Everywhere a sign

Just in time for our annual pilgrimage north, a few signs popped up to let us know 12 hours in the car with a four-year-old will be well worth it.
First, if any of you caught "Jeopardy" last night, Liz is the hostess with the mostest. We make the trip for three reasons: my dad's birthday, Thanksgiving with my parents, and Liz's alternative thanksgiving. I've been going since the second year, and Chris and I have missed only one year - and we moped about it all day. So seeing her on TV was just one hint that we had better not miss this year!
Second, Parent Center sent me an e-mail this morning about making family vacations the best they can be. While they didn't offer MY favorite advice - travel at night while the kiddies sleep - they did offer some tips I'll pass along:
Make an emergency list - It's not what you think. It's a sheet listing your name and address, your child's name, your doctor's information and health insurance provider. Also list any allergies your child has and next-of-kin information. While it seems scary, filling something like this out, it's one of thoes things that if you need it, you'll really need it. Like my "Medic Alert" tag. While I hate wearing it, the only reason I'll need it is if I really need it. You know?
Plan activities that will give your children time to play - While historic Yorktown and the Revolutionary War and Civil War battlefields are amazing to see and awe-inspiring, they are also wide-open fields - perfect for running off a 4-year-old's energy. Also, we stay close to both a huge city park and an elementary school, so playgrounds are a quick trip back to sanity for both mom and boy.
Plan a mom-and-dad night. In our case, we're going to see Grandma, who is only too happy to babysit one night a year. So Chris and I can slip off to the IMAX or downtown Hampton for a date night. But if you're going off as a family, be sure that when you come back, you build in "decompression time" away from the kids.
Come home early. No, really. If you have to back at work on Monday, come home Saturday. That way you have a whole day to do laundry, lay around the house, and go to bed early so you DON'T feel like you need "a vacation from your vacation!"
What are your best travel tips? Click on "Comments" below to send me (and the other moms) what works for you.
--Misty