summer vacation


Road trips are fun and are on many people's bucket lists, but what better place to go on an adventure than the great state of Texas. That's exactly what we did  and our toddler was all in on it! Needless to say, Texas summers are HOT but we packed and headed over to the cold and refreshing waters of the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels, TX. New Braunfels is located in the hill country between San Antonio and Austin, less than 200 miles west of Houston. Since we drive frequently to San Antonio along I-10, we decided to take the long alternative route, make a few stops along the way, take pictures and simply enjoy the long stretches of Texas roads.


Guadalupe River Tubing
Tubing in the Texas Hill Country is a popular summer activity

I love to drive and don't mind going long distances without resting or stopping, but going on a trip with a toddler calls for frequent stops and a little patience. This trip wasn't the first trip for our daughter but it is one of the first trips where she can now walk and can't sit still for too long. We prepare before and stock ourselves with snacks, fruit, and plenty of water for hydration. The first hour or so of the trip goes smoothly because toddlers fall asleep and that was the right amount of time until we could make it out of Houston ( Fourth of July traffic ). So as I mentioned earlier, the easiest way to go out to the San Antonio - New Braunfels area is by taking Interstate 10. But because we are always up for an adventure and took off earlier than the rest of our group, we decided to take the long way and make stops here and there, which we were going to do regardless once Camila woke up. 

From south Houston, we got on the Sam Houston Tollway heading west, got on 59 south, then got off onto highway 90. This takes you through Richmond, Rosenberg. The towns have that cool small town feel and have plenty of old buildings to take picture by. We missed out on these first towns but will surely be back on our next trip. I veered off to highway 36 from Rosenberg and headed northwest to catch I-10. Right before doing so, we were searching for a sunflower field and turned into a random country road near Orchard, TX. Camila was still asleep at this point so we had a spontaneous photo shoot in the middle of a country road. 


Comfortable for  a road trip through the hot Texas summer roads

After this brief stop we were back on the road with Camila still asleep. We took I-10 west and headed towards Columbus,TX . We made another spontaneous move and headed north on highway 71. This is a nice highway with a few scenic views along the way to Austin,TX . A few miles on the highway our princes woke up and that meant that we had to stop soon. Thankfully, I remembered of a cool scenic view along the highway and drove a few miles before reaching it. The sun was beginning to set but it was still hot. We took this time to take more pictures, take a break, and for our toddler to eat,get hydrated, and stretch her little legs by walking around. The views here are beautiful.

hill country views
Scenic View of the Texas Hill Country

We were here for about 30 minutes and were soon back on the road. Camila was ready for another nap and we were ready to get to our destination. We made another quick stop at San Marcos to buy a few last minute supplies and by this time, it was dark outside. Camila made it through the trip and good thing we made those stops along the way. We shall be doing this again soon ( Dallas? ). Toddlers want to see, touch, and go everywhere and being stuck in a car for hours can drive parents insane. So make it fun and plan a few stops along the way. This also allows the kids to stretch and use some of their endless energy. Our Camping trip was so fun that we even forgot to share snapchats with you and more pictures!

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What are some things that help make road trips or vacations much easier with toddlers?




Happy smiles

Father and Daughter enjoying the Texas Hill Country