by Missie Hills | May 10, 2020 | Tips and Advice
All too often, I hear new parents talk about how much they miss taking vacations. When I ask, “What’s stopping you?”, the answer is always around the lines of “It’s too hard to travel with kids”,”It’s too expensive to travel with kids”, “I honestly don’t know how you do it…”
Well, I’m a strong believer that having a baby doesn’t mean you have to give up your adventurous side. Yes, it can be challenging, but the reward of exploring together as a family makes it all worth it. I’m here to help you with the planning so you can tackle that fear and enjoy the ride! Here are ten tips to get you started:
10. Research your gear
Probably the first challenge of travelling with a baby is figuring out which gear to take and which gear to leave. There is just so much of it! First, make a list of what is absolutely necessary for your child to have. These are the things that you can’t live a day without. I focus on safety and mobility. Strollers, car seats, and baby carriers… The gear you will need will be different at different stages of life for your little one. Once you have your list, start your research. We always look for products that are lightweight and easy to carry or pack. Follow this post to see more recommendations of products we love!
9. Pack Light
This tip will go against every instinct you have. But trust me, by reducing what you have to keep up with, you will be reducing stress! We have been successful multiple times in packing only carry ons for our international adventures. I explain how here. Ultimately, you have to get comfortable with not being fully prepared for every single scenario. Think ahead about what you will wear each day. Plan on washing cloths on the go. It’s pretty easy to go through multiple outfits a day with a baby, but onesies are pretty easy to wash in the sink!
8. Think about food and milk
This planning step is very dependent on each and every child. We are very lucky that Little E isn’t picky. He has been eating whatever we eat since starting solids. We have found that baby food is pretty easy to find in most all countries. However, it might be hard to tell what the ingredients contain. We like to bring baby food pouches for travelling. They are easy to store and less messy. Bring a pack of cheap baby spoons, and you are good to go.
If you are breastfeeding, life will be pretty easy. I always bring a hand pump to use for long public transport rides so I wont have to take my little one out the car-seat. If you are using formula, put it in plastic baggies to make it easier to store. Remember, you are allowed to carry on all baby food, formula, and breastmilk on the plane regardless of the amount! Just be prepared to pull it out for inspection.
If you have a toddler, then snacks are a must! I always make sure to have a snack bag in our day pack. You can find snacks at just about any supermarket you go to. Don’t feel like you have to pack enough snacks for the entire trip.
7. Buy diapers there
You also don’t have to pack enough diapers for the entire trip! I promise! Take enough to get you through the airport and maybe one extra day. I have been able to find diapers everywhere. Even from street vendors in Morocco! Pro tip: It will help to know how much your child weighs in kilograms.
6. Know the essentials
What are the things you can’t buy at any supermarket? This may be dependent on where you are going. The things I like to make sure I have on hand always are baby sunscreen, a child thermometer, children’s Tylenol, baby bug spray, and baby soap. It can be difficult to tell what you are buying when it’s in another language. So, if your child has any skin sensitivities you will want your own products on hand. Just put them in small travel bottles to save space and allow you to carry onto the flight.
5. Don’t forget the entertainment
I never travel with a lot of toys. A couple of your child’s favorite toys and few easy travel toys are all you need. Sticker books, a small bag of plastic animals, and a couple small books have been enough for us. My rule of thumb is that all snacks and toys have to fit into my child’s carry-on backpack (toddler size). This includes his tablet and headphones.
4. Prepare sleeping arrangements ahead
I always pay close attention to amenities when booking hotels. Not all hotels will offer roll away cribs. For us, this is a must. However, if you are going somewhere that you know this isn’t an option… add it to your gear list! Don’t waste time going back to the hotel for naps, get a stroller that leans back and let the naps happen on the go!
3. Understand the local culture
We haven’t been to a country yet that hasn’t been extremely baby friendly. Ask questions to people that you talk to on your trip about how the locals feel about children. Is it OK to breastfeed in public? Is it acceptable to bring babies to nice restaurants? In certain countries, you may be surprised at just how friendly the locals can be. In Argentina, I had a local come pick my baby up and carry him off to show her friends! In Morocco, we were surprised to find out that it was custom for men to kiss children on the head to show affection. And in Lithuania, we saw babies in carriages sitting in alleys by themselves soaking up the sunlight while their parents watched from somewhere out of our sight.
2. Every baby is different
I can’t stress this enough. What has worked for us, may not work for you. You know your child! So, if something I say doesn’t seem right to you, try it your way!
1. Be Flexible and have Patience
No matter which tips work and don’t work for you, you will always need to remember to have patience and to be flexible. Understand that there may be sacrifices you will have to make. I missed out on the Lucha Libre match in Mexico City, because someone had to stay in the hotel with the baby. At the same time, our flexibility has allowed us to get out and see things on the go. Little E has taking plenty of naps in the stroller while we hang out in museums. We have stayed up much later then normal bedtime in order to go to restaurants and have nice dinners. A lot of times, our routine is already messed up by jet lag anyways. So let loose, and be prepared to change plans as needed. You may miss out on a few things, but the bonding you are creating with your family is worth so much more.
Extra tip!
Capture the good, the bad, and the ugly! Yeah I know, Our boys aren’t going to remember these trips. But I will always have these moments captured by my camera to share with them. These are memories that I believe they will treasure forever!
by Missie Hills | Mar 22, 2020 | Europe, International Adventures
It was too dark to really see what we had in store for us the night we drove into Riga.
Still, we knew we were in for something special. We splurged on a fancy hotel,
thanks to Hotels.com for a free night, and the moment we walked in we were treated like royalty. We didn’t want to waste any of the time we had in this city. So, we headed out immediately to try one of the city’s most innovative restaurants, 3 PavÄru.
Riga is actually well known for its upcoming food scene, and this restaurant did not disappoint that expectation! The unique menu made us feel like we were fancy food critics with items like ostrich tartar and veal cheeks. And the staff was phenomenal! We always worry a little about how the staff will react to us bringing a toddler into a fancy place, but our waitress was a pro. She made a special menu for E and even brought him a surprise dessert!
The next morning, we finally saw what my heart had been longing for, more of the beautiful Baltic architecture. Riga’s most famous style of architecture is the 20th century Art Nouveau. Riga is the Art Nouveau Capital of the World after all. Many of the buildings in the old town are now recognized as World Heritage sites.
Also from the 20th century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Riga Central Market, Europe’s largest market housed inside multiple old German hangars. I can’t resist a good food market. So, we headed there for lunch and wandered from hanger to hanger taking in the local culture.
As usual, we spent countless hours just wandering the streets, and as usual, I continuously got left behind with my eyes behind my camera lens snapping away.
So this time, I made a change! I hired a local photographer to take our very first professional family photos prior to our new addition coming. We hired Dmitry from Localgraphers.com,
highly recommended!
We ended our wonderful Baltic adventure meeting up with some Houston friends who now call Riga their home. As we listened to their tales of adjusting to a completely new culture, we quickly became envious.
One day maybe we will pick up our family and move somewhere new and fresh. But today we sit in our beautiful Houston home looking at these photos and loving our life that is based on a strong foundation and yet gypsy at heart.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Mar 22, 2020 | Europe, International Adventures
For our last stop in Lithuania, we had to see the World Heritage site called the Hill of Crosses.
It is exactly as it sounds, a small hill covered in crosses. All kinds of crosses… from gigantic wooden crucifixes to tiny rosaries. An estimate puts the number of crosses around ten thousand. Pilgrimages from all over the world come to this location to place their crosses. We saw soldiers placing crosses for fallen comrades, families placing crosses for lost loved ones, and priests walking the perimeter saying prayers at the Stations of the Cross.
The hill has become a symbolism of the strength of Christianity within Lithuania. It has been knocked down multiple times, but continues to rise back up.
I could have walked the grounds for hours looking at all the little details, but it was freezing! The wind chill was cutting through to our bones. So, we soaked in the last bit of Lithuania before heading back into Latvia. The perseverance of this beautiful country will stay with us forever.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Mar 22, 2020 | Europe, International Adventures
Our trip to Lithuania wouldn’t have seemed right without seeing at least one beautiful castle. And luckily we spotted this gem on the map leaving Villinus. Trakai Island Castle is positioned safely inside a large lake, with a drawbridge and everything y’all! It was built in the 14th century and now houses a museum with relics from that time.
I’m sure this castle is absolutely gorgeous during the springtime, but it’s hard to imagine it looking anymore beautiful then it did on that frozen lake the day we visited.
With a full dose of beautiful castle, we moved on and made a short stop in Kaunas.
I was excited to stop in Kaunas, because I was reading a book about the Baltics in WWII that was set there. We found ourselves wanting to find out more about the dark history of the region. The Ninth Fort was the perfect museum for us to dive into that past. We were filled with emotion as we walked our way through the exhibits, placed our feet in the same grounds where so many people were murdered, and finally stood before the memorial filling us with hope for the future. The large memorial stood fierce before us, exceeding our expectations.
We were reminded once again that humanity is not always kind. As we hugged Little E and the unborn baby in my belly, we knew the importance of understanding the past to prevent re-occurrence in the future.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Mar 22, 2020 | Europe, International Adventures
Our short spontaneous trip to the Baltics required us to choose between Estonia and Lithuania. After flying into Latvia, we had to decide, should we go North, or should we go South? With a flip of a coin (and the hopes that going south would be slightly warmer in the late Winter…), we chose Lithuania. And after a short drive through the pretty countryside, we found our way to Villinus, a beautiful oldtown city with a rich history of persistence and strength.
The Baltics suffered greatly during World War II. This was our first experience learning the history of the horrible reign of Stalin. As we walked around the city with a wonderful tour guide, we started to feel the pain the city has gone through. Once again, we were hit with a dose of harsh reality that our world’s history isn’t that beautiful.
But this city has a way of shining through that harsh reality with a strong sense of pride, beauty, and humor. Fun, goofy, hidden treasures could be found all over the streets in Old Town.
And nothing encompasses the city’s culture more than the small country inside the city, The Republic of Uzupis. That’s right, another country. With its own constitution, government, and even passport stamp!
Ok, so it is not really a country. The Republic of Uzupis is the art district of Villinus that pretends to be its own country, kind of like the city’s little inside joke. In fact, it started as an April Fool’s Day joke! However, the art here is really nothing to joke about. Before we crossed the border into this fictional country, we were greeted with some rules, the most important one being to smile at all times. We visited the local post office and got a passport stamp on a postcard (since it is actually against the real law to stamp your real passport with a fake country stamp). Then we stopped to read the constitution written on a wall in multiple different languages. Our tour guide filled us in on all the weird traditions including the election process for random ministries. Her friend was elected the Minister of Frisbee!
Our decision to drive South through Lithuania proved to be a good call. The country captured our hearts with its story of strength to endure a horrific past while embracing its eclectic future.
Until next time,
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