Travel Anxiety

As most of you know, our little family is embarking on what we’re calling our West Coast Extravaganza on Thursday. We’re flying to San Francisco on Thursday evening, flying to Lake Tahoe on Monday, flying to Seattle on Christmas Day, and then finally flying home to DC. I am anxious. Of course. Traveling with Charlotte is quite cumbersome, and we have to check in and go through security FOUR separate times for FOUR separate flights. I worry about weather delays, mechanical delays, and stupid and pointless delays. I worry that Charlotte will cry and scream for the whole 6-hour flight to San Francisco, wriggling to get out of my arms. I worry about her jet lag and whether or not she’ll sleep once we arrive. (She had a terrible time adjusting during our Reno/Tahoe trip in July.) I worry about the propeller Horizon plane for the flight to Seattle. I do not particularly care for flights whose lift depends on little propellers. Finally, I’m worried about the STUFF. I absolutely detest getting bogged down by STUFF, so I have made very careful lists to avoid over-packing. But I think it’s a lost cause. For just Charlotte, we need to pack a very full diaper bag, her giant car seat, her even bigger stroller, monitors, clothes, bottles, sippy cups, toys, and so on. Chris wants to bring the Ergo carrier, but it’s huge and bulky and I’m thinking that would be a mistake. I will win that argument! I might bend on the highchair cover because we’re scheduled for about a dozen brunches/lunches/dinners out, but the Ergo carrier should stay home, I think. Then there’s Chris. He has an SLR camera in a huge camera bag that has to be carried onto the plane. “Can’t you just bring your little digital camera and pack it in the suitcase?” I asked (begged). “No way,” he replied. “This is Charlotte’s first Christmas! I have to take PERFECT photos.” I sighed. “Well, could you at least pack it in the suitcase? The less we haul through security and onto the plane, the better.” “Absolutely not,” Chris said. “TSA stole my sunglasses, remember? They’ll totally steal the camera.” Another sigh. “Fine. But you’re not bringing your laptop, right?” “Oh, I HAVE TO BRING my laptop. I have to be able to work!” “What part of the word vacation is confusing to you?!” I lost the argument. To offset all the other STUFF, I’m merely carrying on my Kindle, iPod, and wallet. No handbag. No coat. Not a single additional item. Why? Because my husband and my daughter are very high-maintenance travelers, and one of us ought to travel light. I’m so excited to see friends in the Bay Area and introduce them to our Charlotte Marie. I’ve never been to San Francisco at Christmastime, so I’m hoping to spend some time downtown in the city. I’ve also never spent a Christmas at Lake Tahoe, which I’m sure will be very pretty and special—Tahoe in winter is absolutely stunning. Chris has such happy memories of spending his childhood Christmases there, and he’s so looking forward to now sharing that with his little girl. And Seattle, of course, will be fun, probably crazy, and slightly over-scheduled, as it usually is when we roll into town. Of course, I can’t wait to share Charlotte’s first Christmas with my family, in the same house where I grew up and experienced a couple dozen Christmases. Still, the travel aspect has me anxious. I’m trying to let go of what I can’t control, but apparently a small part of me thinks I can control the weather—or what Chris packs. To our West Coasters—we’ll see you soon!