BootsnAll Travel Community

As we edge closer to two years of traveling the world on our open ended trip around the world as a family,I have been considering the things that have worked the best for us as we enjoy ourselves here in Portugal. I just wrote a post on our blog about what we have found to be our most beloved things or ideas that have worked for us:

Top 10 Family Travel Tips

I thought it might be useful to some here and perhaps start a conversation about what is working ( or not working for others) particularly for extended family travel.

What tips can you offer? What would be your top ten?

Great idea for a list! Let's see...what are ten things or tips we couldn't live without?

1) BICYCLES!!! Seriously - traveling by bike is the best way to see the world. We travel very, very slowly and stop at every single little place that has anything to see (and lots of places that don't!) Also - there is something about traveling by bike that makes us so much most approachable, so we meet TONS more people than we ever did traveling any other way. People invite us into their homes on a very regular basis and we get a chance to to REALLY SEE how the normal people live.

2) Camping equipment. Having our camping equipment affords us so much flexibility. If we are tired, we can simply stop whereever we want - we don't have to worry about getting to the next town. If we are in an area where hotels are very expensive, we just have to ask someone if we can pitch our tent in their yard. Having the tent and sleeping bags have afforded us more freedom than any other item we carry.

3) Wet Ones. I really do like to wash up after a day of cycling, but there are days when I just can't. On those days, Wet Ones have saved my bacon!

4) Playing cards. We've spent hours and hours and hours hanging out in our tent waiting for rain to pass - and those cards have paid for themselves many times over!

5) A cheapo nylon tarp. One day we were pedaling past a yacht club and found a gray nylon tarp on the ground - obviously had blown off some boat. It is very lightweight and packs down to next to nothing, but we've used that tarp in more ways than I can even count. We've used it as a picnic blanket, a rain cover for the bikes, an impromptu wind-shield, and lots of other things.

6) Cooking Stuff. Having our stove with us on the bikes allows us the freedom to eat when and where and what we want. We don't have to rely on finding restaurants. Also - it's waayyyyy cheaper to cook your own food rather than eat at restaurants.

7) A Tiny Notebook and Pen. I keep an itty-bitty notebook in my fanny pack at all times - I can't even count how many times it has come in handy for writing down phone numbers or directions!

8) Take Lots of Breaks. We take lots and lots and lots and lots of breaks. for our boys - that's what's fun about traveling by bike. They get to play in all kinds of environments and each time we stop they find different things to play with.

I can't think of two more things right now - I'll come back and edit this when I think of more.

I have a Tips for Traveling with kids section on my site

Here are a couple of the items
1.Once the family trip has been planned, choose a bag that can fit under the seat in a plane, train or on floor of the car. When deciding what to pack in the travel bag, remember you know your child best.

2.If your child has projects he/she spends extended periods of time on at home and it is easy to pack you should bring it as well as several other items.

3.Pack the bag without your child's help, so that every item in the bag will be a fun new experience when presented to your child. The parents travel bag, should be a well thought out tool to be used to entertain your child for long periods of time. Don't go overboard on any one item, variety is the key to keeping a child amused.

4.If your child is old enough, let him pack an additional small backpack to bring on the trip; he can choose his own special items for this bag.

5.Once you have pulled away from your driveway or have found your seats on the airplane keep the bag zipped! Do not pull one item out of the travel bag until it is needed. If you have worked through the whole bag before the plane takes off or you have reached the entrance for the freeway, you might have a very long trip ahead of you.


and here is a link to the whole list..(we are still compiling too!)
http://www.52perfectdays.com/node/360