Two days until take-off.
I’m writing this in advance, hoping that I have seven passports in hand, but also acknowledging that when this goes live, I might be in or on my way to Miami with my daughter’s boyfriend to secure his last-minute passport because his is still lost in the mail. Still hoping and praying and crossing fingers and everything else I can cross in hopes that this passport saga is solved immediately.
Alas, the blogging must go on. And today seems like a perfect day to share all of my travel tips. I have a bunch because 1 – we love a good vacation, and 2 – because 9/10 we are a vacation party of 7. It’s given me ample experience.
Two days from now, we’ll be up before the sun arguing over our hotel suite bathrooms and rushing to get 600 suitcases out the door and down to the airline check-in desk, checking passports for the millionth time (because now that’s all I worry about in life. passports.), and double-checking (again) that Ava doesn’t have a 72 ounce, $70 bottle of body spray in her carry-on and will get us flagged for a search going through security (like she always does).
Are we excited? YES. Are we ready? YES. Because everything is done. And by everything, I mean all the pre-travel planning. It’s done. Finished. Over. Handled. And here’s what we do before every trip.
Secure The House Sitter/Dog Sitter
We never leave our home unattended when we are gone, so this is important. Our house sitter is armed and ready, and our pup is in fabulous hands. But that means stocking the fridge and pantry, making sure the lists are made, the timeline for watering plants is written down, and the alarm code is hammered into memory. I do this as soon as we plan a trip because our home and our pup deserve the best.
Pack The Snacks
Flights + kids = snacks.
Everyone gets to go pick out their snacks; snackle boxes are prepared, packed in everyone’s backpack, and everyone brings their book or downloads something new to watch on their phones. It’s a must. Though I’ll also tell you that we’ll stop once we are through security (and travel dad checks to see that our gate is where it needs to be) for breakfast and an inevitable stop at the airport snack store for even more snacks. Because what’s better than a $3 bag of m&m’s from Target? A $9 bag of m&m’s at the airport, obviously.
Sign Up for the International Cell Plan
Every provider is different, but I log in to Verizon and set us up for an international travel plan so we can make calls, browse the TikToks, and do the things so we don’t have to worry about an eleventy billion cell phone bill the month we return home. It takes all of 5 minutes to sign up for it. Your cell phone provider should have an option online, but I’m sure you can always call if you need to.
Download Everything
I always download a few new books on my Kindle, and the kids download a few seasons of whatever show or movies they want to watch while we travel. Airplane wi-fi is always iffy, so it’s better to be safe than to be 30,000 feet in the air with nothing to read or watch. I usually have everyone do this a day or two before we leave.
Transfer Everything into Travel Size Bottles
Though most of what we use to get ready can be purchased in travel-size bottles, there are always a few things that cannot be, so I buy travel bottles and use those. It’s such a helpful tool, and one I make sure everyone handles when we are packing.
Photograph Important Documents
Passports, licenses, all of it. It’s all photographed. Though those things go straight into the safe when we arrive, I like to have photos of them on my phone in case of an emergency. And not just my phone. I then text the photos to the family chat so everyone has them lest someone’s phone is lost.
Luggage Tags are Updated
Names, addresses, phone numbers – all updated on luggage tags.
Secure Cash for Tips
Small bills are a must. Trust me – I just struggled through three stores trying to break a $100 bill because no one accepts large denominations these days. I like to make sure we have plenty of cash on hand, but I like to make sure we have a good mixture of $5s, $10s, and $20s to be on the safe side. It’s helpful when tipping the concierge, the limo driver, and so many others while traveling.
Pre-Book Airport Parking
This is not available everywhere, but I highly recommend it if it is available where you are departing. It’s so much easier to have a pre-booked, prepaid parking spot that’s easily accessible to and from the ticket counter.
Charge Everything
One of the most important things we do before heading to the airport is make sure everything is fully charged. Phones, Kindles, iPads, etc. Nothing sucks more than getting to the airport and realizing that you only have half battery life and your favorite book might not last your entire flight. Though most airlines offer chargers, I can assure you they don’t always work.
Make Sure Nothing at Home is Undone
Though we do have people staying in our home when we travel, we like to come home to a spotless house (they always make sure they keep it clean). We make sure all dishes are clean and put away; there’s not a speck of laundry left in laundry baskets, the washing machine, or the dryer. All trash is taken out and put by the street. Everyone’s sheets are washed and beds remade, towels are washed and put away (imagine coming home after leaving damp towels hanging up all alone for a week), and there’s nothing that’s not in its place and in order. Trust me – there’s nothing like coming home to a perfectly clean home following an amazing (but exhausting) trip.
Stock Your Handbag
A hydrating face mist, hand lotion, chapstick, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, medications, chargers, and snacks (don’t forget a blanket or sweater) need to go in your bag before you depart. You’ll use every single one of these items more than once while traveling, and keeping them easily accessible is key.
Tiffany Raiford 