Family Travelling

Family travelling is a 2 part series consisting of Travelling with an infant (under 2) and Travelling with Children (2-17).

Part 1: Travelling with an infant (under 2 years of age)

Since having my son we’ve been sticking to the all inclusive resorts for our vacations.  My husband wants us to go on adventure tours, but unfortunately the minimum age for many is 6.

Apart from the comfort of the all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean one also has to consider what they seek in a vacation.  Are you looking to discover the local culture?  Take the path less travelled?

If you want just to relax on the beach and not leave the resort, then really anywhere would be just fine.  But for those of us who seek adventure and have a little one tagging along, it gets a little difficult.  For my son’s first trip we went to Mexico and stayed at an all inclusive resort.  We chose this destination for the comfort of an all inclusive with the adventure of visiting some ruins and local attractions.  For my husband and I, it wasn’t our first trip to the country which added a little bit of comfort.  The other added comfort was that we invited the grandparents along… it always helps to have a babysitter travel with you.  This definitely proved helpful when we needed extra hands or just wanted a little romantic time alone.

To rewind a little, we first made a visit with his pediatrician who then gave him his baby Twinrix shot for Hepatitis A and B.  We wanted to make sure we had everything we needed, so one month in advance, we made a list of absolutely anything we thought we may need to pack. Since our son is a messy eater, (and I expect most toddlers are) I wanted to ensure we had enough bibs packed, but I didn’t want to carry around dirty bibs everywhere we went to eat, so we opted to buy disposable bibs, which actually worked out pretty well, and we were able to reuse the ones that didn’t get too dirty the first time used.

One week prior to departure, we packed most of our luggage, and then checked everything the night before since our boy likes to take things and hide them.  We knew we wanted to travel during the winter and we stocked up on swim diapers during the summer, because we didn’t expect to find much selection in swimming supplies after the summer ended.  Luckily his sandals we bought during the summer just barely fit his rapidly growing feet.

At an all inclusive, you shouldn’t be too worried; they usually have high chairs; have a few designated washrooms for diaper changing (just look for the larger stalls in some); and provide playpens in the rooms for the infant to sleep in.  We lugged our Pack’n’Play on our trip, just in case. It stayed folded up most of the time, though the grandparents were eager to keep it in their room so that our son could stay with them for a few nights and my husband and I could have some rest.

Take-off and landing was not a bad experience for us.  We brought a sippy cup of water for our boy to drink during these times and it distracted as well as soothed him for both events.

Stay tuned for part two in this series, coming next week!

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Babymooning

Everyone’s heard of taking a honeymoon; the romantic getaway after one of the biggest days in a couples life.  A new trend that I’ve started to notice is the increase in the number of couples seeking a babymoon.  Essentially it’s a vacation that a couple would like to take as the last time for just the two of them, before the arrival of their bundle of joy.

Some people go on a babymoon prior to conceiving, while others decide they need to take a trip once they find out they are pregnant (I fall into the later of the two categories).  Most of the expecting couples opt for beachfront resort vacations.  Since most of my clients are from the Greater Toronto Area in Canada it’s understandable.  Flights to the Caribbean are relatively short with many specials available in this highly competitive market, making it also an attractive deal for most.

The only restriction is that most airlines will not let you fly if you are in your third trimester.  Be sure to speak with your doctor prior to narrowing down your options.  He/she can provide valuable insight into which areas would not be advisable for a pregnant woman to travel, and also which areas would require immunizations prior to travelling.  Other things to consider if you’re travelling while pregnant is easy access to washrooms (I know this first hand).  Taking a long day tour by taxi is fun, but stressful if you are in remote/rural areas... and a small being has kicked your bladder from the inside.  

17 weeks, and I didn't show much

Visit my blog for next week’s entry in this series, where I will be discussing family friendly vacations.

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