Trinidad, Cuba

Last year was difficult. With school and working full-time and running a business full-time, we were really looking forward to a break after Christmas. We were set to go to Trinidad, Cuba just after Christmas, and it’s safe to say all of us were eager to get on that plane.

This would be our fifth trip to Cuba as a family. We really enjoyed Varadero, adored Jibacoa, and also loved Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria, although the Cayos are a little far from the mainland (and Cubans) for our liking. Honestly, our location this time – our first on the Caribbean side of the island – was perfect. Literally a ten minute drive from the beautiful and historic town of Trinidad, we adored our little beach resort  - the Club Amigo Costasur.

Read my review of the Club Amigo Costasur here…

My father died when we were away. He passed away on New Year’s Day, and we were not scheduled to return from Cuba until the 4th of January. Because we traveled as part of a package, we were not able to return home without spending a great deal of money and traveling hours away to depart from another part of Cuba. I tried to think about what my father would have wanted me to do. He would not have wanted me to spend a small fortune to return home from a well-earned vacation in order to arrange his funeral. So we stayed, and I tried to honour my dad by spending my remaining time there as I imagined he would have. Coming home from a vacation and back to reality is never easy, and this time was so difficult it was almost surreal. Almost two months later, it still is.

Playa Ancon, the public beach 3min from our hotel...

I’m so grateful to so many for the kindness shown to me. Levis, the lovely local Sunwing representative really tried to get me home early, and arranged for me to use the internet cafe at the Grand Hotel in downtown Trinidad, when I could not get internet access at our hotel – the person selling internet and phone cards was not working that day. The staff at the Club Amigo Costasur really tried to help me communicate with my family back home. January 1 is a huge deal in Cuba -not only is it New Year’s Day, it is also the anniversary of the Revolution. We lost cel service from about noon on December 31 until about noon on January 2, probably because the system was overloaded. It’s actually a miracle my family was able to reach me in our hotel room to deliver the bad news.

Over the next few weeks I’ll share more details about that area of Cuba and what it has to offer families. But in a nutshell, we loved it, and will probably return that part of Cuba sooner rather than later.

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He Was Born A Travelin' Man...

This Spring, Have Baby Will Travel will turn five. I created it because I was looking to find information and support on traveling with babies before our first trip with our daughter, and was surprised not to find it. Since then, a bunch more adventurous and wonderful parents have created their own websites and blogs about family travel, and all of our combined experiences, I think, will help encourage parents to keep traveling with their kids. Have Baby Will Travel’s mission is to inspire, motivate, and help families travel with babies, toddlers, and young children. Sadly, for the most part, the mainstream media’s mission seems to be to alienate and inspire fear into those hoping to travel with kids.

This CNN article in particular, has caused my family travel community to say “enough”! Elaine Ee’s bio says she is a mom of three, but not that she has traveled extensively with them. My guess is that she hasn’t, because while that first trip may be a challenge, it truly does get easier and easier – even once they become toddlers.

I think rules are meant to be broken, so now I’ll break Ms. Ee’s rules one by one…

What Ms. Ee says:

1. The younger the child, the bigger the suitcase:
…So the favorite stuffed giraffe that takes up a third of the suitcase is brought along, as is an entire library of “Dr Seuss and Eric Carle” books and, not to mention, the space-consuming nappies, wet wipes and milk bottles needed for the really young ones.

While you may not be traveling as lightly as you used to, and I often joke about my mammoth packing list, the reality is most parents are wise enough to choose a few select items for baby that truthfully don’t take up too much room. Plus, the younger the child, the more easily distracted they are by you or by the in-flight magazine, and most certainly don’t require an entire library of books. You can sterilize bottles in a hotel room, so you don’t have to bring many baby bottles, and for travel consider purchasing a few Diaperbuds to take up less room in your carry-on.

What Ms. Ee says:

2. The younger the child, the harder it is to get over jet lag:
Very young children cannot force themselves to go to bed or wake up just because local time says it’s the right to do so. Kids will sleep when they’re tired and be up when they’re not. So your young child may be raring to go at 3 a.m., just when your dose of melatonin has kicked in, and of course promptly fall fast asleep when you arrive at Disneyland. Babies who haven’t yet regulated their sleep pattern fall outside this, so in this respect traveling with infants is easier than traveling with young children, although you may be curious as to what wonders of Tokyo/San Francisco/Paris/the Maldives can be appreciated by a little one whose world has barely extended beyond his mother’s breast.

Her tone is most offensive to me here, in addition to being actually incorrect. Whatever you think of sleep training, Dr. Ferber is the director of The Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders, at Children’s Hospital in Boston and has been researching sleep and sleep disorders in children for over 20 years. He mentions that kids’ circadian rhythms are more flexible, and that jet lag in children is easier to cope with than in adults. And Ms. Ee’s quip about what a young infant can possibly appreciate about being in a foreign city? Probably nothing, but who cares? The memories and photographs will last forever, and traveling young instills a love of travel that’s hard to extinguish.

What Ms. Ee says:

3. Travel to a destination that serves French fries:
Unless your kid has an abnormally educated palate, hold off on that culinary tour of India. Do not attempt to travel to a place where there isn’t kid-friendly food. This seemingly small detail is essential for a successful holiday with young children. French fries, nuggets, pizza and the like will save your holiday. If you’re the type of traveler for whom the most worthy destinations are places where there isn’t a basket of fries to be found, then you have some compromising to do. While sampling local cheese, wild curries and exotic meats may be exciting for you, all a young child wants is some fried, fast food or at the very least, a bowl mac and cheese.

While this “Rule” is most upsetting mostly because of what it says about Ms. Ee’s children’s eating habits, I seriously doubt there’s anywhere in the world that does not serve “kid-friendly food”. Although I bristle at the use of that phrase because it suggests that all kids want to eat is junk. Even the pickiest of eaters would find food in India just fine. Ever heard of Basmati rice or Naan bread? Also, last time I checked (ie: GOOGLE) they have McDonalds in India, they just don’t serve beef. They do, however, serve deep fried pizza.

Ms. Ee says:

4. You can’t have too much inflight entertainment for young children:
If you wonder why parents of young kids travel with five pieces of luggage, it’s because three of those five bulging bags are filled with toys, books, games and gadgets lest junior gets bored for more than a second and all hell breaks loose. The extra bags are filled with several changes of clothes (for when junior throws up all over himself), a mountain of wet wipes (to clean junior and everything within a five-metre radius), children’s drugs (we’re not using them to get the kids to fall asleep, promise) and a bottle of whiskey for mum and dad hastily bought at duty free.

Even my extensive carry-on packing list only suggests items that can easily be packed in the usual luggage allotment. Generally I save the electronics until all other means are exhausted, but the iPad has seriously help my kids develop from good travelers, to absolutely no trouble at all. A few new shows and apps uploaded before our last trip, and my kids were silent for the entire duration of our last flight. No joke. Also? Kids clothes are small, changes in case of accidents don’t take up that much room.

Ms. Ee says:

5. Strollers are as much a bane as a boon:

Skip your morning workout and push a fully loaded stroller across the beach instead. Being able to strap a child into a stroller and load it with stuff that would otherwise be on your back is huge relief for an exhausted parent. But when on the road other considerations come into play that sometimes thwart this:
1. It is not humanly possible for one adult to push a luggage trolley laden with four suitcases (remember the stuffed giraffe) and a stroller at the same time (yes it’s okay to balance your child on top of the suitcases)
2. While airline staff swear on their life your stroller would be waiting for you when you got off the plane, it is often found at the baggage carousel, a good 15-minute walk away
3. Your exotic destination is likely to be non-stroller friendly so your buggy sits folded up in your hotel room for most of the trip.
So you end up only going as far as your young child can walk (to the nearest restaurant that serves French fries and back); or as far as you can carry them in your strap-on carrier (yes the Wat-of-500-steep-steps is too much); or you spend most of your holiday by the hotel’s baby pool.

Here’s the thing, when you’re traveling with a stroller-aged child, a stroller is not just a stroller, it is a high chair, a bed, a baby jail, and also a luggage trolley. A stroller that’s easy to travel with plus a good lightweight carrier or sling means baby has options and so do you. Also, savvy parents know what type of stroller their destination is most suited towards. Here, Ms. Ee is just being kinda insulting. (And no, the Wat-of-500-steep-steps is not too much, if you’re prepared with an appropriate child carrier and realistic expectations of what you’re trying to accomplish. Sheesh.)

Ms. Ee finishes with:

Despite all of the above, traveling with young children is great fun and terrific bonding time for busy parents; but it is hard work. So make it easier by choosing travel options that the more intrepid of us would recoil at (that’s right, no backpacking around India), but the young one would love (Club Med, theme parks, all-in-one resorts win).

While I would never disparage Club Med, theme parks, or all-inclusive resorts, (well maybe I would, back in my travel snob days), the idea that doing India with kids – or anywhere else for that matter – is not an option, is ridiculous.  Today’s parents are well-traveled and well-researched, and can and should plan for the type of travel they want to do and are prepared to do. Ms. Ee’s article comes off like a woman disparaging feminism, thinking it will make her more attractive to men. And I think it’s unfair to let articles like this go unchecked, because if parents want to travel, they should and they can and it’s really not as hard as the mainstream media would have you believe.

I wasn’t the only one annoyed by this article, check out what some others in the family travel online community had to say!

• A King’s Life: The Surprisingly Easy Truth of Traveling with Kids http://www.akingslife.com/2012/02/the-surprisingly-easy-truth-of-traveling-with-kids
• The “Secret” to Traveling with Children by Susan W http://familytravelbucketlist.com/the-secret-to-traveling-with-children
• Worst Family Travel Advice I’ve Ever Read http://www.thenomadicfamily.com/2012/02/worse-family-travel-advice-ive-ever.html by Gabi Klaf @The Nomadic Family.com
• Debunking cnn’s rules for traveling with kids by Mary @Bohemiantravelers http://www.bohemiantravelers.com/2012/02/debunking-cnns-rules-for-traveling-with.html
• How Do you Travel with Children? by Alisa @ Living Outside of the Box http://livingoutsideofthebox.com/2012/02/15/how-do-you-travel-with-children/ ‎
• 5 Rules of Travel With Kids: A Traveling Child Responds by Jennifer Miller http://edventureproject.com/5-rules-of-traveling-with-kids-a-traveling-child-responds/
• Shocking Tips on Traveling with Kids That Went Unnoticed…It is Time to Demystify The Five Rules of Traveling with Kids by Claudia Looi @travelwritingpr http://travelwritingpro.com/shocking-tips-traveling-kids-unnoticedit-time-demystify-rules-traveling-kids/
• 5 Amazing Reasons To Travel With Your Kids! http://travelexperta.com/2012/02/5-reasons-family-travel-is-a-must.html
• French fries and chicken nuggets are travel essentials: The worst family travel advice ever by Nancy Sathre-Vogel @familyonbikes http://familyonbikes.org/blog/2012/02/the-worlds-worst-family-travel-advice
• More Than French Fries by lisa Shusterman http://aroundtheworldineasyways.com/2012/02/more-than-french-fries/
• Rules are What You Make Them: Paving Your Own Way Through Family Travel by Jessica @Suitcases and Sippy Cups  http://wp.me/p1B5LL-Fb
• Why “Easy” Travel Options Aren’t Always the Best for Kids- a Rebuttal to CNNGo “5 Rules of Traveling With Kids” by Jody Halsted @iatraveler http://familyrambling.com/family-travel-tips-5-rules/travel-resources/
• CNNGo Five Rules of Travelling With Kids Are You For Real - http://www.newlifeontheroad.com/five-reals-of-travelling-with-kids/
• Myths, NOT rules, of traveling with kids by Kate Rehkopf @experientialfam http://experientialfamily.com/myths-not-rules-of-traveling-with-kids/
• My Reality (Not Rules) When Traveling with Kids by Keryn Means @walkingontravel http://walkingontravels.com/2012/02/15/my-reality-not-rules-when-traveling-with-kids/
• “Yes ! It is possible to travel with children of all ages” by Susus 7 http://growingracelife.wordpress.com/yes-you-can!/
• Forget the Rules of Travel – Try Backpacking with Kids in Yellowstone National Park by @sandrafoyt http://albanykid.com/2012/02/15/yellowstone-national-park-backpacking-with-kids
• 5 Rules of Traveling with kids NOT to Follow http://www.motravels.com/2012/02/5-rules-of-traveling-with-kids-not-to.html

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Back when "I" was a baby...

It’s been almost five years since I launched Have Baby Will Travel. And since then, the online world has exploded with so many wonderful family travel resources and personal blogs dedicated to seeing the world with children in tow.

Whether you’re seeking more specific information on a particular facet of travel with kids, or you want to read about the exciting lifestyles of those doing round-the-world trips with tots in tow, please check out my Family Travel Resources & Blogs page.

I’m delighted to no longer be alone on the Internets talking about travel with kids! It’s nice to know someone has your back when dealing with nasty online comments I’m constantly adding to this list, so check back often for new additions to our family travel family!

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Myrtle Beach? Yes, please...

When I was small, the family that babysat me went to Myrtle Beach every year for March Break. They piled their four lovely girls into the family station wagon, and drove the sixteen hours (16!) from Toronto to South Carolina every year. Since I usually stayed in the city for March Break, save for one fateful year when my dad my dad drove up a hill sideways in a snowstorm en route to the airport for a trip to Florida, I thought Myrtle Beach sounded like paradise. And now that I’m a grown up with a family of my own who’s looking for a summer beach vacation on a budget? Myrtle Beach is sounding even better. The nice people at HomeAway asked if I’d consider renting a vacation home or condo, and I do love that idea.

With its vast sandy beach, and the mix of corny and fun attractions you typically get with a tourist trap, Myrtle Beach seems like just the place we’d love to get away to for a few days – kind of like Niagara Falls but with water you can actually go in! We’re not looking at a major cultural experience here, but days filled with fresh air and sunshine and good (and junk) food.

At my old job, the girl I sat beside rented a house with her extended family for a week every year. And I’m pretty sure this is the house they’d rent on the HomeAway website. With the large amount of travel we’ve done as a family, what appeals to us the most is the one form of travel that we’ve actually not done – renting a house or condo in the destination we fancy.

Clearly I Need To Work Harder...

We prefer to self-cater our holidays, as we’ve found that’s the easiest on your wallet and your waistline. I’ll admit to a lack of self-control where buffets are concerned, but looking after most of your own meals means no waiting for restaurants to open with early risers in tow, and you’re pretty certain that what you’re giving your kids is actually what they’ll eat.  For some reason or another, though, we’ve just done efficiency rooms instead of looking for a condo – which is actually pretty dumb of us especially since we’ve been traveling with a baby. Depending on your rental or your destination,  vacation homes and condos for rent can include cribs and baby necessities, and you’d certainly appreciate having access to a washer and dryer when you’re staying for a week at the beach.

So while February trudges on, I’ll keep dreaming about maybe (maybe!) braving a road trip this summer, especially if we can stay in the house my friend’s family stays in. With four bedrooms, maybe we can convince some friends to come along!

HomeAway offers the world’s largest selection of vacation home rentals that provide travelers with memorable vacation experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations.  Make memories where you stay, not just where you go.  HomeAway.com - let’s stay together.

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Grace Bay Beach, Turks & Caicos

I launched Have Baby Will Travel almost five years ago, with twenty family travel destinations and the goal of adding more and more each month. However, when you’re running the show solo, and have no idea what you’re doing, these things take a little longer than planned. But at last I am happy to announce a new destination on Have Baby Will Travel – the Turks & Caicos Islands.

I was fortunate enough to visit Providenciales last year with my daughter as we were invited to check out Beaches Turks & Caicos for a few days. While we did not get to see much of the island outside of the resort, I was fascinated by this chain of islands made up mostly of expats for the sole purpose of finance and tourism. The bright side? The beautiful beaches and bountiful sea are the real draws, so there’s no guilt necessary for simply enjoying them for the bulk of your stay.

In addition to the basic info on Turks & Caicos, we also have a few Trip Reports as well. Trip Reports are first-hand accounts of their stays submitted by parents. Have Baby Will Travel’s Trip Reports are always vetted for authenticity, and who knows what parents are looking for in a hotel better than other parents?!

Have you visited Turks & Caicos with your family? I’d love to hear about it! Drop me a line and tell me how your trip went, and let’s give other parents all the info they need to make conscious decisions about where to visit with their little ones!

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Azul Beach Hotel, Puerto Morelos

When I first started Have Baby Will Travel, my goal was a tad lofty – to be the Trip Advisor for the travel with baby and toddler set. Had I known then how much work this would be, I might not have done this at all, so it appears as though when starting a new venture, ignorance is bliss!

As a new parent, I trusted fellow parents’ opinions about baby care and parenting issues much more so than most “experts”, and I found most family travel pieces online read more like press releases, or else they were clearly not written for families with babies and toddlers in mind.

The trip report section of Have Baby Will Travel has not developed or expanded as big or as quickly as I had hoped, but when a review does come in, it’s very exciting!

Trip Report For Azul Beach Hotel in Puerto Morelos, Mexico

A Room With A View, And A Change Table...

I had the pleasure of visiting Azul Beach on a press trip to the Riviera Maya a few years ago. We were only there for the afternoon, but I found myself wishing we were staying there! While it does not have a baby club, nannies and/or babysitting can be arranged, and baby care and baby gear packages are included and easily arranged. It’s minutes from Cancun’s airport, but miles away from the body shots and thumping nightclubs (not that there’s anything wrong with that )

I’m very grateful to Shweta for sharing her experience of her first family vacation with her 18-month-old daughter – please enjoy her review of Azul Beach Hotel in Puerto Morelos, Mexico!

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"Remember how cute I am when I wake in the night at home..."

In those early days of parenthood, one of your biggest questions probably was “When do babies sleep through the night?” And if you’ve just come back from traveling with your baby, your latest question may be “When will my baby sleep through the night again?” We call it the “travel hangover”. We’re experiencing that right now – although coping with the death of my father has taken an extra toll. Both kids have ended up in our bed at some point over the past two weeks, and that’s really nothing new for us after traveling together. It doesn’t stress me out anymore, because I know eventually we’ll be back on track. But I do remember, when my daughter was a baby, fretting over our seemingly lost routine.

I will admit to being much lazier now that we have two kids and a King-sized bed. If either has an issue, into our bed they come. But this is me talking as a mom of a now 6yr-old and a (rather large) 2 3/4yr old – in the olden days and in our olden bed, I thought differently. I felt nervous co-sleeping when we had our old Queen bed, and our daughter as a baby and toddler was, quite possibly, the world’s worst bedmate. We probably would have co-slept more often if it meant we actually slept. For us it was more like co-pinching-kicking-squirming-nose-and-eye-poking than actual sleeping.

What did we do? We stuck it out.

1. We went immediately back to our routine at home. We were all much happier and more content with a structured routine, so it was important to regain our footings with that asap. Our daughter would go down ok on her own (most of the time), but it would be a late night waking that would inevitably keep all of us up if we didn’t address it. I had a pillow and sleeping bag on standby, and if she squawked in the night I would plod down the hall and park myself on her floor. It wasn’t the comfiest, but my presence eventually calmed her and she would settle. Usually I’d wake up an hour or two later, and be able to creep back to my own bed.

2. We prepared for the worst. And our worst was about two and a half weeks. That was when she was not quite two and a half, but I’m not sure that has anything to do with it At any rate, we had already traveled with her enough times to realize that there would be a transition when we returned home, and were already mentally prepared for it. The reason why I was the one who bit the bullet as sole floor sleeper was simply because my husband is 6’7″, and our daughter’s room at the time was 7ft x 9ft – he didn’t fit on the floor space to sleep on it and we really needed her to stay in her crib.

3. We talked about our trip a lot and showed her lots of pictures. Although usually it feels good to be home after a trip, sometimes you can be left feeling out of sorts and wonder if the trip really happened at all. Imagine how a baby or toddler feels when they are just beginning to process how everything works. Add that to no longer sharing a sleeping space or bed and it’s bound to leave them feeling wrangy. Showing our daughter lots of pictures of our travels with her, and now Bub as well, keeps our journey fresh in their heads and the fond memories will hopefully last a little longer.

Usually the travel days on either side of your trip are enough to tire everyone out to give you a head start on either developing your “travel routine” or reverting back to your home one. If you’re coping with jet lag, you’ve got that extra added bonus of dealing with time changes. But never once have we regretted going anywhere for the sake of a few days or weeks of disruption, and the beautiful memories and pictures will last us a lifetime.

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Christmas Day, 2007

The story goes I took my first unassisted steps on a trans-Atlantic flight to the UK. And the story does not include eye-rolling hipsters or grumpy airline staff but delighted flight attendants whisking me off for visits to the cockpit and sips of juice. As a first generation Canadian, I travelled frequently with my parents, taking a trip “home” at least once a year. This was not your typical concept of family travel, but visits that were essential to my family and made possible thanks to professional parents who budgeted for these trips.

They weren’t always for fun, though. Now as a mother I recognize the stress involved in a last minute trip with my mom to Glasgow, when my granddad was ailing. Traveling solo with a preschooler in tow is never a picnic, but this story goes my mom’s hands were so full she had to hold our boarding passes in her mouth and I looked at her pitifully and said “Teddy’s heavy.”

With my mom there were yearly trips to Scotland, and from there we’d visit with family but also explore the UK. With my dad there were the more typical family vacations to Florida, but also time spent in the country fishing and canoeing.

As I got older I didn’t like traveling with my family. I wanted to hang out with my friends in the heat of August in Toronto instead of in the cool weather in Glasgow. When I got old enough to avoid my then-stepmother, I did, so I didn’t go anywhere with my dad either.

It was after my mother’s death when I was 17, that the travel spark was reignited in me, and apparently my six week solo jaunt to Europe in my twenties mimicked the one my mom was planning to take before she met my dad. My husband talks of a road trip he took with his buddy, and it sounds remarkably similar to the story of my dad driving to Mexico with his friend when they were still teenagers.

I’ve lost count of the number of trips we’ve taken as a family, and I’m acutely aware of the privilege required to be able to say that. Now at age six, my daughter and I are starting to have discussions about living conditions in other parts of the world, and how lucky she is to be able to visit these places. The cost of a plane ticket is something that we must plan and budget for, but now she realizes that many of the lovely people that cross our path when we visit poorer countries would never be able to visit us in Canada. The fact that we are having these kinds of conversations now leads me to believe that seeing the world at a young age broadens the mind, and will help my children grow into the kind of tolerant, kind and open minded adults I hope they will become.

We’ve just returned from our 5th family vacation to Cuba. My husband and I both marveled at how truly we have become a traveling machine – bags are becoming fewer, no real fear of a mid-flight meltdown. Someone wasn’t thrilled about having to sit on his bum when we were landing, but other than that, smooth sailing. And on our flight home, truly some of the sweetest and kindest flight staff I’ve encountered in a long time. But this trip ended with a heavy heart.

My dad died on New Year’s Day.

The last few days of our trip were memorable for the sadness and grief I’m feeling, but also because of the determination I felt to make the most of them as that’s what my dad would have wanted.

Coming home has been especially difficult, as not only am I returning to reality, my new reality is one without my dad. In addition to my responsibilities at work, I also have to make my father’s memorial arrangements, and sort out his apartment and paperwork. And do all this while coping with a grief so heavy that I haven’t eaten or slept much. It seemed like shuttering this site for a while would be the sensible thing to do, but for some reason I feel more compelled than ever to move it forward. My dad was intensely proud of the work I’ve done here, and that probably has a lot to do with my feeling like I have to press on.

2011 seemed to be the year of defending against the naysayers, and it felt very negative to always be on the defensive. 2012, for me, will be about positivity. Obviously I think travel with children is a good idea, I built a business about it. Moving forward will be  about telling more stories about travel with baby, featuring more trip reports, and speaking with more parents who’ve seen the world with their baby in tow – all with the mission of inspiring, motivating, and helping families travel with their babies, toddlers, and young children.

Happy New Year, and Happy Travels.

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Sterilizing Baby Bottles In A Hotel Room...

When my daughter was teeny, one of the things I couldn’t wrap my head around was how I would feed baby when traveling with her. Would baby food explode in our suitcase? Could I prepare formula with bottled water? The answer to those questions is NO and YES. No, baby food will not explode but pack it in a zippered plastic bag just in case it leaks, and don’t you know how lucky you are to have those new squeezable foil pouches?! And Yes, but make sure it’s not “mineral” water and that it has less than 20mg of sodium in it (most has less than 1mg).

But the one thing I simply could not fathom was how to sterilize baby bottles in a hotel room.

If your accommodation has a kitchenette or even just a microwave, you’re laughing. A pot of boiling water, or drag your microwave sterilizeralong (mine was pretty low profile) or even the new microwave sterilizing bagsmake life easy (er) for parents on the road. But, our hotel room did not have a kitchenette or a microwave, so I had to figure it out.

We were traveling to Cuba where the tap water is potable but they do recommend bottled for more than just brushing your teeth…

Because I am a freak, I still sterilized my daughter’s bottles even though she was already 11mos and down to just two bottles of formula per day. I purposely waited until she was finished nursing before we traveled, which was mostly due to my post-partum body issues more than nursing in public hangups. I learned with Bub that an exclusively breastfeeding infant is the easiest kind of baby to travel with, but you would never have convinced me of that as a first time mom.

But I digress…

Since Have Baby Will Travel was not invented then, I do not have any pictures of this process. If I was a little less lazy, I would re-enact it in my bathroom sink. But also my bathroom is in dire need of a reno, so I know you can figure this out! It is fairly labour intensive, and if baby is exclusively bottle-fed it is a lot of bottles to wash, but it most certainly can be done!

A Travel Kettle...

What to pack:
-A small container of dish soap
-A travel kettle(double check the voltage for your destination and/or your resort)
-Bottle brush
-Little bottle “tongs” the ones I have came with my microwave sterilizer

Step 1:
Fill travel kettleand set to boil. Wish out sink, stopper and tongs with hot soapy water, and rinse.

Step 2:
Once kettlehas boiled, rinse sink, stopper and tongs with boiling water. Refill kettleand set to boil.

Step 3:
Fill sink with hot soapy water and wash bottles, nipples, sippy cups, breast pump parts, pacifiers, and any feeding utensils you want sterilized. Rinse with hot tap water and drain sink.

Step 4:
When the kettlehas boiled for the 2nd time, pour over washed items and swish around. Carefully remove items using the bottle tongs, and place to air dry on a clean towel.

I did this in the evening once my daughter was down for the night. It took about 20min, but I was only doing two bottles per day. If I was doing it for an exclusively bottle-fed infant, I’d probably switch to the pre-sterilized drop in liners, so all you had to wash would be the nipples and caps. In that case, it may be worth it to buy and drag along an actual sterilizer.

If your baby is very young or very small or has any health issues, I’d make an effort to get a room with a kitchenette or microwave so there would be no room for error. Other than that, hotel sinks can be used for more than just washing bottles or your hands, you can bathe your baby in it too!

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Have Baby Will Travel is delighted to partner with Beaches Resorts for an amazing giveaway as part of the Passports With Purpose initiative to build two libraries in Zambia with Room To Read. Each $10.00 (USD) donation you make via the Passports With Purpose website counts as an entry towards  this awesome prize of a three night stay at the Beaches Resort of your choice in Jamaica! Your land-only prize for a family of  four (two adults, two children under 15) includes all meals and snacks, unlimited beverages (including alcohol and wine), nightly entertainment, all water and land sports, use of the baby and kids clubs,  return airport transfers in destination, and all hotel taxes and tips.

Beaches Boscobel, Ochos Rios, Jamaica

I had the pleasure of visiting Beaches Turks & Caicos last year, so I know the Beaches’ “Luxury Included” vacation lives up to its name. Should you be the lucky winner, your get to choose which Beaches Resort you will grace with your presence: Beaches Negril or Beaches Sandy Bay in Negril, or Beaches Boscobel Beach in Ochos Rios. **Read the small print below for the details.**

In it’s fourth year, Passports With Purpose brings together a community of travel writers and bloggers to raise money for communities in need. This year’s goal is $80,000 USD to build two libraries in Zambia with Room To Read. From now until December 16, 2011, each $10.00 USD donation qualifies as an entry to win this great getaway, or you can donate to win any of the other wonderful travel-related prizes offered from the Passports With Purpose community. Donations are made directly into Room To Read’s PayPal account, and although all can enter to win, only US residents will be eligible for official tax receipts.

Beaches Negril, Jamaica

Beaches Resorts is part of The Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International. The Sandals Foundation funds projects in three core areas: education, community, and the environment, in an effort to play a meaningful role in the lives of the Caribbean communities in which they operate. To learn more about the Sandals Foundation, please visit sandalsfoundation.org.

Click here to visit the Passports With Purpose site, to enter to win this prize of a three night stay at the Beaches Resort in Jamaica of your choice. The fundraiser closes at midnight PST on December 16, with all winners to be notified by email or phone on or before Friday December 23. The more you donate, the better your chances of winning!

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Beaches Sandy Bay, Negril, Jamaica

**The stay is subject for travel for one year, from date of issue of Beaches prize certificate. Blackout travel dates may apply between December 15, 2011 – March 31, 2012.

 **Prize trips are based on space availability at the resorts and confirmation of travel dates will only be provided 30 days prior to the departure date.

**Beaches Resorts reserves the right to relocate any processed prizewinner from their hotel of choice to an alternate resort within the chain or to alternate dates, based on availability of space.

**A processing fee of US$25.00 per adult couple per night (3 nights = total US$75) will apply to the Beaches prize trip. Payment by credit card will be required prior to travel.

**The stay is not transferable nor is it redeemable for cash and the prizewinner must be at least 18 years of age.

**A Beaches gift certificate outlining the terms of the prize and redemption procedures for the prize stay will be provided at the conclusion of the promotion and upon receipt of support collateral material

**Winner’s name, email address and phone number will be given to Coastal International, in order to prepare the Beaches gift certificate.

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