If you're responsible, look into credit card rewards. I took my family to a wedding recently, and flights and hotels would have cost $3k, but I covered both with points.

I always bring a bathing suit, even if I'm going to a cold place. You never know if you'll find a pool!

Mobile Passport Control app to save time in the airport.

Yes to carry-on luggage that has an expandable feature in case you need a couple extra inches of space.

Also, lessons learned from my last trip:

Will never be paying a 40% premium to travel over spring break again. As long as my kid is younger and attendance doesn't matter, I'll be pulling him out of school for trips when cost is more reasonable.

Also we had way too many small bags to manage last time. My backpack was a joke that barely fits anything. Next time getting a backpack that's big enough to serve as a personal item AND a hiking backpack AND has a trolley sleeve so I can plop it on my suitcase in the airport.

Anonymous wrote:It could be literally anything, just the one bit of advice you give to others. It could be location-specific, relaxation-specific, transportation-specific, packing-specific, etc.

What’s that one tip or piece of advice you just have to share?

It can be a lot of fun to get a regular bus or commuter rail daypass and just ride around and get off if something looks interesting.

That way, you don’t have to blow a lot of money on plane or train tickets, but you still get some adventures.

If traveling to Europe, try to get the latest possible flight you can. Air France has a 10.30 pm flight to Paris, Virgin had an almost-midnight flight to London. Try for these so you're ready to sleep when you board. Take a light sleeping aid to force sleeping.

Research your destination plan as much as possible. Book tickets ahead of time if available. Don't spend your vacation time waiting in lines if it can be avoided.

Don't worry about the food so much. A piece of bread with cheese bought off a market stall is an okay lunch.

Kids can walk much longer than you think.

Try not to check a bag. I tell the kids that every pair of pants is worn at least 3 to 4 times, a top at least twice (if not soiled). Carry 2 pairs of shoes always.

It's ok to forget stuff at home. Nothing is truly irreplaceable.

Take public transit at your destination. Don't be afraid.

When booking your flights, it helps to be flexible to save money. Most airlines will now have a calendar where you can see what your flight will cost across several months.

It's ok to miss a few days of school in elementary, and even middle.

Don't not travel if you cannot have your perfect trip. My DH cannot travel overseas right now so I travel with two older kids as much as I can. When it's time to travel all five of us, we will, but I won't let this hold me up. Don't not travel.

You can immediately tell a traveled person from a non-traveled one by their conversation.

Don't waste foreign or long travel on a young child. I say confidently, nothing much they will see before age 8 will be remembered, and if they do, it will be inconsequential stuff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It could be literally anything, just the one bit of advice you give to others. It could be location-specific, relaxation-specific, transportation-specific, packing-specific, etc.

What’s that one tip or piece of advice you just have to share?

Please don't visit us in France. Merci!

On brand ...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never ever ever check a bag. It simplifies travel in SO many ways.

I’m the opposite. Always check a bag. I hate lugging bags around.

same. I usually check a bag for vacation (not for business travel). I hate having to keep track of my bag in airports and I LOVE having extra room to bring home anything I buy abroad. (definitely take all the lost luggage precautions - like packing some undies, 1 outfit, pjs and meds in my personal item just in case).

Also same. I always check a bag.

Anonymous wrote:I bring a nightlight and (document) clips to keep the blackout curtains from letting in light.

You can use the hotel room coat hangers with trouser clips as well to close curtains.

Anonymous wrote:We go to family in the south of France a lot from the west coast and always book that tiny in-airport hotel Yotel if we go through Amsterdam to sleep for a few hours before our afternoon flight to Marseille. We arrive to family rested and relaxed and don’t lose a whole day to jet lag.

Worth it for the shower alone.

Anonymous wrote:It could be literally anything, just the one bit of advice you give to others. It could be location-specific, relaxation-specific, transportation-specific, packing-specific, etc.

What’s that one tip or piece of advice you just have to share?

Please don't visit us in France. Merci!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:always pack a deck of cards ziploc bags, all the OTC meds, and if w kids a ball and balloons.

What do use the Ziplocks for?

NP, but anything and everything. Leftovers, toiletries, wet stuff, tiny stuff you don't want to lose, protecting items when it rains. I don't even go out locally without Ziploc bags!

FFS, let's try to use less single-use plastic, not more.

why use ziplock bags only once? We get 5 or six or more uses out of them .

I posted this on the other thread:

When going to very hot locales, I bring old underwear (the kind you would have tossed at home/holey/elastic stretched out), wear them, and then just toss them on vacation. Who wants to put sweaty, stinky underwear back in your bag? Even in a laundry bag it's not appealing.

Dh does the same with socks. He's a big runner and he saves socks with holes in them. He will go on a long run on a trip and then just toss.

Doing laundry on vacation is worth it. We try to book somewhere with laundry either in the middle and towards the end of vacation. Even if DH and I have to stay up late to get it done, we think it is worth it. We are able to pack less, and we don't come home with a mountain of laundry.

Anonymous wrote:Clean before you go on vacation. If you can afford to have a professional cleaner do it, schedule them for a day or so before you leave. Nothing feels better to me than coming home to a clean house.

+1

I bring the dog and cat to the kennel the day before we leave and then I come home and vacuum/dust/clean the kitchen. We also book the animals for an extra day after vacation so we can enjoy our clean home, relax and get ready for the week.

I bring a nightlight and (document) clips to keep the blackout curtains from letting in light.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never ever ever check a bag. It simplifies travel in SO many ways.

I’m the opposite. Always check a bag. I hate lugging bags around.

same. I usually check a bag for vacation (not for business travel). I hate having to keep track of my bag in airports and I LOVE having extra room to bring home anything I buy abroad. (definitely take all the lost luggage precautions - like packing some undies, 1 outfit, pjs and meds in my personal item just in case).

When your kids are small, stick to long weekend trips. My kids were such terrible sleepers even at home that anything more than a long weekend made everyone miserable.