The Pedal Powered Family...

We’re adventurous people. There’s nothing we love more than riding our bicycles long distances, crossing countries and continents by day, pitching our tent when dusk falls and getting up to do it all again the next day. 

In this way, we’ve covered over 50,000km through 31 countries. But is independent bike touring only for young singles? That’s certainly what many people would like us to believe.

“It’s so great you’re doing this before you have kids,” they tell us over and over, with a knowing look in their eyes that says all this cycling and camping will be impossible with a family. We’ve always hoped for just the opposite – that even with a baby, we could keep on bike touring. We decided to investigate. Not having kids ourselves, we turned to 3 families who have traveled by bike with their young children. Here are 3 of the tips they gave us.

GET A TRAILER – For short trips, you can put a child in a bike seat, but a trailer is essential for longer journeys by bicycle. In a trailer, there’s protection from bad weather and room for plenty of books and toys. Some trailers, like the Cougar Chariot, even have suspension to dampen vibrations. A trailer is versatile too. When you’re not biking, it turns into a stroller that you can take around towns.

DO A TRIAL RUN – Bike travel with babies will involve some new experiences for everyone so allow time to get used to it. A good plan is to start with short trips in your local area. “We started at home, riding around town without gear just to get all of us used to the trailer. Then we upped the ante to day trips out to lunch and back. Then we added camping at the end of it. Then we would do at least two days of riding back to back with camping between,” says Canadian dad Robin, describing how his family prepared for a bike trip to Iceland with 18-month old Ronan. “After a while, Ronan loved his trailer. He’d point to it and our bikes in the garage and say ‘ride’.”

MAKE TIME FOR PLAY – When you’re undertaking adventurous travel, you’ll often meet people who push themselves hard, with long days. That’s not fun or fair to a child. All the families we interviewed adjusted their routines to make time for playing during the day. “It’s definitely a balancing act. You have to keep going but you have to make sure to take plenty of breaks. We took rest days every 3-4 days to recharge which really helped,” says Elle Bustamante, who biked around Oregon with her 11-month old son Lennon. This sentiment is echoed by Reuben and Heidi, who toured in Canada with 16-month old daughter Eden. “Our daily routine included stopping at just about every grade-school or park we saw with a children’s playground. Making time for her to run around during the break and play on the slides and jungle gyms was extremely important,” Reuben told us.

Want even more tips on bike touring with babies? http://travellingtwo.com/resources/bike-touring-with-a-baby

Have Infant Car Seat Without Base, Will Travel...

This past weekend I was attending a travel writer’s conference in New York City – sans kids. Although I was having a good time and learning a lot, I was also pining for the two small people I left at home with their daddy. As a result, I gravitated to the lovely Brandy Keener, who along with her husband, had traveled to New York from Oregon with their adorable 8-week-old son, Kai.

Now when my first-born was 8 weeks, I think I was still stumbling around in my maternity wear and intermittently crying for no reason, so I completely admire Brandy and her husband for picking up and carrying on with little Kai along for the ride.  They mentioned an issue with a cab driver that I found pretty surprising for a couple of reasons…

When they arrived in New York, the cab driver almost refused to take them into Manhattan because they didn’t have the base for Kai’s car seat.  Now Kai’s seat was your typical infant carrier car seat that does attach to a base but also has slots on the side to insert a seat belt, for use without the base.

I must say I admire the cab driver’s commitment to safety, especially since New York is one of the many cities that doesn’t require the use of a car seat AT ALL when traveling in taxis with infants and toddlers. However, he was mistaken, since if the seat has the slots for a seat belt, you can use it in a pinch in a car and an airplane.My son was 10.5 weeks when we traveled to Quebec City, and we also used our car seat without its base. Ours was a Peg Perego Primo Viaggio, and I consulted with our user’s manual before taking it to travel with us. Here’s an excerpt:
 
Installing the Car Seat without the Base:
Important! The base is designed to avoid consumer misuse by reducing the number of times the seat must be anchored to your vehicle. Please, use and install Primo Viaggio without the base only if needed.

I checked out the owner’s manual online for the Graco Snugride, and it pretty much said the same thing.

The Best Part Of Traveling With An Infant Car Seat...

Clearly it’s preferred to use your infant car seat with the base, but if you’re traveling with baby, it’s much safer to use your seat without the base than to not use a car seat at all. Do ensure that your seat CAN actually be installed without a base.  The Primo Viaggio we borrowed when my daughter was in it was an older model and did not have the slots. We couldn’t have used it for travel if we wanted to.

While baby still fits in the infant car seat carrier (and you’re not a hysterical mess like I was) – travel! It gets a lot more complicated once they’re in the larger, convertible seat and you have to start thinking about car seat travel accessory shopping and the like!

One day she actually will help carry it...

You’ve tailored your travel arrangements to suit your child’s schedule. You are super-organized, and arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. Delays and line-ups won’t affect your plans, since you’ve planned ahead and have enough distractions and snacks on hand. And even though you packed your bags weeks in advance according to an extensive packing list, if you forgot just one small thing, your travel days are bound to be unpleasant. When you’re traveling with children, be sure to pack your patience.

Because, in spite of your best efforts, stuff happens. Someone will spill something, or thow up on someone. A flight will get delayed, or cancelled, or it might just sit on the tarmac for hours and not go anywhere. Your knees will be jammed into the seat in front of you, and that person will repeatedly try to recline. Sounds like fun, right?

It’s not in my nature to be a Negative Nellie, but these things happen at the best of times on the road, and chances are, they could happen when you’ve got your kids with you. You’ll occasionally come across someone who has a romanticized view of what air travel is like, but the days of relaxing before, during, and after a flight are long gone for most of us – now reserved only for those who can afford such luxury. For the rest of us cattle, we hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

So find your happy place and make sure it’s close by when you need it. Keep your cool for the sake of your kids, and you’ll all be much more relaxed when you get where you’re going.

Sun Comes Up, It's Travel-Day Morning

I was definitely dreading it, our first flight with baby. Not only had I read horror story after horror story about how she was going to scream the entire time and everyone would be shooting daggers at us, but I also had to drag my sweetly sleeping baby out of her crib a solid 5 hours earlier than I usually would!

Booking a flight at 7:30 made sense at the time, we were always up then anyway. It was only after I had paid for everything that it occured to me we had to be at the airport 3 hours before that, therefore leaving the house 45 minutes before that! We had to get up at what time? Was there any point in even going to bed?

Turns out, with that flight and our subsequent flights at the crack of dawn, those were our easiest travel days.  Now we have a system down pat, and if given the choice between an early flight or mid-afternoon, I’ll take early every time.

Here’s a few tips on surviving that very early flight with a baby, toddler, or young child in tow:

• Put them to bed in their travel clothes.  Some just bring their kids on board in their pyjamas, but I’ll leave that to Paris Hilton (is she even around anymore?). I pick out clothes for my kids that are comfortable, but still look like clothes.
• Get up earlier than everyone else, get dressed, and finish the packing. Load up the car and warm it up if necessary.
• About five minutes before you have to leave, lift baby/toddler/kid out of bed, into their coat and into the car – stuffie, woobie, or blanket in hand. If they have a pacifier in bed, let them keep it.

Some kids might actually go back to sleep for the ride to the airport (mine didn’t) but I found they’re so stunned at being up and out that they just kind of sit there in shock. Once you’re at the airport, pack them into the stroller or carrier and have a drink handy. Usually you don’t have to worry about a diaper change or breakfast until you’re at the gate since they’d normally still be sleeping at that time anyway.

By the time you’re en route, baby may or may not doze off, but depending on your destination, you’re pretty much guaranteed a healthy nap after lunch AND an early bedtime. By day two of your trip you should all be raring to go.

The Afternoon After The Morning Before...

One of my fondest memories of our first trip is from the morning we first arrived. We’d landed and were all set up in our resort in Cuba by lunchtime, so we went to the poolside grill for a bite.  Megan was sitting on my husband’s lap, eating toast soldiers.  She fell asleep in his arms, mid-bite.  I was able to change her out of her swimsuit and swimming diaper and into a regular diaper and onesie, wrap her in a blanket, and put her down on a lounger, all without waking her. She slept there for 2 hours, while we enjoyed café con leche by the pool.

A Pre-Dinner Walk In Varadero…

If you think that traveling with your baby, toddler or young child is going to be a piece of cake, you’ll be disappointed.  If you think you can still laze on the beach and linger over leisurely meals, you’ll be disappointed.  If you’re hoping for a break from your everyday routine and a chance to spend some real quality time together as  a family, well you’re in luck! 

With Have Baby Will Travel, I’ve created what I hoped to find as I researched the heck out of traveling with baby.  Since our first trip was Cuba, I was really afraid of forgetting something important and not being able to find it there.  So I developed an extensive packing list (and then an extensive carry-on list) to help keep myself (and now hopefully you) organized.  For more quick tips, I wrote the 5 Ts To Happy Travel With Your Tots, and was so happy to share it on Steven & Chris!  Earlier this year I wrote The 5Rs For Rosy Road Trips (clearly I have an issue with alliteration!), just in case you were thinking of taking off by road instead of by air.

Does the thought of all you’ll need to do to feed your baby while you’re away make your head swim?  Please check out Feeding Your Baby On Holiday.  Overwhelmed by the thought of airport security? I recently wrote the 3Ps To Passing Security With Babies & Young Children (there’s that illiteration again!)

As 2009 comes to a close, I’m excited about everything that lies ahead for Have Baby Will Travel in 2010.  I’ll hope you’ll invite me along as you begin your journeys with your new families!

You're Going To Need A Cart...

Let’s face it, gone are the days of traveling light. I once prided myself on galivanting through Europe with one bag strapped to my back, but now that same said bag would barely hold all the diapers.

 Yes, you can order baby supplies to be shipped to your hotel ahead of time, and that might be quite cost-effective now with the ridiculous airline baggage allotments (or lack thereof). Yes, depending on where you’re going you can always buy what you need once you get there (although rushing out to find a store is not the first thing I want to do when I’m traveling). My exhaustive, extensive packing lists are based on our trips to Cuba, where not only is it difficult to find baby supplies, the selection is minimal and what is there is quite expensive.

If you think I’m a bit of a nervous Nellie and that I’ve gone overboard, I’ll agree with you. But in my defence I’ll say that I’m loyal to certain brands and it would stress me out to try new foods and products with my baby when I’m away from home. 

So please check out my Mother Of All Packing Lists – and of course you don’t have to pack EVERYTHING on it! It’s just a guideline so you don’t forget anything.  I’m working on creating a special printable version and it will be hopefully up soon.

Also, you don’t want to be 30,000 feet up in the air and realize you absolutely need something! Definitely also check out my Carry-On Packing List.  Not once in our umpteen flights have I had that sinking feeling that something I need is either under the plane or back at home. 

Have I forgotten something essential – or essential to you?  Drop me a line in the comments and I’ll be sure to add it.

Happy Travels!

Why Quebec City?  Well lots of reasons really.  I haven’t seen much of this beautiful country of mine… at just over 2mos. postpartum, I wasn’t terribly eager to hit a beach… and I’ve been totally jonesing for Europe, but that’s just not in the cards right now… I’ve always heard that Quebec City is a little slice of Paris here in Canada, and now I know it’s true.

A beautiful doorstep in Vieux Quebec

One thing that struck me was how lush and green everything is. The rolling green hills of the Plains of Abraham demand to be frolicked on, and the centrepiece of the city, the beautiful Chateau Frontenac, sits atop the city like a princess’ crown.Most of our trips have involved sand and sea, not cobblestones and cannons, but our daughter had a wonderful time.

A princess and her castle...

And the baby?  He just enjoyed the ride…

Riley enjoys his horse & carriage ride...

I WAS a little concerned about how we’d get along with a baby in a stroller when most of the streets were narrow and cobbled and we weren’t bringing our big jogging stroller.  We did bring the carrier, but like his sister, the bub is not happy to be in it for very long.

In spite of the cobbles, Quebec City is quite stroller-friendly.  Even the narrowest streets have some form of sidewalk, and there are always ways around the myriad of staircases.  You’ll definitely get your excercise on some of the hills - but if you absolutely need a break, you can bring your stroller on the Funiculaire so long as it folds. 

It wasn’t that long ago that the typical Quebecois family had 6 or more kids, so it’s no wonder that French Canadians embrace children.  Traveling with a baby so young presents a couple of challenges, but fortunately, feeding him wasn’t one of them.  Since we’re still exclusively breastfeeding, I didn’t have to worry about bottles and formula and sterilizing.  The inclement weather made nursing outside a little uncomfortable at times, but there was nary a stink eye in sight.  In a lot of restaurants, this decal was placed prominently in the window – a welcome sign for those with infants in tow!

Tracey went to Germany with her husband and baby boy.  They rented an apartment for part of their stay, and they had a wonderful time.  Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us, Tracey!

Berlin like a Berliner

Last year my husband and I took a trip to Germany with our 8-month-old son. We had extended family there and we felt it was a great time to travel – before the little guy could walk or voice his displeasure with the choice of activities.

Tracey In Berlin

We knew traveling with a baby was going to be different and we’d have to make some compromises. The little guy had a regular routine at home and we decided the best thing for our trip would be to maintain a couple of key aspects of that schedule. So each day we got to have a relaxing breakfast while he had a quick morning nap. During the day we saw the sites while he happily cat napped in his carrier. And each night we enjoyed a nice home cooked dinner and adult conversation after he went to bed. This worked particularly well when visiting with friends and family.

Our trip included stops in Grunstadt, Chemnitz, Nurenberg, Munich, Berlin and Neuschwanstein in the Bavarian Alps. For most of our trip we were staying with family. But for Berlin we were on our own.

So we booked an apartment instead of a hotel. This gave us a kitchen so we could have a nice breakfast each day, and make dinner each night (although we usually had a late lunch out and didn’t need dinner). An apartment also gave us a bedroom in which the little guy could retire each night while we ate, played cards, people watched, etc.

A late, light dinner on our balcony...

It was easy to find and book an apartment. There was a wide variety of flats throughout Berlin available for all sorts of budgets. We wanted something in central Berlin and close to the metro with a bedroom, laundry, kitchen, crib, high chair, etc. In the end we booked online through Mowitania (an apartment agency). Our cost was very affordable at 80EU a night, including taxes and the agency fee.

Our little 1 bedroom flat was on the 4th floor of an old apartment block in the former East Berlin neighbourhood of Friedrichshain. The building was one of the few in the area that had survived through WWII and communism and it was full of character. The neighbourhood was a real fun eclectic mix of people and right outside our door were grocery stores, street side cafes, restaurants, clubs, shops, coffee, internet, etc. During the day it was just a short metro ride to all the key sites. And we in the evening we enjoyed people watching from our balcony.

Entrance hall to our Berlin apartment...

It was of course a long walk up those stairs with a baby in a carrier after a long day of sightseeing and there was no hotel staff or room service at our beck and call. But we had the freedom to make our own meals, do laundry and make ourselves really at home – all at a lower cost than most hotels. We felt like we were seeing Berlin from a Berliners point of view.
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About Tracey. Tracey regularly blogs about things that interest her at Ramblings of TJR – marketer – mom – tv addict. https://tjrramblings.blogspot.com

There’s getting there and getting around… Getting there means you have to carry all your stuff and your little one, and getting around once you’re there means making sure you have the gear necessary to enjoy yourself.  There seems to be the stroller camp, and the carrier camp – and never the twain shall meet.  I’m in the middle – they both have their pros and cons for different reasons.  For me, in the airport, a stroller is indispensable.  I can load it up with the child AND some bags, and while she’s buckled in she has no choice but to stay put, even if she’s being difficult.  We’ve flown with our stroller on Air Canada and on the cheapest of charters and never had an issue with gatechecking it.  In Mexico it was waiting for us on the tarmac and in Cuba it was at the baggage check.  Everywhere else it was happily waiting for us at the next gate.

I probably would have used a carrier more had we had one that didn’t feel as though my back would split in half.  With this baby we’re going to invest in a good one – hopefully we’ll have better luck this time.

Getting Around:
For walks and daytrips, depending on the age of your little one, you’ll want both.  Some will still argue the case for just one or the other but having both gives you the most options.  Plus, carriers or slings – for the most part – don’t take up a lot of room in your luggage, so it’s not a big deal to take it along.

Even if the sidewalks or trails aren’t the most stroller-friendly, having even a lightweight one with you means you have a safe place for both eating and sleeping while you’re out and about.  Carriers or slings can become hot and uncomfortable for you both in warmer weather.  Because our daughter hated her carrier (and so did my back), and we’ve always brought along our big, bulky jogging stroller.  It does fold so we’ve been able to gate-check it (even on the cheapest charter) and it has sailed over sand, cobblestones, steep curbs and any terrain our destination has presented.  We’ve never regretted bringing it on any of our trips.

Personally I think there’s no need to invest in a stroller specifically for travel, so here’s some other nice-to-have gear to help you get around…

Trunki by Magmatic:

Family travel just got more exciting!  Wave good bye to tiring travel, tears and tantrums with a boredom busting Trunki, the world’s first ride-on kid’s suitcase!  Designed for family holidays, children can pack, sit-on and ride their own luggage, while parents can keep them in tow. 

Trunki’s light weight and durable design is hand luggage approved, with generous space inside for toys, games, books and spare clothes. Trunki is the ultimate travelling companion.

ERGObaby Carrier by ERGObaby:

This is the one we’ve decided to invest in… The ERGO baby carrier’s ergonomic design supports a correct sitting position for the baby’s hip, pelvis and spine growth. It disperses most of the baby’s weight between the hips and thighs, which helps to eliminate compression of the spine when hanging by the crotch which most other designs require. The ERGO baby also balances the baby’s weight to parents’ hips and shoulders, and alleviates physical stress for the parent.

ERGO baby recommends a weight limit of 40 pounds for its carrier; however, the carrier has been tested up to 90 pounds. Our carrier will accommodate you as long as you would like to carry and/or your baby would like to be carried. This carrier holds you child longer than most traditional carriers on the market.

Many celebs have been photographed toting their tots in an ERGObaby, including Julia Roberts, Amanda Peet, Keri Russell, Bridget Moynahan and Elizabeth Hassellbeck.

Wet Happened by Minime:

I think this is an ingenius idea!  Now that plastic bags are on their way out, this is a smart and eco-friendly way to store all the laundry that you end up making while traveling.  With the spills, diaper leaks and motion sickness that can (does) happen while you’re traveling – throw all the messy clothes into the Wet Happened bag, and then throw the bag and its contents in the wash once you’re there.  Having a couple of these would definitely make getting there and getting around a lot easier, as I’m always the one who forgets to replenish the (ever-dwindling) supply of plastic bags anyway!
Of course, all of these things are not necessities.  But, if they make your life easier while you’re away, it’s well worth the effort to lug them along.

CARES Safety Harness by Kids Fly Safe:

CARES is the only harness type child aviation safety restraint  ever certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  It is an elegantly designed belt and buckle device for kids 22-44 pounds that is easy to use and creates a safe airplane seat for your child without the hassle of carrying a 20 pound car seat.

CARES weighs just 1 pound and fits into a 6″ stuff sack!  It is simple to install, adjustable to virtually any size airplane seat, and keeps your chilid as safe as a car seat would.

Right now British Airways is offering a “free” companion fare deal – here’s the official wording…

British Airways has launched a promotion offering Club World business class travelers the chance to fly now and receive a complimentary companion ticket on their next trip in any cabin to any British Airways destination. To qualify for this promotion, travellers need to be enrolled in the Executive Club and must register in advance and book and travel by Dec. 31, 2008.
As well as Club World, this offer is available in First, World Traveller Plus and qualifying fares in World Traveller. The companion offer tickets can be booked in any qualifying fare in any cabin to any city British Airways flies. Companion bookings must be made between Jan. 5, 2009 and Jun. 30, 2009 for travel Jan. 15, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2009. Each traveler must pay all applicable surcharges, government fees and  taxes.  

What I think this means is that if you book a business class ticket and travel before Dec. 31/08, you can book another ticket (in any class) and get a free ticket on the same flight for travel pretty much anytime in 2009.  It seems a little complicated, but a free flight’s a free flight.

For more information and the full details, visit www.ba.com/eccompanion.
 

Cathay Pacific, the fancy-schmancy airline that services most of Asia is offering really cute backpacks for kids aged 3-8 on their Hong Kong – Canada routes.

Pictured is the Disney one they receive for Hong Kong to Canada…. It’s full of cute little puzzles, stickers, and crayons and would surely be a great help in keeping little ones busy on a long flight.

From Canada to Hong Kong, the pack is Ratatouille-themed and also filled with stuff to keep tots occupied.

I remember flying as a kid and being invited to the cockpit and getting little trinkets and flight pins from the flight attendants, but these days I’m grateful for a free pop and a polite smile. This kind of thoughtfulness kind of blew me away.

They actually say in their press release that “Our young passengers are just as important as our grown-up ones…” In reality it’s probably more like “we want to keep the little ones occupied and quiet so no one will be irritated and annoyed…” – but I can live with that. Occupied and quiet is what parents want too!

Kudos to Cathay Pacific for thinking of traveling tots and their parents!