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.

Tales of a diabetic father: packing extra for trips

Three years ago, over the Fourth of July, I took my wife and our oldest son to Rochester, MN, as my wife had an appointment at the Mayo Clinic.

Our son has type 1 diabetes.  He is on a Medtronic pump, and has been for over ten years.  And there is one thing about pump-users: there is a lot of equipment to bring.  Even for an overnight trip, like this one was, we still had to bring an extra reservoir full of insulin and 2-3 infusion sets, just in case.

Because you never know when things go wrong.  Even if you're not a pump-user, things can still go wrong.  Sometimes we over-prepare for trips, and feel stupid for doing so, but when the crap hits the fan we're glad for the extra supplies.

I checked our son's insulin level on the reservoir before leaving.  It was half-full, which should've been more than enough for the trip.  It wasn't.  As we left Rochester Friday, our son said, "Ah, Dad, I only have 3 hours left on the pump."

This was three hours with no bolus activity.  Not good.  Especially for a 7-8 hours trip.

Needless to say, we're glad we had the extra reservoir of insulin packed.

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!

Guesthouse International Inn and Suites, Rochester, MN

Last year, when my wife was down in Rochester, MN, due to her treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukamia, I stayed several times at the Guesthouse International Inn and Suites.

If you're going to the Mayo Clinic, there are reduced rates available, as well as reduced rates for those staying a week or more.  There is also a shuttle service going to and from the Mayo Clinic Monday through Friday.

It's a nice hotel, with a complimentary breakfast, and a good-sized pool.  There is also a hot tub.  Here is a video of my children jumping into the pool one day last summer, which gives you an idea of how big the pool is.

From the first phone call to the first time arriving at the hotel, I knew the front clerk (who I believe his name was Jerry), was a first-class salesperson.  He knew how to treat guests extremely well.  In fact, the moment I arrived the first time, it was around 11:30pm.  He said that normally the pool closed at midnight but liked to keep it open later to accomodate the late-arrivals.  Also, he said he always kept the coffee on--which I didn't quite need at the time but admired the gesture.

The one drawback, which I even hate to mention, is the slight smoky smell to the carpet.  I had been told there had been some remodeling done but the carpet hadn't been touched yet.  Because of it, there was a hint of smoke along the halls.  This didn't bother me, even though I'm a non-smoker, but my wife was extremely sensitive to it.

Here's a picture of the front--this is from their website.

Because of the drawback, I give the Guesthouse a 4 out of 5 stars.  If I just took into account the level of service, it would be 5 out of 5.

Hampton Inn and Suites (Rochester, MN) - A world-class facility

For the past 14 months, since my wife was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, we've stayed in Rochester, MN in a few various hotels.  In one stretch, my wife spent from April through December 2011 in Rochester, and every 2-3 weekends, I'd bring the kids down to see her.

She is now at home and has appointments every 4-6 weeks.

One of our favorite places to stay is the Hampton Inn and Suites.

The Hampton Inn is located on the north side, and has shuttle services running quite regularily to the Mayo Clinic.

Their staff is world-class, greeting me by name, and even greeting me in the same manner when I just spent 7-8 hours in the car and am half-asleep.

Their continental breakfast is outstanding.  After about the tenth time I've stayed there, I've only seen a hot menu item more than twice.  They have so much variety, it's amazing.  They even have an assortment of muffins, bagels, and english muffins.

They have an exercise area and even a pool, accessible through the second floor.  It's typically open until midnight, and there is both a regular pool and a sizeable hot-tub.

The manager, Dan, is the epitome of world-class, always friendly and is a very hands-on manager.  I've seen him many times out sweeping the parking lot or driving the shuttle van.  On one occasion, my youngest daughter was acting up.  Dan came up to us, asked if she was alright, and offered her a small piece of candy.  She immediately smiled.  The gesture made her day.

The Hampton Inn and Suites is located just off of the main Highway 52 North.  There are plenty of places to eat nearby, as well as a Target and Wal-mart.

Out of five stars, I give them a full five.

Need a vacation? Try driving somewhere

Believe it or not, no matter where you live, there are places to visit as a tourist.  If you want to go on a vacation, settle for some place close, possibly 1-2 days away.

This will help save in airline costs, and will also ease the pain in having to deal with all of the bureaucratic security personnel at the airports.

Also, make the trip itself an adventure.  Sightsee along the way, if you see something you find interesting.

How to land a deal on hotels

Of course there's Orbitz and Travelocity.

And we can't forget about Expedia and the new kid on the block: Kayak.

There are countless other online travel sites.

Aside from this, one can always pick up the phone and ask.  But here's one other tool: if you're going to be in an area for close to a week, ask for their weekly rates.  You'd be surprised how deep a discount you may land.