Plan-Remember

30 Things to Purchase, Bring or Do Before You Arrive
1. Sunscreen, Sunscreen, Sunscreen

2. Waterproof Poncho, get one for each member of your family. Get the ones that fit in
your pocket. You can pick up some at the local WalMart for about $2. Looking in the
Camping Section of the store.

3. Pack a suitcase inside a suitcase. As with any trip you will want to make sure you
have room for those extra items. If you are staying at a home or condo, pack only 1/2
the clothes you would expect to need because you can wash them there.

4. For children, purchase CLEAR vinyl backpacks. This really helps the children look for
a toy or book without pulling everything out of the backpack.

5. Make copies of ALL your documents, including Driver's License, Itinerary, Tickets
(front and back), the backs of your credit cards and insurance cards. Put all these in a
safe place upon arrival. If you loose you wallet, you will have some comfort to know
that you can take care business. In many cases, the parks will reissue your admission
tickets for the remaining day and cancel the other tickets. You might need to file a
police report if you are planning on flying to insure you can get back on the airlines.

6. A roll of quarter for the toll roads.

7. Phone Card for Long Distant Phone Calls.

8. Good Walking Shoes. If you choose to wear sandal, be sure they have a heal strap.

9. Small First Aid Kit (make sure it includes large band aids for scraped knees).

10. Fanny pack or small backpack

11. Print Address labels for Postcards

12. A set of stamps

13. A binder with clear pocket sheets that holds itineraries, maps and other related
items.

14. Goodie Bags for the kids. If you are traveling in a car or on a plane make a few little
goodie bags with a special snack (preferable non-sugar snack), water bottle and an
activity. The local dollar store should be able to fill them easily. DO NOT USE BEADS AS
AN ACTIVITY! I don't know what I was thinking when I did, it was a huge mess.

15. Individual portions of trail mix or snack cracker. We have found, while traveling
with kids, Complex Carbohydrates & Protein snacks (Cheese Sticks, Pretzels, Nuts,
Crackers) help keep the kids in better moods and are able to better manage the long
travel times.

16. If you need bottles or sipper cups and are flying, buy some that have handles. One
time we were traveling and 5 minutes into the flight our son threw his sipper cup away.
It rolled about 15 feet before someone was kind enough to retrieve it for me.

17. Regardless of where you are staying, bring at least 2 loads worth of laundry
detergent, dryer sheets and quarters. You just never know when something might
happen.

18. Insect repellent.

19. Large Brim Hats for the whole family. Pick a coordinating color so you can "Count
Heads" quickly. Kids love the "Aussie" style hats and they are unique enough that you
will not see too many. Whatever you do, do not pick a blue or red baseball caps.

20. Small Children do not need to be exactly alike, but should coordinate in some
manner as to make them easily identifiable. We have found neon colors work great and
the kids love them.

21. If you are looking for a fun activity for the kids to do prior to the trip, have them
paint t-shirts and painter's caps. Trust me, you will never loose the kids in a crowd.
Michael's has t-shirts for $5 and painter's hats for $1.

22. For small children, bring a stroller AND a sling or backpack style child carrier. You
will need both. The best investment we made was a stroller that converted into a
backpack style carrier, it was GREAT! Use the following link
http://www.childcarriers.com/style-pack-stroller-conversion.htm They have all the
models available.

23. Small Notepad and Pen

24. Pay all bills prior to arrival. I am just as guilt as the next. "Oh, I will just mail them
when I get there." What do I find a week later.... the bills, still in my purse.

25. Books on CD or Tape for the car rides. For kids and adults alike we have found this
a wonderful asset. You can check them out at your local library.

26. A digital thermometer and a fever reducing medicine such as Tylenol or Advil for
adults and children. Your know your child is warm, but how warm? Ear infections tend
to creep up at the most unfortunate times.

27. Anti-diarrhea medicine, antihistamine and Solarcaine (for those who forgot the
sunscreen).

28. Go to Walmart and purchase a few gallons of bottled water to drink. The water in
Orlando tastes horrible. Some grocery stores have refilling stations for 25 cents a
gallon.

29. In Orlando, purchase a $5 cooler at Walmart or bring a collapsible one from home.

30. Cheap Beach Towel. Most Lodging will not allow you to take their towels from the
property or the room, besides that they are usually very small. Purchase a few cheap
towels just to have for impromptu picnics, "stake you claim" at a water park, or to use
as a pillow in the back seat.