In mid-May Jared finished the semester about the time Ryan finished first grade and we began to pack for our move. We relocated during the first week of June. A few days after transferring our possessions, I played single mom amid the boxes while Jared went on a several-day business trip. Then the day after he got home he took over as Mr. Mom (with a mile-long honey-do list) while I took the baby and flew to Utah for a week.
Then as if the upheaval hadn’t already thrown off our routine-loving family, despite my emotional threats to cancel remaining summer plans, we drove 2,500 miles across the country for our every-other-year family reunion. It had been two years since we last visited our home towns.
As we prepared for the monstrous trip, I realized it was important to take a look at what exactly was causing me stress and to analyze what part of traveling had me gasp for breath, made my blood boil, or drove me to hide under my bed covers and cry for a cancellation.
Once I’d identified those situations, I began to consider ways we could simplify in order to make the trip more manageable, and keep my emotions in check. I want my kids to remember family trips as a fun time, not that mommy was crazy.
Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing some of my most stress-inducing travel moments, and the manageable solutions I implemented in order to reduce the chaos. Because happily, we all made it back from our five-week vacation alive, AND would consider doing it again! If only I’d taken my own advice before now!!
Did you take a summer vacation? Does family travel drive you batty? What are your best-lived tips?
We drive down to Sydney to visit my parents at least once a year sometimes two. With the boys it’s about 13hours. We make sure we leave so they will be asleep for just less than half the distance. Even though Mummy & Daddy will be tired. We find it much easier on the kids and us. We just make sure we have a bg rest day our first day at the Grandparents house.