Balancing Motherhood and Travel with Michelle Eyrich – Episode 15

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The Truth About Balancing Motherhood and Travel

There’s a moment that many moms know all too well: the pang of guilt that hits when you zip up your suitcase, kiss your kids goodbye, and step out the door for a trip that’s entirely, unapologetically yours. It’s a feeling that travel writer and content creator Michelle Eyrich knows deeply, and one she’s made it her mission to help mothers move through and beyond.

Michelle joined us on the Bon Voyage Besties podcast to talk about something that doesn’t get nearly enough airtime in the travel world: balancing motherhood and travel — not just as a logistical challenge, but as a form of self-care that benefits the whole family. With over 80 countries under her belt (including a recent solo trip to Antarctica for her milestone birthday), Michelle brings both lived experience and hard-won wisdom to the conversation.

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The Guilt Is Real And It’s Not Your Fault

Michelle’s first significant solo trip after becoming a mom sent her from Dallas to Singapore and then Australia for two weeks. Her son was about 14 months old. She laughs about it now, but at the time, she felt compelled to plan for every possible contingency before she could even consider boarding that plane.

It wasn’t until a later trip, a 12-day expedition cruise to Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic, with zero phone or internet access, that something finally clicked. With no way to check in, her husband simply had to handle things at home. And he did. The house didn’t burn down. Everyone was fine.

“You really have to build your own internal strength to tune that out or push back,” Michelle says of the societal pressure and well-meaning-but-toxic comments that can keep moms grounded when they shouldn’t be. “When you get to the other side, I can absolutely say it is worth it. Your children will be better for you having shown up later as a whole person.”

This is the heart of balancing motherhood and travel: it’s not about choosing between your kids and yourself. It’s about recognizing that a depleted, burned-out version of you isn’t the best version for anyone — including your family.

Start Small, Build Confidence

One of the most practical pieces of advice Michelle offers moms who are just beginning to reclaim their sense of adventure is simply this: start local. You don’t need to book a flight to begin your solo travel journey.

“Book yourself in a hotel in your town,” she says. “Go stay in a hotel, lay around in the robe and watch Netflix and get room service. Whatever that looks like for you.” The goal isn’t the destination; it’s practicing being away, getting comfortable with the quiet, and learning what it feels like to have your needs be the only ones on the agenda.

From there, you can build. A weekend in the next city over. A hiking group for solo moms (Michelle spotted one on social media right in the Dallas area). A group trip organized around a shared passion, whether that’s wildlife photography, Jane Austen novels, or food tourism. The point is to meet yourself where you are, not where Instagram says you should be.

Balancing motherhood and travel looks different for everyone. For Michelle, it’s scuba diving — she’s dove in 13 countries with a tight-knit group of women, and calls it her “church.” For you, it might be a spa weekend two hours away. Both count. Both restore.

Find Your Village

One of the biggest barriers to solo travel for moms — especially single mothers — is the absence of a support system. Michelle is candid about the fact that she has a partner who can step up when she travels, but she reached out to single moms in her community before the podcast to gather their best advice too.

The answer she heard most? Find another solo mom and trade off. Watch each other’s kids so you each get a weekend away. It’s a system built on mutual understanding, because no one knows what a solo parent needs more than another solo parent.

“Your village, you couldn’t do it without them,” Michelle says. Whether that village comes through church, a sorority, a neighborhood group, or a Facebook community for local moms, the key is building those relationships before you need them and then actually leaning on them.

What Your Kids Are Learning When You Leave

Here’s something worth sitting with: your children are watching you. When you pack your bag and head out on an adventure, you’re not abandoning them. Instead you’re showing them what a whole, curious, self-respecting person looks like.

Michelle thinks about this often when it comes to her son. “I’m setting that example for my son so that hopefully he’s the type of partner who encourages that for whoever is his partner someday.” The ripple effects of balancing motherhood and travel extend far beyond your own wellbeing. Kids who see their parents prioritize experiences, embrace the world, and return home recharged are kids who grow up understanding that self-care isn’t selfish.

And practically speaking? Travel builds skills. Reading airport maps, navigating new environments, adapting to the unexpected — these are life skills that start young and stick. Michelle even wrote a blog post on her site, No Place Like Roam, about the life lessons kids absorb through travel. But the same applies to moms: every trip makes you more resourceful, more confident, and more yourself.

You’ve Earned This

If there’s one message Michelle wants every mom to carry with her, it’s this: you have earned the right to take up space in your own life. Whether you’re a corporate executive, a stay-at-home mom, a teacher, or a single parent juggling everything alone, the mental and emotional labor of caregiving is real and relentless.

“The cup is not limitless,” Michelle reminds us. “There comes a point where it’s a tipping point and you really need to take a step back.”

Balancing motherhood and travel isn’t about escaping your family. It’s about coming back to them as a fuller version of yourself. It’s about holding onto the person you were before the diapers and the school schedules and the endless questions, and remembering she’s still in there, curious and capable and ready for adventure.

So wherever you are in your journey — whether you’re ready to book a flight to Jordan or you just need a quiet hotel room in the next town over — start somewhere. Your family will be fine. And you? You might just come home transformed.

Want more inspiration for balancing motherhood and travel? Listen to the full episode of Bon Voyage Besties with guest Michelle Eyrich, and grab her free Solo Mom Travel Starter Kit at No Place Like Roam. Follow Michelle on social media at @NPLRoam.

In addition, for traveling with your children, check out Robin’s episode on the Ultimate Guide to Family Travel.