Vacation Preparation 101

Summer's coming which means vacation season will soon be in full swing. I thought I'd share a couple of tips I've found useful when getting ready to hit the road for a family getaway.



1. Make a list of toiletries you need to take - sunscreen, hair gel, toothpaste. Purchase some plastic bottles (available in the travel size section at Target or Walmart) and fill them up. Don't forget to label them! Place them in a Ziploc bag in your suitcase. If they leak, your entire suitcase won't smell like Tropical Rainforest.

2. Make a list of other items you want to take - a power strip, wet wipes, Uno cards, extra batteries for your camera, etc. As you accumulate these things, place them in a central location. For instance, we use a plastic tub to put all of our take-alongs in. Sometimes we start gathering things a few months before we leave. If we find a great deal on batteries, we go ahead and buy them, then put them in the take-along tub until time to pack. No more last-minute hunting for that item you put aside last month! It's all in one place.

3. If you're planning on doing a lot of walking, say at Disney World, buy a new pair of walking shoes now! Don't wait until the week before and think you'll have time to break them in. Trust me on this. You'll need a month or so of moderate use to get your shoes really broken in for Disney walking. Oh, take an extra pair of shoestrings, too. Go ahead - buy them right now and put them in your take-along tub. You'll thank me for it.

4. Speaking of walking, get yourself in physical condition before attempting to walk around Disney (or New York City). Go for a daily walk, again starting a month or more before your vacation. Did you know the average person walks at least 10 miles a day at Disney? So, please, don't punish your poor feet by going from zero to 10 without working up to it a bit.

5. If you're driving a long distance, check out your route before hand. Are there any interesting stops along the way? Can you schedule a break for lunch at a scenic national park? Or visit the world's largest ball of yarn for a photo op while passing through? Knowing these things will help make for a more pleasant trip. And you'll get to look really smart to your kids.

Above all, plan to have fun! Isn't that what vacations are all about anyway?

For more great tips, visit We are THAT Family's Work for Me Wednesday. You'll find helpful hints and tricks to make your life easier. Why don't you jump in and share your own tip?