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15 Tips For Traveling With Kids That Will Make Traveling Fun And Reduce The Overall Stress

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I am sure most people will agree with me when I say that traveling with kids is not easy. It is especially more daunting for first-timers.

Truth is, traveling with your kids can be amazing but extremely overwhelming. This is because of the many things you have to remember to pack and plan for. However, a good traveling plan is bound to improve your experience in a big way.

I have had my own daunting experiences and I am happy to share tips I have picked up over time. In this article, I am going to give you 15 tips for traveling with your kids. Want a hassle-free trip next time you are traveling with those little darlings? Read on.

1. Make child-Friendly Flight Plans

Flying with kids and especially toddlers is not a so-very-fun experience for parents. Especially over very long flights. Kids can get fidgety and cranky not to mention how hard it can be to calm them in these situations. Below are a few tips for flying with your kids.

  • Plan flight times strategically: when planning to travel with your children, it is key to look at their schedules and make travel plans accordingly. Most airlines have flights at different times of the day. Ensure that their sleeping time does not coincide with boarding and landing times.
  • Long Layovers? Yes, please. I am in no rush thanks to this little brood: when traveling with children especially toddlers, book flights with long layover periods. This will give you plenty of time to take care of all the needs and leave you a little time for yourself.

Long layovers give you time to sit down to eat and the kids can go to the bathroom as many times as they want. Longer waiting periods means you will wait for your next flight longer but your family will board the next flight without any hassles and in no rush.

  • Check-In Early: no one likes to line up for anything. Especially not with kids running around and getting impatient as you wait to board the plane. There are several ways to reduce the checking in and security clearance hassle. The most inexpensive is checking in early before other passengers start coming in.

This will leave you enough time to ensure the kids are well settled in as well as give them time to prepare for the flight. Other not-so-cheap ways of avoiding long waiting times include traveling premium class or sign up for TSA pre-check.

  • Have kids carry their own bags: older children who can be able to carry or pull their own bags should do it. This is to reduce the hassle of you having to deal with both the children and the bags not to mention that it teaches them how to be responsible.

Additionally, having kids handle their own luggage prevents over packing and allows you to move through airports faster. If what you are carrying is heavy or sensitive, you can choose to carry it yourself to reduce the risk of causing injury to your child or destroying the item.

2. Pre-book, pre-book, pre-book!

When planning to travel with your children, pre-book everything beforehand. This includes flights, hotel, and even the activities that you intend to take part in. With kids, you do not have the luxury of gambling with situations.

If you do not pre-book for everything you might just find yourself struggling to amuse tired, hungry, and restless kids. Booking ahead gives you and your kids time to relax and enjoy the trip without having to wait for anything.

  • Most vacation activities can be planned online: This makes the entire travel experience especially with kids easier. Imagine promising your kids an awesome afternoon at a trail only to get there and find that it is fully booked.

Reserving early prevents you from disappointing your kids and giving them a flawless vacation full of fun. It does not hurt to call and reserve even when reservations are not required. This is to be sure that there are slots available in addition to confirming that the place actually exists!

3. Children discounts? That’s a thing?

Travel companies, tour guides, hotels, and even airlines have discounts when you are traveling with children. However, some do not tell you this unless you ask. I have discovered that you can save a lot with these discounts.

If you are not sure whether the company you are dealing with offers a children’s discount, you can always ask when making bookings. It will not hurt to ask plus you get to save the extra money that you could have otherwise spent.

4. Practice a safety routine

Kids can get lost when traveling as has been seen in many airports and train stations. Before you leave home, ensure that you practice a safety routine with your kids in preparation for the occurrence of a safety scenario.

You can advise your children on what to do in case they get lost. However, to emphasize this, it is good to practice what they would do in such situations. For example, you can help them know how to identify security by their uniform in order to get help.

5. Know where your kids are always

It only takes a few seconds to lose a child. One minute you are looking at them, you turn around to buy candy and on turning back, they are gone. There are a few tips to this end that can come in quite handy when you are traveling with your children.

  • Always have your eyes at them on all times: when traveling with kids, ensure that they are always in your field of sight. When traveling with another adult, one of you should have their eyes on the children at all times when the other is busy checking in.

Hold their hands to keep them close or have them sit in a specific position. Before you leave home make sure you give them a few tips on what to do in case they get lost. For example, you can ask them to talk to a cop to ask for help.

  • Have a GPS tracker attached to them: you can tag your child with a GPS tracker to know when they wander off too far. It points to the exact location of your child so in case one gets lost, you can be able to track them.

A tracker can be disguised as a watch or can be pinned on the clothes so your child might not even know they are wearing a tracker. For older kids, you can agree on a location to meet in case anyone gets lost.

  • Your kids should have your contact information: this will come in handy in case your child gets lost. People can contact you in case they find your lost child. Basic contact information to ensure your child has includes your name, local and email, address, and phone number.

For very young children who cannot memorize this information, you can write a small note with this information and put it in their pocket. Ensure that you tell your child how to find it to facilitate getting help in case anything goes wrong.

6. Car seats, baby monitors, and clothes for all occasions? Do we really need all that?

Parents most times end up overpacking when traveling with children. This makes it very hard to organize stuff around and makes items hard to find. Not to mention all the extra baggage and charges that might come with it. Below are a few tips to help you prevent overpacking.

  • Essentials only: ensure that you have a bag for your essentials. These include medicines, clothes, snacks, and food. This bag needs to be with you at all places and should be kept within easy reach in case you need anything to go.

This will prevent overpacking since you only gather the most important things. Additionally, also consider packing clothes and shoes for the family that can be worn on different occasions. This is to avoid carrying a lot of luggage plus the kids.

  • Can you get an app to do it? : Thanks to the continuous evolution of technology, apps are increasingly taking over functions of basic electronic devices like baby monitors and radio among others. If you can get an app that works similarly to a particular electronic, save the space for something else and leave the bulky gadget at home.
  • Really? I can rent baby items over there?: To avoid the extra hassle of a lot of luggage especially when traveling with kids, you can rent baby items at the place you are traveling to if it is an option. Bulky baby items that are usually rented out include car seats, strollers, and bassinets.

7. I’m hungry. That is why I am cranky

A hungry child is an unhappy child. You do not want to deal with a hungry child when traveling so ensure that you carry snacks with you. Avoid packing sugary foods to avoid crashes.

Have a water bottle for everyone to keep the children hydrated during the entire trip. Do not assume that you will buy them on the way. Unexpected things happen such as getting stuck in traffic that can leave you stuck with a cranky hungry child.

8. Travel entertainment is a must

Keeping kids entertained is imperative. This adds to the thrill and memories of the trip. Several ways of keeping your children entertained on the road include:

  • Bringing electronic devices: electronic devices have a range of applications and games that can keep children busy as they wait on queues or during rides. These will keep them entertained and busy with little time to bother you.

Ensure that you preload the devices with music and movies beforehand because you might not get access to more later. Additionally, ensure that you monitor and control device usage for your children.

  • Toys and books, yes please: toys and books are bound to keep your kids entertained throughout the trip. To be able to associate specific toys and books with specific memories, you can always try and get them new books and toys. These will be able to grab their attention even more.

You can buy these from souvenir shops. What’s more, you do not have to worry about carrying paperback books since this only adds to the luggage. You can carry audiobooks for them and yourself too! Additionally, pack easy games for the trip. These can help you and the kids pass time as you wait in queues and during the entire trip.

  • Get them a camera: if your kids are responsible and grown enough to handle a camera, it would be a great idea to hand them one. You can by a low-cost camera or a phone for them to be able to capture precious moments.

Taking pictures requires focus and this will allows your kid to be keener during the trip. What’s more, your kids get to focus more on their environment. They are able to appreciate more detail of whatever landscape, city, or beach you are visiting.

  • Travel journals: to get older kids to be keener on the trip, you can get them a travel journal for them to be able to document their travel. They also get to open up about what they like and what they do not for better future planning in addition to improving their writing skills.

Moreover, children like collecting things. You can encourage them to collect pieces for a scrapbook. These pieces can include postcards, welcome messages, and tickets that remind the family of the thrill that they had during the trip.

9. Do not overload the itinerary

When traveling, avoid planning for too many activities. This is because everyone needs some bit of downtime and this is required even more when you are traveling with kids. The amount of downtime required will vary depending on the age of your kids. Always remember:

  • Kids’ sleep schedules: when planning for activities to do on a trip, one might be tempted to book very many activities to take advantage of the short time. However, when traveling with kids, always schedule their sleep time.

Interrupting sleep schedules can lead to cranky kids who are not excited about doing the much you planned to do.

  • Things take longer than planned on trips: trip activities can sometimes take more time than planned. This is especially for tourist activities since they are mostly exploratory and no one is in a hurry.

Having a congested itinerary might leave you in a big fix since you might not be able to make it to all planned activities. Especially with kids and all the bathroom breaks they require. Always leave your schedule open with large breaks between sessions.

10. Do not forget the first aid kit

When traveling with children, remember to carry a basic first aid kit or items. Do not strain to carry much as you cannot carry all of it. Remember to carry essential drugs, like allergy and pain relieving medication. Bandages and medicated spirit is also important in case of small accidents.

Before you travel, check for local hospitals around the area you will be traveling to. This is especially important if you are traveling with a child with a special condition or illness that requires special care.

11. Traveling with babies

Traveling with small babies and toddlers is even more hectic and requires a little more packing. Babies require special attention and are quite messy so you have to be prepared for the rough experience. Below are some tips on how to prepare to travel with a baby or toddler.

  • More diapers and wipes: when on a trip with a baby, carry diapers and wipes in excess. After all more is always better than less. This is because babies have to go lots of times even over small journeys.
  • Carry extra clothes both for the baby and you: babies are messy and they can end up ruining their and your clothes too. They can spill food on you, puke on your dress, and diapers can leak onto your outfit. This is why you need extra clothes for both of you.

Carry an entire set of clothes as opposed to specific ones. This is because you do not know the level of damage that the baby can cause to your outfit. This applies to the baby’s clothes too.

  • Carry gum and a feeding bottle to help equalize air pressure: popping ears is important when a plane is taking off or landing. This is because of the unequal air pressure that can be very uncomfortable. Compared to adults who can equalize theirs easily, toddlers and babies cannot.

To help them equalize the pressure, you can have the toddlers chew gum. This pops their ears which levels the pressure outside and inside. You can feed smaller babies at this time because the sucking motion helps their ears pop naturally.

12. Kids, would you like to plan the trip activities with me?

Engaging your kids in the planning of the trip will get them more excited and interested in things that they come up with. You do not want to impose activities on them without being sure that they like them. Give them the available options and let them choose their favorites.

Select tour activities that are in line with their interests for more fun. Let them plan what day and what time to do what. Do not forget about yourself as you indulge your little brood, however. It is easy to forget about yourself when you are engrossed watching kids have fun.

13. Know when to be flexible and when to be rigid

When you get to your destination, it is key to be able to know when to adapt and when to juggle. Below we look at how to enjoy your vacay when you get to your destination.

  • Do not move from hotel to hotel: when traveling with children, avoid changing hotels more than required. Constant moving brings the stress of constant packing and unpacking especially knowing how messy kids can be.

Staying at one location also gives your children some level of comfort. They sleep better and are more relaxed. Avoid changing hotels unless it is extremely necessary to avoid destabilizing your kids.

  • Be flexible: you should above all strive to give your kids a smooth trip with minimal hassle. But sometimes, things might not go as planned. You should anticipate that things might not go as planned and you should be able to be flexible in case something does not go as planned.

Avoid getting stressed when things do not work out and have a list of miscellaneous activities that the family can take part in when they have free time on their hands. This will also keep the kids distracted they will not even notice the canceled activity.

  • Break from routine: A vacation is all about having fun. Being free without having to be tied to routines. Let the kids have special moments like staying up with you guys. They can have regular extended bedtime to indulge a little bit more. Your kids will most definitely appreciate this small yet very important gesture to them.

Furthermore, let them eat whatever they like. Allow them to indulge their ice cream taste buds with lunch every day to be able to have a different feel away from home. A little allowance to spend about town on a little junk will not hurt anyone as well.

14. Identification

Some countries require additional paperwork when traveling with your kids while others only require your passport. Before traveling with your kids, ensure that you know the travel identification requirements in the country that you are traveling to.

To avoid embarrassing situations when traveling especially with children who are not yours, ensure you have carried all the required identification information. You would not want to be arrested and separated from your child even for a few minutes due to an avoidable misunderstanding.

15. Try out public transport

Public transport gives you a deeper insight into the culture of the people of the region you are visiting. Children get to see what other cultures are all about and take pictures of beautiful cities and architecture.

Conclusion

Traveling with kids is a total hassle. When traveling with kids, you can almost be sure that something will go wrong. Worry not, however. The experience does get better with time.

Similarly, we hope that after reading this the hassle of traveling with children has been lessened for you.

We have looked at quite a detailed list on how to plan to travel with your kids which will come in handy for anyone traveling with kids, whether toddlers or older children. You do not have to get it all the first time, I mean no one is a super parent. You can always come back to refer before your next trip.

You can watch a video by Virgin Atlantic on how to travel with kids here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovgcaq9MQOQ

Virgin Atlantic is a long standing airline that has earned accolades over the years. This video is a compilation of their tested tricks to keep your kids entertained and calm throughout the flight.

Everything You Need To Know When Flying With Your Dog That Will Make Your Trip Less Stressful

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Dog safely traveling

Dogs are great pets that are part and parcel of many families. As a result, many families prefer taking their dogs with them whenever they are traveling instead of leaving them behind. This is because a dog will make your vacation more exciting, especially if the traveling is planned thoughtfully and carefully. Before flying with your dog to a far holiday destination, however, there are things you must know before you make a decision.

For instance, enough preparations are needed, especially if it is the first time you’re traveling with your dog by air. This is because you will need your trip to be less stressful and dramatic. Here is everything you need to know when flying with your dog.

Has Your Dog Air Traveled Before

Taking a flight with a dog that has not flown before over a long distance is not an ideal thing to do. According to Annie Grossman, a pet behaviorist and School for the Dogs founder, the biggest mistake dog owners do is expecting too much within a short time from dogs. She believes that it is important to test the waters by flying with your dog over small distances to see whether he or she is fit for a long flight.

Moreover, it is important to introduce your dog to air travel when it is still a puppy. The best time would probably be when the dog is below 12 weeks old. Dogs under this age cope with flying easily as compared to older dogs since their window of socialization is still open.

Health Status of You Dog

Your dog might have existing health conditions that can pose severe complications during your flight. The Air Travel Consumer Reports from the Transport Department show that the respiratory and heart problems are the leading causes of pet deaths in the air. In case your dog has a medical condition whether a temporary illness or injury, it is advisable to leave him or her at home. Otherwise, visit your veterinary for health checks to ascertain the health status of your dog before taking a flight with it. Additionally, make sure that all the vaccinations are updated. Don’t forget to take a health certificate with you since it is one of the requirements when traveling with pets.

Inform the Airline

Not all airlines accept pets while others have set a limited number of dogs on a flight even as cargo. As a result, carry out a research to know which airline allows traveling with pets and particularly dogs. Once you get one, talk to them and let them know that you will be traveling with your dog. Ensure you are furnished with the airline’s pet policies and see whether it’s comfortable with you. By doing this, you will avoid the inconveniences of finding out that the airlines don’t accept pets when you already have a ticket with you.

Prepare Your Dog for the Flight

Before you even think about the possibility of flying with your dog to your destination, be aware that there is no shortcut when it comes to the size of the dog you intend to fly with. In fact, the size of the dog is the leading limiting factor under which your dog is prohibited onto a flight. Nonetheless, different airlines have their own dimension requirements for kennels as well as the soft-sided carries.

For instance, we found that some airlines accepted a maximum carrier height of 11 inches and a minimum of 7.5 inches. However, the dimensions for the width as well as the length of the carrier varied too in different airlines. While the maximum carrier width ranged from 11 to 19 inches, the maximum length ranged from 12 to 19 inches.

Besides the limitations of the carrier dimension, we established that some airlines also have a weight limit for both the pet and their carrier while other airlines have capped the weight separately. JetBlue Airline, for instance, has a requirement that the total weight of your dog and the carrier should not surpass the 20 pounds mark.

Is your Dog’s Carrier Comfortable?

The kind of carrier you prepare should be spacious enough to allow the dog to stand up, turn around, and lie down in a stress-free manner. Just like you will want to be more comfortable when flying, comfort also matters a lot to your dog. Your trip can be a lot stressful if your dog’s carrier is too small for the dog to stand and turn around comfortably.

The best way to ascertain whether the carrier is the perfect choice for your dog is to let it sleep in it at home to see whether it can move, stand, and turn freely. Don’t wait until the travel day to cage your dog. Making the carrier familiar to the dog right from home can help you a great deal!

Breed of Your Dog

The breed of your dog will also determine whether it will accompany you or not. Short-nosed dog breeds, for instance, are not allowed to fly in most airlines. Furthermore, the American Veterinary Medical Foundation advises against allowing them to fly. According to statistics, over half of dog deaths during flights in a period of the past five years have involved short-nosed breeds.

The breeds of dogs that are at risk during flying include boxers, bulldogs, Pekingese, some mastiffs, Boston terriers, Shih Tzus, and Lhasa Apsos. According to Tracy Thompson, restricted dogs are often mixed breeds.

How Old is Your Dog?

As much as you want to fly with your dog for a holiday, the United States Department of Agriculture has set requirements that pets must be older than 8 weeks old for them to fly. On the other hand, you wouldn’t want to fly with an old dog. You certainly won’t want to handle the stress of flying with an old dog.

Buying Your Ticket

In most airlines, you will book your flight and then proceed to inform the airline that you will be traveling with your dog so that they can make reservations for your dog early enough. Since the airlines have a maximum number of pets per flight, it is advisable to inquire about their pet policies before buying your ticket. To avoid such inconveniences, book your flight early enough so that you can have space for your dog.

Getting the Dog Ready for a Flight

As mentioned above, it is wise to buy your ticket and make reservations for your dog days to your flight. This gives you an ample time to prepare your dog for a few experiences that it will be subjected to on the day of travel. You wouldn’t want to see it miserable during the flight.

One of the most important things to do is to familiarize your dog with its carrier. Let it subjected to different environments and noises that are almost similar to those experienced during flying. It is imperative to note that slightly older dogs are not the same as the young ones since the young ones are more likely to cope with the flying experience with ease.

If you have an averagely older dog, however, you will need some exercising and desensitization as fast as possible before the actual flying day. Since it is going to be in the carrier for quite some time during the flight, it is also important that you train your dog to conquer separation anxiety before you actually fly. This will be a great deal at making tour trip less stressful. To help the dog overcome the anxiety, let it be in the carrier for some time to familiarize with it when you are still at home.

You should also train your dog to stand up in the carrier, turn around, and even lie down before the actual flight. Moreover, make sure to make necessary adjustments as fast as possible to ensure the dog will be comfortable during the actual flight.

Day of Flight

On the day of flight, make sure your dog has an ID around its neck with your formal present contact information like the cellphone number. If you microchip your dog, then ensure its registration is up to date.

Usually, it is advisable not to feed your dog six hours to the flight. This will ensure your dog does not defecate, urinate, or vomit in its carrier while on the plane – which will be helpful in the long-run. Nonetheless, this advice may hold water only if you have trained and conditioned your dog well on how to act when staying in the carrier.

This is because a comfortable dog that is well-trained on how to spend a long time in the carrier won’t urinate or vomit more than usual. On the other hand, a dog that is not well-trained, is not familiar with flying, and is not used to being in the carrier for long is more likely to be nervous, will urinate, and vomit more than usual.

Most importantly, let your dog walk a bit to allow it eliminate just like it does on any other day. When at the airport, give your dog another chance to eliminate before putting him back on the carrier and boarding the plane.

Don’t Compromise Travel Condition Changes for Your Dog

Imagine it is time to board the plane and you have your dog carrier in your hand only to be informed that a mistake was made and that your dog will have to fly in the cargo room and not in the cabin. If this kind of situation befalls you, we advise that you calmly decline the offer, especially if you had been made a reservation for your dog at the cabin. In most cases, the airline will have to honor its promises. Alternatively, you can accept re-ticketing – though without incurring extra costs – on another flight that allows your dog to fly with you in the cabin area.

The reason for this is that you trained your dog to be comfortable in a carrier that will be next to you during the entire flight. You, however, can make an exception for your dog to fly in the cargo area if it will be comfortable traveling without seeing you and the cargo conditions are great.

During the Flight

Before the plane takes off, check and ensure that all the fasteners and zippers on your carrier are closed and your dog won’t easily open either with its nose or paws. Some carrier bags feature double zippers and tabs that can be clipped together to ensure the bag isn’t unzipped without snapping off the tabs first.

Moreover, make sure you have trained your dog to lick water through a small opening, especially if the weather seems hot or he is panting. If you are certain that you won’t have trouble if you bring him out, however, you can gently unzip the carrier’s door and let him lick water with ease.

Don’t bend the rules and let your dog out of his carrier during the flight. It will be much safer and comfortable for your fellow travelers if the dog is securely contained in its carrier. Moreover, if your dog has eliminated in the carrier, letting him out only complicates the situation by creating a big mess and stench. You will need to wait until you alight before you can try to make the situation better for the dog.

Should You Tranquilize Your Dog?

Veterinaries often advise against tranquilizing your dog for air travel. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, they have a Traveling with Your Pet FAQ page on their website with a statement that discourages you from tranquilizing your dog or any other pet during air travel. This is because tranquilizing is associated with increasing the risk of respiratory and heart problems for your pet.

According to Dr. Patricia Olsen of the American Humane Association, an animal’s natural ability to strike a balance and maintain the equilibrium is affected by sedation and when the carrier is moved, your sedated dog won’t be able to remain steady and avoid injuries.

If you are worried about your dog’s behavior and anxiety on the forthcoming flight, it is advisable that you start training him and getting him familiar with being confined in a carrier for an extended period of time. This will work better for the both of you instead of tranquilizing him!

Upon Arrival

Once you alight, you can ask the gate attendant for the nearest pet relief station so that you can have your dog relieve himself. You should also consider making arrangements to get a ride that allows pets. Uber and Lyft are among the firms that allow clients to travel with pets.

Moreover, consider finding lodging prior at your holiday destination that allows dogs. Most hotels and motels don’t have or have restrictions based on dog sizes. If you are allowed to stay with your dog in a particular hotel, it is important to show respect to other guests, staff, as well as their belonging.

It is also important to keep your dog as quiet as possible. Never leave your dog unattended because it will bark and destroy people’s properties, especially when everything looks strange to him. Inquire from the management designated places where you can walk your dog. Don’t leave any mess behind.

Bear in mind that a bad experience with your dog is likely to prompt the hotel management to ban dogs in and around their premises. As such, be considerate to others and ensure you leave your room and the hotel ground in as good a condition as you found them.

Conclusion

It is important to keep in mind that when going for a vacation with our dog, traveling can be hectic. It is also wise to note that a composed dog owner usually owns a composed dog. This is because pets often pick up on your stress, which means that if you are nervous about the whole flight, your dog will certainly show the same stress and anxiety.


What Really Made My Camping Trip In Oregon Memorable

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On A Boat In OregonI am from Oregon and we as a family really love to camp. We have camped at many different places across the state and we have our favorites and our not so favorite places.  We have learned many lessons along the way and as a young couple all we had to do was throw a tent into the car, go to the store and buy chili, hot dogs and beer and we would be good for the weekend.

Now as we have gotten older camping has gotten a lot more complicated especially with 3 kids. We now need more than one tent and now that my wife and I are older we have found out that the deflated air mattress in the morning is very uncomfortable and annoying to fill back up in the afternoon.

We have now resorted to renting an RV or travel trailer when we camp. We can’t quite afford to buy one ourselves so renting is perfect. If you want to rent an RV like us read my page on renting an RV in Portland Oregon. I go over how we go about doing it.

Renting the travel trailer really made our last trip a true luxury for us. That is not what made the trip a really good one. It really helped but it was not the main reason why.

We camped in a really run down place in Eastern Oregon. We  were about 3 hours from Portland which is good because it’s never really good being close to a big city. We were on the mighty Columbia river so we were near water which in my opinion is always a necessity when camping because you can always find something to do on the water even if you don’t have a boat or anything. We stayed in an RV park so we had hook ups for the trailer which is awesome.

What really made the trip awesome was being with a bunch of friends and family. It does not matter where you are camping, as long as you are surrounded by a bunch of friends and family you are going to have a good time. And our friends also had a bunch of kids so our kids had an amazing time since they always had someone to play with.

What really made the trip was one of our friends had a ski boat which meant the kids spent hours tubbing and learning how to water ski. With all that activity the kids had no problem falling asleep at night which is always a win for us.

getting ready to parasailThe highlight was the boat owner has it set up to parasail behind the boat. He has his own parachute and process of doing it. He has been doing it behind his boat for years. Two of my kids got to parasail for the first time and it was a really amazing experience for them.

What really made Labor Day memorable was the look on the kids faces as they were doing all the fun activities. What is even better is the talk on the drive home. They were all still so excited about all the fun they had and asking us if we are going to be going back next year.

What really made the camping experience amazing is having the trailer to retire in at the end of the night. I love laying down on a bed inside a structure that protects you from the elements.

We are definitely going back next year and I am going to try and rent the same trailer we did this year because it was absolutely perfect for what we need it for. Whenever you get a chance go out and enjoy nature by camping in it definitely go for it.

Labor Day RV Camping In Oregon

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The Travel Trailer We Rented for Labor DayWe had an amazing Labor Day weekend.

For the past umpteen years we have been camping with some really close friends and their family in Eastern Oregon. We are from the Portland Oregon area so to drive to a really small town and go camping is a really big deal.

We have been going to this event for years and we always camped in a tent and I have no complaints about doing that. But as we get older and our family gets larger tent camping gets more difficult. So for the second year we rented an travel trailer or as some may like to call it an RV.

When renting an RV or travel trailer in Oregon you have many different ways of doing so. Check out my page on Oregon RV Rentals to see the best ways and places to rent an RV in Oregon.

Renting a travel trailer has been a game changer for us. It makes everything so much easier. All we do is show up at the campground and a travel trailer shows up gets set up and we get to enjoy it for the weekend. It’s absolutely glorious especially when you see everyone around you sweating like crazy and stressing out about getting their trailer set up and taken down correctly. I know this sounds mean but it’s so nice to know that it is set up of you correctly especially when I know nothing about the whole process.

What is really nice is being able to have a kitchen to prepare food. We always have a big communal dinner for two of the nights so to have our own space was awesome. And one of the nights the theme was to make something Asian themed and we won the prize for the most original. We made a desert sushi. What that consists of is a rice crispy treat wrapped in a fruit by the foot with Swedish Fish on top. It was a hit and since there were so many kids on this trip we got all the kids to vote for us.

What was really great was to have a place for the kids to go to sleep that was safe and out of harms way and that was secluded so they do not hear all the fun we were having around the campfire.

Another great thing about having the trailer was the peace of mind knowing that no matter what mother nature threw at us we would be well protected. We have had years where it was rain and windy most of the time and years like this year where it was blazing hot. With a heater and a roof over our head we are prepared for the bad weather and with an air condition unit attached we are prepared for the blazing hot weather.

We actually had an incident where a suspicious car drove through the campground and I was really pleased to know that my kids were well protected sleeping in the trailer as the car went about the camp ground.

As you can tell I am a huge fan of renting an RV or travel trailer. I would highly recommend you try it yourself sometime.