Admittedly, it’s been quite a while since I’ve written a travel post. To be fair, it’s also been a long time since travel has been somewhat normal. Between the pandemic, working in healthcare, and getting pregnant, I haven’t left the country since February of 2020. Man, it’s even more depressing to see that in writing.

As things are very slowly starting to get back to the way they were, I’m looking so forward to returning abroad. In the meantime, though, and while we wait for our little one’s passport to arrive, we figured a domestic vacation would be a great test run. Traveling with a baby is, after all, a bit more complicated. Or is it?

One thing I’ve continuously heard is, “No more traveling light now that you have a kid!” I hate nothing more than checking bags when I fly and lugging a bunch of stuff around, so I was dreading finding out what I was in for. Then I remembered things don’t always have to be as others say. If I accepted other people’s opinions as facts, I’d have assumed weekend trips out of the country were impossible and pointless. In reality, they’ve been the best trips of my life (and I’ve taken nearly 70 of them).

We packed everything we needed in two backpacks for 5 days away with a 3 month old. In other words, we brought the same amount of “luggage” as we did pre-baby. Thankfully, his clothes are tiny & we were able to fit 55 diapers (too many, which was better than not having enough), a pack of wipes, bottles, and formula to supplement my milk – all in my backpack alongside my own clothes/toiletries/shoes. Some takeaways from our first family vaca:

• Packing cubes continue to be lifesavers, especially in terms of staying organized and saving space. I have these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07D4F1T2L/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_inactive_ship_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1.
• Baby wearing is also a lifesaver, especially through the airport! It was super easy to go through security with him. Literally nothing changed except I walked through the machine with a baby on my chest. It took not one minute longer having an infant with us. The carrier I love (after trying a ton) is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Ergobaby-Carrier-Carry-Positions-Carbon/dp/B010C4IS34/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=ergobaby&qid=1633051166&rdc=1&sr=8-3.
• Neck pillows double as great nursing pillows (think a mini Boppy!). Speaking of nursing, doing it during takeoff and landing really did seem to help. He didn’t make a peep the entire flight, thank God!
• If you don’t NEED your stroller/car seat, I’d definitely recommend leaving it home. It’s one less thing to carry or push around, and you can totally baby wear on public transportation (which is what we did).

I’m so happy the trip turned out the way it did. I was fully prepared to have to rent a car and drive all the way home if the flight was a disaster, but thankfully it was a breeze! The icing on the cake: we returned home to Leo’s passport in our mailbox. Let the adventures begin. 😉