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Family trips are one of the ways for a family to spend time together and enjoy each other’s company while driving on the road. The journey could bring the family to a camp site, to a grand parents’ house, or to an amusement park. Or it could be anywhere else. Although there are various reactions from the children, most would often enjoy the whole trip no matter how long it may seem. Fun as it may seem, there still are a couple of things that parents should prepare for and be able to bring with them for the duration of the whole road trip for the family.

Cellular phones should not be forgotten. This is very necessary especially if the car you are driving experiences an overheated engine, a blown tire, or if there is a need for some kind of medical assistance. However, do not also forget to bring the charger for the cellular phone - be it an A/C charger or a car charger. Both would help out a lot.

Stopping to ask directions is okay, however, if you could bring a detailed map, you would be actually saving some time. Compared to stopping and asking for directions, you can have somebody read the map to you while you are driving. Also, these maps would be very useful in places where there seems to be a loss of population.

Keeping the kids entertained is important especially if they have a very short attention span. If you are the type who gets tired easily by their seemingly endless stream of questions or their heated squabbles, it would be best to bring along books or activity packs that would get them busy during the trip. There are puzzles, connect-the-dots, coloring books, and other activities that could make them keep quiet for some time.

Do not forget to pack in some food to munch on. No, this would not be those big meals which could get your vehicle’s interior pretty messy. Food on the trip could include bags of chips, crackers, water, juice boxes, bite-size fruits, granola bars, chocolate bars, and milk. Make sure that you put these in disposable containers or resealable plastic bags.

As for your vehicle, do not forget to bring your own stash of emergency equipment and instruments. Spare tires are a must as well as flares, and a jack. It would be best to check your whole vehicle before you go on a trip.

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Here is our travel pack list & reminders of what to do before you leave for your vacation. Plus, we provide a checklist to remember what to consider packing. That way you hopefully won’t overpack or forget anything you must take with you.

This is a great article to print out and use while planning your trip.

Before You Leave Travel Packing Reminders:

• Plan ahead: Sit down and prepare a travel pack list of what you’ll need, what you plan to do while in Florida, and what you must take and do before you go
• Start looking for Florida travel deals
• Research where you are going in Florida
• Research reviews and do your homework (best deals, what to do, where to stay, etc…)
• Shop for everything you’ll need or want to take
• Start an exercise program to get your best beach body (if that is in your plan)
• Search for and check dates and information on important documents
  These include, Id’s, passports & visas, pet information, etc…)
  Book your airfare, car rental, and lodgings (make sure you know all the terms and conditions when booking. Ie. Cancellations, refunds, and so forth

• Check weather in the area you are visiting
• Know your credit card information, limits, & amounts
• Have your banking information & debit cards up to date
• Contact anyone important to let them know you’ll be out of town
• Visit your doctor or dentist to ensure your health
• Accomodate for your pets (whether you take them or leave them behind)
• Plan for someone to check your house and collect your mail & newspapers
• Reconfirm everything we’ve mentioned and your travel pack list
• Obtain travelers checks at your bank
• Get all your medications and prescriptions you need
• Have car checked and tuned up if you take your own vehicle
• Lock up your valuables in a safe or safe deposit box
• Pay the bills, take care of house stuff (plants, cut grass, utilities, etc…)
  You don’t want to look like you’re gone

• Pick up dry cleaning and finish any last minute errands
• Start packing what’s on your travel pack list - Make sure luggage is marked
• Double check all documents…make copies if necessary
• Relax, you should have everything…
• Recheck your travel pack list and you’ll be fine.

Here are a few more tips to live by…

Carry-on Items:

Be sure you carry on valuables, cameras, film, documents, wallet (money in general), coupons, tickets, itenerary (with all pertinent information), brochures, maps, guides, reading materials, baby stuff, kids stuff, medications you must have, and anything in particular that you find important. If you think you should carry-on, then do. Don’t be like Focker.

Medications:

Have your meds in the original bottles, have doctor letters if necessary. Remember airlines are scetchy about certain items (if you fly).

If you drive having this information is important if you get pulled over and asked by a cop.

Film: We recommend you buy a digital camera or camcorder. Film is a pain and can get damaged easily.

I know that may be an added expense, but if you shop around, you can find a great deal. We just want to ensure you retain the priceless memories of your Florida trip.

If you must have film, our best recommendation is buy it when you get there. Pack it wisely (in your purse for instance), or develop it before you return home.

Pack Light:

You can check if the hotel has a laundry service. Plan ahead. Make a travel pack list, check it twice. Wait- isn’t that a song? Just kidding. Bad humor, it’s that doing a travel pack list can get boring.

But, it is important. Anyway, just pack intelligently. Take some extra money to shop if you absolutely forget something. Learn to fold, be creative, and lay everything on your travel pack list out.

As an idea, the two of us take a big piece of luggage and one smaller one. Then we carry a backback, small carry-on bag, or briefcase and we fit everything we need from our travel pack list.

Some of the major things to remember to pack include, money, documents, clothing, toiletries, electronics, things to keep you busy, other personal/individual items, and of course the kids (if you have them).

This is just a portion of what to remember. There are lists available online to use and check off items/things to do as you plan your vacation.

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Booking & shopping online has proven to revolutionize the travel industry. There are many pros to utilizing online booking sites to plan your trip. Bottom line is, it saves you time and money, both important factors when planning your trip.

Before you go booking your trip online, read our tips on doing so to ensure you find the best deals and are protected in the process

1. Shop around:

This has been our motto from the start. We are finding that prices change all the time, so it is important to look around for the best travel deal.

Besides searching our site, we have provided our favorite sites (with reviews) for finding the best deals.

Don’t get paralysis on analysis though. We recommend you pick a price (be reasonable though) and search until you find it- once you find it- take it!!

2. The more flexible you are the better:

Hey, I know when you travel with kids or a group of people, being flexible isn’t an option.

If you can be flexible, it will help, that’s all. Things like flying on certain days (like Saturday or mid-week), or specific times (10pm-6am for example) could be a benefit.

3. Join Frequent Flyer Programs:

This is a travel tip. You don’t have to fly every other month to benefit from these programs. If you use credit cards, you might as well get something back.

Heck, we pay them enough in charges that you deserve something in return. Just pick your favorite airline(s) and sign up for an airline mile card!

4. Read:

Sign up for e-zines.

You can set up a free email account if you don’t want these piling up in your in-box. Many of them have an opt-out section that allows you to quit receiving emails once you are done.

They usually provide up-to-date alerts on what deals are out there. Also, you might want to look into a few information products about traveling on a budget or getting great deals!!

There are experts out there who have been there and done that and know how to take advantage of great opportunities.

5. Know all the terms and conditions:

This is a very important cheap deal travel reminder.
For example, you will want to know if your quotes are locked in immediately or how long you have til you must decide, what their refund policy is, cancellation policy, if their site is safe when you enter your information (if you see a golden key or padlock at the bottom in the toolbar, then you will be fine), changes you might need to make, and so forth. You don’t want to get trapped into something that you can’t get out of.

6. Get Coupons:

Getting your hands on coupons can save you tons of money off various travel necessities. You can find valuable money savers with coupon books.
Other cheap deal travel tips to consider…

7. Check a few sites & once you find your price, go bid at an auction site like Priceline, at a lower price.

8. Book all in one. Sometimes if you book your airfare, car, & hotel or a combo of the three, you can get a better cheap deal. Don’t be afraid to ask!!

9. For flights, you can also do things like get bumped/stay over, fly out of another airport in your region (consider gas & driving and if that’s worth it), & consider 1-2 or more connections (no-stop flights can be expensive).

Bonus tips when shopping online in general

• Do online shopping with companies you know. We provide some places that give you a good start. You can also compare offline or with major retail chain’s websites.
• Keep your passwords private and choose them wisely.
• Keep good records. This protects you if something arises.
• Check out the company’s security policy and privacy policy. These are typically located at the bottom of the page. Or, look under site map or company information.
• Read the legal terms. These policies let you know what they do with any information you provide.
• Get their contact information. Try it out if need be. Make sure you know how to get a hold of someone.
• Make sure before you purchase, you read their return/refund policies.
• Review all descriptions of products, shipping & handling terms, and any other pertinent information you want to know. This should all be outlined for you.

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