Back in the fall I took an adventurous road trip with my mom, daughter and (at the time) 2 month old. We drove from Florida to Maine... more about that later. Why I start with that is because I think that trip is what gave me more confidence in being a mom of 2 children, it kicked off the change of being a stay at home mom, and also made me realize that traveling is something totally doable with kids!
DC Bound
My husband got a random week off before Christmas this year and I knew that if we stayed at home we would just putter around the house and find random activities to do through the week. I got to thinking about different road trips and the Maine trip was still a little too fresh (not in a bad way). I checked out some random flights and came across some great prices to Washington DC... An all American experience, PLUS my sister lives there! SO this is how we did it...
Airbnb
After seeing the tickets I checked out where we would stay. A family of 4 isn't as easy to be like "hey can we just stay with you for a few days?" Nope! SO I started looking at Airbnb. (We stayed in a place through Airbnb when we went to Maine and had a great experience.) WELL there were TONS of listings in DC. We looked them over and settled on one that was within walking distance to my sister's apartment in the Adams Morgan neighborhood.
Tips when finding a place to stay:
*I've found Airbnb to be a very personalized experience and most landlords/owners are very accommodating, willing to help, and answer questions.
Another plus about having an entire apartment to stay- the kids can go to sleep and you still have a place to hang out. It was nice coming back to our little "home" each night being able to relax, and have dinner (we either got take out or made dinner each night). All while the kids can have their own space to play and move around.
Tips when finding a place to stay:
- Near the metro
- Google image the street before booking
- Read the reviews
- Make sure you are getting the "entire house/apartment" not just a room
- Ask the owner any questions you might have
*I've found Airbnb to be a very personalized experience and most landlords/owners are very accommodating, willing to help, and answer questions.
Another plus about having an entire apartment to stay- the kids can go to sleep and you still have a place to hang out. It was nice coming back to our little "home" each night being able to relax, and have dinner (we either got take out or made dinner each night). All while the kids can have their own space to play and move around.
Takin' on DC
We wanted to see as many monuments and as many sightseeing things that we could. That being said, we planned this trip without a rental car (utilize public transportation and walk), and stroller. The only thing I would have done differently was to bring a stroller. The metro was great though.
Tips to see lots of things:
*The Big Bus Tour- we were able to see EVERYTHING via the tour. It was around $50 but WELL worth the money. You can hop on and off the bus and any of the monuments, museums or shopping spots. Busses run throughout the day so you are able to get back on whenever you want (about every 20 minutes) Another reason, it can be used as a form of transportation. Our ticket was a 2 day ticket so we saw the monuments one day and used it to travel the next day. (You can sometimes negotiate pricing and adding days with them).
Tips to see lots of things:
- Plan your days out ahead of time
- Buy a Big Bus Tour pass! (I'll explain why)*
- Divide your days into categories such as museums, monuments, zoo, shopping
- Wear your walking shoes
- Download a map of the Metro stops
*The Big Bus Tour- we were able to see EVERYTHING via the tour. It was around $50 but WELL worth the money. You can hop on and off the bus and any of the monuments, museums or shopping spots. Busses run throughout the day so you are able to get back on whenever you want (about every 20 minutes) Another reason, it can be used as a form of transportation. Our ticket was a 2 day ticket so we saw the monuments one day and used it to travel the next day. (You can sometimes negotiate pricing and adding days with them).
What to see
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Packing Light
This par I took on as a challenge. We packed 1 large suitcase for the adults and a carry-on size for the kids. Items we had to lug to and from the airport- 2 suitcases, a car seat, baby bag, laptop bag. This amount of stuff was manageable with both of us. We had a car seat puller (in the first picture) that was useful for in the airport and to pull the heavy car seat. Not so useful along the hilly uneven streets of DC with a child in it, but easy without. We also made use of our baby carriers through the trip. We own a Beco Toddler carrier and a Beco Gemini. Both of these carriers were very useful through the trip.
Personally I packed as light as possible with outfits that would be used in many different ways... Here they are:
Personally I packed as light as possible with outfits that would be used in many different ways... Here they are:
Traveling with kids is not as daunting as it may seem. It takes a lot of energy but is very doable. You will be glad you did it in the end. I can't wait to go back to DC. It is a city with endless things to do, see and places to eat! Safe travels and cheers!