US Trip 2019 part 1: Putting It All Together

2019 is a big year for us, especially for Hendrix who is celebrating his seventh birthday. Since last year, Daddy S and I knew that we will  not be holding a big party for Hendrix like the usual 7th birthday celebrations. Instead, there will be a series of charitable contribution projects and a major travel. In March, Hendrix’s birthday month, we were able to successfully execute the charity projects with the help of family and friends. The travel celebration was set in May, at the start of Heinel’s summer break and in time for spring season in the US.

Just like my Japan blog, this will be a blog series. Below are the topics and links:

• Part 1 (this blog entry) – all about the preparations and what we call the “admin work” part of the trip
• Part 2 – will be on how we prepared the kids for the long flight and the entire trip itself
• Part 3 -will be about the first leg of our trip  (Massachusetts-Maine-New Hampshire)
• Part 4 will be about our New York trip
• Part 5 – our road trip to Philadelphia and Washington
• Part 6 -will be the about Florida

Itinerary

United States is such a big country, and thus, there are so many places that we wanted to see. However, given the time constraints (since Daddy S and I can only take 2 weeks vacation leave from work) we had to plan a maximum 16-day vacation and cover as much states as we can. East Coast is really our target location. Since Daddy S used to work in Boston for a couple of years, he wanted to show the kids around the areas he used to go, as well as visit his friends and former neighborhood. It also did not make planning much difficult because Daddy S is quite familiar with that side of the US.

In planning our itinerary, we had to consider that we are travelling with our two kids. We want them to enjoy the whole trip and that will not be possible if we tire them out on the first few days. Hence, we made sure that if there is a jam-packed day, the following one will be lighter, with no pressure to wake up at a certain time to catch any train or plane, or ticket to an attraction.

We listed down and prioritized the places that we wanted to see. For those low on the priority list, we squeezed them in if the kids still have energy after we finish our main itinerary for the day. If not, then these will just be part of our “next time” list. 🙂

Visa

Since we are passport holders from the Philippines, a visa is needed for us to be allowed entry to the United States. It is best to secure visa for all members of the travelling party before purchasing airline tickets. However, before doing so, you will need to have a draft itinerary to determine the number of days you will be staying in the US. You will need these information as you fill out your online visa application forms.

US Visa is costly. Thus, it is a must that all details on the online forms are properly filled up. I personally think that US Visa has the least documents required to be presented compared to other countries we visited. Although some bring documents to support assets or proof of income, it is usually not even examined during the interview. In getting a US Visa, just be confident and consistent. More importantly, do not lie, both in filling out your forms and during the interview. Children are sometimes asked some questions during the interview. While knowing about this, I did not tell my children just so they will not feel intimidated or scared. I think those assigned to interview families are also aware of the proper approach to the children. They are friendly and nice. The questions for the kids are not meant to scare them, but more of a validation of what the parents disclosed.

Getting a visa with kids have its advantages as there are priority lanes for persons with disability (PWD), senior citizens and children. The process is efficient and quick. It was less than 30 minutes.  When it was over Heinel said “that was fast!” and the interviewer even replied “i know right?!” i think he would have wanted to give Heinel a high five if only there is no glass window between us! Once approved, the passports with stamped visas are sent via mail in less than two weeks.

Packing

This is probably the most stressful part of travelling! Since we will be moving a lot during our 16 day vacation, I have to be strategic with packing our stuff.  I started out with writing down our OOTD (outfit-of-the day) depending on our daily itinerary. Clothes scheduled to be worn during the latter part of the trip were packed at the bottom of the second luggage while those for the initial days are on top of the first luggage. With this system, l do not have to rummage through a mayhem of clothes every time we are preparing for the day during the trip.

Aside from our check-in luggages, we also have our carry-on cabin size luggage. These bags contain our clothes and Hendrix’s medicines for 24 hours. So in the event that our checked-in luggage gets offloaded and does not arrive with us in Boston (which happened to Daddy S in one of his work travels), we have our clothes for the day covered.

Aside from clothes, we also brought with us some toiletries. I always bring with me my personal bathing supplies whenever I travel even though these are usually provided for in hotels or Airbnbs. All the toiletries we bought are either in sachet or in small refill bottles so that by the end of our trip, all of it are used up, containers discarded so we do not end up bringing them back home to add up to our luggage space. Hendrix’s diapers were bought in the US too so as not to consume too much space.

Medicines are a must have when travelling. We consulted Heinel and Hendrix’s pediatrician for medicines that we need to bring for our trip just in case they catch a cold, cough, allergies or fever. Given Hendrix’s condition, we can not risk having him take over the counter medicines abroad which he has not tried yet. These emergency medicines are packed inside our check-in luggage, while his maintenance medicines with medical clearances are in his baby bag carry on.

Our goal was to fit a two-week worth of clothes and all our other essentials in two large suitcases and two carry on luggage. And we did! In the plane we also brought Hendrix’s bag, 2 backpacks (Sherwin and Heinel’s), my shoulder bag and Hendrix’s Yoyo (Baby Zen) stroller. When travelling with children, a good stroller is a must. It is great to have a foldable stroller that fits in the overhead bins of the plane. The moment we stepped out of the plane, there is no need to wait for our stroller from the luggage carousel.

Now that we are all set for the trip, you might be wondering how we prepared the kids especially on how Hendrix managed on the flight. That and more will be on my next blog!