Here are my top five things that can (and have) gone wrong while traveling:

Melts downs;

When the kids get tired because of lack of sleep over stimulation or I have pushed them too much, they inevitably have melt downs. I’m not just talking about the little ones either, myself and the young adults of the family can easy slip in tantrum mode if we don’t allocate time in our travels to slow down and rest every so often.

Solution: Don’t try to fit too much in one day and have rest days. If its you who is going to have a meltdown, wait till your having a shower in the camp bathroom to cry and console yourself with the other mothers that are in there, doing the same.

Melt downs! We all have them!

Close calls at the Airport;

When we traveled to New Zealand, we were very close to missing the plane. Put it this way we were standing in the customs queue when our plane was boarding…. We were that crazy family running through the airport while their names where being called! While, at LA airport I was patted down all over my body and practically strip searched after they were concerned about something that was on my chest! Turns out it was the embroidered maple leaf on my hoodie that was setting everyone into a spin.

Solution: Don’t have breakfast in the restaurants before you go through customs and don’t ever wear that jumper on a plane again. And be nice to all custom and security personnel.

The calm before the panic!

Car problems;

Flat batteries as a result of children (never their mum!) leaving the car doors open, happens a lot on our journeys. Luckily, we are nearly always around people who are prepared with jumper leads and we belong to the NRMA. (it’s well worth the $110)

Solution: Continue to yell at kids to shut the doors and one day it will (hopefully) sink in and always pay the road service. Oh, and maybe buy yourself a set of jumper leads!

I got this for Amber for Christmas, probably should have got myself one.

Being washed out;

We had a tent that I got for free off Freecycle. I was very excited about this tent until it rained, and I quickly figured out why they gave it away. Our heads were wet, our gear was wet and of course it happened in the middle of the night and we couldn’t see a thing, so we quickly abandoned ship and slept in the car. This didn’t happen just once to us though, it happened a few times before I finally gave up on the tent and got rid of it.

Solution: Don’t think the tent is suddenly going to become waterproof, it doesn’t matter how you keep trying and how much waterproofer you spray on it,it’s not going to change. Get yourself another tent.

We have slept in the car more than once!

Losing something (other then your mind)

We haven’t lost alot on my travels, although I did last year, while skiing in New Zealand, lose one of my hiking boats and these were the only shoes I took on this trip. Not finding out till we got down the mountain meant that I had to run around town in Amber’s shoes, looking for new pair for myself. All the while Amber sat in her socks with the kids eating chips and watching their crazy mum run around trying to buy a reasonably priced pair of shoes before the shops closed. Luckily lost and found up the mountain had the boot and I was reunited with it the following day.

Solution; Keep and eye on your stuff and take two pairs of shoes (although I did get a new pair of converse out of it!)

My favourite hiking boots!

So there’s my 5 things.

Have you had anything go wrong while traveling?

Tell me below!

Safe travels

Kerrie.