Skip to main content

Routines on Vacation

We are visiting family this week, and one thing I’m prioritizing this week is sticking more to routines. I’ve always been intentional about this with the kids, but I haven’t always prioritized time to exercise, journal, read etc. while traveling. Partially this is due to the time change--when the kids don’t go to sleep until 9:30 or 10, it’s hard to get as much downtime. I also think that I feel like I should be more flexible or prioritize family time/exploring new places etc.

This week, I’m going to try to incorporate my usual rhythms when I can. I’m introverted, and I genuinely enjoy time to myself to recharge. I think by prioritizing the usual things I do to feel good, I will have more energy and enjoy the holiday more. I also think this will help me to be more patient with kids who are tired from traveling or feeling out of routine themselves

Yesterday I did my usual dance video, showered, and took a few minutes to write, which felt very grounding after a long travel day yesterday. My plan is to be flexible on exactly when these things occur but to look for little pockets of time to recharge. I am now VERY glad I prioritized this since last night included a very rough several hours of trying to get kids to sleep in a new time/space. I am so not a night person, and find it really difficult to stay patient when parenting past my bedtime.

Do you like to stick to some routines on vacation or when visiting family? What do you try to prioritize, and what do you let go of?
Labels:

Comments

  1. SarahNovember 24, 2025 at 10:39 AM

    As soon as kids get a bot older, it is NO PROBLEM to keep your self care routines going on trips, so do not fear-- this is a short-lived stage

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SamNovember 25, 2025 at 5:31 AM

      It's definitely gotten a little easier already, and I can see if it was just my 6-year-old, it would be a totally different scenario.

      Delete
  2. NicoleNovember 24, 2025 at 11:43 AM

    Those early years! They are busy. It really depends on where I am or what I'm doing - I always get my steps and yoga in, but other things I let float. Also if I'm visiting my parents, the "no wine on weekdays" policy immediately disappears.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SamNovember 25, 2025 at 5:32 AM

      I make a similar exception when visiting family!

      Delete
  3. MarthaNovember 24, 2025 at 12:21 PM

    I agree with what the others have said about the age being the tough part. I hope sticking with some of your routines will help, and I hope by this evening they are feeling a little more adjusted too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ErnieNovember 24, 2025 at 3:28 PM

    I remember getting kids to sleep somewhere new- we so frequently tried to save money and jam into one hotel room. That was um an adventure. One or two kids could not stop messing around.

    I’m glad you carved out time for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SamNovember 25, 2025 at 5:32 AM

      It's helpful to hear from people who have older/grown children!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What's Saving My Life: Sick Kid Edition

As I wrote yesterday, one of my daughters got sick, and so we didn’t make it to our camping trip! I had a really good attitude about it for most of the day and mostly felt grateful that she got sick at home and not 2 hours away, in the desert, where we would have to completely takedown a campsite before leaving. But by the afternoon, I was feeling a little grumpy and bummed to miss an adventure we’d been looking forward to and also cooped up from being inside all day with a kid who wasn’t feeling well. Inspired by San’s recent “Five Things That are Saving My Life Right Now” post, I decided to make my own list that was specific to sick days at home. In no particular order: *Emkfit videos on youtube. It’s awesome to have such a fun, silly, sweaty workout to do. I always feel happier having done the dance videos, and it really helps my mood on days when I’m at home a lot and restless *Good books. I posted earlier this week that October was not the best reading month for me, and so I spen...
11 comments
Read more

Adventures Big & Small

     Photos from a recent adventure       I just started listening to Tranquility by Tuesday  by Laura Vanderkam, and one of the ideas she mentioned was planning 2 adventures each week: one big and one small. As I was listening to her describe the rule, I thought about what I had planned this week and realized that I had a few adventures planned without thinking of them in that way. It really helped shift my mindset to realize that I do have some fun and novel things planned, and I'm curious to experiment with adding this to the routine, particularly as we are settling into a new city. I feel like I've plateaued a bit the last few weeks even though things are finally starting to feel settled down. I hit a point where I missed our Colorado friends and my old job, even if I feel like this move and taking time to be at home is right for us in the long run. Thinking through new adventures in this new phase of life is a way to balance some of this feel...
1 comment
Read more

Toddler Travel--Road Trip Edition

      So happy to be writing from Southern California after our road trip out from Colorado. It has been so nice to see family and enjoy cooler weather and time at the beach. This was far and away the longest Avi has ever been in the car, and it was definitely less relaxing to drive long distances with a toddler, but it actually went better than I thought it would.      I love road trips, so I'm happy that this is something we can look forward to lots more of as a family.  In case anyone else is planning to travel with their little one(s), I thought I would share a few things we did that helped, and a few things I wished we did differently. Tips:  *Bring various activities that can be easily done from a car seat. I brought some of Avi's favorite toys including: a toy she could buckle and unbuckle, a chunky beads and thread kit, and a paint with water set from Melissa and Doug's . I also brought bubbles which were a big hit although we left them in...
Post a Comment
Read more