Travel Trips Part Deux

Over a year ago I wrote about about Traveling with Toddlers and since we just made another major trip with them I thought I'd add a few things that worked/didn't work for us.

Me & My Turkey on the boat

What Worked

1. We had lower expectations of everything we were going to do on the trip. We didn't book any major excursions, this year we decided to just do simple sight seeing very close to the hotel. It worked better as there wasn't any extended traveling to and from the destination and it kept the attention spans for younger kids. 

2. We picked a resort with a Kids Club, it was a blessing! It was located beside the pool so when you needed the kids to get out of the sun for a while or just slow down for a bit we would take them in there to do all sorts of crafts and games. The women that worked there were super sweet and actually seemed to love their jobs. The kids loved having that outlet to do more activities than just swim. Win!

3. Hubs and I took turns having a morning to ourselves. Having 7 nights and days without a break from the kids can be a bit overwhelming so we gave each other a break for a morning to do something for ourselves. It was a little bit of time to refresh and rejuvenate.

What Didn't Work

1. I think we should have talked to the kids about ear pressure on the plane. They've never had issues before as I always get them to drink water on assent and descent but this time was different. A few kind passengers offered them gum but they've never had it before so I knew they would just swallow it. I think if I'd practiced letting them chew it before we left it may of helped. I also forgot that my SIL said places plastic cups over their ears help, wish I'd remember that one!

2. Even with multiple applications of sunscreen both our kids had their first sunburns. It wasn't much but it was right under their eyes and it made me realize that they were rubbing off their sunscreen every time the chlorine bothered their eyes and they would rub them. We went back to the store and bought the strongest sunscreen we could find and used that on their face and it was better after that. Still, I felt back they had their first burn :(

3. Rules. We didn't have any way to enforce any rules while on vacation. At home we have several ways we deal with unruly behaviour but it was a lot harder to figure out on the fly. Hubs and I should have spoke about this before we left to make sure we were on the same page and consistent in our methods.

Mr. C "Driving" the boat

All in all it was a better trip than last time. With the kids being a little older we didn't have to worry about naps or fret as much while they were in the pool. Here's hoping it gets better and better each time!