Even living in LA which has so much to offer, it is really good sometimes to change the scenery and get out of town for a little bit. Few weeks ago we went to Palm Springs and it was so nice! It it so close to LA yet so different. I was super excited about the dry desert heat, warm nights and cocktails by the pool.
I was a little nervous because this would be the first “road trip” for our little traveler but he did great! I think the key here is to plan around the nap time, if possible. Alaric pretty much slept the whole way there waking up right before we arrived all fresh and ready for adventure.
We got a suite room again which I think is the best living arrangement for traveling with baby because you have a full kitchen and/or another room. There were no cribs available at the hotel (which I researched in advance) so we brought our play yard and it worked great.
After settling in we went straight to the pool and hung out there all the way through the golden hour, it was so relaxing! The best part of this short-vacation was the nights out on a patio. Baby’s asleep while we are outside in the air soft as a warm milk, surrounded by the darkness of the desert and bright stars above us, talking and dreaming, aaaah so so good.
The next day was pretty lazy, we made a giant fruit plate and had a breakfast by the pool. Alaric loved swimming, we got him the little lifesaver, swimsuit and a hat and he was the cutest little buoy in the pool. After a nap we drove around to see the surroundings but eventually came back to the hotel, made some mimosas and got back to the pool.
The way back was a bit of a nightmare as the traffic was so bad! We moved 20 miles in 2 hours and eventually decided to get out in Cabazon and check out those dinosaurs from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Alaric was not too impressed but I thought they were cool. The rest of the way was pretty stressful since Alaric was crying almost the whole time, poor thing:(
Overall though, it was a very slow and nice weekend which was exactly what we needed.
Few tips and lessons learned for short distance road trip with the baby:
- Plan the travel time around the nap time if possible.
- Stock up on snacks and toys and sit in the back with the baby so you can play. I didn’t because he was sleeping when we left and later on we were stuck on the freeway so I couldn’t move back to keep him company and he was upset.
- Research the hotel amenities in advance, check if they offer cribs.
- Book the suite room so you can have more space and a kitchen to make milk or whatever food you might need.
- Make sure to pack everything you might not be able to buy at the destination easily.
Few links to the baby pool essentials.
