The Time I Lost My Kid in a Russian Train Station (Christmas Eve… in Siberia)

Let me just say this upfront:

If you’ve never “misplaced” a child while traveling, are you even doing it right?

Because we didn’t just almost lose one…
we almost lost two.

Setting the Scene

We were living abroad as expats on Sakhalin Island, traveling across Russia on a 17-day adventure to Moscow with our friends from Cornwall.

It was December 24th—Christmas Eve…
but our kids didn’t know that.

We were celebrating Orthodox Christmas on January 7th, so we kept things low-key.

(Anyway… I digress)

The Station I’ll Never Forget

We pulled into Krasnoyarsk Railway Station

And I will never forget it.

• Cold
• Busy
• Slightly chaotic
• The kind of place where everything feels like it’s moving FAST

The Drama/Trauma Begins

We had:

• 4 adults
• Multiple kids
• Bags everywhere

And… two taxis waiting for us

This is where it all went wrong.

In the shuffle, I assumed:

• My daughter was with my friends
• In their taxi
• With their kids

She was not.

The Realization

We’re getting into our taxi…
about to leave…

And suddenly:

“Wait… she’s not in your taxi?, shes not in ours either”

That moment where your stomach drops?
Yeah. That one.

Small Miracle Moment

Now here’s the wild part:

My 4-year-old could speak some, and understand Russian
Me…not so much.

So she’s just calmly standing there, with the Russian “Po-Po”

While I’m internally spiraling and praying:
-they don’t fine us
-they don’t think we’re terrible parents
-they actually let us take her back

Reunion… and Then…

We grab her, thank everyone (Спасибо), and rush back to the taxis.

All good. Everyone accounted for.

We’re leaving.

We survived.

OR DID WE?!

As the taxi starts pulling away…

The driver next to us starts honking like crazy.

We turn around…

And my 2-year-old is standing OUTSIDE the taxi

Yes.
Outside.

At This Point…

You just have to laugh.

Because honestly, what else do you do?

Also:
Thank goodness for friends who don’t judge, because ours had every reason to.

And Then… We Just Moved On

We got everyone safely into the taxi.

And then?

We went to lunch.
The kids got a treat.
Life continued.

Because that’s what travel with kids is:

Chaos → recovery → snacks → repeat

The Part No One Tells You

It all worked out.

She was found.
She was safe.
We were fine.

But…

It definitely became a core memory

She was four years old…

…and she has never let me forget it.

To this day, it comes up.

Regularly.

What We Teach Our Kids Now

After that, we made one thing VERY clear:

You are never stuck anywhere.
We will always come back for you.

If you get lost:

• Find police
• Find security
• Go to a counter or shop
• Or yell for help

Don’t panic. Stay put. We will find you.

My Final Thoughts

We had:

• 4 adults
• A plan
• Two taxis

…and still managed to lose a child (temporarily)

And yet…

She was found
We moved on
And now it’s a story we’ll tell forever

Travel with kids isn’t about being perfect.

It’s about:
✔️ Showing up
✔️ Figuring it out
✔️ Laughing after the dramas/traumas

And maybe…

Accepting that if you’re not losing one kid,
you’re probably chasing another.