Its Always good to Prepare for a Florida Vacation in Winter! Here is Why!
When our children were little, we used to plan a winter get away at about this time of year…Shss don’t tell anyone, but in those days, you could ask your child’s class teacher for your child to be out of school for a week and it wasn’t a biggie…Today there are all kinds of laws about that.
Anyways, one of the things we looked up were winter sun destinations and guess what showed up every time? Florida. At the time, we decided to save up for it and surprise the little ones with a Disney trip…Boy you should have seen their faces when we told them we were going to see Mickey mouse and co.
Our son jumped up and down with glee… He would hit the ceiling now if he tried that at home 😊 (He is getting pretty tall).
Our daughter being who she is … calm and cool with it at the time 12 going on to 60! She smiled with glee too and said yay…lol.
Anyways, nothing prepared us for the heat that hit us when we landed in Florida. Esp. not after the chill in Atlanta and snow in England!
And it was pretty weird entering buildings that were Air conditioned to the hilt, they felt freezing cold and walking out into a live oven.
We’d assumed that since we went in early November, we had avoided the touristy season and the Dreaded queues we had read such agonizing reviews about!
Ha… Nope!
That said, nothing could dim for us and the little ones, the magic of Magic kingdom, a Night with Mickey and Minnie or Disneyland in general! NOTHING! Not the downpour in stifling heat, not the delay in the queues we had to wait in…
It looked like everyone had got the memo on the summer queues. So, they had all waited for the Winter sun! lol!
We were told to completely avoid the beaches as many people had hit Florida due to an unexpected Snow fall across the states! So, we stayed in our hotel Pool. Which was amazing with a child’ slide, waterfall, and fun things!
Anyway, no spoilers, so are you coming with…
Looking back and looking at winter getaways again, we thought to share with you, How to Prepare for a Florida vacation!
We are sure a local may well give you this same advice or not so much. Either way you will literally want to survive your Florida vacation! So, lets dot that shall we?
Nothing could dim for us and the little ones, the magic of Magic kingdom!
Want to have Fun- Here’s How you Prepare for a Florida vacation
- Prepare for a Florida vacation: Research the weather before you travel
We hadn’t really bothered to check how HOT this winter sun would be. All we knew was UK was freezing and Florida was HOT.
We should have checked the heat levels! Coz we actually went with some winter-ish clothes, that never saw the light of day from our suitcases… Meaning, we carried clothes and stuff that we didn’t need to.
The weird thing was, it rained twice during our 10 days in Florida and boy this kind of rain we had never seen before.
We learnt that we had gone bang inside the Hurricane season. This apparently can run anything from mid-May to end of November
Our advice is be prepared for the heat and the rain or hurricanes too. Make sure you take out ample insurance. Just in case your travel plans are cancelled or you can’t travel due to the weather.
Or God forbid one of you suffers heat stroke. Because boy it was HOT! In our humble opinion, the only place that could compete in this kind of heat was Tucson Arizona.
Talking of heat…
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- Prepare for a Florida vacation: Pack your Hats, Shades and Sun Cream.
Did we say, it was beyond hot?
Well, our children suffered from eczema when they were littler…It flared up with heat or anything really! And the heat had them looking like spotted hyenas…
They were scratching so hard my son bled on his hands. Yet they were too excited by the sights of Disney…to care! We hadn’t taken sun cream, for the longest we were of the view that:
“Black don’t crack…” Boohoo I know…Don’t judge…
Fact is it bloody cracks and needs moisturizing and sun cream ! O.K….
Listen up though, pack that SPF 50-70 Sun cream and some after sun cream too. And slather the stuff on.
If you have a baby,
try the Mom & World Brand SPF factor 50 Sun cream. Of course do a skin test before you slather on the stuff…do it before you leave home so you can get the right stuff for your baba!
I am not talking about, getting into the pool, don’t wanna spoil the Insta-worthy photo sun.
This sun will burn you in less than 10 minutes if you don’t apply the stuff liberally! Don’t go anywhere without your Hat or UV Sun glasses too! Even if you are going in a car! Protect your assets! 😉
I love Wide brimmed Sun hats and I love Red hats too… My best is Lanzom womens’ Bowknot Straw foldable hat!
The sun will burn you in less than 10 minutes if you don’t apply sun-cream liberally!
It was hottest between 10am and 5pm! And the rain didn’t make a bit of difference. It was just as hot when it rained and the water dried off in minutes after the rain stopped!
So, stay in the shade as much as you can…Here is the weird thing, you might need a scarf while inside buildings. Most of them do turn that air-con on high!
Next time you go to Florida or anywhere hot in USA, use the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) App, to check what the UV Index is before you go or when there.
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3. Prepare for a Florida vacation: Stay hydrated.
Here is a Habit I have had for the longest. So, it came in handy when we went on our winter sun to Florida: I drink lots of water.
If you have a problem with drinking water or have a fluid restriction for a medical reason, consult your GP before you head off to Florida! Coz you will need lots of fluids and we want you alive. Kapische?
As for me, I love to hydrate all day! I pack my empty drinking bottle so I can fill it out at Airports! Hotels etc.
I love to drink water coz it hydrates the largest organ in my body…My Skin! It cleanses out toxins, it keeps my gut clean and it is plain old awesome.
I love to drink water coz it hydrates the largest organ in my body…So, this habit is great for a hot destination like Florida! Of course, I love the odd Alcoholic drink esp. on holiday! Yet I realised just how much more I was drinking and refilling my bottle of water while out and about.
I was also sweating a bucket! I actually started taking an extra top and bottles of Drinks, Gatorade, juice for all of us in my large “Beach style hand bag because of the sweat and heat!
You can check out my Drink Bottle on Amazon below. Now only is it for water, it also is a Water Filter! Buy yours here.
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4. Pack the right Gear & Outfits.
Did I tell you about having a scarf for when you get inside buildings in Florida?
Okay, so on the first night we met up with friends for a meal and catch up. Since we had tasted the heat, we threw out the cardis/fleeces and jackets. And we embraced the summer beach wear aka Tees, hot pants and shorts!
Now I never go anywhere without a large scarf in my hand bag. I had to let our children cover themselves and cuddle close to stay warm. So, I was freezing! :/
Have a scarf for when you get inside buildings in Florida!My sistaoo, the air conditioning in the restaurant we met in was so on full blast our skins had Goosebumps in seconds of entering the building. And we were shivering with it by the time our meal arrived, So much so two of us got head colds by the 3rd day.
So, our recommendation is, if you intend to pop in and out of buildings, take your light cardigan, jacket or fleece with you or a big scarf! Or dress in layers.
Remember the rain/hurricane season? Good, take an umbrella. The kind you can fit I your purse so you can whip it out if caught in a down pour, and they can just come like someone opened a tap in the sky! And stop just as abruptly lol!
Twice this happened!
Now our children were not infants, but we also travel to hot Africa every year since they were wee babies. Despite the heat levels not comparing, this applies to Florida even as well:
Dress your baby, and little children in light, loose clothes. Put sun cream on them and be sure to put a hat on their little heads too!
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5. Did we hear Bugs?
Ignorance is a killer and this was a biggie for us. Our children hate spiders and anything that crawls lol! They also hate mosies aka mosquitoes and Florida beats Uganda hands down on this front.
Thank God the Florida lot don’t cause Malaria!
We bought insect repellent and it didn’t seem to affect them one iota…what do these mosies feed on?
Truth be told there is a heck of a lot of water bodies in Florida.
Funny thing is I didn’t feel the mosies as much when I had a Weekend in Tampa FL!
Could it be because I was mostly indoors with friends, and enjoying much Conferencing? So that’s my advice then on the bug front.
Keep indoors as much as possible, Keep the nets closed on windows and wear long sleeved clothing to also protect against the cold Air con. Bingo, two birds one stone! 😉
6. Prepare for a Florida vacation: Where was the Wildlife?
We had definitely prepared for this. We had been told to watch out for snakes, sharks and gators everywhere… lol! Thank goodness we didn’t see any out of place.
The only wild life we saw was in Disney Animal Kingdom. And it was pretty safely docile or fenced off for protection. And we were on a “Disney boat cruise” inside Disney world!
I mean this was a mini African safari, including Ankole cattle… That was a fun addition. All the way from Uganda and here we were in Disney-world seeing Ankole cattle, what!
Ankole is in the Western part if Uganda and well known as the Original home of the long horn “Ankole cattle”.
The only other place we have seen them outside of Uganda is Knowsley Safari Park in Knowsley, Northwest England.
We had been told to watch out for snakes, sharks and gators!We are sure that if you had a conversation with a local, you would get much more tips on how to prepare for a Florida vacation.
Suffice to say, we hope to have given you a taster of the basic essentials to take care of before you leave home and while you are there.
See, Do Be More
Dr Pauli and Julie Syl
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Awww! I love this! I love this article for many reasons. It makes me happy because I lived in Florida for many years and loved everything about it.. even humidity. But it makes me sad also because we moved to another state and I miss it now. -)
Go back Olya, Go back as many times you can!! Thank you for the amazing feedback 😀 <3
Florida Vacation in Winter sounds just amazing!!!! I live in Colorado….and so beach sounds so good any time
Winter in Florida is really worthy of planning.. Thanks for the very helpful tips you’ve shared.. 😊
Winter Florida is amazing, I hope the tips help 😀
We’d love to visit Florida some day. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Your welcome Lipstick Nomad 😀
These are great tips to help those visiting Florida in the winter months.
Thank you for reading Crystal, hope the tips help 😀
These are really great ideas for preparing for a Florida vacation. Although for us locals were are used to this kind of weather. I was 11 years old when we moved to Florida on Christmas Day of 1989 and I don’t remember the weather being much of a struggle. Of course I was swimming in the Gulf of Mexico in December and January, while the locals were wearing sweaters… Now I’m that local…lol!
Florida is a great travel destination! Hope the heat didn’t treat you guys poorly but it sounds like it was still a fun time! -Sondra Barker @cuisineandtravel.com
I used to go to Florida in February – it is a great time to go. I haven’t been there in years. Must be time to go back!
You should definitely go again, Life is too short to miss out 🙂
Kids make everything worthwhile. I endured queues in amusement parks because of my son too. It’s a good thing the kid enjoyed.
I have never been to Florida but it looks so beautiful, just perfect to relax and refresh. Thanks for showing me another great place to add to my bucket list.
Planning a trip to Florida in winter sounds like a brilliant idea considering how hot it gets in summer.
Wonderful..Glad you shared this amazing list. I am a travel bug and looking forward to experiencing Florida later this year this list will help me out.
Great tip! Would love to check out Flprida and makes sense to go in winter!
Yeah it does make sense because its not so hot 😀
I have chosen to move to Florida for the warm weather and I have been enjoying for the past 8 months. I must say not everyone can take the heat but I will take it instead of the brutal winter.
I spent my winters vacationing in florida as a kid!
It’s amazing isn’t it Chelsea 😀
We were there in winter as well. It was off season so we were able to look around without hurry.
Great tips to prepare for a Florida vacation. I am actually planning one in the next couple years and will use some of your ideas!
I have always wanted to visit Florida! It’s definitely one of the next destination plan to visit when I return to the Hawaiian islands
Going on a family vacation is usually one of the most anticipated events in every child’s life and going for a winter vacation in Florida is some grand for little kids. This blog will help you prepare even the nitty gritty of things that you normally forget to bring while travelling.
Thanks for reading Ramil, I hope you can use the tips for the next family trip you go on 😀
Ok, you had some great suggestions for first-time or scatter-brained travellers, but I’m stuck on the fact that it’s illegal to pull your kids out of school for a week… wtf?! I mean, I can see if it’s a month or something but a week isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things. Weird.
i live in ohio and we went down to florida for vacation in august! we enjoyed ourselves and thank goodness there wasn’t any scary hurricane warning going on, but it was raining pretty much the whole time we were there, which was about a week! lol thanks for these tips! 🙂
Your very welcome Huda, i hope other than the rain the trip was good
I don’t think there is ever a time when Disney parks don’t have queues! Haha. Anyway, the trick to a successful vacation is always planning ahead. Thanks for your tips!
It’s always summer in Florida! I’m glad you all enjoyed it. I’ve been meaning to go to Disney for quite some time now, definitely going to start planning!
As someone who grew up and still spends a good amount of time in Florida, this was an interesting read! You definitely were spot on with your tips especially the preparing for bugs part! I live in LA now where it stays pretty warm yearound and am still always surprised how HOT it’ll still be in Florida when I visit even during the winter!
These sounds so great! Our family will be overwhelmed if they’re in our position. Thanks for great tips! 🙂
We do Florida every year at Christmas. My in-laws have a place in Tampa. Most years it’s nice and toasty, but every once in a while it’ll be downright chilly!
It’s a great mid-winter getaway, for sure
That sounds fantastic Amanda I would love to get a small place abroad in a hot country where i could just getaway to when its the winter months 😀 😀
Florida is really a great place to visit. I am always dreaming of going to here especially in Fort Walton. Truly a bucket list material.
Florida is next on my list and your blog is super helpful.
Thank you so much Lakshmi I hope your trip goes well 😀
These are perfect tips. Florida is one of our favorite places to vacation, especially in the winter months. Love heading there to escape the cold.
thank you so much Shannan P, going there at winter is pure bliss 😀
I am originally from Puerto Rico, also a great destination for winter vacations. Have you tried it? I’d say your tips are really accurate. Actually what I would recommend as well. Great read!
thank you so much Alexandra, Puerto Rico sounds amazing for wintertime… I’ll try it someday surely 😀
These are great tips! I certainly want to go to florida during the winter in my home State. Cold and snowing!
The best time to go to Orlando is November through May because of lower chances of rain and of course comfortable temperatures for standing in line for rides. The worst time to visit the Florida keys is during the peak rainy season months of August through October. For Miami, it is June and September.
I find it so strange to think how warm it is elsewhere as it’s so cold in England. I’d love to go to Florida or somewhere else warm in our winter x
Heat and the rain or hurricanes. This made me laugh out loud for real. That sounds so like Florida. It literally can be sunshine WITH full-blown rain showers. I am headed back to visit family and this is so right!
These are all really good tips on traveling to Florida. Florida has been on my travel list! I’m going to refer to these when we go there!
I have always wanted to go to Florida! Thanks for sharing these tips, especially the part about the bugs. I absolutely hate bugs.
that sounds like something you need to do i hope when you do go to Florida you can avoid those bugs 😀
I have never been to Florida but I have been to Cuba in winter, which is 40 miles “down the road” and I remember how hot it was. I actually enjoyed it a lot, because I was coming from freezing England as well and I was happy to ditch the winter clothes for the bathing suit and the beach.
OMG Cuba is 40 miles from FL? Now that, we didn’t know. Maybe we shall add it to our To Visit List 😉 Cheers Joanna for the tip!
These are all really good tips on traveling to Florida. Thank you for sharing I’m going to refer to these when we go there!
Way, glad we have created a go-to resource for you Bree. Feel free to use them and share with everyone you travel with! 😉
Amazing! most of the time these are the small logistics that most of us tend to forget when planning for upcoming vacation. Itinerary is a must too.
wink!
Hey Rhea 😉
Itinerary plus planning = fab Vacay in our book!
Wow this place looks incredible. There’s so much to do and see there! Looks like a brilliant place to take the whole family
People do say it’s so hot in Florida, but I don’t mind it. The humidity there doesn’t slap me like heat does in Georgia. That heat is unbearable to me. These are good tips for a FL vacay.
Wow you live in FL Rosey? We have never been to Georgia in Summer. I assume thats ATL? We usually just transit thru and its almost always winter season 😉
Wonderful tips for a holiday in Florida during winter! Especially the “staying hydrated” one! So important
Staying hydrated is important any time of year anywhere, its even more important in the Hot Humid weather Maartje! 🙂
Oh I can relate to you. It’s like here in UAE however it’s not hot like Florida but cold like fall in other countries. Thats how winter is in UAE so no need thick winter clothes. Thanks for sharing we aware now 🙂
Wow we would love to visit the UAE, we would definitely write up a fab post 😉
Surprising your kids with a trip to a Disney is a memory they will never forget! I always have to dress in layers when I’m in Florida. I get so cold in the air conditioning!
You can say that again Christa, we learnt to do exactly that to stay warm in the brutal air con in buildings!
I loved the practical tips that you have put together for a Florida vacation. Staying hydrated is so important as is applying lots of sunscreen
Khushboo,
Thats why we do what we do, to serve others, Glad you love, inspires us to keep serving! 🙂
These are great tips and I agree with all of them most especially when it comes to an outfit. We should check the weather of the place that we are going to for us to avoid packing things that are not necessary.
Ohh Catherine, trust me we felt like right old toffs with suitcases full of warm outfits like we were heading to England 😉 We now know better!
What fab tips! The thought of visiting Florida at any time of year sounds good to me! It is on our list of places to go. 🙂
Be sure to go in the colder season coz in Florida that is when its not Roasting like an oven Jayne 🙂
Great tips! I had some family that lived in Florida for a while and it is crazy how different the weather is from MN to there!
It is crazy how the USA has such a variety of weather Ashley. Yet it is a large country so its expected. 😉
it sounds great! I love visiting warm countries during cold season the most. It’s so stunning and gives a lot more emotions than when it’s warm everywhere. Nice list of essentials as well
Lyosha,
We are the same, we love Summer in Winter 😉 And Florida delivers both as long as one is prepared! 😉
My very best winter vacations in America. 1-New York, New York in Christmas time and 2-Christmas in Disney! It honestly is so magical. You get all the perks without the grueling heat.
Imagine that, you just planted an idea Jeannette. Christmas in Disney… Thanks 😉
I love these ideas. As of recently, I really enjoy planning ahead especially for vacatios.
Good, we love planners Adriana 😉
Reading this makes me feel like I’m in Florida. Very detailed. I’m looking forward to more travel blogs from your family. =)
Hey Aia,
Glad you love, we love too and will continue serving you 🙂