I hope you had the opportunity to make lots of memories with your family this summer, either on the road or at home.  Most children are back to school by now and the weather will soon be getting cooler (at least in the "normal" states; Arizona has about six more weeks of HOT summer :-)  This time of year brings more structure and routine to your life, but always look for ways to have fun! 

• Pack up lunch in a picnic basket and eat in the back yard.
• Challenge one of your children to draw a map from home (or school) to their favorite ice cream shop.  Then follow the map to get a special treat.
• Take a drive to see the leaves change colors

Use your imagination and enjoy your family! 

I will be having some contests coming up in the month of September and the winners will receive a copy of my ebook 101+ Ways to Enjoy the Journey as Much as the Destination AND a three month subscription to my soon-to-be-published ezine "Oh, the Places to Go!"  So stayed tuned to Stress Free Family Travel for YOUR chance to win!    

Smooth Sailing!

Paula Farris

http://www.StressFreeFamilyTravel.com

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After talking about it for years and playing around with actually building a website at one point I FINALLY opened my travel business!  There will be more to come on this site, but for now

 StressFreeFamilyTravel.com is officially open! 

You'll find articles there about How to Pack Everything Into Your Car, Five Things NOT to Do the Day Before a Trip, a Comprehensive Packing List, and lots more. 

Check It Out Here!

AND to celebrate our Grand Opening

for the next two weeks (until September 14th)

 all of our Luggage, GPS Systems and Digital Cameras are 25% off!  This would be a great time to buy Christmas and Birthday gifts OR to get ready for your next Family Vacation! 

Let me know what you think of my new business.  I appreciate your feedback. 

Smooth Sailing!

Paula Farris

PS Sign up for our weekly travel tip newsletter while you are there.

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Perhaps the thought of being in a small, enclosed space with several of your neighbors' children along with your own doesn't sound easy, but here are a few ideas to help make the ride more enjoyable.

• Make sure that everyone, both parents and children, know the "Carpool Rules."   Meet with all the parents before the carpool  starts and make sure you are all in agreement about things like seat belt use, music being played, food and drinks in car, etc.

• Make a written schedule of who drives when.  Having the schedule in writing ahead of time will avoid conflicts and misunderstandings later.

• Establish a set time and place for pick ups; i.e. 15 minutes before practice in front of the mailbox.  If each person knows when and where they need to be it will avoid tardiness and confusion.

• Learn some games and activities to keep the children occupied in case of delays due to road construction, bad weather, etc.

More carpool tips coming soon! 

Smooth Sailing!

Paula Farris

PS For more great ideas, including tips on carpooling, subscribe to our weekly travel tip ezine!  "Everywhere You Go"

http://www.paulafarris.goldphoria.com/page/page/3756093.htm

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I have never sent my younger children on a trip by themselves, but last summer ('05) my then 17 year old son flew to Oregon for two weeks to stay with some family friends.  I imagine that sending my 14 year old son and 11 year old daughter on a plane to visit Grandma will be one of the most stressful things I've ever done!  The trip is just in the possiblility stages right now, but I will be gathering information on minors travelling alone before I'll consent to it. 

Has anyone ever done this?  How old was your child(ren)?  How is the boarding process at the airport handled?  How did your "baby" handle the trip?  How did Mom (or Dad) handle the trip?  Any advice?  Leave me a comment and let me know!  Thanks!

Smooth Sailing,

Paula Farris

http://www.PaulaFarris.goldphoria.com

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By Paula Farris

1. A Beach Towel   The bigger the better!
2. Sunscreen/Sunblock/Lip Balm   Laying in the sun for hours with unprotected skin and lips will quickly put a damper on your continuing vacation plans. Use a waterproof sunblock with as high an SPF (sun protection factor) as you can find. Make sure it is a broad spectrum product to protect you from all of the sun’s harmful rays. Don’t forget to reapply every few hours and after getting out of the water.
3. An Umbrella/Hats   As much as you may want to work on your tan the constant heat of the sun on your head can make you just plain hot! Protect yourself with something to cover your head.
4. A Cooler/Water   A small cooler with ice and water bottles in it can bring relief in the heat of the day. Sugary soft drinks can dehydrate you--better to stick with wonderful, refreshing water. A soft sided cooler will be lighter to carry.
5. A Picnic or Snacks  Don’t let a growling tummy force you to give up your prime ocean side real estate. Come prepared with something to eat.
6. A Good Book   You may not want to stay in the water the whole time. A good book or magazine can entertain you (unless you’d rather just watch the people!)
7. A Bag with Room for all your Stuff   Make sure it has a hiding place if you are carrying cash or your car keys. Thieves hang out at the beach too.
8. A Small Plastic Bag for “Treasures”   If you find a perfect sand dollar you may not want to throw it back. Interesting rocks and shells make great souvenirs but make sure that there are no ocean creatures using them for a home before you decide to make them to yours.
9. A Mesh Bag for Wet Towels & Clothes   The mesh will allow you shake out more sand so that you don’t end up with a private beach in the trunk of your car.
10. A Beach Chair   Sitting without support can be hard on the back and laying down for hours can get uncomfortable. A beach chair can be folded up for easy transport and comes with a carrying strap.

Bonus:

  11.  Your Room Key  Leave it at the front desk of your hotel for when you

         return.  Carrying it to the beach makes you vulnerable to having would be

         thieves find it and use it to enter your room in your absence.

For many more Stress Free Family Travel Tips check out our website!

Smooth Sailing,

Paula Farris

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Since we can no longer pack liquids in our carry on luggage when we fly we need to take extra precautions when we pack our checked baggage.  I used to recommend that you pack your toiletries in your carry on luggage so in case your luggage gets lost you will at least have the essentials.  Just in case your bags do get lost I'd suggest that you pack some extra spending money in case you have to purchase a new toothbrush at the nearest store. 

While packing liquid items in with all your clothing and other items place them in zipper top plastic bag or some other waterproof, leak proof container.  Push all the air out of the bag and just to be safe put the original bag inside of another plastic bag.  Changes in air pressure during a flight can cause bottles and cans to do strange things.  Be sure to take extra precautions so that ruining all your clothing isn't one of them. 

Smooth Sailing,

Paula Farris

http://www.PaulaFarris.goldphoria.com

PS For all you Lefties out there Happy National Left-Handers Day!  I hope you celebrated well. 

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I was browsing at the library the other night and I came across a section of books on stress.  There were titles like Managing Stress, Children and Stress and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Stress Management.  Maybe I didn't browse long enough, but I didn't see any titles about eleminating stress. 

It seems, though, that Americans thrive on stress.  (Perhaps other nationalities do as well, but I only know about America.)  We overschedule our children, over commit ourselves, accumulate too much stuff, over extend our credit . . .  I could go on, but it seems to me that life is stressful enough without ADDING stessors to our days.  Like the Serenity Prayer says, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. " 

Planning ahead and preparing for a family trip is something you CAN change.  Whether it is a last minute, emergency, cross country flight or a dash to the grocery store Stress Free Family Travel desires to help you "Change" the stress of Family Travel. 

Would you be so kind as to leave us a comment and tell us how we can help you to do that?  We appreciate your help!

Smooth Sailing,

Paula Farris

http://www.PaulaFarris.goldphoria.com

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By the time you read this you probably won't be standing in a seemingly endless line dreading the fact that you will have to use some of your vacation budget to replace all the toiletries that were packed in your carry on bag.  As if travel wasn't stressful enough already some terrorist group had to go and crank it up a notch.  I am so thankful they didn't succeed!

This just serves to remind us that we always need to be on our guard.  There are "bad guys" in this world whose main goal is to destroy other people's lives.  While we need to trust people, (otherwise we would go through life fearful and miserable) we also need to be sure to take precautions with our lives and the lives of our loved ones. 

I wouldn't even presume to be able to prtect you from something as heinous as a terrorist attack, but I have posted an article on my website that will make your next car trip a little safer.  The tips in this article on Travel Safety will help you whether you are driving across town or across the country.  You can read it here:  http://www.paulafarris.goldphoria.com/page/page/3756006.htm

Stay safe everyone!  And take a moment to thank God that we averted disaster this time!

Smooth Sailing!

Paula Farris 

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Yesterday I mentioned that we usually cook all of our meals when we stay at my Mom's Time Share Resort.  While those suites have fully equipped, albeit small, kitchens most motel rooms barely have a microwave and a refrigerator.  So how is it possible to "cook" in one of those?  Here are a few suggestions:

Serve wraps instead of sandwiches. Using a tortilla instead of bread not only saves packing space, but it also minimizes crumbs. And tortillas aren’t as likely to get squished as a loaf of bread is.

Everything from bowls to knives can be bought in a disposable form nowadays. While you may not choose to use these items at home they may be the perfect solution to washing your dishes in a bathtub that has been used by many different people.

For a fun treat serve breakfast cereal in plastic bags with a cup of milk to drink. You might even “splurge” on the sugar kind.

If you have a microwave you could just serve TV Dinners to everyone, but keep in mind that you will probably be limited to only warming one at a time. This could make dinner time last an hour or longer.

• Here are some alternatives:
  • Baked Potatoes complete with butter, sour cream, chives & bacon bits
  • Fry some bacon for BLT’s
  • A Family Pack Frozen Meal. These come in a variety of microwaveable choices.
  • Quesadillas served with chopped lettuce, sliced tomato, sour cream, guacamole, chopped green onions & sliced olives.  Most of these can be purchased pre-packaged or prepared ahead of time and stored in zipper top bags in your cooler.

What does your family do for meals on the road?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

Smooth Sailing!

Paula in AZ

ANNOUNCING!!!  Our brand new website!!!  It isn't completely finished, yet, but we do have some interesting and helpful info there.  Let me know what you think. 

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For many families money causes a whole lot of stress (and not just when it comes to traveling!)  To ease the pain we have found a few ways to enjoy a vacation while exploring our own "backyard." 

We trade dog-sitting services with my Mom while she travels in exchange for a week at her timeshare resort.  The resort offers a large suite with a complete kitchen and we cook many of our own meals.  It takes a little creativity with the limited space and minimal utensils, but it sure saves a bundle of money.

The resort also features family activities for low or no cost.  Our children have participated in a checkers tournament and won a movie rental, roasted s'mores and played organized, supervised games poolside.  We also take several board games and card games to enjoy with our family or with new found friends.

The downtown area of large cities usually offers numerous family-friendly adventures.  Downtown Phoenix is referred to a Copper Square.  It has a free shuttle bus that circles the Square  .  We have paid $3.00 to park our car in a parking lot caught the shuttle and enjoyed an entire afternoon of free fun.  We visited the Arizona Rock and Mineral Museum, the Wesley Bolin Plaza featuring outdoor monuments including the anchor from the USS Arizona that was sunk in Pearl Harbor, and the State Capitol Museum.  We also rode the elevator to the top of the County Courthouse and looked through the windows at the tiny, little people and cars. 

There are ways to enjoy a trip without stressing about the finances.  The object of getting away is to relax.  Reward yourself by indulging in that novel you never have time for or get an exciting book on tape from the library to share with the whole family every night before bed. 

With a little bit of thought and planning you can avoid Vacation Sticker Shock and actually enjoy a good time.

Smooth Sailing!

Paula in AZ

PS Do you have any free or low cost ideas for travel fun?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

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An interesting turn events "made" my traveling decision for me.  It turns out that my new niece is going to have a new cousin in February!  Yes, at the age of 39 I am pregnant--again!  :-)  Driving for long hours, attempting to sleep on the floor and sleep deprivation was not something I needed to subject myself to at this time.  There will be other trip opportunities, but right now I will be sticking a little closer to home. 

I do have a trip planned to the Pinetop/Lakeside communities in Northern Arizona in October.  This will be one of the most stress free trips I have ever taken because I will be traveling with a bunch of ladies for a three day retreat!  I can hardly wait!

If you ever have the chance to travel in Northern Arizona go for it!  It is absolutely gorgeous country.  I remember taking Sunday afternoon road trips to Alpine, Springerville & Hannagan's Meadow as a child.  It was such a refreshing change from the desert town where I grew up I thought it had to be some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. 

One of the keys to Stress Free Family Travel is to go someplace that is totally different from what you are used to.  If you are city dwellers, travel to the country.  If you live in the middle of nowhere go where you will be surrounded by people.  Look for adventure and point out to your children things they would not normally see and experience. 

For ideas on how to Enjoy the Journey as Much as the Destination check out my ebook at http://www.StressFreeFamilyTravel.com

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As much as I enjoy traveling and exploring new places, especially when I get to go with just my daughter and myself, it isn't always easy to take advantage of travel opportunities.  I was offered an all-expense paid trip to Colorado Springs in July for me and my daughter, but so far the cons are outweighing the pros on whether or not I should go.  Here is my list:

PROS

• It is much cooler in Colorado Springs in July than it is in Phoenix.
• I would get to see two of my sisters AND my brand new niece who was born May 23!
• It won't cost me anything.
• I would have an entire week of unstructured time to explore and to do research for my website.

CONS

• I would have to be a chaperone for some teens traveling to a youth camp.
• I may have to sleep on the floor on the nights during our travel time.
• I would have to attempt to sleep (Did I mention it would  be on the floor?) with giggling teenage girls.
• The departure date falls the day after my state's homeschool convention so I will already be worn out.
• I won't be home to keep up on my obligations here.
• I will put an added burden on my husband who will have to do my part of our home business as well as his own.
• I will have little time to recover after the trip because I have a major project already planned for the month of August.
• I will have to do A LOT of driving which really tires me out.
• My sisters will be working during the day so I won't get to spend much time with them.
• I will either have to rent a car or drive around in a 15 passenger van all week--not fun!

Well, traveling isn't always stress free, but I hope that this blog and my website will help to make YOUR travels easier! 

If there is a travel situation that you could use some help with I'd love to hear about it!

Paula

http://www.StressFreeFamilyTravel.com

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