I was going through my drafts folder (while sitting next to a sick, sleeping child—unexpected blogging opportunity!) and realized I had sketched out a “day in my life” from our travel journey. Oops. I had completely forgotten about it.
Let’s rewind the clock a bit, shall we?
Here are other Day in My Life recaps:
- A Day in My Life: Wednesday, 10 April 2024
- A Day in My Life: Monday, 7 October 2024
- A Day in My Life: Wednesday, 9 April 2025
- A (Golden) Day in My Life: Friday, 20 February 2026
~3 am. Not surprisingly, I didn’t have a great sleep. I woke up and didn’t try to fight the insomnia for long. I tackled some final touches on the house—changed remaining sheets, wiped down all the bathrooms, and finished some last-minute packing. We had been running on adrenaline for days, so why not run on a bit more of it?!
6:00 am. A dear friend of our family (he calls us Aunt/Uncle and the kids refer to each other as cousins) came over to hang out for a few hours. I puttered and tried to make the clock spin faster. I was a bundle of nervous energy at this point!
For anyone curious what 3.5 months of travel supplies look like packed up and ready to go, this is the answer for our family:
7:40 am. My Dad was set to pick us up at 8 am. Of course, that meant he showed up by 7:40.
7:45 – 8:45 am. We went to my parents’ rental place for breakfast. It was simple—toast and cereal—but it was wonderful to not to have to come up with food for the morning and Mom volunteered to handle all the dishes. I had a few items from our fridge to pass along, helped Dad with a final computer issue (fixed it in seconds), and gave Mom final hugs and goodbyes.
8:45-9:45 am. Dad drove us to the airport. We were all pretty tired (the kids were up extremely early, too) and there wasn’t much conversation!
9:45 am. Dad dropped us off. We gave him a gift card for Tim Horton’s and sent him to wait with a coffee while we cleared security. We weren’t able to check in for our flights from home because of the length of time we were going to be in Europe so there was a bit of trepidation when we went to the desk. Thankfully, when we proved we were leaving Germany, we got our boarding passes.
10:26 am. Through security, I settled in and started reading a book. Unfortunately, the lounge at the Halifax airport is under renovation until 2027. But I was quite content. John walked the halls and made some phone calls to family, Indy played geometry dash, and Belle listened to music and FaceTimed a cousin.
I was SO HAPPY at this point. We had made it through the last few weeks of chaos and were IN THE AIRPORT. Also: time to sit and read a book? SIGN ME UP.
We read, played, talked, walked, and just generally pleasantly passed the time. I read a few chapters from City of Ember to Indy. Everyone (but me) went to Tim Hortons for a snack (someone had given us gift cards as a Thank You).
12:30 pm. Here’s my travel attire. My luggage was packed to the gills, so I needed to wear as many layers as possible. The good news? I never felt cold on the flight (and I ALWAYS get cold on flights). The bad news? I was sweating like crazy a few times.
Tights, pants, merino wool socks, Chelsea boots, T-shirt, sweatshirt, lined Columbia rain coat, puffer vest, and scarf (which I must have taken off at this point).
1:15 pm. Eventually it was time to leave. Our first flight (Halifax to Toronto) was uneventful. The kids listened to music/watched things, looked out the window and I read a book (Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami). Oh, and I napped! I find it so hard to sleep on planes, but the depths of my exhaustion knew no limits at this point. The lead up to leaving was so stressful and the nap felt glorious!
5:03 pm. We landed in Toronto and headed to the lounge. It’s a trek (probably 15 minutes of brisk walking) and I was SWEATY!!! This is one time when all my clothing layers were an issue. Also… our bags are heavy. No regrets about only bringing carry ons/backpacks, but in this moment, it was a lot to schlepp.
The lounge was great. It was my first time in the international lounge in Toronto. They had some amazing chicken, roasted potatoes, salad, and delicious brownies. We played word games (girl names/boy names, A to Z), listened to music, and I read Indy a few more chapters from City of Ember.
6:30 pm. It was time to go! The plane was full so everything felt very squished, but I read my book and actually was one seat ahead of the kids/John. I made a little foot sling out of my scarf and this was the BEST thing I did for travel comfort. I just wound it up and into the seat-back tray, and left a long loop dangling so I could put my feet into it. 10/10 recommend. (I didn’t take a picture, but here’s an article with a little video. I used a slightly different technique but the end result was the same.)
The flight from Toronto to Munich was smooth. I didn’t watch anything, as I’d rather use that sort of time for reading. I finished a second book (Always Pack a Candle by Marion McKinnon Crook), and dozed off and on for a few hours.
I was in the aisle seat and neither of my seat-mates used the bathroom a SINGLE TIME on our trip. I can’t imagine that’s great for their bladders, but it was pretty fantastic for me. I never had to move to let anyone in or out.
9:15 am. We landed in Munich and were a bit concerned about passport control (we’re staying in Europe a long time), but it was a non-issue! No line (at all), and we were through in a few minutes.
We sorted out the train, bought the appropriate public transit tickets, and headed toward the hotel. The only hiccup was we forgot during one of our last trips we had turned off “bus” in Google Maps, so we ended walking almost 2 km with all our stuff (which was A LOT), only to learn there is a bus that comes within 350 m of the hotel. Oh well.
We were early for check in but they let us have access to our room which was amazing. After 24 hours on the go, we were in Europe!!!
For lots more details about what came after:
- Our First 2 Days in Munich: Alte Pinakothek, BMW Welt & the Devil’s Footprint
- Munich Itinerary Days 3–5: Dachau, Marienplatz, Glockenspiel & Westpark
Top Tips:
- Wearing layers was great for getting things here, but I wish I had skipped the tights. They don’t take up much room in luggage and added to my overheating issues.
- My purse came in clutch. I bought it second-hand a few years ago but this was my first time travelling with it.
- Kobos/e-readers are tremendous for travelling!
- Using a scarf for a foot rest was the winning experience from a long flight.
- Also, did everyone know you can adjust head rests on planes (they fold in). I am not an especially seasoned traveller, but I’ve taken plenty of flights at this point and had NO IDEA headrests folded in.
- This isn’t a tip so much as an observation: kids are so much easier to travel with when they get older. They could go get their own food at the lounge, take themselves to the bathroom independently on the airplane, and just in general manage their own things. 10/10 recommend.
And that’s it!
Your turn.
- Tell me your favourite travel tip!
- Did you know you could fold in headrests on planes for extra neck support? What other hacks am I missing out on?
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Huh, no I didn’t know that you could fold in plane headrests. I’ll have to check that out the next time that I fly.
Woof, travel days are so looooooong. I prefer the window seat, so I try to time my business so that I don’t need to use the restroom during the flight, but making it all the way from Toronto to Germany is probably beyond my capacity.
How did I now know this? It’s not like it magically makes the flight incredible, but it IS more comfortable.
I like the window seat best, too, but not when I’m sharing a row with strangers! And in this case, having the aisle was great because I had a bit of extra leg room and I never had to move to let people out. I was shocked!
Oh me oh my, I would have been sweating like a pig but I’m glad for you to have stayed warm and I will definitely be checking out that scarf trick!
The scarf trick was SO handy. It made things so much more comfortable (especially since I have pretty short legs).
I’m so impressed with your packing and travel ideas! I did know that the headrests fold in, because a flight attendant kindly showed me. I think she felt sorry for me because my head was lolling around! For some strange reason, I tend to sleep really well on an airplane. I also sleep when I’m a passenger in a car. And yet, I have trouble sleeping at night Go figure.
I also don’t sleep well in cars. I feel like you either do or you don’t. Neither of my kids were put to sleep by the car as kids and neither sleep well on planes.
I am so jealous of people who fall asleep immediately and don’t wake up until landing! I wonder if it has something to do with the inner ear/motion?
I can’t believe I made it this many flights without learning about the headrest hack!
Aisle seat for the win!
Glad the trip went well. Kids handling their own stuff makes everything easier!
Now that I know a stomach bug was in our future, I’m especially relieved THAT didn’t happen while we were travelling!
I checked the video for your scarf trick, and they had a product review at the bottom for eye covering that holds your head for you that I was tempted by…I’ve been on flights where the headrest does bend (such a great idea!), though not all flights have that…I still get a bit of a crick in my neck, but so much better than without, or using those donut things around your neck that never seem to work.
If you’re coming home in summer, gosh, I might ship your jackets home rather than wearing so much when the time comes!
Looks like a successful journey thus far. <3
John has a neck pillow called a trtl that he really likes, but where space was at such a premium, we didn’t bring it this time. So the headrest bending in really helped.
I’ve seen those eye mask contraptions and they look brilliant! (You can also buy foot hammocks, but using a scarf is just as easy and a cheaper solution!)
I will plan to leave some of my layers (the puffer vest for sure) in Helsinki. John has access to a locker there, so I can leave some things and he can slowly bring them home on subsequent trips!
What a great travel day! I love that period of time where you’re through security and just waiting at the gate- everything is done on your end, and you can finally relax. I love being there nice and early so I can read and drink tea- it’s the official start of the trip!
Ugh, I would HATE being hot and sweaty in the airport (being hot makes me angry these days) BUT the flight was a long one, and it was probably worth it to you not to be cold.
If only all travel days could go this well!!!
Yes!! That moment exactly. There is nothing left to do but wait and as a busy mom; it’s almost like the joy of being at the dentist office and literally not being able to move. It’s weirdly relaxing.
Well, the travel days went well, but we’re on Day#3 of at least one kid not being up to leaving the apartment due to illness, so we are making up for the initial ease of the trip 😉
I like your dad’s style. I cannot get to the airport early enough. I don’t care if I have to sit there an extra hour or two. It’s better than being at home, getting stressed about traffic conditions or something. I am literally that dad in the Onion headline “Dad gets to airport 14 hours early “just in case””
I love lounges. The Cathay Pacific one is TOP DRAWER. I actually took a shower there after a day in Hong Kong, before our 1am flight. Plus food! And wine! It’s all good. My top tip is putting my purse into a bigger shoulder bag so that I can have extra space for the trip.
Nicole, you and my dad are polar opposites on many things (I can tell), but your love of coffee and getting places early might be enough to make you kindred spirits <3
I've never showered at a lounge, but am definitely open to doing it!
What a crazy, exciting, full travel day, Elisabeth! I am so thrilled you’re off to your European adventure… and I am super-impressed by your carry-on packing skills. I cannot go to Germany without a full-size suitcase for 10 days, so kudos to you (and the rest of your fam!).
I did know about the head rest being foldable and yes, it helps a lot on long flights. I am so confused that the people in your aisle didn’t need to get up to use the restroom or at least stretch their legs at all… but hey, better for you! 🙂
P.S. I am currently trying to do some blog reading catch-up in reverse…. so we’ll see how far back I will make it. Just know, I am super-stoked to read more about your first few days in Europe!
Yes, I’m a bit worried about their bladders… but it was pretty wonderful as the person on the aisle.
I’ve been to Germany, San! I thought of you many times <3
Ooh, I had heard about the foot rest sling that you can buy for an airplane, but someone had said it wasn’t useful so I didn’t end up getting it. How great that a scarf works just as well!
I’m still SO impressed at the carry-on bags for such a long trip. That is just NOT my life, ha. I wish it was!
The scarf worked great; I’d definitely recommend trying it. It made a big difference for me (someone that has short legs).