Hi Reader!

Happy April! 🌷

We’ve been back from Spring Break for over a week now, giving me plenty of time to reflect on our trip!

While we made some amazing memories, not everything went according to plan—because let’s be real, traveling with kids is never perfect.

I wanted to share a quick recap of what worked really well, what I’d do differently next time, and a few tips you might find helpful for your next trip!

✅ What Worked

✔️ The perfect vacation rental – I spent a lot of time researching and reading reviews before booking our house, and it paid off! It was super spacious, had a beautiful back porch overlooking a marsh, and best of all—the beach was right across the street. Having everything so accessible made our trip so much smoother! If you’re booking a rental, I highly recommend diving deep into reviews and making sure the location works for your needs. ⛱

✔️ Stocking up on groceries – One of the best decisions we made was grabbing breakfast, lunch, and snack essentials from the grocery store as soon as we arrived. After a full morning at the beach, our kids came back starving, and it was so nice to have food ready to go instead of scrambling for something. Our routine became beach in the morning, lunch and downtime at the house, then an afternoon or early evening activity before heading out for dinner. 🛒

✔️ Baytowne Wharf was a hit! – Our kids loved The Village of Baytowne Wharf. There was a park, green spaces to run around, and adventure activities like a ropes course, bungee trampoline, zipline, and carousel. Plus, the shops and restaurants made it a fun spot for the whole family. 🎠

❌ What Didn’t Work

❌ Major travel mishap before we even left – I somehow managed to leave my entire backpack at home—the one with my phone, wallet, and laptop. 🤦‍♀️ I must have set it down in the garage while helping one of the kids buckle in and never picked it back up. My husband had to race home to grab it, and sure enough, it was sitting right next to where we had parked.

Lesson learned: always double-check for the essentials before pulling out of the driveway! 🤦‍♀️

❌ Our rental van situation – We had rented a 15-passenger van thinking it would be perfect for our crew. (3 adults and 7 boys!) What we didn’t realize? There was zero designated space for luggage. We had to squeeze suitcases past car seats and through narrow rows just to get them to the back. Luckily, we had more seats than we needed, so we used an extra row for luggage storage, but loading and unloading was a pain.

Next time, I’ll double-check the layout of a rental van before assuming it has room for all our stuff!

All in all, it was an amazing trip, even with the hiccups along the way. I’ll be sharing more about our time in 30A soon—including favorite beaches, activities, and must-visit spots!

Have you ever had a major travel mishap? Reply and tell me—I’d love to hear I’m not alone! 😆

P.S. If you’re planning a family beach trip soon, stay tuned for my top 30A recommendations coming your way!

​

Need some help planning your trip? Grab our complimentary travel itinerary planner and start mapping out your next adventure.

​

May you LOVE your adventure!

​