Travel Essentials

I have become somewhat of a travel pro given all the miles I’ve logged throughout my career, and I’ve been traveling a lot in the last few months. Sometimes I’m lucky to be accompanied by the girls, but lately I have been travelling alone quite a bit. When I go on the road, I always bring my “essentials” with me. They make the trip just a little easier, and I thought it would be fun to share them with you so that next time you plan for a trip, you can be well prepared – take a look at my top five favorites list below and let me know what you think!

1. Wireless headphones: I love them because I have the freedom to move around. Whether on the plane, with my kids or working out I love having them.

2. Longchamp Le Pliage Medium Tote: This might be my favorite item. I take it everywhere I go. I usually travel with a backpack and I need a handbag once I arrive at the tournament. It is the perfect size to fit whatever I need for the day and small enough that I can fold it and put in in my suitcase. So great! I have the black with brown handle so I can match it with black or brown shoes.


3. Convertible travel blanket: This is great. Sometimes I don’t want to travel with a sweater and often it is so cold on the plane that you just need a blanket. It also doubles as a pillow if you don’t need something to cover you up.

4. Backpack: I used to travel with a big purse but I wised up and now I travel with a backpack. SOOOO much easier and my hands are free. Nowadays you can get super stylish ones since it is on trend. I use a Tumi backpack that I got on sale. They are a bit pricey, but they’re great quality and worth every penny, especially if you get them on sale! It is practical and has a lot of pockets.

5. Baby wipes: I always travel with baby wipes, which are useful for so many things, especially any spilling that happens on clothes.

Oh, and please know that this is my list of favorites for traveling solo – when I’m traveling with the kids, the list grows exponentially!

Traveling With Two Kids

I have always loved traveling.  As a family we traveled a lot when I was younger. I took my first solo plane ride from Brazil to Germany when I was 8 years old; what were my parents thinking?  So it is no surprise that I chose a career that has taken me all over the world.

Well... traveling with two kids is a whole different story. Words can't express how hard it is to travel with two kids to a golf tournament. The amount of stuff necessary to travel with them is insane. It takes so much organizing and planning ahead and I am not the best at organizing or at planning ahead so maybe that is the problem! I am not the only mother that does this and many parents travel with a lot more kids than I do, but I don't know how they do it. Hats off to them!

There has never been a dull moment when traveling with the girls. On our way back from Orlando recently, I accidentally threw my wallet in the trash together with the bag of food I bought for Stella. It was only in Boston that I realized what had happened - total panic!   And there was the other time when I took Luiza in the airplane bathroom to change her diaper and she peed all over me. I started to crack up because I knew I did not have another shirt. Result: I smelled of pee the rest of the trip. Lesson learned. Now I never travel without an extra set of clothes.

I am sure I will accumulate a lot more little stories along the way and it will not be the last time I get that panicked feeling. This is our life on the road and I have learned to expect the unexpected and to adjust and adapt. Progress!

I would love to hear your stories about traveling with your kids and any advice you might have!