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Having a baby doesn’t mean that traveling has to stop. In fact, taking trips with a baby could be fun as we discover new places together as a family.
Granted some places are much more baby-friendlier than others, so choosing a suitable destination is crucial.
(The following details the planning and thought process of Mama Bear prior to taking the trip.)
Choosing the Destination
The most important criteria should always be safety when traveling with a baby, especially when she’s still just under one year old. Therefore, we prefer to travel to a touristic destination.
For our first ever destination, we chose two popular cities in Portugal: Porto and Lisbon.
Portugal is a safe country with plenty of attractions. In addition, everything is affordable, and they have great food and weather so it would be quite a nice discovery.
We planned to first visit Porto, the town that inspired Harry Potter and where J.K. Rowling once lived, then head on to Lisbon to stay with a friend. We planned a week of traveling divided evenly between the two cities so that we could take our time.
With this trip, we planned to slooooow travel.
Booking the Flight
With EasyJet, we had direct flights available from Geneva to Lisbon or Porto. We decided to fly directly to Porto, and then we will take the train down to Lisbon, and return from Lisbon to Geneva.
The flight was cheap even though it’s during a high season. For a family of three, we paid about $290 round trip. The ticket for the baby was free (under age 2) but we just had to pay taxes.
For some airlines, you can request to book a bassinet or baby seat and asked to be seated in the front row, or bulkhead seating. You can do so by calling the airline. (Note: EasyJet does not have such option since it’s a low cost airline.)
However, since the flight from Switzerland to Portugal was less than three hours, it wasn’t a big deal if we didn’t get the bulkhead seating.
For most flights, the airlines allow parents to bring a stroller plus a car seat. We didn’t need to announce in advance, but just bring it directly to the airport.
The car seat can be checked-in and the stroller can be left at the gate and retrieve outside of the gate upon arrival. This is a big advantage for traveling parents!
But for this short trip, we decided to just bring the stroller and we will rent the car seat if needed.
Booking the Hotel
We will be staying at a hotel in Porto and at our friend’s apartment in Lisbon.
We book the hotel in Porto through online and communicated to the hotel staffs that we would need a baby crib. They quickly responded to us and confirmed that it will be available – that was a HUGE relieve!
The cost was an average of only 60 EURO (or about $65) per night for the three of us. We even stayed on a very well and centrally located street, Rua Santa Catarina, but just before the busy section. Therefore, our hotel was convenient, quiet, and comfortable – a great value!
Related: How to Save Money Without Using A Budget
We didn’t use Airbnb.com because the pricing was about the same for the amenities we requested. Plus, we didn’t like the limited check-in time to get the keys at the places we searched.
Packing for the Baby
Since Portugal will be hot in May, we don’t need to pack thick clothing. So we will be bringing just one large check-in luggage and one carry-on luggage.
The large luggage will be used for me and Papa Bear, while the smaller luggage will be used solely for Baby Bear.
For the baby’s luggage, it will be full of her clothes and diapers. It’s always better to be safe than sorry so I will basically be packing almost all of her bodies, shirts and pants just in case of diaper explosion – this should be sufficient for a week.
I decided that I would buy some baby food before going just in case we couldn’t find any suitable baby food or supermarket in time once we arrive in Portugal.
In addition to clothes and food, we will be bringing both the Bugaboo stroller and the Ergobaby carrier. We planned to first use the Ergobaby to scout out the place once we arrived, then decide whether we can use the stroller for traveling longer distance.
I contemplated on whether or not I would need to bring the Medela breast pump, and finally decided to not bother. I will be feeding my baby on demand instead.
Getting Mentally Ready
The final step is to just get mentally ready for the trip. We are especially excited for this trip since it will be our first vacation together exploring new cities.
There will always be unforeseen events that might cause worries but we also know that when we have a positive mindset, we could better cope with any challenges.
However, we do have some anxieties about plane delay, baby’s adjustment to local food, and the ease of traveling via public transportation. We know that the first travel will always be the hardest one to overcome, but such is the excitement of exploration!
Have you traveled with a baby before? If so, what was your experience like? What are your tips for traveling with a baby under just one year old?
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