Travelogues

Travel at Christmas. We'll give you ideas this week for making your holiday travel a bit less hectic. Karen, one of the Word Quilters, is a traveling guru, and I'm sure she'll have great tips. Throughout the year, I travel several times a month with my husband but our family never traveled much at holiday times. Since grandparents lived within a few miles of us, our holiday travel meant a ten minute ride over the hill and through the woods to grandma's house. But if you travel frequently, I have a tip that works well.



I don't pack my clothes or hair dryer or makeup, but I keep a small carry on bag packed and ready with all other overnight essentials--several doses of a nightly medication, shampoo, toothbrush and paste, shower cap, hair spray, hairbrush, etc. I also keep a list of last minute things that I don't want to spend extra to duplicate and keep in the bag. On an index card tucked into the bag is my last minute list of clothing and things to add such as my hairdryer, cell phone charger and other extras. By keeping my bag semi-packed, I avoid a lot of repetitious work and thinking throughout the year.



I've noticed an aside bonus too, we help our four elderly parents and on occasion I've gotten calls in the late evening and went to attend to their needs not knowing if I would need to spend the night at their house or even make a trip to the hospital. Within minutes, I could be out the door with everything I might need for several day's stay.



Another tip, always do what the truckers do each morning--they pre-inspect their trucks. Walk around your vehicle and watch for water and oil leaks and low tires. If in doubt, use a tire gauge to measure air pressure. Low air in front tires can cause a blow out and possibly an accident.

If you are traveling with children over the holidays, check out the printables, games and such, for kids at Family Fun. These are even coordinated by states. And for Mom and Dad a travel itinerary and car trip list is available for printing.



Do you have travel tips you could share with us? Please do. You might save a parent's sanity or even help a family be safer through the holidays.

Photo: from left Leslie Wilson, Judy Bowyer, and Cathy Messecar at A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts book debut in Abilene, September 2008