Travel Tips For The Young Family – Part 1

Recently my family and I were very blessed to have the opportunity to travel overseas. We went to Rome (naturally), Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Paris and London.

I have to admit, that at first I was petrified of the idea of taking an 18-month old adventurous little boy on a 24-hour flight (one sixteen hour backed onto a seven-hour flight) whilst being six months pregnant.

I freaked!

Although with the support of my all too eager husband we decided we would seize this opportunity and venture far away from the safety of our small farm cottage home. So, needless to say, we did it! We bit the bullet and travelled overseas with an 18month old and a 24week old in utero! We travelled for a little over three weeks and am so thankful we did it! We even had our child blessed by…the POPE! I can brag a little, can’t I?!

I thought I would jot down a few tips which might be helpful to the next mum and dad who takes their little ones overseas!

Tip #1: Firstly, PRAY!

PRAY PRAY PRAY

I honestly was so nervous for this trip. I offered up a lot of small aspirations and Hail Mary’s whenever I thought of our upcoming trip. It helped to calm my nerves! I also got my mother in law on the job of praying! Our family discerned through prayer and included this special intention in our rosary daily.

Tip #2: Take a stroller!

We bought a second hand ‘Maclaren’ from a Facebook recycled goods site for $50 and it was the best money ever spent. Maclarens can be quite expensive brand new for anyone who’s googled them! Maclaren brand was recommended as a sturdy stroller and honestly it did wonderfully over the cobble stones of Rome! We saw so many Maclaren branded strollers in Rome, Paris and Florence especially and I wouldn’t recommend anything else!

Tip #3: Take a baby carrier!

When my little one was born we had bought an ‘Ergo’ brand baby carrier. If Mr 18 month old was sick of sitting in the pram, or wanted a higher view. The carrier was exceptionally handy when it rained whilst we were in France and the pram was too wet for us to use. That way in the carrier we knew he was warm and dry (it was winter when we arrived!!) We also found the carrier handy when we couldn’t take the pram through to certain museums; the cupola; past the check in at the airport with certain airlines.

Tip #4: Over pack your on-board luggage for your plane trip!

We packed lots of familiar food for our little one to eat on the plane and it was a great distraction! Also make sure you pack their comforter or dummy etc in your on board luggage! Our little one slept in a sleeping bag so once that was on he surprisingly slept for 8 hours straight on the first 14-hour leg. We took A LOT of food and as it was all packaged we could take it through the next airport. I did opt for organic choices when available and went to the health food shop for their baby range.

Tip #5: WHEN IN ROME VISIT THE POPE!

Like I said our child was blessed by the Pope and this was such a beautiful once in a lifetime opportunity that I would encourage anyone with the opportunity to do so to do! You can get tickets for the Papal Audience from the Vatican at the religious shop inside. The tickets are free, but you will need them before you get there. Also, the morning of the papal audience make sure you get their early. We got there a little before 7.30am to get a good spot. Honestly, the time flew and before we knew it the Pope was coming through! The atmosphere was very exciting too.