An O.C. mommy's guide to travel without the baby

R booked a food trip to Hong Kong for us as my early birthday treat. Because we will attend the Hong Kong Food Fair and because the little girl has become even more active these days, it would be hard for us to bring her along. I am always excited to eat, of course. But I was also anxious about the trip because it would be the first time we'll be away from Summer for at least 24 hours. 

Prior to the trip, I needed to make sure everything in our home is set. Here are my essentials to lessen the possibility of worries and to have much better chances of enjoying the trip.

1. Stock up, pay the bills and get your backup cash ready

Before I left, I stocked up on the baby's necessities like her distilled water, formula milk, wipes, cotton, etc. As for our home, I made sure our pantry and freezer are stocked good for a month's supply (this is a bit exaggerated, I know.). Drinking water and lpg also had to be in full supply as well.

Because I was not sure if I will be able to do online banking while I was away, all utility and credit card bills were also prepaid.

As for the backup cash, it is best to be able to withdraw emergency cash fund while you're abroad. Some banks require activation of ATM card before they can be used abroad, as a safety measure. This is done by going to your branch and having it activated there. I'm not sure though if it can now be done over the phone.

2. Emergency contact numbers

I prepared a list of all emergency contact numbers. This includes the baby's pediatrician and the nearest hospital. I also have a list of other important emergency numbers such as the police station, etc.

3. Baby care

Aside from Summer's live-in nanny, I arranged for my mom to come stay in our home the whole time we are away. I also arranged for my dad to come stay with them on some days and for my siblings to check on them by calling them once in a while. 

4. Communication

International roaming is very important so that I can be within reach anytime during my trip for anything. I just needed to make sure that they activated it prior to my departure. They send an SMS to notify that it has been activated. 

Because my mom did not bother to learn to use her smart phone before, I needed to install Viber and Facebook Messenger so we can video chat with our little girl anytime. We must have practiced calling and messaging over 50 times before mom got the hang of it.

A week before our trip, we also practiced video chat with the little girl so she will get used to talking to us on the phone. Thankfully after a couple of days, she started to interact with us during our video chats.

The biggest life and money saver is the free wifi in many areas around Hong Kong.

5. Meals and chores

Because I am still training my maid how to cook, I had to plan the week's meals, cook them, label them according to the day they are supposed to be heated up and freeze them. Meal planning includes breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. It also includes Summer's daily lunch meals since she has again developed a liking only for steamed vegetables. I also cooked the meals for our two baby dogs.

As for the chores, it involved making a list of all the chores the needed to be done by the time we come back. It also involved briefing the maids to make sure they understood everything on the lists.

Because I have been very hands on with Summer's daily essentials, I had to teach the nanny to give her a bath, prepare her bottles, scoop her milk, etc. we also practiced doing them a week prior to our travel.

I know it sounds so tedious but I am naturally obsessive about organization and preparing in advance. Seriously, I sometimes wish I can be less OC and just relax and leave things to chance but I would feel more tensed that way. All in all, everything was done before we left and all the preparations paid off because I was able to enjoy the full 5 days of our trip.