Large Families and vacations....

[sunny-d]

We are planning a major trip this summer and I am in need of all the tips I can get!

I will be getting plenty of books on tape, madlibs, dvds and car stuff for the driving time. Color wonders and new coloring books for the airplane travel... I have started a notebook with all of the reservation numbers, mapquests from point A to B to C... important phone numbers of people we will be visiting...

I plan to pack by day, so instead of hauling in 6 suitcases in and out of hotels it will be one bag of pj's and get ready stuff and a different bag with everybody's clothes (say Mon, Tues, Wed outfits... this also allows me to dictate what everybody is wearing and make sure we all have on Neon Green for days we are in crowded places, like Sea World or DisneyLand!) (They are gonna love me for this ;))

The thing that has me totally stumped is the food. We will be flying from the east coast into LAX, then staying in LA for a few days, driving down to San Diego to stay a few days, drive to AZ for a few days, then a major hike in the car all the way to Idaho! I can't bear the thought of mc'd's for all those meals. Should I buy a cooler in LA and just hit the grocery for picnic foods for all of those days??? Ugh. (The food in Idaho is all arranged, with family reunions and sisters adn SIL's who have children and know what to arrange! What a relief!) So basically I need menu's that are cooler friendly for 7 days! yikes! how would you do this??? (on a budget too mind you, a budget! :rolleyes:

Any other tips, things I may be forgetting??? :lol: Dh is laughing at me for "worrying" about all this already, after all the trip isn't till the end of the month, who cares where/what we are eating in 3 weeks! I can't stand the stress, I have to have a complete agenda before with all the little details. I know myself, once in a rental van, with 4 kids and a dh who can't stand the way I give directions... I need it all mapped out first!

[semisweet]

I think the cooler is a great idea! You guys will all be constipated if you ate Mcdonald's the whole way!

For this reason, we try to bring snacks that will help keep us regular. Raisins, celery, apples, carrots, etc to snack on. We try to get things that we don't have to have spoons or forks for like tubes of yogurt, etc. Lunchables are really easy to do too! When we do sandwiches we don't make them until we stop. We'll try to stop at a park and let the kids run and play and just eat there. For breakfast we do bagels or granola bars. I also let the kids pick one thing each (bag of chips, fruit snacks etc) to bring with us and to snack on.

We take at least 2 or 3 long trips each year in the car (10 + hours). One thing we do is start the kids off with some money, like $5 each. They lose it as they fight or ask "are we there yet". They can use this for fun money when we get there, or for a treat at the gas station.

I think you will feel better and save money by doing this. Of course, eating out a few times too is also convenient and I'd plan on doing that a few times too.

Good Luck! It sounds like a fun trip. I like the idea of packing by day, I've never done that before.

[laumau]

Oh gosh, I definitely wouldn't want to do McD's either- everyone would be feeling so yucky and bloated. Seven days is a considerable amount of time to be on the road. Are you planning on stopping for periods of time at a rest stop? You could buy a small butane 1 burner stove. They're pretty inexpensive at Academy. I bought one for my Girl Scout adventures. That way you could boil water and heat up pre-cooked things in freezer bags- like spaghetti, etc. Put salad in the cooler. You could make eggs and such for breakfast. It is so easy to use the stove- just turn the knob and you've got a gas burner ready to use! You'd have to bring a pot and a pan and maybe a spatula and tongs.

I know how you feel- 4 small children and everything has to be planned. That's how my whole life is.

[hedra]

We always cooler/fridge on long trips. If we're not staying with family, we're always in a hotel room that has a fridge, and we pack it full! Most places have had a microwave, too, even the motels (there's often a communal one, at least).

Of course, we're also stuck with one child recovering from a feeding disorder (still!), so we have to have things he'll eat. And yes, he'd eat mcd's 3 meals a day, but we're not doing that! Can't afford it, even if we wanted to.

Our usual bigger issue is not losing someone in transit when we're hurring from point A to point B. We got a chunk of soft cotton rope, DH spliced and eye in one end with a metal clip to attach to either belt or stroller, and the older kids grab a knot and hang on. :) We also did ID cards on breakaway lanyards. Just a simple picture, name, destination and home cities/states, and basic ID (eye color, height, weight - DH can never remember how big the kids are, so that's a help for him). On the back we have the main travel rules: Walk, Respect other travelers, stay close, can't remember rule 4. On longer trips, we would have the rules by number - 'RULE 2, BRENDAN!' ;)

It sounds like you have it covered. It sounds a lot like our trip planning, LOL! (Including the madlibs and color wonders...)

[sdipert]

I read this on another board and thought it was a cool idea. You can get the large size ziplocks and put each kids clothes, socks, undwear everything in each bag and mark it with the child's name and day. That way you don't have to waste time picking out clothes each day.

I don't really have any ideas on the eating thing. I guess I would just get a cooler when you get to LA and pack it from there.

I am with you...I would be planning already too. I don't like to wait until the last min!

[Patti]

I agree - you are smart to plan now. If you wait, you'll be buying mcd's every day! It is hard to get out to the store with several little ones!

[Southern Rain]

I always travel with a cooler and non-cold snack/meal items. Normally with long travel, I aim for one restaurant meal per day. The other meals I stop at rest areas and allow the kids to RUN while we eat healthier and cheaper options. When we've got a kitchen we don't eat out at all. I also get a several gallon container of water and pack water bottles for the kids. That way, they can refill whenever they are thirsty (oldest can man the watering hole).

[hedra]

Oh, and we did the ziplocks of clothes, as well. Plus one of those giant ziplocks of 'mealtime' (important with the twins while little) - bibs, utensils, splat mats, etc. Plus one of 'pool time' (all the bathing suits, sunscreen, sunglasses, medcines to be taken at mealtime, etc. in one bag).