Packing for Overseas

In one week, we are leaving for a one-month long holiday in the US.  We are spending a week in Boston, two weeks in New York, 2 nights in Lancaster County, PA (Amish Country), and 5 days in Washington, DC.

We are flying Melbourne to LA, then LA to Boston, with around 5 hours in LA airport.  We will catch a train from Boston to NYC.  We are hiring a large car in NYC, to drive to PA, then on to DC.  We are flying out of DC to LA, then on to Melbourne directly.

We chose to fly Melbourne - LA and return, with no stops in NZ/Asia.  While there is certainly an argument for breaking up the flight, and allowing a young toddler some time to roam around an airport, we elected to do the direct flight, trying to just get it out of the way!  By flying direct, we will arrive at our hotel in Boston just over 24 hours after leaving Melbourne.  That's right, 24 hours of non-stop travel.

I will write another blog post, this week, on the actual air travel element.

How much luggage are you allowed?  A lot!  In fact, flying to and from the United States, you are permitted to travel with far more luggage than you could easily manage with a baby in tow, I think.  Each adult is permitted two suitcases, a carry-on, and a ladies handbag.  The baby is allowed one piece of luggage, such as a car seat or a pram or a travel cot.

In total, this gives our family:

• 4 suitcases, up to 23kg each
• 2 international sized carryons, up to 7kg each
• Our Bugaboo Cameleon in its large hard travel case
• A large nappy bag / handbag.

Now, I don't know about you, but I think we would struggle to cart that much luggage around (plus a baby) - and of course, our luggage needs to fit into taxis, and the car we are hiring.

With this in mind, we are taking one large suitcase, one medium suitcase, a large international carry-on, a carry-on toiletries case, our Bugaboo, and a large nappy bag.  Our small Phil&Teds travel cot fits within our large suitcase, or we could check it in separately.  This should be ample to take what we need on the way over.  If we need more space coming home (shopping!!), I will use spacebags to condense our clothing, and will purchase one or two cheap, soft duffle bags to fill with soft items (clothing, grobags, bunny rugs etc) which can be checked in as luggage.

For our clothing, we needed to consider the weather.  In Boston, the weather is likely to see maximums of 18 - 23 degrees, so we will need closed shoes and light coats.  Scarves, beanies and gloves should be sufficient to keep us warm in the mornings and evenings, if there is frost.  In New York, the weather is likely to be pleasant, with daily maximums of low 20s.  In DC, the weather could easily creep into the 30s - so a couple of light dresses, shorts, tshirts and sandals will do.

If we are confident the weather in NY and DC will be warm, we may decide to send home, via slow post, our heavier clothing, coats and shoes.

We will not need dressy clothing such as heels, elegant dresses or suits, as we won't be dining anywhere fancy, nor will we be attending shows or musicals (sad, I know, but we have done these things before, and we are not comfortable leaving Tabitha with a babysitter we don't know).

Travelling to a developed country like the US is, of course, much easier than travelling to many parts of the world.  We don't need to pack too obsessively, since anything we may need to buy - shampoo, bandaids, bathing suits, razors, toothpaste - will not only be readily available, it is also likely to much CHEAPER than if we bought it at home!

There are some things, however, which I strongly recommend packing.  We are planning on using some disposable nappies while travelling, since I'm not confident about the availability of secure washing facilities.  I know Huggies work for us, and I know that many brands out there are rubbish, leaking, with dodgy closure tabs and strange fits.  Because of this, I am taking enough nappies for our use, rather than risking having to try out unknown brands.

The other things I would recommend packing enough of are items which your baby or child is 'used to', and may have trouble adapting to - you really want to minimise the stress factors when travelling!  I would include artificial baby milks, bottles and teats, dummies, pain relief medication, and also skin products like shampoos, soaps and lotions, particularly if your baby has allergies or sensitive skin.

Of course, if you practice Baby Led Weaning, you will not need to take along special baby foods, however if your baby is used to eating cereals and purees, you might like to take along your normal brand - those suckable organic tube squeeze things seem to be popular, and I imagine they would be relatively easy for travel (though not as easy as feeding your baby normal food, I think, though I admit I am biased!).

To assist with settling into a sleep routine once you reach your destination (with jet-lag, new surroundings, change in climate and all that), I recommend packing a number of sleep aids.  We have included a number of 'sleep triggers' into Tabitha's bedtime over the past few weeks, and will continue to use these on arrival, to help her adapt.  This includes:

• A scented travel candle in a relaxing fragrance.  Hopefully this will signal 'bedtime' to Tabby, and will also help to camouflage all of the strange and new hotel smells.
  
• Music for Dreaming CD played overnight - the sounds will, again, hopefully signify bedtime, and having gentle music on overnight is also good for canceling out hotel / street noises.
  
• Badger Night-Night Balm is a marvelous product.  All natural, filled with beautiful natural sleep and relaxation oils such as lavender, chamomile and sandalwood, I rub a little of this on Tabitha (wrists, neck, forehead, chest, soles of feet).  Not only does it help her relax and sleep, but the scent has formed a nice olfactory association with sleep for her.
  
• The rest of her bedtime routine - putting on a clean nappy, clean pyjamas, evening breastfeed, reading a couple of short books, then zipping her up in her Grobag - will remain the same when we are overseas.

There are several herbal gentle sleep remedies for babies and children on the market, which we may try (depending on how Tabby goes).  In the hotel, as with anywhere, it is best to have a calm, quiet sleep environment (NO television on within an hour or so of bedtime, enough quiet time in the room before bed) and to keep the room fairly cool (around 18 degrees is ideal for sleep) and with some fresh air if possible.  

On the airplane, I will fill her water bottle with cool chamomile tea for her to drink, instead of water, which will hopefully help her stay relaxed and calm on the flight.  Of course, breastmilk is perfect for helping your baby to sleep - it contains natural hormones designed to put baby to sleep, and indeed to put mum to sleep as well!  So a nice long breastfeed, somewhere dark and quiet, with skin-on-skin contact is ideal for just before bed when you are all adjusting to a new timezone and sleep environment.

I will also be taking a small tube of Vegemite (never travel without it!) and several packets of Australian stickers.  When traveling, I think it's nice to have little Australian souvenirs on hand to give to any children you meet - this applies even if you don't have children of your own.  I like sheets of fuzzy Australian animal stickers.

Finally, it is of utmost importance to consider your travel documents.  Of course you must take your passport, photo ID (license), credit cards, tickets and other travel documents.  In addition, take copies of your insurance details, and any applicable telephone numbers such as your airline, the airports you are travelling through, and your local embassies (in case of trouble or lost passports).

You should also take photocopies of every document (store them separately to the originals, and leave a full copy of all of your items at home with someone you trust, such as a family member).  Take spare colour passport photographs of every member of your family, including babies.  As awful as it is to consider, if your child goes missing, you will want an up-to-date, clear photograph of them.

I like to create a comprehensive travel document - sort of an extended itinerary - which includes all details I could possibly need:

• The name, address and contact number of each hotel.  The dates we are staying there.  The time of checkin and checkout.  Any details such as room requests made or breakfast package inclusions.  Our booking numbers.
  
• A list of nearby amenities to each hotel - the closest supermarket, chemist and park.
  
• All flight details, including frequent flier numbers, flight numbers, seat allocation requests, special meal requests and records of request dates, time of each flight arrival and departure (in both local time and the time zone we left from e.g. body clock time).
  
• Car hire and train travel details, including booking numbers, times etc.
  
• Travel insurance policy details, inclusions and contact numbers
  
• International contact numbers including foreign embassies.
  
• Other information such as passport numbers, international travel visa or visa waiver numbers.

I take several copies of this - one for home, one to keep in each suitcase, one to keep in my handbag. I also email a copy to myself, so I can access it from anywhere in the world.

For your wallet, I recommend making a card (the same size as a credit card, in heavy weight cardboard) which includes all the details you will need when filling out forms such as immigration paperwork - each family member's passport number, issue date and expiry date, the address at which you will be staying, dates of arrival and departure.  This will save lots of time and rummaging when you suddenly need these details.  Add a few handy numbers such as your insurance policy, embassy and hotels.

We arrive at our hotel in Boston in the evening.  The next morning, I will be walking to the nearest supermarket (Shaw's in the Prudential Centre, a three minute walk from our hotel) to buy fresh fruit, bread, butter, nut spread, museli and milk.  This way, no matter how tired or ratty we get, we know we have healthy food available in our room in case we hit a wall suddenly, later in the day.

Now...  The packing lists.  I have divided this into Checked Baggage and Carry On Baggage.  Note:  I have not included The Daddy's items.  Off the top of my head, I predict the list will be:  jeans, jeans, half a dozen tshirts and light shirts, shorts, a couple of jumpers, a coat, scarf and beanie, sneakers, thongs, a book, razor/toothbrush/deoderant, sunglasses, phone, wallet.

Checked Baggage:

• Bugaboo Cameleon pram in its travel case
• Phil&Teds Traveller portable cot

Baby Items

• 2 pairs of warm weather PJs, 2 pairs of cool weather PJs
• 4 muslins
• 2 bunny rugs
• 1 large lightweight muslin for shade / sleeping cover for pram
• Fitted sheets for portacot
• 2 Grobags – 1 TOG and 2.5 TOG
• Room / bath thermometor
• Lamby (sleep toy)
• Vatanai wrap
• Ergo
• 6 bibs
• HandySitt portable high chair
• A few books and toys
• Travel candle
• Music for Dreaming CD

Nappy Items

• 150 nappies
• 500 wipes
• 150 scented nappy disposal sacks
• Barrier cream
• Lightweight waterproof change pad

Tabitha’s Clothing (allowing for washing every few days)

• Bathers and swim nappies
• Sun hat
• Soft beanie
• 4 singlets
• 2 cardigans
• Coat with hood
• Shoes
• 4 pairs of socks
• 4 pairs of pants
• 4 tops
• Tracksuit

My Clothing (allowing for washing every few days, and shopping as we go.  No heels or fancy outfits required, since we won’t go anywhere without baby)

• Woollen coat
• Jeans
• 4 Spring-weight tops
• 4 stretchy camisoles (I wear these under everything, good for some coverage when lifting top for breastfeeding)
• 2 cardigans
• Leather short jacket
• 2 t-shirts
• 2 skirts
• 2 pairs of black leggings
• 2 casual dresses to wear with leggings
• Socks and underwear
• Footware – Thongs, sneakers, ballet flats
• Bathers
• PJ pants / tracksuit pants
• A few silk scarves
• Sun hat

Toiletries Bag

• Medicines – Panadol, baby Panadol suppositories, Antihistamines, multi vitamins, Ventolin, bandaids, Soov burn and bite cream, antiseptic cream, ear thermometer, small pair of scissors, light crepe bandage, sterile gauze.
• Travel Hairdryer
• Hairbrush and hair ties
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Nail polish and file, and handcream
• Basic makeup (tinted moisturiser, mascara, eyeshadow/blush cream, lipgloss)
• Breastpads
• Eye drops
• Deoderant
• Lunette
• Baby nail clippers
• Baby shampoo and wash
• Facial care – cleanser, exfoliant, moisturiser, eye cream, hydrating mask
• Sunscreen
• Toothbrush and paste
• Razor
• Body lotion

Miscellaneous Items:

• Ear plugs
• Small handbag
• Glasses and sunglasses
• Electrics (phone charger, adapter, laptop and charger, camera and charger, compact camera and charger)
• Boston Pocket Umbrella
• A couple of books
• Knitting / crochet (small projects like socks, beanies etc.)
• Vegimite
• Aussie souvenirs for kids – koala stickers etc.
• US approved padlocks
• Maps / guidebooks
• PHOTOCOPIES of passports, licences, credit cards and travel documents.  Leave a photocopy at home too.

 Tabitha Carry On

• 12 Nappies
• 80 wipes (everyone says to guess how many wipes you might need, and double it)
• 12 scented nappy sacks
• 2 wet bags for soiled clothes, muslins, bibs etc.
• 6 breastpads
• 6 bibs
• 4 muslins
• 1 large muslin
• 2 bunny rugs
• 4 – 5 snack meals (sandwiches etc) and baby food
• Water bottle containing cool chamomile tea for Tabitha (most airlines will allow you to bring aboard a ‘reasonable quantity’ of food and drink for a baby.  I will bring organic chamomile teabags in case.)
• 1 TOG Grobag
• 2 – 3 pairs pyjamas / tracksuit
• 1 additional travel outfit including socks and singlets
• Ergo
• Small toys and books
• Lamby sleep toy
• Dummies (even though she hasn’t used one since around 4 months, they might be worth a try if things get desperate)
  

My Carry On

• Tickets and travel documents, including master itinerary
• Passports
• Wallet with local currency (including plenty of $1 bills, as you will need to begin tipping well before you unpack).
• Glasses and sunglasses
• Pen
• iPhone
• Tissues
• 2-3 pairs socks
• Chinatown beaded slippers (I hate going to the bathroom on planes in socks, these are perfect for padding around with swollen feet).
• Neck pillow
• Pashmina / light blanket
• Silk eye mask
• Ear plugs
• Hairbrush and ties
• Multi vitamins
• Small camera
• Book
• Full change of clothes and underwear
• Medicines (antihistamines, panadol, baby panadol)
• Noise canceling headphones
• Snacks (fresh fruit and vegetables, cut up.  Muesli bars)
• Toothbrush
• Clear plastic bags, less than one litre per adult, containing (each less than 100ml):

o   Cleanser

o   Moisturiser

o   Moisture mask

o   Eye cream

o   Toothpaste

o   Rosewater spray

o   Mascara

o   Hand sanitiser gel

o   Tinted moisturizer

o   Deoderant

o   Lip balm

o   Hand cream

o   Eye drops

o   Barrier cream for nappies

o   Sleepy balm

o   Rescue Remedy