Surprise Vacation! - Traveling With A Toddler & Without Trouble

In early August my boyfriend surprised me and our son with a trip to Atlantic City the beach. This also happened to be our first vacation as a family. Neither my boyfriend nor I are drivers, so we took mass transit for the entire 75 mile journey, with a toddler, and luggage in tow. This post is the story of how we managed to stay completely sane despite obvious obstacles.

How We Packed

I knew we were going to be gone for at least three days, including the day of departure, so I decided to use three bags for Eli and I.

I decided my best bet for packing everything efficiently in one bag would be to use my massive, black cross-body tote bag from Target. 

For Eli, I packed two bags, his Winnie the Pooh baby bag from Walmart for clothing and baby essentials (now available on Amazon), and a tiny Spider-Man backpack from CW Price as a carry all for snacks, toys, and swim diapers (similar). I found that packing so many bags was a hassle to carry around because there was no place to store them adequately while traveling. Next time, I'm going to purchase either two carry-on bags (Eli's future bag and my future bag) or use my huge duffle (similar) and my cross-body bag from Target.

How We Traveled
Since S and I don't drive, we decided the easiest way to travel to the beach would be to take mass transit. I live fairly close to a rail system called the SEPTA Regional Rail service which travels from suburban areas into and beyond downtown Philadelphia. The train is a 10 minute walk from my home and only a 20 minute ride into the city. After taking the train to Market East Station, we then walked to the Greyhound Terminal which is located across the street. Greyhound Terminal services many bus companies including, but not limited to New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit - New Jersey's Mass Transit System), which is what we caught to the beach. We caught Bus 551, which is a direct route from Philadelphia to Atlantic City. The best part about taking mass transit is that we don't have to worry about gas, tolls, getting lost, or parking fees, and the cost of a roundtrip ticket for an adult is only $20 each. Eli travels for free!

Where We Stayed

For our first night in AC, we stayed at the Howard Johnson. The hotel was two very long, but walkable blocks from the Boardwalk/Beach and the staff was very friendly during check-in and check-out. Our room was located on the third floor, had a king bed, shower/tub combo in the bathroom, and overlooked the pool.

What I loved about the hotel was the cleanliness and closeness to everything and the built-in outlets in the lamps! What I didn't like was that there was no microwave nor a refrigerator in the room, there was a wall unit installed near the front door, but no formal closet, the hotel offered no crib in room, and no complimentary breakfast -  all important things when traveling with a toddler.

The second night we stayed at the Best Western Envoy Inn, which was our prefered hotel because we'd stayed there two years ago. This hotel is also located two blocks from the beach and one block away from the Howard Johnson. Our room was located on the third floor, had a king bed as well, shower/tub combo in the bathroom, a formal closet, and most importantly had a microwave and mini fridge. What I loved about this hotel is its proximity to everything, the friendly staff, the cleanliness of the hotel and our room, the hotel offered a rollaway crib, complimentary breakfast and high-speed internet, and it's located right next to a 7 Eleven. What I didn't like was the lack of a pool. How I Unpacked
In each room, I unpacked our belongings so we could feel more at home and settle in.

I put all toiletries and makeup in the bathroom. Emptied the staples of my purse into the side draw and put food items and medicine up high so Eli couldn't get to it.

We even had our own draws in the armoire to store our clothes. 

What We Enjoyed

What we loved most about going to AC was seeing our son feel the sand under his feet and stand in the ocean for the time. 

S and I even managed to visit the stores at Tanger Outlets and eat at the Hard Rock Cafe before heading home! Overall, we had a blast! I can't wait to go again next year. Maybe Eli will be tall enough to ride the attractions on Steel Pier.
Until next time friends, peace, love, and green tea <3
~ Domo ~ Tumblr | Facebook | Twitter