Top 10 Vacation Tips (from Aldrich family experiences)

10. In early summer, towel off well when you are done swimming in a lake, or you may get ‘swimmers itch’. And yes, that does mean tiny parasites under your skin, and no, that's not 'cool'.

9. iPods are great for the kids on long car trips—you won’t hear a peep out of them the whole way, and there’s no arguing over what’s on the radio.

8. If you are 7 and you are fishing along the shore of a lake, wear old shoes, because you WILL fall in. Probably more than once.

7. If you are over 30 and haven’t been waterskiing for years, you may be extremely sore the day after you tried it.

6. Although you can’t get your kids up on time for school, while you are on vacation they will wake you up at 5:45 am with the sun so that they can go fishing.

5. Don’t count on boys between the ages of 7 and 12 to pack their own toothbrushes. They won’t.

4. Don’t put your towels on the back of the boat. When the boat picks up speed, they fall in the lake.

3. Sitting for 4 hours on a sheet while waiting for fireworks to begin can be extremely stressful for the parents of a 7 year old very active boy who has no fear of wandering away and is always hungry or thirsty and always has to go to the bathroom in what happens to be a port-o-john with a long line.

2. Pick up your feet when you walk across a wooden deck. If you slide your feet, you could get a 3” sliver, and someone may have to use a Swiss Army knife to cut it out. (See Riley for details)

1. Pontoon boats are heavier than they look. When a stalled boat drifts precariously close to a dock, please don’t stick your foot out to stop it. Your foot will get crushed. (See Tobey for details)