How to Relieve Anxiety When Vacationing Without the Kids
My husband and I took a dream anniversary/honeymoon-we-never-had trip to Europe last year. Initially, we planned on taking our kids along on the journey, but then my in-laws offered to watch the house and the kids. I was thinking, “Is that even allowed? Leaving the country without your kids?” I can barely leave the living room without one following me. I’ll admit it didn’t take much time to accept the gracious offer and start planning. But for months before the trip, I would have bouts of anxiety, especially since my 6-year-old boy is so attached to me. I knew they would be ok without us and even have fun, but there were some things I did to make them and mostly myself feel better about leaving.
Make a Countdown
It was essential to talk about what would be happening in advance. For a few months before, we talked about how fun it was going to be to have Nana and Papa come hang out with them. We talked about what activities they might do and what food they might eat.
Leave Them Your Itinerary
I typed up a letter for each day we’d be gone with where we’d be going and what we might see. I put one letter in one envelope for every day we were gone. I labeled the outside: “Open on October 15”. I included pictures I found off the internet to go with the letters. This way, they could visualize what kinds of stuff we were doing. For example:
October 15- “We are staying in Edinburgh today. We plan to go see Edinburgh Castle (insert picture of the castle). We are staying at this Air BnB: (insert a picture). How are you doing today? Call us after school if you can!”
October 16- “We are staying in the Highlands on a farm. There should be lots of sheep and a highland coo. I will send you a picture! Today is your field trip; we hope you have fun!”
For my in-laws, I also wrote down every flight number and hotel number and exactly where we’d be each day. I even left the contact information for the Air BnB’s.
Get Organized
It made me feel better to list every emergency or non-emergency number my in-laws might need. I typed up a list of numbers from friends nearby to the school and the kids’ doctor’s office. I also left a signed medical consent form that gave my in-laws permission to get the kids whatever medical treatment they would need without us being here. You can find a template online and print it before you leave. You hope you never have to use these things, but having everything ready in a folder makes everyone feel more relaxed.
Promise Souvenirs
My kids were upset about me leaving for so long. Still, they were also excited about the expected souvenirs that I promised to bring them. I didn’t promise anything big, but I just let them know I would be looking for something cool to bring home for them. For my daughter, that was some yarn because she loves to crochet. And my son got some German chocolate and a toy Viking sword. Presents always help! And it doesn’t have to be crazy; my kids were also very excited about some rocks and coins we brought back.
Send Postcards
Kids love getting stuff in the mail. We got some cute postcards and sent them home.
Video Chat
If you can, video chatting is a great way to feel connected while away. The time difference made it a little difficult, but I felt better to see their faces and hear a little about what they’d been up to. It turns out they never really wanted to chat very long because they were usually too busy.
Going away on a trip without the kids can make you feel excited and nervous at the same time. But if you do some things to prepare, I promise it will help you relax and really enjoy your trip! Do you have any other tips?
