Traveling with a family can be a nightmare. Most family travel meets some sort of major emergency or crisis during the planning phase, and it usually occurs right before they are due to go to the airport for departure. No matter how well the parents have planned, something never ever fits in and this can cause extreme panic when there are several children to deal with as well as making sure that everyone arrives at their vacation destination in one piece.
It is no wonder that family travel can cause major stress when you consider all of the things that have to be considered and then remembered. With insurance, packing, documentation, hotel arrangements, flights and other things to deal with, what you really need is a checklist to use to ensure that all elements are dealt with in the correct timescales to ensure that the dash to the airport is not an ordeal!
To help you cope with this, here are helpful tips and checklists that you can use for any given trip, whether going abroad or traveling near by. All of the information is relevant and can certainly help you to relax and enjoy your vacation!
If you’re family is traveling to a foreign country:
-Check Foreign Entry Requirements: http://travel.state.gov/foreignentryreqs.html
(Note: If Mom and Dad aren’t traveling together with a child, many countries are now requiring a notarized consent from the absent parent for children under 18.)
-Check Travel Health Warnings: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/
-Check for Travel Warnings: http://travel.state.gov/travel/warnings.html
-Check Vaccination Requirements: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/vaccinat.htm
Airline Travel Tips:
-Check your airline’s luggage restrictions and limits. (Note: The number one most confiscated item is nail scissors. Make sure you put them in your luggage and not your carry-on!)
-Put identification on the outside and inside of all luggage.
-Check FAA regulations for list of what you can’t carry on-board: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm
-To help with trip planning, the TSA has a web site to check estimated security checkpoint wait times at airports: http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/index.html
One week prior to your vacation:
-Make a list of the items you plan to pack.
-If you plan on driving your own car during the trip, get the oil changed, rotate the tires and perform other necessary maintenance.
-If necessary, plan transportation to the airport.
-Pay necessary bills, such as mortgage/rent, utilities, etc.
-Wash your clothes & Give your house a thorough cleaning.
-Leave contact information and your itinerary with a house sitter, neighbor, or friend that wouldn’t mind checking on your property while you’re away.
-Make arrangements for someone to feed the pets, water the plants, and bring up the mail.
Luggage Packing Tips:
-Put all liquids in plastic containers filled no more than ¾ of the way and then place in zip lock bags.
-Bring a plastic bag for dirty clothes.
-Put a unique marking on your luggage for easy spotting.
Important Items to Pack:
-Tickets
-ID
-Passport
-Itinerary
-Maps
-Traveler's Checks
-Cash
-Keys
-Medications
-Vitamins
-Insurance Cards
-Cell Phone & Charger
-Sunglasses
-Sunscreen
-Camera, Video Camera, Batteries & Chargers
Carry-on Checklist:
-Camera, video camera, extra batteries or charger.
-Tickets, Wallets, IDs, passports, itinerary, traveler’s checks, money, maps, keys, medical insurance cards.
-Jewelry, medications, and other important or high value items.
-Cell phones and charger.
-If you’re traveling with children, make room for a change of clothes and bring wipes in case of a spill on the plane!
Kids get a carry on too!
-Let them bring their own backpack of toys and books.
-Snacks
-Games for entertainment
-Sunglasses
-If your kids have difficulty during plane pressurization, bring lollipops and let them have them prior to taking off. Gum will work too, they just need to do some extra swallowing!
-Wet wipes
If traveling with a baby: car seat, diapers, wipes, prepared bottles, bib, pacifiers, change of clothes, stroller, night essentials, bathing supplies.
Toiletries to Pack:
-Lip Balm
-Body Soap & Face Wash
-Lotion
-Shampoo & Conditioner
-Makeup Remover
-Brush/Comb
-Hair Dryer/Straighter/Curling Iron, etc
-Hair Accessories
-Hair Gel/Hair Spray
-Deodorant
-Toothbrush, Toothpaste & Floss
-Razors & Shaving Cream
-Nail Clipper & File, Nail Polish & Remover
-Q-tips
-Bug Repellent
-Eyeglass & case
-Contact lens case and solution
-Mom's make-up
-Band-aids, Disinfectants, & Sunscreen
Clothes to Pack:
-Underwear/Bras
-Socks
-Pajamas/Robes/Slippers
-Jeans/Pants - day & night
-Shorts - day & night
-Shirts - day & night
-Skirts - day & night
-Dresses - day & night
-Belts
-Shoes - walking, beach, dress-up
-Swimsuits & Pool Cover-ups
Other Items to Pack:
-Watches & Jewelry
-Sewing Kit
-Travel Alarm Clock
-Ipods & earphones
-DVD Players & Movies
-Laptops
-Magazines & Books
**Make Sure you pack these items for each family member.**
Two -Three days prior to your vacation:
-Visit your airline's website to confirm departure times.
-Begin packing for your trip.
-Give your house a final tidying.
-Give plants a sufficient watering.
-Put lamps, tv, and/or radio on timers to ensure that your residence maintains a lived in look
while you are away.
One day prior to your vacation:
-Finish packing.
-Make sure that your vehicle has a full tank of fuel.
-Position luggage, purses, and necessary travel documents near the door.
-Remove perishable foods, such as milk and meats, from of the refrigerator so they don't spoil.
-Take out the trash & Wash the dishes.
-Prepare snacks for the trip.
Day of departure:
-Pack your vehicle.
-Review what you have packed to ensure you haven't forgotten anything.
-Turn off and unplug unnecessary appliances.
-Ensure your answering machine is on.
-Make sure all doors, windows, basements, and garages are locked.
-If your house has a security system, enable it.
Hopefully these tips will serve as a good starting point when you are considering how to prepare for your trip, You may want to add or take away items from your checklist, depending on your destination and other factors. And remember, after your diligent preparation, the next thing to do is enjoy your trip!
We are all busy. Whether it's working, caring for our children, going to school, running errands, exercising, volunteering, or a combination of all of these, we are all busy. That's what has made cooking such a challenge. The busyness of life leaves us tired and unprepared to cook a meal. Which then leads to frozen meals, ordering a pizza, or a quick trip to a fast food or dine in restaurant. And as we all know, these meals aren't the healthiest. They have huge portion sizes, an overwhelming amount of sodium, sugar, fat and calories, with a definite shortage in vitamins, vegetables, and fiber.
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What you can do to start making a change...
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Plan Ahead-
Plan a week's worth of dinner. Fewer than 30 percent of Americans know what they're having for dinner come 4 pm. Yet, it can only take a short amount of time to plan out your meals.
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Here's what to do:
Designate a day (like every Saturday morning) that you sit down and think about your upcoming week, your plans that you have, what you already have in your freezer or fridge, and what your family likes to eat.
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Then plan out the week's worth of menus, make sure you leave one night for pizza night. (Because of my family's schedule we have every Tuesday night that we eat pizza and salad and pop in a movie.)
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At the same time, write out your grocery list. The typical American shopper goes to the grocery store at least twice a week. So by making a grocery list you can save yourself last minute trips to the store, chances to impulse shop, and opportunities to get seduced by those junk food isles.
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Now post the list of menus on the kitchen refrigerator or bulletin board so it's the first thing you see when you get home. No more thinking ahead. Just follow your own instructions. It's that easy!
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Here is a typical weekly menu for my house. The lunches are so big because my husband is a big man that needs alot of food and nourishment. I usually don't plan out my breakfast and snacks on my menu, but I thought I would include it as an example of 5 meals a day.
Nutrition- I believe that you can eat anything you want if you control your portion sizes. Eat that pizza that you want, just only eat 1-2 pieces and eat a healthy salad to go along with it. When you eat about every 3 hours, it keeps your metabolism going. So, try eating 5-6 times a day.
1) Breakfast / 2) Snack / 3) Lunch / 4) Snack / 5) Dinner / 6) Snack (if needed)
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It is very important to have healthy, low calorie snacks, not meal size snacks. A good energy, pick-me-up snack is a mixture of a protein and a carbohydrate.
Examples of healthy snacks are:
Apple slices with peanut butter
Raisins
Nuts
Grapes
Applesauce
Low-fat yogurt with fruit
Unbuttered and unsalted popcorn
Broccoli, carrots, and/or cherry tomatoes with dip
Low or reduced-fat string cheese
Baked whole-grain tortilla chips with salsa
Unsalted pretzels
Whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk
Trail mix
Fiber bars
Bananas
Cottage cheese and fruit
