​A few days ago I flew from Los Angeles to Barcelona with my nine year old daughter, Little Angel.

We had quite the adventure!  Between the 3 hour drive from San Diego to LAX in heavy traffic, 15 hours of flights, a long delay in Munich, a taxi strike in Spain and arriving to 33C/90F temps and a broken elevator in our apartment building, Angel and I enjoyed 36 hours of nonstop excitement.

(No wonder I'm still feeling sore and groggy two days later!)

Four years ago I would not have had the courage to travel by myself across the world with only my daughter... a woman and a little girl traveling from America to Spain alone! I didn't feel strong or assured enough to take on that kind of challenge back then.

These days, I don't think twice about it.  In fact, she and I are flying out tomorrow morning for another girls-only journey!  We're heading to Finland!

Here are some of the best tips I gathered this time, as a woman traveling across the world alone with a little girl:

• Keep your cell phone charged, and a charger with you at all times
• Pay attention to news and social media in your destination country
• Have a list of friends (or hotels/resources) you can call in the event of a surprise or emergency.
• Bring lots of snacks, plus an extra change of underwear and toothbrush
• Be street-smart... but don't be afraid to ask for directions, or to request help from professionals along the way.
• Use the journey as a chance to teach your child while having fun!
• Laugh a lot.  At yourself.  At unexpected hiccups. Because it feels good.​​

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Keep your cell phone charged, and a charger with you at all times

I travel with an iPhone and its own portable extra battery pack.  The extra battery is worth its weight in gold, as it has extended the charge on my phone from 3 hours to over 30! Additionally I try to carry a charging cord and plug with me wherever I go, because you never know when you may need to use it and I'm never, ever sorry that I have it.


Pay attention to news and social media in your destination country

Angel and I learned about the Spanish national taxi strike from a friend's Instagram post, while we were waiting in the Munich airport for our delayed flight to Barcelona. 

We were traveling with three HUGE checked bags.  Two of which I could not lift alone.

If we hadn't looked at the news or social media we would have been really bummed out to arrive in Spain after a 30+ hour journey to discover that we unexpectedly had to haul those three bags along the crowded metro for another hour... plus a walk uphill... just to get home. 


Have a list of friends (or hotels/resources) you can call in the event of a surprise or emergency.

When we saw the Instagram post, I immediately texted a dear friend in Sant Cugat to ask if there was indeed a taxi strike in Barcelona. 

Within moments she responded: 

"Hey! Yes apparently there is a strike today - no taxis at all.  C (husband) is home today and says he's happy to come pick you up from the airport. What time does your flight get in?"

We were so lucky that my friend's superhero husband generously offered to drive 40 minutes to the airport to pick us up (AND another 20 home!) to collect Angel and I after our exhausting day.  What a blessing!

If you don't have friends in the area you are traveling to, it's a good idea to get the contact information for a few reputable hotels (or your AirBNB host) plus private car services - just in case. E.g. we might have been able to work out an arrangement with a hotel airport shuttle to pay them privately for a ride into the city. 

​Having a backup option is always a great idea!
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Bring lots of snacks, plus an extra change of underwear and toothbrush

In Munich our flight was delayed by 15 minutes.  And then another 15.  Followed by another 20... and so forth.  By the time we got off the ground to head to Barcelona, our flight was running nearly 2 hours late.

My daughter Angel felt tired and very hungry at this point.  Luckily we had picked up a salad and a banana, plus a giant salty pretzel and some grapes, when we arrived in the Munich airport. Safe to say we ate our way to patience and a relaxed attitude while waiting, despite the frustrating situation.  

If they'd canceled our flight altogether we might have needed to stay overnight in Munich, so I always bring a change of underwear for each of us in my purse when we travel.  Plus a toothbrush.  Little things make all the difference!


Be street-smart... but don't be afraid to ask for directions, or to request help from professionals along the way.

During our journey I needed to ask for help more than once.  

At a Target store in Irvine, we asked for help finding something we could tie our rolling suitcases together with, since there were only 2 of us and 3 huge bags.  A nice man brought us to the sporting goods section where we found a simple yoga strap that worked perfectly!

At the Alamo Rental Car company in Los Angeles, we asked for help lifting our bags onto and off of the airport shuttle.  We later learned that our bags together weighed well over 100 lbs!  Two kind shuttle employees - one man and one woman - each helped us. 

​We tipped and thanked them most gratefully.
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Use the journey as a chance to teach your child while having fun!

I've taught my daughter that if she needs to ask for help or gets lost she should first search for uniformed professionals (like airport and airline employees) and then try to find a woman (preferably another mother) with a kind looking face. 

However, I myself feel very comfortable asking for advice or help from anyone - man or woman - after watching them carefully for a minute to assess whether they seem to have an honest, open vibe.  I go with my gut and it rarely lets me down.
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Laugh a lot.  At yourself.  At unexpected hiccups. Because it feels good.

When the airline in Munich delayed our flight for the fourth or fifth time, Little Angel looked at me... and I began to laugh.

"What's so funny, Mom?" she asked.  "Did you hear the lady say that we still can't board the plane?"

"Yes!" I giggled, and then kissed her on the top of her head. "You have to admit, it's pretty awful. I'm so tired, I can't see straight!"

"Why are you laughing then?" 

"Well, right now we can laugh or cry!  I think it's a lot more fun to laugh."

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​We do a LOT of traveling as a family and invariably it falls to me, Mom, to do most of the packing for our trips.  I'm working on teaching our 12, 11 and 9 year olds how to pack their own suitcases or duffel bags but invariably when they try somebody ends up without underwear, or a sweater, or a second pair of shoes!  (We're getting there, poco a poco!)

Here are 10 useful tips I've found that really help the family travel packing go quickly and smoothly, so that I don't feel frustrated and grumpy late at night before a flight when I'm still preparing while everyone else in the family is asleep.
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• Do ALL Laundry In Advance
• Buy A Different Color Of Socks And Underwear For Each Child
• Make A Checklist For Each Child (Or Adult!)
• Make Seasonal, Trip Specific Checklists 
• Pack One Child At A Time
• Get A Second Pair Of Eyes To Double Check
• Label Your Bags
• Weigh Your Carry-Ons
• Have Your Child Of Any Age Pack His/Her Own Fun Bag!
• Put Passports, Health Cards and Travel Documents In YOUR Money Belt or Bag

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Do ALL Laundry In Advance

When packing for a trip of any length, it's useful to have all of the clothing clean and organized in advance so that you know exactly where to find that special sweatshirt from Grandpa or the exact pajama shorts with soccer balls that your child will wear without needing to be cajoled.  

Before I pack for trips I try to do all of our laundry ahead of time.  This is helpful in two ways: 1) I can find everything I need easily and without stress; and 2) I'm psyched to come home to a house with no dirty laundry waiting for me to do!  

(Except for the trip laundry, hahaha!)

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Buy A Different Color Of Socks And Underwear For Each Child

If you have more than one child, especially multiple boys or multiple girls, it becomes very important to know whose socks and underwear are in whose bags.

"He's wearing MY underpants!" is often the overture to a squabble in our family, as one child may be worried about the other one stretching out his precious undies.  Socks are also a hot commodity when we travel, with each child protesting that someone else is wearing their socks.  

I've found the quickest way to solve this is to buy each of my children a different color of socks and underwear. It's impossible to accidentally pack the wrong socks and underwear in the wrong bag when Soccer Dude only wears blue socks and The Scientist only wears gray ones. There will also be no confusion about sock-thievery! 

This strategy also makes it easy to see and count how many of each item you currently have packed for each kid. BONUS - you can keep track of which child goes through three pairs of socks in a day (while her brother may go through three pairs in a week, yikes). 
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Make A Checklist For Each Child (Or Adult!)

If you decide in advance exactly how many pairs of pants, tee-shirts and pajamas you want to pack for each child, this takes all of the thinking out of your packing process.  I make a checklist for each kid and then work my way through it.

With the checklist in hand I literally go to their bedroom and pull out all of the things on the list (e.g. 3 sweaters, CHECK!  4 pairs of jeans, CHECK!) and then get to the more time consuming work of neatly rolling them and placing them into the bag. 

As I pack each category, I can check it off the list and then I don't have to worry later that I've forgotten something important. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!


Make Seasonal, Trip Specific Checklists 

February Snow trip? 
Make and use your Snow Trip Checklist!  (Snow boots, ski jacket, warm hat, etc!)
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July Beach trip? 
Make and use your Beach Trip Checklist! (Bathing suit, beach shoes, sunscreen, etc!)

Google docs or spreadsheets work perfectly for this. You get the picture! 

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Pack One Child At A Time

Maybe it's just me, but when I try to pack multiple kids at once I lose track of things.  "Did I just put four pairs of pants in Soccer Dude's bag, or was that Little Angel?"  I find myself struggling to remember whether everyone has their rain jackets or hairbrushes.  Then I get frustrated and have to go check every bag to make sure I did it correctly, and that wastes time.

When you pack just one child at a time, using a separate checklist for each of them, you can be sure that if you've checked off a box for that kid, you're done.  You've successfully packed them and you can now move on.


Get A Second Pair Of Eyes To Double Check

It never hurts to have a partner in crime (e.g. Dad, an older child, etc.) double check the packing to be sure that you've not accidentally forgotten the toothbrushes or something. Hey, stuff happens.  We get tired.  It's great for your older kids to participate with this because once they understand the process, they can pack for themselves!

A second pair of eyes can prevent any packing nightmares... such as the time we arrived for our flight at the Tijuana, Mexico airport to discover that Little Angel's suitcase had been left sitting at home on the front porch of our house in San Diego, California... across an international border!  
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Label Your Bags

Has an airline ever lost your bag?  Yep, me too.  Our bags have also been misplaced at hotels and train stations. So, it makes sense to label all of your luggage - especially your kids' bags - before you leave for your trip. 

Children may be more likely to accidentally forget to pick up their bag in their excitement to board the airplane or jump into a taxi in a new country.  Having each bag clearly labeled with an up-to-date mailing address is the best way to make sure that your kiddo's bag can find its way back to him/her if for some crazy reason it goes on its own travel adventure!
 
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Weigh Your Carry-Ons

Each airline has pretty strict limits on weight and height for your carry on luggage.  I can't tell you exactly what the weight and height restrictions will be for each airline (you'll have to read that in the terms of your ticket purchase) but I can tell you that we've had our carry on bags measured and weighed twice recently when we were boarding full airplanes without enough room in the overhead storage compartments.

(One time we passed, and the other time our bags ended up getting taken to the hold!)

If you're trying to travel light and move quickly, it makes sense to weigh your own bag at home before you go to make sure it isn't too heavy.  You'll know in advance if you've met the airline's requirements and you won't face a last minute surprise of having your 'carry on' taken from you and stowed in the hold for your flight.  You may save yourself a lot of time waiting in baggage claim as well!

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Have Your Child Of Any Age Pack His/Her Own Fun Bag!

If you haven't read my original article about the importance of having a travel 'fun bag' for each of your children, please read that next!  Fun bags have saved the day (and night!) in countless situations where we suddenly found ourselves delayed, stuck without transportation, enduring a 15 hour flight, or staying in an AirBNB that had no television, radio, toys or even a view to look at! 

Even a three year old can decide exactly which toys they want to play with during your trip... and the selection process will mean that they have committed in their own minds to using and enjoying that toy, deck of cards, doll, book or iPod throughout the entire adventure. 

Toys that Mom or Dad pick may be easily overlooked or discarded... but odds are great that fun items that your own teen or little pick out on their own will be cherished and enjoyed throughout your trip.
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Put Passports, Health Cards and Travel Documents In YOUR Money Belt or Bag

I don't care HOW responsible your 12 year old may be, it is still not a great idea to hand over his or her only health insurance card or boarding pass and expect that NOTHING can or will go wrong!  

In reality, your children are learning responsibility and that's a great thing... but it will still take weeks or longer for the passport office to issue you a new one if your kiddo accidentally leaves their passport in the airport restroom. 

I keep all of our family's passports and health insurance cards in a money belt that I bought at REI years ago, and when I travel I can relax secure in the knowledge that even if the suitcases get lost or stolen, I'll still be able to get my kids home with ease thanks to boarding passes on my phone and all crucial identity documents hidden securely under my outfit!
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​To sum it up:
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Having a well packed bag can make the difference between, well, your kiddo wearing the same pair of shorts for a week (with YOU washing them every night in the sink!) and you spending that time instead on a deck above a lake, enjoying the sunset while your kids run around looking relatively clean and presentable. 

​I hope these packing tips can help your family have the best time possible as you see the world!