Family Guide to Almost Free Travel by Leana Storts - HTML preview

Why Things are Guaranteed to Go Wrong When Traveling With Kids

That really goes for all travel, but especially with family. I usually say if 90 percent of things on the trip go right, I consider it a success. With little kids, one really needs to lower it to more like 70 percent. You have a bigger chance of someone getting sick, more things being forgotten or lost and so on. That's why I recommend that most families with limited savings buy travel insurance, just in case. You can get a quote on www.insuremytrip.com

Our last trip to Canada was truly a comedy of errors.

We had to leave at 2:00 a.m. to go to the airport.  The battery in the van was dead. Somehow we jumpstarted the vehicle and managed to get going, though. The kids were cranky, and why wouldn't they be? My toddler loves airplanes, so I figured he would at least be excited to get on a plane. Well, as soon as he got in the main cabin, he turned to me and said: "Go home." We would hear those words for the next 4 days in different settings.

Because of the stress of getting out of the airplane, we forgot our Cares restraint system rental in the cabin. I had to pay $75 to the rental company. One of our jackets got lost in the madness. On the way to Banff, something hit the windshield of our rental van and made a small crack. I will not even mention all the stuff I forgot to pack.

In spite of all the craziness, the trip was a success. No one got sick or injured, we didn't miss airline connections and got home safely. We even managed to have fun.  So, remember the 70 percent rule when traveling with kids and try to enjoy every moment! Oh, and enjoy all those miles and points too!