Jif Helps Make Family Traveling Smoother

Congratulations to our winners, Debbie K and Margaret Y! A big thank you to everyone for participating!

I WONNNNNNNNNNNNN! I have tears in my eyes. I just can't believe I won something so nice! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks for making a crappy week great! :)

WOHOOOOO!!!!!! I WON!!!!!!!!! I WON!!!!!!! I WON!!!!!!

I'm going away in two weeks for a media event!!!! IT would TOTALLY ROCK if we got this in time for our trip!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH MOM CENTRAL AND JIF!!!!!! You just made one Momma SOOOOOOOOOOOOO very happy today!!!!! What amazing news!!!

Debbie Kinkade
Lucas's Journey w/SPD
http://lucasjourneyspd.blogspot.com

im curious to see who won too :)

haha, agreed! Were there any winners ever chosen?

finger crossed!

So was there a winner ever selected? My fingers and toes are getting a little sore from being crossed for so long, haha. Thanks again though!!! :)

make a loooooooong list of all the stuff you need to remember to bring. start packing early because you ALWAYS run out of time and end up leaving late because of it.

take the kids on a trip to the bookstore and have them buy some books for the ride and also some books about the area we are visiting (for visits to foreign countries and such). They really enjoy this and learn a thing or 2 in the process. Never pass on a chance to have your kids learn something without them even knowing it!

find a pet-sitter with lots of time to spare because in the summer all the ones we've used have been too busy and its been a hassle. thanks for the awesome giveaway

We make sure to pack in advance, so we have more time to realize what we forgot! Also, remember to bring enough cash for your trip!

make sure you pack plenty of water, snacks, hand sanitizer, wipes, soap and toilet paper. Bring along a lot of music and games to keep everyone entertained. thanks :)

lots and lots of great tips on here. Add me to the list crowd (sorry i know i know! ) but lists are an absolute must for family vacations, especially when you have little kids as they cant seem to remember anything and then they pout when they realize they forgot something they really wanted to bring.

lets see, getting ready for family vacations.... I think a big thing we do is to have lots of discussion time about what we want to do and what we specifically want to visit while on vacation. Then when we get there we know exactly where to go and its much easier to decide to get up and go somewhere else since we;ve already planned it out. thanks so much for the giveaway! a gps and those yummy snacks would be great for our next family vacation!

add me to the list of people who think making lists is very important when planning a family vacation. I know there are lots of other things, but list-making takes the top prize in the priorities list. Its the only way you can add some order and planning into an otherwise very hectic process.

pack with lots of time so that you wont rush and forget things. If you pack something and need it for something else, make sure you put it back.

unplug all electrical devices so they dont blow a circuit if the electricity goes out and comes back on with a surge. we've lost a tv and vcr this way.

use the marvelous information gold mine that is the internet to plan out trips. I prefer online sources even more than printed guides because guides can be out-dated.

have a fun planning experience, since that part of the trip too. I like getting everyone involved as much as possible and having them plan out their own things so they feel included and can also pick things they want to do that i would otherwise have no idea they wanted to do in the first place.

that gps and auto zone card would come in handy....

but to prepare for family vacations we always give everyone a list of what they need to bring and they have to save the list for the next year so they dont keep forgetting the same things every year. Also, make sure you plan things out in the comfort of your home. Its pretty hard to get restaurant and hotel reservations sitting in a parking lot somewhere trying to call a dozen places.

i like going to my local library and taking out guide books and videos and going over them with time so that I can learn as much as possible about our destination. I feel its important to not be ignorant and this way you'll get much more out of your experience.

have everyone in the family do their own research and go over what everyone wants to do over dinner. This always gives us great ideas about what to do and is a great excuse to have family time.

i have a list that i keep on my computer that i update every ear with new things. this saves lots of time and keeps things a little more organized.

We dont!! we grab some food and go!!

make lists of everything, this makes me remember what i need to bring and cuts down on the number of things i forget.

make reservations far ahead of time so you get first dibs on best rooms and if it's busy travel season, so you know you'll have somewhere to sleep.

sit down with the kids and talk to them about they want to do and where they want to spend the most time. This ensures they feel like they are part of the process too.

i like planning everything to the hour. this makes things go way more smoothly and you dont waste time figuring out where you want to go.

make long lists of all the things you must remember. Keep these lists you make every year to save work each time you have to think of what to bring. It also helps to write down things you forgot so you wont forget them next time. Thank you!

plan a surprise stop for the kids halfway through the trip. A mini golf or a quick drive in movie is always a big hit.

For family vacations, we pack all the necessities, diaper bag packed, and then extra snacks and games/activities for the kids. We also always make a good CD for the road!

have the kids be the ones in charge of their own entertainment and have them pack their own toys. This way if they get bored they can only blame themselves for not bringing certain things.

make sure the kids have alot to do and to make sure the adults get a good nights sleep the night before.

Take a cooler with food and drinks so you don’t have to stop at convience stores and pay high prices. make sure that if you have kids you take some travel games with for them or paper and crayons so that they can draw.

do lots of research either in guides or online before leaving. Plan everything way ahead of time. You get way better deals on hotels and flights this way.

have a family member in charge of one specific part of packing. Someone can pack beach things, someone else the snacks, etc. This makes it less work for the mom :-)

I'm another person in dire need of a GPS. Ours broke about 2 years ago and we've been using printouts from google maps since then and let me tell you, i'm terrible with directions. As you can probably guess, we've gotten lost so many times and wasted precious time in the process. This would be amazing to win! But to prepare for vacations we do a lot of what has already been mentioned. We make lists of all the stuff we need to bring and we make sure we pack ahead of time and aren't rushed at any point since thats when mistakes are made. I also like to pack snacks and meals for the road so we don't need to stop along the way and we can have cold drinks right in the car. All i need to do is ask one of the kids to get me a nice cold can of soda from the cooler in the back. It's like having my own bartender, hah! But thanks so much for the giveaway!

I prepare my family for a trip away from home by packing a week prior to us leaving. I know, I know...it sounds lame, but the extra time I have from the time I finish packing to the time we leave for our trip...I think of so many things I forgot to pack. That extra week comes in handy in this household, trust me. I dread packing for a trip though...I'm always scared I'll forget something useful or something that can't be purchased away from home. UGH...anxiety!
I truly hope I win this giveaway, I really, really, really, really, really, need that Garmin GPS device SO BAD! I'm horrible at directions and owning this Garmin GPS device would come in so useful. I PRAY I win!
Thank you Mom Central & Jif for this awesome giveaway. I appreciate your generosity. =)
kimbuckjr@yahoo.com

I have to have a list that I can check off to ensure we have everything needed. You can never be too prepared with 2 young kids!

I pack water and snack bars, fruits, sunscreen, favorite magazines, mp3 players and walking shoes.

I prepare for a family outing by asking the kids what's one thing they want to do or see on vacation. I work their idea in along the way and that way everyone is happy.

plan some surprise stops along the way to keep everyone happy and give people a chance to stretch their legs if the ride is a long one.

talk to friends and family who have perhaps gone before and get valuable info from them on what to do and where to visit. Also make sure you bring some travel guides with you. Don't trust your brain to remember all the things in it so always have it with you. Thank you.

I prepare by writing a list for weeks ahead of time. I then start getting everything together the week we are leaving. I also have my husband check the ar to make sure everything is good to go.. I also go to AAA to get a Map so we know where all the construction is..Then is just a matter of packing and getting on the road/

make a list of everything you need to bring so you dont forget. thank youuuuuuu!!!!

When we plan a family vacation, we start talking to the kids about the area, places we will see, wildlife, etc. Then we make packing lists to try to ensure we don't forget anything (although we still manage to usually forget something) and start planning what we will do each day. If the trip requires a lot of time in the car, I pack a special "car bag" of new books, toys, etc. for the kids to enjoy while we travel to help reduce their boredom in the car.

how about packing a positive and exciting attitude for a fun trip! lol, but i like making sure everyone is as excited for the trip as I am and I do this by printing out reviews and guides and having my family read them,

arrange to have someone you trust stop by and check in on your home while you are gone. thanks for the giveaway :)

fun prize pack there. when preparing for family trips we like sitting at the computer together and researching things we want to make sure we do. its fun family time and we get some good information as well. Thank you!