We just came back from an amazing road trip from Toronto to New York City with Molly and Jack. It was their first time there and it went quite well. Like any vacation it doesn't come without hiccups. While everyone in my family would agree that it was a resoundding success there are always opportunties to improve and allow others to learn from our mistakes.
4 Mistakes I made while travelling with my kids to New York City
1. Not Bringing a GPS Device
No, I'm not talking about a cell phone, I'm talking about one of those old school devices that don't charge you for roaming. If you don't have one, borrow one. It will save you a ton of headaches and roaming fees (both of which we felt on this trip and my hefty bill just arrived).
2. Not Giving my Kids Cash to Carry
We briefly went over what to do each day should we get separated from our kids, arranged meeting places at most locations, and who to ask for help. That being said, if we did get separated we made things more tricky for our kids to get back to us because we didn't let them carry any cash. In retrospect, just $20 per kid would allow them to get back to our hotel, a primary meeting spot if things went sideways, with very little trouble. My kids are 11 and are regularly entrusted with cash at home in Toronto, why should New York be any different?
3. Not Packing a Lunch for Central Park
Central Park is wonderful and you can do a lot of things there for free. Eat is not one of those things. We ended up paying $35 USD for a lackluster lunch from a cart. Bring your lunch instead or exit the park briefly and grab a slice at one of the many pizza locations offering cheap slices around the city instead.
4. Not bringing our own Water Bottle
I've only ever been to New York in May through September, but it's hot. Make sure you have a water bottle filled at the beggining of the day and be sure to take advantage of the filling stations at various locations around the city. We brought one with us but didn't always bring it day tripping for fear it was going to be too heavy. That was silly.
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