I found pages of travel tips in my journals. Writing them while ON a trip was practical….while everything was still fresh in my mind. Traveling wears many people out because they don’t like getting inconvenienced by the little details and they miss certain amenities of being home. Once a traveler gets over this hurdle, they will learn to be over prepared and power through the most intense of itineraries.

keep a journal

pack maps

pack wet wipes

pack a roll of toilet paper in your daily backpack. You won’t always find toilet paper in the public restrooms

pack baggies to store things in, like dirty flip flops, toiletries, sandy swim gear, dirty clothes if you are in between laundry loads

baggies for packing breakables

pack bubblewrap and duct tape ahead of time….useful for wrapping souvenirs

save museum stubs—they are pretty and make good bookmarks, etc.

ask for bargains and discounts, especially on bulk shopping

pack or buy duffels to store inside your suitcase. Once you fill this with souvenirs, you can check it through at the airport

buy suntan lotion, sunscreen, and saline solution in America and pack it in your bags that you check through–not your carry on.

It is never too early to model for your children how to keep a travel journal. This is something they will cherish years and decades later. At least, that’s how my children reacted upon finding their journalizing from our travels.  It’s even possible to have the youngest of children start this journalizing habit.

My youngest son had finished kindergarten when we took our first family trip to Europe. Because he hadn’t started 1st grade yet, all he knew how to do was “pre-writing”. Pre-writing is a combination of phonetic writing and illustrations. I found his journal entries and they are precious to me now that he’s in high school! Translation: “Thank you for this trip and thank you for letting me sleep in your bed. Thank you very much.”

This may have taken him a long time, too, now that I am remembering this trip. When our nights were winding down, I had the boys write some reflections in their journal. Another good time to do this is at restaurants waiting for your dinner.  Translation: “Thank you for taking me to the beach but not thank you for not letting me catch a fish.” (At least he was polite in his disdain!) I don’t even remember what he is referring to in this entry.

His older brothers were in elementary school at this time so their writing was more advanced and in cursive. I love the innocence of pre-writing or “inventive” spelling as many educators call it. Translation: “We went to the beach and we did some exciting things. Thank ya, thank ya very much” (Elvis impersonation. really.)

When we waited for the ferry boat to Morocco, I had my youngest son draw “portraits” of us at a table in a cafe in Tariffa. We laugh about these now. Translation: “We road (rode) on donkeys to the castle. That’s it.”

He was so excited when he discovered these—it’s like finding a buried treasure!

Ahhhhh…..the Greek islands. Need I say more? Just saying the words “Greek islands” conjures up visceral feelings of elation, relaxation, euphoria, health…..When I re-read my travel journals, I find excerpts from our lazy days there that remind me how happy and relaxed we were on any Greek island. For example, one excerpt described: ” We drove to a bakery for breakfast tiropitas (cheese pies) to tide us over until lunch. We headed straight for the beach and had a great morning/afternoon of complete beach relaxation. The boys played in the sand, tried to catch small fish and collect rocks and walk far out into the water. I read guidebooks of Greece and Rhodes, walked around the strip of shops and found some evil eye bracelets for my girlfriends back home.”

In my opinion, no one can enjoy a Greek island quite like a little boy! Having three boys, I realize this is my reference point….but you learn how to live life all over again through the perspective of a little boy when you parent three of them!   

I always thought of myself as someone who loves islands but staying on a mountain top villa in Crete made me realize I might be addicted to both—-islands AND mountains! I found this excerpt from my journal after staying on a farm villa in Crete.

“As much as I worship the scenery–white, blue, the Cyclades, cruise ships, windjammers, speedboats in the sea, exquisite shops, beautiful beaches, white marble floors and winding streets, chaise lounges, etc….I think I am realizing that I love the countryside too. The scented herbs of a hill meadow, the crow of a rooster, the maaaaa-ing of goats, the taste of goat milk, cheese, the swirl of wine you taste, grown from the vineyard you are staying on—all part of the country charm…

We’ve heard birdsong and watched seagulls flying in groups off the cliffs. We’ve seen layers and layers of white umbrellas that look like statues on this cliff and huge pots of geraniums and other flowers on every balcony. It’s a visual overload. It is worth all the sleeplessness, travel planning, costs and saving to get here. Exhaustion before relaxation…but utter relaxation once you get settled. No emails, no phone messages, no sorting of mail, no dishes or laundry, no feeding of pets….just meeting your basic needs and desires.” 

Follow this lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:

Travel Lesson Plan: Integrate the Concepts

Chania is one of the 4 major port towns in Crete (Greece’s largest island). I had no idea it was so beautiful! It has a Venetian influence. www.explorecrete.com/chania The cafes, shops and hotels on the waterfront were so appealing.  I love being near the water. Staying at one of the hotels nearby the port would be wonderful…..but I wouldn’t trade our stay at the farm villa near Herakleion for anything!

The history of this port is fascinating.  There is a maritime museum, Venetian Lighthouse and Chania Archaeological Museum.  There is a monastery boutique hotel that looks interesting to me! hotel: http://monasteryhotel.gr/en/

My sons saw an octopus drying in the son. It gives a whole meaning to the words “fresh seafood” when you see fishermen catching octopus. This is something my sons definitely do not see back home in our landlocked state. The local Greek boy helping the fishermen was used to this daily occurrence and demonstrated details to my Greek-American sons seeing this novelty.

Read attached link to find out about Villa Creta– a stunning hilltop villa rental near Herakleion

http://www.gypsyfamilytravel.com/a-farm-villa-in-greece/

Follow this lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:

Travel Lesson Plan: Integrate the Concepts

The exciting entrance (not us)  into the amazing Amber Fort in Jaipur.  Don’t leave your Go Pro at home!

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a great tool for travel planning customized to children.

Create- create an outline or plan for where you want to go on your trip. Create a lesson plan, quiz, unit, etc. for your destination.

Evaluate–evaluate your route, logistics, budget.

Analyze– analyze the purpose of your destinations. What are you wanting to accomplish there– adventure? history? recreation? a combo? Analyze the different geography, customs, languages, religions of each destination.

Apply–apply your knowledge of the newly researched travel unit. Draw a map, a flag from that country or state. Make a quiz of factoids for your family.  Make a model or do an experiment or craft relating to that country.

Understand–read your travel guide books. Quiz each other. Complete a quiz. Make flash cards.

Remember–make a photobook when you come home from your trip. Let the kids be involved in this process so they feel ownership of it. Read the photobooks frequently. This will keep the memories vivid in their metacognition.

In Puerto Aventuras, we did a Dolphin Discovery where you get to swim with dolphins. It was an adventurous excursion involving animals, nature and science. We sat through a brief video training first and then literally immersed ourselves into this experience!We went through a rotation of getting to touch the dolphins and get more comfortable with each other. I did this activity with my two elementary aged sons. The younger son wasn’t quite big enough (weight wise) to do the dolphin ride successfully because the dolphins have to be comfortable with the size of child. But…after several attempts, he “supermanned” !

It was a really unique experience to interact so closely with these special animals. Touching them, riding them, being pushed up into the air in the stream. It was a leap of faith! www.dolphindiscovery.com/mayan_riviera/rivieramaya-activities-dolphin-swim-adventure.asp

I highly recommend this experience. You can order photos through the company and a video of your experience. We also walked through an aviary of tropical birds and got to hold those as well!

Travel Lesson Plan: Integrate the Concepts

Corfu is an idyllic Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It’s diverse, picturesque and has beaches that you see in your dream! For years, I have heard recommendations to go there. An excerpt from my travel journal reminded me about our reaction to first arriving there:  “My husband was so excited about the Corfu coastline—not realizing what a huge island it is. We are so close to Italy and Albania. You can see Albania on a clear day.

We drove to Paleokastritsa which I had been reading about. It’s an area with secluded coves and water sports and I knew the guys wanted to scuba dive since they are newly certified in it. My husband loved the countryside—rustic and mountainous and I found it unspoiled and full of flowers, blooms, and foliage…..very lush.”  “When we found the Hotel Fiorita, I looked up the steep hill to find a studio apts./villas with white and blue lacquered shutters, doors and trim and the most fuchsia bougainvillea  spilling all over the balconies. Tropical plants and bushes landscaped around a tree in a planter box and little purple martins flying under the ceiling of their taverna on the property. Heavenly! ”  In Corfu town, we went to the church of St. Spyridon which houses his relics. We happened to arrive right as a christening was happening. In the Greek Orthodox religion, we call it a baptism. What a beautiful church to have a baptism in! How meaningful it will be for that infant to look back on his or her baptismal photos one day and know the significance of this church. The afternoons on the cove were perfect! There was light rainfall which upset me at first but it dried up quickly and the sunshine was a welcome sight. Of course, it’s the rainfall that contributes to the lushness of Corfu! Going into town for dinner was the end to a perfect day. The restaurant we went to, which makes my mouth water just thinking about it, was called Neraida. I believe that means “mermaid.”

Follow this lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:

Travel Lesson Plan: Integrate the Concepts