Travel tips for families

Hi! My name is Yeyette, and I am the wifey of nationalist blogger and young historian Pepe Alas (also the main writer of this blog). I would like to inform you that this is my first time to write a blogpost, naks! I'm very excited, honestly! And to add: I'm not a writer like my hubby Pepe, so please bear with my writing style. I just love writing personal poems, jokes, tweeting inspirational quotes, comments, or whatever I have in mind, and it's just because I want to express myself from time to time. OK, this introduction is pretty long already, hahaha! But of course, I should get to my topic, and that's what I want to share for today: tips for traveling families! :)

At Lían, Batangas.

Our family has been travelling since 2000, the year when I first gave birth to my eldest and only daughter, Krystal. And then three boys followed: Momay (2004), Jefe (2007), and Juanito (2009). Since then, the six of us have been traveling together. What I have experienced in all those years is full of happiness. We don't have a car, but we're OK with commuting, walking the streets, meeting ordinary people to know what they do and discover new things about the places they live in. And that's one of the reasons why our family loves to travel. Because traveling is experience.

OK, I now give you 10 tips for traveling families, particularly to those who commute and have small kids. Hopefully these tips would help you folks whenever you travel with your family. :))

1. Plan ahead on how many days you will be away, if it's just a day tour or overnight, or if it will take several days, etc. Make a list of what you need during your vacation and buy them before you pack your things. Do the packing the day before you leave so that when they're all in your baggage, there's no more need to worry that you might have left something at home. Keep in mind the essentials like sunblock, diapers (if you have toddlers), swimwear, tissue, soap, alcohol, towel, candies (they help keep the kids from getting bored), etc. Make sure that when you have packed your things, you and your spouse have the same bag for your personal stuff, and that your kids have a different baggage for themselves so it would be easy to get things when you arrive on your destination. Be organized.

2. Pack light. The lighter baggage you carry, the easier it is to walk around. Use a backpack or an easy-to-carry handbag. Remember: always bring the basics like toothbrush, soap, shampoo and conditioner, sunblock, tissue, alcohol (disinfectant), towel, and extra shirts. Have a separate bag for your personal accesories (make-up, toiletries, underwear), and important things like camera, cellphone, chargers, wallet, and house keys so that when you need them, you will immediately know where to get them and to put them back into place.

3. Wear sunblock after taking a bath before even leaving the house so that you'll be ready to face the golden sun! Wear clothing and shoes/sandals that are comfortable and casual. I recommend that you match the color of your clothing with the weather/season. Important reminder: don't forget to lock the house, always smile and PRAY before you leave the house so that you and your family will be guided safely.

4. Have a smaller wallet or coin purse with a small amount of money, preferably coins, to use for your fare. Make sure you have approximately calculated how much you would pay for your fare (tricycle, jeep, bus), from your home all the way to your place of destination so that it will not be necessary to get your main wallet which has probably all your credit cards, IDs, discount coupons, and larger denominations. This will prevent any possible loss of larger money and other important items. It's hassle-free when you put your fare in a coin purse. Always place it in an easy-to-reach pocket either in your pants or bag so that when you're inside a bus, for example, you will be as punctual when it comes to payment as the bus conductor is when it comes to charging, LOL!

5. Make sure you eat in small quantities before traveling to avoid vomiting especially those who suffer from travel sickness (our son Jefe has that sometimes). Bring a plastic bag just in case. Also, bring candies or any of your favorite chichiría while you enjoy the scenery during travel time. They can help ward off travel sickness. While inside a bus, for example, open the window curtains, enjoy the scenes from the countryside while munching something, and feel free to dream. Or you might even listen to your favorite music using your iPhone or MP3. Focus on a movie if you're riding a video-on-board bus. Just keep calm and stay relaxed. Before you even feel like vomiting, you'll notice that you've already arrived in your place of destination, LOL!

6. Have something ready to drink like water. It gives you that much needed energy that no other beverage can give especially if the weather is super hot. But do not overdrink because it might make you pee in no time. And, ooops! do not throw away the water bottle because you may still have use for it especially when you have kids who still cannot control their peeing habits while you're on the expressway where the bus is not allowed to stop. Just make sure the other passengers are not seeing your kids do it (cover the deed with a jacket or shawl so that your kids won't feel ashamed). Take note that this is only for emergency purposes. I am not encouraging kids or adults to do it always. Of course it is still better to wait for the bus to stop at a designated station.

7. When the trip is only a day tour, make sure to enjoy everything that the place can offer, walk the whole day, talk to people, meet new friends, eat their delicacies, and discover their culture and customs. After your trip, it's not your tiredness you will remember but the satisfaction of your day tour that will matter. That will surely put a smile of happiness on your face when you get home. If you have extra money, don't forget to buy a souvenir that the place is known for so you have a remembrance of it.

8. If you will go on an overnight stay in any hotel or inn, make sure that you have everything finalized with the receptionist. Try to settle everything first before going to your room. Make sure that the vacation/room package you chose is what is really included on your hotel/inn stay. I also recommend that you get a larger bed. It will be cheaper to stay in one room. But the bed should be big enough so that all of you can relax when it's time for you to sleep. And when all of your things are secured in your room, don't forget to bring a small bag when you will start exploring outside your hotel room. Important things to bring are your wallet, camera, charger (just in case you overuse your camera), cellphone, and extra shirts. Then start exploring and enjoying your chosen destination and you will discover more and more the excitement it will give you, every moment that makes you filled with wonder, and that you will find more of it the next day you start visiting another exciting place. Make sure to have extra money to buy souvenirs so that you have a remembrance of the place. You might not know if you will ever get back there. Because you're a traveler and you love to visit a lot of other places, right?

9. Bring a notebook and pen so that you can jot down whatever it is that is interesting or catches your attention. You can list down your favorite scenes or tourist spots of that place so that in case you get back there, it will be easier the next time.If you are a writer, you could even write poems when you have something that inspires you, or copy recipes of delicacies, phone numbers of new friends you've met there, or other things you can write on your notebook that interests you. Record everything for memory's sake. Your children might have use for them in the future.

10. Reflect, relax, and enjoy all the places that you visit with your family. It's the perfect bonding time. Make the most out of it because, as mentioned earlier, you might not get to visit those places again. After your vacation, it's back to the usual stuff that you do: busy days at the office, school projects, household chores, and other daily routines. Always be happy, enjoy every minute of your travel with your loved ones so that when you get back home, a new "refreshed" you will meet your other family members, neighbors, friends, classmates, and officemates. It will inspire you (and them) to plan and look forward to another travel experience.

Port of Batangas. We still had a yaya with us when this photo was taken.

I do hope that these humble tips will give all of you much more interest in traveling with your family!!! Happiness and love to all! ¡Besos! =)

❤ YEYETTE❤

❤L❤A❤F❤A❤M❤I❤L❤I❤A❤V❤I❤A❤J❤E❤R❤A❤

TRIVIA! Mommy Yeyette is super OC! It's virtually impossible for her to travel without a bottle of isopropyl alcohol for disinfecting purposes. Actually, she's always like that, even at home.