It was a nightmare traveling internationally with a young child by myself and with way too much luggage.
I was wading through three airports with my 5-year-old daughter with 2 carry-on and 2 personal items. I was wrong in thinking that my daughter could at least pull her carry-on. At one point, I was carrying 2 bags while pulling 2 carry-on and trying to drag my exhausted daughter to the gate.
The worst part of the trip was at the Hong Kong International Airport. After getting off the plane, we straddled through three levels of escalators to get to a transfer security check.
The airport was designed in a way that we had to climb up three levels of escalators, then climb down three levels, and then walk for a while to the gate.
That would be a smooth walk for someone travelling alone or with less luggage. For me, it was a nightmare, plus Morgan was constantly complaining of a stomachache. At a point, she just laid on a bench and couldn’t move at all.
We were in line for a transferring security check and the line was long. With all the bags I had to push along, the worst thing that could have happened happened—Morgan needed to go to the bathroom, quick!
Some parents might not agree with my solution, but I did what I did—sent her to the bathroom by herself. Between dragging all the luggage out of the line to the bathroom with her and standing there and letting her doing it herself, the later option seemed to be way more sensible at the time.
Furthermore, the bathroom was only 10 meters away from the line. Well, those few minutes she went was long as I was regretting my decision. She came back dancing along with a happy smile on her face, and I let out a sigh of relief.
Somehow we got to our gate to fly our last leg to Hanoi. I nearly passed out as soon as I got onto the plane, slept the best 2 hours of my life over that last few days.
Even on the way back with Josh’s help dragging along our carry-on and bags, it was difficult. Our bags kept falling. My back was in pain for a few days.
I swear I will never let this happen to me again—never travel alone with a child and never have this much unnecessary stuff to carry.
So here is a post I address in detail of what I would bring in my next trip to Vietnam for me and Morgan! (With comments)
Documents (most important)
- Passports
- Birth certificate for kid (just in case)
- Printed boarding passes
Money
- Canadian cash or Vietnamese cash (helps avoid withdrawal fees from foreign cards)
Technology
- Laptop
- iPad for kids’ entertainment (pre-download movies from Netflix or YouTube Kids; puzzle games)
- Phone with e-sim option or get a Vietnamese sim card with valid Vietnamese ID
- Two power banks (these must be in our personal item where it is easily accessible)
- Noise cancelling headphones (very helpful on the plane, they block out a lot of noise but can be bulky to carry)
- Earbuds (more conveniently stored in personal item)
Clothes
- One pair of running shoes
- 2 long dresses (it’s hot in Vietnam so I didn’t wear any of the long pants that I brought! Do not bring long pants!)
- 2 long skirts
- 3 tops/shirts
- 2 short skirts
- 2 pairs of shorts
- Hats (a must, it’s too hot in Vietnam, especially in summer!)
- 2 pairs of socks
- 5-6 pairs of underwear
- 1 pair of sunglasses
- A small package of napkins or wet naps
- Same for your kid
Entertainment
- 1 journal book for your child
- A box of crayons or coloured pens
- Some pens
- 2 books
Others:
- 1 tube of sunscreen
- Hand sanitizer
- Facial serum
- 1 tube of facial cleanser
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste tablets (works great and less cumbersome than toothpaste tubes, this tip I learned from my husband 🙂 )
- Minimal makeup (eyeliner, blush, one or two brush, eye shadow, lipsticks)
- Gifts for relatives
- Medication (Tylenol, stomachache relief)
Download a Google Docs checklist here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eAIWOdn1nRAhxQI3vNRKSKIN6MVcrP4BbL-lJjvB5og/edit?usp=sharing
No need for:
- Water bottles or coffee cups (as in Vietnam, you cannot drink tap water unfortunately)
- Too much makeup or skincare products (I didn’t touch them at all!)
- Headrest (international flights provide blankets and pillows)
- Too much clothes (won’t use, take too much space)
- Professional camera (too bulky)
Carry-on and Personal Item Tips:
- Check your carry-ons by placing carry-ons inside checked bag to eliminate as many items to juggle on the airplane.
- Keep your laptop inside checked bag, laptop is heavy and likely you won’t use them on the plane. Also, this way, you don’t have to remove laptop from bags for security checks.
- Bring only personal items with you on the airplane so that you don’t have to juggle between your kids and carry-ons. If possible, bring a small carry-on for your kid instead of a personal item/backpack for your kid. This way, your kid can pull the carry-on without having to carry the backpack on their back.
- Keep the personal items and carry-ons as light as possible! Don’t need to pack to much snacks, a few small packages are fine!
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