Mama Guide To Guilt-Free Solo Travel

So for your Mother’s Day gift, you’ve finagled a few days or even a week away from your babes, leaving them in the care of hubby, in-laws or your trusted nanny. First off, congratulations! Second, do not ruin your holiday by letting yourself get mired in mommy guilt.

Instead, follow these 10 easy steps to truly enjoying your time off:

1. Designate a certain hour when you’re available for communication. Don’t open an email or look at a text from the husband, nanny or MIL unless it’s the designated hour—even when the subject says, “Help!” Especially then. The kids are fine. Repeat after me: The kids are fine.
2. Don’t FaceTime or Skype every day. If your kids can’t tell the time yet, they certainly can’t tell whether you haven’t called in one day or three.
3. Ignore the disarray of your home and the chocolate smears on your kids’ zombie faces when you do actually Skype with them. So what if they’re in front of the TV seven hours a day with a jumbo jar of Nutella? This is not your problem. Your problem is whether to schedule a massage or take a Soul Cycle class.
4. Buy many presents. Because all is forgiven, even the sudden extension of your vacation, when there’s a My Little Pony and a Ninjago in your suitcase.
5. Drink champagne daily.
6. The kids are fine.
7. Make all sort of plans. Or don’t. This is your vacation. If you want to fall asleep by 9 while catching up on five seasons of Game of Thrones, by all means. (R+L=J)
8. Schedule plenty of pampering treatments: manis, pedis, Reiki sessions, that plastic surgery consult (strictly informational). The next time you’ll have the chance to do this is never.
9. Remember how someone would always say, “Enjoy every minute!” when you hadn’t slept in four days, your nips were sore from nursing and you hadn’t had a moment to yourself, much less a shower, since you expelled a tiny human from your lady parts? And then you wanted to punch the idiot as hard as you could? Now is the time to resurrect that mantra. Enjoy. Every. Minute.
10. Be grateful. For the luxury of time to yourself. But also for the family you’re getting away from. Because what’s the point of going away when there’s nothing to come back home to?

Have fun, mama!

Have you gone on a solo trip yet? For how long and how was it? Tell us in the comments or talk to us on Facebook. Give us some social love and sign up for our newsletter if you enjoy our stories!