The travel tips that save my sanity

Hey champ,

Without sounding like a bit of a wanker (!), we’ve been on the road a lot this year. In the last few months, we’ve been to the Maldives for a holiday, to Hawaii for a work trip, to France for my work with Avène and travelled around Australia what feels like 10,000 times for my speeches and workshops.

Hakavai has come with me on almost every trip, and well, let’s just say it’s made travel infinitely more interesting than it used to be!

So, I thought I’d jot down a few of the tips and tricks that have made travelling this year a lot easier.

Full disclosure: I hate it when people write these travel tips blogs, and make it out like travelling is the worst. It’s not. I’m really lucky to do what I do and being able to travel the world to share my story is an absolute honour and privilege.

But, while Hakavai is a cruisy legend, when you travel with a baby, there are moments of high stress, extreme temperatures, explosions out of multiple orifices …. you get the (grubby) drift!

So, in no particular order, these are the products, tips and hacks that have saved my sanity while on the road!

Enjoy!

For travelling with a baby:

1. Maternity singlets (you can get ‘em out quick), a maternity hoodie (ditto) and tights have been my staple airport outfit. Now I’m not breastfeeding anymore I get a bit more creative. Yesterday I wore a basic blue top with tights #living.
2. Tommee Tippee soothers with a dummy pin so Hak doesn’t spit it on the floor
3. Tomme Tippee breast pump – this is great because it can be battery operated, so I could theoretically pump anywhere, anytime (I mean I never did, but it was nice to have the option y’know?)
4. Baby bag – ill rutto – it’s ‘nice’ so it doubles as a handbag for functions
5. Nice (not mumsy) muslin wraps from Love Tribe and Banabae (and um, sometimes they double as a spew rag). Like I’m a mum, but I don’t want to feel too mumsy ya know?
6. Bonds zippys – easy to get on and off , easy to pack, easy to wash.
7. Food for Hakavai – squeezy pouches, rusks
8. Toys – I’ll bring out a new ‘toy’ (ie a toy that I’ve hidden from him for a month). He used to like playing with my keys but I lost them once….  so I learnt my lesson and now keep this hidden in my bag!
9. Antibacterial hand gel – I usually don’t use this when I’m at home in Aus (I’m of the school of thought that a bit of dirt and grime won’t hurt him), but when I’m travelling I use it.   
10. Pram – I don’t travel with a pram since I usually have my packhorse with me (Michael). Usually I’ll put Hak in the carrier and Michael juggles our suitcases/boards/dive gear etc. We don’t travel with a cot either. We already look like a travelling circus so the less stuff the better.
11. Sleeping – I find going outside with Hak helps with his sleeping. If it’s a big day of travelling (e.g. one day we drove 3 hrs to the airport, flew 32 hrs to Paris, took another 2 hr flight to Montpellier, and then got in a 1.5 hr transfer … just a super cruisy fun time) I just put him in the carrier and walk around with him.
12. Food/Health – sometimes I feel like both of our diets suffer when we travel. I bought a powdered organic bone broth for Hak which I put in his sippy cup. For me it’s the Vital Greens from Dr Libby.
13. Packing cells from Kathmandu – these are seriously awesome. I chuck all of Hak’s stuff in one and my stuff in the other and then have a couple of separate ones as spares (ie dirty laundry).

For travelling sans (but also helpful with) baby:

1. First and foremost, drink heaps of water as flying and travelling can dehydrate you. I have a leak proof water bottle like this one (and yes, it did take a mishap with a leaky water bottle and my laptop to learn this lesson!)
2. I make sure I eat healthily before I go somewhere, so that I have a bit of a leave pass when I’m away.
3. I load up on healthy snacks (I love jerky, Lara bars and nuts), just in case I don’t have access to good food.
4. Must haves to sleep – DoTerra essential oils, eye mask and cheap airplane ear plugs
5. Comfort on long haul flights: sneakers, yoga pants and a hoodie.
6. I splurge on high quality food. I also try and stay somewhere with good room service. Again, just in case.
7. Where there’s good food available, I eat! Don’t wait. You never know where there’s going to be another organic cafe when you’re on your way to a remote country town in WA.
8. Tech – I typically take everything. MacBook Air, iPad and of course iPhone with ear buds. I also LOVE my Beats headphones.
9. A roll on perfume – smells that make you feel good. I use this one.
10. Little sachets of instant coffee. Just in case.
11. I pack my make-up essentials in my carry on in case my stuff gets lost. Essentials? IT Cosmetics CC cream, eyebrow pen, MAC eyeliner in colour Teddy, Go-To Lips.
12. A tub of yu-be cream. Flying sucks the moisture out of everything!
13. A good book! A list of my current recommendations is here, though would it be gauche to recommend my own book too?

T x