For the July 4th holiday, we decided to take a short road trip with Gavin. We figured that it would be the easiest way to break in our new travel buddy.
We rented a car, a Chevy Equinox…which by the way, drove amazing, was super smooth and had enough space for us, all our “stuff” and had superb gas millage.
We booked a hotel, The Holiday Inn Express, Charleston, SC and headed on our way.
We kept to our budget savvyness and packed a cooler full of lunches, dinner and snacks to save us cash, we booked out hotel through hotwire and same with our rental car. Also, for a tip, rent the rental car for a week, even if you don’t use it that long. It is usually much less expensive.
Our plan was to stay three nights in Charleston, SC and one in Savannah, GA. But, in all honesty, after the three nights in Charleston, I was exhausted and we headed home. Although overall it wasn’t a hard daunting trip with the baby, the heat, the lack of sleep, the change in our routine (yes, I will admit it, we have a routine) really had me ready for a 24 hour nap and some major relaxation techniques.
Charleston was beautiful. I mean, everything that Adam and I like in a city, Charleston was it. The old homes, the parks, the shops and little restaurants. The walk-ability, the extremely kind natives, the baseball team 🙂 It was hot, and rainy.
We did realize that every time we travel it rains, see San Francisco, Vietnam, and Seattle.
We went to the South Carolina Aquarium, drove through the Magnolia Plantation, caught a RiverDogs baseball game, ate at Jestine’s Kitchen, the Blind Tiger Pub, and Andolini’s, and I swear saw Catherine Bell at Magnifilous Toy Emporium.
Gavin spent the majority of the time in our Ergo, which now that we are back home, we invested in a much lighter weight wrap for him.
We did stop in Savannah on our way home, but the heat and the crowd, plus our exhaustion sent us driving home after only a few hours of walking around the city.
Now, the difference of traveling with a 10 week old versus traveling on our own…’
- we stopped every two hours for him to eat
- we couldn’t drive at night because Gavin really screams when in the car in the dark
- we had to pack an extra suitcase, his boppy, the stroller, the baby carrier, plenty of diapers (we didn’t want to use the cloth because of the need to dry them in the sun), the breast pump,
- the extreme heat had us heading to the hotel for rests
- We spent money and went to attractions we normally wouldn’t (The Aquarium)
Overall, we had a great time. Gavin was a trooper and when we got back, his passport had arrived in the mail (someday soon we now MUST put it to good use).
Where do you think we should we take Gavin for our first trip Internationally?
Related articles
- South Carolina Day 3 – Folly & Charleston (stylelucence.wordpress.com)
- South Carolina Day 1 – Downtown Charleston (stylelucence.wordpress.com)
- South Carolina: The Palmetto tour continued (oregonmike98.wordpress.com)
- FIG Charleston where “Food Is Good” Indeed (friendseat.com)
- Charleston (sweetbetweens.com)
- Savannah, GA & Charleston, SC Recap (thompsonfamily.typepad.com)
- The 2013 Equinox – A Great Choice for Your Summer Road Trip (bobbellchevrolet.wordpress.com)
Keep exploring
Travel with your family
More from the Americas
Start with shorter trips to test how your family handles travel. Keep kids involved in the planning so they feel ownership over the trip. Pack light and accept that some days will not go as planned. The messy days often become the best stories.
Priorities and planning. Most traveling families have made conscious trade-offs, spending less on things that stay home and more on experiences that go with them. Points and miles help. Slow travel in one place costs less than moving constantly. And treating travel as a line item in the budget rather than a luxury makes it real.
Western Europe is logistically easy with excellent infrastructure, English widely spoken, and enormous variety. Mexico and Costa Rica are close for American families and have strong tourist infrastructure. Japan is extraordinary and safer than almost anywhere. The best first trip is the one that actually happens.
Know your destination. Register with your embassy for longer trips. Have travel health insurance. Keep digital and physical copies of all documents. Teach kids your phone number and hotel name. Use location sharing on phones for older kids. Most international destinations popular with families are genuinely safe for prepared travelers.
Track everything for the first few trips until you understand your family’s actual spending patterns. Accommodation is usually the biggest lever. Cooking some meals saves significantly over eating every meal out. Shoulder season travel cuts costs across the board. And knowing which splurges are worth it for your family versus which ones you will not remember helps enormously.
Share this:
Discover more from Adventures We Seek
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.