Disclosure: In any review for a product or service, products or compensation may have been provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” and "Terms of Use" tabs for more information.
It’s been said that if you fail to plan, you have planned to fail. Traveling with kids requires a lot of preparation. You have to get clothing, grooming products, and comfort items for the whole household, all of which goes on top of determining an itinerary, finding a good deal on hotels, and planning a route.
In the middle of all that, there is an endless list of things that can go wrong, no matter how well you’ve prepared in other areas. Make sure you give careful consideration to as many potential disasters as you can, without burdening yourself with excess baggage–mentally or physically.
A Wrecked Car…
Nobody wants to think about this possibility, but according to one legal practice with extensive auto accident experience, there are 6.2 million automobile crashes reported to police every year. If you’ve never been involved in one yourself, you may feel like it won’t happen to you. But it might, and if it happens when you’re on vacation, it can be incredibly disruptive if you aren’t prepared–even if no one is hurt.
What do you do when you’re hundreds of miles from home on your Idaho vacation and your vehicle has been so heavily damaged that it can’t be driven? Will you have the financial resources to secure another means of travel? It’s important to discuss these issues with your insurance agent before you travel and to consider automobile club coverage that can help get you back on the road.
…Or Wrecked Plans
When most people think of vacation problems, they think of the 1980’s movie National Lampoon’s Vacation, in which a cross-country trip from Chicago to L.A. turns into disaster when the destination theme park is closed for repairs.
It’s unlikely to happen to you, but it’s certainly worthwhile to review your planned venues for fun and togetherness in order to make sure everything you expect will be available. This is especially important with natural attractions like Yellowstone National Park, which has experienced partial closures over the years due to active forest fires.
Construction, renovation, weather issues, and safety concerns can all shutter famous attractions. Check news outlets and the sites’ web presence before assuming you’ll be able to walk or drive right in.
Illness Outbreaks
With the hectic schedule, new foods, and exposure to lots of people, it’s very easy to get sick while traveling. Local allergens can attack you, leaving you sneezing and coughing. A stomach virus or food poisoning could hit the whole family.
Check things out before you travel. Make sure you know where the nearest emergency room is for each city where you’ll spend the night, and if you’re finding hotels day by day, make sure you can use hospital-finding features on your phone.
But you should also be prepared to treat illnesses without professional help. Bring over-the-counter allergy medications, fever reducers, and upset-stomach products along–even if no one is sick when you leave home. And stock up on kids’ electrolyte solutions and gentle foods like crackers so that you can avoid a midnight trip to the store in a strange town.
There is a spectrum of travel styles that ranges from the minute-by-minute planner whose day is ruined if they miss one turn, to the free-and-easy sojourner who just lets the chips fall where they may. Somewhere in the happy medium is the best place to be, but one thing that can’t be left to chance or whims is your preparation for potential travel problems. Make plans for how to deal with the most likely problems so that they don’t ruin your treasured family time.
That is one thing that I would always worry about, Travel Emergencies. It is scary to have a problem so far away from home. Illness is definitely something that happened with my family while traveling. Advice is definitely necessary.