🌞 The vacation gazette (and the parents who manage it) No. 1

EDITION 1 we pack up (not our sanity)

Is the big departure coming up soon?

Is there light at the end of the tunnel (or maybe just the sun's reflection on the windshield)?

Summer is approaching , suitcases are piling up, children are stamping their feet... in short, pure joy

We know that going on vacation with little ones who want applesauce every 12 minutes and lose their socks at every stop is both a huge joy and a real logistical challenge , so here are some tips for a smooth departure... and a guaranteed (serene) arrival. Enough to make your life easier between overflowing suitcases, overexcited children and a vague but promising itinerary...

Traveling of course starts with the art of packing a suitcase ... or how to fit 42 useless items into a tiny bag! Or what we think is essential but will never take out: The 4th swimsuit “just in case”, the 6 pairs of socks even though they will be in flip-flops non-stop, the board games in a box (guess what, no, we don’t play Monopoly at 10 p.m. in a 20m² mobile home)

Let's not lie to ourselves: packing for the whole family is a sport, BUT there is a secret technique: bags.

And guess what? Mezame bedding sets come in pretty fabric pouches… which make perfect suitcase pouches! One pouch for swimsuits , one for day 1 outfits, another for pajamas … We tidy, we sort, we prevent everything from exploding when we open it, and we try to be self-sufficient (on a misunderstanding)

Before leaving, prepare a small pencil case for each child with: stickers, markers, a mini-book, figurines or cards. (To pull out at a restaurant, in traffic, or generally when the "I'm bored" feeling arises.)

Team tip: Keep a pillowcase (or two) handy for dirty laundry. It takes up zero space and prevents your little one's shorts from smelling up the entire suitcase...

Whether you're leaving for 3 hours or 12 (bravely), welcome to the real adventure of a family vacation : the journey, the one that transforms normally functional adults into entertainers.
Welcome to the land of the car seat, the strategic bathroom break, and the playlist everyone hates except the person who chose it.

We must not forget that the journey is part of the trip, we do not travel like suitcases.
So with a little anticipation and a good dose of flexibility, even the kilometers can become fun memories (or at least not too painful).

And between us: if everyone arrives alive, relatively calm and with their two socks on, that's already a victory.

First of all, we stick our favorite sticker to warn other road users that they shouldn't stick their noses in our ass.

Next, no trip is complete without a strategic stock of snacks . Choose: Dried fruit or bars (nothing that melts), compotes to drink, water (no juice, unless you like sticky seats for life) and of course a little bonus something for critical moments (like traffic jams in Valencia)

Then life change, we take the mini ciao bazar in the car, place it at the feet of each child in the car. This will be their “personal junk space”: books, cap, tissues, plastic dinosaur, treasure picked up at the motorway service station … everything goes. Result: you limit the chaos, and you won’t have to dismember yourself to find the little man who fell on the ground at the other end of the car. (Don’t hesitate to take a diaper with you either, it’s always useful)

The tips for earplugs & soundtrack , a good playlist, an audiobook, a series of stories or even a family karaoke session (when you just want silence or podcasts about sleep) It's happening here

Some magical games to kill time (save time)

• 1, 2, 3 animal: each person thinks of an animal, the others ask questions
• The Wacky Object Game: “You’re a fork, what are you doing in the jungle?”
• Tell me a story with gaps: “Once upon a time there was a… (the child chooses), who lived in…
• We're looking for words that begin with each letter of the alphabet, in order. (A for Highway, we avoid it because in their minds it begins with an O! B for Traffic Jam, C for... all the way to Z for Zebra!)
• Together, we invent a story, and each person adds a sentence in turn. “Once upon a time, there was a beaver who lived in a suitcase.” “One day, he decided to go to the supermarket on roller skates.” “But he had forgotten his wallet…”

Break time (we leave with all our children)

Express picnic, with challenges (find a red flower / invent a name for a cloud) in complete comfort on your mat

Highway rest area treasure hunt: look for a stuffed cow, a person in flip-flops, a funny sign, and it also works while driving highway bingo!

There you go, you're ready... Or almost. Because you're never really ready for a 7-hour drive with three mini-passengers, but with a little humor, some compotes, and a lot of love, it should go (well)... and if we survive that, we're ready for Koh-Lanta.