LPT: Skip children’s parties before any big trip/event. If the party is within one week of an important event (or expensive trip) RSVP no.

I’ve never seen a child’s party where half the kids didn’t catch a cold or worse. I neglected this advice last week, because it was my best buddies kid’s birthday. Now we’re at once-in-a-lifetime resort and everyone is fighting a particularly nasty norovirus (both ends). Having an expensive/important event on your calendar should be considered a perfectly acceptable excuse.