The Journey – Travel Turtle

My family travel reality

Ann — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 08:07:03 +0000

I’ve been a mother for a little over 3.5 years. That means I’ve been a mother who travels with her kids a little over 3.3 years.

Becoming a mom was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I was in my mid-30s and very used to my previous carefree life. After the shortest longest 9 months (more accurately 41 weeks and 1 day) of my life, there was a whole being whose soul existence strongly depended on me being responsible. Remembering to feed him, bathe him, protect him. On top of that I had post-pregnancy complications that made me move a little slower, with more pain than I remember having before.

It was a mental and physical challenge. And it seemed to never let up.

It took me a full year to feel good in my new normal. To get out of the haze.

When I had my daughter less than 2 years later, the cycle started again. Except now I was used to the sleepless days and nights. I just had to get used to protecting the kids from each other. My post-pregnancy complications this time made sleep more difficult and driving over cobblestone roads next to impossible. Again, it took me a full year to feel good in my new normal.

My truth of traveling with babies

Within both of those separate years of having new babies, we traveled. We traveled because we had to. We traveled because we wanted to. We traveled to see family across the pond. We traveled because we knew we weren’t going to live in Europe forever.

As with everything when a baby comes along, we had to change our style. We packed more, planned more, somehow slept even less, and concerned ourselves more with where we were when it was time for the kids to eat.

It was hard, but it wasn’t impossible.

Looking back I realized something about that time in our lives. New mommy-hood was easiest for me when we were traveling. It felt more right than anything else. I felt more alive because I wasn’t sitting at home waiting for life to happen. We didn’t eat at fancy restaurants, or sit at cafes and bars chatting it up with the locals, or do many things in our new travels that we resembled our old travels. But, we were traveling. We were doing what we love most, even through the pain and challenges.

And I think that’s what makes me different

At least different from the people who treat traveling with kids as a chore. For me, I can’t imagine going out and exploring this world without my kids. And I don’t know how people can just stay home. It would stifle me, it would bore me, and it would make me resentful.

These days

If I had any anxiety about how my travels would be once I had kids, it’s gone now.

I have two toddlers who love to travel. They both love all forms of transportation, constantly wonder when our next trip to a hotel will be, and can typically sit pretty content in a car, a train, and a plane. And that’s even without an iPad or any electronic distractions.

They have their own travel preferences. My son loves fancy hotels and fast trains, my daughter loves walks and animals. They enjoy talking about going on vacation and looking at pictures afterwards.

It’s fun. It’s exhausting. It’s more than I thought it could be.

Photo by Kyle Taylor, Dream It. Do It. Kingrun andfr 302

Le Jardin d’Acclimation Paris, France

Ann — Wed, 14 May 2014 05:00:29 +0000

This is my 100th post! It’s been slightly over a year since I restarted this blog. Last month I wrote a little over 1/4 of the whole blog’s post as part of the A-Z challenge. I enjoyed that challenge so much, that I decided to make up my own challenge for May. Twice a week, I write a post about an attraction we’ve visited and haven’t written about before here.

Why? To encourage people to travel or to help someone trying to learn a little more about a place on their to-do list. See, for me, my travel researching style includes reading posts about what people did at a place. From there, I’ll usually make a decision that it’s a good fit – or that it’s a bad fit. The problem is there’s nothing I can say about our time at Le Jardin d’Acclimation in Paris, France that would justify a decision either way.

The tale of why my recommendation of Le Jardin d’Acclimation is not too reliable

If you’re unfamiliar with this park – it’s part botanical garden, part amusement park, part zoo, part playground and completely everything that could possibly answer “what would a child like to spend their day doing”.

And that would be reason enough to go.

I first heard about it long before we even moved to France. A blogger I read at the time celebrated her daughter’s first birthday in Paris and wanted to do something very Parisian that day. After some research, she discovered there was no more-Parisian way to celebrate a first birthday than by going to the garden opened by Napoleon III in 1860. And when we moved to Germany and had a baby, I figured, well this sounds amazing.

And that would be reason enough to go.

We spent a week in the city of love, loving on our little soon-to-be-one-year old boy. Our days were filled with trips to parks, towers, museums, coeurs, rues, baguette shops, and – oh, yeah – we also spent a day at Disney. On the one year anniversary of my son’s birth, the day before we left, it decided to rain. The rain was not torrential and we went anyway. Unfortunately, non-torrential rain means one thing: the park is still open, but most of the rides are not. On a good note: most people in Paris seem to skip Le Jardin when it’s wet – there were no crowds. Plus, our one year old, didn’t really care.

And because of this, I can’t say that our experience is a good indicator either way of if you should go or not.

We had a great time. We looked at the animals, ate some croque monsieur, spent a few Euros to ride the petit train – a train that takes you from the park to the parking lot, and made notes on how very Parisian this place was. Coming from Orlando, where rides continue in most weather scenarios, this place was as far away from everything the Orlando parks are known for – and that would be reason enough to go.

Thinking about going?

Le Jardin d’Acclimation is in the 16th Arrondissement in the Bois de Boulogne. For those taking public transportation, which I recommend, it’s the Sablon metro station exit 2. Follow Rue d’Orleans until you get to the park. There are plenty of signs.
Entrance fees, and attractions are inexpensive. Purchase a book of 15, 25, or 50 tickets to save even more money. Kids under 3 do not pay to enter.
You do not need to have a car parked in the parking lot to ride the Petit Train, but I suppose this ride could be busier on warmer days.

Who should visit?

Le Jardin d’Acclimation is definitely a park for families. Because the rides are aimed towards younger children, this may not be the right choice for older kids. It is definitely a park that can take a whole day to visit, however you can also be comfortable spending only a few hours there because of the low entrance fees.

Great links for further reading

We visited Le Jardin d’Acclimation on a rainy day, here are other things to do in Paris when it’s raining.
Since the garden dates back to 1860, there is a lot of history in the place. Check out the official website and hit “google translate” to learn more. Be on the lookout for: the famous other at the inauguration, the zoological society’s purpose for the acclimation garden, the “Pigeons of the Republic”, which country’s successful amusement park encouraged the garden to add attractions, and which other countries are represented within the gardens.
Here’s a pdf of the brochure in English.

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Parks, Playgrounds, & Picnics

Ann — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 05:00:32 +0000

Before I had kids I thought authentic travel experiences had to include places where locals drank or ate. Once I had my own kids, I worried that finding that local connection might not be so easy. Especially now that I prefer drinks and food via room service many nights – don’t judge, I never realized how enjoyable eating at a desk-turned dining table could be when the alternative is dealing with over-tired toddlers in a public place.

Then I discovered that parks and playgrounds are filled with locals. The conversation that used to be struck up over a drink, now starts while pushing a swing on a swing set. The parents I meet at the parks and playgrounds, they’re the ones that can give me the inside tips that I worried I would miss having kids. Only these tips are more suited for my new travel lifestyle because these tips are suited for my children.

So feel free to let your kids run loose at the playground, you never know who you’ll meet.

What about the food, though?

In my pre-kid days I enjoyed tasting new dishes at restaurants. These days, I’m rediscovering my love of picnics. Plus, it’s a complete cultural experience. Shopping in a local grocery store and figuring out what treats are perfect without heating or plates is just the half of it. Then there’s searching for the perfect spot to snack. A place with a view and a playground. Some of my favorite travel memories are those that happened while eating a picnic.

Know this – if you’re travel changes when you have kids to include more parks, playgrounds, and picnics, it’s really not a bad thing.

If you have a moment, please visit fellow A-to-Z Challenge travel bloggers Kitty & Francisco of Bay Essence. Their alternating their posts between English and Spanish, so take a look!

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Instagram Travel Thursday

Ann — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 05:00:37 +0000

***I’m out of town and have limited access to my computer, but I wanted to make sure I still had some posts in the A-Z challenge. I’m keeping these simple until I come back. I’m going to expand on these later, but I’d love your thoughts and opinions in the meantime. Thanks for stopping by, and if you’re also participating in the challenge let me know and I’ll be around to check our your blog in less than a week.***

If you are not a travel blogger you may or may not have heard of the Instagram Travel Thursday link-up. Travel bloggers link up their favorite Instagram-related posts and share it with their community. It is so inspirational to read about the different places people travel. It’s also easy to see how you can use Instagram to plan your own travel.

Today, since “I” fell on a Thursday, I’m going to write about ways you can use Instagram in your travel before, during, and after your trip. And add photos from my own IG account throughout.

Using Instagram before your trip

Do a hashtag search of the city you are traveling to. Click on something that looks interesting, then follow the hashtag trail to find other things to do on your trip.

If you find something that interests you, ask the IGer about it.

Using Instagram during your trip

Of course you can still do the hashtag search to find fun things to do near you. You can also pinpoint a hashtag to be more specific. Instead of #london, maybe #bigben.

Another fun thing here is you can get ideas for how other people captured this area and use that inspiration in your own photos.

You can also create your own hashtag, #travelturtlegoestolondon for example, and upload your own IGs. This lets your friends and family know where you’ve been, and makes it easier for you to find the photos from this specific trip later.

Added bonus: people may start to ask you questions about that destination.

Tip: For safety, be careful of your upload timing. I try to upload pictures slightly after I’ve been to a certain place, that way it’s harder for stalkers to find me.

Using Instagram after your trip

Well, now you can be the go-to person for the specific destination. Answer people’s questions if they have any for you. Keep Instagram the friendly community is and offer support.

I’m a strong believer in taking the photo off the computer (or phone) and print it out. There are a lot of Instagram-friendly printing companies that will turn your images into bound books. Simple memory keeping technique.

My featured A-to-Z Challenge Travel Blogger of today is the Travelling Book Junkie. She has some pretty cool Alternative City Destinations that she’s featuring.

This post is part of the Instagram Travel Thursday linky hosted by Skimbaco Lifestyle

Follow me on Instagram to see what’s taking me away from the blog. Leave your IG link in the comments and I’ll follow you when I get back!translator english to german how to find keyword search volume Proxes C1S obd2 goption review

Weekend trip to Zurich and Vaduz

Ann — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 10:10:55 +0000

Over the weekend we discovered one of our new favorite places: Zürich, Switzerland.

Here’s a glimpse of some of the things we saw, via Instagram photos. More photos and details to come.

*Note: The prices below are listed in Swiss Francs. The exchange rate between that and the USD is roughly the same. If something is say, 10 Swiss Francs, it’s about $11.

Rheinfalls, Switzerland

Who doesn’t like waterfalls? I love them.

Rheinfalls are Europe’s largest. The area is extremely family friendly, and isn’t a touristy or cheesy place like Niagara Falls is often accused of being. The huge playground was a welcomed site for my son after our long road trip. He also loved the falls. I don’t know if it was because of the clear water (my son does love bath time) or that he’s only two (and a bit of a daredevil), but the little guy just wanted to climb over the railing and jump into the water.

Travel Tip: Switzerland is expensive. Germany is right across the border (10 minutes in traffic), eat there. Oh, we paid 5 Swiss francs to park for 2 hours.

Short Boat Trip on Lake Zürich

The Zürich channel at the hotel told us that Lake Zürich is clean enough to drink from. I believe it. Our trip took us around the lake where we got to see Zürich at its best. It’s tough sitting on a boat watching people having fun in the water. There were other boaters, kids on the lake-side beaches, and people playing water sports. Again, my son wanted to jump into the water. This time, though, I probably would have been happy to jump in after him. It was hot.

Travel Tip: It’s only 8.50 Swiss Francs to take the 1.5 hour trip around the lake. Once on the boat, you can order a meal, snack, and a drink.

Vaduz, Liechtenstein

One of the world’s 25 least visited countries is only 1.5 hours away from Zürich by car. We had to go. As we drove to Liechtenstein, my husband shared some of the things he learned about L-stein: it’s in a valley, there are 5000 residents, there is no official army and the police force is less than 80 people. We talked about how, with such a small police force, did this country keep its sovereignty? Oh, the huge, beautiful mountains surrounding it. My kids weren’t so interested in dad’s facts so they slept.

We arrived in Vaduz with over-tired kids and over-hungry parents. My son whined his way past every shop. I’m sure he was disappointed that there wasn’t a river or lake to try to jump into. Ironically, this was the only time on the trip that he got wet. It rained. A nice heavy rain. We ended up dining at the fine, reliable establishment that is extremely whiny-toddler friendly: McDonald’s. Afterwards, we made our way back to Zürich.

Travel Tip: Liechtenstein might be more expensive than Switzerland, plan accordingly.

The drive between Zürich and Vaduz

If you have no interest in checking Liechtenstein off of your list, it’s still worth a visit. The drive between Zürich and Vaduz is beautiful. As I mentioned earlier, Liechtenstein is in the valley. That means that it’s surrounded by mountains and those are the mountains you’ll drive through to get there. The Alps, Caribbean-like water, and typical Swiss villages made every turn picture worthy. There are many tunnels on the way to Liechtenstein. As we exited each one it was like a little surprise to see how Switzerland could top its previous view. The best happened on the way back, after the rain: a double rainbow.

Travel Tip: The drive is only 1.5 hours, but could easily take all day because you’ll want to either drive slow to take in the view, or stop frequently.

Sattel-Hochstucki, Switzerland

I really enjoyed the city of Zürich, but I wanted more mountains. I mean, seriously, the Alps? How could we resist? We searched for ski-lifts/winter sports on our GPS. Sattel-Hochstucki, 45 minutes away, popped up and we crossed our fingers that the end destination would be worth it. We were happy to see the panoramic gondola cable-car when we arrived and bought ticket to the top just expecting to have nice views. We were wrong. The top was filled with fun activities for the family. There was a place with bouncy castles and trampolines, a very steep and twisty sledge run, and Europe’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge. There were also paths and trails for hikes. I’m sad to admit that my fear of heights won out and I did not cross the bridge. My husband took our daughter while I watched my son jump and bounce on the trampolines. I wish we could have spent all day there, but we had to leave after a few hours.

Travel Tip: The gondola ride is only 19 Swiss Francs round trip for adults, the bouncy castle and trampolines are 7 Swiss Francs for kids, the sledge run is 4 Euros per run, and the suspension bridge is free.

Overall travel tip: Switzerland is expensive. Coming from Germany, I was shocked at how much we spent on food and drinks. For example, a small bottle of coke could easily be around 4 Swiss Francs, and a medium cold drink at Starbucks was more than 7 Swiss Francs. Keep this in mind when budgeting and consider packing small picnics instead.

Have you been to the area? What should I see on my next visit?

This post is part of the new Instagram Travel Thursday linky hosted by Skimbaco Lifestyle, Destination Unknown, Child Mode, Hines Sight Blog, Live.Do.Grow., House of Anaïs, Luxury Travel Mom. Click on any of those links to access all Instagram travel posts.commander les stimulateurs de clitorisapple smart case pour ipad air penguin seo update GERDA CR-Z W2411 binary option investment

Randoms on Wednesday

Ann — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 15:15:55 +0000

Typically speaking, I don’t think Wednesdays are a random day around the internet. But, what do I know?

I’ve been busy hanging out with my little ones and planning upcoming trips. During this process I’ve found some interesting things I want to share. Things that are too little in themselves to post separately and too much to want to post on twitter or facebook or google plus. (By the way, are you following me on any of those three? If not, now’s a good time. If yes, stop by and say hi!)

On to the random.

Starting top right, clockwise: 1. The famous Rhein Promenade is filled with outdoor restaurants during the summer. Across the river they’re sitting up for the big kirmes fair. 2. An art piece near the city’s history museum depicts important events and people. 3. My son off-roading near the history museum (with a glimpse of the apartment we almost moved into in the background.) 4. Düsseldorf city hall as seen from the Irish pub. On this day a band was behind the statue pictured playing theme songs. Someone walked by and said, “Ah, Star Wars.” They were wrong, it was Indiana Jones. A few minutes later, we heard the theme to Star Wars.

Part of my travel planning included booking flights for an upcoming trip to the US. Even though I live in Germany, this will be the first time I’ve flown on Lufthansa. I spent a lot of time on their website yesterday and I love how welcoming they are to families. They have things like: family check-in counters at their two major airports, family services to help at the airport, tips and pre-departure check-lists specifically for families, a logbook for young fliers to log their miles with Lufthansa, a 25% discount for kids for some routes, fun children’s meals, and activity sheets that can be downloaded pre-flight, as well activities for kids on the flight. For one mom’s experience on Lufthansa, check out my friend’s post at Thrifty Travel Mama. If you’ve flown on Lufthansa, tell me your GOOD experiences in the comments.
The seating configuration on our flight is 2-4-2. Since there are four of us, I wanted to get other family travel blogger’s thoughts on the best configuration.
- A: One parent and one kid in a row, the other parent and kid in the row behind them. Parent gets the aisle, kid gets the window.
- B: All four in the middle of the row.
- C: Keep one parent with both kids and let the other parent sit separately.
  For configuration A: the pros were that the kids could look out of the window and if the toddler kicks anyone’s seat, it will just be his baby sister. Plus, no one gets jealous of the toys or food the other is eating.
  For configuration B: the pros were that everyone can sit next to each other and just kind of lay all over each other and sleep.
  For configuration C: the pros were that one parent can rest while the other deals with both kids at a time and they can switch as needed.
  For our family and this particular trip, we went with configuration A. We will see how well that goes and adjust on the return if we need to. If you have a preference, I’d love to hear it in the comments. Keep in mind, at the time of this flight I will have an almost three-year old and a just-turned one-year old.
During the discussion on seat configuration, I asked for flying with kids tips. Fact: I’ve flown with my kids many times, but I still get nervous doing so. I will read blog post after blog post repeatedly up until the day we leave. I really liked Knocked Up Abroad’s flying with baby and toddler tips. Other than being great tips, her return to the topic several times reassures me that I’m not alone in my obsession of thinking about this. If you have any tips for flying with babies and toddlers, or a favorite resource, let me know in the comments.
A few weeks ago I downloaded the TripIt app. It came highly recommended by friends and I understand why. It’s so nice to get the travel confirmations automatically organized in an app. Give it a try.
My friend, Selena, over at Oh, the Places actually wrote a random post on Monday. I just read it about an hour ago. While there, I clicked around and ended up on her blog designer’s website (more on that in a second). Afterwards I thought it would be nice to write a random post and when I sat at my computer and started writing, I remembered that Oh, the Places just did this. And I just read it. So thank you, Selena, for the inspiration.
Selena’s site was designed by Ready to Blog. Other than making some fantastic sites (check it out), she also offers a variety of free downloads. I downloaded her Photoshop collages. They are the perfect way to make nice collages in Photoshop. The one I made from a recent trip to Düsseldorf is at the top of this post.
I don’t have a blog designer, but I did recently update my buttons on the right sidebar. What do you think?

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Instagram Inspiration: Croatia

Ann — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 06:15:16 +0000

Ten years ago, when I was a travel agent, our local rep from Contiki talked to us about the next big European destination. He said that since Prague has become more expensive, Croatia is now “the place to be.” This is where Europeans vacation and we need to go – now. I trusted him because we were good friends and he wasn’t trying to sell me on trying to sell a Contiki trip to Croatia. He just came back from his own vacation and attested to its beauty, beaches, people, and food.

But, sometimes a friend’s recommendation just isn’t enough. Croatia has since been on my list, but was never a priority

How Croatia jumped to the top of my “Must Travel To” List

Back in June, I started following Rachelle from The Travel Bite on Instagram. Shortly after I started following her, she left for a tour of Croatia. When I scrolled through my account, I had to stop when she posted her latest photos. I mean, seriously, look at this place.

I looked up flights to Croatia and started thinking about when our family could go.

Meanwhile, I started lusting after the images of Montenegro that my friend, Jenny, at A Taste of Travel was posting on her Instagram account. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m not too familiar in the geography of places I haven’t seen myself. I compared costs of Croatia with Montenegro. Surprising to me flying into Dubrovnik in Croatia was the best choice. Even while researching other countries, Croatia was wiggling its way to my plans.

Then Jenny left Montenegro and headed north to Croatia. The timing was perfect. She was getting there just as Rachelle left. My Croatia stalking continued without a hitch.

I wanted to “heart” every Instagram Jenny posted. She even posted lots of pictures of food I know I don’t eat and I wanted to eat it. It was like her photos were a personal invitation from Croatia to me to visit. (Side note: In a local expat forum another American with two kids exactly my kids age posted that her family was going to Croatia and asked if anyone else wanted to join in on their road trip (Side side note: we can’t go. :). Then one of my favorite family travel bloggers, Passports and Pushchairs, posted a THREE part series of her friend’s travels in Croatia. As if one post wasn’t taunting enough.)

Here are some of my favorite images from A Taste of Travel. I’m pretty sure the only thing missing in this paradise is me.

Learning more through Instagram

Since first talking to the Contiki agent 10 years ago, I could have researched Croatia for myself to discover its beauty. But, I didn’t. I always had someplace else I was researching. With Instagram, because of other people’s travel, I saw Croatia first hand without research. To put it simply, the combination of the water, landscapes, and cities were exactly what I’ve been looking for, but never found when I researched vacation destination. A place with history, and a place to relax. Cities and buildings to explore, and a variety of outdoor activities. Cities and beaches filled with tourists, and others more isolated from the masses.

I haven’t planned any details of my Croatia trip yet. However, I already know that I have to give our family ample time to visit several of the locations that I’m not willing to miss. I can’t wait to learn more about this country through other sources now.

Trips are temporary, here are other ways to stay connected to new places on IG

I do have a complaint about Instagram for travel inspiration, though. Rachelle and Jenny aren’t going to be there forever. In fact, Rachelle has already left to explore other areas of the world (and somehow her recent pictures make me want to go back to the city I left to move to Germany). So what to do when your heart and mind are still in the country your resources of inspiration have left? Look for people living there! Chasing the Donkey is an Australian Expat and she’s documenting her family’s life in Croatia both on her blog and via Instagram.

If you want to follow these Instagrammers directly, you can find them here:

The Travel Bite

A Taste of Travel

Chasing the Donkey

Travel Turtle: Hey, that’s me. Ok. I haven’t been to Croatia yet, but when I go you can bet I’m going to Instagram it.

or follow these hashtags:

#croatia, #visitcroatia, #essentialcroatia, #Travelturtlewantstogotocroatia

Now it’s your turn. Make me even more jealous, have you been to Croatia? If not, where have you been that you didn’t realize was so beautiful until you saw it for yourself?

Source for Featured Image: Croatian Tourist Board, Photographer: Damir Fabijani

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Our First Overnight Trip with Baby, A Tale of Planning Gone Wrong

Ann — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:52:18 +0000

My plan was to rent a car, pack it up, head out, allot for an extra hour in a two-hour drive, arrive into Frankfurt early enough to look for the US Consulate, have a nice dinner, and check into our hotel.

My plan had other plans.

When my husband and my dad got to the car rental shop, it was closed. They called me to try to find an open one, anywhere near us. After an extensive search, I was finally able to find a place on the other side of town. They rushed over, rushed back to the house, and rushed packing up the car. We left several hours later than planned.

That’s ok, though, right?

We did not own a car yet in Germany. We had lived here for only 8 months at the time, which meant our US license was no longer valid. We took the opportunity of my parents visiting from Florida to rent a car and go to Frankfurt to apply for my son’s passport.

My dad drove. With his brand new and very first grandchild in the backseat, my dad set off very carefully. He slowly approached every sign and crossroads. He often waived his priority, unsure of the road rules in another country. Plus, he was still getting comfortable in the rental car. Once we were on the autobahn his concentration switched. There was no priority to waive on the autobahn. Cars were zipping past us. And as they were, my dad was thinking of his brand new grandson seated in the backseat.

Then it started to snow. Hard.

Did I mention my parents were from Florida?

It was the first snow of the season. Early and unexpected. My dad turned off the radio and all talk ceased. He stayed to the right to let the faster cars (all the other cars) pass. A cry from the back interrupted the calm and quiet inside the car. My son was awake, it was time for him to eat.

He wasn’t the only hungry one. We cancelled our plans for dinner in Frankfurt and pulled into a rest stop. And here we experienced another first. Using a public changing room. Fortunately, my husband handled that situation.

While my husband and son were in the changing room, I took the opportunity to look at the shop. My parents and I chatted for a bit. We decided it was too late, and too snowy and we should just get up early to head to the consulate the next day instead. We talked about what they would do while we were in the consulate. How we would contact them since cell phones were not allowed in. They made sure I had all my documents. After a while we wondered, why are C and W still in the changing room?

I went to check on them.

In the process of changing our son’s diaper, C had managed to dirty every outfit I packed for him except for one long sleeve onesie. Our son, a three-week old baby, was going to have to face the snow and drive in only a onesie.

My dad went to the car to start warming it up. I put my jacket on my son and attempted to rush to the car without slipping on the icy sidewalk.

We arrived into Frankfurt many hours later. We headed straight to the hotel and collapsed from exhaustion. I washed one of the thicker outfits that was dirtied earlier, and let it dry on the towel warmer.

Here’s what my son wore during his first snowstorm!

I sat in the hotel room thinking about the night. Where did I go wrong? This was supposed to be an easy trip. I read all the tips and tricks for traveling with kids. I OVERpacked. I took care of arrangements in advance, allotted so much extra time for everything and still ended up getting into Frankfurt late. I was a traveling mom failure.

I grabbed stationary and took notes of what I would do differently next time.

That was 2 and a half years ago.

Since then we’ve stayed in countless hotels, survived many road trips, flights, and train trips. Things will go wrong and that’s ok. It’s all a learning experience.

When it was my daughter’s turn to have her first hotel experience we were more proficient travel-with-baby travelers. Even considering the overseas flight, time difference, and jet lag we still had enough energy to go out for her first Halloween!

Not only did we have energy after our first trip with our daughter, I was also able to get some finishing touches done on her Halloween costume (she was a ghost).

Traveling with babies requires a new sense of humor, a new normal, and a new way to approach problem solving. But, it’s so worth it. Nothing is harder than those first trips, but I promise, it gets better.

How was your first overnight trip with your children? Any tips for parents heading out for the first time?

The post is part of Friday Daydreamin’ at RWeThereYet. Click on the link for more travel tales.lingeri pour femme pas cherprotective case macbook air 11 inch Replica A556 Cowon AE1