Road Trip to Monterey with a Toddler – Incorporating nap times & bed times into your travel schedule
Tuesday, September 2, 2014 at 12:05PM Last weekend my husband and I decided to take a last-minute long-weekend road trip. The plan was to drive from Los Angeles, CA to Monterey, CA. It’s about a 5 hour drive when there is no traffic and no stops. There was something relaxing about shoving everything we might need into the car, rather than thinking about weight requirements and keeping bags to a minimum. The hotel where we were staying had a fridge, so I packed a cooler full of snacks and milk for my son.
My son and I picked my husband up from work on Friday and started the drive. We decided to stop in Santa Barbara to take a break and have an early dinner. We took our time and waited to leave until my son’s bed time, with hopes that he would fall asleep in the car. He slept the whole way. We arrived into Monterey on the later side but it was worth it. We got our hotel room and quickly set up the pack n’ play and he went back to sleep. We had a suite, which I highly recommend. This meant that we didn’t have to go to sleep when he did.
I would definitely do the drive that way again as it worked best for my son, however, we were exhausted the next day. I think in future trips, the next day I’d plan to go back to the hotel and all take a nap when he napped.
Monterey Bay AquariumThe trip was wonderful. We were up early and in turn went to bed early, I love getting an early start to the day. The hotel included a breakfast buffet every morning. This was easy and perfect as we could leave the hotel with full stomachs. We explored the Monterey Bay Aquarium every morning. It was the best watching him run around and go from tank to tank looking at the fish.
Camel
We would stay until it was time for his nap and then make the decision to change locations and have him sleep in the car, go for a walk or have a relaxing lunch while he slept. I’m fortunate as my son will sleep anywhere. He gives us that flexibility, so in return, we make sure we’re flexible with our schedule for the day to give him time to sleep.
We drove back on Monday and decided to go back to the Aquarium in the morning and then start driving back during his nap. It worked out really well and we stopped for a few hours for lunch in the town of Solvang. It gave us all a break and made the trip last longer than just driving straight back.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Overall, I can’t wait to go back. I think anticipating his needs from naps to food, helped make the trip relaxing and fun.
FreshCruiser Tip: Look for full-suite hotels or upgrade from a standard hotel room as a suite gives you more flexibility.
Reader Comments (2)
My wife and I made that trip often (reverse direction - Monterey to L.A.) to visit family when our son was a toddler. We planned several stops along the way, so he would have run-around time. Favorite breaks were: 1. The farm stand and hot springs pool at Avila Beach Drive, near San Luis Obispo. The Avila Valley Barn farmstand has paddocks with farm animals, pick-yourself fruit in season and an ice cream parlor, too. 2. Santa Barbara - great kids parks in downtown area and near the beach, including Alameda Park, with a climb-around wooden castle play structure, and Chase Palm Park near the beach, where there's a play area with whale sculptures that "spout" mist.
Longer travel time, but well worth the stops for activity breaks!
Thanks Ken for sharing these spots, they are perfect. I can't wait stop at the farm stand on our next trip. Now, with having a child, I realize how important it is to make the drive part of the adventure as well.