A long time ago, I posted 5 Tips for Traveling with Children (#1 was “Don’t”), but now it’s time to move beyond that (since my spawn can walk and talk), to something a lot more relaxing: traveling alone.
Recently, before my trip to Hollywood to abduct Colin Firth attend Oprah’s After Oscar Party, I did some advanced planning that made getting away from my six-year-old twins slightly easier than herding sheep on roller skates.
Here are my 5 Tips for Leaving Home without Children.
Tip 1: Book something non-refundable
My daughter, who loves deeply (and loudly), becomes a note production factory the week before I leave home. She’ll write notes that say, “My heart is bursting because you’re leaving.” She’ll draw pictures like this one. She said, “This is to protect your heart so no robber steals it.” Doesn’t she know I have a Colin Firth thing? Regardless, non-refundable tickets are good.
Tip 2: Leave Notes
Although I can’t beat Vivian at her note-writing game, I can use her currency. I like to leave notes everywhere: in my kids’ lunch bags, in their underwear drawers, by their toothbrushes, and in their books. I usually leave one for my husband that says, “This is your only note.”
Tip 3: Bring a Stuffed Animal to Remind You of Your Kids
Vivian and William were thrilled to know I was bringing Thing 1 and Thing 2 with me. They didn’t realize that the reason I packed these pint-sized stuffies was primarily for blog fodder. Whatever the reasons I brought Thing 1 and Thing 2, my kids loved seeing the pictures of them posed with various people, real and commemorated.
Tip 4: Buy Gifts Before You Go
My neighbour clued me into this one. If you buy a gift and hide it before you go, you don’t have to spend time shopping on your trip nor do you have to factor in inflation3 if you buy one at the airport. When Vivian opened her pre-bought gift, she put it on the couch and went to play with something else.
Tip 5: Send a Card Before You Leave
Sending postcards or letters when you’re traveling is complicated: it involves buying a postcard, finding stamps, writing on it, and mailing it. This is three steps too many for me when I’m traveling. So I mailed two cards the day before I left. Of course, they arrived on different days, which is not a good plan when you have twins. This means there are two choices: (1) give one twin her postcard and let the other one learn a quick lesson in delayed gratification; (2) put the postcard that arrived on the fridge, throw the second one up there when it comes, and forget to give them to your kids. Yes, I chose the latter, which means I wasted a buck on stamps.
Hey Leanne,
I lived vicariously through you this past month. You unquestionably won the “Calgon – Take me Away” contest. Loved it.
I leave each of my boys a little laminated pocked-sized card with our cel phone numbers on it when we go away. It takes about 15 tries for either them to successfully dial the required numbers so it equates to about 1 phone call a day. And, they do more work with numbers trying to make a call than in an entire morning of Montessori Preschool.
Glad you enjoyed your vicarious trip, Tamara. That’s how I’ll be traveling for the next indefinite time. Great idea with the phone number, although I can see my bill going crazy.
Great way to start my morning. Fortunately for me I never go anywhere withouth the kids. Ever. If I do manage to escape one of these days, I will keep your tips in mind.
I highly recommend leaving sans kids, even if you have to do it sans husband!
What? There’s stuff you can do apart from high-fiving them at the door and skipping away from the house with glee?
Actually, I like to take strange pictures of myself from where I am on my blackberry and email them to my husband so he can show them to the kids. Then I make sure I call every night at 6:30 (usually in the middle of a business dinner – likely not a great career move), and say all sorts of sappy stuff to them. They don’t seem to care, but it makes me feel better.
I love the strange pictures idea. When I get a phone that does more than do that archaic thing (calling?), I’ll be sure to do that.
By the way, Fubar rocks. I’m going to say that to you all the time, now. Maybe I should call you Sister Fubar.
I’ll have you know I am in Fubar. The funeral scene. If you look at the credits, everyone has one of five last names. It was filled with everyone’s brothers, sisters, parents, and friends. Oddly, I didn’t get invited back for a key role in the sequel.
DH says were Fubar 1 and 2 again this weekend. He owns both.
DH: “My favourite part of Fubar is how Dean’s chemo doesn’t touch his moustache.”
As for me, I’m going to look for you at the funeral.
Ponytail; black jacket. Complaining how Farrell always needed to be centre of attention (or some such nonsense). I made that line up. Took my character very seriously. Other notables – Dr. Lim was our actual family doctor growing up. Note how he got invited back for the sequel.
This is your only note – bah!
Love it.
Putting the man in romance? Maybe not.
I guess it does get complicated as they get older doesn’t it? Last time I left on my own was 2 years ago (OMG) and H was little enough I didn’t have to do any song or dance moves to appease her.
It actually gets easier, I think, because they understand that you’re coming back. When Vivian was three, she called me a come-back-er woman. I quite like that description!
And, Heather? Go on a holiday. Even if it’s a night in a boutique hotel by yourself (I say, yearningly).
THESE ARE GREAT! (I am using caps and an exclamation point instead of ellipses) Kevin and I are going out of town next month and I think I will use the last one FOR SURE!!!!
Laughing hard at your use of all caps and exclamation marks. Yes, suddenly ellipses don’t look so bad (insert an ellipsis here if I could use one).
Leanne you have to send this up to the Western Sentinel in Edmonton, a military community newspaper. This is a great set of ideas for deploying parents. We have our jelly bean jars and fun boxes but some deployments you can easily get very limited phone time to offset lonliness so the more creative ideas to help, the better.
I always found that when I’d deploy, anything the girls ‘made or did’ was a way of helping them feel like they were part of my success. I’d tell them things like “if you hadn’t snuck that stuffed dinosaur in my barack box, I wouldn’t have anything to cuddle at night, so you’re helping Mommy do her job by helping me get a good sleep.”
Thanks, Reba. Maybe I’ll send the Western Sentinel a link (or an amended one without #1).
I love the idea of getting your kids to “help” you and involving them. My problem is I’m usually packing at 1 a.m.; I suspect you’d have to be a lot more organized pre-deployment.
Thanks for making me think of what our troops go through far too often.
I love how you quote your time with Mr. Firth in posts – ahhhh, memories…
My best advice for travelling without kids? Try not to giggle with delight too much as you’re walking out the door…
p.s. do you have “…” envy? 🙂
Yes, I think the Firth references have only begun. (I so wanted to use an ellipsis here).
And you’re right about the giggling. I believe my exit involved heel clicks and me saying “There’s no place like home” followed by a Wicked Witch of the West cackle while the front door hit me on the butt.
Unlike Heather, I am finding it easier to go as my son gets older. For example, I know when I leave to go somewhere – like the grocery store – I won’t get arrested upon my return. I don’t know, I find that reassuring.
Longer trips sans child are excellent. Hubby and I are taking one next month. And as far as child care goes, I think there’s a song about it. Oh yeah: “That’s what friends are for.” 😉
Can I come on your trip? Somewhere warm or exotic I hope?
That’s one of the many reasons I wish I had extended family living in my city: so I could dump my kids with them for extended periods.
Happy soon-to-be Holiday!
Great ideas – especially the “buy-gift-beforehand” one.
Since I am the SAHM, I left a binder of instructions for my DH when I went away for five days two years ago. It included the names/#’s of the children’s doctor, their friends, our neighbours, Heath Card #’s, clothing sizes and what to pack in the diaper bag if he ventured out.
I would like to point out that all of the above was HIS idea as, due to workoholic tendencies, DH only sees the boys on Saturday afternoons and has no idea who our neighbours are. *Rolls eyes*
Sounds like a bonus: DH got to spend quality and quantity time with your boys and you got to leave. A win-win, clearly!
Hmm…tips for making travel easier…
1. Leave children at home.
2. Book a place with cooking facilities.
3. Leave instructions that no one is to call you unless someone is hospitalized or dead.
Wendy
I love number 3. I would also like to amend #2 to read “book a place with cooking facilities if you are going away with a happy gourmet.”
I am SO SO using buy gifts before you go. Why didn’t I think of that?!
It is brilliant. I give full credit to my neighbour.
Great tips…only three more months before Bean hits the 1-year-mark and I can swap her over to a cow’s breast milk without the American Academy of Pediatricians collectively glaring at me, and take off for someplace where kids are a rumor. I’m thinkin’ Vegas.
When Hubs & I took our first trip away from offspring, my son was 2…we made a Countdown Chain to a picture of our smiling faces, one link for every night we were gone, and he would tear off a link each night before bed. He loved it, and probably wished our trip was longer, so he would have more links to destroy.
I don’t think there will be much talk of breast milk in Vegas; then again, there’s a good chance I’m wrong.
I love the idea of a countdown chain. I’m pretty sure William would tear them all on Day 1 and then forget about us. Come to think about it, that may not be a bad strategy.
I really like these ideas and am going to have to steal some concepts. I never thought of sending the cards before leaving. I usually take the time tested option of putting it off while traveling, returning home without having done it, and then explaining that they shouldn’t have expected anything in the first place.
Steal away. But I’m just wondering, do people still send postcards? Just a thought I had. I sent a ton of them when I was doing my live abroad thing. But now email and internet cafes (and now wireless) are everywhere.
Regardless, it does ease the guilt factor, which I’m all for.
This is freakin awesome!! I’m giddy!!
I would have never thought to buy a gift before!! And then???
Send the card before?
Genius!!
I too am a note leaver and I have a feeling my daughter will be as well.
Drat
Look out for the note leavers. Vivian even writes lengthy apologies.
Aren’t you clever!!! I wish I had thought about pre-buying gifts and sending cards BEFORE the trip! Next time (God willing there is a “next time” we travel sans enfants).
God willing, there will be a next time!
Awesome! Pre-buy a gift. I guess with the cards there is the issue of stamps but still! That note is so sweet.
The pre-bought gift is worth the early effort. Completely.
I thought for sure you’re #1 would be “Do It More”.
Great ideas!
Yes, “Repeat” is a much desired option!
Buying a gift before you leave. Nice idea.
I can only imagine how the twins not getting a letter/card on the same day went over. That could be catastrophic at our house, especially for whoever was actually with the kids, which wouldn’t be KAW and me, so I guess it wouldn’t be that big of deal.