We just spent three weeks traveling around California where I was virtually unplugged for three whole weeks.  As most seasoned road warriors will agree -- there are not too many "perks" left with regard to travel.  However, I've learned it's even worse for parents!  

 

MAKING OUR EXPERIENCE BETTER!

Props to Mimi's Cafe - About 2 weeks into our trip, our waiter at Mimi's recognized our cranky hungry one and quickly delivered a "rescue kit"  -->  in the form of a sippy cup with juice, a bowl of cheerios, an orange slice, hand wipes and a bib! Brilliant!

Take "Cliff" on Your Next Trip! - Can I just say "Cliff Bars - YUM!"?  Whether it's Chocolate Cherry Almond, Carrot Cake or Chocolate Chip... Cliff Bars made those hungry moments go away quickly... and our little one loved this healthy, not too sticky snack.

Enterprise Picked Us Up.  Great service with a smile from Enterprise Car Rental going and coming.  They even saw our luggage and gave us a free upgrade.  They were proactive, positive and empathetic.  As we dropped off our SUV, our greeter met us with a knowing smile, offered to drop us at our gate and help us with bags! No need to transfer everything to the nearby shuttle. This was a God send!

Parents United! One more than one occasion, a helpful "I'm a Mom too" or "It's okay, I'm a Dad" person would help us manage our boarding by grabbing a car seat or bag we boarded a plane or shuttle. God bless every one of them!

MANAGING A CHILD IN CAPTIVITY.

Games Rule!  We got creative making up games to entertain or little one - like counting stuff, singing ABC's, Finding things hidden in a crowded terminal or landscape.... Our favorite game was "Red Light; Green Light."  "Green Light" allowed our ward to run ahead of us. "Red Light" was the command to stop immmediately and wait for adult catch up.  While the instruction sometimes backfired on us, the freedom  this afforded our little one in low traffic areas (terminals, gates, ramps, sidewalks and parks) was priceless. It also amused passers-by. 

Backpack, Backpack!  I ditched my purse and laptop case for a backpack.  Contents as follows:  Compartment 1 - Small, Quick Retrival Diversions like pacifier, hand-held figurines, cars, etc. Compartment 2 - Necessities like diapers, pullups, tissue, wipes, change of clothes, blankie... Compartment 3 - Secure storage for wallet, personal items, Droid and valium (just kidding about the valium). Compartment 4 - Books, toys, favorite animal, art supplies and "special secret surprises" (read: diversions and little books from the $1 aisle at Target)  for various legs of the trip. Additional storage for beverage and/or sippy cup very handy. Worked like magic!

Art Supplies Critical!   Triangular crayons, like these from Melissa & Doug won't roll off the tray or restaurant table for later retrieval (thank you, Lord!). I also loved these mini coloring pages from Crayola... which fold out like a book, have a "pocket" to hold mini markers and feature lots of coloring pages for the prolific artist!  These were helpful everywhere!

Corners for Containment - Keeping a cabin-fever infected child still outside the car or airplane won't work.  Look for corners, booths and nooks to hide out in, this allows little ones to run within defined boundaries without a leash.  Make sure this is away from people who get easily annoyed as well as emergency doors.

God Bless Motorola:  We used our Droid and Google Maps & other apps to quickly locate parks, beaches, arcades and toy stores to help break up any adult-driven monotony with child-focused activity. The local mall play areas also proved to be incredibly helpful for running out pent up energy on rainy days.

I shall leave you now with three short words: "Zip Lock Bags" - they're good for so many things from sanitary storage of items, to disposal of stinky items, to storing liquids and other items. We brought a box and were not sorry.