On the Road Again! Summer Vacation Roadtrip

Since we have thus far survived our family road trips, both domestic and international, we are setting out another one this summer. Starting at our home in Maryland, we are heading north for about a fortnight.

When I tell people these are my vacation plans, the response in return is often a quizzical, "Really?" I know - how crazy to think logging a couple hundred miles with four kids in a car is some kind of idea of fun. So, let me say - I do realize that it will not be all peaches and ice cream (though, there will be a fair share of that.) There will be some fussing, arguing, and tears, from me included, but by the end, we'll have another collection of memorie, everyone will appreciate their own bed, and, if we're lucky, the kids will have figured out the Rhode Island is not an island, Boston is a city, and Canada is a whole 'nother country.

But while I get going, here's answers to a few  of the questions I've been asked about our journey.

What do we do to stay entertained in the car for that long?
That is the pain of road trips, right? What are you going to do to keep everyone from throwing someone else out the window?  For many, electronic gadgets and in-car videos are the obvious answer. Though I don't have in-car screens, the kids do have some electronics, but I try to limit their screen time, even in the car. Then we turn to the old-fashioned favorites - singing contests, look outside & find/ Eye Spy/ scavenger hunt type games, and audiobooks.

For the scavenger hunt, give the kids a list of things to find looking out of their window. Make it as easy or hard as you like, depending on the age of the kids and how long you want this to last. Our first list included items like 2 people on a motorcycle together, a person in a costume, a church, an animal, other than a bird, and a landmark.  Buried in a video game, I bet no-one would've even noticed the dog training center and might've missed the Statue of Liberty.

We checked out a pile of audiobooks from the library. I usually let the kids pick them out themselves - it's best if they all agree, or at least 2 so there's not a carload of pouty faces. This time, I also picked a couple from the adult shelves in case there's a leg or two whe everyone is sleep but me, i.e., the driver.

Do you stop and eat?
In between destination cities, I actually try to limit the stops for meals, though I will pull over in a second for a fruit stand or ice cream shop. Meals on the road can add up (dollar-wise) and take up time. Since I don't like long drives, I don't like stopping for long meals. I try to keep the cooler packed with lunch meat, cheese sticks, fruit, boiled eggs, and juices, as well as breakfast-type foods, too - cereal, granola bars, milk boxes, for the days we're out early.
 

At our destinations, I try to pick hotels with breakfast included. It's so much easier (and less expensive) to get kids down an elevator, fed and out for the day, than getting out and then having to find breakfast.

How do you pack for all those people?

I try to minimize the number of bags we have to carry into the hotels, since the kids and I will already have our backpacks and tote bags and the cooler. This go round, I've got all of our clothes packed in two large suitcases. I split all of our clothes, putting half of everyone's clothes in each bag, that way, when I check in, I only have to bring in one suitcase and the toiletry bag.

In the toiletry bag, I have  all of our personal grooming stuff - shampoo, condition, body wash, toothpaste, etc. Although hotels do provide the basics, it's not enough for five people. Plus, with sensitive skin and hair issues, I like to have my own products for a long trip, at various hotels.

Really? This is vacation?

If we were home, we'd spend the summer laying around the house, every now and then going out to the zoo or local museum or catching a movie, sleeping in, fussing about watching too much TV and going outside more. Why not take all this excitement on the road?

Pack Your Bags: Conferences

There's a conference/convention for everything isn't there?  Sorority, civic and social organizations, PTA, moms, bloggers, yarn, scrapbooking, food, comic books, music - you name it, there's a large gathering of interested folks.

For your next conference, for whatever reason, don't forget to pack these important items that I have found to make it all a little bit more manageable and enjoyable.

Shoes, shoes, comfortable shoes!  I admit, picking out a good pair of shoes could top any list I happen to write (what to take on vacation, what to consider first in an outfit, how to spend your tax refund), but for a conference, this is an important one.  Conference center floors are hard - they are concrete and no, despite what you think you remember, they may not have been carpeted - and the centers themselves are huge.  Even if you insist that you've got to wear cute shoes during the conference sessions (understood), be sure to carry comfortable walking shoes for when those heels have had it.  You don't have to go straight to the sneakers that will mess up your look, go with a nice ballet slipper or loafer, depending on your outfits.  A tangential note: if you are not staying at the conference hotel, stay somewhere in walking distance so you don't have to rely on the conference shuttle, which can often have a long wait.

Shoes to match the outfit and shoes to actually walk around in

Business cards and/or address labels.  Make sure you have business cards, you don't want to be the person jotting down your name and number on a program cover or scrap of paper that's going to get lost in someone's conference bag.  Especially when there are several low-cost, easy options to get your own set of cards.

• Use an online printer, like VistaPrint, or local office supply store, like Staples or Kinko's, to get  calling cards printed - pretty designs, all the basic info.  (At home, I also tuck them into my kids backpacks when they go to school or on a field trip.)
• Purchase blank cards at the office supply store and print your own if you don't need a lot or are creative like that.

When you receive a card, be sure to jot a note on the back about the person - why would you contact them again?  I also keep the cards I collect together with a binder clip or in an envelope so they don't get lost in my conference bag.

And the address labels?  For those mailing list sign-up sheets at various vendors because I'm lazy in writing my contact info.  It's also useful for sticking on your various items that you would like to have returned if you lose it.  Use those free sheets you get in the mail from charities or make custom ones on your home printer.

Luggage tag.  If your conference is giving out bags, as most do, you will then be carrying the same bag as the other hundred or thousands of folks there with you.  And someone will invariably pick up the wrong bag.  Identify your bag with a unique luggage tag, a keychain, a strap cover, or something.  Forgot to bring one?  Pick up a give-away from a vendor, paperclip some doo-dad to the handle.  When I've forgotten something,  I end up tying some yarn (which I always have) onto one of my handles.

My sorority conference bag, personalized with paper-clipped on flower and tied-on ribbon

A shawl or cardigan.  You've been there - movie theatre, restaurant, meeting, friend's house - and the air condition is all the sudden on blast and you're freezing.  Throw a light cover in your bag so you're ready for the change in temperature.  Carry a neutral color to match everything, or your bright favorite color just because it makes you happy.

E-devices & apps.  We're all so digital and electronic now - cameras, phones, tablets, iPods - you can't imagine a conference without them.

• Bring your chargers - Don't we all hate seeing that red battery or "low battery" signal while we're away from home.  You can always find somewhere to charge back up and some meeting places even have lounges specifically for that purpose.
• Charge and carry your portable charger for when I'm in the middle of the business sessions and can't get to a plug. This is helpful, too, when I'm working at a vendor event for my book, Life in Spades, as the vendor booths often are not supplied with an electrical cord.
• Download the conference app. The first time I went to conference with an app, I wasn't really sure it would be that useful. But then I realized how much easier it is to pull out my phone and check my schedule to figure out what room I needed to go to next, rather than my program, flip to the right page, read through all the sessions - all while balancing my coffee and not getting jostled by the crowd.

All my chargers and electronics in one easy-to-find place

Snacks.  I am a snacker, check my bag any day and you are likely to find a bag of trailmix or nuts or an energy bar in there.  For conferences, this is a definite, because when I'm hungry, I get really impatient if there's a long line at the snack bar or if they've run out of what I want by the time I get to the counter.  And the long lines are inevitable - hundreds of folks on the same schedule, hungry at the same time.

Coffee.  Ahhh, caffeine.  I carry instant coffee, not my favorite option at home, or bottled, pre-made Starbucks. You have to have a plan when you are among thousands of folks, all trying to get a cup of coffee within the same 10 minutes before the meeting session starts.  It's a back-up to the coffee that should've been in my room or hotel lobby and if I can't get to the coffee shop a block from the conference, which is most likely emptier then the counter near the meeting space.  I've also found liquid creamer in the stay-fresh cartons! Wonderful, because I don't like powdered creamer. This and a coffee pot in my room and I can get my day started.

Lipgloss.  I'm amazed at the difference a swipe of gloss will make on your otherwise, tired, make-up-less face.  So I've got one in my make-up bag, one in my purse, and throw one in a conference bag, just to be sure.

Gather these must-haves for your next conference.  And if I've left off any must-haves, let me know.

 (This post was originally written in 2012, but I've updated a few items, particularly the tech-y notes.)

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Pack Your Bags: for Vacation!

Plane, train, automobile, boat, bicycle – it seems that we have some innate need to get out of town as the mercury rises.  When my family and I hit the road, it almost looks like we’re moving out; truthfully, when we just go out for the day, it looks like we’ll be gone for a week, so you can imagine when we actually go away for a week.  I’m bad at packing – I’m very indecisive (what do I want to wear, what shoes match) and feel like I need to pack for every possibility (what if some other thing comes up and I need a formal gown). To pare down to a manageable load, I turned to a friend for packing tips. 

Dr. Quinetta Roberson is a professor, who teaches, speaks at conferences, and vacations around the country and abroad.  I’m pretty sure she’s on track for a platinum Frequent Flier card for every airline and a Golden passport.  This month alone, she’s touching down in at least 5 countries and 3 continents, with 1 suitcase!  Here’s how she does it.

Yes - all in 1 bag!

I prefer not to check bags given that you never know what kinds of airport shenanigans will occur (especially with a layover that is less than an hour), so I usually try to fit everything in a carry-on. However, when I am doing two cities and/or have various events that require different fashions (e.g., teaching, black-tie, causal, etc.), I will take the larger suitcase and check it.

Pick your clothes & shoes

My rule of thumb: grab everything I want to take and then cut the amount of clothes in half. Also, I try to pick a color scheme (e.g., black or brown) so that I can limit my shoes to a few pair (e.g., heels, flats, formal, etc.).

Steam your clothes before you pack

I hate ironing. I especially hate ironing when something I iron is going to end up wrinkled after a long trip. The packing envelope does a good job in keeping garments in pretty pristine condition, but they have to start in pristine condition. Given my distaste for ironing, my mother bought me a steamer last Christmas ... and it is my new lifesaver. I can wash, steam, and pack the night before a trip and still look professional and put-together when I get to my destination.

Pack compactly with a Container Store packing envelope

This packing envelope from The Container Store changed my life two years ago. I was going to a formal wedding in Barbados, teaching for two days in Milan, and then going on vacay for two weeks in Madrid and Barcelona. However, I only had 45 minutes layover between international flights (enough time to get through customs and get to the gate), so, I needed everything to go in a carry-on. The premise of the envelope is that it helps to pack garments compactly so they take little space and don't move around in the suitcase, yet stay in presentable condition. This medium envelope is supposed to hold 10-12 items, but I was able get about 18 things in it.  This is now my must-have when I am traveling for any length of time.

Keep clothes on their hangers

I keep professional and formal wear on plastic hangers so that after the clothes are dirty, I can just fold and put them into the suitcase and discard the hangers (a good space-saver).

Organize your electronics

Several years ago, I came across this electronics carrier on www.ebags.com. Because there are six individual compartments in the carrier, I can keep my cameras, international cell phone, chargers, etc. separate and easy to access. A pet peeve is leaving a charger or adapter in a hotel, so this helps me to keep track of everything.

Pack it all in!

Shoes first.
I typically put the fancier pairs in shoe bags.

Optimize space by putting underwear 
in the spaces between the shoes.

After the shoes etc., the packing envelope fits in one side of a large suitcase (it fits across the whole width of a carry-on), thus leaving room for the electronics carrier, purses, jewelry envelope, etc. on the other side.

The hangered garmets go last 
(so they don't get smushed)

Done and ready to head to the airport!

Thanks, Quinetta.  That seemed easy, right?  I plan on using some of these tips later this summer when I go on a trip all by myself for my sorority’s conference - yeah, me! – but I know that limited number of shoes things is going to get me.

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