Suite + RV = Overpacking!
What do you do when you book a 3-week trip for four people including a cruise, some hotel nights, and a RV with temperatures ranging from the 30s to the 70s during the trip? Definitely get the MostPerMile out of your packing strategy, for sure!
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We recently had a 3-week trip that included several pre-cruise nights in the Vancouver area, a week in a Neptune Suite onboard Holland America cruising the Inside Passage northbound towards Alaska, the Coastal Classic on the Alaska Railroad for the interior of mainland Alaska, and then over a week in a RV to Denali with one last night in a creekside lodge? You overpack. Yep, I said it (and I did it!). Our cruise wasn’t short, but had stops in Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway along with a full day in Glacier Bay National Park prior to disembarking in Seward, so we definitely needed a few changes of clothes.
In our attempt to make the MostPerMile out of this trip, we crammed a lot in. Almost too much in terms of packing, but not too much in unique and meaningful experiences!
First stop? Vancouver. Like any good parent teaching responsibility, I remind my kids they have to pull their own weight, so I step back and let them haul the bags while I quiz them on airport codes. Having flown to Vancouver with the girls by myself since hubby had a different flight later that evening, we arrived early, navigated the airport and Customs, then made our way to the hotel for the evening before heading out to a local Korean BBQ restaurant (what else do you eat in Canada??).
But before you let out that gasp that this family may have overpacked, we truly had different climates and situations to pack for! Dress-up night on the cruise, hiking, lows in the 30s in a RV, glaciers, small boat fjords tour, trains, and of course attire we could love on the Denali sled dogs with!! Packing cubes, utilizing laundry services onboard the cruise (as well as at the campground!) enabled us to get it done… and then some. Don’t forget the age-appropriate books I purchased for the kids to read in Alaska to help them fully immerse themselves into the amazing scenery we would see as well as increase vocabulary:
A book is an excellent thing to place in the hands of children versus a technology device. Being in the actual setting of the book, hugging on sled dogs, seeing the cruise ships and train in Skagway, or wondering how children can learn in the remote wilderness of the areas your train is passing in Alaska help bring the literature to life! Correlating the books to the Lexile reading can also help see if they are on your child’s specific reading level, and what I love incorporating is the Lexile Power V Word Selector for each book linked above to identify up to ten challenging words in each book that are crucial for children to know. (How many of us remember learning “SAT words” back when we were in school? These words are a great way to help increase one’s vocabulary in the midst of the awesome scenery!)
So can you combine a cruise where you are pampered and have everything taken care of for you, then go back to cozy quarters in a RV where you spend four of those nights without hookups watching the wastewater levels and reminding everyone that 2-minute showers are exceeding the max with your available fresh water? You betcha! In fact, since you will be safe in keeping your distance from a momma grizzly and her cubs, you don’t have to worry what you smell like anyway if you miss your shower that morning! But with all this packing, don’t forget about luggage weight limits when you venture back to the airport (which is when a handy travel scale helps to have when vacationing and bringing back those souvenirs!).
No matter where your family travels take you, simply adhere to this photo at the Eielson Visitor Center: Keep Exploring.
As with any of our wonderful National Parks, take advantage of the Junior Ranger program as they are just as good for you as they are for your kiddos!
Trust me, the Junior Ranger program will help you get the MostPerMile out of life not just for your own curiosity but for educating your children as well! Very few places can you pack a suit and hiking boots for your husband while throwing in a swimsuit and hand warmers for good measure. (Ever heard of the Polar Bear Plunge? Yep – it’s a must – especially for children onboard even if in the hot tub in front of a magnificent glacier!) Alaska is definitely one state to help you get the MostPerMile for you and your traveling companions whether you are in a suite on a cruise or without hookups in a RV…. or both! (Even if you overpack a tad!)
Possible Curriculum Correlations in Texas:
Science – glaciers in Alaska
(5) Matter and energy. The student knows that objects have properties and patterns. The student is expected to:
(A) classify objects by observable properties of the materials from which they are made such as larger and smaller, heavier and lighter, shape, color, and texture; and
(B) predict and identify changes in materials caused by heating and cooling such as ice melting, water freezing, and water evaporating.
(7) Earth and space. The students know that Earth consists of useful resources and its surface is constantly changing. The student is expected to:
(A) examine properties of soils, including color and texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of plants;
(B) observe and identify slow changes to Earth’s surface caused by weathering, erosion, and deposition from water, wind, and ice; and
(C) identify and classify Earth’s renewable resources, including air, plants, water, and animals; and nonrenewable resources, including coal, oil, and natural gas; and the importance of conservation.
… Catastrophic events of weather systems such as hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes can shape and restructure the environment through the force and motion evident in them. Weathering, erosion, and deposition occur in environments due to the forces of gravity, wind, ice, and water.
High School – Earth and Space Science
(11) Solid Earth
… The student knows that the geosphere continuously changes over a range of time scales involving dynamic and complex interactions among Earth’s subsystems. The student is expected to:
(A) compare the roles of erosion and deposition through the actions of water, wind, ice, gravity, and igneous activity by lava in constantly reshaping Earth’s surface;
(13) Fluid Earth
… The student knows that the fluid Earth is composed of the hydrosphere, cryosphere, and atmosphere subsystems that interact on various time scales with the biosphere and geosphere. The student is expected to:
(A) quantify the components and fluxes within the hydrosphere such as changes in polar ice caps and glaciers, salt water incursions, and groundwater levels in response to precipitation events or excessive pumping;
Social Studies – Many relating to Geography
