Organizing Our Big Road Trip

  It's January. Christmas is done & the days can be dreary. When our regular to-do list is complete, we fill our free time with crafts & cute projects to bring some cheer to the grey winter. One other thing people start to do at this time of year is to start planning their summer vacation.

  We are no different.

  In fact, we started planning this summer's vacation a year & a half ago. It's been a long time coming, it seems. Now that it's 2012, we can start saying "this year" instead of "next year".  How exciting!

  Yes, we're going to Disneyland.

  Not only are we going to Disneyland, we're driving to Disneyland. Approximately 2,800 kilometres (that's 1,740 miles for my American readers).

  It will be a road trip of monumental proportions. I'm absolutely pumped. I love road trips! But this is the longest road trip we've ever attempted, so it requires some major organizing & planning.

  We've been reading up on Disney vacations & tips. I'm starting to plan early & have started to make a packing list for each person in our family.

  I've also started compiling a trip binder. 

  The trip binder is an idea I got from my sister-in-law, Carrie-Lynn, when they drove to Disney a couple of summers ago.

  It includes maps, itineraries, pamphlets, hotel information, etc. Any paper work involving the trip goes into the binder. 

  It's a brilliant idea, really. 

1) Choose a zippered binder, so that your papers don't slip out & get lost.

2) Fill it with plastic sleeves. One for each day of the trip, plus a hand full of extras.

3) Print off your day-by-day directions from map quest or google maps, your trip itinerary with each night's hotel information, including confirmation numbers, restaurant possibilities, sights you want to see, etc. & include them all in the binder.

4) When you're on your trip & pick up small mementos & pamphlets or tickets you want to keep, stash them into the binder & it's all in one place when you get home. 

  I'm filling up the binder bit by bit, as we reserve our hotels & get things booked. I've also started a countdown on our computer so we know how many sleeps are left until we leave! Ya, we're just a bit excited. :)

When do you start planning your summer holiday? Are you headed somewhere special this year?

Enjoy your day!