Choosing to go away without my children: travelling solo!

I have long been a fan of travelling solo, but I wondered if my thoughts on matters would change after having children. Now I have my beautiful three year old twins, I do still take the time to go on solo adventures every now and again, but the way I go about them has changed a little. 

Firstly, I don’t think I could ever bring myself to go away anywhere particularly far away. Although I have taken solo trips overseas since having my twins, I’ve always been very careful to make sure that I am travelling somewhere no more than a few hours away with regular flights home. Knowing that I would be able to travel home in an emergency, and that it would take no more than a few hours is really important to me. For this reason, I don’t think I will ever take a solo trip to anywhere other than Europe! 

Something else that has changed for me, is the length of time that I stay away. I think the longest I have ever been away from the twins is three nights, and I would definitely struggle to stay away for longer. Despite regular updates from my husband on how everyone is doing, I miss the children constantly throughout my trips, and I’ve noticed that beyond the two day mark, I start to miss everyone unbearably.

While my trips have changed in these ways, I do still really enjoy travelling alone. Before I had children, I loved to travel for a sense of adventure, and to unwind and enjoy myself. Now, I travel for the same reasons, but I think it’s even more important than ever. Being a parent (especially to kids with additional needs) is exhausting, and I often find myself feeling tired, burned out, and like I never have any time for myself. Through organising little trips where I can just focus on being me, I am able to stay in touch with a side of me that is so much more than just ‘mummy’. 

This last trip I have taken, has come at the end of an incredibly hard month. I was feeling low energy and struggling with all kinds of things. Being able to take a few days for just me has really refreshed and reset both my mind and body. I genuinely think that having a couple of days like this every six months or so, helps me to be a much better parent to my children, and a better wife too!