Hi! I'm Evie — and I've made a career out of writing about travel. So when I had a baby, I knew I wanted to travel internationally with her as soon as possible.
But no amount of prior travel could fully prepare me for the art — yes, the art — of traveling with an infant.
1.NAILED: I applied for her passport as soon as I had her birth certificate.
2.FAILED: The passport process was painless — except when it came to getting her photo taken.
3.NAILED: In preparation for the "big trip," we did a few overnights in other places so she would get used to sleeping in other places.
4.NAILED: We chose Jamaica because it's close to home — and booked a trip for three full weeks.
5.FAILED: We booked our flights in two legs — first, a flight to Dallas, an overnight, then the flight to Jamaica.
6.NAILED: The Tula carrier (which I got as a hand-me-down) was key for on-the-go napping and transporting.
7.NAILED: We brought her car seat and rented a car.
8.FAILED: We ended up staying in a remote part of the island — and I had major anxiety about access to hospitals and the like.
9.NAILED: At the last minute, I packed a beach tent, which ended up being crucial.
10.NAILED: I brought the feeding basics, but didn't end up using everything I brought.
11.FAILED: A full-coverage swimsuit is key — leave the cutesie baby bikinis at home.
12.FAILED: Same goes for clothes — even though Jamaica was hot, we put her in long-sleeve onesies and pants every day.
13.NAILED: I did a TON of research on non-toxic sunscreen and bug spray and finally found the good stuff.
14.FAILED: But, I forgot to sunscreen her hands.
15.NAILED: I only brought enough diapers and wipes for the first couple days.
16.FAILED: We improvised when it came to her bed — but a little extra planning would've made it easier on all of us.
Have any tips to share? I'll be doing it all again soon and would love any advice!