The Bullet List {Molly Elmer}

I’ve had the pleasure of traveling overseas twice.  The first time with a six month old and the second with a ten month old and two year old.  Completely different experiences!  I’ll just say, traveling with a six month old was a Piece. Of. Cake. I most definitely learned a lot from both trips and surprisingly enough, I would do it again.  If you do ever have the opportunity to travel abroad with children, don’t turn it down because you are nervous about long flights and time changes.  It is possible to do it and have fun!

10 tips + tricks for traveling abroad

• Treat packing like a mission.  This is step one to starting off on a good note.  I like to pack outfits for my boys.  Determine what the weather will be like at your destination and pack accordingly. Boys are simple, so I will throw a top with a pair of shorts or pants into a ziplock, label it and pack it in the suitcase.  That way if my oldest wants to dig around in the clothes to dress himself, everything does not become a jumbled pile of mess.  Plus you can fit a lot into a suitcase like that.

• Have ALL passports, travel itinerary and plane tickets in one spot.  I had a nifty little [ahem big] travel wallet and loved it!

• What you bring on the plane is critical.  My oldest at the time was big enough to drag a little suitcase for himself and wear a mini backpack.  His backpack contained all his special toys and tricks to keep him entertained and happy for as long as possible.  His suitcase held an extra change of clothes for both boys, extra diapers/wipes and meds.  Since my husband, my son and I each had our own seats, we were able to have two carry ons each.  That totaled 6 in all.  And believe me, we needed it.

• Bring a sling, wrap, carrier.  Which ever system you like, bring it.  My 10 month old was still young enough to be worn and wear him I did.  You do not get to use your stroller up to the last minute like you do on regular flights.  Believe me, you will want a sling.  Something comfortable, that you are familiar with and that your babe likes!

• Figure out who carries what carry ons.  This is essential for boarding and leaving the aircraft. We were usually the last to get off but we new exactly who was going to carry what.  It usually went something like this. Dad-backpacks the carseat, pulls a suitcase and carries a bag. Tyler [oldest] – wears backpack and pulls little suitcase. Mom – wears Benny [youngest], wears a backpack and carries a bag or two. Learn what works best before you actually have to do it for real.  When you know what you are suppose to carry, you will most likely not forget something on the plane.

• Pack snacks.  A lot of snacks.  For parents and kids!

• Request the special seats with the pull down bassinets!!  If you have a baby one year or younger, you have the pleasure and I do mean pleasure of requesting a bassinet seat.  They are usually positioned right behind the bathrooms.  You have extra leg room and since there is a wall in front of you, there will be pull down bassinets that you can lay your sleeping babe in. Oh what a blessing it was!!

• Plan what you want to do, where you want to go and what you want to accomplish on your trip and then realize that could all go down the drain.  We were vacationing in Australia, took a side trip to New Zealand and were going to tour the countryside.  Once we arrived in Auckland, I was spent and decided I could NOT possibly tolerate anymore being trapped in a car/plane/whatever and made the executive decision we would just spend time exploring the city.  It worked out nicely for everyone.

• Sleeping arrangements.  Be creative.  We stayed in a nice hotel in New Zealand and didn’t necessarily want to spend the extra money to upgrade to a bigger suite [ie. having more than one room].  This is where the creativity comes in to play.  My husband would take our oldest down to the lobby to run around while I put the baby to bed.  Then he would bring our toddler back up, put him to sleep and then he and I might order room service and eat out in the hallway or bring pillows and a blanket to the bathroom and lounge in the tub and talk.

• Just do it.  Be adventurous.  Try new things and live outside the box.  Was the trip easy, no. You’ll get exhausted and even cranky sometimes.  But I have wonderful memories.  And that my friend is what it is all about!

My favorite part was eating in the hallway or in the bathroom.  Seriously that would end up being one of my favorite moments.  I also loved the last bullet…Just do it.  Be adventurous.  I think to often as parents it is so easy to say “we’ll go there when the kids are grown”.  It very well may be a missed opportunity in that case.

Thanks Molly for a great list!

What are a few of your tricks for traveling with the kids?