Marathon Travel

Saint Louis

Chicago
New York City

Boston
Providence
Indianapolis

Chicago
Saint Louis

When you look at this list you may be thinking it looks like a bucket list for someone. It may even be a list of where someone has traveled to in the last few years. For the W family this list is our itinerary of 19 days of our life. I aptly have named this trip "the w's marathon business trip."

So a couple things about this travel lifestyle that we live:

Our children don't seem to care where we are. G likes the ability to sleep in a "big bed" and sometimes will choose to sleep on the couch (mostly for naps). Oli is happy anywhere really; as long as he has snacks. No matter where we go we keep them on their schedules and hold true to their routines. Each day is very similar to the one before in our family.  

PACKING:
You don't need much to make a place feel homey so we don't travel with a ton of things. In fact some people marvel at how much we can pack in a little amount. For this trip we packed everything we would need (including diapers and some snacks) in 2 suitcases and 2 backpacks.  Again, most hotels have laundry facilities so there isn't a need for a ton of clothes.

For toys and entertainment we bring a small amount of things that both kiddos like to play with. Then once we get to where we are staying we come up with creative ideas for toys. Currently G is playing with a box that we got at the front desk and a serving spoon.

A few things that I ALWAYS carry...No matter what! My baby carrier....I use a variety of carriers so we normally take two with us. I have a woven wrap and an Ergo carrier. Both are great for both boys and amazing to travel with. The woven also works as a blanket while we are flying, win win! In addition to the carriers we always travel with a change of clothes in our backpack for all of us. WHY? well, if your luggage is ever lost you won't ever ask why again. 

                         

 

HOTELS:

Regardless of where we are going or where we stay we try it all; hotel rooms, suites, houses, studios...you name it and we have stayed in it. Most places are very accommodating and have the essential things that you need while traveling with kiddos. In attempt to pack as little as we can we always call ahead and inquire about certain things. You would be surprised to learn that the majority of hotels have pack-n-plays, cribs, high chairs and even strollers that you can use while traveling.

Cooking in a hotel room can be a challenge but is 100% doable. This morning we had soft boiled eggs, asparagus, turkey and avocado. YUM! (All of this prepared without an oven or stove). Most places also have a grocery store or a Target style store pretty close so we make a pit stop on our way to the hotel and stock up on essentials for the time we are staying there. I think it is super fun to come up with meal plans that require little to no cooking, are healthy and are still clean eating. 

Working out and maintaining a routine is also something that is 100% doable. It isn't always easy but most hotels have a gym facility and will allow you to "borrow" a couple hand weights in your room....Making working out during nap time or before the kids wake up much easier. On most days Andy and I wake up earlier than the boys and do some sort of workout while the boys are sleeping. 

ENTERTAINMENT:
As a family we find things to do. The locations we travel to are not always the most glamorous and surprisingly enough, some of the most unknown areas have been the most fun! The people that work at the local places are the best to ask where and what to do.  By doing this we avoid the places that are always packed with other people or are bursting with tourists. By wandering around we also stumble on tons of amazing things. Live music, farmers markets, amazing parks and so many more things have been found just by walking around and enjoying what is there for us to find.

                                        

           

Our trip is about half way over. We have a few more plane rides and some long car rides still but I am sure we will make tons of more memories and have a little fun on the way!

Cheers