• About
  • Blog
  • Working together
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Girl Gone Travel

Girl Gone Travel

Travel
/
January 9, 2012

Planning a Romantic Trip without The Kids in Tow

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share

When my husband and I met, I was already a single mom. I can count in one hand and less than 3 fingers how many times we have been away alone together. I mean, far away…not just away on date night.

It’s tough and expensive to take a trip without the kids, especially when they were smaller and because we don’t have family near by to take care of them for us.

And even with all the traveling we do, we still just never had a trip for ourselves. So, we decided to bite the bullet, loosen the wallet, be courageous and plan a trip, overseas, just the two of us without the kids in tow.

I am not going to sugar coat it for you. It’s not easy to do the first time around, at least for me it wasn’t. When I travel alone at least I am comforted with the fact that my husband is with the kids at night and available should anything happen. This time we would need to rely on our babysitter Amanda. Also, it’s much harder to do this when the kids are little ones. By this time our boys are 5, 6 and 14, but we definitely had to wait a bit before even considering this option.

Amanda is super sweet and we trust her completely, but we were leaving the country and suddenly the amount of trust needed was even more overwhelming. Of course, I also started to consider all the possible things (often awful) that could happen and though it may sound grim, it really helped us plan and organize so that we had a great contact list in place, made sure we informed all the necessary parties, and had covered all the bases.

Here’s our To-Do list in planning our trip:

It’s good to start talking about the trip, even before you know when you are going to go. Early conversations, where no deadline planning and stress is needed, helps give you time to really think about the details and allows for budgeting expenses, like paying the babysitter for her time if that’s who will be caring for your kids.

Before planning and setting budgets for your trip talk to your caregiver about costs and work out a schedule that is comfortable for everyone involved. Settle on a fair fee, not just a fee you can afford, and be ready to pay a little extra. Don’t ever skimp on your sitter. If you can’t pay a little extra than what they ask for, hold off on the trip until you can.

Let the schools and doctors know that you will be traveling and give them all the information of the person who will be caring for your children. Also find out if any special paperwork is needed to give the caregiver or family member permission to make decisions in case of an emergency. Discuss this very carefully and clearly with the caregiver as well.

Get a will! Never a bad time to be ready for the worse.

Put together a solid list of contacts for the person/people who will care for your children in your absence. Have the conversation with the people you want to put on the list before you do, give them your contact information as well and with all the information on your babysitter if that is who will be caring for your children. Make sure that whomever you put on your list is someone your children know and trust.

Leave all of your contact information where it is easily accessible. Cell phone, email, hotel, dates of travel, dates you will be in any specific hotel/location should be somewhere easily visible and attainable, not just in an email for your babysitter or family member. You want for anyone to reach you should they have to.

Talk to your children about the trip, about who will be taking care of them, and about how long you will be gone. Smaller children may not really grasp the concept of time, but it still helps for them to know if won’t be a couple of hours or a day. If you have older children, involved them in the plan, encourage them to help and be ready to reward them for taking part in helping make all of this possible for you.

Leave all instructions on medications, school schedules, extra curricular activities. Do not plan extra activities for the caregiver to have to worry about in your absence. You want to keep the schedule as flexible as possible so that they can manage it all with ease. If you have just one kid, then it’s easier to manage that schedule. But don’t expect to find someone who will be able (or willing) to manage the juggle in your absence. It might also save you money. So coordinate with the ballet teacher, piano teacher, soccer coach, or whomever else you need to let know to simplify the day in your absence.

Leave the fridge stocked, the house clean, and cash for small purchases. I tend to do this on every trip anyway, but it’s just more manageable for everyone if things are organized and trips to the store aren’t urgently needed while everyone adjusts to the temporary change. And it’s good for your caregiver to have cash handy for snacks and items that might run out while you gone.

Last, but not least, just let go. Eventually we had to. We got on the plane and we were off. We had no choice but to trust our sitter and have confidence that it was all going to be ok.

And it was. We had an incredible time. We bonded even more so as a couple. We shared romantic dinners and walks on the beach. We didn’t worry about the kids, or having to be home at a certain time. We checked in a couple of times a day, but not obsessively and rarely over the phone.

We spent 5 blissful days together on a beautiful tropical island without the kids anywhere near us and we loved it. By the evening of day 5 we missed our children terribly and were eager to return to them, but the moment we shared made us realize how important the trip was for us. The experience of this trip and the knowledge that we have people we can trust in our circle has inspired us to budget and plan for another trip just us two real soon.

 

 

 

Related

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share
Pin this Post
Share this Post
Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

You May Also Like...

Christmas Tree Hunting in Long Island, NY

December 12, 2008

Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights, NY

December 10, 2008

Winter afternoon in the Bronx Zoo, NY

December 16, 2008
8 Comments
  • Bicultural Mama
    January 9, 2012

    Looks like you had a great time together and well-deserved, too. We haven't gone on a couples only trip since my daughter was born. We'll likely wait until she's a bit older, too.

    Reply
    • Carol Cain
      Bicultural Mama
      January 10, 2012

      Bicultural Mama- my husband and I talked about it for years before we did it. It helped us identify things such as did we want to fly or not, etc. Just remember with enough planning the possibilities, in time, are endless!

      Reply
  • Samantha
    January 9, 2012

    This was so inspirational . We need to do this ! 🙂

    Reply
    • Carol Cain
      Samantha
      January 10, 2012

      Samantha- Thank you! Go for it!

      Reply
  • anna
    January 11, 2012

    very inspiring! my husband and i have been away three times for just one night – all of them for weddings. would be so fun to take a real vacation without the kids, but our youngest is two so maybe not quite time for us yet!

    Reply
  • Niri
    January 11, 2012

    This looks fabulous

    Reply
  • Carol Cain
    August 6, 2012

    @ anna:

    Anna – When you are ready just remember to make the most of it! The kids grow so fast, it will be here sooner than you know it!

    Reply
  • Carol Cain
    August 6, 2012

    @ Niri:

    Thanks Niri! It was!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Previous Post
20 Lessons from 2011
Next Post
Adventures Galore at Finger Lakes, New York

Categories

  • Asia5 Post(s)
  • Caribbean17 Post(s)
  • Central America4 Post(s)
  • Europe54 Post(s)
  • North America318 Post(s)
  • Oceana1 Post(s)

About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

Contact

  • caincarol@gmail.com

Follow @girlgonetravel

Life has been a LOT lately, and I am indulging in Life has been a LOT lately, and I am indulging in it. 

Especially enjoyed this recent walk through town as a storm slowly brewed. 

It felt lovely. 

#fingerlakes #corningny #newyork
MARK YOUR CALENDAR! @travisjcain will be painting MARK YOUR CALENDAR! @travisjcain will be painting a beautiful new mural at Elmira’s Mural Fest this year (weather permitting on Saturday, if not on a less rainy day)! Last year he painted this board which was recently on display still at @communityartselmira. 

Hopefully we have a sunny day and you can come out to support Travis and all the muralists that day! See you there!

#elmirany #painter #artist #communityarts
Sometimes it’s like I never left. #newyork Sometimes it’s like I never left. 

#newyork
SHOUT OUT to our oldest, @davidacain_, who carries SHOUT OUT to our oldest, @davidacain_, who carries with him the entrepreneurial spirit he’s inherited from his parents. 

While successfully working in supply chain management for a global corporation based in NYC, he continues to manage and operate his own product, @getcalma, a comforting heated eye mask that is currently on the Amazon top seller list for two years in a row and has a growing consumer following! 

We are so incredibly proud of David and his growing success as an entrepreneur and in his career, and know the future will continue to be bright for him!

To learn more about Calma and make a purchase, visit his website at GetCalma.com. 

#proudmomma #getcalma #entreprenuer #smallbusiness
The time has come to move on from my role as a bar The time has come to move on from my role as a barista at @the_garage_at_rye and towards my next adventure. 

I started this journey with a curiosity for a craft I admired and wanted to learn more about. It turned into a job. Then a serious passion. And now here I am, launching Café Cómodo (KOH-moh-doh), which means “Comfortable/cozy” in Spanish, a pop-up café serving espresso and seasonal drinks at local farmers markets and private events! (@cafecomodony)

Starting yet another business was never my intent…and yet, I fell further in love with the craft, the industry, and the culture.

I owe so much of what I have learned to @seschieber, who took me under her wings and taught me so much (and still does) and who embraced my nerdiness and eagerness with patience and kindness….and in the process became one of my dearest friends. Working alongside her has felt like winning the golden ticket. She further instilled in me a respect for the craft, the industry, and a commitment to always strive for a quality product, even in a world of Dunkins and Starbucks. 

Grateful for @abbdawes, @hannahmariee93, and Amanda who tolerated my clumsiness at the start while I fumbled my way through the register and the various drink recipes!

I wasn’t sure where this journey would lead, and as I look back at these clips I realize how much I have changed in the process. It’s not always a place that impacts you, but rather the people in it.

I will miss the regulars I’ve gotten to know whose names and drink orders I memorized and who I looked forward to serving. 

I’m so grateful for everything I learned, beyond just making coffee, because I know it will help me to further grow as a leader, an entrepreneur, and a team member wherever I go and in everything I do next.

I won’t miss the dark morning wake ups and long drives before sunrise though! 

I’m proudest of myself for wanting to develop a new skill and ✨DOING IT✨ even when it felt awkward, nerving, and impossible. I hope you will follow me on this next chapter and come say hi at the market (and hire me for your next event)!

Thank you to Charlie Hunter, owner of The Garage for this opportunity.

#coffee #cafe #popupcafe
Recently took a moment to slow down and enjoy the Recently took a moment to slow down and enjoy the sounds of this beautiful place I call home. 

#fingerlakes #newyork #upstateny

Copyright © 2025 Girl Gone Travel | Privacy Policy | Copyright Notice