It has been nearly two month of busy life, filled with deadlines, cringeworthy meltdowns and bittersweet memories – trying to catch up on my ‘work in progress’ thesis while taking care of one strong willed child. Sigh.

All in all, i’m thankful to still be standing alive and catching up with my beloved readers ^v^. In the spirit of the coming holidays (at least for me it is), i’ve decided to write some tips based on my experience travelling with one little kid. Hard earned experience i tell you! So, pack your bag and lets go!

1.Prepare meticulously 

Nothing, i repeat NOTHING can beat hard work. And that includes planning too. Make sure you have all bases covered — transportation, place to stay, snacks+games/ favourite toys for the little devil, list of activities and some extra money. Just to be on the safe side.

2. Include your kid in the process 

Literally. Tell them at least 2-3 days earlier you’re going for a nice little visit somewhere, it’s a family thing, where you’re possibly staying, what you’re gonna do there. Tell them even if the kid barely one year old. It makes up for wonderful vocabulary time and great bonding experience. Much better if your kid responded to you and asking millions questions! Trust me, you’ll love it when they’re happy with it!

3. Wake up early

That goes without saying. I’m not an early bird but my husband is. So thankfully i can count on him for this one. Starts your travelling journey early in the morning so that you can better prepared for any ‘discrepancies’ on the road. Count the potty stop, snacking time, road jammed and temper tantrum in.

4. Max two activities per day. 

This is especially important particularly if you’re travelling long distance and the kid is young. The younger they are, the easier it is for them to melt down. Little kids are just not meant to be confine to the seats for long period of time. They got restless, frustrated and whiny. You do not want that. Activities here means sightseeing/ swimming/ playing on the beach/ etc. You get what i mean, right?

5. Be flexible and don’t be too hard on yourself. 

I’ve started travelling with my son when he’s barely 4 months old and still doing so for average 3-4 monthly interval. Just need to ‘ruffle my feathers sometime when the wind got harsh’. I wouldn’t want to come back home angry/ more stress than i am at work. All those pent up stress is not good for the health, and when it does blow up, it’ll end up scaring everyone for life. So be flexible, enjoy the journey and please, don’t be too hard on yourself. Snap lots of photos and make some videos whenever possible but don’t overdo it.

Travel for the sole reasons of making yourself happy and make wonderful memories with your loved ones. Everything else can wait.  

Wish all of you happy december and happy holiday!

For those celebrating christmas, Merry Christmas to you!