Beach Road Trip 2020
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Hi all! If you’ve been following along on stories, you know by now that we were in Galveston for the last couple of days for a quick family beach trip. We had to cut our trip short by a day because of Hurricane Hanna, but we still had such a wonderful few days on the beach with the kids. I received SO many questions about where we stayed, what toys we took in the car, what someone was wearing, etc. so I decided to log them all here as a resource.
Where Do You Stay?
Many people have chosen Galveston or other coastal towns for summer vacation this year due to COVID-19, but this is actually our fourth year in Galveston! We come with my in-laws and have a blast. We tried it out when Deacon was little because Al isn’t able to take off much time from work and Deac was so small we felt the trek to Florida was too far to make it worth it. It was so easy that we’ve since come every summer! We started coming when Deacon was Emilia’s age which is wild to think about. And the following year we announced my pregnancy on the beach. And last year we had a chunky little six month old sand eater with us. And this year we had two rowdy kids!
We have always stayed at The Galvestonian, a 12-story condo building that has rentals. We love it there. It is down past the main drag of things (which we have always preferred) on East Beach. We love that it has a private beach, beach chair and umbrella rental and set up, free wagons and bikes, a pool, a beautiful lawn with picnic tables and grills, and is very well maintained and clean. This year especially, everyone was in masks unless at the beach or the pool, housekeeping was only as-needed (we just asked for a few more towels each day), and pool and beach chairs were spaced more than six feet apart.
If you’re looking for a place to stay walking distance to the pier and the main seawall restaurants, this is not it. But if you’re looking for a quieter spot geared towards families, The Galvestonian is perfect. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a beautiful property and everything there is just so easy!
What Do You Do? Where Do You Eat?
The truth is we don’t do much. We spend our mornings at the beach, the afternoons while the baby naps at the pool, and usually go out for dinner once MAYBE twice the entire trip. The best part of staying in a condo is having a full kitchen so we can cook most meals. By six pm, our kids our tiiiiired. And our young kids are not great in a restaurant right now - especially after not having gone in one since February. We usually use the grills on the property one evening, order pizzas from Russo’s one night, and we always walk over to the super charming Beachtown neighborhood right next door and have dinner at Porch Cafe. Porch Cafe is SUCH a lovely spot - truly one of the favorite meals of my year. Even if you’re staying down on the other end of the island I recommend a trip Porch Cafe. The colorful homes around it, the gorgeous interiors, and farm to table menu all make for a lovely beach evening. We didn’t make it over there this year for some family reasons and COVID risk, but we will be back next year! (So yes, if you’re tuning in closely that means several of the evening outfits I packed never got worn. I had hopes to throw them on the kids for a brief moment and run around on the beach a few evenings, but the storm surge made us pivot those plans).
What Do You Do On The Drive?
Galveston is about 4.5 hours from Dallas, but the trip has taken us six hours a few times with traffic and stops. We aim for five hours and made great time this year. I pack a few of our “travel toys” - toys that I save just for restaurants or trips so they seem new and special. Toys that don’t have a lot of pieces, can be played while with in a car seat, and (super important) don’t make noise.
We love these magnetic “paper” doll books - we have the superhero and the make a face kit. I’ve given this ballerina one as a birthday gift and how cute is this girl power one?!. I also packed this other magnetic activity and I even had fun with this one! I take a small bag of Magnatiles as well and they can play with those on the magnetic surfaces of the other games so they don’t fall on the floor. Other hits - finger puppets, Water Wows, this homemade Popsicle color sorting game. Also - Ipads! I am not above screen time and use screens to my advantage. I try to wait a few hours in before dolling out the ipads and headphones. For Emilia this was her first experience with an ipad, I downloaded a season of Daniel Tiger and she just started liking the Peekaboo Barn and Peekaboo Wild games (no internet required). I tuck her ipad into the mirror holder we have facing her seat - i just remove the mirror and slide in the ipad. There’s a hole on the side for headphones to go through the holster. Deacon likes to play Buzzle, Disney coloring book, Putt Putt, and Mario apps (all are no internet required), but more often than not he just listens to spotify and sings.
Al and I listen to podcasts (we listened to this four hour Britney deep dive - so good!) while I answer emails for him while he drives. I could drive and let him work on his own, but I have a pretty firm “she who packs doesn’t also do the drive” rule.
Oh! One other tip, rompers are great for travel for kids in diapers. no waistbands to roll down and cause leakage. And shorts mean no potential burns from carseat buckle. Just make sure they have snaps at the crotch for easy changing. Emmie wore strawberries on the way there, flamingos on the way home. :)
SHOP IT
What Do You Pack?
I over pack because it is my nature, but this year I did try to simplify things a bit. I managed to get clothes for all four of us into one big suitcase + a hanging garment bag and then used the kid’s smaller duffles for diapers, toiletries, sound machines etc. My MIL has this pack and play that she brings for us. We love this collapsible picnic basket to carry non-perishable groceries, my favorite Bogg Bag holds all our beach and pool stuff like Emilia’s puddle jumper and Deacon’s life jacket (The Galestonian has many beach toys you can borrow which is great so we don’t have to take too much!), and our yeti bag holds all the cold stuff. (We do order groceries from the big Kroger on the island, but Arlan’s Market is close to the condo and has many essentials and produce.) I bring very little makeup and hair stuff - I love going make up free and wet hair all week. I basically just bring my flawless in five set for the evenings we go out or take photos.
Don’t Forget!
After staying in condos for years now, I always remember to pack the following:
Blankets for the kids - we love these - because its always cold in the condo and who knows the last time the throw blankets were washed.
A wine opener - this has only happened once, but believe it or not one year our condo didn’t have a wine opener. The horror!
A knife sharpener - knives in rentals are always dull. This little guy is so tiny, throw him in the side pocket of the picnic basket and be thankful you did.
Kids cups, utensils, and plates - I just take one set for each kid and wash after each use. For whatever reason, my kids still eat better out of a divided plate?
Sand Pouch - This is great for getting sand off hands and faces at the beach. We also save our empty water bottles, remove the labels, and fill with sink water and use those as “washing” water to rinse hands before snacking at the beach. No one wants sandy paws in their Doritos bag.
Extra long phone charger - many outlets in our rentals over the years are already being used by lamps or tvs or whatever. Or the only outlet is behind a dresser or chair. We bring this extender to help with that.
SHOP IT
Our Beach Motto
Let’s face it a vacation with kids this small isn’t really a vacation - it’s a trip. We really try to make this time about them and try to take an easier angle all week. They want chips ahoy for breakfast? Fine (but with a banana on the side). They want the ipad for awhile in the evenings after a day in the sun? Fine. Need to push nap time back a little because we’re having fun at the beach? Do it. Our motto: make it easy, make it fun. Sure I get them dressed a few evenings and make them smile for photos, but other than that I take their lead. And it pays off. The pure, unadulterated joy on their faces is everything. Watching memories unfurl right in front of you is such a blessed feeling. I’m thankful we were able to make it there this year, with Al’s parents, for another couple of sunny, sandy, smiley beach days.
Swimsuit (similar)
