5 Traveling tips before heading on to your next adventure

The holiday season is around the corner and travelling and packing is hectic enough, especially when you travel with children. Due to my job (and my passion for travelling), I do have to be on the go quite often and… Yay, we are off again for New Year’s this time. This is the reason why I would like to give you some of the best tips that work for me before catching a train, a plane or simply the car.

#1 Packing light, smart and easy. This is one of the most essential travel musts when you are off with your toddler. I already gave you some packing tips before we had to pack our suitcase full of bikinis and flips flops this summer. Luckily, those tips still apply to this season and here are all of them.

#2 Protect your belongings. Kids backpacks, toys and poor Fridolin are very often left behind. Marking them or tagging them is totally necessary. I mean…who hasn’t left something behind when flying or travelling with a toddler? At the end of the day… we might be supermoms but we only have 2 eyes.

Make sure your bags are also marked with something you identify as your own. Especially at this time of the year, everybody travels with a suitcase and they all happen to be coincidentally similar. It will also save you some time to be able to spot it from far away at the baggage claim belts.

#3 Always pack an extra bag. A Longchamp tote bag for example that you can fold, for example, is something I usually pack into my suitcase. These bags are multipurpose and can always come in handy. They are small, light and can be fold – They are perfect!
These are also useful when you are travelling with a full hand luggage and decide to make some airport shopping on the way to your destination. Even useful for a simple quick city trip or as an extra bag on the way back home when your suitcase is way too heavy.

#4 Long live lists. The stress before setting off is immense, which means that forgetting half of the stuff you had in mind is very common. So, here’s my secret: I write lists of the things I need for the trip (even if it is a weekend away) and literally tick it off when I have put it in my suitcase. You will never forget your pyjamas or toothbrush again… you know “the last things”!

My love for lists doesn’t stop there though… I also leave post-it notes on the door, however, I am so used to having them that sometimes I even ignore them.

This “last things” list which unconsciously for me means “the list of things I literally could not leave the country without”, includes: Passport, charger and Fridolin – And remember, unless you are heading to a cabin in the middle of the woods or a deserted island in the middle of the ocean, there are other people living on the other side of the planet.

#5 Make sure all your liquids are travel-friendly (100 mil.) before you are at the airport. Avoid yourself all the “bad looks” when they make you open your suitcase at the security check. It is annoyingly uncomfortable.

I usually travel with my Marionaud refill flying set, I take my own shampoo, conditioner and body milk. Besides something I usually I also take with me is the Mini Mineralizing Water from Vichy and dry-shampoo. Oh, and here’s something I heard on my last trip to Rome… according to this security guy, make-up doesn’t count. So basically, there is no need to put them in plastic bags!

Lastly, I would say… just chill, think less and enjoy. Close that suitcase, grab your stuff, get Fridolin and your kid of course. No one wants to go through a real live “home alone” situation. Shut the door and go. Catch the plane, train or ride the car – Adventures are always waiting for you on the other side.

DEUTSCH

Wer kennt nicht den Stress am Abreisetag? Doch man kann ihm vorbeugen. Ich reise gern und viel, habe also meine Erfahrungen gemacht. Für euch habe ich fünf Tipps herausgesucht, auf die ich schwöre.

1. Man braucht nie mehr als 50 Prozent von dem, was man einpackt. Also hier entlang, wenn ihr „leicht“ verreisen wollt: Pro-Tipp!

2. Alle Mamis aufgepasst: Wie schnell kann es passieren, und das geliebte Kuscheltier oder auch der Kinderrucksack bleibt irgendwo auf der Reise liegen. Deswegen Kindersachen besonders gut mit Name und Telefonnummer beschriften – umso eher finden sie wieder zu euch zurück.

3. Eine Extratasche ist hilfreicher, als man denkt. Ich gebe immer eine Tasche von Longchamp in meinen Koffer. Sie verbraucht keinen Platz und ist federleicht. Im Urlaub funktioniere ich sie einfach zu einer Schwimmtasche. Bei der Rückreise ist sie eine ideale Extratasche, sollte der Koffer zu voll sein.

4. Checkliste, Checkliste, Checkliste! Gerne klebe ich mir auch noch einen Post It auf die Eingangstüre, um die wichtigsten Sachen auf keinen Fall zu vergessen: Fridolin (Emilians Stofftier), Reisepass und ah ja… Kind natürlich 😉

5. Die 100ml Regel einhalten! Die kleinen Behälter kaufe ich bei Marionnaud und befülle sie für die Trips mit meinen Lieblingsprodukten. Sogar mein Parfum fülle ich um und kann so reichlich an Gewicht einsparen.  Mein Mineralizing Water von Vichy und mein Trockenshampoo von Batiste gibt es praktischerweise in Miniaturform zu kaufen.

Abschließend soll aber gesagt sein, dass man sich weniger stressen soll. Eine geplante Reise soll etwas befreiendes Sein. Einfach mit Kind und gepacktem Koffer aus der Wohnung gehen, der Rest wird schon irgendwie zu lösen sein.