Related Links

Featured Links





Recommended Products



 

 
Featured Articles

Better Travel Photos With the Light in the Morning and Late Afternoon
You probably know the yellow "National Geographic" magazine. If you browse through its colorful pages you can see that many of the pictures are taken in the low, warm light of mornings and late afternoons or evenings. The photographers of National ...

China Travel Tips
Survival China Travel Tips and TricksThese China Travel Tips, Survival Techniques, will help you get around and make your trip to China easier, so you will be able to experience the real China with a little less stress. China is an odd beast that needs to ...

The Advantages of Vacation Rentals in Costa Rica
The Advantages of Vacation Rentals in Costa Rica Whether you’ve saved up for years for a fun family vacation or want a romantic honeymoon in a tropical paradise, Costa Rica offers something for everyone. This lovely locale isn’t one of the world’s most ...


Google
5 tips for family vacation packing
 



Ok, I was once a girl guide. The motto, Be Prepared still sticks with me. To be prepared for anything. On vacation, I often pull out from my bag all sorts of things when necessary. I used to carry a swiss knife with me as it is so handy, until I got sick of setting of alarms at airports and having to submit to body checks, just because of that swiss knife in my bag.



#1 Roll your clothes Your luggage can only pack in so many things. How are you going to pack your clothes, your kids clothes and your other travel essentials into that one bag? How do you get your clothes in without too many ugly wrinkles. Fold each item lengthwise, then roll it tightly. Pack in the large items first, then stick the smaller rolls into the empty spaces. Pack in the sock (also rolled into little balls) last as these can fit into the smallest spaces in your luggage. Oh, and stick to fabrics that don't wrinkle easily. Cotton polyester mix is great for a warm vacation while wool is great for a cold vacation.



#2 Bring along some detergent Your kids are going to run, play, sweat, get dirty over and over again during the vacation. At least that's what mine do anyway. Every family vacation calls for a bag of detergent. When I can find detergent bars, I'll bring those along, packing them in only when dry, to avoid messing up my luggage. When I can't find detergent bars, detergent powder would have to do. Either way, every night after we get back to the hotel, if we are going to stay in that same hotel for more than 1 night in a row, I'd wash everyone's clothes and dry them before I go to sleep. That way, we do not run out of clean clothes halfway through the vacation. After washing the clothes, I'd wring them as dry as possible and hang them up to dry. To make them dry faster, I'd drape them over the lamp shades and leave the lamps on when we go out. The heat from the lamps would dry the clothes faster than normal. Be careful you don't burn the clothes though. Keep the clothes off the bulbs.






#3 Bring a tiny light What I find handy is a tiny little torchlight. I use that to find my child's lost toy in the dark. On holiday, that mini torch is very useful at night. I even carry one in my purse when I go to the movies. We lost the car keys before and I used the mini torch to help me find them again. If you are going somewhere warm, a mini light and fan would be so useful. When it is hot, use the fan to cool you down. When it is dark, light the way with your torch. When the children are bored, you can entertain them with your mini light and fan. Blow a paper toy you fold with the fan. Tell stories with shadows cast by that light at night.



#4 Bring non spillables where possible Ever opened your luggage only to find that your lotion bottle exploded? Happened to me a couple of times. Everything in the suitcase is all messed up. A rotten way to start a vacation if you ask me. For your facial moisturizer, you could use single dose capsules you break and apply like the ceram ides. For your body moisturizer, you could use sol id lotions which are spill proof. For bathing a bar of soap would suffice. Remember to dry it before you pack it back in.



#5 Bring your camera. If you are going to the beach or a hotel with a swimming pool, bring along a water proof camera. You want to capture all the happy memories in photos. That camera is a must for a vacation. Better still, bring a digit al camcorder that lets you make a home movie about your vacation.



About the author:

You can find the vacation packing tips and vacation essentials at vac ation packing . You can find more cool stuff for women at www.family-vacations- plan.com

News



WJLA

Pool access for the disabled sparks controversy
BusinessWeek
The rules have been in the works since the early 1990s, but the Justice Department created an uproar among hotels, waterparks, health clubs and the like earlier this year when it said it will require many such facilities to install fixed, ...
Obama delays new disability rule for pools at hotels, parks and clubsAlexandria Town Talk

all 229 news articles »

News10.net

Luxury Sacramento hotel now bank-owned
News10.net
SACRAMENTO, CA - One of Sacramento's consistently top-rated hotels is now among the capital city's many bank-owned properties. Le Rivage Hotel went back to the lender, OneWest Bank, for the opening bid price of $6.5 million at a May 2 courthouse ...

and more »

New York Post

Hotels feline groovy
New York Post
By REBECCA ROSENBERG and DON KAPLAN Matilda III, the 4-year-old pussycat who lives in the lobby of the tony Algonquin, returned yesterday as the hotel reopened after a five-month, $18 million renovation. She was quickly outfitted with a vibrating ...

and more »

Bed Check: Latham Hotel in Philadelphia, lodging you could almost live in
Washington Post
Wow, some apartment, I thought, looking around my posh room at Philadelphia's Latham Hotel. Of course, back when the building opened to residents in 1907, it was without the sleek modern furniture or the steely yet soothing color palette of 2012.


'Perfect storm' of weekend events hits Jacksonville, helping hotel rooms fill up
Florida Times-Union
By David Bauerlein The hotel guests strolling through the Hyatt Regency lobby this weekend will run the gamut from kilt-wearing Scottish soccer fans to Bible-carrying Jehovah's Witness conventioneers to passionate jazz fans to NCAA track and field ...

and more »