Travel is fundamental to our relationship and one of our biggest considerations for having a baby is what it would do to our life on the road.
In West’s first year, we covered thousands of miles but because of the pandemic it was all on the road. We traveled through Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Idaho, and Colorado, sometimes many times over. And it was wonderful. With a baby, we still felt at home on the road and it had become a part of his routine.
But over the winter, we got antsy and started scheming. We went through many iterations of trips starting with a list of all the places we really wanted to go and then applied a filter of reasonable restrictions for traveling with a one year old. No jetting off to Bali for us! Those filters included:
- Jet lag – the sleep killer
- Layovers – the COVID spreader
- Length of flight – the aluminum prison
Ultimately, we landed in Costa Rica (literally!) for the ease of a direct flight with no time difference for us. We thought of it as the pilot trip (oh the puns!). A shake out of sorts. Would we survive? What was it like hauling a (potentially screaming) tiny person through TSA? Would we all get COVID and get ‘stuck’ in CR?
So what did we learn?
Flying with a one year old is intimating, but manageable.
Look, obviously people travel with babies and toddlers, but we all know 92% of the time it’s pure hell for everyone around you. If you’ve never done it, and we obviously hadn’t at that point, it was an intimidating goal to be a part of the glorious 8%of the not sucky.
A good game plan goes a long way and willingness to throw out the game plan goes even further. In fact, for us the flight went really well. West was curious and engaged, slept when after a snack, and didn’t lose his cool once.
Lean into the adventure
Yes, this is easier said than done and it’s almost too trite to say it: make the journey as important as the destination. Embrace that travel is more about adventure than relaxation with one year old.
We went on a really great coffee tour, a butterfly tour, swam below waterfalls, and ate seven courses over the jungle canopy. Each of these had some really lovely moments. We learned some things, saw beautiful sights.
Each of these also had some really whiny moments which distracted from the enjoyment. At the end of the day, we were still on an adventure in a different country, expanding our experience of the world.
It wasn’t until we hit the beach during the second half of the trip that there was anything remotely resembling relaxation.
Get wild with that schedule and routine.
Be fluid. Nothing you knew at home will necessarily hold true on the road. There are new sights, sounds, people… all the things you travel for are a bazillion times more interesting for the tiny human.
So, try to let go of the fact that they didn’t nap while you hiked. You both will survive it. We learned this on a hike to a waterfall where West decided to cry through what should have been a walking nap, but by the time we made it to the waterfall, he was enthralled by the river and hanging in the water.
Those early travel wakeups? They are great opportunities for beach sunrises.
Find a couple of basecamps and dig into an area.
This is contrary to how we used to travel. Pre-baby we would move swiftly and far to pack it all in. No ‘slow travel’ for us!
There is beauty in really getting to know a place. We stayed in a little beach town called Dominical for the second half of the trip and our favorite routine became beach time, walks into town, and a glass of rose at noon. It made us feel a part of the rhythm of the town and West loved the ocean.
Always have the lunch daiquiri.
And by that we mean, treat yourself. Vacation may feel a bit more challenging, which is all the more reason to find moments of whimsy, decadence, and wonder for you, not just the kid.
Travel with a one year still expanded our experience of the world and created novelty and wonder, which in my mind is the opportunity of travel. It also expanded West’s world. The value of that is priceless and beyond anything institutional education can offer. Did we come home feeling rested? No. Did we get pretty frustrated when he fussed through meals and we couldn’t really enjoy them? You bet. Would we do it again? Over and over, we will do it again. Not two days after we landed we were planning the next.
