10 Things That Actually Help When Flying Overseas Solo With Your Kid
We leave for Bali next week. I packed on the weekend. Here's what's going in the bag.
There is a specific kind of chaos that comes with travelling internationally as a solo mum.
Nobody to hold the bags while you wrangle the stroller through security. Nobody to do a snack run while you're boarding. Nobody to take the kid to the bathroom on the plane while you sit and breathe for thirty seconds.
Just you. And them. And approximately forty-seven items of carry-on.
And yet — it is absolutely worth it. Every single time.
My daughter and I are heading to Bali next week with a group of other solo mums, and I've done enough international trips now to know exactly what makes the difference between a manageable flight and a complete disaster. Spoiler: it's mostly snacks and preparation.
Here are the ten things I always do.
1. Build a snack box — and make it an event
Forget individual snack packets stuffed in a zip-lock bag. Get a snackle box — one of those bento-style stackable containers with multiple compartments — and fill it with a variety of things they love.
The magic isn't just in the snacks. It's in the ritual of opening it, choosing what to eat first, working through the sections. It takes longer. It's more engaging. And if you've packed things that require a little effort — peeling, dipping, unwrapping — even better.
Pack more than you think you'll need. Then pack more again.
2. Noise cancelling headphones — over ear, not buds
This one is for comfort as much as distraction.
The pressure change on takeoff and landing is genuinely uncomfortable for little ears. Over-ear noise cancelling headphones help muffle that, and they also signal to your child that it's screen time — which is its own kind of magic.
Kids' ones exist at every price point. Get ones with a volume limiter if you can. And make sure they're charged the night before.
3. Nurofen before boarding
I'll say it even if it sounds controversial.
If your child struggles with ear pain on flights — and many do, especially on descent — giving them a dose of children's Nurofen before you board can make a real difference. It's not sedation. It's pain management. There's nothing wrong with making your child comfortable for a flight.
Check the dosage for their weight, give it about thirty minutes before takeoff, and thank yourself later.
4. A lollipop for takeoff and landing
The swallowing action helps ears equalise. Lollipops are perfect for this because they take a while, they require active sucking, and children are absolutely delighted to be given a lollipop on an aeroplane.
Keep a couple in your pocket specifically for these moments. Don't bring them out at any other time or you'll have burned your best card too early. And if your child is like mine and doesn’t like lollipops, I find Crown mints work well too, just anything you need to suck (obviously considering age and choking hazard risks).
5. The blanket travel pillow
You know the ones — a travel pillow, usually shaped like an animal, that has a little blanket tucked inside it. The moment you get on the plane, that comes out.
Pair it with a pair of snuggle socks (I bring these specifically for the plane — soft, cosy, dedicated flight socks) and you've created a little nest. The message to their nervous system is: we're getting comfortable, we're settling in, this is cosy and safe.
Getting them physically snug and warm as soon as you sit down makes a real difference to how the first hour goes.
6. The magic ink activity book
If you haven't discovered Magic Ink books, they will change your life. One pen. Dozens of pages. Only one lid to lose, no ink to get on the seat, no dried-out felt tips rolling under the chair in front.
You just need one pen. It takes forever. It's genuinely engaging.
Buy a couple extra and pack them in your checked luggage — one for the flight home, and a backup in case the first one gets lost in the chaos of the trip.
7. Download everything before you leave the house
Not at the airport. Not on the way to the airport. The night or weekend before, when you're at home with functioning wifi and no time pressure.
Check your iPad (or their tablet) and make sure every show, movie and game they love is downloaded and accessible offline. Because the in-flight entertainment will either not work, not have anything good, or be the one thing standing between you and four hours of peace — and you do not want to find out it's buffering somewhere over the ocean.
Check the charge while you're at it. Bring a portable charger in your carry-on.
8. Carry-on in backpack form only
My daughter is 6, and I still assume I’m going to have to carry her at some point — through the airport, onto the plane, down the aisle — It’s a lot easier if I’m not trying to carry her and wheel a suitcase.
Everything you need for the flight goes in a backpack, worn on your back. Hands stay free. It’s also a great idea to have a large carabiner on the bag, then if you have to attach their backpack or travel pillow as well, it remains hands-free.
9. Let them run. Everywhere. Before you board.
The airport is your secret weapon.
Travelators. Long corridors. Open spaces near the gate. Let them walk, run, ride, explore absolutely everything. Going on and off the travelator seventeen times is not annoying — it is burning energy that would otherwise be spent bouncing off the seat in front of you at 35,000 feet.
Tire them out completely before boarding. That is the goal. Everything else is secondary (and pop an airpod into one ear and listen to your favourite podcast or book while you walk up and down).
10. Accept that some of it will be chaos — and go anyway
There will be a moment. Probably more than one. Where something spills, or they cry, or the headphones won't stay on, or they need the toilet the exact moment the seatbelt sign comes on.
You will handle it. You always do.
The chaos is temporary. The memories are not. And the version of yourself that takes your child to Bali on her own — that person is someone your kid will remember forever.
Go anyway.
Did you miss out on this year’s Solo Mum Society bali trip?
Make sure you join the waitist for 2027 so you can be first to find out the details when finalised and book. This is the third year I’ve done the trip, and it is, without question, one of the most joyful things we do.
👉 Join the Bali 2027 Waitlist →
Make sure you’re following me on Instagram to see everything we get up to in Bali this year.
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Alisha is the founder of Solo Mum Society and a solo mum by choice. Her daughter was conceived via donor conception and was born in 2020.
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