So after my Mother’s Day extravaganza last week, this week has been a bit quieter. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been up to a bit of work behind the scenes. I wish I could tell you what I’ve been up to, but you’ll have to wait until Tuesday to find out. This picture should serve as a hint – and if you’re wondering what I’ll be covering next week, well, I hope that it tells you.

Have a fabulous weekend!

So periodically I’m going to share some stories and interviews from other traveling parents that explore just how they turned their family travel dreams into reality. Today I’m happy to bring you the first story from Britt Reints, who recently spent ten months traveling in RV with her family. Thanks so much for sharing your inspirational story Britt.

Technically, I traveled before I had kids.

I went to Italy when I was 16, Jamaica when I was 17, and Mexico when I was 19. Before that, I’d gotten to visit dozens of cities as the daughter of divorced parents and grandparents who lived far away.

And then, at 19 years old, I had my first baby.

The traveling didn’t stop, but the trips immediately got shorter. I took long weekends to nearby cities with my husband and my girlfriends, feeding my wanderlust snacks. The main dishes in my life were work and motherhood, especially after baby number two arrived.

As the kids got a little older, my getaways became more frequent. I took more opportunities to travel for work, a luxury that was easy to justify when I began working as a travel blogger. My appetite for exploration grew and I soon found myself wanting to be on the road all the time.

But what about my kids? And my husband?

I adored my family and, as much as I loved traveling, I hated that I wasn’t able to share the best part of my life with them. Sure, we’d take the occassional weekend trip to the beach or Disney, but mostly because we were lucky enough to live in Orlando and received free invitations to local tourist attractions. The children’s school and my husband’s work made it impossible to convert my short business trips into longer family excursions.

Then I had an idea. A crazy, insane, impossible idea.

I told my husband as we were going to bed one night that I wanted to take off and travel for an entire year. At first, he thought I meant a really long work trip and that, as I usually did, I would be traveling alone. Once I assured him that, no, I would not be leaving him or the kids behind for a year (as if!), he was on board with the idea.

Eight months after that bedtime declaration, after selling our house and most of our belongings and giving away my car, we moved into a 24-foot travel trailer. As a family. We headed out for what would become a 10-month road trip around America.

Over the course of our trip, I got to revisit my favorite places with my kids, and I saw a whole new side of them. New York City took on another dimension when I walked Central Park with my 6 and 11 year old and Las Vegas with kids was a completely new – and surprisingly fun – experience for me.

Traveling with the kids became less about the places we visited and more about the time we had to connect. The changing scenery and new foods gave us something to talk about and memories to share. I got to know my kids better and, I think, they got to know me.

Now that I’ve fully embraced traveling with kids, I feel their presence missing on every trip I take alone. Of course, sometimes that’s not so bad.

Britt Reints is a freelance writer who recently spent 10 months traveling around America in an RV with her husband and two kids. She writes about the courage it takes to pursue happiness – whether in an RV or house in the suburbs – at In Pursuit of Happiness.

This is one of my favorite recent pictures of me and the boys taken on our family trip to Boston last summer. I love it because of what it makes me remember: We had a long but very fun day walking the Freedom Trail and after a bit of a wait for the water shuttle, were riding back to our beautiful hotel. All of us were feeling punchy, enjoying the breeze, the view, and each other. And Teddy had just indulged in his very favorite kind of toilet humor yelling “Fart toilet!” – because really, what’s funnier than those two words shouted in conjunction? – at the top of his lungs. Giggles abounded.

I love being a traveling mom and there’s no better day than today to reflect on that fact. As a way to celebrate, I invite you to share a link to your own photo of yourself on the road with your kids. Have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Even though I created the assignment, it’s hard for me to decided which was my favorite trip with a baby or toddler. It certainly doesn’t help that I spent so much time on the road with one – I’ve got a lot of locations to choose from. There was the magic of riding double decker buses in London, or playing in the Boboli Garden in Florence, or riding the Zilker Zephyr in Austin – all absolutely top-notch and memorable things to do with a one-year-old.

But if I think if I had to pick my favorite trip with a toddler, it would have to be Vermont, and to get even more specific, the swimming hole in the Mad River in Waitsfield perhaps because it’s a place I spent so much time with both of my babies. The water was frigid but clear, there were myriad rocks for throwing and exploring, and nothing filled my heart with more joy than the backdrop of mountains and blue sky. No matter how sleep deprived I was (and often during those visits I was very sleep deprived) when we arrived at the swimming hole I would relax into a kind of suspended joy that you might even call bliss. Simple – that’s the word that comes to mind, and I think when we travel with little ones, sometimes it’s the simple things that are very best.

I’m not the only one who thinks so either. Amy Whitley of Pit Stops for Kids loves beach outings for their ease:

Amie O’Shaughnessy of Ciao Bambino! also chooses the beach as her favorite baby-friendly destination:

And for Corinne McDermott of Have Baby Will Travel, the beach is a happy place to remember:

Some traveling mothers prefer sailing on the ocean to sitting next to it. Colleen Lanin of Travel Mamas has fond memories of cruising with her toddler.

Mary Solio of The World is a Book also loved cruising with her daughter:

And of course, what makes you feel more like you’re getting away from it all than staying on an island? Lisa Goodmurphy of Gone With the Family has made one her family’s favorite vacation spot:

Nicole Wiltrout of Arrows Sent Forth cherishes the memory of a vacation that lifted her out of a bit of new-mom blues:

While we learned yesterday that plane travel with a toddler can be stressful, Keryn Means of Walkingon Travels demonstrates that it’s also worth it:

Meg Nesterov of Knocked Up Abroad Travels has been around the block a bit and chooses Turkey as her favorite family destination:

And finally, for Rebecca Darling of R We There Yet Mom? it’s the joy of  discovery that makes traveling with a toddler fun, no matter where they are:

Ultimately the best thing about traveling with babies and toddlers is of course the memories. Taking your child out into the world and watching him or her experience it is one of the greatest joys of parenting, even when they are too little to tell you what they think words. I’m so grateful to all of these inspiring mothers who have shared their stories all week. I hope you’ve enjoyed them as much as I have and will join me in wishing every one of them a very Happy Mother’s Day.

Traveling with babies and toddlers can certainly be an adventure, and sometimes not the best kind. Diaper blowouts, unexpected crying jags or tantrums, fatigue, and illness can all make a trip memorable in the wrong way.

I’ve had my own share of difficult days on the road, perhaps none more so than the first day of our 13-month adventure with Tommy, which involved a nightmarish rental apartment and an insufficient supply of baby food. But one theme that runs through this story and also all those that other traveling moms chose to share here is that of resilience. All of us realized afterward that even the most disastrous of travel days are worth it – and that they often give us something to laugh at later.

Not surprisingly, our stories start on an airplane where Rebecca Darling of R We There Yet Mom? discovered the hazard of a long-legged toddler:

Sometimes it’s little ears and changing pressure that make for travel woe. Lisa Goodmurphy of Gone With the Family learned just how powerful her daughter’s lungs were on one flight:

Flying with a sick toddler is no fun, as Sandra Foyt of Albany Kid shares:

Keryn Means of Walkingon Travels discovered that sometimes stress can happen before the plane even takes off:

Of course, not all travel tales of woe happen on airplanes. Amy Whitley of Pit Stops for Kids discovered that even a happy place can lead to a sad story:

New foods can be a source of excitement on the road as Corinne McDermott of Have Baby Will Travel discovered:

For Nicole Wiltrout of Arrows Sent Forth, a series of small disasters didn’t dampen her travel enthusiasm:

Reading these stories, one thing comes through loud and clear: When it comes to traveling with babies and toddlers a good mantra to keep in mind is “this too shall pass.” No matter how bad a situation seems in a given moment, the next moment may bring you the kind of traveling joy we’ll be sharing tomorrow when we talk about the favorite trips we’ve taken with our children.

Next to airline travel with babies and toddlers, dining out may be one of the more fraught topics of conversation for new parents. And I’m not going to sugarcoat it – I love to eat out, but during the toddler years, it’s really tough to do so. Mobile children don’t necessarily want to sit still to eat and their concept of an “inside voice” is limited at best. You may find during this time that the wine you used to sip as a complement to your meal has become more of a tool to loosen the tension in your jaw.

Even nursing infants can be a challenge when it comes to restaurants. We embarked on a 3-week, 4000-mile road trip with Tommy when he was a few months old, assuming that dining out would be no problem as up until that point he would usually happily doze in his car seat carrier while we ate. Of course he chose to make that the moment to start fussing at dinnertime. After a long day of driving, we’d find a place to dine and then one of us would have to walk around with a crying baby while the other one ate. We didn’t have a conversation over dinner for the entire trip.

When your child is between the ages of about ten months and two years old, my best tip is to be realistic and patient. Don’t avoid restaurants altogether (I believe that children only learn how to dine out by actually doing so) but try to be sensible in your choices. Eating outside is almost always a great option if a restaurant offers it. Large markets with food stalls and dining areas like Quincy Market in Boston, Reading Terminal in Philadelphia, or the Farmers Market in Los Angeles are also good choices – not only do you have lots of options when it comes to what you’ll eat, but since these spaces tend to be loud and full of movement, your child isn’t going to attract any notice.

And a little bribery can go a long way – when my children were little I wasn’t above pulling a new toy out of my purse that I had purchased just for the occasion or letting them have goldfish crackers for dinner, making up for it with something health later on.

So what do other traveling moms recommend when it comes to eating out with baby?

Corinne McDermott of Have Baby Will Travel says that traveling and dining out with baby can be a snap with a little preparation:

Not finding anything appropriate on the menu for your child? Rebecca Darling of R We There Yet Mom? says don’t suffer in silence.

Traci Suppa  of Go Big or Go Home suggests finding alternatives to traditional restaurants:

As with many things having to do with small children, being prepared is a key part of success when it comes to dining out with babies. Colleen Lanin of Travel Mamas suggests stocking your bag:

Nicole Wiltrout of Arrows Sent Forth uses a similar approach:

And finally, Keryn Means of Walkingon Travels says to be bold when it comes to feeding your child (and yourself) on the road

I have to agree with Keryn – food is such a great way to experience and expose yourself and your family to different cultures. And starting at a young age means your child may be more open to trying different foods in the future.

For more tips about dining on the road with children see my suggestions in Road trip tip: Eating on the road. I share this post also as part of Wanderfood Wednesday at Wanderlust and Lipstick – if you’re feeling hungry for some great food writing and photographs be sure to check it out.

And feel free also to share your own tips for eating on the go with babies and toddlers in the comments below.

When Tommy was nearly eight months old, Matt and I decided that we would spend his first Christmas in Wisconsin, where Matt grew up and where his sister and her family still lived. For reasons that I no longer remember, we decided to drive there from Delaware. It takes about 14 hours to do so.

Now at that point in Tommy’s development he loved to spend a lot of his time standing up. He wasn’t quite old enough to do it unassisted, so we had borrowed a toy that we called an “exer-saucer” from a friend. You may have seen these – stretching several feet across, they have a grooved saucer-shaped bottom where the baby stands, and then a large plastic ring, around the perimeter of which are toys of various types. A child using one can stand in the center, supported by a little sleeve, and rotate their bodies around to play.

Let me just say that it is not a small piece of equipment.

As I packed for our two-week visit, I decided, with the zeal of a new parent, that Tommy would be miserable if we didn’t bring the exer-saucer with us. The more I thought about it, the more imperative it seemed. The problem was that our car was a small sedan; if we had put the toy in the trunk, we wouldn’t have had room for our suitcases or any of the gifts we were bringing with us. So at my insistence, we borrowed a car-top box, which Matt grudgingly installed.

Driving with the box on the car was, how shall I say it? Miserable. It slid around, scratching the roof, and thumping in a very unnerving way. We weren’t exactly aerodynamic, and I shudder to think how much extra gas we used. And it made Matt extremely crabby, which led to more than one tense exchange.

Of course, Tommy enjoyed having his exer-saucer with him. But since the majority of the time he was either on the floor grabbing at the Christmas tree or sitting in the laps of the innumerable relatives that came to see him (did I mention that Matt has lots of extended family?) he probably spent a grand total of about twenty minutes in the thing.

Now, I don’t fault myself for bringing along the exer-saucer; doing so was what I needed to feel happy and secure about that trip. But it definitely taught me to think carefully about what is truly necessary when hitting the road with small children. There’s no one right answer of course – what you need depends on where you are going and also your own personality. But I do kind of wish I had a more experienced mom to tap me on the shoulder and gently suggest that perhaps Tommy would survive without that enormous toy.

For instance, it might have helped to have this piece of wisdom from Keryn Means of Walkingon Travels:

But there are also moms who believe that you can take it with you, like Corinne McDermott of Have Baby Will Travel:

Amie O’Shaughnessy of Ciao Bambino! suggests relying on local stores and rental agencies for baby necessities:

Rebecca Darling of R We There Yet Mom? seconds the recommendation to leave spare diapers behind:

But Colleen Lanin of Travel Mamas warns that you want to make sure you have plenty of the essentials on hand, especially if you will be taking your child on a cruise:

Mary Solio of The World is a Book also recommends packing a little extra gear for cruise ship travel:

Nicole Wiltrout of Arrows Sent Forth has a basic set of principles that will help anyone traveling with babies and toddler plan what to bring:

The takeaway message here? What you need to bring depends on where you are going, how you are getting there, and the specific needs of you and your child. Keeping these three criteria in mind as you get ready to go will help you successfully plan and pack for any family vacation with your baby.

So what are your baby and toddler vacation must-haves? Please feel free to share them in the comments below.

This email got me thinking about what I could do to help new parents who want to travel with their babies or young children. Last week I celebrated 10 years of traveling motherhood; with Mother’s Day coming up next Sunday, I’ve decided to dedicate each day this week to offering tips, inspiration, and stories to all the traveling moms out there, especially those who might be questioning how, where, or why they can bring their children out into the world. And I won’t be doing it alone. Each day I’ll be joined by other fabulous traveling mothers who will offer their own words of wisdom. I’m so excited to bring you the collective experience of this truly amazing group of family travelers who have been round the world and back with their little ones.

I offer this as a tribute to all of the mothers out there who want, as the tagline of my blog reads, to bring the world to their kids and their kids to the world.

So what do I wish I’d known the first time I traveled with Tommy? I wish I’d realized how truly flexible he was. It took me far too long (years in fact!) to realize that as long as his basic needs for food and a place to lay his head were met, he would be just fine. Although in general our well-ordered life was a good thing for Tommy, a delayed nap or bedtime wouldn’t mean that he never slept again, a missed bedtime bath wouldn’t keep him up all night, and a little bit of fussing at the end of a long day in the car wouldn’t kill him or us. And while I laud our efforts to keep Tommy’s on-the-road routine as close to normal as possible (and appreciate that our desire to do so never kept us from traveling) we could have saved ourselves a great deal of stress had we lightened up a little bit.

Tommy could even fall asleep with the light on, a fact I discovered only after spending much time crouched with Matt inside hotel bathrooms (and trust me, even with pillows in them, the tubs aren’t all that comfortable) sipping wine from plastic cups and waiting for the baby to fall asleep in our darkened room.

And it seems I’m not the only one who feels this way – or who resorted to liquor at the end of a long day traveling with baby. Here’s what Corinne McDermott of Have Baby, Will Travel has to add:

For the most part, my daughter was an easy, predictable baby. Unfortunately, (for her or for me, I’m not sure) I was not an easygoing first-time mom. The regular eating and sleeping routines I had established were really more for her benefit than mine – the structured day helped me feel and be more productive and in control. So of course, I was worried about travel messing up my baby’s routine. Or first full day there, she wouldn’t nap in the hotel crib, and I was at a loss. It all seemed like so much work, and I couldn’t relax. Then I took a deep breath, had a beer or three, and went with the flow. In no time we had a new routine – our vacation routine. Instead of napping in the crib, she napped on the beach or poolside – and really, which would you prefer? We usually experience what we refer to as our travel hangover, but we always, always get back on track.

Amie O’Shaughnessy of Ciao Bambino! also learned that a few bad days with baby doesn’t mean you should stay home (that’s her adorable son in the picture above):

We took our son to Europe for the first time when he was 13 months old and the first 48 hours were utter nightmare when he screamed all night and slept all day. Know that babies are resilient and despite a tough start, they often adapt easily, and in some ways, better than we do! Expect the worst and rest assured they will adjust. If I could do it again, we would travel even more during the baby stage as they are so portable and easy to entertain versus the later years.

Keryn Means of Walkingon Travels wishes that she could have lightened up – only in her case, it had more to do with gear:

I wish I knew how very little a three-month-old baby would need on a plane. We gate checked a car seat and stroller and we had an overflowing diaper bag of toys, clothes, and diapers along with our own personal bags. We should have checked as much as possible with our luggage and minimized all we could. All my son needed was a few diapers, one change of clothes, and a baby carrier to be happy the entire flight.

For Colleen Lanin of Travel Mamas, it wasn’t what she wished she knew, but what she wished her husband knew before they left for their first post-baby trip to Hawaii:

As a stay-at-home mom, I was thrilled to have an extra set of hands to help me with diaper changes, bathing the baby, and feedings. My husband, however, seemed cranky. A few days into our trip he ‘fessed up. He had been envisioning a relaxing vacation, similar to our honeymoon in Jamaica, during which he could totally relax. Helping care for our baby seemed a lot like work, rather than a vacation. Once he wrapped his head around the idea that our vacation-time, much like the rest of our lives, had forever changed, my husband was much happier and able to enjoy splashing in the hotel pool with our daughter and taking long walks each day to induce stroller naps. I wish we would have had a conversation before we left home about how to manage nap times, parental duties, and what we could realistically do with a baby in tow.

Sandra Foyt of Albany Kid wishes she knew how much easier it is to travel with a baby than older kids:

The first time I traveled with my baby daughter, it was to move from New York to California with my two-month-old. The worst of it was the anticipation: How would her newborn ears handle the air pressure? Where to change her diapers on a plane? Looking back, I wish I had known how easy I had it. Now that I have teens, planning a trip can be a logistical nightmare.

And for anyone experiencing anxiety about traveling with a baby, I’ll leave you with the calm, reassuring words of Nicole Wiltrout of Arrows Sent Forth, who currently travels with both a baby and a preschooler:

What I wish I knew about traveling with a baby is that it’s much easier than I had imagined it would be. We had such a fun, relaxing experience on our first trip as a family, taking our six-month-old to South Haven, Michigan. Start simple and just enjoy the experience.

There you have it – a host of traveling mom wisdom. And now, we’d love to hear from you. What do you wish you knew the first time you traveled with a baby? Please feel free to share your responses in the comments.

Dear Tommy,

I can’t believe you are ten years old today! Looking back over the time since you were born I feel so grateful for all of the things we’ve gotten to do together from throwing rocks into the Mad River to skiing in the Rockies to ascending the Eiffel Tower to watching your beloved Phillies play. I’m really lucky that I’ve gotten to do so many things with you – many parents don’t have the kinds of opportunities that I’ve had to explore the world with their children.

But I’m also lucky because you are an ideal travel companion and have been since you were a baby. When I go places, I want to take you with me. Why do I feel this way?

You are fearless. No mountain intimidates you, whether you are climbing up or skiing down it. No bike ride is too long. You will sit down in the lobby of a big museum and play your piano pieces for everyone who is there to hear. When we talk about traveling to Australia and Asia, your first question is always “So when are we leaving?”

You are curious. From a very young age, you’ve had an intense interest in the things around you. I’ll never forget the first time we took you to an art museum. You were three months old, and riding in a front-facing carrier. You couldn’t get enough of the paintings and squealed and kicked your legs throughout. You may express your delight differently now, but your joy and interest haven’t changed. When we visit a new place, you want to learn as much about it as possible. You’ll read books and magazines and ask questions. You pay attention and make connections. I love hearing your thoughts about the things we see.

You love bacon as much as I do. It does make me proud that you’ve started ordering bacon on top of everything! But I’m also glad that you enjoy and appreciate food and that you treat each menu like a new adventure. And also that you are willing to share your salted caramel milkshakes with me.

You’ve never met a stranger. I’ve seen you play with children in Paris (some of whom didn’t even speak your language) and chat with old ladies on the subway. When we sign you up for lessons or programs, you always end up on the best of terms with the teacher or leader. You love to meet people and are kind and friendly to all.

You are open to anything. I think my favorite thing about you as a traveling companion is that you don’t ever ask the question, “why are we doing this?” From art museums to hiking trails to historic sites to long city walks you greet everything we do with enthusiasm. Your openness to the world knows no bounds. (Well, maybe one. You’ll notice I don’t ever try to take you shopping.)

I have loved watching you grow and experience the world. This blog is my way of recording what we’ve done together. I know that in the years to come, you’ll explore more and more of what lies around you on your own terms without me at your side. But please know that no matter where you go, no matter how far you journey from home, I will always be there cheering you on.

It has been such a pleasure and a privilege to spend the first ten years of your life on this planet exploring it with you. I can’t wait to see where your adventurous spirit takes you next.

Love,
Mommy

Just about four years ago, when Tommy was six, I decided that maybe I’d start sharing some of our family adventures online. It would be a lie to say that I had long-term view or that I assumed I’d still be here writing about family travel when he passed the double-digit mark. When I started this blog I was focused on our first major family trip since our return from thirteen months on the road with Tommy: A two-week visit to Paris. With the enthusiasm of a new convert, I blogged just about every day of that trip, sitting at my computer in our lovely apartment overlooking the Place Monge until well past my bedtime so that I wouldn’t miss a single moment.

It was such a joy to me to share my favorite city with Tommy, who seemed to have an innate appreciation for the things I love about it from the art to the green spaces to the bakeries on every corner. He relished his morning pastries and ate Nutella crepes with the same delight I remembered from my college days.

To me that trip was a turning point: I learned that I could successfully travel with two children. But it was also the first time that Tommy really registered an opinion about what we should or should not be doing with our time. We had several notably dismal outings that were a direct result of ignoring his needs and wants. But when we got it right, it was pure family travel gold, whether we were looking at sculpture in the Musée d’Orsay,

drawing pictures in Monet’s garden in Giverny,

checking out the artists in the Place du Tetre,

traveling up the elevator in the Eiffel Tower,

or catching the rings on the Jardin de Luxembourg carousel.

As he had done for the previous six years, Tommy showed me how to enjoy the city in ways I never had before. We looked at animals inlaid in the floor inside Sainte Chapelle, played in the park behind Notre Dame, ate ice cream at Bertillon with abandon, and followed the Metro maps with our fingers, memorizing the stops. Perhaps one of the most memorable outings was the evening we took Tommy to dinner at the Gare de Lyon and I realized that he was in every way my partner in adventure, not just a kid who was along for the ride.

(P.S. – we’ll be back in Paris for a week in July. I can’t wait!)