What are your tips for traveling to the Annual Conference with your family? Last year my husband and then 18 month-old joined me. I’m including my three tips - what are yours?
Don’t skip the warm robe: The pool is heated, but the ocean breeze can make the pool deck chilly.
Stock up on snacks: The resort restaurants and market are convenient but pricey. Having favorites on hand made it much easier.
Pack for a sick kid: Bring basic medicines, thermometer and an have an extra outfit on hand for yourself whenever you go anywhere - sometimes the person who gets puked on isn’t the one who has three extra outfits in the diaper bag.
Bonus tip: Check out the parks around Mission Beach—they’re great for burning off energy between conference sessions!
This year’s venue, the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay, also provides complimentary water sports rentals for all hotel guests. Have your family members take advantage and check out the marina by kayak or stand-up paddleboard!
Agree on the snacks! We took an Uber to Target on our first day to stock up on snacks and drinks (yay for a mini fridge in the room). It was nice to swing by the room to grab a cold/crisp Diet Coke between sessions.
Don’t let your family leave home without long sleeves in the suitcase! The morning and evening air is lovely, but cool. My teenager never thinks she needs long sleeves…I think she uses it as an excuse to have us buy her new clothes.
My biggest tip would be to take advantage of the free shuttle on Monday or Tuesday night, and take it north to the farther drop-off point. Last year, my husband and I enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the hotel along the beach/boardwalk, with plenty of options for dinner and ice cream along the way. It was a good way to get our bearings off of the hotel/resort grounds, to see what else was nearby. As others have mentioned, food options are definitely more varied and less expensive away from the resort grounds. The hotel area doesn’t even have vending machines (from what I remember), so picking up some “munchies” somewhere for the non-conference-attending members of the family is a must.
One more tip – Upon check-in, the hotel staff will try to up-sell you to a more expensive room high up in the tall tower section of the hotel (about $50 extra per night). It provides a great lookout over the marina and of that portion of San Diego (including nightly fireworks over Sea World, if the weather is clear). The view and fresh air on the little balcony makes a nice perk if you have a spouse who is stuck working remotely in the hotel room all day (as mine was), but I won’t be spending the extra money this year on my own, since the conference agenda provides for plenty of time to move around and enjoy the resort “on the ground”!
