Humorous Travel Tales from a Single Mom

Traveling as a single mom can be a wild ride. Between packing snacks, managing tantrums, and trying to remember where you left your phone, every trip is an adventure. But amidst the chaos, there are moments that make you laugh, shake your head, and sometimes even question your sanity. Here are some of my most humorous travel tales that remind me why I loved exploring the world with my kids.

The Camping Catastrophe

You have probably seen the memes that compare camping to spending a small fortune to live like a homeless person. While I do chuckle whenever I see those funny posts, I truly love camping. It was one of the ways my single mother could take 5 kids on a trip, and it was also some of the first opportunities I had to take my own children on a vacation.

While camping costs can add up, if you invest a little time in planning, borrowing equipment, when possible, it can be done on a single-parent budget. Each trip we went on, we came home with stories that still give a good belly laugh all these years later.

One of our most memorable camping trips was to Tamoka State Park on the northeast coast of Florida. It was July, because why not go camping in Florida during the second hottest month of the year, right? Also, it happens to be our hurricane season. This was one of those trips where anything that could go wrong did and even some things I could not have predicted.

At the time, I did not have a tent but did have a friend who was willing to loan me theirs. The day of arrival, we started unloading the car, realized there was a big problem with the campsite (the prior campers had used it as a urinal rather than walk 25 yards to the bathroom) and so we ended up moving to another site. I did my best to take it all in stride, rallying the kids to help get everything moved and set up. As we were assembling the tent, we realized there was a pole missing. After searching everywhere and not finding it, I determined the tent was still able to be erected and we moved on. Sometime during the night, I was abruptly woken up by something covering my face. Flailing one arm out above me in an attempt to ward off whatever monster was attacking I fumbled around with my other hand for the flashlight. Switching it on I saw that the walls of the tent were quite literally caving in around us. That missing pole wasn't so dispensable after all. I woke up the kids and we tried our best to get the tent walls propped back up. We managed to raise them up enough that they were no longer trying to smother us and went back to sleep. The next day, the search for the missing tent pole was resumed in earnest. My older son walked back to the first campsite and low & behold; the pole was there. Disaster now averted, after a quick reassemble job to put the pole in place, we struck out for a little exploration walk.

Later that evening, I prepared to make dinner on the fire pit style grill provided by the park. As I was waiting for the coals to get hot enough, the skies opened up and the summer rains returned. With some quick thinking, I put up my beach umbrella over the grill and continued cooking our dinner. My hope was that the rain would subside, and we could eat at the picnic table, but no such luck was to be had. It continued to come down, getting heavier by the minute. Eventually, our great Florida rain was accompanied by our great Florida lightning. There really wasn't much else to do but scramble into my little Dodge Avenger to eat our semi-soggy dinner and wait it out. Waiting it out turned into sleeping it out in the car. If you're a parent you know how restless kids can get on a drive, so imagine how bad it is when you are just stuck sitting in a car all night long. I played movies on my phone, and we slept as best we could. I contemplated packing up and going home. If the thunder storms continued, there was no way we could sleep another night in the car. Thankfully, the rain ceased by morning and did not make an encore for the rest of the week.

We did have a few other memorable mishaps that trip. Much to my disgust, there was some kind of weird little worms that crawled out of the ground and into the cooler. I ended up throwing out a lot of food. My older son insisted on setting up his own fishing pole, stabbing his hand in the process, my youngest crashed his bike and wound up with some minor injuries and then me, well I managed to steam burn my hands putting out the campfire (don't ever pour water directly onto coals that are still extremely hot). Thank goodness I didn't forget to pack the first aid kit!

The Lesson Learned

Through all these humorous travel tales, I have learned a few valuable lessons.

• Expect the Unexpected: No matter how much you plan, things will go awry. Embrace the chaos and find humor in it.

  
  

• Pack Smart: Always double-check your packing list. You never know when you might need an extra towel or a backup phone charger.

  
  

• Create Memories: The best moments often come from the mishaps. Take lots of pictures and enjoy the journey.

  
  

• Laugh Often: Traveling with kids can be challenging, but laughter makes it all worthwhile.

  
  

A Journey Worth Taking

Traveling as a single mom is not always easy, but it is always rewarding. Each trip brings new adventures and stories to share.

So, whether you are planning a road trip, a beach day, or a camping excursion, remember to keep your sense of humor. After all, it is the funny moments that make the best memories.

As I look back on these travel tales, I realize that the laughter and love shared with my kids are what truly matter. So, pack your bags, grab your sense of humor, and hit the road. Adventure awaits!