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Beach or Snow? Adventurous or Relaxing? Local or Destination? Let’s be honest – The first thing on every parents’ mind when booking a vacation is how safe will it be? We want to pick the right destination, hotel or house, transportation, and experience that will make our kids happy while also keeping them safe! After traveling so much over the past few years with our family, there are a few things I’ve learned about planning the perfect getaway. These are my 5 tips for a safer and happier winter family getaway.
Safety Research!
Preparedness is the only way to ensure a safe and enjoyable family vacation. We’ve taken a few last-minute trips – and compared to our better researched or planned ones, they haven’t been as enjoyable. Doing your research before going on a family trip is the key. Knowing what you’re getting into will help you know how to handle emergency situations.
Here are a few key things to research before jetting off on your family getaway:
- Insurance policy – do you have travel insurance? What does it cover? Especially if you are staying in a rental home, you need to know what insurance is going to cover in case of incidentals or an emergency.
- The destination – are you going somewhere family-friendly? You can easily check if somewhere is family-friendly by looking up family travel reviews of the destination. If you find lots of reviews chances are it’s a great choice!
- News articles – are there any wide-spread illnesses in your destination? Are people continuously being injured? Is there a high crime rate? Checking to see if any other families or reporters are noting indicators of danger can help you prepare or better plan a family trip.
From my research, I’ve found a few safety tools I like to bring along in my suitcase to make things feel safer. The most recent is the First Alert Tabletop Carbon Monoxide Alarm. I can pack it in my suitcase (or even my purse) and bring it with me everywhere we go!
Choose a Rented Home Over a Hotel Room
We’ve recently fallen in love with rented guest homes. Staying in a hotel used to be really fun and easy. Now that we have kids, we want to feel more relaxed and at home. We can rent a house in our decided upon destination and feel like we’re still at home. I love this option when traveling with kids because of the space. Kids need a LOT of space to feel comfortable – which hotels don’t really have. I don’t know about your kids, but mine love to each pack a full suitcase of their favorite toys to immediately explode all over the living room.
Prepare Your Rented Home for Your Family
Just like you baby and kid-proof your home, you need to kid-proof your rented property. While the ones that we typically choose are family-friendly, I do bring my own safety kit along to help prevent and prepare for emergencies. When we travel with the little ones a few things I like to bring with us are:
- First Alert Tabletop Carbon Monoxide Alarm – it’s a no brainer. While required by law, some rental properties don’t have the proper CO monitor or any monitor at all. Also, being a rental property we shouldn’t assume that home maintenance is regularly performed. It’s better to be safe than sorry especially when it comes to your family’s safety. Carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless and the only way to detect it is by installing CO alarms. The First Alert Tabletop Carbon Monoxide Alarm detects dangerous levels of CO and alerts your family if CO is detected. Also, no installation is required. Simply activate the CO alarm and place it on a tabletop, perfect for on the go! Click HERE to shop.
- Door Stoppers – I like the open door policy. I never trust what my kids are doing behind a closed door and I sense destruction. Door stoppers keep all doors open and help me keep eyes on my kids at all times.
- Socks with Full Bottom Grips – slips and slides happen. Most rental properties have tile or wood floors. When are kids get crazy and start to run around socks with full bottom grips prevent falls.
- Door Security Bar – like our CO prevention, the door security bar also helps prevent emergencies – from both kids escaping and strangers coming in.
Keep the Family Occupied
Things tend to get off track when kids have time to just sit around and explore. Kids LOVE getting into everything and anything, and everything looks like a toy. They can sometimes get into things that they shouldn’t that could be dangerous. The pull or a level or push of a button could set off something that could lead to a dangerous situation. I like to make sure my kids bring enough toys and activities to keep them occupied in our rental home.
Monika’s Favorite Tip: Stop into a dollar store beforehand and pick up some coloring books, puzzles, art kits, and more. Even with a limited budget, you can find some fun activities to keep the family busy.
Understand the Need to Prepare for the Worst
While you might push certain emergencies to the back of your mind, the truth is that they can still happen. The same issues that arise in your own home, can also occur in your family’s vacation home. Being prepared for fires, carbon monoxide leaks, intruders and more. With the First Alert Tabletop Carbon Monoxide Alarm, the battery lasts up to 10 years (talk about being prepared!). You can bring all of your safety preparedness measures with you for years to come.
Bonus Tip: Let Loose and Have Fun!
Of course! While traveling on a winter getaway with your family, don’t forget to let loose and have fun. After being prepared for the worst to happen and bringing safety devices like the First Alert Tabletop CO Alarm, you deserve a little break. Your family is safe and it’s time to have fun!
For more safety tips for your family – click HERE.
Click HERE to shop the First Alert product line.
