Travel Questions Answered!

Happy happy Thursday, friends!

First and foremost, I’m so excited you guys were excited about my HAIR SHINE BUNDLE yesterday!

If you missed it, it’s still going on today…

…you can check out all the deets HERE!

This made me laugh because you guys, this has been our week…

…this could not be more true.

Okay, I was looking through your big batch of questions from January 1st the other day and saw so many that were travel related, so I grabbed a handful and though I’d just make it a Q&A POST.

You guys asked, so I’ll try my best to answer.

Let’s start with…

Honestly?  I know it might sound counterintuitive, but I think the best way to travel on a budget is to allow a travel professional to help you.  Clients reach out to us daily with specific budgets and specific ideas in mind about where they want to go/what they want to do, and it’s very, very rare that we can’t figure out a way to make it happen. Between bulk pricing (saves you money!), industry search engines that allow us to see the big picture across many different vendors and filter information by not only destination but pricing (among other things), we also have the ability to create payment plans, provide you with less expensive transportation costs, help you factor in a food budget and present all of this to you with one bottom lines so you really see what you’re spending upfront.  I’ll try not to make every answer “you should use a travel agent”, but I think too often people think it will cost them more to use one, and it really ends up costing you less because of the options/ideas/experience/knowledge/group pricing/bulk packages/etc.

There are so many!  I think the first thing to consider is how long you want to be gone, your budget and what you’re comfortable with on this first trip.  Are you comfortable with a long flight?  What about a foreign language or currency?  Do you want to be on the same time zone as a US state or are you okay leaving and traveling further into other time zones?  Are you looking for this trip to be relaxing or adventurous?  Do you want beach time or museums?  We have clients taking their first international trips all the time and some pick spots like Mexico and Canada (great options if you live in the US) while others like to hit those quintessential European spots like London or Rome.  The world is big and there are so many great countries to visit on your first trip, but I think it’s important to know what would make you feel confident as a first time traveler and what would make you feel too nervous to enjoy the vacation.  We want you to have the time of your life abroad, so really be truthful with yourself about what your comfort zone is.

I love me some organization.

Here are just a few things I do to stay “organized”:

1: I keep all of my edocs for the trip in one folder in my inbox.

2: I print off all of my documentation and carry that with me as well in my carry on bag along with a copy of my passport.  (Don’t keep your actual passport with the copy!)

3: I make sure my Kindle is downloaded with new books for the trip (you don’t want to be scrambling to find WIFI later to download a new one).

4: I keep packing lists saved on my computer for different destinations.  This really helps me remember what to pack no matter where I’m going.  When I travel, if I think “I wish I would have added that to my packing list”, I stop and add it right then on the app on my phone for the next trip.

5: If you travel (or spend the night outside of your home) several times of year, you might like to do what I do: I keep MY TOILETRY BAG stocked year around, so that I’m always able to grab it and go without worrying that I forget anything.  Anytime I get samples or smaller sized items, I place them in here so that I don’t have to bring my larger “normal” toiletry items with me on a trip.  When I return from a trip, I always restock my bag too, so that it’s ready to go the next time.

6: If you’re traveling with your family and multiple suitcases are required, then you might want to pack them by “days” and not by “family member”.  I’ve been doing this for years, and it really helps so much.  You can see a BLOG POST where I really break this down and show you step by step deets, but the gist is that we all get our PACKING CUBES filled by each day (so the complete outfit from undies to shorts, shirts, socks, etc) are in a cube and then we bring them all downstairs and in one suitcase, we’ll add in everyone’s things for the first few days, and then we move on to the second suitcase and do the same for the middle part of the trip and so on.  Not only does this help in the event that a suitcase gets lost (one person isn’t out all of their items), but it also helps because when we arrive, we don’t have to open six different suitcases…we can just open one and everyone’s things are inside.  THE BLOG POST really explains it for those of you interested.

Well, I love a multi-generational/big family vacation…

…this was our party of 18 all crammed o one elevator aboard our Alaskan cruise 🙂 .

Over the years, I have worked with SO MANY large groups, and let me tell you, it *can* go really, really well as long as expectations are set in advance.

Here are just a few of my thoughts should you be about to travel with someone outside of your household (gosh, I have so many, but I’m only going to add a few!)…

1: If this is a once in a lifetime trip for you/if this is a destination you’ve always wanted to see/bucket list kind of thing, in my opinion, you might not want to not go on this trip at this time with a big group of people as traveling with a large number of people certainly requires COMPROMISE (and if this is your “once in a lifetime bucket list” spot, do you really want to water it down?).

2: Set expectations about food upfront.  Many people (regardless of budget) think along the lines of “It’s a vacation, of course we eat all three meals out every day!  It’s part of the experience!” while others think “I don’t love three big meals a day/don’t want to pay for three big meals a day, so I’m packing bars in my suitcase and will eat those each morning instead of going out for breakfast”.  Some people think “every night, we should eat at a restaurant” while others think “we had a really big lunch, we can just order takeout instead or cook in our accommodations”.  These are little details that can add up to big frustrations and awkward vacations if they’re not addressed up front.  I’m not saying you have to make a meal schedule and stick to it in advance, but I think you should at least be really honest about what you are thinking and then decide if that means you’re all cool “doing your own thing” sometimes for food or if you’re going to compromise.

3: Money, money, money, talk about money.  Talk about the small details (paying for cabs) and the medium details (paying for excursions and museum tickets, etc) and the larger details (paying for the air/hotel).  Talk about it.  If you can’t talk openly with this group about how you value the money you spend on vacations (whether that’s by spending a little or a lot), then you probably shouldn’t be going with this particular group.

4: I think when traveling with a group, it’s also great to give yourself space as well.  I love sending large groups on cruises because during the day, everyone can go and do their own thing (some want adventurous while others want relaxing) but then at night, they can all meet up for dinner and a show.  I find that “togetherness” is even more enjoyable sometimes when it comes after a little separation.  Have those meals by yourself if you’ve spent all day site seeing, wake up early and hit that museum while some people sleep in…give yourself a little space on a big trip.

Plan in advance and bring alternatives is our key!  We always pack Kensington’s food for the flight.  Depending on how long the flight is, sometimes she’ll just have snacks and other times, she’ll have more of a meal (sandwiches/wraps/salad/etc).  Before we even head out though, we research the area and look for g-free places, and we always READ THE REVIEWS (people will be honest and give a review if they feel it wasn’t as ‘g-free’ as described).  If we’re going on a cruise or staying at an all inclusive, we include her gluten intolerance on the reservation.  Planning ahead is a must for g-free friendly dining.

I have blog posts that covers this topic pretty extensively!  Make sure you check out these posts for all the deets:

TRAVELING WITH KIDS

KIDS CARRY ON BAGS

TRAVELING BY PLANE

FIRST TIMER’S GUIDE TO CRUISING

13 KEYS TO MANAGING JET LAG

MY BEST TRAVEL TIPS

As far as travel mishaps, my advice is to try your hardest to go with the flow and not get too worked up over it.  For the most part, our travels haven’t had any major hiccups, but sure, sometimes it happens.  I think the more you travel, the more you see that *big* issues are the exception and not the rule.

Thinking back over the last few years…

…our flight was delayed by 4½ hours just two weeks ago when we went to Disney (which messed up our plans for the day)…

…our luggage was lost (and later recovered) on our way to ski in Park City (here we are in Walmart buying supplies)…

…and I apparently ate a bad oyster in Hawaii and got food poisoning.  None of these things though were “vacation ruining” albeit each were annoying/not fun.  I say all of that to say, I think you and everyone else will recover much faster and still have an enjoyable trip if you can try and not stress out too much when things don’t go as planned.  Life is rarely perfect, so as long as you go in with the expectation of “it’s going to be great but not perfect”, I think that alone will help you manage your expectations.

As far as family traditions go, we don’t have any specific ones regarding travel…other than, we are people who like to G-O.  My in-laws have already been out of the country once this year and are heading back out soon, my parents have already been on several trips with more planned in 2024, and so have Sean and his family.  We are traveling people who love checking out new and amazing things and even if we don’t go together, we LOVE to discuss and share with each other which always makes for fun family dinners.  Who is probably our biggest inspiration for traveling?  This lady…

…my sweet grandmother LOVES to travel and still to this day (she’s 87!) is always planning her next trip.

I love/hate this question.  I love it because we’re not alone and, as moms, we are all “in this together” with feeling guilty about whatever it is…but I hate it because we are all moms and I truly believe that each and every one of us is doing our best.  Many times I read emails and DMs from you guys, and (as many of you know) my first response is to show yourself grace (as I’m glad my friends constantly tell me to do the same).  I feel mom guilt about a long list of things (working too much, getting frustrated over something stupid, losing my cool, forgetting to do something, etc), but I don’t about traveling, and I think it’s because that’s just how I was raised.  My parents were always going on trips with each other when we were growing up, and I never felt sad about it.  In fact, I was always excited to get a week or so with my grandparents.  They were fun, they had fewer rules, they let me eat Oreos for dinner…some of my best memories are when my parents would go away and either set of grandparents showed up.

Today, the same thing happens when we leave.  I’m not sure who gets more excited for us to walk out the door my kids or our parents?  I swear to you that when Andrew’s parents come, my kids eat ice cream after every single meal (and not from the freezer, my in-laws take them to the ice cream shop), and my mom is famous for looking at “the list” I give her (with all the chores/details/specifics) as a “general idea” and not necessarily something they’re going to follow.  So, no, I don’t feel guilty about traveling with Andrew (my marriage needs that one on one time!), but I do feel extremely blessed that we have a great support system to leave behind with the kids (four amazing grandparents) that I know many of you do not have…which makes that an entirely different conversation.  My answer would be different (and let’s be real, we would be unable to travel together alone as often) if we didn’t have grandparents who were in a position, willing, able and excited to watch our kiddos.

It only gets easier the older they get.  I LOVED traveling with my babies, but it’s so much easier to take along a teen.  They’re independent, self-sufficient, can pack for themselves, bathe themselves, clean up after themselves, they’re potty trained, don’t require a stroller, eat everything that’s on their plate, and they’re just plain FUN!  As much as I miss those babies (and I do!!), I AM LOVING THESE TEEN YEARS TOO!

We are “busy” but honestly right now, we’re the “least busy” we’ve been in a while.  I think there are seasons for everything and right now, we’re in a season with fewer sports (as my kids have gotten older, they’ve honed in on one sport instead of playing multiple).   I also think one thing the pandemic taught Andrew and me was that “when we go back, we didn’t miss ___, so we’re not going to do that anymore”.  For instance, pre-March 2020, all three of my girls did dance.  They had all started dance when they were three years old and continued up until dance was cancelled due to COVID.  When things opened back up, I realized none of my girls mentioned dance one time during those six months it was closed, so I didn’t sign them back up…and they’ve never missed it.  We had been “doing it” just because we had always “done it”.  So, I say all of that to say, we have really tried prioritizing what matters to our kiddos and that’s become easier/more clear to them the older they’ve gotten.  Last year, Kensington played middle school volleyball, basketball, ran track and was a cheerleader…this year, she only wanted to focus on cheer in high school (which gives her way more time to study, go to her weekly church youth group and hang at home), so that’s really made our schedule feel light.  That being said, we always put the school calendar on our personal calendars and then add any sports/practices/events they do have on there as well, and we plan around it.

As far as Andrew and I traveling, we specifically go when the kids don’t have things to miss (which is why we went to the Czech Republic in November, it was after football/cheer season, etc).  This is also why we’re not gone a really long time…we realized that with four kiddos at home, we would never go anywhere if we waited until we had two weeks of free time, so now, we go most places just the two of us for shorter amounts of time between their activities and events.

Awwwwww!  I’ve blogged about this before several times, but in my opinion, I think it’s GREAT to go where you (as the paying adult) wants to go and then bring the kids with you.  We love places that are geared towards kiddos (like Walt Disney World), but that doesn’t mean every trip has to be to a “kid destination”.  Experience tells me that my kids always had fun when they were little because it was a whole big new fun thing to do.  They always got excited about hotel rooms (no matter the city!), big cities with subways and buses, they loved parks and the zoos in other countries, they thought castles and big mountains were cool.  My kids always got a kick out of wherever they went because it was a fun, new thing to do with mom and dad.  So yes, if you take your kids to Disney, they’ll love it (mine did when they were little!), but I truly think they’ll love a big city abroad or mountain destination or the beach too.  They just think it’s fun to get away with mom and dad.

This little guy eating Fruit Loops in Russia 🙂 .

Whew!  These were just a few of the travel questions I received.  I’m always happy to answer more in the comment section too.  Of course, I would love to work with you on your next vacation 🙂 .  You can reach out to me and my team HERE for more info!

I love nothing more than getting away with these five people 🙂 .

That wraps up Thursday!  I’ll see you back here tomorrow, friends! xx