Family Travel Must Haves: #2 Dirty Laundry Helpers

It’s the day before you leave on your big trip. You make sure all the laundry is done and that you have all the clothes you really want ready to go. You pick out the outfit you’re leaving in, and maybe something nice to wear after you get back till you can do the laundry again. You pack all the suitcases nicely, folding here, rolling there, and stuffing things in a bit too.

A day or two later you suddenly become terrified when you realize some of your nicely packed clean clothes are now dirty, and crumpled and having to share space in your suitcase with all your clean and folded items. Yes, dirty laundry is the scourge of any trip longer then a weekend, and so is managing dirty laundry while you travel. But, don’t worry I’m here to help with a few great suggestions and gadgets I know you’ll love.

Tip #1) Plan ahead for dirty laundry – Be sure to recognize that all those nice clean folded clothes will at some point, be the exact opposite and need cleaning. Then based on the length of your trip ask if its practical wait to get home to clean or clean on the road. For instance a trip of 4 days or less may allow you to just repack dirty clothes, but anything over that may mean odors from dirty clothes may affect your clean clothes.

Tip #2) Factor in the type of trip to your laundry dilemma – Going to a resort for seven days? Or since you’re on my blog can I anticipate that you’re in for a real road trip moving from place to place daily? These factors will allow you to decide how to keep dirty laundry stored. 

Tip #3) Accommodations – Some hotels offer laundry service, but it can be expensive and take a day or so to get clean clothes back. Most motels and hotels though do not offer laundry service but many have washers and dryers for guest to use. Based on your downtime at the motel and availability of these facilities they may be very convenient in getting a quick load, or all your laundry done.

Tip #4) Keep clothing cleaning supplies on hand – Laundromats and motel washer and dryer facilities have detergent and bleach available in vending machines, but the usual price is a $1+ for a small one load box. This is why you may want to consider bringing your own detergent and bleach. You can find small bottles of each at your local store, and although the small bottles may sell for as much as a larger one, odds are it will still be a cheaper option then buying your soap out of a vending machine. Just make sure you keep the bottle of bleach in a leak-proof bag in case it should somehow leak while you on the road.  Also, carrying stain treater’s with will help to keep stains at bay till you can wash your clothes, Oop’s, and All are just a few companies that sell travel stain treaters. Oh and I nearly forgot to mention change, getting a 1 or 2 $10 rolls of quarters from you bank will  be a great way of making sure you always have the change on hand to pay for washers and dryers at your motel or at a laundromat.

Tip #5) Watch where you put dirty laundry – Enclosed bags are OK, if you have an odor and moisture absorbing device you can place inside. But, my best suggestion is to choose a mesh container to put them in so smells and moisture can escape and not replicate in a small enclosed area.

Now Time for the Gadgets!

Mesh Containers

You have two travel friendly options, one is a mesh bag, and the second is a travel hamper.

Mesh bags are a great option if you’re traveling on a road trip like down Route 66. Essentially what you would want is a mesh duffle bag. Depending on whether you’re traveling by yourself or with your family the mesh bags come in a variety of sizes.

The mesh duffle bag gives you the ability to put dirty clothes in a breathable sack, therefore cutting down on odor and moisture. But the mesh duffle also has a few other bonus features as well, for instance they are enclosable meaning that a draw string or zipper will keep all your dirty laundry together and not floating around your car. Also the mesh duffle is flexible and can be smooshed, and stuffed into your vehicle in open spaces you may have, these may not save space but at least it is not ridged and needing a defined space.

Travel Hampers are very cool and can give you a lot of options in separating and cleaning your clothes. If you find yourself staying in one place for a few days they give you the ability to set one up in your motel room or bathroom to act like a regular hamper you have at home. If you’re on the road though these may not work, out but the travel hamper still can help you. Travel hampers can be used as makeshift laundry baskets to help you separate clothes when laundry time comes around. The best part is that these hampers have a wire inner structure that allows them to be folded down into hoops about 9” inches in diameters, and about ½” inches thick, small enough to hide in your suitcase. There is also a wide variety of travel hampers out there now too, some allowing you to separate clothes within two or three compartments in the hamper itself. Others come in sets where each hamper is a different color which may be great for presorting clothes or assigning everyone traveling with you their own hamper

Mesh laundry bags, and travel hampers can be found at stores like Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and even Wal-mart. But for a really great selection I would suggest checking out Amazon.com, here are some links below to a few of the items I mentioned

Route 66: How long does it take?

This is one of the biggest questions I hear from people when I talk about
traveling the route. Often I have to counter ask "how much time do you have?" or
"how much do you want to see?". There is no right or wrong amount of time,
although I would say that anything less than 3 days is unrealistic, unless your
flying over the route in a plane.

If time is a factor you’ll have to ask yourself some basic questions. Start with how much time do you have and how much do you want to see? Then ask yourself how long do you want to travel each day? And lastly how well does my family take to long periods in the car? This last one should be asked even if time isn’t a factor.

For my family and I our first trip true to the route took 7 days. The 7 days allowed us enough time to see a majority of 66's sites and even linger at some of them a bit. By the end though we were exhausted and our two days at the Georgian Hotel, and at Santa Monica Beach where greatly appreciated. But being our first trip there was also a
learning curve, we had a few long travel days brought about by time wasted here or there that could have easily been cut to bring us shorter travel days or to have shaved a day off the trip.

Three days may be enough time to travel the route, just be prepared to have long travel days and to have very little time at the many sites. Obviously, though the longer you can take the shorter your travel days. Ideally speaking two weeks would be perfect for this, but some RVers, and motorcyclists have been known to take a month making the trip. Traveling with kids though I could tell you a month would be exaggerated, and probably lead to
boredom and discontent. This is why it’s also important to know how your family behaves on the road. For some families 4 hours a day in the car for 14 days maybe as bad as 12 hours for 3 days.

Ideally speaking, to give yourself enough time and to see as much as you can I would suggest 7-10 days. Keep in mind that unlike the long an boring interstates Route 66 has plenty of distractions along the way perfect for kids, and spending time at these sites can make for an enjoyable trip for the whole family.

It is my hope that through this blog I can pass what I have learned on to you,
so you can avoid or at least be aware of time eaters so as to properly prepare
for them.

Route 66 Historical Facts: Part 1 Bloody 66 - A Harsh Reality

Travel Route 66 today and you will find much of the route parallels the interstates that replaced it like I-57, 44, or 40. As a matter of fact you will find that some of Old 66 in its two or four lane forms is actually part of the interstate. There are examples of this in many spots.

But as a mental exercise when you do find  yourself on an original section with an interstate next to it, take a few moments to conceptualize something. Take all that traffic flowing down the interstate in both directions and place it on that two lane section of 66 your traveling on. If you are nearing a large town or city its a pretty frightening thought to be stuck on a two lane highway with that much traffic, unable to find places to pass.

Well that was how Route 66 was in many places, and yes traffic was that bad even then. As matter of fact some of Route 66's sister US  routes that are still active highways today, are often congested that badly. One excellent example is US 12 through Richmond, IL which on summer weekends is jammed with travelers, trucks, and locals often times for miles outside of the town.

This regular over crowding on 66 often had tragic consequences, especially as we factor in primitive traffic control devices, vehicles with few safety features, and the narrow and winding road construction methods indicative of the era in which 66 was in its heyday.

An added problem that made the highway dangerous lies within one of its nicknames "America's Mainstreet". Route 66 connected small town to small town usually via their respective main streets. This meant that there was a dangerous mixing of locals, fatigued truck drivers, and travelers in a hurry coming together amongst a tangle of intersections, side streets, and pedestrians in or near every towns center.

Eventually Route 66 began to be known as Bloody Route 66, Bloody 66, of other gruesome nicknames like Blood Alley. Know one knows precisely when theses term where first used or who first used them but the most common belief is that it was first coined in the late 40's by Illinois State Troopers for a section of Route 66 between Dwight and Lincoln, IL.

But Illinois State Troopers weren't the only ones to use this term and have sections of road like it. Perhaps with the exception of Kansas which only had a few miles of 66 running through it, just about all the other states had sections of highway that routinely saw the horrors motor vehicle accidents. As a matter of fact in 1956 alone Arizona State Police estimated that 1 of every 6 traffic fatalities in Arizona occurred on Route 66. Other estimates say that from Missouri to Texas nearly 4000 people lost there lives on the route in a 20 year span between 1935 and 1955.

In Jon Robinson's book  "Route 66: Lives on the Road", the author interviews several state police officers. For the most part they give a lighthearted account of their careers along the route, but can't help not alluding to traffic accidents they had worked over the years.

Obviously thanks to the interstates, safer cars, and modern traffic control the Route 66 you can travel now is far safer then it ever has been. But knowing this bit of history about 66 is a good glimpse into why the highway had to be replaced by the Interstates. It's also great insight as to why so many towns had to be bypassed leaving behind relics of what once was a bustling industry of tourist services. 

Family Travel Must Have's: #1 The Car Sick Kit

No matter what way your traveling the odds are you or one of your family members has the tendency to get ever so slightly motion sick, and with that some unpleasant consequences that can make for a heck of a mess. My ordinarily iron stomached older son found his limitations twice, traveling down the winding roads through the mountains, and both times we where unprepared. After that second time, and with the possibility of more mountain roads ahead of us my wife and I decided it was time put something together to help limit the mess of car sickness, and if necessary always have the tools to clean it up. 

We came to call this “The Car Sick Kit”. As unpleasant as the thought of having someone on your trip get sick in the car may be, its even more unpleasant to be completely unprepared. So even if your traveling with kids, or even all adults “The Car Sick Kit” may become one of your best travel buddies.

Here are some tips towards making your own.

First, try to prevent the mess. I don’t mean by traveling down flat and straight roads only but provide a car sick passenger with a way getting sick but not messy in case you can’t pull over. The airlines lovingly call them barf bags. But you can also call them grocery bags, try to keep a few plastic grocery bags (make sure to check them for annoying holes) in storage areas in for your back and front seat passenger, make sure the storage compartment makes access to the bags easy, and quick. By doing this you can contain the mess until you can get to an exit of some type, and you may be able to avoid using a lot of the other items in “The Car Sick Kit”. Just be sure to remember that this option is probably not good for smaller children since they may not have the reaction time to reach for the bag, and/or the use of a plastic bag like this may be dangerous for them.

The Kit Itself:

My wife and I opted to use a Kelty Camp Container to put the kit in. A Kelty Camp Container is a rectangular bag that can store a lot, but do to its shape and size takes up little space. You may want to consider using a container like this to keep the contents of you kit together, and easy to grab.

Picture of Kelty bag and kit

Drinking Water - The next item that is a must have to the kit is a gallon of drinking water. Now remember its always good to keep drinking water with you in your car, especially on cross country trips, but this water is to help clean up. You can use this bottle of water to help clean car seats and other areas, as well as the sick passenger, or anyone else he or she might have gotten. Keeping it to drinking water also allow the sick passenger to use some of it to drink or wash their mouth out with.   

Paper Towels – Yes a roll of paper towels like you have in your kitchen. You’ll find out in a hurry restaurant napkins don’t go far. Paper towels get the mess cleaned up, and can even take a little bit of water without crumbling to pieces. Paper towels will make your clean up efforts a lot easier and they are also disposable.

Mouth Wash – Lets be honest if you passenger is old enough they aren’t going to dig being covered in vomit, they also aren’t going to be too happy with the taste in their mouths. Gum isn’t going to do the trick, and full out brushing teeth may not be within reason. Keeping a small bottle of mouth wash will allow your passenger to get a little more cleaner, and they can spit the mouth wash out on the ground if they need to. Mouth wash isn’t suggested for all ages, but there are mouth washes out there now for kids that adults will find pleasant too.

Deodorizing Spray – Perhaps you can get away with opening the windows, but if its too hot or too cold that option wont work, plus there is no promise open windows will get the odor out. This is why you may want to keep a small spray can of deodorizer. Companies such as Yankee Candle and Fabreeze make small spray cans perfect for this. I would suggest not using something overpowering like Oast, and also picking a scent that is clean smelling but not prone to getting your sick passenger sicker, or getting yourself and other passengers sick.

Fabric Cleaner – Yeah your going to want to get something on your seats right away to get that stuff off (assuming you have cloth seats). A fabric cleaner such as the afore mentioned Fabreeze works well in this roll. If you have leather seats you may want to see what the manufacturer suggest for caring for them in such an event.

More Plastic Bags – Plastic bags can be used to hold the dirty paper towels, and other garbage from what you cleaning up. If the passenger has the ability to change clothes they can also throw their dirty clothes into these bags for cleaning later. The plastic bags should to some degree be able to hold odors in, until you can get them out of your car.

Disinfecting Wipes – Clorox, Lysol, or generic your going to want a small tube of these in your kit. After the main mess is cleaned up these can help disinfect the areas your just cleaned, there are also great for cleaning up plastic and vinyl in the car as well as other items that may have gotten soiled.

Baby/Diaper Wipes - Theses are easy on the skin and great for removing stains from clothing. Baby wipes are great for helping freshen soiled adults as well as baby's, and can help a sick passenger or victim of one get skin and clothes clean until they can get changed elsewhere.    

Old Towels – I wouldn’t suggest using cloth towels to clean up a car sickness mess, but they can be used in helping clean up your passenger(s), as well as being placed on the recently cleaned seat so your passenger(s) don’t have to sit in a wet spot. Having a few old wash clothes, hand towels, and maybe a bath towel may come in handy.

Anti- Bacterial Hand Sanitizer – In case your cleaning up no where near a bathroom your going to want to get hands clean any way you can. Hand Sanitizer is the best way of getting everyone hands clean without soap and water, a minimizing the potential of additional illness.

Here are a few additional items you may want to have in the event of car sickness, but should be kept outside the kit.

Ginger Ale – Or a 7up like beverage are also great for calming the stomach, it may help in preventing illness, or help a recently sick passenger feel better quicker.

Saltine Crackers – Or Ouster Crackers also help calm the stomach, used in conjunction with Ginger Ale or Lemon Lime soda it may help in preventing illness, or help a recently sick passenger recover quicker

*Pepto-Bismo – Or something like it, can help reduce additional nausea and additional illness. Remember this may not be appropriate for all ages.

*Dramamine or Motion Sickness Remedies– I’m not one for medicating my kids unnecessarily, and these remedies aren’t for younger children. But these remedies can help those who suffer from chronic motion sickness, it can also me used to help a recently sick passenger feel better, and get them in better shape for traveling, especially if the motion sickness persists after the initial illness.

*Please consult a doctor on use of these items for your kids, other family member or yourself. Chronic motion sickness may be a sign of other medical conditions.

Along the Route: Chicago

According to most Route 66 traditionalist, historians, and devotees Chicago is the start of Route 66. In transportation speak Chicago is actually called the Eastern Terminus of Route 66, i.e. the beginning and/or end. Historically and also in transportation terms Chicago is the start of Route 66 since the city is the transportation hub of the United States. At the time the route was developed Chicago was the railroad hub of the US, and still is to this day. Since then though the city has also been able to boasts having O'Hare Airport as the world’s busiest airport, and the Dan-Ryan Expressway as the nations and one of the world’s busiest stretches of multi-lane highway.

Besides all this though Chicago is one other thing; the best spot to start your Route 66 trip hands down. Chicago may seem like a dauntingly huge city, but it is surprising easy to get around in your personal vehicle or through a wide variety of public transportation methods. The city also offers an excellent variety of activities and attractions for everyone in your family.

Chicago offers excellent hotels many 4 or five star, world class dining in restaurants owned and operated by celebrity chefs, superlative shopping opportunities on the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue), and pro-sports teams galore. Add to all this museums with treasures you have only seen on TV or in books, and entertainment options of all types. 

I know what you’re thinking it sounds like Chicago will cost you half your vacation budget to visit. Although the city offers a lot of first class luxury a family can still indulge in what the city has to offer without worrying about blowing the family vacation bankroll.

Before you visit Chicago on your Route 66 vacation, take some time to determine what you want to see and just how long you can visit the city. I have to warn you that Chicago is such an extraordinary place with so much to see and do and can easily become a time bandit, so try to know how much time you do have before you arrive.

Here are some great places to visit on your trip that won't break the bank and allow you to experience Chicago and Route 66.

Lou Mitchell's:

Anyone who knows anything about traveling the route will tell you that you need to make Lou Mitchells one of your stops. The first one in fact if you are heading West or perhaps the last one if you are going east. Lou Mitchells is located near the corner of Jackson Blvd and Jefferson, at 565 W. Jackson, which is also east, bound 66. The restaurant has numerous Route 66 decorations and memorabilia, but has a more important place in history as the place Milk Duds where first introduced. The food here is excellent and there are options for everyone in the family including a children's menu. Prices are very reasonable too, and you can get everyone a good meal without going broke. Some of the favorites here are their homemade Chicken Pot Pies, Milk Dud Pancakes, and a turkey platter that will make you think Thanksgiving has arrived early. As a word of warning Lou Mitchell's is only open from 5:30 AM to 3 PM Monday through Saturday and 7 AM to 3 PM on Sundays, also they do not take debit or credit cards, but there is an ATM near the entrance. Also if you’re in a rush because you spent too much time shopping on Michigan Ave, you can phone ahead for a to-go order in, including box lunches.

The Berghoff:

Located at 17 W Adams (West bound 66), the Berghoff is one of Chicago's premier dining establishments. Behind its bar you will find City of Chicago Liquor license #1, meaning they have been around for a while. A lot of tourist pass the Berghoff by thinking it looks a little too expensive for their budgets, especially with kids along. Actually although the Berghoff has prices slightly higher than the afore mentioned Lou Mitchell's, most people who venture in find that prices in the Berghoff are very reasonable, and the food beyond their expectations. The restaurant also has a kids menu and more then welcomes kids and families.

The Berghoff offers fine quality German and eastern European foods. They also make their own phenomenal Root Beer, Beer, and Brandy. Some of the favorites here are their one of kind Sauerbraten, Mascarpone Mac and Cheese, and Schnitzels. Be sure to get the kids some of their root beer. Their hours run from 11AM - 9 PM, Monday through Saturday, closed Sundays.

Keep in mind the restaurants I mentioned here I named do to proximity to Route 66's start in Chicago, and family friendliness. Chicago has hundreds of fantastic dining options depending on what you crave, how far off the Route 66 path you want to get, and how much you want to spend.

Millennium Park:

This is kids and tourist central and kids really do love it here. One of the parks biggest attractions in a sculpture known as "The Cloud Gate", but locals call it "The Bean" it's a sculpture shaped like a large bean and covered with a mirrored finish. Tourists from around the world come here to get their pictures taken with, or in the reflection of "The Bean".

But one of the favorite spots for kids in the park is a place called the "Crown Fountain". The fountain is two block towers with moving projections of everyday Chicagoans that at certain intervals "spit" water from the towers. On warm days you will find kids here galore playing in the water of these fountains and waiting for those lips to pucker and water comes spitting out. You may want to put a bathing suit on your kids under their clothes and bring some towels because no kid can resist the fun of playing here.

The park also has a large metal sculpture of a T-Rex, that looks like one of those wooden kids’ puzzles. During summer months the park also host a corporate sponsored (usually Target) Family Fun Fair in a tent at the Chase Pavilion. Here kids can do story time, play games, dance, and make arts and crafts all for free.

Access to the Cloud Gate, Crown Fountain, sculptures, and Family Fun Fair are all free, making Millennium Park a definite family favorite.

The park also has concerts, operas, and plays in the Pritzker Pavilion but usually tickets have to be purchased for these events although they are usually inexpensive. The park also has a great grill if you’re looking to make a day of it. The park is located to the north of the Art Institute (the start of Route 66 West bound @ Adams and Michigan) on Michigan Avenue between Monroe and Randolph.

The Willis (Sears) Tower:

Willis Towers formally the Sears Tower is one of the world’s tallest buildings, as a matter of fact it is the tallest building in the U.S., North America, and the Western Hemisphere. Many in the architectural community still debate whether the tower is or isn’t still the worlds tallest based on things like roof heights, spires, antennas and what not. But any way you look it it's one of the tallest building you’re going to find within several thousand miles.

Willis Tower is a Route 66 attraction based on location since the building is bordered to the North by Adams (Westbound 66) and to the South by Jackson (Eastbound 66), with the cross streets of Wacker to the West and Franklin to the East. The Willis address is 233 South Wacker Dr.

If you should decide to visit the tower on your trip keep in mind that at certain parts of the day wait times to see the tower can get pretty long, so try to get there as early as possible to avoid a long wait. Also keep in mind you will be required to go through a security checkpoint to enter the tower so try to avoid having a lot o metal items, or weapon like items (keychain Swiss Army knife, and similar items). Also be sure to check the weather the view and how much you see depends on cloud cover a good rule of thumb is if you can't see the top of the tower through clouds and fog, you probably won't see anything up there although the tower will still be open. The price for admission is $17.50 for adults and $11 for kids under 11, there are also extras that you can add, and gift shops. Trust me it may not be cheap bit your kids will love it just the same.

Here are some other items worth mentioning that may be off the Route 66 path.

-Blue Man Group: Family fun and lots of laughs

-Navy Pier: Ferris wheel, shopping, restaurants, boat rides and more.

-The Field Museum: Sue the T-Rex, and more

-The Shedd Aquarium: Tropical Fish, Sharks, and Jellyfish all inches from Lake Michigan

-The Adler Planetarium: Travel the universe without leaving Chicago

-John Hancock Building: A little cheaper than the Willis Tower, but a heck of a view.

-Museum of Science and Industry: Control a tornado, and visit a coal mine

If you are interested in seeing a lot of sites in Chicago and don't want to spend a lot you may want to consider a Citypass. Citypasses are available all over the country in larger cities, and you may also want to consider one once reaching LA as well. Citypass runs $89 per adult and $79 per child for a one day pass that gets you into just about everything.

http://www.citypass.com/chicago?mv_source=rkg&creative=24861781589&adpos=1t1&device=t&network=g&matchtype=e&gclid=CJLp276z07cCFYkWMgodSFwAqQ

Route 66 - Redux

I developed this site for a few specific reasons:
 1) To encourage travel on Route 66, and other scenic byways in the US.
 2) To be the voice of a younger generation of travelers on Historic 66.
 3) To help you wade through the hype and misconceptions about Route 66, that the older generations have left us all with.

 You see like you I am lured in by the myths and nostalgia about Route 66. And why not? It is 2000 miles of early to mid-20th century history, that you and those traveling with you can eat, sleep, and breath for as long as you travel the route. With a little imagination mixed with reality and common sense it's not hard to imagine what was on almost every inch of it. At the same time though I am a realist and in my late Gen X early Gen Y brain, I have to greet the past and all it has to offer a bit cynically. I have to embrace the reality that Route 66 met its demise for a reason, and that it's history wasn't all trips to Disneyland and California beaches. The reality and the fantasy of 66 are both out there like any trip to a historical place it's about separating the two, while simaltaneously embracing both. This Blog is dedicated to that, and to a new perception of Route 66, and it's meaning in our culture.

Summer is Here!

Well summer is finally here and I am hoping some of you are considering "getting
your kicks on Route 66" this year. I hope in some way I can help you make the
trip through what I have written on this blog.

So let's talk about options. You really want to travel the whole route, but
maybe time, your budget, or just traveling with kids are factors why you can't.

First of all nothing says you have to travel the whole route, although it's my
guess that would be your preference. Remember, Route 66 is just like any other
road you can use it to travel from point A to Point B even if A isn't Chicago,
and B isn't Santa Monica. Catch the route where you can and enjoy the drive,
trust me what you do see is worth it.

Secondly keep in mind that most of old 66 is located within close proximity to one of the interstates that replaced it. In some cases such as some portions in Arizona, and New Mexico, the interstate is old 66, or what the old timers refer to as the interstate being built on top of old 66. This means that as your travel factors allow, you can hit portions of 66 and easily return to the interstate to move things along.

Lastly remember that 66 can be taken ala carte. By this I mean that you can
choose to just stop and see sites significant to the route without traveling it. Most of the sites are near the interstates as well, and stopping to see the sites may wet you and your families appetites towards traveling the route while giving you some appreciation for the experience.

I will be covering different trip ideas and sites to see along the route
throughout the summer, so be sure to stop by again.