Getting There &Back
Traveling is an exciting event and most are focused on arriving at their destination and forget about the time it takes to get there. Start and end your vacation on a good note by following some of these ideas:
• Entertainment: regardless of your mode of transportation, you will find yourself needing to provide some sort of distraction from the travel for either yourself, your children, or other traveling companions. So, make sure that you pack everyone’s favorite activities. The most important thing to remember is all of the chargers for your electronic equipment; nothing is more frustrating than having something to play with that won’t work.
• Pack some extras: if you are flying, make sure that you pack extra clothes and personal care items in everyone’s carryon’s so that if the airline looses your luggage you can still enjoy your trip until it is all returned. If you are driving, have extra clothes in an easy to access spot so that if someone spills or a little one has an accident you don’t have to spend too much time searching for replacements.
The Hotel
Although you will not be spending a whole lot of time in your hotel room, you will want to make the most of it. Here are some tips to make your room more comfortable:
• Sleeping: the beds in hotels are usually not as comfortable as those at home. If you are able, bring your own pillow and comforter. This way, you can ensure that your head will rest well and if need be, you can lay your comforter down as extra padding. Not only that, most hotels do not replace the coverlet on the bed often, so you are exposing yourself to the germs of visitors past.
• Noise Control: face it, hotels are noisy. From the other guests on either side of you, those above and below you, and everyone going up and down the halls at all hours of the day and night, you may not have the peace and quiet you desire. Even though you can turn on the bathroom fan or put the television at a louder level, it is just not that relaxing. Instead, bring along your iPod and docking station to be able to provide yourself with calming and enjoyable sounds.
• Germs: your hotel room may not be as clean as you prefer it to be. Not only that, the guests before you may have left odors you are not wanting to smell. In order to battle this, bring along some Lysol and spray down your room to freshen it up and to stave off any unwanted germs.
For the Whole Vacation
Throughout your vacation, you will find that there are some things that you will need to keep on hand at all times. Here are some of those items:
• Food & Drink: feeding and refreshing yourself and your family during your travels can be very expensive. To combat this, make sure that you always have bottled water and snacks readily available. In order to make things simple, have snacks that don’t have to be refrigerated so that you don’t have to tote around a cooler all the time.
• Weather Protection: take heed of all of the potential weather that you could experience and pack accordingly. If you are going to be in a place that has wet weather, make sure to bring your umbrellas and other rain gear as purchasing that while away can be costly. In addition, pack extra shoes as walking around with wet footwear is very uncomfortable. Make sure to bring sunscreen when traveling in warmer climate and apply regularly as getting a sunburn can ruin your vacation.
Making your vacation more enjoyable will be well worth the extra planning and packing. If you run out of room, remember that you don’t have to take so many articles of clothing as you can do your laundry while you are away. Adding comfort to your vacation will ensure that you make the memories you dream of making.
Guest author Larry Wood is a traveling businessman and is a freelance blogger for ManchesterHotels.org, a very helpful site he often recommends to anyone looking for cheap Manchester hotels.
