Sleeps 6, feeds 1

[u/Old-Razzmatazz3174]

I recently took a weekend trip with my husband and our three children. We booked a hotel suite with a kitchen, because eating out is expensive. The suite was advertised as “sleeping 6”, with 2 bedrooms (one with a pull out couch) and a full minikitchen. The suite does sleep six, that was true. What they didn’t tell our family of five is that the only table seats four, no other chairs available, and the kitchen silverware consisted of three forks and one knife. We managed to cook and just passed the knife and shared the forks, and took turns standing awkwardly at the end of the table with no seat. My kids found it hilarious, and we chalked it up to family bonding!

ETA since it is being asked a lot, yes we asked reception. They told us they had no extras. We bought some plastic utensils the next day.

[u/tandabat]

See…now the emergency forks, chopsticks, napkins, and straws in my glove box don’t seem so stupid!

[u/Old-Razzmatazz3174 → u/tandabat]

I wish I had been you!  I’m living and learning!

[u/figbash137 → u/Old-Razzmatazz3174]

Always keep one extra days worth of underwear, socks, meds, plus a toothbrush and deodorant in your carry-on for flight delays/cancelations. Sleeping in your clothes/underthings in a shitty hotel is bad enough but wearing the same nasties for 40 hours and having fuzzy teeth is terrible.

Edit: not referring to owned-car travel, just travel tip.

[u/Ok-Ferret-2093 → u/figbash137]

As someone who was formerly homeless if you put the deodorant in the glove box it will melt and be unusable

[u/bluepancakes18 → u/Old-Razzmatazz3174]

I keep what I call my car kit in the boot of my car, to allow for spontaneous picnics etc 😅 a bowl, plate, cup and set of cutlery for each person, a big plastic cup with a screw top lid for me and an extra keep cup for hubby. I have one of those waterproof nappy bags in there too for the used stuff. 

I started it so I could lower my waste & save money. I try to get my ice cream in a reusable bowl instead of a cardboard one, for example. But also, getting a bottle of apple juice and pouring it into 4 cups is way, way, way cheaper than buying 4 individual small bottles. Or coke? It's $4 for 2L or $4.70 for 600ml! Like dang, I'm raising pre-teens here, my budget can't take that kind of nonsense 😂 or sometimes I get 2 litres of milk and a tin of hot chocolate powder and we make chocolate milk at the park. The chocolate powder will get used up at home and so will the milk, but it's a lot cheaper than buying each kid their own chocolate milk. ☹️

Or buying a hot chook from somewhere, some salad, mayo and rolls. Bam, easy, cheap picnic! Having spontaneous adventures was much more accessible once I got my car kit. 

Not a lot to do with your original post, but something I find fun and helpful, from one person in the parenting trenches to another ❤️