This past summer I took our five-year-old daughter on the adventure of a lifetime–a month in Sicily with just her mama. Here I am, finally sitting down to answer some of the questions y’all asked about this bold undertaking.
Why did you take this trip solo with one child?
I am always striving to be more intentional with my one-on-one time with each child. Our life is inevitably quite busy balancing the wants and needs of four children (on top of our own) and it’s important for me to slow down with each individual child so I can really see them for who they are. But the reality is that even ten minutes with each of them is hard to come by. I know that I need to be putting one-on-one dates on the calendar but it’s truly easier said than done.
So far Kahlo and Tamayo have had their fair share of solo time with us growing up, both at home and on the road. When Melibea came into the mix, that’s when it got a whole lot tougher to spread our solo attention. Now at five years old and at the precipice of kindergarten, she seemed ready for some serious mama bonding. Knowing that our most difficult years with her were ahead I wanted us to set a strong foundation of trust, respect, and unconditional love. How better to do this than by taking us both out of our comfort zones?
How did you decide on Italy and more specifically Sicily?
I was a Romance language major in college, and since we’d been frequenting Mexico every year already, I thought a summer holiday in Italy would be a great way to brush up on my Italian. Then of course there’s the food–aside from pasta, pizza, and gelato she really does love seafood so I knew she’d be easy to please there. At the Southern end of Italy, Sicily seemed to offer a nice balance of historical towns plus breathtaking coastlines. Plus, I expected hot weather and wanted us to be as close to the water as possible.
Above all, my number one priority was for us to bond over immersing ourselves in la dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing) that the Italians do so well. In hindsight I couldn’t have picked a more perfect destination for this as Sicily definitely had a more laid back feel to it–not to mention that outside of Palermo we were pretty much only surrounded by other Italians on holiday. Everywhere we stayed seemed rather small and manageable, we honestly felt quite at home wherever we went.
What are ways you prepared for traveling solo with a child?
- We packed light and shared one carry-on luggage for the entire month. Since we’d be on airplanes, buses, trains, cars, and boats I wanted to make travel days as easy as possible. Our clothes were rolled into compression cubes that filled one carry-on luggage. Toiletries and travel towels fit into a weekender bag with a trolley sleeve for attaching to the carry-on. Lastly, Melibea and I each carried a small backpack filled with our necessities for the day (water bottles, journals, etc.). This strategy proved to be a lifesaver as there were many unavoidable flights of stairs wherever we went.
- I booked accommodations near our top priorities e.g. gelato and the beach. Convenience is key when it comes to keiki thus I made sure we were always staying within walking (or biking) distance to our top priorities. Our days just felt so much easier when we didn’t have to travel far to our favorite things. Even better, we created special rituals around visiting the same places–for example post-siesta and post-dinner gelati.
- I taught Melibea to notice neighborhood landmarks wherever we stayed. As we moved into each new accommodation, I helped her pay careful attention to our neighborhood. She’d orient herself using landmarks such as certain buildings, balconies, trees, etc. We’d make up little songs about our journeys home, describing what we saw and heard along the way. I’d ask Melibea to help navigate us home every time we went out. All of this made her feel much safer and grounded (especially in a place where she didn’t speak the language).
- We planned our activities and learned about the culture together. During week one of the trip we found the most wonderful children’s book about Sicily. We would read excerpts of it every day and she would point out things that really interested her. We’d go over those parts of the book again and again until she knew there was something she really wanted to visit and/or do. *Insider tip: I usually pick up some children’s books about the destination before a trip but the selection is always much better once you arrive.
Would you do it again?
I would absolutely do it again. While I prefer traveling with Daniel, there’s certainly something self-empowering about doing it solo with a tiny human in tow. I also think it’s so important for my children to see how we each handle ourselves in unfamiliar situations. The bravery it takes to complete the smallest of tasks abroad can be rather remarkable. All the while they get to see how big the world is while feeling how they’re really never quite alone.
Would you recommend Sicily for a solo trip with a child?
100% yes. No matter where we were in Sicily, Melibea would immediately get greeted with a gigantic smile. They’d get down on her eye level, say a quick compliment and then always ask “come ti chiami?” what’s your name? She was showered with treats and delighted with dances, swam, hiked, and paddled around–a hand was always extended for her to hold, as such she felt seen and safe by all. In Sicily the reverence for childhood is palpable and it gives me goosebumps just reminiscing on it all.
