Sometimes, honestly, I find it easier to travel by myself with the kids. I’m in charge. If we’re late, it’s my fault. And I have to be totally present when my husband isn’t there to back me up.
Two years ago I took all three kids to Boston, Savannah, and Atlanta on a work trip. I paid out of pocket for them to come and we visited family on the East Coast. One night after a long day of running around Boston, we called James on the cell phone. The connection was bad. Athena sobbed on the T all the way back to our hotel because she missed her dad so much. The trip was exhausting and exhilarating but totally worth it. I’d do it again tomorrow (editors, are you listening?!).
Traveling solo with kids
Maybe you’re bringing the baby on a work trip. Maybe you’re moving cross-country with the kids and your partner’s driving the moving van. Or maybe you’re a single mom or dad saving your pennies to vacation with the kids. Whatever the context, at some point in your parenting career, you’re likely to find yourself traveling solo with kids.
Here are 10 simple tips to keep your sanity (and make your airplane connections!) when you’re in it by yourself:
1. Bring food: The last thing you need when you’re traveling solo with kids is a blood sugar crash. Yours or theirs. Stock the glove compartment or your carry-on bag with healthy snacks like dried fruit, nuts, green beans, and carrot sticks. For more ideas for healthy snacks, click here.
2. Less is more: Though it’s tempting to bring the entire kids’ room, the less you carry or throw in the car, the happier you’ll be, says Debbie Dubrow, mom of three and founder of DeliciousBaby.com, a blog about making travel with kids fun. Don’t pack too many clothes or toys or books. You can always do laundry or buy some at your destination. For some pro packing tips, click here.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help: Hotel staff and even strangers are often happy to lend a hand when you’re traveling solo with kids, especially if you speak up. “You can tell which passengers like kids just by the way they look at you,” says Alisa Bowman, a marriage expert and mom of one. “Ask these people to help you stow your luggage while you get your child seated. Flight attendants are there to help, too. Don’t be shy about pressing the call button.”
4. Train the kids to tote (or roll) their own: Kids are perfectly capable of pulling a wheeled backpack, so make them, suggests Jody Halstead, whose two daughters have been pulling their own packs since they learned to walk.
5. Embrace technology: Portable DVD players or an iPod that you can download movies, kids’ music, or books-on-tape are a solo-traveling parent’s best friend during long trips.
6. Make friends with other families: Kara Williams, mom of two and co-owner of The Vacation Gals seeks out the other moms with kids at the gate when she is traveling solo with kids. “I trust other families to watch my bags while I take kids to get a snack or go to the restroom.”
7. Keep the kids moving: The more you let the kids run around at rest stops or in between airplane flights, the quieter they’ll be while you’re traveling. Have a race, do jumping jacks together, play chase—anything to get the little ones moving (exercise is good for you too.)
8. Plan to stop: Forget the timetable and make a few long stops. When she’s taking her three kids on long road trips by herself, Claudine M. Jalajas lets them play for at least 45 minutes at a rest area or indoor play space. “Then I buy them lunch to eat in the car,” Jalajas says. “The more things they have to do in the car, the quicker the time passes on the road.”
9. Use the Internet: You can research airports on-line and most Interstate highways even have their own Websites these days so you can figure out in advance where the play space during a flight lay-over is or which rest area has the best amenities.
10. Lower your expectations: It’s tough to travel alone, especially with babies and toddlers. If you expect disaster along the way and you give yourself extra time for everything, when things go wrong you’ll feel prepared. When things go smoothly, you’ll be doubly grateful.
A version of this article was originally published on Family.com with the following bio: Jennifer Margulis, a writer and mother of four, has traveled to Europe and Africa with her children and is a frequent contributor to Disney Family.
Published: December 30, 2009
Last updated: January 27, 2020
Alexandra Grabbe says
You continuously amaze me: combining business with a family trip home. Wow! And I love the photo of the kids on the escalator. I can almost hear their giggles.