Happy Tuesday! 👋

So we just got back from our trip to Los Angeles, and I thought I'd share a little bit about how we ended up there in the first place.

Sometimes I like to let my kids help decide where we go on vacation.

My travel bucket list is so long that usually wherever they want to go is already somewhere I'd like to visit anyway. So if they're interested, why not go now?

For over a year, my 10-year-old had been asking to go to Los Angeles.

His reason?

He knew it was where movies are made, celebrities live, and so many famous places are located, and he wanted to see it with his own eyes.

I had been to LA several times before kids and always enjoyed it, but I hadn't been back in about 14 years.

When I came across direct flights from Des Moines to Burbank through Allegiant at prices that worked for our family of six, I decided to go for it.

But I'll be honest...

I was nervous.

Not about the flights.

Not about finding things to do.

I was worried about the traffic.

Everyone knows LA traffic has a reputation, and I kept picturing us spending hours in the car while everyone slowly lost their minds.

I was also worried about the logistics.

LA has so many things to do, but they're spread out.

Would we spend the whole trip driving?

Would there be enough downtime?

Would this end up feeling more stressful than fun?

As it turns out, everything I worried about ended up being much less of an issue than I expected.

A few simple planning decisions made a huge difference.

If you're curious about exactly how we planned our trip and what we ended up doing each day, I shared our full 5-day Los Angeles itinerary for families.​

We knew Universal Studios Hollywood and Hollywood Boulevard were priorities, so I chose a hotel in Glendale that made both easy to reach.

Instead of crisscrossing the city, we grouped attractions by area and explored one part of LA at a time.

And honestly?

Other than our Santa Monica beach day, traffic wasn't nearly the issue I thought it would be.

It was one of those good reminders that sometimes the things we worry about before a trip end up being completely manageable once we're actually there.

Next week I'll share some of the things that surprised me most about LA with kids.

Spoiler alert: one of them wasn't what I expected at all.

Stay tuned for more packing tips, behind-the-scenes travel hacks, and inspiration to make your trips feel doable and fun. I’m all about helping you make family travel as smooth as possible, so you can create memories without the headache.

Thanks for being part of the Travel Tuesday community, and I can’t wait to connect again soon!💕

✨ Want to make trip planning feel more doable?

If you're planning a trip and trying to organize hotels, flights, attractions, and all the little details, my Travel Itinerary Planner was created for exactly that. Click below

Have your kids ever convinced you to visit a destination you wouldn't have picked yourself? I'd love to hear where 💛

May you LOVE your adventure!

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