Lessons Learned By A Solo Mama Traveler Abroad

Double checking that mom is still close

I’ve learned a lot in the past two weeks as Dek and I travel in China and Hong Kong together. Overall, I was the same mom I am when we are at home, but there were a few things I had to figure out and adjust for along the way.

1. If you need to hide in the bathroom so your kid will go to sleep, don’t forget a book or your laptop. It can get very boring in the bathroom and there are only so many makeovers you can give yourself and so many eyebrow hairs that need to be plucked.
2. Mommy is the ultimate playground. Dek liked to climb on me before, but nothing like he has on this trip. My abs, checks, neck and bladder have gotten one heck of a workout. Who needs Pilates, I have a baby!
3. It is OK if your baby cries in a hotel. Babies cry. That’s just a fact of life. Whether it’s because they are too tired, scared, don’t feel well, are hungry or just need an extra hug, they are going to cry and make some noise. Dek liked to scream as loud as possible if he wasn’t getting his way. At first I tried to shush him, because I didn’t want to annoy other guests, but after a while I just gave up. He was going to make noise and that’s just life and part of traveling.
   

   Testing the boundaries by seeing how far he can go

4. You can not reason with a 1 year old. Yes, I know we all know this, but it’s been reenforced a lot on this trip. Giving options doesn’t work either. I wish they did. My life would be a little easier at times.
5. Bending the house rules is not only OK, but also necessary when you are on the road. For example, Dek never sleeps in our bed. Since we started this trip I can’t seem to get Dek out of my bed. No amount of crying it out will get him to sleep. If that is the only way he can sleep, fine. I’d rather he be rested than both of us be miserable. Dek is also eating things he would never eat at home. Breads and cereals with sugar in them, a little fruit juice on a hot day, scones…you get the picture.
6. Straws are a mom’s best friend. I now have a handful of straws in my mama purse for emergency milk stops at convenience stores and sharing my food. I prefer the bendy king. Straws are not only good for drinks, they are also endless sources of entertainment. They can be chewed on, twisted into various shapes, and one day I’m sure he will figure out how to use it as a spit ball gun.
7. You can never have too many napkins or baby wipes in Asia. When I have traveled in Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Japan, I have noticed a definite lack of napkins. You may get a small pack of tissues, but only if you are at a restaurant. If you love street food like I do, then you should always have baby wipes and your own pack of tissues on hand. Babies are messy as you know, so be prepared.
8. Your iPhone is not just for calls and taking pictures, it is also a built-in entertainment center. I forgot I had movies loaded on my iPhone until our last night in Shenzhen. Suddenly I remembered that I had The Princess and the Frog loaded, and maybe it would distract Dek long enough for me to eat. He was mesmerized by the frogs and quiet throughout the entire meal. Hallelujah. As he gets older, I will be investing in a few games for him to play as well.
9. Slow down! I know I have mentioned this before, but I tend to run myself into the ground when I travel. I want to see everything. As a single parent traveling with a small child, I just could not keep up with this pace. We both needed a nap by 1pm. I still pushed us pretty hard, but I think I finally started to listen to what both of us needed to be happy travelers.
10. Less is more, or at least nicer on your back. Even for a day trip, I tend to bring more than I need. My back is usually aching within an hour. Every day I would take one more thing out. I stopped packing an extra bottle of water for Dek. I just made sure his sippy cup was full and then picked up more along the way. I did the same thing with food. I brought a few light snacks, and then bought more as needed.

I have learned much more than this, some of it is subtle and some of it had a drastic impact on the way I will travel in the future. I’m sure I’ll keep adding to this list as more and more comes to me. For now, I’ll just keep living in the moment and figuring out how to handle each new situation as it comes.