I could probably write a long paper or short novel about our first road trip with our girls, but I'll save you the agony of a long read and skip right to the important things we learned.
Packing light can be possible - all you need is a hotel with cribs and laundry. Yep, we left our play pen at home and opted for the hotel crib. I was hesitant to try a hotel crib with images of germs and cooties dancing in head, but with our own bedding in hand my worries were eased. All of the hotels we stayed at had a crib or play pen for us to use. They were all a little different and some obviously better than others, but all were clean and in good shape. I brought along a play pen fitted sheet, a crib fitted sheet, one large receiving blanket and a lovey blanket. The sheets were much smaller then the play pen obviously we used them all and I actually think they helped our daughter to get to sleep in all the new and strange places we stayed. A little bit of home to help her feel safe.
Now for that pesky second part - laundry. Yes, I did laundry while on our holiday. I know you're probably thinking I'm crazy, but with kids asleep by 8pm what are you going to do trapped in a hotel room. In Ottawa we stayed in a one bedroom suite that was more like a small apartment with a kitchen, laundry and separate living room. This was awesome! Our last night in Ottawa the girls fell asleep early and we stayed up watching TV and doing laundry - with a glass of wine of course! I was able to pack all our clean stuff into one suitcase and pack all the things we wanted for the next three days into the other. As we moved from one hotel to the next for the rest of the week we left most of luggage in the car, and the best part....when we got home after a WEEK away I only had two loads of laundry to do. This is a dream! Every holiday comes to a quick and screeching halt when you arrive home to mountains of laundry. The laundry was done and everything unpacked in short order. My husband and I actually had a relaxing evening when we got home.
The next lesson we learned is about that kitchen I mentioned at the suite hotel. This was a great idea. We were able to have breakfast in, keep snacks, milk for the baby, enjoy a glass of wine/beer, and save little money on eating out. Our kids are usually really good restaurants, but eating out every meal for a week can be very tedious. One night we ordered in pizza, rented a movie and snuggled up just like at home. Great way to re-energize and start the next day ready for an adventure!
Our last lesson - kids will play with anything. (Duh!) I was so worried about keeping our kids busy that I packed a big toy back for both of them. This was a waste of time and precious car space. Our youngest was happy to play with the remote controls, pillows, telephones and all the other interesting things in the hotel room. A ball and baby doll would have been enough for her. As for our oldest, she was so active all day that most of her evenings were easily filled with swimming and quiet TV time. Not to mention all the goodies she collected during our adventures! Her electronic gadgets were great for in the car and they would also have been enough for at the hotel. (A side note on all those electronic gadgets. What a great idea for traveling, but headphones are must!)
All that said, we learned a lot, had a blast and we are even thinking about a longer road trip for next summer! Next challenging...flying with kids...hmmmm?
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