Winter Vacation. Am I Crazy?

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Winter Family Vacation.  Am I crazy?

Laura is a marketing executive at BubbleBum,makers of the world's first inflatable travel car booster seat. 

"Travelling with kids can be amazing, but also quite challenging; a lesson I learned harshly while on our first trip as a family of four, rather than 3!

In September my family and I visited Portugal for one week. I travelled with my husband and my kids who are 4 & 1 years old.  It was the first time I’ve travelled with two kids.

It was mayhem! Unfortunately, both of my kids were ill while we were away, which meant they were understandably, not the best travel companions.

We are travelling soon to Disneyland Paris for a winter vacation...I swore after Portugal we were not leaving the country for the next few years, but where is the fun in that?

For our winter vacation I will most definitely be more prepared and realistic about travelling with children. Family travel is inevitable if you want your children to experience different cultures and to see the world.

 

So for our Disney adventure, I have come up with a plan that

would put Monica Geller to shame! My plan is simple and it doesn’t involve having Maleficent cast a sleep spell over my kids. It involves precise organisation, pre-booking, loading my suitcase with snacks and embracing my motto for our adventure;  ‘Let it go’ as Elsa would say.

There is no point freaking when my baby won't stop crying for the entire flight. It is the 21st century and people have headphones, I can't do anything about my 4 year old who is so excited to meet Cinderella that she wont stop jumping up and down like Tigger. I have no control over flight delays or the fact that our buggy won't fold easily at the gate so I’ll have to just ‘Let it Go’. As for queueing for two hours to see Snow White... Hi Ho I will ‘Let it Go’!

 

I have read so many articles over the past few weeks about how expensive Disneyland is with kids and how the food isn’t Michelin Star,  so I’ve devised a plan that I know won't let me down.

1. Have no expectations - that way I can not be annoyed if the food is rubbish and we’re forced to eat McDonalds for three days.
2. Expect to be queuing for hours, that way if we only have to queue for one, it will be a bonus.
3. Manage my kids expectations - the princesses won't be walking around all day hugging children... they have kingdoms to rule!
4. Load up at breakfast, yeah ok it will be a cattle market but I will think straight and bring a lunch box so I can make up some freebie sandwiches for lunch. They won't miss a bit of bread and ham but a hangry child is not to be messed with… nor is a hangry husband.
5. I will tell my kids that they are only allowed to spend their Disney Dollars at the end of each day, during a half hour slot in a store that is close to the exit. After each ride we are not browsing we are walking.
6. We will all have water bottles that we can refill. I’ll bring a squash pod to add a little flavour - hydration is key!
7. As we are going in the winter, I have to make sure we all layer up to stay warm; hats, gloves, scarves, the works! Also make sure we all have great walking shoes as we will be walking a lot.
8. Now for packing - our suitcase will have our warm winter woolies, a spare hat incase we lose one, a BubbleBum Swimming Bundle for the hotel swimming pool and our favorite snacks, some crisps and cookies as well as a few pouches of porridge. Also our BubbleBum Travel Booster Seat for our transfers.

If I stick to this plan and listen to Elsa and Let It Go, this Disney family winter trip should run smoothly. Maybe with a little pixie dust from Tinkerbell and some Herculean strength, we will be singing like the Little Mermaid when our trip goes swimmingly.

If you need some bits and pieces to keep your children entertained on long journeys, we highly recommend KeepEmQuiet, this charming little store has everything you will need."