A Mom’s Guide to International Travel Alone with A Toddler and An Infant

We love hearing from BUNSO moms and their family adventures. So when we saw what an amazing international trip mom of two, Acelyne, had recently with her two littles,  we asked her to share her story and other tips she may have for other families. 

Thank you Acelyne for being our first guest blogger and for sharing your travel hacks and beautiful pictures with our BUNSO fam!

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When I found out I had a work opportunity in Southeast Asia for a few days, I knew I could turn it into a family adventure with my two babies, Jax, 3 years old and Dalisay, almost a year old.

I was going to work there for three days only and  It would be my first time meeting a lot of my colleagues in person at our company’s factory in Vietnam; people I've  worked with  for over a decade but never met in person.

My bunso or youngest child, Dalisay, was almost turning one, and I still had 3 weeks left of PFL (paid family leave) to use up before it expired.  I could see my brother and his wife living in Singapore since they haven't met their baby niece yet, so I really wanted to make sure the kids spent time with their Tito (uncle) and Tita (aunt).

ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR MOMS TRAVELING INTERNATIONALLY

Since my husband wasn’t able to come with me on this trip, I knew I had to really prepare ahead of time and think through every detail. 

I prepared a checklist, learned from previous international trips. I asked for travel tips from other parents, and most of all prayed to God for help!   I knew I had to pack light if I was going to travel between multiple cities abroad.  This was going to be a challenge for me since I was going to travel with a toddler and an infant by myself!  

I weighed out the pros and cons of various strollers, and went with a stroller that I could fold and open with one hand, since I knew it was going to be easier for me to wear the baby in front of me, wear my BUNSO  backpack and use, at most, two suitcases (one large, one small).

I learned from our last trips that we can just buy diapers there, so I packed just a few days worth just so I can get settled and familiarize myself with the grocery stores over there.  

Lastly, I made sure to do a “rehearsal”, practicing pushing the stroller, wearing the baby + BUNSO backpack, and pulling two suitcases.  After my first dry run, I edited a couple things to make it a bit easier for me to maneuver.  Linking two carabiner clips on the stroller was super useful for pulling luggage and/or for hanging groceries.

We notified the pediatrician a couple months in advance and he gave us recommendations on how to keep the kids healthy and warned us about general safety precautions in the cities we were visiting.

The most preparation I did was to pray for a safe trip, network with the very few friends I knew that had ties in both countries, and ask AI to give me a 3 week itinerary for the three of us.  I was so busy with work and my duties at home and church, that I really didn’t have much time to prepare as much as I wanted to. AI and friends’ suggestions saved me a lot of time planning and researching!

 

SURVIVING THE LONG FLIGHT

Thankfully, both kids had a full 8-9 hrs of sleep and we also had the whole row to ourselves both ways!  God was too good to us the whole trip.  In addition to the activities the airlines provided, I brought a couple of lightweight activities for them to keep them entertained during the flight.  

 If I needed to go to the restroom, I would just go, and the flight attendants were kind enough to watch the kids while I was away.  Sometimes, the passengers across the row would tell me they’d happily keep an eye on the kids while I went to the restroom. 

 

DEALING WITH JET LAG

All in all it was a 21 day trip. We visited a few cities in Thailand (Bangkok, Damnoen Saduak, and Rangsit) and several cities in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang, Hue, Hoi An, and Hanoi).

It took a couple days to adjust but we went to sleep as soon as the sun went down, closed the blackout curtains so that the kids can fall asleep faster, and when it was time for breakfast, we ate by the window to get some morning sunshine! Doing this helped us get used to Bangkok time in no time!

Because I was alone with the two kids, I gave myself a lot of grace. If we were running late, all good! we will enjoy our time together, nonetheless!

Thank God, the kids never got sick during the 3 weeks. I did have some concerns about food poisoning since a lot of the veggies are fresh in Vietnamese dishes, and  they may be washed with tap water. 

But what's funny is that we never got food poisoning at the street food or hole in the wall places .... out of all the places we ate, we had a bit of food poisoning at a restaurant in the airport!!! 

Luckily, I brought a couple packs of "Pocari Sweat" (kinda like Gatorade or Pedialite but Japanse version) and  thankfully it was a quick recovery! We stayed hydrated with bottled water. We also pray before we eat so God must have purified our food for us. 

This trip was filled with so many memorable events, but the most memorable was seeing my babies spend time with their Tito and Tita and seeing their face light up when they met new people, experience being in new places, trying new food, and at the end of each day they’d hug me ever so tightly and give me a big slobbery kiss on my cheek as if to tell me “I had SO much fun spending the whole day with you, Mommy! You’re the best, Mommy, ever!” 

My son is non-verbal and doesn’t have all the ASL vocabulary yet to express it in sign language, but his eyes, face, and hugs say it with so much clarity, it made me feel so warm and happy to be their mom! 

Honestly, the temperaments of Jax and Dalisay are super chill so it was easier for me than maybe for others 😭. Jaxson's "tantrums" are like silent and he stays still, and tears just fall one by one without making any sound.

LESSON LEARNED

I don’t have any regrets, but the only thing I would do differently is make sure I brought a physical credit card. LOL!  I’m so used to using Tap to Pay here in the Bay Area, and because I minimized everything I packed, I accidentally ditched my wallet and only brought some cash + my phone which had my electronic wallet.  This was only “inconvenient” in Thailand, where they didn’t accept Tap to Pay at all.  Fortunately, I was able to pay with my phone for the next two weeks in Vietnam!

 

BUNSO DIAPER BAG AS OUR TRAVEL BUDDY

Our BUNSO bag was so great in keeping our passports, my work laptop + chargers safe, and it still had plenty room to keep an extra set of clothes, diapers, snacks, and lightweight activities during our flight.  I took it everywhere with us, on car trips, on boat rides, and 7 flights in total! 

I appreciated how it was compact enough to keep in the stroller’s under seat basket if the weight of baby + backpack was getting too heavy for me during long walks around the cities / airports. 

It also served as Jaxson’s portable pillow during long car rides if the baby was occupying my lap :)

TIPS FOR OTHER PARENTS ABOUT TRAVELING INTERNATIONALLY 

Traveling with kids can be super hard, but with the right tools and preparation, it’s totally possible and can be a very enjoyable experience for both yourself and the kids!  They say kids won’t remember these trips at these ages, but one of Jax’s early interventionists once told me, that exposure to new experiences during travel could be very beneficial for their early development.

I still can't believe the 3 of us went to all these places!

Based on what I’ve seen so far with Jax traveling to more than 8 new countries + 2 new US states, we can really see how his adaptability, curiosity, and social skills have helped him grow and thrive in more ways than we could imagine.

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About the writer:

Acelyne Sagabaen is a mom of two sweet little ones. Her joy comes from the beautiful chaos of making breakfasts, working in the semiconductor industry, fulfilling her church duties, and travelling around the world with her family