🗺 5 Tips For Your Best Family Vacation 🗺

Family vacations are often a combination of fantastic moments and memories peppered with meltdowns and arguments. We’re all human and there is no such thing as a perfect vacation, but here are a few tips that might help tip the scales a bit in that direction!

 

1. Plan before you pack.📝

You will save yourself a lot of stress (and possibly your marriage 👰🏼🤵🏼) if you do a bit of research and planning before you go.  I suggest a travel agent (Five Sandals Travel, maybe?? 😬) for any trips taking place outside of the country including a cruise or an all-inclusive resort. However, even with trips like that, doing your own research is always beneficial. Don’t carry the weight of research on your own- include your family! You could let each one of your kids pick a family activity or a restaurant. This will help everyone to feel involved and have a sense of ownership over the trip, rather than feeling like they’re being forced to tag along on your vacation. My favorite part of trip research is that it builds excitement!

 

2.  Try not to overschedule your days.🏖🎡🛤🗽

If you are going on a trip that involves sightseeing, amusement parks or day trips, make sure you take the ages of your children into account when you’re planning those days. As adults we know how we can feel at the end of a long day, so keep in mind how the small people in your family must feel. Try to build in extra time between activities so you’re not rushing from Point A to Point B and missing those special, unexpected moments that happen when we just stop rushing.

 

3. Expect the unexpected. 🤢👎🏼

This might be the most important tip and piggy backs on Number 2. Anything can happen on your vacation…you might be siting in a  restaurant that had a bazillion great reviews on Trip Advisor, but you are not loving it. Rather than grumbling about it and letting it infect your trip, try to roll with it. You and your family could try to come up with a funny way to word an unfavorable review in order to finish out your meal or some other silly game. I PROMISE you, your kids will not remember the restaurant being horrible, but they WILL remember how much fun you had while you were there. It is all how you spin it.

 

4. Pack snacks.🍎🥜🧀🍭

Seriously. Pack them no matter where you go. The beach. An amusement park. The pool. The wax museum. I do not care where you’re going. Throw enough granola bars in your purse or backpack for everyone. We all know that at the most inopportune moment, one of your kids is going to have a meltdown because they’re hungry. There will not be a snack cart or stand within 100 miles of your location (because, why would there be?!) and nobody, I mean NOBODY, needs a hangry kid or husband on their hands!

 

5. Memorialize your trip. 📸🎇

Do you have a family trip tradition or something you collect to remind your of your travels? Our family collects sand from any of our beach locations. I stack it in a jar and label each layer with the location. My daughter collects snow globes and we always take family selfies. As a family you could decide on the best way to be reminded of each of your trips- it could be putting together a photo album when you return or collecting items from you trips. The most important part is to allow everyone to feel included.

 

If you have any tips you would like to add, leave them in the comments!

The Benefits of Travel Insurance

You purchase insurance in case of an emergency for your large life purchases- your home, your vehicle, your belongings and your health. Most vacations cost thousands of dollars and, in some cases, families have scrimped and saved over time in order to take their once in a lifetime trip.

Generally speaking, travel insurance can cover all aspects of your trip from lost or delayed luggage to flying you out of a remote location if you need medical assistance. The cost is usually minimal compared to the cost of your trip and can save you many headaches, lost money from a trip that cannot be taken and, in some cases, even your health.

I often think that clients do not understand the value of travel insurance until it is explained to them. I also understand that it can feel like you already spent enough money on your trip, so pulling out your checkbook to write another $400 (I just pulled this number out of the air) seems unnecessary because “nothing will happen”. However, you just never know and, just like with your car or your health, isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?

Here are some ways that travel insurance can add value to your trip:

1. Handling the Unexpected. You have saved for your perfect vacation and are all ready to go and then an elderly parent become hospitalized, a child becomes seriously ill or there is a work emergency. Travel insurance can save your perfect trip so you can take it at a later date.
2. Rebooking for Later.   A policy that includes trip cancellation will allow you to preserve your funds so you can rebook with your agent at a later date.
3. Trip Interruption. You are in the middle of a fantastic trip and get a phone call that there has been an accident at home and you need to return immediately. Trip interruption coverage allows you to return home in the middle of your trip and recover most of your investment.
4. Lost Baggage. If your luggage is lost or stolen, baggage benefits on your policy can help you replace the essentials that have gone missing.
5. Help with Problems. Having emergency travel assistance with your policy is essential. This provides your with a team available 24-7 to deal with emergencies. This could be a need for an attorney or lost or missing travel documents.
6. Keeping your Healthy. If you become sick or injured while in another country, travel insurance with medical benefits allow you to be directed to a local English-speaking hospital or doctor.
7. Getting you Home. If your insurer determines that your health and medical situation is an emergency and that you cannot be helped where you are, they can arrange for you to be moved to a proper hospital or medivac you back home.
8. Peace of Mind. The peace of mind knowing that almost every situation that could arise would be covered by your travel insurance policy is probably the most important item on this list.

There are also insurance options if you are traveling closer to home. Your agent can provide you with an accurate quote in just a few minutes.

5 Reasons You Should Give a Travel Agent a Try

 

You use a professional for your taxes, your car repairs, your hair so why aren’t you using a professional for your travel needs?

In this day and age with hundreds of websites full of travel information, discount deals and special offers constantly in front of us, people need the services of a travel professionals more than ever.

1. They read the fine print and compare offers. There are a lot of deals  on the internet seem far too good to pass up and people wonder why the quote they received from an agent was higher. However, what they are missing is the small details from the discount website quote that makes it less expensive. For example, it is a lower category room, doesn’t include transportation to/from the airport, includes horrible flight times, etc. An reputable agent is trained to put together the best possible deal for you and include everything you need for a stress free trip.
2. They are your personal vacation shoppers. One you have established a relationship with an agent, you become more than just a client. They will often keep you in mind if they come across a deal or a trip that you might be interested in.
3. The Human Factor. Let’s face it, a discount internet site isn’t going to share you vacation excitement and have real interest in how your trip was when you return.
4. They are the experts. Like your doctor or mechanic, a good agent will ask the right questions, listen to your answers and help to guide you to the best fit for your vacation time.
5. They can manage both the product AND the service of your vacation. A travel agent knows how to sell you the vacation that fits your needs-the airline and resort, the cruise or the vacation closer to home. They also offer the service that will guarantee your vacation is stress free and goes off without a hitch.

The best way to find a reputable travel agent is to ask your friends and family. You might be surprised how many people actually use an agent for their travel needs!

So, the next time you’re thinking about a vacation, give a travel agent a try!

 

To Do: 11 things you should be doing before you leave on vacation.

I am a busy, working mom with 3 children. My family also loves to travel. So, nobody understands as well as I do what those days leading up to actually LEAVING the house can feel like. If you are anything like me, you have lists and then your lists have lists! It can feel as thought you are trying to keep track of a dozen papers in a hurricane. Even with all of our list making, it can be easy to forget to the basic things that need to be taken care of because we can be so focused on all the large things. I provide all of my clients a Travel Tips and Checklist document so they can leave for their vacation confident they have taken care of everything. I’m going to highlight some of the important items from that list today.

Money Matters: ALWAYS contact your financial institution and let them know you are traveling. We do it for every road trip that crosses state lines and you should ALWAYS contact them if you are leaving the country. If you are leaving the country, make sure you debit/credit cards have an expiration date that is one month after your scheduled return date. Pay any bills that will be due while you are away.

Your Mail/Newspaper: If you will be gone longer than the weekend, hold your mail. It is super easy to do. Just go to http://www.usps.com/holdmail. You just provide your mailing address and chose your hold dates. This will stop mail from piling up in your mailbox- and from people realizing your home is empty.

Your Services: Do you have a housecleaner or lawn service that would generally be scheduled to come while you’re away? If so, make sure you either cancel that scheduled service or make special arrangements with them to come while you’re away. If you have an alarm, notify your alarm company you will be away.

Your Pets: If you have to board pets, make sure they are up to date on their shots. If you have someone coming into your home, make sure you confirm your dates with them and leave your contact info.

Garbage Day: Will you be gone over garbage pick up day and have garbage that needs to go out? If you have a great neighbor, maybe they can drag your cans out if you have everything ready to go.

Clean Up: I know. I actually groaned when I typed that. However, the only thing worse than coming home from vacation is coming home from vacation to a messy house. So, try to get the laundry caught up (think about all the dirty laundry you’ll come home with), put clean sheets on the bed (think about how good it will feel to climb into your own bed with clean sheets when you get home), give the bathrooms a quick wipe down and clean off the kitchen counters.

The Fridge: Take a quick peek in the fridge and clean out any fruit, veggies or other items that could spoil while you are away. You do NOT want to come home and play the “what’s that smell” game.

Medication: If anyone in your family takes prescription medication, make sure you have picked up a refill if it will run out while you are away.

Your House: Set a light timer or two in your home. Close curtains or blinds. Double check all windows and doors are locked. Water your house plants. Set your thermostat (upper 70’s for summer and upper 50’s for winter).

Let People Know: Make sure you give a few people a copy of your itinerary and let them  how to get a hold of you if you will be in an area where you might not have cell service.

Documents: Double check that you have your identification, wallets, tickets, confirmations, copy of your travel insurance, and cell phones and chargers.

Last but not least, do a head count on the way out the door so you don’t forget any of the kids!

 

 

 

What to wear (and NOT wear) on a road trip. Plus, an Enter to Win!

We all love a road trip, am I right?? The excitement of getting in the car and heading far, far away from the yard work and the laundry. The very thought fills me with anticipation. 

And then it hits me. 

Hard. 

What am I going to wear?! Jeans? Sweats? The standard “Atlantic City track suit”?! (you might need to live in the northeast for that phrase to have meaning. Essentially, it is a track suit, normally of velour or some other equally odd fabric that all the little ladies wear on their bus trips to AC. But, as usual, I digress) 
I am all of a sudden struck by the pressure (self induced, I’m certain) of what your rest stop or gas station neighbor is wearing. Don’t pretend you don’t know who I’m talking about. I’m talking about her: 

You are in your comfy washed out sweat pants and your “I Lost My Ass in Vegas” t-shirt wiping Goldfish crumbs off yourself and you have to walk into WaWa next to someone dressed like they just came off the catwalk! It can really mess with your road trip confidence. 😠

Well, I’m going to help you out. I’ve put together a list of a few things you should avoid when traveling, and the I’m going to tell you how to be stylish AND comfortable while on the road. You’ll give the Highway Model a run for her money!

1. Heels. Please don’t wear them while traveling. I know more than one gal who has tripped in a parking lot trying to race to the bathroom at a rest area. Why not wear a pair of stylish flats and leave the heels for your destination. 

2. Jeans. Ok. This one is negotiable depending on the length of your road trip, but once you are in the car for more than a few hours you cannot make me believe they do not start to become a bit uncomfortable in all the wrong places. 😖

3. PJ’s. Just don’t. I know you love your Winnie the Pooh matching jammies and I know that they’re comfortable, but you never know where a road trip will take you and you might find yourself in a situation where you are super UNcomfortable being in them. 

I know you’re saying “GET TO STYLISH AND COMFORTABLE!”  So here it is. 

LuLaRoe. If you have never heard of them, you MUST check them out. They are a company that sells maxi skirts, dresses, casual tops and leggings. But they aren’t your boring black leggings-they are super fun! These leggings are an amazing way to be stylish AND comfy on the road! Pair them with a coordinating t-shirt or tank and a pair of cute flats and you just might show up Fancy Nancy in the restroom! 

If you are wondering what to wear with your new, super fun leggings, look no further. Their Classic Tee is what you need! They are patterned or solid. They are roomy without being sloppy (you can now comfortably whack back the Big Gulp and not feel like you’re busting out of your shirt!) it hangs a bit longer in the back-which we all love. At least, I’m not interested in seeing the shape of anyone’s butt 😳.

They also have a Maxi skirt that would be a great piece for traveling if you felt you just HAD to wear a dress of some kind. Their maxi can be worn a dozen different ways (seriously, there are YouTube videos dedicated to this!) This is just 2 of the ways you can wear the Maxi. So you could wear it in the car with a tank or t-shirt and sandals, but also wear it on your trip by dressing it up! I saw a girl at a baseball game wearing a LuLaRoe Maxi as a strapless dress yesterday, and she looked cool, comfy and stylish! So, it really can be done!!

Ok. I’ll fess up. I am a bit biased, one of my dearest friends sells LuLaRoe and got me hooked on the comfort and versatility of the items. I will admit that at first I said, more than once, that I would never wear leggings with crazy things on the …but the Bigfoot leggings belong to me! 😂😂😂 They are my fav and I get a ton of compliments on them. I mean, how many people have BIGFOOT LEGGINGS?!? It’s an elite club because LLR (if you’re “in the know” you can call it LLR 😁) only makes 2,5oo of each print and then it’s gone! 

🎉🎉Here’s the fun part🎉🎉: 

Want to win a pair of leggings and a Classic Tee of your very own?! Just do this by August 1, 2016:

1. Follow my blog (Five Sandals Travel in case you forgot where you were!)

2. Join  “Shop LuLaRoe With Meg Hayes” on Facebook. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/shoplularoewithmeghayes/

3. Once you join, just make a quick post that says “I follow Five Sandals Travel” and you’ll be entered to win!

So, if you have a road trip coming up-or even if you don’t-check out LuLaRoe so you can feel fantastic and comfy out there!

Where to go Wednesday:The Finger Lakes and the Senaca Lake Wine Trail, Upstate NY

If you are from Upstate New York (some people are surprised to find out there is a WHOLE GIANT STATE outside of New York City. 🙄) you are familiar with The Finger Lakes and the Finger Lakes Wine Trails-including the Seneca Lake Trail. Before I get into good stuff about the wine, it seems like I need to share a few facts about the Finger Lakes and it’s largest lakes:

1. 11 lakes make up The Finger Lakes

2. Skaneateles Lake is a trendy little town where famous people and former presidents have been known to visit. (At least that is what the Finger Lakes website tells me. I cannot vouch for ever having seen even the back of someone’s head)

3. Cayuga Lake is not only home to tons of amazing wineries, but is also the home of Cornell University and Ithaca College (so if you have kids who want to tour either of these colleges, be sure to hit the wine trail to try and erase the dollar signs from your vision 🤑🤑)

4. Seneca Lake is the largest lake and has the largest amount of wineries in the area. Not only is Seneca known for it’s amazing wine trail, but Watkins Glen and the Watkins Glen International Race track sit at the southern end of the lake.

 

Finger Lakes in Upstate NY

The activities are endless in The Finger Lakes region. Boating, camping, fishing, summer home/cottages..the list is endless!

Ok. On to the fun stuff…the wine trails! 🍷🍷

I will confess, it has been a handful of years since I have been wine trailing. 😟 However, I can tell you that as a result of my many years spent happily on those trails, I went from someone who hated wine, to someone who needed the sweetest you could get to now preferring a glass a bit on the dryer side. I tell everyone who says “I can’t drink wine. I don’t like it” that they must hit the wineries and discover what they like-because there is one out there for everyone.

Heather, how does the wine trail work?  I’m guessing you’re wondering this and here is the answer:

Anyway you want it to.

Seriously. You can hire a limo to take you and your 8, 10, 12 closest friends to drive you from winery to winery so you can sample all the grape goodness (then stay in a hotel in Watkins Glen maybe?! No drinking and driving 😠) You can also drive from winery to winery (do I need to tell you (in clearer terms) to please drink responsibly and have a DD??). Many places have outdoor seating or decks so you can admire the stunning view after you’re done tasting. Maybe pick up some cheese or snacks and just…sit and stare.

Some wineries might charge you a nominal few dollar fee to sample, and some do not. You basically stand around the counter while a super knowledgeable wine person explains the grapes used to make the various wines, what to pair the wines with, etc. You will very quickly learn what you like and what you do not. You will also discover that a Reisling from Hazlit can taste different than a Reisling from Red Newt. That having been said, I feel like you can never go wrong with a Reisling ☺️ (just my 2 cents) I learned that no matter where I am, I can order a glass of Reisling and be happy!

 

Seneca Lake Wine Trail map

If you have someone who insists they only drink beer, never fear! I’ve got you covered. 😬 There is also a Beer Trail!

 

 

Lamoreaux Landing Wineries and Finger Lakes Scenery

I could fill this entire post with nothing but amazing images from the area, but I’ll stop myself. It really is an area you should experience for yourself. It doesn’t matter if it is winter (the wineries look so beautiful decorated for Christmas ❤️), spring, summer or fall. There is never a bad time to visit!

☀️ Heather

Here are a few sites to get you started:

Seneca Lake Wine Trail

Finger Lakes Things To Do

Watkins Glen Chamber of Commerce

Skaneateles Chamber of Commerce

p.s. All of these images belong to someone else originally, but who knows who.

Travel Tip Tuesday # 2: Duct Tape

Yepper. You read that right. Duct tape. You should NEVER travel without it. That’s right, I said it. NEVER. Don’t ever do it.  💪🏼

I’ll start by telling you our personal Frogger story about and the moment I realized why it’s a must have and we’ll move on from there. 😬

If you follow my Facebook page (insert shameless plug: Five Sandals Travel), you might already know what story I am going to tell you, but humor me and follow along. 

Picture it: G5 was all packed up and on our way to Florida for Spring Break. We have one of those hard shell turtle type carriers for the roof. My husband always puts bungee cords over it even though it latches. It was SUPER WINDY, but we were happily traveling down the highway (this happiness credit can pretty much be given to Dodge for having a plug in the van, Roku for working in the van, Netflix and Verizon for my hotspot 😍😍). I happened to be driving and looked out my mirror and thought “that sucks, someone just lost a big, blue bag.” A few seconds later I looked up and said (well, I cannot say what I actually said 😳 so I’ll translate it) “that was a softball glove and a softball!-OUR SOFTBALL AND GLOVE!” 

Ultimately, our latch was a bit loose on the carrier p, and it was so windy, that the latch actually BLEW OFF the carrier!!! Thank GOODNESS my husband also bungeed the carrier closed (points for G1)  However, it was flapping open a bit and stuff was being sucked out!! 

We had just bought that stinking $80 softball glove for my daughter, so we went back to look for it! There was my husband, crossing 3 lanes of traffic to get the glove (kids, do NOT try that 💪🏼) -and we got it! We ended up stopping at a gas station because I broke Traveling Tip # 2 and did not have duct tape. 😖 I will never make that mistake again. 

That lovely, silver roll of duct tape held the carrier shut for the 1,000 remaining miles of our trip. ❤️

 

Duct tape will fix anything, and if it won’t-you’re not using enough!

 
In addition to keeping my carrier closed at 75 mph for 1,000 miles, there are a gazillion other uses for duct tape when traveling. Let’s list a few:

1. Band aids.  No kidding! In a pinch, you could wrap a Dunkin Donuts napkin (I know you have a giant stash of those and straws in your glove compartment-we all do) around a finger or over a cut and secure it with duct tape. 

2. Fix any hole.  Slap a piece over a hole in a back pack, suitcase, jacket-pretty much anything. 

3. Fix a hem.  You’re heading out to dinner and realize the hem on your skirt or pants is hanging. Cut a small piece of tape and tape it back up.  Wa-lah! 

4. Make your luggage unique.  Use one of those fancy rolls of duct tape and fold it in half and put it through the handle of your suitcase, or put a piece across the front. 

5. Hide your loot. Use duct tape to hide your money, passport, keys, etc. under furniture or under a cabinet in a hotel room.

6. Receipt holder.  I use this for random things at home and took it on vacation with us. I picked up a coupon holder at the Dollar Tree and grabbed a roll of matching duct tape. I prettied up the coupon holder and I then used it to keep track of receipts for gas, food, activities-basically anything we swiped our cards for. It worked beautifully to keep us organized! 

$2 receipt/ money holder

So, see, I wasn’t kidding! You really need duct tape for traveling. It’s uses are only limited by your imagination (and desperation level 😂) 

If you’ve used it while traveling, comment and let us know what you’ve used duct tape for!

☀️Heather