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We Are Finally Going On Vacation

finally going on vacation
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We are finally going on vacation to a tropical destination and as the day gets closer I get more and more excited. It will be the first time we fly overseas as a family of six (plus my mother-in-law is coming) and I am both nervous and excited about our adventure. 

What Has Happened So That We Can Finally Go On Vacation

A lot of things had to fall into place for this trip to be possible. Our youngest turned 4 last month which made him eligible for the kids club and finally made me give in and say yes to booking. My husband has been trying to leave the country for about 6 months but I was being a little bit selfish saying no. I need to be able to hand the kids over to kids club for a few hours a day so I can read a book or do something, anything, just for myself. Without that option, the idea of spending $10,000 to do the same thing as I can do at home was not that thrilling. 

We also managed to land a family suite that will hold all six of us in one room at a resort we went to a decade ago. This was kind of the deal breaker for a lot of resorts we looked at as they either didn’t have the option to keep us in one suite or it wasn’t available when we wanted to go. We managed to get a fantastic deal on our stay even though we upgraded to the more exclusive part of the resort and stayed so well within our budget that we paid for my mother-in-law’s ticket to join us on the trip. 

The Important Things Fell Into Place

The past couple of months has been a crazy flurry of activity. Passports applications gave me so much anxiety and I spent 4 hours painstakingly going over them with a fine tooth comb. When they all finally arrived I breathed a big sigh of relief. We are blessed with a family friend who has offered to take care of our little dogs and home and met with a doggy daycare provider for our larger dog to stay with. Things are falling into place.

So Much Gear

My dining room table is covered with bags of new clothes and shoes as we have all outgrown our summer gear. I still have no luggage and I am torn between giving each of the kids a carry-on and my husband and I getting large ones. I don’t know if I can trust the two youngest to be responsible for their own bags without running off from us plus we have decided to bring our double stroller for them to sleep in at night time. 

Basically, we are finally going on vacation and it is a couple of weeks away but we are still completely unprepared to take off. If you have any tips on how to make this a smooth trip please share below. 

 

Image courtesy of Shutterstock by laesperanza

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Aneta Alaei
Aneta Alaei

Aneta is a Toronto-based mom of four that loves a good meal, great company, and learning something new. In her free time, you can find her trying to keep yet another plant alive.

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26 Comments

  1. Suzie B
    May 7, 2019 / 7:52 am

    All I know; all of the stress of the planning is well worth it once you are settled in and relaxing at the hotel!

    I probably would let the little ones carry a small backpack of their own; emphasis on small. Something they can have some activity items for the plane in but something small enough they can carry it and it can be carried by an adult if they really cannot.

    I always put a few items of clothing (a sundress, sandals and swimsuit) into a carry on in case my luggage doesn’t arrive. It’s also a good idea to split up clothing for members of the family into both suitcases – same thing, if one doesn’t arrive at least everyone has a few items to wear from the other bag.

    Throw some larger ziploc bags into your suitcase – they can be helpful for bringing snacks along or to pop wet items in if they are not dry when you are repacking. (I actually love a wetbag meant for cloth diapering as a beach bag to pop my phone (I use for the camera on trips)).

    Looking forward to hearing about the great getaway!

  2. Lynda Cook
    May 7, 2019 / 11:25 am

    I have no tips as I have never traveled anywhere, but you will do fine and it’s so awesome that everyone is going, enjoy your trip and have fun!!

  3. Erin N
    May 7, 2019 / 1:41 pm

    Lucky you! I hoe you have an amazing trip with your family. I find being prepared in advance helps a lot. I use check-lists! Good luck and have fun 🙂

  4. Tara Gauthier
    May 8, 2019 / 9:34 am

    Sounds like everything lined up just right. I am sure you will get those last details figured out pretty quick. Enjoy your trip. I think waiting for being able to use the kids ckub was a good call.

  5. JoKing
    May 10, 2019 / 1:03 pm

    Have a wonderful time and relax!

  6. Emily
    May 17, 2019 / 4:39 pm

    Start preparing at the earliest opportunity, you’ll be surprise how much you can miss or forget.

  7. Sarah
    May 18, 2019 / 10:42 am

    So exciting!!! I totally hear you on the whole needing a few hours of a break from the kids. What’s vacation without actually relaxing?? Congrats on your new adventure. I hope it’s everything you all want it to be!! 🙂

  8. wendy hutton
    May 18, 2019 / 1:33 pm

    this sounds like its been a long time coming, enjoy the time away

  9. jan
    May 20, 2019 / 6:33 pm

    I hope this is a grand success! If you haven’t left already don’t forget things like stomach ailment items, pain killers, etc which can be so handy to have immediately rather than hunting them down at inflated prices at the resort.

  10. Shirley
    May 22, 2019 / 8:44 am

    This looks like an awesome family vacation It looks like you have it covered A tiny packpack with a couple favorites for the little ones Enjoy your vacation

  11. Tammi L.
    May 22, 2019 / 8:54 pm

    I realize you have probably just left so this is probably a little too late but my best travel advice is to send a copy of your passports, visas, itinerary and all other important information to someone by email – including yourself. Just in case you lose it or are mugged.

  12. Christine Holliday
    May 27, 2019 / 1:24 pm

    I have no tips and you certainly won’t want any of my advice! lol..I left for Europe one time with just my toothbrush!

  13. Antoinette M
    May 28, 2019 / 4:58 pm

    Sounds like you are going to have a fantastic trip. Enjoy!

  14. Shirley P
    May 31, 2019 / 3:53 pm

    All of planning is so worth a wonderful vacation

  15. Shirley OFlynn
    June 4, 2019 / 11:14 am

    Have a wonderful vacation!

  16. Shirley P
    June 5, 2019 / 4:07 am

    Its nice to go on a vacation enjoy

  17. Shirley P
    June 6, 2019 / 9:43 am

    I love going on a vacation

  18. mrdisco
    August 11, 2019 / 6:53 pm

    can’t wait until i go on my next vacation

  19. Debbie White-Beattie
    August 12, 2019 / 1:21 am

    I haven’t been on vacation since 2006 and I miss it. I hope you had a great vacation.

  20. Nate
    August 12, 2019 / 11:09 pm

    Have fun

  21. mrdisco
    October 8, 2019 / 7:59 pm

    that’s an incredible blue

  22. Angela
    October 22, 2019 / 9:49 am

    Have fun in your future vacation

  23. Victoria Ess
    December 20, 2019 / 6:46 am

    No tips to share but I know you got it all together! Yay for vacation!

  24. Amanda Masters
    November 30, 2020 / 11:54 am

    What beautiful memories to make on a tropical getaway. I wish we were trip planning no.

  25. Shirley
    May 29, 2021 / 1:20 am

    It is nice to get away for a vacation

  26. Ed
    February 27, 2022 / 5:31 pm

    Very much looking forward to going on a nice vacation again sometime soon.