As a single traveler, life is our oyster. We only have to worry about ourselves and maybe our travel mates - packing and lugging bags is only for ourselves. But what happens when you have a baby or decide to take a niece or a nephew on a trip with you? I'm recently married and this is a question I often ask myself. I have been on my own for 36 years – traveling wherever and whenever I want – freely and easily moving through time.
Yes, sometimes I have my dog with me, but traveling with a dog is nothing like traveling with a child. I am constantly thinking about how my life will change when I have a child of my own, especially when it comes to travel. How will I do it? Will I survive? Will it work? I had no further to look than to watch my own brother and sister-in-law as they traveled to Hawaii this week with their 9-month-old son and our family. Here is what I learned:
1. It is possible to travel with children. Obviously, it is, people have been doing it for years – especially my parents. They never stopped traveling when they had kids. And now, as an adult, I see how possible it is as I spent the last week with my little nephew Finn. His parents made it happen and planned accordingly to make the trip go as smoothly as possible.2. Find flights that work. When booking the 8-hour flight from Denver to Hawaii, my brother found flights that were relatively open and booked seats that were in the window and aisle so that they had an open middle seat. They got lucky on both legs of their flight with the seat remaining open so that they could put the baby and his car seat in the middle seat and it worked out perfectly for the long haul.
3. Pack smart. My sister-in-law has me in awe with her packing capabilities. She brought everything she thought Finn would need, but in the smallest form. And she got a pack and play from the hotel so that Finn had a place to sleep. My mother got her an umbrella stroller here in Hawaii and the rest worked itself out.
4. Embrace the location. Both my brother and his wife have planned their days out in the simplest of terms. They did not shoot for outrageous plans but rather focuses on the areas they wanted to hit that would work with a baby. And worked with his sleep schedule. So far, the trip has gone smoothly and painless.
5. Travel with family. Our whole family was in Hawaii together which meant grandma and grandpa and Uncle Tim and Aunt Monica were there to help watch Finn especially when mom and dad wanted to go out to dinner for their anniversary. Traveling with family made it easier to enjoy the trip while knowing that loving individuals were there to help out!
These are some simple rules I have learned over the past week for traveling with an infant. While the task may seem daunting, the best gift you can give a child is travel in my mind. So instead of freaking out about it and feeling that it is impossible, embrace the journey and see how it can work out in the best of ways!
Monica Rohleder
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