Tales of a diabetic father: be overly prepared when traveling

During the Christmas break 2013, my family and in-laws took a long vacation to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

And with two diabetic kids to pack for, this was quite a feat.

I will expand on this in the near-future, but there is one thing I must advise right now: over-prepare when packing supplies for diabetics.  I can't stress this enough.  Whatever you think you need, pack a little more.

Both of my diabetes kids have Medtronic insulin pumps, and the various pieces of equipment needed is mind-boggling.  I thought I had packed enough reservoirs for the trip--a little tube to hold insulin inside the pump.  But, on our first day out, my son's needed changing because he ran out.  Now, luckily, I packed two full bottles of insulin, but I stupidly only packed two reservoirs.  I thought I had packed more.

Needless to say, I was able to reuse the reservoirs by utilizing the detachable pieces that go onto them, but that doesn't excuse the fact that I should've been more prepared.  We have another big trip around mid-February and I will make a note to bring with several extra.

A rule of thumb I now use is this: whatever I think I need, either double the amount or at least increase by fifty-percent.  If you think one full bottle of insulin is enough, add another one just to be safe.

My sticker-shock experience at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios

Over the Christmas holiday, my family and in-laws went to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.  It was a blast--something I highly suggest everyone to experience at least once . . . quite often.

I will expand on this more, with detailed information on each park, but for now I must share my sticker-shock experience when it comes to paying for meals.  This goes at both Universal Studios and Walt Disney World.  Now, I'm not mad or even remotely upset at the cost of food.  It's an experience and something you need to budget for.  Your average kids meal--I highly recommend this if you bring kids--at most places run from $4.99 to $6.99 (this would be at the "$" restaurants - the "$$" and "$$$" places are much more expensive).  For adults, double this.

My family of five had an average meal cost between $45-$55.  The portions are more than generous.  With this in mind, we budgeted between $100 and $150 each day for eating--this even included snacks.  Most places we found accepted cash and debit/credit cards.

Our other family members--those who didn't come with us--gave our family Disney gift cards, which would be used all over the parks.  This was also an added bonus, for it kept the amount of cash needed on us much lower.

So, when planning your Orlando vacation, over-budget for food.  I know there's a meal plan available at Disney World, and we elected not to do so because we could get by with less.  Shop around and compare if you feel your family could benefit from the meal plans or not.

And, most of all, have fun!