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Travel Tips
East Coast Travel Tips
1. Be advised that most museums are closed on Mondays and major holidays.
2. Call ahead before planning your outing because some museums are seasonal and staffed by volunteers. Hours usually reflect these conditions.
3. Museum hours at universities usually follow the schedule of the school. Parking is a bit more complicated so call ahead to find out the logistics.
4. Have your children collect at least one item from the outing. Make a scrapbook of these souvenirs.
5. If you can, plan on visiting the museums during the afternoon. I have found that they are not as crowded at this time because schools usually bring in their groups during morning hours. Plus, many of the curators are available to answer your multiple questions.
6. If you have a laptop, purchase the Rand McNally StreetFinder GPS for Laptop PCs for $99. This will eliminate your need to stop at the gas stations to ask for directions from an unknowing, just-started-working-there clerk. Also, the price for this system is low as opposed to purchasing one of the Garmin GPS systems, which have small screens. This will also aid in locating you if for some reason your vehicle breaks down. You will be able to tell the person you called to get you right where you happen to be.
7. Take along books on CD and audiotape. Furnish your children with personal CD and cassette players and headphones so they can listen while you drive. And, if you get your CDs and tapes from your local library, you won't incur any cost.
8. Consider purchasing a 9-inch TV/VCR combo for your vehicle. That way, your kids can watch their favorite movies, plus you can incorporate some learning as well. Dee Jay learned Spanish and Lindsey learned her phonics by watching videos, all while I was driving.
9. Take advantage of rest areas along the way. This gives you a good opportunity to get out of the vehicle and relax for a while.
10. Don't load up your car with snacks and treats. When you stop at rest areas and gas stations, if your kids are like mine, they will want a treat each and every time which means you will wind up spending more money than you anticipated. I personally spend about $5 in snacks, buying only what we eat out of the vending machines (depending on the trip, it could be once or twice each way). It not only saves money, it gives the kids an opportunity to try out different items during the trip.
11. Map out your trip on the Internet. The Internet has up-to-date information about road construction and delays. We usually take 65 South to Florida, but when I planned our trip on the Internet, the directions took me on an alternate route that allowed us to avoid the construction (which in turn saved a great deal of time).
12. Keep a journal of your travels. Maybe a book will be the result of your adventures too!
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