I love to travel.  It does not really matter where, I just love seeing new places and exploring different cities.  Travel is definitely the thing I miss most about my former life before having children.  Of course, I love having my kiddos and wouldn’t trade it for the world but I miss all the travel that my husband and I used to do.  We were very lucky and were able to take a big trip last year for our 5th Anniversary but I miss our short weekend trips to see a football game or to see friends or to be able to just pick up and take off without tons of organization and planning.

I want my children to travel and hopefully learn to love it and to experience different places, people and cultures.  Both children have already traveled.  Caleb’s first trip was when he was 6th months old when we went to California for a wedding.   Madelynn at 4 months, just took her first flight a few weeks ago when we went to Oregon to see my husband’s family for an early holiday celebration.    I was really nervous about traveling with 2 kids.    Well, let me be honest, I was not very concerned about M as she is the chilliest baby ever and I figured she would be fine.  I was nervous about my awesomely energetic strong-willed 2 year-old.  I was stressed about how much IPad and gummy bears I was going to have to use to get through the flight.    We always fly direct but in this case, we saved $900 by taking a 30 minute layover which was well worth it.

Though I love to travel, it also used to kind of stress me out.  I would be off my workout routine, I wouldn’t have my gym, or my Magic Bullet, I would have to coordinate with others about when and where we were eating.  OMG.  So many first world problems but as a ‘former’  control freak, especially with my exercise and food, it stressed me out and sometimes made it hard for me to really relax and enjoy my trip.    I have written before that my entire my mindset towards exercise and food has changed since having kids.  I have learned to relax a lot more mainly because I was spending so much energy on my exercise and food and now I want to spend that energy on my kids.   I literally used to plan and research how I was going to get my exercise in.  I would get up the morning I was traveling (often no matter what time we were leaving and get in a workout before we left…yes sometimes at 4 AM.) I would look up gyms that were close to where I was staying and how I could get there if I did not have transportation.  Now, I am not saying that any type of planning is a bad idea as I will still make an effort to book a hotel with a gym but my point is that all my fitness gains will not be ruined if I do not have access to a gym for a few days.   In fact, it could be beneficial for my body and mind to rest.  I have also just learned to do what I can, when I can.    If I do not have any gym equipment then I do a body weight workout or go for a run.  I try to move as much as possible and not stress out about not getting in formal workouts.

On my most recent trip to Oregon, we were gone for a total of 5 days.  I did not get up at the crack of dawn to workout that morning nor did I even attempt to and you know what?  I felt just fine that day.  I did not feel guilty for not working out.   Over the 5 days, I went running once with my sister-in-law and one other day I did one of my bodyweight/band workouts.  That was it.  And I was okay with it.

I packed my shoes, my band and snack bags for the kids and I.

As for food, we were staying in a VRBO so we did hit Trader Joe’s on our way to the house as we knew with 14 total family members we would not be going out for food and would be cooking most of the time.  I picked up a few groceries for breakfast and lunch for the kids and I but otherwise did not stress.  I did not pack pre-portioned ziplocks of protein powder or oatmeal.   I brought some nuts and protein bars and snacks for Caleb.    I honestly just did not stress about it and went with the flow.  I made healthy choices most of the time and still enjoyed myself with more wine than usual and some indulgences.   And you know what?  I came back, was not stressed, enjoyed my trip, got back on my routine and even with the wine and holiday fare, I did not gain any weight.  This might not sound like a big deal to many of you, however, this trip was liberating for me.  I still made healthy choices but my energy went towards my family, where it should be.

Overall, the trip went well with the exception of Caleb not feeling well one day and not sleeping great during the trip. Overall we were pleasantly surprised on our first experience traveling as a family of 4.

I actually got to read for a few minutes while the littles slept!

If you have not travelled with your littles, here are my personal tips/advice .

• Though most toddlers like schedules, (I also like schedules) it is not going to work out perfectly.  They will probably miss a nap, they will probably go to bed later, they will probably not sleep as well in a strange place.  Do not freak out about the schedule.  You can always get back on one when you return home.
• Though I do not believe in a lot of screen time or bribing, there are certain times when both are necessary.  When your 2 year old is so exhausted from 5 days of playing with cousins and not sleeping well, don’t be afraid to compromise on your parenting morals a bit 🙂 and give a few extra gummy bears and a little extra screen time for the peace and sanity of everyone around you.
• Pack everything you can think you might need for double the length of the actual travel time in your carry on.  Extra diapers, extra clothes, snacks, activities/toys.  Though I try to travel light, it is nearly impossible with 2 kids.  My bag is no longer filled with magazines and books that I am going to leisurely read on the plane (HA HA!). it is filled with emergency supplies in case we are stranded.  We have been stuck with an 18 month old for 6 hours at an airport.  We took a lot of rides on the moving walkway.  We did not run out of diapers but were close.  (Genius business idea:  kiosks that sell diapers!!)
• Many parents recommend a pacifier for young babies or a sucker for toddlers to use during takeoff and landing for ear pressure.  Neither one of my kiddos had any issues but you might want to make sure you have one just in case.
• Wear your baby.  This is the easiest way to have your hands free for luggage and bags etc.  You will not have to take your baby off to go through security, they will just have to test your hands for particles.  Wearing the baby makes traveling so much easier in my opinion and then you are not pushing a huge stroller through a crowded airport.
• RELAX!!  This is especially hard for me as we all know travel is rush, rush, rush and then wait.  Then repeat.   We give ourselves plenty of time at the airport and I try to stay calm as kids can sense stress and anxiety.   Some trips will go better than others but I try to be thankful that I have the means to travel and give my kids these experiences.

As always, I would love to hear from you. What are your travel tips for both yourself and  your family.   How has your traveling routine changed over the years?

XOXO

Sara