This week, I heard from a host mom who was helping her au pair fill out her paperwork for her return flight.  This paperwork, like the extension application, is due to headquarters the first of the month before the au pairs program year ends, and allows her to choose her top choices for departure dates and cities. 

Louisa and her host mom wondered if Louisa was allowed to say in the area after her year ended.  Her plan was to stay with her host family for a week to visit friends, go on a trip for a week, and then come back to her host family home for a few days to sat her final goodbyes and pack. 

I let them know that this was a fine arrangement - at the end of their year, au pairs are allowed to remain in the US for up to one month.  This is a perfect time to travel and see sights they missed during their year.  Louisa was thrilled for the chance to spend a little extra time with everyone she had grown to love during her year before returning home to school.

Travel can be the best of times and the worst of times with children.  Every holiday, our tradition is travel.  My children have spent very few holidays in our home because we have family all across the country.  We pack up our family traditions and celebrate them wherever we are.

This year, we will visit my parents in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  We will be doing a combination of flying and driving, as well as a combination of activities.

Both combinations require different approaches and strategies.  Flying strategies are different than driving strategies and ski clothes combined with Christmas dresses makes for a lot of wardrobe changes.

Fortunately, each year, I learn a tidbit or two for making holiday travel easier.  I thought I would share some ideas with you and hope they help your holiday travel run smoother.

•  If flying, book a direct flight during the time of day your child is most happy.  Ex:  morning child = morning flight, later riser = later flight.
• If driving, stop at places with a playground so children can get out of the car and exercise.  There are many rest areas with playgrounds or fields, so pack a ball to throw, kick or chase.  Just remember to have the jackets handy if you are traveling in a snowy place.
• When packing, utilize my favorite storage container:  zip lock bags.  Use them to be as organized as you like.  Put all of Monday's clothes in a bag, Tuesday's, etc.  Pack toiletries and avoid messes if anything spills.  Keep socks in them.  Keep all your child's clothes in one and yours in another.  The organization scenarios are endless and everything is visible to be easily found.  Zip locks come in handy packing sizes that are larger than the traditional food storage sizes.
• Pack one suitcase per couple of days instead of one suitcase per person.  Packing by days allows you to need access to one suitcase at a time.
• Keep in mind that this is a vacation, so try not to over plan.  Leave time to enjoy each other and sometimes, play it by ear.  If your children are a little older, they will love to hear, "What do you want to do?"
• Utilize your au pair by scheduling some time for her/him to watch the children, allowing some adult time.  Reconnect with your spouse, sister, cousins, parents, etc. and go on a fun adventure with just the adults.
• Whenever possible, stay in a place with a kitchen.  Having the means to make meals or store food always comes in handy during middle of the night feedings or children that want a snack NOW!

I hope some or all of these tips will help with your travel.  If you have your own tip, please share it with us.

 One of the new realities of flight travel today is packing light. In the last couple of years most airlines have instigated either baggage surcharges (usually domestic) or pretty much halved the amount of checked luggage you can take without having to pay excess baggage. I was shocked last time I went to England to discover that my usual 2 checked cases allowances had been halved! How in heck am I supposed to get all those gifts home that I take for various upcoming family birthdays and Christmas’s,  and also have room to bring back my Tesco’s food supplies of PG Tips tea and English choccies?  Oh no!

So, in light of these increased travel challenges, here are some savvy packing tips you can pass along to your Au Pair both as she prepares to come to the States, and as she prepares to return home at the end of her year.

• Check individual airlines websites for baggage allowance, weight and size restrictions both for checked and hand luggage as they can vary widely.
• Consider choice and size of luggage carefully. Obviously you have to meet all the airline requirements, but within that, try to maximize on what is allowable, both in terms of dimensions and weight.
• When packing for the year away in America, clue your au pair in on what sorts of clothes she should pack depending on your area and the time of year she’ll arrive ( an Au Pair going to say Minnesota in winter will obviously have more of a packing challenge than an Au Pair going to California at the same time of year!) .
• Remind your Au Pair to only bring the essentials, and if anything, leave space in her bags on the outward voyage, as she will no doubt hit the malls one or two times while she is in America!
• When travelling, wear lots of clothes, and the heavier stuff, including coat, sweater or boots instead of packing them (bit unfortunate if it is summer in Arizona when you arrive, but at least you will shed some precious pounds – both from your suitcase and perhaps from sweating!)
• Pack all the heaviest items in your hand luggage, eg, books. Yes I know it used to be the other way round, who after all wants to schlepp the weighty stuff round the departure lounge, but again, could save those pounds on the check-in scales.
• Weigh luggage before leaving for the airport. The last thing anyone wants to be doing is routing through  their personals at the check-in desk in a desperate attempt to lighten bags.
• Roll clothes when packing for space saving and to avoid creases.
• Consider investing in some vacuum packing bags that shrink your clothes down.
• Don’t lock luggage or you run the risk that customs or TSA will just break them off.
• Be prepared for security. For example, wear clothes conducive to security checks eg slip on shoes, preferably no belts or metal appendages, and carry on only travel size liquids and no sharp objects, otherwise these things will be confiscated.
• Throughout your Au Pair’s year, when it comes to gift giving at birthdays and other Holidays, be mindful that she will have to haul stuff home at some point. Perhaps consider lightweight gifts or “experience” type things she can use during her year like tickets to a sports game.
• When packing for home, many au pairs find that they have to ship some stuff home as well. Of course the internet is the best resource to find and compare shipping companies but I know some of my girls have used USPS as well as a company called Fastways.