The reality of solo travel with twins
Throughout my early and mid twenties, I did a lot of solo traveling. I would find the last minute £15 flights to random corners of Europe and jet off for a few days on a shoestring budget to explore. I often ended up sleeping in airports and train stations to keep costs down, and always managed to have a great time, usually with not much more than a camera and a few quid.
When my husband and I started trying for a baby, my head was filled with travel plans for me and my baby. I’d pop baby in a carrier, catch a plane somewhere exciting, and share my adventures with my mini-mi – although I mentally conceded to staying safe in hotels!
When we finally fell pregnant, it wasn’t long before my dreams of travel were quashed. We found out that we were expecting twins and were filled with an abundance of joy, but at the back of my mind, I knew that my travel plans were going to have to wait.
All of a sudden, popping a baby in a carrier and jetting off by myself just wasn’t feasible. I rented a twin carrier which was great, but I just couldn’t get both twins in by myself, so that wasn’t going to be an option. I thought about simply taking the buggy with me – I have a fantastic off-road twin buggy that’s proved itself on any terrain time and time again.
After a little investigation, it appears that although you can take a buggy right up to the plane on embarkation, you have to get it back from baggage reclaim after you arrive in your destination. I can only carry both twins for a few minutes by myself, and there’s no way I could manage holding them both through airport corridors and passport control.
Needless to say, I was frustrated and disheartened at the complications faced by twin mums when it comes to international travel. However, as it happened, I wouldn’t have been able to travel anyway, even if there had been no physical limitations in my way.
Just as my twins were turning three months old, the UK went into its first lockdown and international travel clearly became unwise. More and more limitations were placed on travel by the day, and by the time I had got into the swing of motherhood enough to want to go anywhere with them, we weren’t allowed to anyway.
It’s funny how things work out, but I feel like the world was telling me it just wasn’t to be. Now, the twins are 18 months old and they’ve lived most of their life under lockdown restrictions. As the restrictions gradually start to ease, and the world becomes a safer place, I will start to plan some little trips. They’re both walking now, so by the time we can safely go anywhere on a plane, there’s a good chance I would be able to manage by myself, which is exciting!
I would really like to know how other twin mamas manage traveling with their little ones, especially if they do it solo!