As we are on our second furlough, I wanted to make a list of ideas to help other missionary families as they travel on deputation or furlough. At this time we have 5 children ages 10, 8, 7, 2 and a 6 week old baby. Of course you may not use everything on this list, this is just things that we do to make the trip lighter.
- Leave with a clean vehicle. A few days earlier clean out the car. Everyone will feel so much better in a clean car. Of course it won’t stay that way for long. J You can keep a small bottle of Febreeze in the glove box to keep it smelling clean.
- Cut the trip in half. Many hours on the road are hard on the whole family. If you have time to travel, try to break up a 9-10 hour traveling day into 2 days. Or leave very early in the morning so the kids will continue to sleep if you are a morning person and can stay awake on the road.
- Use a GPS! Long gone are the days of figuring out a map. I’m sure this one is a given, but it is worth the investment and you can even use them in the country that you are going to by installing the maps of your country.
- Have lots of patience! We have 5 kids so our vehicle is full. There is not even one empty seat to stretch out into. J Remember to keep your cool when things get “rough” and they will! This is usually an indication that it’s time to get out and stretch.
- We have a small emergency bag of clothes and toiletries in the car. If a church is less than 3 hours from home, we will usually drive back home after the meeting. Once we were stranded in a city because of slick roads and had no clean clothes for the following day. After that I started keeping an emergency bag in the car.
- Make a list of things that you need to take so you don’t forget anything important. I keep a list on my I pad and just go over it, as I’m packing. Some important things that I try to take are:
- DVDs for the kids
- Extra car key (in case you lose or get locked out of your car)
- Wet wipes (great for sticky hands for the little ones), Antibacterial gel,
- Thank you notes (to leave at prophets chamber, in homes you stay in or if someone gives you a gift)
- Small recipient of Dish soap for washing out no-spill cups and bottles in hotel rooms
- Plan your trip ahead so you can call and find a Prophet’s Chamber instead of spending tons of money on hotels along the way. There is a list here: http://www.mwbm.org/images/propetschambers2006.pdf
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