England Adventure

Our first Adventure Day Recap is a throwback to one year ago today when we took our family of five to England to visit and encourage our dear friends who are serving as missionaries. This was our kids’ first flight and first time out of the country and here are a few things we did to make the trip go more smoothly:

1️⃣ For months before we read books about England, discussed what TSA lines were like, reviewed expectations of staying near us especially in crowded places like airports and train stations. Paddington read alouds were made extra sweet when we got to visit Paddington Station.

2️⃣ I’ve been drinking the @walkerfamilygoods koolAid for a long time and their bags truly are a game changer. Each kid has a color and they each packed their coordinating packing cubes and backpack. Because we were flying internationally it made the most sense to consolidate all our luggage into one big suitcase and use our extra included checked backs for treats for our ministry partners.

3️⃣ Novel art supplies! My dear friend made amazing roll up pencil cases (following @thispilgrimlife tutorial) and busting these out on the train or waiting at restaurants was a win.

4️⃣ Prioritize movement-we found parks, free museums and the coolest library on the planet and took time to explore.

5️⃣ We had a direct red eye into London and hit the ground running to explore which was incredibly helpful for getting the kids body clocks adjusted.

6️⃣ England was an amazing first trip because the language and foods are so similar to what the kids are used to, but in rare moments my MomStash of snacks came in clutch.

7️⃣ A visual calendar of our itinerary so our kids knew what was coming on which days. (And how many days were left until they went home to be reunited with their dog 🐶😆)

8️⃣ Low expectations and a lot of grace.

9️⃣ Novel modes of transportation! Did you know they have uber boats 🛥️ in England?! The train ride was amazing too.

🔟 Souvenirs! Each of the kids got to pick 1 thing and each elected to get a stuffed animal 🤷🏻‍♀️But I even splurged on one for myself to sip my tea and reflect back on the amazing time we had!