No matter where you travel with kids, there always seems to be a Costco (Walmart, Target, Sam’s club, random grocery store) nearby. After a day of tantrums or in the case of kids not dealing with time-change a couple of samples and a ride around in a cart can make a new place seem familiar while you can mentally regroup and get back to enjoying your trip. Some of our best souvenirs have been found this way and these stores tell so much about the place you’re visiting because they sell what people in that place buy everyday. And, because so many grocery stores are now open 24 hours, these places are great places to run to when your kids wake up at 5am and the hotel pool doesn’t open until 8am.
(PS. I try to look these places up before we leave for our adventures so I can pull them out of my back pocket just in case.
I LOVE going to the grocery store when traveling overseas. I actually used to do it too before we had children, just to see what the locals ate. Now with kids it adds a whole new dimension.
Haha yes, I totally get that dimension;)
I remember going to Vail, Colorado with my nephew when he was young. He was so overjoyed to see a Wal-Mart, the only thing that seemed familiar to him amongst all the snow. In Kona, Hawaii, we specifically went to Wal-Mart to buy souvenirs at a much cheaper price than elsewhere. And I agree that the 24-hour places are super for spending your jet lagged, awake in the wee hours of the morning time.