running fine. I didn’t want to take it in and shell out the money it will cost. She told me that Auto Zone stores will check your engine for free and will give you a print out of what might be wrong with the car. You may already know this, but I didn’t so I wanted to share! Yesterday afternoon, I headed to our local Auto Zone and had the car checked. They were very informative and let me know that I didn’t need to race right over to the mechanic for this particular problem. It still needs to be fixed but it can at least wait until we get my husband’s car out of the shop!
If you are ever on a road trip and your check engine light turns on, try to locate an Auto Zone nearby. There are Auto Zones throughout most of the South and East Coast as well as the West Coast. They will check the light, you will know if you can continue on, and it is all free!
Photo Courtesy of Robert Couse-Baker.
Posted in Tips on January 27, 2011
The Super Bowl is around the corner and Spring Training will begin for baseball soon. Whenever we travel, the first thing we check is the baseball schedule. Much to my husband’s dismay, we usually time our trips when the teams are playing away. When this happens, we like to try to schedule a tour of the stadium. Many stadiums offer tours for a small fee. It gives you a chance to wander the field, see the locker rooms and press boxes, and other places that you normally don’t get to see during a game. Here are a few things to know before you go:
- The tours can be lengthy, especially for a small child. Most tours last at least 45 minutes to an hour and include some walking. You could walk up to a mile in some stadiums so wear comfortable walking shoes!
- Make reservations ahead of time. Some stadiums allow walk up ticket purchases, but if you buy your tickets ahead of time you will be gauranteed a spot and there will be no tears when you have to leave without going inside!
- If you have an infant, use a sling or backpack. If you need to use a stroller, call ahead of time to see what each stadium’s policy is.
- Keep the kids occupied with a scavenger hunt. As they walk the tour, spot the different things on a list. You can write one up yourself by jotting down a few things to look for (a monument, a stadium seat with the number 4, something green, a locker, etc)! You could also play a game of I Spy as you tour.
- Pack a picnic lunch or snacks to leave in the car. Many of the tours do not allow food and drink. When the tour is over, have your own little mini tailgating session!
Visit my latest post at TravelingMom which lists the current and a few of the previous Super Bowl spots that offer stadium tours.
And guess what Trekaroo’s Spotlight Thursday is all about? Spring training! I can almost smell the hotdogs and popcorn now!
In my review of 2010, I mentioned that we always try to travel on a low budget but that 2010 was no exception. We had lots of unexpected expenses but we still made room in the budget for traveling because it is important to our family. My latest article on Traveling Mom is about four different ways we save for vacation. If you have a moment, drop by Traveling Mom and leave me a comment with your favorite way to save for vacation.
Throughout the next month I will be giving our tips, secrets, and things we have learned along the way to help us save for vacation and be able to travel the way we want to and as often as we want to. I am thinking about making it a weekly post!
Photo Courtesy of borman818
The holidays are almost here and I am always looking for new gift ideas. We always try to surprise them with something that will double as a great travel item. Here are some ideas that were big hits around the house this year:
My Busy Kit and Travel Kiddy activity kits – We had the opportunity to try both of these. I received the My Busy Kit as a thank you and we won a Travel Kiddy. The kids loved them both for different reasons. They were filled with age appropriate activities that come in a fun bag perfect for any kind of travel.
Doodle 123 – This book helps your little artist come up with ideas. Each page has a picture and a few directions. They may be asked to fill in the numbers, finish drawing the house, or draw the slices of bread! It will keep them entertained and you won’t hear them say that they don’t know what to draw!
Magnetic Travel Tic Tac Toe - Tic Tac Toe is a huge hit in my house. We play it at restaurants, sitting in the living room and in the car. The only problem with that game is you can quickly run through paper and you will have lots of trash to recycle. The magnetic part of the game insures that you won’t lose the pieces easily. We would love to have this Lego Tic Tac Toe but I could never justify the cost!
Other magnetic travel games – We love games. Magnetic travel games are compact, only a few bucks, and can entertain for hours. Some of our other favorites are Hangman and Checkers.
Doodle Pro- This travel sized Fisher Price version of the Magnadoodle will offer unlimited drawing time! When you are finished with your picture, just erase it and start again!
Tangrams – Tangrams are Chinese puzzles consisting of a square divided into pieces and you arrange them to match a design. You can find tangram puzzles that are magnetic like this one, Rex Game Tangoes Jr. There are also some that come in boxes for storage like this one by Melissa and Doug.
I Spy Books - We love playing I Spy but in tight quarters on a plane or when little sister is sleeping, it might be handy to have one of these I Spy books! It is the same concept as the game. It is just in the handy form of a book!
What are you getting your little traveler for the holidays this year?
Please give a big welcome to Mandy, my friend and fellow blogger. Mandy blogs about all sorts of stuff (family, being a mom, cooking, and much more) over at Mandy’s Life After 30. I love hanging out with Mandy because she has a great outlook on life, a sense of adventure, and she is absolutely hilarious! I have to apologize to Mandy for not getting this post up in a timely manner. I am sorry! Today Mandy is talking about her love of the Welcome Center!
Do you need tips on places of interest and attractions to see when you visit a new city? Are you looking for more things to do within your own hometown? The best place to start your adventure is the local convention and visitors information center.
Even the smallest cities typically have a welcome center with stacks of brochures highlighting nearby marvels, restaurants and more. I love to frequent these places while on the road or even in my hometown.
What’s not to love about these hubs? Welcome centers generally offer free maps to visitors. Most even have a list of annual events and festivals. The volunteers or part-time personnel who work there are typically some of the nicest folks you’ll ever meet. I always ask these people for “local” restaurants to try and for family-friendly activities that mine would enjoy. You may find the most obscure, interesting sights to visit just from picking up a flier or brochure sitting inside a welcome center.
Pensacola, Florida’s information center has walls and walls of literature arranged by category – from dining to diving, from historic tours to nature trail guides and much more. The building is quite impressive compared to other centers I’ve visited. It boasts larger than life statues highlighting the city’s mascot and several attractions. This center has a puzzle for visitors to piece together in addition to snacks for patrons to enjoy.
During my last visit to this particular facility, I obtained details regarding an upcoming art and wine festival, picked up a copy of free newsletter and took a free map of birding trails. I also received a two-page sheet of every festival and known event taking place in Pensacola, signed up for a travel guide and became entered into a contest where a friend of mine could win a free trip to the area. So, you never know what good things may come just from visiting the local information shop!
Changing cities receive new businesses and excursions frequently so be sure to check out your local visitor center for fresh ideas. Or if you know of an event or business that should be listed in an area, inform the local city officials so they can include it their collection.
The best place to play tour guide is right in your own hometown. Start there for fun things to do then branch out as you travel. Happy trails to you! May you feel welcomed and inspired in each center you visit!
Stop by Spotlight Thursdays over at Trekaroo!
Posted in Tips on August 30, 2010
For Monday Dreaming, I am dreaming of a smooth adventure for the grandparents when they come to watch my kids for a week. Daddy J and I are going out of town and the grandparents will be watching the kids. I know they will be in good, loving hands but we have never traveled away from the kids for more than a weekend and they are never staying in our house when we go away. There are so many things you have to remember to tell them about your daily routine. Things that you automatically think of like what time the bus picks up or when the sports activity begins but there are also things that I didn’t think of right away like directions to the school should they need them or what time the trash gets picked up.
I was very surprised at how little I found during a quick search of the Internet. I was looking for some templates to fill out or a checklist of information and couldn’t find a single thing. I did ask on Twitter and got back some great responses that will help me out. Over the next week or two, I am going to try and devise a few worksheets that I hope to put on the site so you can download them for the next time you go out of town without your kids.
Stay tuned!
We just got back from the first road trip of the summer that took us 2400 miles through seven states twice! This is just road trip number one of 5. My friends think we are crazy but with a little planning our road trips usually have minimal issues.
Have you stopped laughing yet? Minimal issues…yeah right.
Ok…I might have lied. On this road trip I actually turned the wrong way down a street. After we remedied the situation, I turned to my husband and said “I always wondered how those idiots ended up going the wrong way on a major highway and now I know.” Once our heartbeats returned back to normal, we were able to laugh about it. We can’t control every thing that happens on our road trips, but with a little bit of planning the screaming moments in the back seat might not happen as often.
This year instead of buying a bunch of coloring books and maze books, I made the kids their own travel journals. For about a week I collected pages and pages of stuff to do in my Favorites folder on my computer. When I had some time (and bought new printer ink), I printed out all of the pages, took them to an office supply store and had them bound. It was probably more expensive than buying a couple of coloring books at the dollar store, but the look on their faces as they read through a travel journal made with each of them in mind was worth the money and time spent!
What did I include in the book?
Most importantly, I included blank journal pages for them to write their own stories and color their own pictures showing what they did on the trip.
Then I headed to Mom’s MiniVan and printed out a bunch of road trip scavenger hunts, the license plate game, and car bingo. The license plat game was a hit. We ended up finding 44 states, three Canada plates, and 2 plates from Mexico!
At their cartoon sites, I printed out coloring pages with their favorite cartoon characters.
At the Crayola page, I printed out state coloring pages for each state that we were going to be driving through. These coloring pages have the state flower, state bird, etc. Everytime we passed through a new state, I would have Big S find it in his book and color something (if he was awake of course!).
The kids spent hours looking through these books, coloring and writing things that were important to them. I even brought the books into a high school graduation with us to keep the kids occupied.
Today I am dreaming that the next four road trips go just as smoothly. If you will excuse me, I need to go print some more coloring sheets for the next book!
For more Monday Dreaming, stop by Mara’s at Mother of All Trips. Be sure to come back and visit us this week. I am going to share our adventures from the road trip. The kids mined for gems in Sweetwater, Tennessee, Big S went surfing in Sevierville, Tennessee, and we spent two great days exploring the Eastern Shore of Virginia…bridges and tunnels, Mister Whippy, and wild ponies…oh my!
Over at Traveling Mom, I am talking about traveling without my kids. As you know, the husband and I have a trip to Hawaii planned for our ten year anniversary SANS kids! We are nervous, excited, and feeling unprepared all at the same time. Besides making sure our wills are in order and leaving our insurance cards and a schedule, what sorts of things do you recommend we do to prepare for our trip? I would love a comment on my article at Traveling Mom with your advice on preparing for the trip.
Today, for Monday Dreaming, I am dreaming of free admission to children’s science centers and museums. We do not live in a city full of amazing children’s museums. We have a few small museums that we enjoy and the Naval Aviation Museum, but sometimes I wish we had a large children’s museum dedicated to science and technology. The Gulf Coast Exploreum sits about 45 minutes away from us in Mobile, Alabama. It is not a difficult drive and there is a fabulous shopping center a little over halfway between me and the Exploreum. My kids love the Exploreum. However, like most things in life, there is a price…and it is not that cheap. It costs about 50 dollars to take my family of four to the Exploreum. They do offer a year long membership for 100 dollars. If I take my family twice, it would at least pay for itself. I imagine spending some of the summer at the Exploreum, but then I wonder…will I really get in the car and drive 45 minutes one way more than once or twice? And the membership doesn’t cover the admission price for special exhibits (like the Dinosaur Downtown going on right now).
Upon further research of the Exploreum Membership, I found that they are a member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) Passport Program. Next month I am heading to Virginia where I will be nearby three other science centers that participate in the ASTC Passport Program. This seems like it would be a cost effective purchase. I asked around to see if anyone had ever used this passport program and got no response. So, I am asking you…
What is your experience with the ASTC Passport Program? Have you found that it was cost effective? Have you ever had trouble using the passport at other participating museums?
Any information would be much appreciated!
Stop by Mother of All Trips to see what she is dreaming about…but be prepared to be green with envy!
