Preparing for three or four weeks away is tricky, and departure day is the part I’d worry about most. There is the house to leave, the car to finish packing, a child to keep entertained and a long drive ahead. This is how our first day went, what we did to keep it manageable and what I’d pass on to any family planning something similar.
Getting the house and the car ready
Our first night was booked at a hotel in Wexford with check-in at 4pm, so we had no reason to rush. I couldn’t settle, so I was up early for a morning walk, and the extra time meant the jobs didn’t have to be squeezed together. The car had been packed the day before, so the morning was only the final packing, which was the cool box with our dinner supplies, drinks and ice blocks. That morning I also cooked the pizzas for lunch and the salmon for dinner. The pizzas stayed out of the cool box because we didn’t want them freezing cold.
Closing up the house for a month came down to a short run of jobs: doors locked, windows closed and locked, plants in the right positions and the heating turned all off, since it was summer.
This year our teddy Tony came with us. He’s normally too large to travel, so he got a seat in the car as a treat. I also organised our daughter’s space in the back with activities to keep her entertained, including an activity sheet I made in ChatGPT with images relevant to the trip. Some of the images were too small to read, because I had copied and pasted them instead of downloading them, which is a lesson for next time.
At 11:45 the front door was locked, and I checked it three times before starting the car. The first stop was the Lidl 500m down the road, for croissants to have with a morning coffee.
The drive and the lunch stop
The whole drive was at least 180km. We took the M4 towards Dublin and around the M50, and because it was a bank holiday the roads were very quiet and the driving was simple. My wife and daughter read stories to themselves for part of the way.
I realised on the road that the initial camera set-up in the car was wrong. The DJI was fine, but the static camera was at the wrong angle, so I corrected it at the lunch stop. Otherwise the photos would have looked lopsided.
We stopped for lunch at the Applegreen just north of Wicklow and spent about 45 minutes there. We ate the pizzas at the picnic tables, choosing the one with the least bird poo on it, and the crows looked on while we ate. It was a good place to stop, stretch and refuel. We also bought croissants from the M&S for the next morning’s breakfast, and our daughter had her first ice cream of the trip.
After lunch it was about 1 hour 20 minutes to the hotel. We expected to arrive at about 3:30, a little early for the 4pm check-in, and hoped the room might be ready. It was a cloudy afternoon, and once we were in Wexford the roadside stalls selling strawberries, jams and bottles of juice made it feel like we had properly arrived.
Arriving before the room was ready
There was no parking near the hotel, so I parked in the upper car park, planning to check in and then drive down to the set-down area to unload. It was starting to rain. There was a small queue at check-in, and the staff were friendly and warm. We checked in at about 3:40, and that was when we found out the room probably wouldn’t be ready until 4pm.
We waited around reception and stood out on the wooden decking looking at the view. At 4pm the receptionist came over with our room key. I had noticed the bell trolley, so I asked if we could use it, and she said that was no problem at all. I went to get the car from the upper car park to bring it down to the set-down area, and a space opened up right beside us in the lower car park, which I took. It was total luck and I was very grateful, because it made our lives easier. We loaded the luggage from the car onto the trolley there.
The room and the questions from our daughter
This blog is about how we used a place and what our experience was, so I’m not reviewing the hotel. Our room was one floor up from reception, comfortable, with a view of the estuary and the odd train passing in the distance. The TV welcomed me by name, and our daughter was very jealous. She demanded that her name be on the TV next time, and I told her she could book and pay for it herself and then I’d be delighted to see her name on the screen.
The room didn’t have a balcony, which I hadn’t known was a requirement for our daughter. The room next to ours had one, so she asked why we didn’t. I joked that I’d made a mental note, and that next time the place would need a pool and a balcony, which got a laugh.
The pool and the room picnic
Time was pressing on, so we headed straight down to the swimming pool. The leisure centre was very nice, and the pool was a major highlight. It had jets and a small slope that our daughter pretended was a slide. My wife and I took turns in the hot tub and the steam room, with one of us staying with her while the other went in. After about an hour we went back up to the room to shower and sort out dinner.
It was a long trip and we’re on a budget, so we decided against the restaurant and bar food and had a picnic in the room instead. We ate the cold salmon with potato bites, and for dessert we had crème brûlée and crème caramel, and I had a chocolate mousse and a meringue nest. It was a nice, relaxed evening that took the pressure off and eased the travel nerves. We were officially on the road, and the holiday had started.
As dusk fell over the estuary there was a flash of lightning, maybe ten flashes at most, with thunder. Soon after, it lashed with rain. When it eased off, we turned the lights off and went to sleep.
What Worked for Us and What We Would Do Differently
Give departure day more time than you think it needs. Packing the car the day before left only the final jobs for the morning, and a late check-in meant we could start with a walk and not hurry. A first night that is close, and not too far down the road, gave us a relaxed start before the longer stretches.
Cook ahead and take the food with you. Having lunch and dinner already made kept the cost down, gave us a proper break at a picnic table and let us skip the hotel restaurant after a long day. Keep the cool box for the food that needs it, and leave out anything you don’t want freezing cold, as we did with the pizzas. Set up your child’s space in the car before you leave, and make sure anything you’ve prepared for the journey is actually readable. Our activity sheet had images that were too small because I pasted them instead of downloading them.
When you close up the house, have a short routine of doors, windows, plants and heating, and then trust that you’ve done it right. I checked the front door three times, and I wouldn’t recommend that, because being confident you’ve done the job is a much better way to start a month away. That isn’t like me, though.
Check your gear on the first stop. I only noticed the camera angle was wrong once we were on the road, so I fixed it at lunch. If the hotel has a bell trolley, ask to use it, because it made unloading much easier once the key arrived. If you can, choose a first-night hotel with a pool. It was the best part of the day for our daughter and gave my wife and me a chance to relax too.
Quick Summary: What Worked and What We Would Change
| Area | What we did | How it went | Next time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Departure morning | Packed the car the day before, then did the final packing and cooking that morning, after an early walk | The jobs weren’t squeezed together | Same again |
| Food | Cooked the pizzas and salmon at home and took a cool box with dinner supplies, drinks and ice blocks | Cheaper, a proper break at a picnic table, and no hotel restaurant needed | Keep anything you don’t want freezing cold out of the cool box, as we did with the pizzas |
| Activity sheet | Made it in ChatGPT with images relevant to the trip | Some images were too small to read | Download the images instead of copying and pasting |
| Cameras | Corrected the static camera angle at the lunch stop | Fixed, but only after we’d been driving | Check your gear at the first stop |
| Closing the house | Doors locked, windows closed and locked, plants in position, heating off | I still checked the front door three times | Trust you’ve done it right |
| Late check-in | Checked in at about 3:40, waited on the decking until the 4pm key | The wait was easy, and a space opened up by the set-down area | Ask for the bell trolley |
| First night | Pool, then a picnic in the room | The pool was the best part of the day, and it was a relaxed start | Choose a close first stop with a pool |
