We’ve been traveling a lot lately, and a baby usually means less room in the car/trunk.
Rather than lug boxes of baby necessities around, consider ordering supplies online — diapers, food, etc. — and shipping them to your destination. You’ll have more room in your car; there’ll be less to pack and unpack; and your neck won’t be so sore from hauling boxes in and out of the house.
Looking to lighten your luggage load? Instead of bringing more clothing, bring along a small bottle of Woolite and do hand laundry instead.
By using a sink or the bath tub, you can stop and do a load of laundry anywhere you travel.
Just remember the rule of threes when it comes to hand-washing and travel:
1.) you need at least one item to wear while…
2.) one item is drying, and…
3.) a third in reserve.
Travel candles solve a few of the typical hotel room woes, particularly for budget travelers:
1.) They mask the scent of overpowering cleaners (or worse, but let’s not go there).
2.) They provide a soothing, romantic ambiance.
3.) Some scents, like lavender, help you fall asleep easier in unfamiliar surroundings.
Several companies, including The Travel Tin Company, make portable travel candles that are clean burning (no wall smudges or waxy drips) and safer than regular candles since they’re contained in a tin.
For under $10, travel candles go a long way in creating a comfortable atmosphere in your hotel home away from home.
Planning a family road trip? To avoid hours of boredom, plan a “scenic scavenger hunt.”
It’s easy. Just write down a list of 100 things you might see along the way, like landmarks, buses or bridges. The first person to complete the list wins.
For preschool kids, substitute magazine photos and trim the list to twenty familiar objects. For older kids, include a challenge: require them to provide one additional fact about each item they find.
Have fun. And by the time you reach the end of the road, you won’t be at the end of your rope.
Why is it always impossible to close hotel curtains all the way? It’s always that little sliver of light that shines through the crack in the hotel curtains that’ll wake you up on a vacation morning when you very much want to sleep in.
Remember to pack a few clothespins in your bag whenever you travel, and wake up on your own terms by pinning the curtains together.
Closing that little gap will keep your room a lot darker by blocking the morning sun. You’ll also block the street and other outdoor lights at night.