Miami, the most populous city in Florida, is a large tourist destination.  It is a major urban center, with a heavy emphasis on finance, commerce, music, tourism, the arts, and international trade (it is a deep water port).  You’ll find many corporate headquarters located here, and it is a home port for many cruise lines.

If you haven’t been to Miami, you’ve probably seen it in the movies or on television:  Miami Vice, CSI:  Miami, Top Chef (3rd season), There’s Something About Mary, Wild Things, Marley & Me, The Birdcage, and several James Bond movies.

Or you may be familiar with the music of Miami:  Gloria Estefan lives here, plus there’s the Cuban beat, merengue, calypso, reggae, and the sound of steel drum bands.

Or, you may know if from its sports teams, the Heat, the Marlins, the Dolphins, the Panthers, and the many, many college teams that dot the area.

For vacations, there’s warm weather, beaches, shopping, restaurants galore, music, culture (a new Performing Arts Center), water sports, flora and fauna unseen in other parts of the US, and people who welcome travelers with a big smile and a warm welcome to a city of many flavors.  It’s also a very family friendly city.

Photo credit:  personal collection

Today’s Back to Basics tips come from Laura McHolm, the co-founder of NorthStar Moving & Storage Co., and who is also an on-site storage and organizational expert. 

As you might expect, she’s got lots of great suggestions, and I loved her ideas to help make the classic family car trip an easy adventure.  I’ve chosen my two favorite tips to share with readers here today:

• Pack one backpack that stays in the car. Include your maps, files with your reservation information, first aid kit, camera, tickets, etc.  (Personal note:  this is a good idea for adult travel, too!)
• Wrap items like books with car games, deck of cards, sticker books, puzzle books, joke books, reading books, crayola crayons, fun masks, etc. as presents—try reusable bags to be eco-friendly. When you make stops along your route place the presents on the kids’ seats. When they come back to the car they will have an exciting gift to unwrap and play with! Bring extra backpacks to place the toys in once they are unwrapped.

You can also check the NorthStar website for packing tips that easily translate from packing to move and packing for travel.

Thanks for the tips, Laura!

Photo credit: flickr

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