3 Tips for Surviving a Sickcation
April 26th, 2009 | by Carolina Papa 3 comments
I had a fabulous family road trip planned for spring break, but had to cancel it at the last minute. What I got instead was far worse than a staycation, it was a sickation (the forced use of vacation time to stay home with a sick kid). I’m still a bit weepy about the whole thing, so if you see tear stains on this post, that’s why.
The lowlights of my sickcation included an ear infection, an allergic reaction to antibiotics, and multiple visits to the doctor’s office, but we got through it. My son got healthier, and I didn’t go completely stir-crazy. Here are three tried and true tips for surviving a sickcation—I hope you never actually have to use them.
1. Know Thy Cancellation Policies
I figured out early in my career as a mother that there was always a 50/50 chance my son would get sick right before a vacation. It’s some sort of natural law. That’s why I book directly through the hotel, just in case I need to take advantage of their generous cancellation policies. Sometimes I’m tempted to prepay my stay, since it may save me money. I only do this if I’m booking at the last minute and I’m fairly sure everyone in the family is healthy, or if I’m feeling as lucky as James Bond at a casino.
2. Long Live the Day Trip
When we were finally well enough to venture outdoors again, I took some sanity-saving day trips. The only commitment we needed to make was to have fun. The beauty of the day trip is that there’s no pressure to see and do everything. We got to explore some new places, and those we know and love. Either way we got the feel of a vacation, but were still close enough to the pediatrician’s office.
3. This Too Shall Pass
Traveling with kids is not for the faint of heart—and neither are sickcations, but the rewards are worth all the setbacks. So when the going gets tough, the tough starts to plan her next trip. I spent much of my sickation making plans for my summer vacation. I bought some new travel books, did lots of research, and filled my cup to half-full again. Only 37 more days ’til school’s out!
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Lorraine on April 28th, 2009
First, I love new words, and ’sickcation’ is a wonderful invention that all mothers can relate to. Second, thanks for being a great example of finding positive & fun ways to endure those crazy travel-with-kids twists of fate.
Clive @ FH4U on April 29th, 2009
There’s only one thing worse than a sickation with sick child – being sick yourself.
My wife took two weeks off over Easter and spent a week in bed with flu! Couldnt eve manage day trips. Unlucky
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