Travels with Baby (Part 2)

Of course, just as I post about our last trip with Baby A., I realize we have another trip coming up this weekend! Luckily, this one requires a little less work because we are driving there, not flying, so we can move about at our leisure and Baby A.'s time schedule to avoid crankiness or hangry-ness!

But, in planning this and other trips, there are a few things I try to plan for to ensure we are able to spend more time enjoying our surroundings instead of trying to just make them work for us. So, here are some of the things that have worked for us in our planning process!

AirBnBs

You know how when you're home, you can cook a meal you know your kid will eat, or set up a travel crib in a separate bedroom so you don't have to tip-toe around a sleeping baby, or put on a TV show to entertain your kiddo while you finish getting dressed? Ok, well for the price of a hotel room, you can get this when you travel, too! 

**Pauses for your mind to be blown**

Seriously, though, after we went to Arizona and got a hotel room, I realized it was easier to base ourselves in a setting that was closer to what we can get at home, and in some cases, it's also cheaper. Add in the bonus that we can be accommodated with Tallulah Bear in many cases, too, and we have a real winner. We like to arrive to a place, be able to walk right in (many AirBnBs just give you a key code in advance), drop our stuff off, and begin our adventure. I generally look for a place that has at least a separate bedroom so that when Baby A. is ready for bed, we can put him down and continue to hang out. It makes it a lot easier- and cheaper- to have the option to make meals in your rental home, as well, especially if you know you can make what your kiddo will certainly eat! I also will look for a place that has a bath tub (not just a shower) for baby bath time, too.
Possibly best of all, we can usually take Tallulah Bear in comfort, have an actual space for her doggy bed, and most times, a yard or close park for her to run around in, too! We've had some gorgeous space for her, like the deck overlooking an enchanting koi pond in Charlottesville that gave us all the heart eyes.

Our AirBnB in Charlottesville, VA for a family winery trip was gorgeous!!

Turo

This is a genius invention that lets regular old people drive pretty much any car at a more affordable price than rental services, with some added bonuses like pick up location choices and accessories that might be helpful... from small things like an aux cable or water bottles to bigger things like a car seat! This was super helpful to us when we were in Arizona. We rented a mini van for much cheaper than we could get a larger vehicle with Enterprise even with a military discount. The owner of the van allowed us to make the collection point the airport, so we could get right into/out of our car and move right on with our travels. Having a van made getting around with Baby A. + his stuff much easier. I would highly recommend going to turo.com to check the price comparison if you plan on using a rental vehicle to get around your travel destination. 

Friends/Family in the Area

Possibly the best thing you can do is talk to contacts in the area or who know it well, especially those with kids, because as we all know, your LO can dictate your destinations. If you have a very little baby that doesn't crawl or walk yet, you can probably strap them on and go anywhere, but it still might be helpful to know which restaurants have changing tables, for instance. I have notices having a child that walks changes the game a little in that we look for places that he can safely toddle around, like a playground that has a soft ground. Thankfully, I was able to stay with and meet two good friends with similar-aged kiddos, and they both had great options for us to be able sit and chat while our kids safely played. Even just meeting with another friend who has a child can give you a little bit of a break while your littles play. In general, knowing your resources in the area can be a great benefit, whether it's based on knowing the hospitals that can attend to your child in case of an emergency (think: allergic reactions, falls, etc.) or just knowing where you can go to wear that little person out to ensure yourself a solid 3 hour nap P-)

Overall, I think traveling with kids can mean an adjustment of your travel expectations, but not so much that you can't do what YOU want to do. When it's your child, you know their limits and what you are willing to do to accommodate them. So, if you have a tiny person that is cool to ride wherever you ride and is used to traveling from an early age, you know you can just get up and go. We have friends that have traveled with their kiddos as soon as they were able to, and they have seen the world! If you are going for your first trip, it just makes sense to plan for comfortable situations for YOUR family, and then go from there. Don't worry that you'll be disappointed, because you will learn that your focus will have shifted to showing your newest family member the world, and your perspective may have changed height! 

Happy trails!

- Big A.