A Few Random Traveling Tips

Still on vacation. Here are a few things that I've learned in my travels.

• If you want to save money, leave your wallet at home. Occasionally I see souvenirs that I might buy, but I never want them so bad to track down my husband and get him to pay for them. (I didn't plan this one, but sure is effective. Still don't recommend it because it's such a pain.)
• Never purchase the kids meals from Taco Bell. A kids meal consists of a cheese roll-up, cinnamon twists and a Caprisun- $4.49 (and it doesn't come with a toy). Separately, a cheese roll-up is $0.89, the cinnamon twists are $0.89 and I have a bunch of Caprisuns in my cooler that I got for $0.10 each.
• Have change ready for tollways. This is a new thing for us Utahs. We had a small amount of cash ready for them, but we weren't expecting the one last night that wanted 30 cents.
• Have small prizes for the kids. We have been driving across the country and we don't own a portable DVD player. (Shocking, I know.) Every morning my kids get a small prize to play with. If they behave well they will get a second one in the afternoon. I've been a little surprised at how well this one has been working. Some of the things I've packed in the "prize bag": coloring books, picture books, small cars, blow-up pool toys, hair ribbons, and sticker books. On the first day they each got a bigger prize to play with on the trip (a Barbie and a firetruck sound puzzle).
• Being trapped in the car is a great time to just enjoy your kids. We discovered that my son can give a hilarious 15-minute rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle". Yesterday we played a game with my daughter where each person took turns making up part of a story. (What's that game called anyway?) It was fun to hear the things that she came up with.
• Be flexible. We've made changes to our plans as we go, and it's all good.