The Ultimate Field Trip: Washington DC Version, Part One, or An Introduction to the Way We Travel

Fair warning, this series of posts will be part travelogue, part diary, and part rant—with a few pictures thrown in for dramatic effect.

We travel.  A lot. Comparatively speaking.  It’s my husband’s fault, he likes to see the world, and I succumb to peer pressure (gladly!) and tag along.  And what an example I’m setting for the kids---because they do, too!

When we travel by plane, we take only carry-on luggage.  No matter how long we intend to be gone. TSA will only allow one carry on bag and one personal item (like a purse or a back pack) per person—but we find this is sufficient for three full changes of clothes, extra undies and socks, and whatever books or games it takes to keep the troops happy on the flights.

We want our kids to know how to navigate through airports, so we coach them how to check in, get through security, read the arrivals/departures boards, and find gates.  Surprisingly, we do better in larger airports like Chicago O’Hare than in, say, Boise, Idaho---where on this trip, we met the Security Checkpoint from Hell.