How We Travel

A few weeks ago, I was appreciating insights from Mali’s extremely
long trip to the UK, and I commented that I would write our travel tips. Her post and writing down my own made me realize that how we travel (what is important to us when we go somewhere) is so personal that what works for one person probably won’t work for another. But in case this helps anyone:

• We have a master packing list that we use for every trip. It has everything we need for a weekend at the beach or three weeks in France. When we’re going on a trip, I hit duplicate and delete things off the list that we don’t need, such as a passport at the beach. It’s a streamlined list, so I never overpack or forget anything. I used every piece of clothing on this trip, but I also fit all in a carry-on.
• Speaking of which, we pack all clothes and non-liquid toiletries in carry-on bags. Then we pack a duffle bag inside a suitcase and check it. Our plane tickets often come with one checked bag each. The checked bag has our meals (see below) and toiletries. During the trip, the large suitcase collects dirty laundry, and when we pop out the duffle bag at the last stop, it gives us an extra bag for things we bring back with us.
• No matter where we go, we bring breakfast, coffee, and lunch with us. Those meals don’t matter to us, and we save a ton of money and time that way. I have a scoop of peanut butter and VIA coffee in the room, and usually a kind bar for an early lunch. Then we get a snack and dinner out.
• We also sometimes do what the kids call grocery dinners. Instead of getting takeaway, we go to the grocery store and get veggies and yogurt and crackers or prepared foods. Can you tell that meals don’t really matter to us unless it’s a favourite restaurant?
• We record a family audio journal every night. We started doing this when the twins were eight (when I first got a recording device), and we only do it for longer trips (vs. a weekend at the beach). By talking through the day for 10 – 15 minutes every night, we capture all the details and everyone’s memories, and we go back and listen to them and remember things we’ve forgotten all the time. We weren’t great about getting everything down in a written journal, but the audio journal has been a low-lift with a big pay off.

What are your best travel tips?