Road trip tips

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.com

Photo by Miguel Acosta on Pexels.com

Photo by Riccardo Bertolo on Pexels.com

The road trip may be one of the most viable trip options these days. And besides, road trips are going to give you a lot of flexibility to go and do whatever you want whenever you feel like it. Not many other trips can give you that kind of freedom. Today let’s look at some things you should do if you take one of these road trips.

• First, you will want to take your car to your mechanic and make sure your car is in good working order before you leave on your trip. You don’t want to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere unable to get your car to work.
• You will also want to make sure you have everything in order before you leave your home. Is your grass mowed? Do you have someone to get your mail? What are you going to do with your pets while you are away? Don’t be afraid to hire someone. A lot of people are out of work and would be happy to take even a small job.
• Most hotels are going to have wifi. Make sure you have everything you will need for the day by the time you head out each day. That includes the maps you might need. And also think about any entertainment you and your children might want while you are on the road.
• You are going to want to have everything you’ll need for your phone. Bring your normal charger and your car charger. If you don’t have one already, buy a phone holder for your phone.

More cruise tips

It is Saturday morning, time to finish up work for the week. So let me get started so I can get finished. As always, let me know if you are interested in planning a cruise with me. I would be more than happy to help you plan any trips. My e-mail is familytripsinc1@gmail.com, and that is the best way to reach me.

• It is just a fact of life that some people we enjoy more than others. A lot of cruises have gone to eat wherever you want whenever you feel like it. But some cruises still do certain people at certain tables at the same times each day. What happens when you do not like someone who is sitting at your table? Most likely you’ll be eating with different people at each meal. Look for people that you enjoy being with. If you do get stuck with people that you like, you can always eat at other places.
• Some people wonder if they need to take their beach towels. And the answer is that you don’t. Like hotels, cruises provide towels. Now some cruises are going to charge you for towels since they are so easy to leave behind.
• Most people love to be by the pool. How do you get the nice spots by the pool? Be friendly, ask your fellow cruisers about which chair are taken and which are not.
• Can you do laundry on a cruise? There are so many kinds of clothes that you need to take. A lot of cruises are going to do your laundry for a fee. A lot of ships are also going to have laundromats that you can use. You usually have to have your quarters. “

Cruise tips

I think, I hope, that yesterday was kind of a last “hurrah” from my “summer break”, and that things should return to normal for a while. We’ll see what actually happens.

But today let’s talk about some things that you might not actually think about when it comes to cruising.

•  First, will you need to buy drinkable water? The water on the ship, both in the bathrooms and in the restaurants, are perfectly fine to drink. The ships make sure of that. But some people do not especially like the water that is on on the ship. There is bottled to be had, but that usually comes at a price.
• Many cruises are going to give you a credit card type thing that is going to be your room key, how you’ll pay for everything, etc. But with all of the fun you’ll be having, you might not want to carry a purse or wallet everywhere. You can carry the card in your pocket, or wear one of those necklaces where you can carry cards. A lot of people wear those these days. And always put it in the same place in your room so you’ll remember.
• We are a people that loves phones. Everyone has them. How do we function without them? Will you have internet on your cruise? The cruise ship should allow you to text via their app.. Otherwise you’ll just have to agree on times to meet in person and things like that.

Things to do

 

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Today let’s look at some things you could do on the OasIs class ships on Royal Caribbean. I would love to know if you would like to take a cruise sometime and would like me to help you plan one.

• And the first one we are going to look at is, they have a great carousel that you can ride. That would be a great thing for you and your family to do together. Everyone can ride on different animals, it isn’t only horses. It’s also disability friendly.
• Do you like getting wet when you are watching a show? If you don’t, sit above the first few rows. There are different shows you can watch here. And although the show is free, you will need to make reservations in order to get in.
• You are going to also be able to ice skate if you would like. I don’t think you will need to pay anything to skate. You can also bring your own skates if you are that professional. However, you will need to check the schedule because they are not opened all of the time.
• And this is because they also have laser tag in this arena. Kids of all ages will love this. Smaller kids are going to need to be accompanied by adult, but everyone should be able to play.

Traveling internationally with kids

Let’s face it. Traveling with kids can always be somewhat daunting. Traveling internationally can feel even more scary. Today let’s look at some tips that might help you feel better about giving your children this grand experience.

If you are going somewhere where you think you and your children might get diseases, you will want to set up a visit with your doctor three months before you are to leave. There are some shots that you are required to get if you are going to go certain places. There are also some other shots that are recommended. Get whatever will make you the most comfortable.

Of course, you have to have passports for everyone and and that does include your baby. Passports need to be valid for six months after you are supposed to be home from your travels. Make sure that everyone is good on that score.

Long flights are always a pain. And little ones don’t understand why they have to sit still for so long. You do not want to be the one with the screaming baby on that airplane. Bring new toys, new books, and new apps with you. Bring favorite snacks that are not messy. Learn some basics of the language of the people you are going to visit, phrases like “please”, “thank you”, things like that. And then teach them to your children. Your hosts will love it.

And even more tips

Photo by Rakicevic Nenad on Pexels.com

Photo by Rene Asmussen on Pexels.com

Photo by Alex Azabache on Pexels.com

Photo by David Vives on Pexels.com

Photo by Akio on Pexels.com

Photo by Antonio Janeski on Pexels.com

I would love to know what you would like to hear more about. Please let me know at familytripsinc1@gmail.com. Let’s start looking at some more random tips..

• You may or not be one of those people who has to take their pillow with them anywhere you might sleep. But whether or not you do that, you should take a pillowcase or two. These are great for putting your dirty clothes in. It can also help to wrap up your breakables.
• Do you know you are going to have to do some laundry in your hotel sink? You will also want to take along some baby shampoo. It isn’t going to hurt anything you want to wash. You can also use this to defogg your goggles.
• Bring along your floss. And no, I do not mean just for your pearly whites. You never know when you might have a sewing emergency.
• Do you love wearing necklaces and always end up taking along several? Have trouble getting them untangled? I hear taking along straws will help you.. I’m not sure how to describe this to you. But look it up online.
• You can also use egg cartons. You’ll have small compartments where you will be able to separate your stuff. It will also look uninteresting to thieves.
• Another thing that you may want to bring along is some dryer sheets. Stick them in shoes and dirty laundry bags to keep odors away. They also help get rid of static.

Alternative Thanksgiving plans

Photo by Anna Tukhfatullina Food Photographer/Stylist on Pexels.com

Photo by Oleg Magni on Pexels.com

Today was one of those days that I had problems deciding what to write about for you. I confess that a normal Thanksgiving sounds pretty awesome to me right now, with all of the lovely food and being with family. But maybe you and your family have decided that you want to do something different for Thanksgiving this year.

• Let’s look at some destinations, besides Grandma’s, that you might want to consider. There is Knott’s Berry Farm. You will need to travel to Buena Park, California to experience this. Your family is sure to love their restaurant’s Thanksgiving brunch.
• Disney World is going to have several options for you if you decide to visit them over Thanksgiving. And I think Thanksgiving is the quieter time to visit as opposed to Christmas which is usually pretty crazy. But quiet at Disney is all pretty relative. Anyway, they will have a spread for you in the Magic Kingdom. But don’t say I didn’t warn you, your hosts here will be two mice. The strange thing is that these mice are also going to be into Disney’s campground, and you will be treated to a lot of fine country cooking.
• Disney will also have something for those who want a little nicer atmosphere. The restaurant is called Artist’s Point, and it sounds like they serve a pretty upscale menu. Their Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn and Cafe is going to have pretty standard fare.
• Are you going to Disney to ride the rides, and don’t even want to stop to eat? Both Disney world and Disneyland have quick service options you.
• Hersheypark is also to give you and your family an excellent dinner. They also have a spa where you can get treatments.

You need a vacation #2

Photo by David Vives on Pexels.com

Photo by Antonio Janeski on Pexels.com

Photo by Alexander Mils on Pexels.com

Photo by Andre Furtado on Pexels.com

You know about my vacation plans, I’m always talking about them. But what about you? Have you made vacation plans.? I would love to hear about. Personally I think everyone needs a vacation with everything going on lately. But anyway, let’s get back to some more signs that you may be needing to plan a vacation.

• Are you messing up at work? You’re making mistakes is that you know you don’t usually make. You may be getting upset at your fellow workers, or worse, clients
• Do you go into work really not looking forward to your day? Sometimes you have bad days, everyone knows that. But if you are waking up each morning dreading work, not sure why you chose this job in the first place, it might be time to look into a vacation.
• When was the last time you had a really good laugh? Do you remember? If you are losing your ability to laugh, you may need a change of pace.
• Are you getting angry at things you would usually just shrug off? This could be at work or at home. You just feel irritable most of the time

Travel tips #1

Photo by Anna-Louise on Pexels.com

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

I try to keep this blog interesting, and not go over the same things day after day. Sometimes that is hard to do though. And I think it is going to do me good to get some time away from work stuff in July. Let’s look at some general travel tips today.

• It is just cheaper to fly some days than days than others, that’s just the way things are. I’m guessing that sometime long ago, the airlines got together and did a study that showed that Tuesday was the least popular day to fly, and that’s why Tuesday is generally the most inexpensive day to travel. But it’s always a good idea to be flexible in your travel dates. You never know what you might find.
• And when you book your flight might make as much difference as when you actually fly. Studies have shown that Tuesday afternoons at three is the best time to book your flight. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself.
• What time of day is the best time to fly. Normally, if you like the airports to be pretty quiet, you will want to travel in the early mornings. There are exceptions to this for sure do you have to cancel your travel plans?
• Are you too late to get all of your money back? You could move your travel dates, and then cancel at a later time.. I’m not sure how honest that is, but anyway. You probably know to get to the airport early when you know it is going to be busy, like over the holidays. But you truly never know when the airport is going to get really busy. The best idea is to always gets get to the airport as early as you can.

Even more Fourth of July destinations

Photo by Anna-Louise on Pexels.com

Photo by Sharefaith on Pexels.com

Photo by Miesha Moriniere on Pexels.com

Photo by Miguel Acosta on Pexels.com

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.com

Photo by Rakicevic Nenad on Pexels.com

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I did. I needed some downtime and some fun, and got both. Speaking of rest and relaxation, let’s get back to our discussion about the Fourth of July. It will be here before you know it.

• Is your idea of a great Fourth of July having some delicious barbecue? You might want to try Memphis. This is also a great place to learn about the Civil Rights Movement, something we might stand to learn more about, especially these days. And for lighter fun, check out Graceland.
• Are you looking for somewhere in the Midwest to celebrate? Minneapolis, Minnesota always has a great downtown celebration. And theirs is actually a two day event on their riverfront, so it is going to be a beautiful setting for your fun. There will be live were music and lots of family fun.
• Does your family like to run together? If you do, you should check out St. Louis, Missouri. They start their Fourth of July celebration with a four mile run. A parade follows that, and then there are concerts, and of course there are also fireworks
• . Kansas City, Missouri is another place that is known for being pretty patriotic. This is also a city that has a lot of pretty places to explore. I think one of the things they have is a lot of big old and green rolling hills
• . Does part of your family want to do nothing except relax, and the other part wants to have fun? You might try Green Lake, Wisconsin. The lake is beautiful and is a great place to take a picnic. They will have concerts on lake. Restaurants are going to have concerts as well.