Traveling with Children: Tips from the Field Part III

Good morning friends! I've returned safe and sound from Beijing after a lovely trip. I'll catch you up to speed on my adventures in the next post, but for today, I've got a few more tips to share on traveling with children.

Let's dive in!

How to Pack

Pack light. This is my number one tip. Every travel guru says the same. Now, this is easily enough done when you are packing for yourself, but add a baby into the mix and it becomes so much harder. That being said, when we travel we usually take one moderately-sized suitcase for the three of us (we use an older model of this suitcase and love it). I’m not going to detail exactly what I pack, but it isn’t much - for any of us. I had to make peace with the fact that neither I nor my child were going to look super fashionable. I will say, lightweight, drapey tops and scarves are a go-to for me.

If you're addicted to coffee like I am, I'd recommend packing packets of instant coffee, like Starbucks Via. The places we stay rarely have any coffee-making capabilities, so unless breakfast comes with your room, plan ahead. (Thanks for this tip, Sara).

I use travel-size toiletries for just about everything. I hate filling up travel containers with my specific shampoo, so I just buy whatever brand is available in the travel aisle and go with that. I now have a bin in my bathroom solely dedicated to travel-size toiletries.

I highly recommend these travel cubes. They save space and keep each person’s clothes separate.

Reisenthel is a German brand that makes high-quality, durable bags (of all sorts). I swear by their Wrapcosmetic travel bag. I fit all of my cosmetics and toiletries in this bag and manage to squeeze in most of Mac's toiletries too.

We pack so that everything can be carried or worn by Ben and myself. For example: Ben wears Mac on his front, wears the diaper bag/backpack on his back, and pulls/lifts the suitcase. I wear M’s cot on my back, have my purse cross-body, and Mac’s stroller over my shoulder. This doesn’t matter so much if traveling by car, but if you’re not, this is essential.

I skip the traditional diaper bag when traveling and use a backpack.

Pack enough food and diapers to get you through one day past your arrival date and then buy more at your destination (this requires verifying that you will be staying near a grocery store). Sometimes, it is just easier to pack enough food and diapers for the whole trip, but this depends on how much room you want to take up with these things and on your destination.

I pack a few lightweight toys for Mac – stacking cups, cardboard blocks, an interactive toy, etc. Lightweight is the key. 

This is a very lightweight toy.

I keep all of our travel documents on my person at all times. This means five passports, three driver’s licenses, and Ben’s military orders. I highly recommend this wallet for organizing/carrying lots of documents. It is large enough to hold all of the above in addition to currency and is stylish enough to use as a clutch on an evening out (I can't think of the last time I've actually used it this way!).

Parental Survival

We try to protect Mac’s bedtime as much as possible when we travel. Sometimes this doesn’t happen, but we try, especially since he is out and about during the day. This is sometimes frustrating because we would like to go out to eat and enjoy the evening, but the stress of doing that with Mac past his bedtime often isn’t worth it. So here are my tips for enjoying an evening in (after the baby is asleep):

Grab some groceries and cook dinner (check out my last post on why renting an apartment is ideal) or, if you don’t have the ability to do that, buy some salami, cheese, bread, and wine and set up a picnic on your bed.

Always bring a laptop or tablet, as well as a set of earphones. We’re not smart enough to have bought a splitter yet, so we hunch together and share a set. Verify that the place you are staying has Wifi and rent a movie! Ben and I have enjoyed many evenings watching a movie, drinking wine, and eating bread, cheese and fruit. The best part? M is (hopefully) sleeping!

I always carry a roll of plastic dog-poo bags with me for M’s diaper. Trust me, if you are staying in a place where the trash is not emptied daily, these things really come in handy.

If you are visiting a large city and want a night out, use a babysitting agency like this one. I was very hesitant to use them at first, but after reading many good reviews, I decided to go out on a limb. We were extremely pleased with the babysitter the agency provided and felt very safe leaving Mac with her. It is a little on the pricey side, so we wouldn’t be able to do this for every trip, but it is definitely worth it once in a while (ala, Valentine's Day in Paris).

Valentine's Day sans Mac

And that's all I've got, folks! I hope these insights into our travel life were helpful.

Next post, I'll write about my adventures in Beijing!

‘til next time.