About

I had this blog started when I became a mummy and realised that travel is never going to be the same again. For those of you who think you're doomed to a life on local shores until the kids can take care of themselves, well, I can attest to the contrary. You just need to start somewhere :)

I won't deceive you of course. The thought of taking any trip with a child can be daunting even with the most cooperative of younglings. Will kiddie be able to tolerate long rides, be it on a plane, train or automobile? What will they eat and how am I going to get this food on the go? Where will they sleep? How am I going to handle bath time? Etc, etc.

Well, you can get a whole load of answers from friends who have experience, parenting resources online and travel forums, but no matter how prepared you think you are, there is only one way to find out and that is to embark on your first trip.

One of our earliest trips that took nerves of steel to say 'Yes we can and will do this!' was to take our 16-month-old boy on a European road trip! When I first told family and friends about our itinerary, most of them thought my hubby and I must be fond of punishment and hard labour. Well, before you think I must be crazy, here's the kicker - I was also 5 months pregnant with No.2. Ok, now you can think I'm crazy.

But jokes aside, I don't really think what we did was anything extraordinary. There are many mamas and papas the world over who take their children on epic trips and I truly admire them for their spirit of adventure and positive mindset. If they can do it, I'm quietly confident that we can too. And if I can do it, I think you can too :)

Jake at the Tracadero, with a shoe missing

Our 2 week vacation covered 4 countries and about 10 cities. We landed in Paris for a couple of nights before heading up to Strasbourg to meet up with friends for the rest of the trip. Then we crossed over to the German side for a look around in Kehl, which is literally just a stone's throw away. The sole purpose was really to pick up some groceries. It's cheaper on the German side!

Our ride for the road trip was a comfy Mercedes Vito van. We packed in 5 adults and 3 kids and drove through the Alsatian wine route for some lovely Pinot Gris, stopping in Colmar for a spot of lunch and checking into Lucern, Switzerland for the night. Then it was on to Italy where we relished our time in Parma and Milan before heading home.

It's amazing what a travel experience could offer in terms of parenting lessons and there is nothing like seeing the world through your child's eyes. With this trip under our belt, we are ready for any destination now.

Have milk will travel