A trip to Walt Disney World can absolutely be a “just show up and let the magic happen” kind of experience. But we’ve found that a little preparation goes a long way toward making our days smoother, more comfortable, and honestly… more fun.

After multiple trips (and a few hard-earned lessons), here’s exactly what’s in our Disney bag for a family of four…the items that have either saved us or made our park days even better.

Why We Love Short Disney World Trips

We love Disney World. And because we love Disney World, we want to go more often.

One of the ways we’ve made that possible is by planning shorter trips.

Shorter Disney World trips mean:

• Less burnout

• Lower overall cost, or more money to splurge in certain areas like staying on property

• Easier planning

• And more opportunities to go back

Instead of trying to do everything in one trip, we focus on our must-dos and leave excited for the next visit.

This shift has completely changed how we experience Disney as a family.

Keep reading to see how we did Disney World in 3 days as a family of four!

We are Disney people. We’ve spent a lot of time in the Florida parks, and I will tell you without hesitation Disneyland Paris instantly became our favorite park.

Why?

It’s easier to navigate.
It’s less expensive.
And the rides are just a little bit… spicier.

Also, there’s a champagne cart…need I say more?

Keep reading to see how we did Disneyland Paris in a day!

This summer we got to travel as a family to England (London and countryside) and to Paris. While this was not the first time we have traveled with the kids to England, there were still many firsts on this trip. It was the first time that they had been to Paris, been to a country where they did not speak the same language, and the first time we had done a multi-city trip with them overseas. Keep reading for a trip overview and a detailed itinerary!

We found ourselves with a random teacher workday long weekend at the end of March and I was dying to go somewhere after being cooped up all winter. The porblem is that we had two big trips planned for the year and nothing left in the vacation budget! But fortunately we had just started travel hacking with points and miles at the end of 2024 AND I remembered recently learning that the gorgeous Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC is a Hyatt property…which means easy and reasonable points redemption thanks to Hyatts fixed points charts. 

In short, we loved our stay here. That was in part due to the Springhill Suites Springdale Marriott  itself and its location and in part due to Springdale being absolutely beautiful and lovely. We knew from the pictures on the website that there were beautiful views from this hotel but the pictures can’t do it justice! Keep reading for room and hotel details.

Food matters to me on vacation. From food trucks to fancy restaurants, I am going to research to find some of the best places for us to eat when we travel. We ate pretty well while we were in Springdale, Utah visiting Zion National Park, so read on if you want to have some delicious meals while visiting this beautiful part of the world. 

Hiking the Narrows was hands down one of the most amazing experiences we had during our April spring break trip out west. All four of us loved it, my kids (ages 8 and 12 at the time) said they had a great sense of accomplishment after and want to go back one day to do it again. There are important things to know about hiking the Narrows with kids, keep reading and we will fill you in on what you need to know!