Travel in Peace

I’m sure in a previous life I belonged to some nomadic tribe, I feel the constant need for new horizons. One of the most challenging aspects of having children is that travel suddenly becomes a lot more difficult.  Gone are the carefree days of sticking a backpack on my back and zooming off round India with no one but myself to think of.  Not only have I become a bit more high maintenance (think facial creams and large amounts of shoes prompting the London cabbie yesterday to ask if I was carrying around a rock collection) but these two children need a lot of equipment for us to even contemplate traveling and not killing each other! Usually I opt for taking the absolute minimum but this trip is requiring more dress options – high school reunions, English countryside attire (wellies and raincoats) and then outfits for Venice and the South of France on the family vacation.  And I’m not too keen to have to purchase anything on a tight budget in Europe!

So how do we travel successfully with children? Especially as a single parent. It seems to me that organization is the key. Getting up half an hour earlier than the kids to make sure everything is secured and ready to go makes it so much easier when they wake up and start worrying about non essentials, like which soccer shirt they are wearing. This begs the next point of always having clothes picked and laid out the night before – by the kids. If your children are lucky enough to have electronics such as a DS, Itouch etc. you know the joy and the pain of traveling with these.The pay off for the hour of quiet being the constant hunt for the charger and then overstimulated, grumpy children with their eyes hanging out because they couldn’t stop building on minecraft!  This is why it is great these things run out of battery – instant enforced time limit but also why its worth the effort of carrying around proper books, pads and pencils.

Here are some other essentials I always carry:
Baby wipes – positively the best thing on earth
Ziplock bags – has England discovered the joy of these yet?
Dramamine – for travel sickness of course
Red wine – well money to buy it. I have been known to swig straight from the mini bottle on the plane whilst trying to calm a screaming baby.

If you happen to see us as we continue our travels I won’t be offended if you chose to walk rapidly in the opposite direction.  One minute it’s all calm and the next there seems to be an injury or a major spill requiring large quantities of the afore mentioned baby wipes. I view travel these days like class field trips to large museums – as long as we all make it there and back it will be a resounding success and the most memorable part could possibly be the packed lunch…

Bon voyage

Charlotte