There's nothing like the comfort of your home–from the corner of the couch to the hammock in the yard. We crave it, even when traveling halfway around the world. Making a home base during extended trips can help.
Choose one town to hang out in, and hop around from there. Byron Bay in Australia and Raglan in New Zealand were our home bases. The cute surf towns moved at just our speed. We felt safe and relaxed and knew the surf was just a few minutes away. We also knew it would be an easy transition into traveling for our one-year-old who craved routine and nap time.
A bed and breakfast, or someplace with a kitchen, helps with these routines because it's almost like home. Your child enjoys a quiet slumber in one of the corner bedrooms, while you prepare lunch for the second surf session. Peanut butter jelly sandwiches might already be on the menu, but thanks to the fridge, fresh fruits and veggies and lots of string cheese fill the cooler, too.
And with most of these lodgings, household items–from cookware to containers for storing beach snacks–are provided. A high chair and crib might be included upon request. The host can also help with bulky beach items, like an umbrella and beach chairs.
You can really make yourself at home for extended trips; unpack everything and make use of the closet and drawer space. It's stressful enough traveling with a toddler. Picking one place to stay at means unpacking and packing just once and spending the rest of the time enjoying your trip.
Before booking back home, do a quick Google Map search to help visualize nearby places that your family might frequent. Then see how long it'll take to get there–whether by car or public transportation. For us, Byron was no more than a 45-minute drive to other surf spots, like Broken Head. Anything longer would mean major meltdowns for our daughter who hated car rides.
Additionally, how far away were grocery stores and restaurants? Our Byron B&B was walking distance to several grocery stores and a coffee shop, which became part of our morning routines.
Lastly, establishing a home base when traveling is not only convenient but also more cost-efficient. B&B's tack on a one-time cleaning fee to the nightly rate. This adds up when staying at multiple places.
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