Monday, August 2, 2010

Traveling tips

My husband is in education, which means he gets his summers off and we spend most of our time out of town. We just got back from a family reunion where we visited the Oregon Coast and the Redwoods.
It was an amazing trip, but did require over 40 hours of driving with kids.
I thought I would share a few tips I've had on my mind, since I haven't had much time to craft.

Tip #1: Making pillows and blankets in the car.
My sister came up with this idea. We gave each of the kids a pillow and fleece already cut and tied at the corners. We let them tie the rest during the car ride. They loved having something to do, making something themselves and having a pillow and blanket to use on the car ride.
The pillow and blankets came in handy the rest of the trip. We used them at bed time and naps. You can find a tutorial HERE at Family Fun.
Tip #2: Collecting charms for souvenirs
I find most souvenirs to be knick-knacks and clutter, which I hate. When I was little, my mom in her great wisdom, let us chose charms on our trips instead of your usual stuffed animal, t-shirt or whatever. When I was in college she gave me my bracelet with all my charms attached. I love it and cherish it. I get so many happy memories when I wear it and love telling stories about my trips.


I've started doing the same for my girls. Here are a few of our most recent charms. I can usually find them for around $12. It's become tradition and my kids are usually fine leaving the gift store without something that will just end up in the garbage can.
Tip #3: Making an On the Go Book
I think most of you have seen this already, but for those of you that are new here I thought I would repost a link to the tutorial. We've used ours in the car on long trips. It's got a few different activities to help your little ones stay busy. You can find the tutorial HERE.



I'll be going out of town one more time, then I hope to back with some new stuff.

10 comments:

Kelley said...

Oh my goodness... those Oregon pictures make my heart ache to go back there! It's our favorite place in the country!

Bethany @ The Paper Pony said...

Oh I LOVE the Charm Bracelet idea. I had one when I was taking piano lessons. I received a new charm each year and I was so proud of each of them. What a wonderful way to remember your vacations!

nursenicki said...

The charm bracelet is such a sweet idea! Thanks for passing it on. I'm hoping to make an on-the-go book soon!

Amy Jo said...

I love the Oregon Coast! That is so fun that you went there!

Amy Jo said...
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Amy Jo said...
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Amy Jo said...
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Anonymous said...

The charm bracelet is a wonderful idea! I will have to tuck that into my idea bank as we hit the road quite often and little "knick knacks" are not our thing either!

Anonymous said...

I agree! So much of what can be collected on trips becomes garbage. I love my charm bracelet which I don't wear as often as I used to because it's so weighed down with charms. My hubby added to it for years when he traveled for business.
I know your daughters will cherish their bracelets for years to come.

Jack Witson said...
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