WFMW--Send It Ahead

Alas, it's a little late for many vacationers but if you are still planning for a late summer getaway, this might work for you.

A few years ago, we went to D*sneyWorld with our family, which then included an infant and a two year old. We didn't want to deal with carseats so we decided to just stay on the Disney property the whole time. But what would our fussy kids (and not-yet-exposed-to-many-foods kid) eat? So I grabbed a box and popped in some sweet potatoes, feeding spoons, G*ldfish crackers, some other essentials, and then for good measure, one or two books and some extra wipes. I also tossed in some milk and juice boxes (double wrapped in zipl0ck bags), figuring the things with liquid were heaviest and hardest to carry.

The unexpected bonus? When we had extra souvenirs and some non-stinky laundry, we shipped it all right back home in the same box.

If you want to try it, give yourself plenty of time (I think I sent ours about 10 days before we left). Create a mailing label:

Fun Hotel
Street Address
City, State ZIP

PLEASE HOLD for Guest: Name Lastname
Arrival Date August 26, 2009 (or whatever your arrival is, obviously)

Get a record from the mailing service you use of when it arrives and who signs for it, but especially if you are staying at any kind of hotel that has business travelers, they have a special room to store this stuff. (I did it all the time when I was working and had boxes of information shipped ahead of me.) If you are at a B&B or another smaller or family run hotel, check first to see if this is ok with them, but any major chain will hold it for you automatically and probably tell you at checkin that they have a package waiting for you. (And how fun is that?)

Shipping ahead works for me. Hope it works for you, too! For other ideas, check the WFMW carnival at We Are THAT Family!